The god carved the [Divine Script] onto her back using divine blood. As the final rune was completed, a faint light flashed, signifying the birth of a familia member of the god.
"You all are the same."
The god turned around, facing the group kneeling in the hall, his voice carrying unquestionable authority, "When the promised day arrives, I, Thanatos, will fulfill all your wishes. I swear by my name."
As the words left his mouth, the followers in long robes could not help but shout out excitedly, trembling as if moved by divine inspiration. Some were even in tears, letting this fervor spread throughout the stone chamber, filling every corner.
"God Thanatos, long live!"
"Please fulfill our wishes!"
Everyone shouted the god's name in unison, their voices shaking the stone hall, the entire space seemingly trembling from the impact of the sound.
God Thanatos stood atop the altar, looking down at the followers below, a smile of indiscernible meaning on his face.
Moments later, the voices of the familia gradually subsided, and Thanatos had already turned around, quietly leaving the altar and stepping into the dark corridor outside the hall.
The blue magic stone lights flickered in the dim corridor, and a solitary footstep echoed clearly in the silence.
After walking for a while, a woman appeared before the god, leaning against a stone wall.
"Good work, God Thanatos~", She spoke, her tone carrying a lazy teasing.
She was a human woman wearing a long coat lined with monster fur. Beneath the coat, she only wore a simple breast-covering undershirt, and tight leather pants on her lower half, giving her a heroic and dashing appearance.
The smile on her face held a mocking edge, openly sneering, "You're getting more and more convincing as a great god."
God Thanatos smiled slightly. That alluring and mysterious aura instantly vanished, replaced by a frivolous, nonchalant demeanor.
His eyes drooped, and his smile looked lazy and casual, like the idle gods with nothing better to do.
"I'm telling you, my shoulders are sore from the effort."
Thanatos shrugged and said carelessly, "How about you play the role of the great god instead, Valleta?"
Valleta raised her eyebrows and snorted, "Only an idiot would do something like that. Besides, it only makes sense if you, a god, do it. My blood can't grant divine blessings to those people."
"To put on an air of majesty, and say things like you'll fulfill their absurd wishes, that's what makes it convincing, right?"
Thanatos sighed helplessly, his voice tinged with exhaustion, "I know, but no matter how many obedient followers we have, it's never enough… And once the organization grows, it's such a headache."
The woman called Valleta lightly pushed off from the stone wall and followed behind Thanatos, as if accustomed to this sort of casual conversation.
"So, why exactly did you come to me? Don't tell me you came just to let me ridicule you?"
Thanatos turned his head to look at her, his smile still relaxed, "We have visitors. See."
Valleta followed Thanatos's gaze, looking toward the dark corridor ahead.
"Oh my, oh my, is today some special occasion? To think so many people would gather together," She smirked, her tone light and teasing.
Thanatos shrugged, lazily counting, "The Underground Division, the Artificial Dungeon Division, the Poaching Division, and the Mask Division, everyone's here."
Valleta couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, "Has anyone ever told you? Your naming sense is really terrible."
Thanatos widened his eyes with an innocent look on his face, "Eh~ Really? I actually thought those names were quite fitting."
Valleta rolled her eyes helplessly, "Completely tasteless."
While the god and his familia were chatting, the visitors had gradually entered the hall, their silhouettes illuminated by the dim blue magic stone lights.
The first to catch the eye was a woman with long, fiery red hair. Her pair of green pupils were cold and sharp, and her stern face held not a trace of expression.
This was a being neither human nor monster, known as the [Creature] Revis.
Following close behind was a very unkempt-looking man. His long hair was messy and draped over his shoulders, white as snow.
He wore a white outfit stained with oil and grime. His vest was stuffed with tool slots on the chest, along with arm guards and heavy boots, giving off the impression of an "engineer on the verge of sudden death."
Barca Perdix, the engineer responsible for constructing the artificial dungeon.
Beside him stood a tall, muscular man with short, jet-black hair and deep red eyes, with a hardened face.
He wore a battle outfit that was somewhat dirty, a massive blade at his waist that could be used as a shortsword, and his arm was wrapped in thick bandages.
Dix Perdix, Barca's younger brother and the leader of the Poaching Group.
Finally, two mysterious figures appeared wearing black robes and masks. Their faces were completely concealed by the masks.
The two called themselves "Enyo" and "Ein," but their true identities and backgrounds were unknown.
A monster person from deep underground, an engineer building artificial dungeons, the leader of a poaching group, and two eternally masked, shadowy individuals.
Thanatos's taste may have been lacking, but it must be said, his naming was rather accurate.
