Chapter 12 - 10 Dungeon Phenomenon and the Gate to the Netherworld

The conversation had two sides.

On the other side, after leaving the racetrack club, Baron Newman spat on the ground, his earlier cautious expression completely gone:

"A bunch of hyenas that follow the scent, things not even worth a dog’s attention. They call you ’Count’ as long as you look the part, but without that skin, what are you really?"

Baron Newman let loose a string of choice words.

Simple joy, extreme foul-mouthedness.

The Newman family’s coachman, who had been waiting outside, whispered, "My lord, be careful with your words. If outsiders hear and it spreads, it will reflect poorly on you."

"He does as he pleases, and I can’t speak my mind?"

"Yes, there are things he can do and say that we cannot. You’ve known about this, haven’t you?" the coachman sighed.

Baron Newman sat in the carriage, not saying anything more.

Yes, he had known all along.

That’s why, during his conversation with Count Rezhe earlier, he had deflected with other topics.

If this had been when he first embarked on his adventurous journey, he wouldn’t care if you were an Earl, Marquis, or Duke; dare to act so pretentiously in front of him, and he would have kicked them right in the chest—

After all, boasting isn’t illegal since he’d never actually meet them.

Without further thought, Baron Newman asked, "Who visited today? They really helped me out. I must properly thank him later."

The coachman said, "It was Lord Anthony’s son, Young Master Kael."

Newman was taken aback and then roared with laughter, "Very good, very good! Worthy of being my dear son-in-law, helping me out of a bind so quickly. Although I don’t really care about that guy’s (Rezhe) attitude, at this moment, it’s better to avoid more troubles than to create them.

Come on, old chap, speed up a bit. I can’t wait to meet the boy."

As for Rezhe?

To hell with your Earl title. Don’t brag about your substantial family wealth and rare status in the Duchy when there are still others who are better than you.

If it really comes down to it, just go see Duke Lion Heart in the Royal Capital. As long as Duke Lion Heart lives, your Charles family is just a distant branch of nobility, considering the Duchy of Lancaster is Duke Lion Heart’s territority.

As the carriage sped on its way, back at the Newman residence,

Kael felt that he had been sipping tea for quite a while, even feeling somewhat full.

Seeing the second round of snacks being served in the living room but still no sign of Baron Newman made him somewhat suspicious.

Had they decided to leave him hanging, or was there some urgent matter preventing Newman from coming on time?

Considering the former seemed unlikely—after all, it was likely that the lady of the house’s housekeeper, extremely warm in hosting him,

This was like how, in his past life, guild members clinging to the guild leader and himself begged them to lead a high-level raid; that was the level of enthusiasm shown.

But if there was really an important issue, not that he underestimated Baron Newman, it was just that the Newman Domain was too small; it was time for him to have returned.

After all, the size of the Newman Domain compared to his own Lancaster Territory was vastly different.

Land granted to celebrated heroes from the Holy Land and similarly honored common adventurers naturally could not be equal, as giving too much, they wouldn’t be able to defend it all.

Inherited nobles like Anthony and Newman, upon receiving land from the Duchy, while enjoying its benefits, also bear the heavy responsibility of guarding the borders.

If the strength isn’t sufficient, having land won’t stop both people and territory from being lost.

After all, this place borders the edge of the Human Federation; outer regions are fraught with a phenomenon known as "Dungeons," prone to sporadic beast waves.

If you really want to talk about it, the "Dungeon Phenomenon" mentioned here is not just the underground mazes that people envision, or, in a narrower sense, the dungeons are just one type of the many manifestations of the Dungeon Phenomenon.

Mist zones, historical remnants, mini-worlds...

Different forms exist at different times and in different places.

In the context of the game "Gate to the Nether," the foundational territories of various races are located in a land called the Sylvera Continent, and this world is in a state of constant expansion.

This realm continually devours fragments of other worlds from the endless void, blending these Void Fragments into various forms of "Dungeons" and dumping them into its core, especially along the borders where they are most numerous.

The many races residing on Sylvera Continent naturally take on the role of eradicating these "Dungeons."

Of course, you can also choose not to eradicate them, and there wouldn’t be any punishment—after all, no punishment is greater than death.

The monsters emerging from the dungeons won’t consider how valuable your little life is; they will trample over it simply to survive.

Under such circumstances, all races have developed the behavior of clearing any discovered dungeons immediately.

The world’s will also contributes a great deal.

Clearing the dungeons of monsters or facilitating the orderly integration of intelligent creatures into this world garners rewards from the world’s will.

emmmm~ Does this rhetoric sound familiar?

That’s right, there is a specific term among the players—instances.

Via the specialized portals to the Nether in specific regions, players explore instances, slay monsters, complete tasks, and then receive rich rewards from the world’s will (like exploding with equipment, skills).

For players, participating in instances is a common activity; however, for the inhabitants of this continent, it is an unbearable burden.

Nearly every major race power inevitably battles with dungeons during their growth, cultivating a tradition of fierce local customs, and also forming the earliest ruling class of this world.

Coming through the barrel of a gun, the new nobility of the Human Federation proves itself by guarding the frontiers, waging wars in dungeons, gaining power, and clearing various dungeon "instances."

Once the local dungeons are consumed, the territory naturally expands.

This was also why Kael was puzzled.

Lancaster Territory was the first Newbie Village opened during the beta and public test periods, much larger than a normal territory.

Inheriting the memories of his predecessor, he knew this was because Anthony had already conquered one of the dungeons and merged it into Lancaster, expanding his territory.

But Newman Domain’s strength simply couldn’t clear a dungeon at this stage; if Baron Newman were currently within his domain, given the size of this territory, it would already be a stretch to manage without him, unless...

He was not in his territory at all.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves at the door.

"The master has returned," he faintly heard a servant shouting outside.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kael looked towards the door and saw a middle-aged man with somewhat disheveled hair and a joyful smile walking towards him.

"Hahaha, isn’t this Kael? It’s been many years; you’ve really grown up a lot. Windsor, have you treated my good son-in-law well? How about it, can you handle the marriage I brazenly arranged with Elanna?"

"Everyone knows about your discerning eye, master," the female housekeeper who had been chatting with Kael replied with a soft laugh.

"Aunt Windsor has also treated me very well, and she’s told me a lot of fun stories about Elanna from the past," Kael added smoothly with the word "Aunt."

As expected, Newman’s smile brightened even more, and he took a longer look at Kael, finding the plain white Mage’s attire even more striking.

What a subtly attractive man!