[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
The place where the Utopia Dungeon had been discovered was a certain back hill on the outskirts of Sirin.
Distance-wise, it wasn’t even that far from the White Tower.
‘There was a dungeon in a place like this?’
It was strange enough that it had gone undiscovered until now.
As he approached the dungeon entrance, he saw a crowd so dense it made his jaw drop.
“They say even guys whose growth has stagnated can break through their wall just by going in here once and coming back out.”
“No, so what exactly are the escape conditions?”
“No clue. Every person who came back out says something different.”
“They say the top reward is an artifact from Oscar Sage. Isn’t that the kind of thing worth whatever price people are willing to pay?”
“The White Tower Master even put a bounty on that staff himself. One hundred million Bell.”
Hundreds of tents had been set up around the dungeon entrance like temporary lodgings.
Of course, there probably weren’t many mages or knights among the tent owners.
If they were those kinds of people, they’d be staying at hotels in nearby Sirin instead.
‘Mercenaries, adventurers, and... quite a few shady-looking bastards too.’
An enormous number of people had gathered regardless of profession or age.
That likely meant this newly discovered dungeon, ‘Utopia,’ truly had excellent effects.
Fweeeet!
Along with whistle blasts, shouts rang out from all around.
“You can’t set up tents over there! That’s too close to the entrance!”
“We’ll be checking identification for those standing in the entrance line! Anyone with a criminal record can’t enter!”
The ones controlling the crowd were mages from the White Tower.
“Hmm?”
One of them recognized him and walked over.
“Oscar?”
“It’s been a while, Senior.”
Verdi Nakwind.
The young talent said to be on the verge of reaching Level 7 swept his gaze over Oscar from top to bottom before letting out a hollow laugh.
“At this point, someone at my level can’t even gauge your realm anymore. You monster.”
“I hear that pretty often. How’s your condition?”
“Since you treated me, I haven’t felt mana reflux symptoms even once. Though there have been times I woke up from recurring nightmares.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Only then did Verdi grin and ask:
“So you came to challenge Utopia too?”
“Well. I’m not sure whether this should be called a challenge or a rescue mission...”
“Ahh! I see. So you were the one the White Tower sent to rescue them.”
With a look that said he understood, Verdi turned toward the dungeon entrance.
“If it were up to me, I’d like to go in and help too, but once you escape, re-entry isn’t possible.”
“Hmm? Then does that mean I can only rescue one person too?”
“No. If it’s not your own personal theme that you cleared like mine, then it should be fine. Invasion is considered a different concept.”
Invasion?
What’s that?
Seeing the look in Oscar’s eyes demanding an explanation, Verdi scratched the back of his head.
“To explain simply, it means entering someone else’s theme. Fran, Killian, and Veronica invaded my theme too.”
“What’s the benefit of doing that?”
“You just get to experience beforehand what a theme dungeon is like and how it feels. Rather than hearing more details from me, it’ll be faster if you go inside and hear it from the guide. They explain it thoroughly.”
“Understood. Anything I should be careful about?”
“Hmm.”
After pondering for a moment, he spoke cautiously.
“About the rescue. Personally, I think you should approach it a little more carefully.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know better than anyone, but the three who went in with me are all overflowing with talent. Talented enough that I thought they might surpass me someday. But the fact that people like them still haven’t escaped means there’s a high chance their themes turned out extremely difficult.”
Oscar felt like he understood what Verdi was trying to say.
“You’re worried I’ll recklessly try to rescue them and end up trapped myself.”
“Yeah. It may sound cold, but from the White Tower’s perspective, you’re more important than those brats.”
“I’ll go in first, see what kind of rescue this actually is, and make my decision carefully.”
“That’s enough for me.”
Nodding his head, Verdi personally guided him all the way to the entrance.
Naturally, there was no need for him to stand in line to enter.
Verdi was the chief administrator here.
“I hope you achieve a good result.”
“I’ll be back.”
The instant he passed through the blue-glowing dungeon entrance, the scenery changed.
‘This is....’
Just moments ago, he had been on a mountainside crowded with people, but now he was inside some sort of room.
Judging by the interior structure, it seemed to be a small cabin.
At that moment, someone opened the door and stepped inside.
“Welcome, Challenger.”
Oscar silently stared at the other person.
An old man wearing a tattered robe.
Naturally, it was a face he had never seen before in his life.
‘But strangely....’
He didn’t feel the peculiar sense of distance one normally felt when meeting a stranger.
Rather, the old man felt familiar.
That feeling was so unfamiliar that Oscar stared at the old man for quite a while.
“Ahem.”
Perhaps burdened by the gaze, the old man scratched his neatly trimmed beard with his index finger.
“You’re staring so intently it’s making me embarrassed.”
“Who are you, sir?”
“I am the guide. The one who explains this dungeon to you.”
Oscar slowly nodded.
“I’d appreciate that.”
“First of all, this place is Utopia.”
“That’s a rather grand name for a dungeon.”
“To some people, it may feel like a dream paradise.”
The old man smiled warmly before continuing.
“This dungeon was created to help challengers grow. By providing personalized theme dungeons for each individual, it develops the areas they most need.”
“Who created this dungeon?”
“That is a secret.”