"Oh~ Revis-chan, long time no see. And the rest of you as well," Thanatos greeted them lazily, with his usual cheeky smile, "So, what brings you all to me?"
The robed figure who called themselves "Enyo" stood in front of Thanatos. Their voice was muffled and indistinct, making it impossible to determine their gender, "The Loki Familia is about to come knocking."
Thanatos raised an eyebrow, showing a surprised expression, "So soon? Although being discovered was inevitable, isn't it a bit too early? According to the original plan, we should've been able to stay hidden for at least another year."
Enyo spoke, "Recently, some unexpected situations occurred."
Originally, he had planned to use an enhanced specimen nurtured through the [Slave Cat] to lure the [Gale], who bore a deep grudge against Jura Halmer, into the dungeon, to eliminate the goddess Demeter's protector and clear the way for their upcoming actions.
However, it seemed the [Gale]'s personality had changed. She did not fall into the trap as expected and instead stayed by the goddess Demeter's side.
The enhanced specimen plan failed and unexpectedly drew suspicion from the [Saber] and the Loki Familia. Enraged, Enyo chopped the useless [Slave Cat] into pieces and threw it into the man-eating flower's nursery.
Originally, this wasn't a huge problem. As long as the traces were hidden in time, even if the Loki Familia noticed something, it would gradually fade away.
But who could've predicted that several fatal incidents would follow one after another, plunging their carefully laid plans into chaos.
The first surprise was that the Loki Familia directly conquered the fifty-ninth floor and slew the developing Fallen Spirit.
It was unimaginable. That the Loki Familia could smoothly bypass the [Dragon's Vase], that terrifyingly difficult area.
And afterward, they still had enough strength to continue their expedition.
What followed was also unexpected. Even if the Fallen Spirit hadn't reached its complete form, it shouldn't have been defeated so easily.
In terms of just one Fallen Spirit, the loss wasn't that big. The real problem was that this incident made the Loki Familia clearly more wary of them.
Then came the second surprise: the Loki Familia somehow obtained information and launched a sudden raid on Daedalus Street.
Their goal was clearly to search for traces of Revis, Enyo, or others, trying to uncover clues about the underground organization's operations.
These actions didn't go as they wished and resulted in no useful discoveries.
However, the Loki Familia's raid accidentally destroyed Dix Perdix's base of operations.
For Dix, this was a bolt from the blue. He never intended to antagonize the Loki Familia, nor had he ever offended those powerful adventurers.
Yet disaster descended upon him.
The adventurers of the Loki Familia suddenly broke in and destroyed his hiding place.
If it weren't for him timely casting magic, and having that easily-out-of-control Amazon present, Dix almost got killed on the spot by the [Saber].
And now, the Loki Familia and their allies are still searching in Daedalus Street, with no signs of stopping.
Then, an even worse unexpected incident occurred. Among the intelligent armed monsters who kept opposing them, a particularly powerful dragon-type monster suddenly emerged.
She broke into the 36th floor of the Dungeon, launched a surprise attack on the secret base used to cultivate Magic Stones, and forcibly seized a Magic Stone.
Revis quickly began pursuit, trying to take back the Magic Stone, but this operation failed due to interference from the Loki Familia, and even she herself fell into an extremely dangerous situation.
[Sword Princess] and the Vouivre joined forces against her, and Revis almost lost her life beneath their blades.
In the end, the Magic Stone wasn't recovered. And in front of [Saber] and Loki Familia adventurers, the Magic Stone parasitized onto a monster, and quickly catalyzed a doppelganger of the Fallen Fairy.
The greatest secret of the Fallen Fairy was fully exposed before the enemy.
Thanatos, after listening, lightly clapped his hands and sighed, "Tsk tsk~ You guys have really been having a string of misfortunes lately. It's as if you're cursed by the Loki Familia… and that [Saber]."
Enyo's voice was still murky, "The main problem is, Loki Familia suddenly cleared the 59th floor… Their last expedition only reached the 51st floor, who would have thought they'd advance so quickly to even deeper levels."
Thanatos shrugged, "That's what they call plans can't keep up with changes."
His gaze turned to the red-haired woman beside him, "Also, Revis-chan, letting the Magic Stone be stolen so easily, that was a truly inexcusable mistake."
Revis' expression was as cold as ice, her tone full of disdain, "I wasn't there at that time. It was that idiot [White-Haired Demon] who screwed it up."
"Oh, I see."
Thanatos' tone carried some revelation, and a mocking smile curled on his lips, "That does explain it then."
He paused slightly, then asked, "So, what do we do next?"
Dix snorted coldly, his tone laced with undisguised impatience, "Next, whatever you all want to do has nothing to do with me. I care about only one thing, and that's money."
