While venturing deep into the forest, I began to check some things.
Being the dungeon core I am, I thought I could alter the dungeon at my will.
It turns out, I can't! Maybe if I were in the room I came from back then, which could possibly be the Core Floor, then I can.
I also don't have memories when I was just a core. Which means I don't know how many floors this dungeon has or what monsters are in here.
Next, my status. I fought a few monsters here and there, and I think I had more control over my power now. It wasn't as overkill as before but it was still a one-sided match. Currently, I have fought against orcs and goblins.
They were just like what I pictured them. Goblins are small, agile monsters with green skin. Orcs are huge and fat. They don't have a pig head though, they're like huge versions of goblins.
“…Is that it?”
Before I knew it, a huge door was in front of me. I guess when in doubt, forward is the answer!
“I'm just glad I'll be out of here.”
I pushed the door. But it didn't open. It was tight shut, like a decoration.
“…?”
But! Something is happening. It was the flow of mana!
“T-This is—?!”
A magic circle! A huge magic circle popped up below me when I touched the door. The sudden flow of mana was the activation of this magic!
“Is this teleportation magi—?!”
And I was out. All of a sudden, I was free falling in the sky. Below me is sweet land, a place where land creatures like me belong.
“What's with this?! This, this situatiooooon—!!!”
Aaaah! I'm falling, I'm falling too fast! I need to do something quick!
“Aaah! Damn it! [Fly]!”
*WHOOOOOOSH!!!*
I barely made it!
I stopped my descent and flew upwards. I safely landed myself on the plains not too far from my original drop off.
“Just now, that was that, right?! A trap! My dungeon is crafty if do say so myself!”
*suuu*
I breath in air.
*haaaa*
Whew… All calmed down. But seriously, that could have been dangerous. I don't know if that fall would be fatal to my sealed state. It may be, but even if it wasn't, doing a 10,000 meter skydive isn't exactly a nice experience for me.
I look around. I am currently at a plain. Behind me is a forest. A distance away in the front is another forest.
I looked back. Behind the forest was a giant, white spiral stone. That was the White Palace Labyrinth.
Above me was a beautiful sky painted with the color of sunset.
Cold wind touced my cheeks, my white hair swaying with the wind. My body, trembling.
“Mmmmmmm! I made it! I'm out!!”
I shouted. I jumped. I'm out!
“Ahahahahaha!! Hahahahaha!”
I ran in circles. It was a nice feeling. It was as if a heavy burden was lifted off me. I feel free!
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“I guess this isn't so bad.”
This officially starts my second life. Outside of my own dungeon, and into the world of unknown! Thrilling adventures awaits me!
“Mmm!! Okay!”
I stomped my right foot heavily into the ground, but it didn't sink in. There was magic on my right foot.
“[Original Magic – Sonar]”
[Sonar] is activated upon any kind of physical impact on an object. It doesn't deal damage, it sends out the physical and magical shockwave to scan an area.
Given my status, it could probably reach a ten thousand or even hundred thousand meters. My [Sonar] reached far and wide in a circular pattern. And then I felt it.
“Mm. Good. I decided! That city will be my destination!”
A city! A huge one! Its direction was in front of me. It would probably take me a week to get there.
Forward, me!
*JA-JAAAAN!!!*
Energetic crane style pose!
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The White Palace Labyrinth was an old dungeon. It was said that it was formed in the era of old gods.
Many Deus tried to destroy it, but to no avail. It was as if the dungeon itself was a Deus. It stood proudly, for 1000 years.
It's floors reaching 500, probably more. No one knows, the farthest floor humans has ever reached was floor 121.
It was a legendary achievement, along with many deaths.
It hasn't progressed since then.
Traps, powerful monsters and unimaginable mana flowed inside the White Palace Labyrinth. The mana gave the monsters power, and traps became more dangerous.
And that very mana has now vanished.
It became completely and eerily silent. Monsters were nowhere to be seen, traps weren't activating. It was like it was just a huge cave now.
What's more, the beautiful white color befitting of the name White Palace, is now turning into jet-black color.
It was dying.
“This is… What in the world…”
It all happened one week and four days ago.
The dungeon was reported to be having low activity, and the overflowing mana was getting thinner.
Two days later, two huge mana activity was felt from the Labyrinth. The first was from deep within the Labyrinth, the second from the plains a distance away. However, upon checking on the plains, there was nothing found.
And then it began.
The White Palace began to turn black.
And it came. Yesterday, the White Palace Labyrinth, the dungeon that withstood the Deus' onslaughts and has stood there for a thousand years, has crumbled mysteriously, leaving behind a huge crater.
“What exactly happened?”
This man who is in deep thought and is evidently panicking, was the head of the Adventurer's Guild of the city, Deinaria. He was inside his office in the Adventurer's Guild. With him was the Mayor of Deinaria.
“What do you think, Guild Leader Aston?”
“….I don't know. This is really unexpected.”
The White Palace Labyrinth is an ancient relic. It was believed that it would continue to exist for as long as mana existed in this world. And the news that the White Palace has now crumbled gave the world a shock.
“Mayor Herton, how goes the merchants?”
“Prices got way up, things being in demand. You name it. It's chaos.”
“And this is only the first day. I'd like to think it would settle down after a few years but…”
“Mm. It will take a very long time.”
Dungeons are controlled so that it wouldn't bring harm to this world.
They leave the old ones as is, because they are more stable than they look like.
New dungeons, however, tend to bring destruction in its wake.
This is why some dungeons are left to grow, some are left on their own because disturbing it would actually give more trouble, and some are destroyed early.
Humans are dependent on the dungeons. It provides them materials and other things. The merchants buy them from the adventurers, and the adventurers make money.
“Perhaps…. Someone destroyed it?”
“Herton, stop it. If that happened, that person isn't human.”
White Palace Labyrinth stood its ground against the gods for a thousand years. Of course everyone would believe it to be indestructable.
“Then… did it reached the end of its core's lifespan?”
“Dungeon cores have no lifespan. They're a special type of Magic Crystal. As long as there is mana, it would continue to function.”
“Then Aston, what do suggest?”
Guild Leader Aston shook his head and gave a sigh of defeat.
“Again, I don't know.”
It is clear that this will be a mystery case. It would later be known as “The White Palace's Requiem”, the day when everything began to change.