Timmothy, often called Timmy, was a young man in his late teens. His chocolate hair and tanned skin matched with his farming clothes which made for a rather stereotypical look of a villager that would never step out of the secluded village he’s from. Timmy was just wandering the outskirts of his nameless village after finishing the various chores and duties that came with being a farmhand, the village was in a pure mana barren forest and as such monsters were almost never near .

Walking always helped him think and reflect upon his situation, although he could eat and sleep underneath a ceiling Timmy could not help but wonder about the wider world outside the small community that he grew in. Most of this wondering was mostly in the mysterious outside, the elders and the retired adventurer were the only ones who even know the kingdom they’re a part of’s name. Timmy had tried asking but the elders were either too busy or too stubborn while he was honestly too nervous to talk to the grizzled woman that once was an adventurer.

So caught up was he by his wandering thoughts that he smacked hard against something and fell on his backside, dumbfounded he looked up and saw an enormous iron door, crimson splashes and scenes of warfare covering its colossal frame. Realizing what this gate meant took him a moment, the hit made it harder to hit and the warning given by the elders was a distant and up until now unimportant memory, and when Timmy finally did it was signaled by a cry of “Dungeon” and a mad sprint towards the village

//

Gamaliel was getting bored, she knew that even when spawned in populated areas it could take weeks for a dungeon to get visitors but actually having to wait after the continuous surprises that came one after the other since she met her partner.

Speaking of which, Maximus sat upon a throne made from countless weapons, his greataxe resting against an armrest. They were was inside a spacious hall with the only other thing being a banner hanging behind him with a white background divided in three equal parts by black lines, in the left a dark crimson hound was baring its fangs with blood dripping from its maw, in the right stood a crow pecking an eyeball with a purple plumage and a mystical glow in its eyes, lastly above both the hound and crow a golden lion was roaring from the top of a mountain.

After they were teleported to the dungeon they had appeared in this same hall, although lacking the throne and banner, and she further explained some details about his situation. Firstly came their new relationship and how they would be together for the rest of their lives as companions, she had waited till now to tell him in the off chance that he didn't make it; secondly the few rules he had to abide by, which were: the challenges presented by the dungeon should be beatable, something that is technically defeatable would not work so it was best to follow the spirit of the rule; there will be no interference by the dungeon lord to make the dungeon harder or easier, with the exception of if the intruder is trying to destroy or claim the dungeon; and while claiming territory outside the dungeon is permitted actively conquering land is not. Lastly an explanation inn how to actually build the dungeon, it was actually an instinctual process individual to each lord thanks to the dungeon being more of an extension of their soul than an actual place, and how to populate it with monsters, something somewhat simpler due to having a base selection already prepared chosen by the lords subconscious that will expand with the growth of the dungeon itself.

Obviously various questions followed, How do intruders claim a dungeon? By killing the dungeon lord and making a pact with the guiding angel, though there is a great price and more often than not the angel kills those who striked down their charge; How does the dungeon grow? Merely existing it filters the polluted mana and uses the pollution itself as power to fuel its growth, this is aided by slaying intruders due to them having a greater concentration of pollution; intruders could challenge the dungeon lord? Yes, there are various types of challenges: trials, in which the invaders battled the lord in order to obtain a bonus reward; duels, where an individual fought the dungeon lord to the death in order to claim the dungeon, this has to be accepted by the lord for it to be valid; and lastly raids, an invasion by a group to forcefully claim or destroy the dungeon.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

This waiting finally came to an end when suddenly a screen appeared in the middle of the hall signaling the entry of their first guests.

//

Alex was done adventuring, she had reached gold at the age of 50 and savored the fruits of her until the crowded reception of fans and admirers became so suffocating she escaped to this village in the middle of nowhere. When that kid came running and shouting about a dungeon she was mildly worried that her peace was gonna be broken by the inevitable wave of adventurers and the settling of the Guild and guilds that would undoubtedly come flocking towards it.

Those worries were quickly put to the back of the back of her mind when she was in the presence of the entrance. When you start growing in power you start to perceive the world in a different way, its essence and concepts are more apparent while the clouds clear and your able to see how giant the mountains can really get, the will to continue in spite of forever knowing the existence of such monstrously powerful beings is what separated first and second rates; and as she looked upon the metallic door and she tasted the energy, a taste like mouthful of ash and blood, that practically poured out of it in a continuous stream she realized this was not a normal dungeon.

“Be mindful, this one is a noble dungeon.” She warned the kid, the only person with her as the dungeon had to be young and as such not a threat and the teenager volunteered to show her its location. The presence of a lord did not really necessitate a call for backup, in fact it was probably safer as they had as an objective the training of warriors instead of the animalistic carnage instinctually craved for in the lordless dungeons.

Timmy only nodded in a clearly anxious manner, she couldn't really blame him as this would be his first time entering a dungeon, something she allowed now so she could be around in case something happened opposed to him entering alone and getting himself killed. After waiting for him to calm down a little she pushed the door open and they both stepped through a dark crimson and gray portal.

They appeared in the middle of a valley in the aftermath of a great battle, corpses in recent decomposition littered the ground dressed in reds, purples and golds with crows and vultures all around feasting upon the fallen. Alex quickly scanned their surroundings and found that they could only move forward as the valley ended in a cliff face if they went backwards, and so they walked.

“So,” started the boy in a nervous and queasy voice“ are all dungeons like this?” She liked him taking the initiation, it would distract him from the bodies and showed that a backbone could grow in the place of the feeble spine he sported.

“Yes and no, normal dungeons are far more simplistic than this with most being little more than enclosed rooms and hallways, noble dungeons are far more grand and detailed sticking with a theme. A sight like this is unique to this dungeon but other noble dungeons are comparable in their gruesome scenery.” Her response was quick and concise, while she would guide and help the boy Alex had no intention of starting to give lectures.

They walked a total of about 5 to 10 minutes until they came across the first enemy, what looked like a scavenger looting corpses that upon noticing them pulled out a rusty sword and charged at them. A quick smack made it little more than gore and they continued on, although the child was quite pale and hesitant in following after that show of strength.

So they kept walking and the scavengers kept appearing, at first couples and disorganized they nonetheless began ramping up in number and strength with the last stretch of their walk encountering a group of 10. 5 sported some red clothing with 2 having wooden shields, 2 with two handed weapons and the last having a bow; 4 were in a dark purple with 2 dagger wielders, 1 bowman and what appeared to be a spellcaster; and lastly there was one taller than the rest that was garbed in golden robes.

As much as Alex would like to say they were a challenge compared to the others she would be lying, she was just too strong for such low stage monsters. She merely played a little to see if they had something hidden in their sleeve and then dispatched them as easily as the first one they encountered.

Beyond them lay another gate and upon crossing it they found themselves in a great hall, in front of them an angel and the dungeon lord himself.