His gaze swept across everyone present, and he continued, "So, aside from those damned armed monsters, especially that Vouivre, everything else, be it Loki Familia or [Saber], has nothing to do with me."
The man rubbed his bandaged shoulder, a trace of irritation in his voice, "Especially [Saber], don't expect me to go up against him for your sake."
Thanatos looked at Dix with interest, laughing lightly, "Oh? By the usual villain logic, after suffering so much at [Saber]'s hands, shouldn't you be yelling about taking him on yourself and getting revenge personally?"
Dix sneered, revealing a sarcastic smile, "Do you take me for an idiot? Go against that kind of monster over something as trivial as pride or ego? His mental power is terrifying. My frenzy magic doesn't work on him at all. And his combat strength is far above normal, me, a Lv.5, I can't even get a single advantage against him."
He paused and coldly swept his gaze around, "Getting defeated just proves he's stronger than me, so why should I go seeking misery again?"
"Besides, with his age and growth speed, who knows if he's already reached Lv.4 by now? Facing a monster like that, I'm not going to be your vanguard and walk up to him just to get killed."
Dix's gaze swept coldly across everyone, then he said, "So, whatever that [Saber] is, whatever Loki Familia is, none of it matters to me. My only target, is capturing that Vouivre."
Thanatos nodded indifferently, "Alright then, if that's how it is, you better be careful, Dix-kun. After all, according to Revis-chan, that Vouivre is extremely strong."
The god turned to Valleta beside him, with a somewhat playful glint in his eye, "Speaking of which, Valleta, you seem to have held a grudge ever since you lost to Finn back then, always wanting revenge."
Valleta glanced at him, "Shut up, you nagging god."
"Well then, I'll leave those armed monsters to you, Dix-kun."
Thanatos continued, "As for the Loki Familia, who are close to finding the 'entrance', what should we do about them?"
Enyo's voice emerged from the shadow of the Black One, "Lure Loki Familia into the artificial labyrinth, and then, bury them there."
Revis' eyes were ice-cold, her tone devoid of hesitation, "Kill everyone except Ais."
Thanatos raised his eyebrows, "Oh ho, how decisive. But I doubt it'll be that simple. You know, [Loki Familia]'s strength isn't a joke."
Enyo: "Once they find the entrance to the artificial labyrinth, their only choice will be to enter. And once they step inside, no matter how powerful the adventurer, they're nothing more than a turtle in a jar."
Thanatos looked at Barca's departing back, a faint, ambiguous smile surfacing on his lips, "It's great that Barca-kun agreed. But time is tight for setting the trap. After all, if Loki Familia gets serious, they'll probably find an entrance soon."
Enyo: "Don't worry. Someone will make a move, helping us hold back Loki Familia and [Saber]."
"They might even suffer a big loss… if their opponent is those crazy women."
———
Melen is a port city located southwest of Orario. It serves as an important hub connecting the Dungeon City with the outside world.
The closest point between the two cities is only about three kilometers, practically just a stone's throw away.
This port city is built on the shores of the great brackish lake, Lake Lolog. Whose waters connect with the ocean, making this lakeside area a thriving center of trade.
As Orario's gateway to the sea, Melen's economic prosperity even surpasses that of the Dungeon City itself, acting as a nexus for various guilds, goods, and wealth.
The port bustles with vitality from the constant arrival of foreign ships, merchant vessels sailing across the lake into port, unloading tons of goods, from exotic spices to luxurious silks, all kinds of rare merchandise.
Most of these goods are imports headed to Orario, and Melen is the transit hub before these goods enter the Dungeon City. Various trade items are sorted and allocated here before heading to Orario's markets, ensuring efficient and smooth logistics.
In addition, Melen is also a key export base for Orario's magic stone products. Orario's world-renowned magic stone items, including magical tools and equipment, are shipped from here overseas, mingling with precious items from foreign lands in this port, circulating and exchanging.
[Speaking of Dungeon entrances, what about the one in Lake Lolog. Could it be suspicious? Maybe the lid came loose?]
Previously, with a reminder from the god Dionysus, goddess Loki also realized this possibility.
At the deepest part of Lake Lolog, there lies a hidden waterway leading to the Dungeon. For centuries, monsters have occasionally escaped the Dungeon through it and entered the ocean.
The so-called "lid" is the massive structure sealing that exit, a large seal over ten meters in radius.
The true form of this seal is the remains of the [Overlord of the Sea, Leviathan].

Leviathan was an ancient monster that once rose from the Dungeon to the surface, and alongside [Land Sovereign Behemoth] and [One-Eyed Black Dragon], was one of humanity's three legendary quest targets, a great calamity of the sea.
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