My vision returned to normal, and I found myself standing on a high cliff, thousands of meters above the ground. Below stretched vast hilly grasslands, and in their midst stood a massive tower—hundreds of miles high, with a diameter spanning hundreds of meters.
On the endless horizon rose a colossal mountain of unimaginable size, each peak surpassing even the scale of that meeting room where my adviser and I spent trillions of years in lecture.
This endless expanse was merely a single room—the smallest room within Babel Tower, and also the one that held the dungeon's entrance: The Great Hallow.
I was stunned by the beauty before me, standing there dumbly as adventurers continued to appear out of nowhere, carried by the teleportation arrays.
Still standing upon the array, I shook my head to regain focus, then followed the road leading from it toward the colossal tower that stood amid the grassy hills.
That immense structure was known as the Tower of Hollow.
There were four teleportation arrays here, just like those at the Great Gate.
I had arrived at the southeast array, a few miles away from the Tower of Hollow.
A few minutes later—
After traversing dozens of miles, I finally reached the tower.
It had only one entrance, guarded by two guild soldiers dressed in black, armed with swords and bows. Despite being merely guards, they emitted a deadly aura strong enough to threaten even a ???-level being.
Adventurers walked in and out of the gate, forming crowds that flowed like a river up the stairs.
The gate itself stood on elevated ground, hundreds of steps high. The area around it spanned hundreds of meters, while the gate stood ten meters tall and five meters wide. The two guards flanked it, motionless, while behind them loomed a statue of a knight clad in full armor, his sword plunged into the earth. The statue radiated a far more menacing presence than the guards themselves.
Those statue are slumbering golems.
A few meters away stood a small hut where the guards rested.
I climbed the hundreds of steps, ascending steadily.
Upon reaching the vast elevated platform, I found myself before the large open gate of the Tower of Hollow.
I entered along with the crowd of adventurers.
What greeted me inside was a vast circular chamber, precisely 700 meters in diameter.
Four staircases led downward to the underground floors, while four massive elevators rose toward the upper levels.
The chamber was crowded—adventurers everywhere. Some headed toward the elevators that led upward, while others descended the stairs toward the dungeon.
I turned toward the stairs—that was my destination.
I descended the spiraling staircase, surrounded by adventurers moving alongside me. Some passed by, heading up.
They filled the air with chatter—discussing strategies, cracking jokes, or gossiping. Some walked silently, others radiated arrogance, and a few exuded the calm confidence of seasoned veterans.
I stayed quiet, continuing to walk.
After hundreds of steps, I reached the bottom.
A vast chamber expanded before me, stretching for tens of miles.
At its center yawned a gigantic hole—a hollow abyss whose bottom was lost in darkness.
This was the entrance to the dungeon, known as the Great Hallow—a massive pit with a diameter of eight miles.
Built into its walls was a massive spiraling staircase descending into the depths. It was wide enough for hundreds of people to walk side by side.
Magic lamps lined the stairs, casting pale light across the cavern.
The descent spanned thousands of steps and took over an hour for even superhuman adventurers. For normal humans, it would take six to seven hours—assuming they didn't stop to rest.
I, however, didn't waste time. I disguised myself with a mask, changed my clothing in an instant with magic, then stepped to the edge of the Great Hallow and jumped.
The first to fourth floors consisted of vast tunnels and hallways of varying sizes—no chambers, just cave-like passages stretching in every direction. This layer was about ten miles in radius, a maze that could easily confuse the unprepared.
The walls and ceiling were covered in green glowing moss, illuminating the area with a soft light.
The monsters here were mostly goblins and kobolds—creatures as strong as adult humans but no larger than ten-year-old children.
Non-threatening, at least to me.
"Grrr…"
On the third floor, I was surrounded by five goblins.
They looked as one would expect—ugly faces, knife-like ears, green skin, and childlike stature.
Each carried a crude wooden club, formed from the dungeon's magic when they spawned.
The five lunged at me, swinging their clubs at my vital points.
I didn't flinch—I merely released my magic.
Blue flames of pure mana erupted around me, engulfing my body. Overwhelming pressure burst forth, thickening the air and cracking the floor, walls, and ceiling like fragile glass.
The goblins couldn't withstand it. Their bodies collapsed instantly, crushed into a bloody mist before vanishing into nothing. Only their magic stones fell, clinking softly against the stone floor.
With a thought, I activated Telekinesis, and the magic stones floated into the air. Another thought, another spell—
Gate of Nameless Treasury.
A black vortex formed beside me, as large as a human head. It was a portal—an opening to the endless treasury within my soul. A realm that continually expanded, creating treasures from nothing.
The stones drifted into the vortex and disappeared.
I continued deeper into the dungeon.
From the fifth to the seventh floors, the structure began to change. The green moss turned lighter in hue, monsters appeared more frequently, and new types emerged—War Shadows and Killer Ants.
Many new adventurers met their end here. Each floor doubled in size as I descended—some even more drastically but not in this floors, it's in the deeper ones.
The eighth to ninth floors grew even larger. The number and size of rooms increased, while the distance between them shortened. The ceilings rose to nearly ten meters, and moss-covered walls gave way to grassy floors. The phosphorescent light above shone as brightly as sunlight.
The monsters here were familiar—stronger versions of those from earlier floors.
The tenth to twelfth floors shared the same structure but grew dimmer. The light above became like morning mist, giving rise to the name Mist Labyrinth. The fog grew denser with each floor. Here appeared large monsters—Orcs and Infant Dragons—as well as creatures that used trees and landforms as weapons.
The eleventh and twelfth floors were especially dangerous for Level 1 adventurers. Stronger monsters like Silverbacks and Hard Armoreds appeared, alongside Infant Dragons, which were considered Level 2 and acted as floor bosses.
"So this is the twelfth floor, huh? Beautiful, isn't it, little one?" John said softly.
He sat atop the head of an infant dragon, the creature moving docilely under him.
The dragon let out a pitiful roar.
"Okay, okay—stop crying. I won't kill you. Just head that way."
John had first encountered the creature on the eleventh floor.
At first, it had growled in pure instinct—nothing but mindless savagery.
But when John released his magic, his pressure overwhelmed it.
Fear awakened in the depths of the monster's soul, and with it came intelligence. The dragon had cowered before him ever since. A five meter tall monster trembling before a small human.
Now, it served as his mount, carrying him across the vast terrain of the twelfth floor.