The large hall was dimly lit, its heavy oak table dominating the space.

Around it sat the key representatives of two powerful guilds: Lionheart and Black Serpent and their subsidiary guilds.

The air was tense, filled with unspoken unease.

Each person bore a grim expression, their focus fixed on the video projected on the far wall.

The screen flickered, revealing a scene of chaos and carnage.

The footage showed a group of hunters, their faces twisted with desperation as they fought for their lives.

Towering golems, each unique in form, loomed over them with relentless force.

Some were crude, shaped from clay and stone, while others were intricate constructs of brick and gleaming steel.

Their heavy fists smashed down with brutal finality, reducing hunters to broken bodies amidst the rubble.

The camera shifted, capturing swarms of monstrous ants.

They were grotesque amalgamations of living parts—chitinous limbs fused with sinew and muscle, eyes that glowed with unnatural light.

Their mandibles snapped like steel traps, tearing through armor and flesh alike.

The hunters' cries of agony echoed as they were overwhelmed, their weapons useless against the horde.

The battle was brief and horrifying.

The hunters were systematically annihilated, their blood soaking the ground in a crimson tide.

The camera panned to the city beyond the dungeon’s entrance, its once-quiet streets now a macabre canvas of destruction.

Buildings burned, bodies lay strewn across the cobblestones, and the very air seemed to thrum with malice.

And at the heart of it all stood the creature.

The being was majestic yet terrifying, its presence commanding attention even through the screen.

Its smile was cruel, full of mockery, as though the chaos unfolding around it was nothing more than entertainment.

The video froze on the image of that creature, and the projector’s hum was the only sound in the room.

A man rose to his feet, his sharp green eyes glinting under the dim light.

Cain, the vice guild master of Black Serpent, carried an air of authority that demanded attention.

He adjusted his black coat, his movements slow and deliberate, as he turned to face the room.

“As you can see,” Cain began, his voice cutting through the heavy silence, “this is the handiwork of the Demonic Guild.”

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Murmurs rippled around the table, the weight of his words sinking in.

“They’re not acting alone,” Cain continued, his voice tightening with restrained anger.

“This dungeon boss—this creature—isn’t just some mindless entity. It’s intelligent. It’s calculated. And the Demonic Guild is working with it.”

His words hung in the air like a storm cloud, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Cain stepped closer to the table, his fists clenched at his sides.

“The hunters you just saw weren’t novices. They were skilled, experienced fighters. And yet, they were wiped out as if they were nothing.”

The members of Lionheart and Black Serpent exchanged uneasy glances.

The implications were chilling.

A dungeon boss working in tandem with a guild, orchestrating destruction on such a scale—it was unheard of.

“We can’t afford to sit back,” Cain continued, his voice rising.

“If we let this fester, it won’t stop at Scelet City. This is a threat to every guild, every city. We need to act—and we need to act now.”

The room fell silent once more, but this time, it wasn’t just fear that lingered.

It was determination.

Each person present understood the gravity of the situation.

The question wasn’t whether they would act—it was how soon they could strike.

Cain’s green eyes swept across the room, locking onto each person in turn.

“We have to destroy the Demonic Guild and this dungeon boss. Failure isn’t an option.”

The weight of his words settled heavily in the room, and the resolve of the two guilds began to solidify.

“I agree with you on this—that immediate action is necessary. But how should we proceed? Do you have any ideas?”

The voice cut through the tension like a blade. It belonged to Scarlet, Vice Guildmaster of Lionheart.

She was a commanding presence, her crimson hair flowing over her shoulders like molten fire, and her sharp golden eyes bore into Cain.

As one of the strongest mages in the room, her words carried weight, and the others turned to her as though awaiting guidance.

Cain, however, leaned back in his chair with a casual shrug, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

“No idea.”

The room erupted in murmurs of confusion.

“What?” someone blurted, their tone incredulous.

Scarlet’s brows furrowed, her patience already wearing thin.

