Dungeon City Lacertilia
Cerul Duchy
Beast Kingdom
May 5th
Year 1053
On the Alpha Continent, Lacertilia was undisputedly among the top 10 largest dungeon cities. Both by area, and population.
Lacertilia was ho to adventurers of many races, nationalities, and power levels, with its reason for existence being the eight dungeons that existed in the area.
Each of the dungeons had level limitations, aning there was a minimum level requirent to be able to enter, and a maximum after which one would not be able to enter.
The City's Dungeons were able to accommodate adventurers as low as F ranks, and as high as X Ranks.
Level-wise, this was basically anyone from Level 1 to around Level 749.
This ant that Lacertilia contained dungeons that even 'Living Legends' could dive into and co out a few levels higher.
Dungeons with monsters above the Epic Level were very rare, and Lacertilia had one of those rare dungeons.
Sadly, the Level 700 monsters within these dungeons were not as many as Aidos' Living Legends would have liked, otherwise, there would be a lot more Living Legends and Sovereigns roaming around the planet.
Reaching that level of power was just as hard for the monsters as it was for the sentient humanoids, so their numbers were naturally not high.
But besides this one dungeon, there were still seven other dungeons that catered to adventurers below 700, so Lacertilia was always teeming with adventurers.
Saying that they were 'over a million' adventurers was making it seem ta.
There were so many S to SSS rank adventurers in the city, that just the number of S ranks in Lacertilia alone was more than the number of S and SS rankers you could find in places like Gerfast and rdin.
Funny enough, a huge percentage of this Dungeon City's population that numbered in the tens of millions was actually constituted by non-adventurers/monster hunters.
Lacertilia also served as a major trade city, so a lot of people whose professions didn't involve them risking their lives to fight monsters and stuff flocked to the city as well.
Renowned for its position as one of the Beast Kingdom's highest revenue generators, Lacertilia's reputation extends beyond its borders, making it a hub for international comrce and business.
Nurous influential multinational corporations have established branches or headquarters, driving economic growth and providing a multitude of employnt opportunities.
So, as adventurers embark on perilous journeys into the dungeons, a parallel urban landscape thrives with civilians who've chosen paths away from monster hunting. This diverse population fuels the city's vibrant markets, where monster materials exchange hands with rchants, who then export them to other cities and countries.
Sotis, the exported goods make their way over the Divider Ocean to the Beta Continent too.
Cutting-edge dical research institutes tap into the city's resources, using rare flora, fauna, and dungeon-derived materials to develop ground-breaking dicines.
Despite the potential for security concerns, the city's well-structured laws and vigilant law enforcent agencies maintain order and safety, allowing for a flourishing coexistence between adventurers, civilians, and the various professions that have made Lacertilia their ho.
◇ ◇ ◇
Seated at a table in one of the city's big rooftop cafes were two won who were calmly sipping their hot morning coffees while looking down at the bustling streets.
Both looked young and were of average height too, but that was where the similarities ended.
The one on the left had lower wavy back length dark red hair and black eyes, dressed in a simple black body fit shirt that accentuated her curves, along with a simple pair of black jeans and military-type boots.
Besides the watch on her wrist, she had no other accessories on her, and one could not even sense a smidgen of make-up on her skin.
She spun around a Mithril adventurer's guild card on her fingers, and when it occasionally fell onto the table, one could see the letter 'S' printed twice on it in bold.
But this woman was not just an SS-rank adventurer, but also an Executive of the Demonic Hand.
The one bearing the title of the 'Seventh Finger': Kethryllia Keasatra.
Seated opposite her was a woman of captivating presence, with warm hazel eyes and chestnut-coloured hair that cascaded gracefully down her shoulders, framing her face and occasionally dancing with the breeze.
Her features were finely chiselled, marked by a serene smile that exuded an air of mystery. As for her attire, she donned a flowing ivory blouse with delicate embroidery along the cuffs and loose sleeves that allowed for freedom of movent.
In that sa vein, she paired her blouse with practical khaki shorts and a pair of worn-in leather sandals to complete her outfit, while a delicate silver necklace with a small pendant that shimred softly— hinting at its significance beyond re decoration—added a subtle touch of elegance to her appearance.
Like Kethryllia, she was also a Demonic Hand Executive, the 'Ninth Finger', Maude.
The two won had been sitting on the table in silence for a while, calmly drinking their coffee while basking in the morning sun.
Finally, Kethryllia was the one who broke the silence, and her words were ones that slapped an expression of surprise onto Maude's face.
"I told Lord First that we should change the dungeon we plan to use for this plan."
"…Pardon?"
"You didn't hear wrong. With the way things are going, the Lizard Lord would be useless to us by the ti we can complete everything.