“...Saying it like that just makes you sound suspicious.”
“Then don’t trust me or my words. Trust those who have already left the dungeon. Surely they weren’t all hypnotized as a group.”
That was true.
Even Verdi, whom he had spoken with just earlier, seemed completely normal.
“A challenger may choose one of three actions in this dungeon.”
The old man raised three fingers.
“One is challenge, another is invasion, and the last is forfeiture.”
“You don’t need to explain forfeiture... what’s the difference between challenge and invasion?”
“A challenge means entering the personalized theme dungeon prepared for you. If you fulfill the conditions presented there, you’ll receive your reward and immediately leave this place.”
“And invasion?”
“You may participate in another person’s theme dungeon.”
From the sound of it alone, there seemed to be no reason not to invade.
The troublemakers from the Special Affairs Department had also invaded Verdi’s theme, after all.
“Are there penalties for invading?”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“First of all, in the invaded theme, you cannot provide any assistance other than verbal advice.”
“...What?”
That meant even someone with overwhelming strength couldn’t simply clear the theme in another person’s place.
“As I said, theme dungeons are customized for each individual. Their purpose is to develop the abilities that person most needs. If someone else were to accomplish it for them instead, what meaning would there be in that?”
Only advice was allowed, huh....
Oscar felt like he now understood why Verdi had told him to think carefully.
If things went wrong, he could end up trapped forever regardless of his own strength.
“What happens if an invaded theme is successfully cleared?”
“The owner of the theme escapes the dungeon, while the invader returns to this cabin.”
“...That’s all? There’s no reward for succeeding in an invasion?”
“What’s so remarkable about entering another person’s theme, giving some backseat advice, and watching for a bit that it deserves a reward?”
“No, but you’re still risking your life.”
At least one thing was certain now.
Whoever created this dungeon was absolutely terrible at balancing.
“Sir, then who the hell would invade? People would just clear their own themes quickly and leave.”
“If they don’t want to, then they don’t have to invade. If one insists on finding value in it, then perhaps simply getting to preview the format of a theme dungeon itself could be considered a reward.”
That’s a reward?
Letting out a hollow laugh, Oscar rubbed the corners of his eyes.
“Then if someone forcibly invades, does the owner of the original theme suffer any disadvantages?”
“None at all.”
That was enough.
If those troublemakers suffered losses because he invaded their themes, it would leave a bad taste in his mouth.
At that moment, something occurred to Oscar, and he asked:
“By any chance, can you tell me what the highest number of invasions someone has done so far is?”
“That’s not difficult. Fifteen times.”
“...Fifteen times?”
Someone invaded that many times despite there being absolutely no benefit?
Could that person also have been acting as a rescue team like himself?
As Oscar fell into thought, the old man grinned and said:
“And that fellow still hasn’t escaped this dungeon.”
“.......”
The old man looked at Oscar’s uneasy expression and asked:
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
“Ah, I’d like to check the dungeon reward information.”
“That’s simple enough.”
The old man pulled a catalog out from inside his robes and handed it over.
‘What is this, some kind of boutique shop....’
The catalog consisted of only two pages.
[0~25 Points]
· Basic Calculation Support Talisman
· Fatigue Dispersion Bracelet
· Sensory Amplification Necklace
· Concentration Fixation Ring
[26~50 Points]
· Mana Circuit Stabilization Potion
· Sensory Enhancement Necklace
· Earring of Savagery
· Eyes That Pierce Through (Magic Tome)
[51~75 Points]
· Combat Sense Correction Bracelet
· Thought Acceleration Necklet
· Boots of Sprint
[76~99 Points]
· Golem Summoning Ring
· Mana Circuit Stabilization Elixir
· Thought/Calculation Speed Enhancement Elixir
· Sun-Slayer (Swordsmanship Manual)
· Owl’s Cloak
[100 Points]
· Oscar Sage’s Artifact
└【Windless Zone】Granted
“Hmm?”
While reading the catalog, Oscar tilted his head.
“...You really own all these artifacts?”
“Of course. As I said, this dungeon was created from the beginning for the purpose of developing challengers. It’s a dungeon into which the Master poured tremendous effort.”
“What’s the Dungeon Master’s name?”
“I cannot tell you that part.”
Whoever it was, he was grateful.
After all, they had created a dungeon like this in Sirin of all places.
‘Just from a glance, these artifacts aren’t worth merely a coin or two....’
There were two possibilities.
Either an unbelievably rich man, or the greatest thief of the age.
‘No, considering he stole my Windless Zone, doesn’t that confirm he’s a thief?’
Nodding to himself, Oscar spoke.
“I understand. Is there any secret to earning a high score?”
“I cannot tell you that. However... I can tell you what is generally accepted as the standard.”
Generally accepted standards, huh.
If he imagined himself as the grader, the criteria that came to mind were obvious.
‘Clearing speed is probably the most important thing.’
The other conditions likely just added or subtracted from that.
The guide opened his mouth.
“I have told you everything I can tell you. I sincerely hope you obtain what you desire from your Utopia.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The guide left the cabin, and Oscar followed after him.
Though the gap between them was barely one or two seconds, the old guide was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, what appeared before Oscar’s eyes was an enormous number of doors.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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