Testing

Sir Palest and the other seven knights turned their heads towards the knight who exclaimed, "Wait a minute."

Realizing he had their attention, he added, "Perhaps the dungeon monster isn't a significant threat if we approach it closely, and then study it, for short, we could easily defeat it by engaging it up close, right?"

Taking a moment to consider the knight's suggestion, Palest and the rest of the crew paused.

The knight had a valid point.

Why not assess the situation? If it turned out to be dangerous, they could retreat quickly. And if it happened to be a weak monster from a low-level dungeon, they could defeat it easily.

After all, they were still unsure if it was real or not.

Clearing his throat, Palest captured everyone's attention.

"He's right," he admitted. "But we mustn't forget to inform the Baron about the appearance of this new dungeon and the possibility that his youngest son might be trapped inside."

Plus, there was a glint in his eyes, as if he was hesitating.

Their eyes remained fixed on the shadowy, four-legged monster looming ahead. Palest randomly chose one of the knights.

"Hey, you," he called out. "It's your turn. Go back and inform the Baron that we have an unidentified dungeon on his land." He paused for emphasis. "And tell him his children are missing there."

The knight Palest singled out nodded, standing up straight and turning around. But just as he did, something strange happened — he froze in place and fell backward.

Palest and the others were too focused on the monster's silhouette to notice at first. Annoyance crossed Palest's face as he snapped and turned his head around to the fallen knight, "What the heck are you—"

He abruptly stopped, his expression shifting to one of sheer disbelief.

"Huh?"

And then he realized it. Countless glowing eyes, possibly belonging to numerous monsters, stared back at him from a distance.

As if these groups of eyes formed an impassable barrier, blocking their escape route.

A shiver ran down his spines, causing the hairs on the back of his necks to stand on end.

Initially skeptical, Palest's experience in tackling dungeons immediately led him to a chilling realization.

Sweat trickled down his back as he muttered, "Is this... an ambush?"

…

Meanwhile, Emberon's gaze focused on the air, but in reality, he was immersed in a virtual expanse where a sleek system screen materialized.

"I'm really a character inside the game, as soon as they entered, something invisible made us go back to our respective floors…"

Shaking his head, he decided to focus at the present at han, the system had a fresh look—a stylish layout displaying the entire blueprint of his own dungeon, from the ground floor to his prized fourth-level dungeon floor.

With one glance, Emberon could take in the entirety of his sprawling labyrinth.

Every twist and turn, every hidden chamber and secret passage revealed itself before his eyes. He found himself commanding the fierce floor monsters, using the system screen like a chess piece in a game, controlling their movements and preparing to unleash havoc on unsuspecting intruders with the system and his claw-like fingers.

However, his floor guardians seemed resistant—they didn't easily come under his control using the system screen.

Thankfully, Emberon had already taken precautions. He had briefed his guardians on how to deal with intruders if they entered their floor rooms.

So, there was no need to worry!

Emberon's eyes sparkled with excitement, revealing his sheer exhilaration.

Who would have imagined that the system would offer something so incredible?

It felt like living inside an advanced gaming experience, where he was in control, strategizing like a pro, and defending against intruders.

"I wish I could see the levels of those intruders," Emberon said, peering at the vibrant system screen in front of him.

Soon, he absorbed the displayed levels like an experienced gamer.

His own status inside the dungeon, level fifty, proudly glowed at the top of the list.

Just below on the third floor of Thornhelm, Emberon's trusted guardian stood strong at level thirty-seven. Hornbreaker on the second floor had a respectable level of twenty-nine, while Steelteeth held it down on the first floor with a solid eighteen.

Emberon effortlessly absorbed this information, like a human gamer identifying the levels of the minions lurking outside each guardian room on each dungeon floor.

On the first floor, the dracanine and canine dragons had levels ranging from five to ten, barely scraping by.

But the system refused to provide one crucial piece of information—the enemies' levels.

He couldn't see them at all.

If there were many intruders in the future, it would be difficult if those entering were high-level individuals.

If only he could see their levels, everything would be perfect.

"Should I check their levels using my minions first, or should I take control of every dracanine and go all out?" Emberon muttered, furrowing his brow deeply. It was the only strategy he could think of, and there seemed to be no other way around it. With a flick of his finger, he made a decision, summoning a lone dragon dog to confront the curious intruders.

Like a master strategist, he deftly manipulated the red dot.

Usually, the red colors symbolized Emberon, his impenetrable dungeon, and his formidable monsters on floors one to four, while the yellow dots represented the intruders.

With bated breath, he awaited the unfolding of events, then took control of one of the dracanine and directed it toward the group of intruders.

Soon, he watched closely as the group of yellow colors converged and intertwined.

Pak!

Emberon gradually noticed a transformation—the triumphant 'O' mark turned into a foreboding 'X' mark.

A sign of the instant death of the creature under his control.

A crease formed on Emberon's brow as his mind struggled to comprehend the unexpected turn of events. "It perished in an instant?" he silently mused. He nodded resolutely, accompanied by a whispered affirmation.

"I'm not surprised, this is just one single part of my plan. The one I sent out and commanded was a mere level 5 to test how the monsters would fare, so I should have expected that."

Determined, Emberon swiftly shifted his focus. With his claw-like hands, he controlled another dracanine—this one at level ten.

A resounding click echoed through the air.

To his dismay, the second dracanine suffered the same fate as its predecessor—the 'O' marking its submission transformed into an ominous 'X'.

Although a hint of disappointment appeared on his face, Emberon remained composed. After all, it had been a calculated risk.

"It seems these intruders possess formidable skills, reaching high levels compared to the monsters I controlled on the lower levels," he muttered thoughtfully.

"I wonder how high," he added with a resolute tone.

He could have gradually tested levels five through ten one by one, but fate had revealed its cards prematurely.

With a deliberate closing of his eyes, Emberon ceased his movements, allowing his thoughts to converge. Moments passed in silence until his eyes snapped open, wide with realization.

"It's time for that," he murmured, a glimmer of anticipation dancing in his gaze.