I have zero idea why the damn thing's power keeps reducing every ti we check on it, so we might as well just move it all to a different dungeon."
She spoke regarding the Dungeon Boss at the deepest floor of the 'Lair of the Lizard Lord', the dungeon which they had planned to use in facilitating the 'Disaster' they had planned for Lacertilia.
"Which one do you think we should change to?"
Kethryllia rested her head on the table and gazed at the woman seated opposite her as she posed that question.
"We can't have it be a dungeon where Level 600s and above can enter too. We can't have them kill the final dungeon boss before we can use it."
"That does not leave us with a lot of options, does it?"
"No, it does not."
Both won stared at each other in silence for a mont before simultaneously sighing in exasperation.
"Talk about a bad day at work."
"More like a bad year."
Maude let out a light grumble as she thought about how badly things had been going for them recently.
"What about Seith? Where's he? When's he getting here."
"Last I spoke with him, he was with Cellica dealing with that Ouroboros. As for when he's getting here; we originally planned for it to be a year from now after he's done handling all the other miscellaneous tasks."
"That's so far off…We really need the extra manpower now."
Needless to say, the Ninth Finger's mood turned even worse upon hearing this.
"At least, he sent us so of his n."
"He sent us a bunch of Mids. We need Senior mbers here."
Just as she said that, her eyes suddenly flashed with rembrance and she quickly changed her words.
"Maybe that's for the best. I hear that Princess Malaya is doing a military inspection nearby starting today.
And if she's here then we should expect at least one Beast Keeper with her. It'd be disastrous if we get spotted after evading them all this while."
"But seriously, just what the heck is going through that princess's head? Why in tarnation did she order a close military watch on all the Dungeon Cities in the North?
She's basically telling us she knows where here, but just not our exact positions."
Kethryllia barely held in the urge to smash sothing as she spoke of the Princess' actions that had slowed down their plans and reduced the number of mbers they could have in the area.
"And she did it after returning from the GWE last year."
Just as Maude spoke, an idea flashed through her mind and she turned to Kethryllia who was also giving her a shocked gaze.
"It couldn't be him, right?"
"The reports did say he spoke with her at the party…so there's a possibility."
The 'Him' they were referring to was obviously our resident 'Second Hero' who was now being known widely as the 'Irregular Evan'.
"If I et that brat in person, Imma stuff him down a lizard's throat."
Kethryllia's eyes glead with a dangerous light as she said that and Maude silently said a prayer for the poor Hero as she knew her fellow executive was not gonna rest till she achieved that.
"Still…how is the Lizard Lord losing power anyway? There's no way that energy can just vanish like that. It has to be going sowhere."
"Don't bother. Tomorrow, we'd start working towards changing the dungeon. Changing the city isn't possible though as we've already set up all the nodes around to make the spell work well and prevent even 'Living Legends' from being able to break it."
That was sothing that the Demonic Hand did not do in the ga, as the barrier they used there could have been broken by Superior Stage Legendary Level existences, but now in reality, they had changed their plans a bit due to the current circumstances.
Kethryllia yawned lightly and relaxed her head on the table, slowly closing her eyes in preparation to take a short nap when the ambient magic power in the surroundings suddenly began to tremble.
At first, it was a soft, barely perceptible vibration, like a distant drumbeat reverberating through the area.
But with each passing second, it grew in intensity, enough for the Epic Level Kethryllia and the Superior Grandmaster Maude to notice It even if they didn't want to.
**KABOOM!!
It was followed by a distant explosion, one that sent shockwaves of magic power rippling outward in all directions.
The waves cascaded through the air, seamlessly phasing through people and objects and leaving an uncanny tingling sensation in their wake.
As the energy wave washed over the entire city of Lacertilia, collective gasps of surprise echoed all around, as anyone who was sufficiently powerful and experienced instantly figured out what had just happened.
"Oh…a dungeon break."
"Indeed. This is the first in a while."
From the tone of their voices, it could be seen that the two won regarded the occurrence with fairly low concern.
"Still, I have to contact my n so they can prevent the monsters in the dungeon that broke from affecting the Lizard Lord's Dungeon."
Kethryllia spoke as she put her hand into her pocket and pulled out her communicator, about to punch one of the buttons when it began flashing with a red light.
"Problem?"
[Lady Keasatra! The Dungeon just broke!]
"Yeah, I can tell.
Anyway, you guys prevent the rampaging monsters from getting to the levels we've worked on in the Lizard Lord's Dungeon. I'd com-"
[Pardon my interruption, but Lady Keasatra, the dungeon that just broke IS the Lizard Lord's dungeon.]
"…I beg your fucking pardon?"
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