“What are you trying to say, Cain?” she demanded, her voice sharp and precise.

Cain sat up, resting his elbows on the table as his green eyes flicked lazily around the room.

“I mean, we’ve already attacked most of the Demonic Guild’s known hideouts and bases. We’ve burned through their warehouses, dismantled their supply chains, and cut off their alliances. There’s nowhere left for them to run, except...”

He let the sentence hang in the air, drawing out the moment.

“Except where, Cain?” Scarlet pressed, her irritation mounting.

He leaned forward, his voice dropping slightly as he delivered the answer.

“Dungeons. They’re hiding in dungeons.”

The weight of his words silenced the room. Everyone understood the implications.

Scarlet’s gaze sharpened.

“Dungeons,” she repeated, her tone filled with disdain.

Cain nodded.

“Think about it. A dungeon is the perfect hideout. Most guilds don’t dare venture too deep into them, and even if they did, the dungeon itself would do the dirty work. And with so many dungeons scattered across the country…”

He spread his hands in a mock display of helplessness.

“They could be in any one of them.”

The room was heavy with the realization.

Hiding in dungeons wasn’t a new tactic—criminals had used it for decades—but with the Demonic Guild working alongside a dungeon boss of this caliber, the stakes were higher than ever.

“So what do we do now?” Scarlet asked, her voice tight.

Cain’s response was infuriatingly nonchalant. “Nothing. We wait.”

His tone was so casual, so mismatched to the gravity of the situation, that it sent ripples of frustration through the room.

Scarlet’s fists clenched at her sides, her patience snapping.

“What kind of plan is this, Cain? We’re dealing with the deaths of innocent people, the destruction of entire cities—and your solution is to wait?”

Cain’s smirk widened, but there was an edge of seriousness in his eyes.

“Relax, Scarlet,” he said, his tone a strange mix of teasing and calm authority.

“In the meantime, we’ll gather intel. Study the enemy. Learn everything we can about this dungeon boss and his creatures.”

He stood, his long coat brushing the ground as he moved toward the projector screen.

With a flick of his hand, the frozen image of the dungeon boss returned to the screen.

“Let’s start with what we know,” Cain began, pointing at the golems surrounding the hunters.

“The golems. They’re his main force. We’ve seen stone, clay, brick, and steel golems in action, but I’d wager there are more varieties in the depths of his dungeon. If we rush in blindly, we’ll be overwhelmed.”

He clicked the screen, bringing up footage of the monstrous ants tearing through the hunters.

“And then there are these.” Cain’s voice dipped slightly, his gaze narrowing.

“They’re no ordinary ants. Look at their bodies—parts fused together, as if stitched from different creatures. Their anatomy doesn’t match anything natural. My guess? They’re connected to the sudden disappearance of the Chitin Caverns dungeon.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened slightly at the revelation, though her expression remained guarded.

“The Chitin Caverns?”

Cain nodded.

“Remember how that dungeon disappeared without a trace a few months ago? These ants—what’s left of it—are now under his control. If this dungeon boss has the power to absorb and repurpose creatures from other dungeons, we’re dealing with something entirely new.”

The room fell silent again as everyone processed the implications.

Scarlet crossed her arms, her golden eyes blazing.

“So, what’s your angle? Do we keep sitting on our hands while he grows stronger?”

Cain turned, a shadow of a grin playing on his lips.

“Not quite. We wait, yes—but we also prepare. Study his creatures, analyze their weaknesses, and coordinate with every guild willing to listen. If we’re going to take down this dungeon boss and the Demonic Guild completely at once, we’ll need to be smarter than they are.”

He let his gaze linger on Scarlet for a moment, as if daring her to challenge him further.

Scarlet huffed, turning her gaze to the frozen image of the dungeon boss.

“You’d better be right about this, Cain. I won’t stand by while innocent people are slaughtered.”

Cain chuckled softly.

“You’ll see. The game’s just begun.”