"Plagiarizing my ideas?"
Wade burst out laughing the moment he saw that line.
He had known this day would come sooner or later—he just hadn't expected it to arrive this quickly.
It seemed that dungeon lords were all fairly well informed about the outside world, each possessing their own channels for gathering information.
His gaze shifted to the world map.
Ever since he unlocked this authority, the color representing Sein Dungeon had been spreading farther and farther. Not only had he completely taken control of the surrounding regions, but across the map, scattered specks of green had begun to appear as well—when gathered together, a blazing inferno; when spread apart, a sky full of stars.
Wade didn't know how impressive this expansion speed truly was, but among dungeons, it was probably outstanding.
In contrast, the territories of other dungeons had barely changed. Even when fluctuations occurred, they remained confined within fixed boundaries, as if everything had already settled into a stable equilibrium.
That made the rapidly expanding Sein Dungeon stand out all the more.
And rapid expansion meant only one thing—
He must have some kind of secret.
Naturally, other dungeon lords would start trying to "copy" him.
Seen from this angle, running a dungeon wasn't much different from running a shop. When the store next door does well, other owners are bound to cast greedy glances.
If everyone competed fairly, that was fine.
The real problem was when someone decided to break the rules and stir up trouble—dragging everyone down with them.
"But even if they want to copy me, there's only so much they can imitate."
Wade leaned back comfortably against the altar and muttered to himself.
"One of Sein's core features—the leveling system—is impossible to replicate. How exactly are they supposed to pull bonfires out of thin air?"
"Without bonfires, their appeal to adventurers drops by an entire tier instantly. And after that, what's left? Roguelike mechanics? That relies entirely on Val Dungeon's Authority. Other dungeon lords can't replicate that."
"Reset mechanics? Even more impossible. They don't have Larval Tears, and there's no way they can conjure up a Rosaria."
"As for storylines… that's somewhat doable, but copying only the narrative would be far too abstract."
He reasoned backward step by step, then suddenly paused.
"…They're not copying my map design, are they?"
From a designer's perspective, Wade firmly believed that the areas he designed were nothing short of divine inspiration—so good that even God himself would have to step aside and hand him the throne.
But switching to the perspective of an adventurer, he had to admit—
Many of those designs were basically gourmet dog food.
If someone genuinely enjoyed those layouts, they'd be a god among men.
What kind of lunatic puts grab-attacking, backstabbing undead, several rabid wild dogs, and firebomb throwers all around a single corner?!
Those designs existed purely as deterrents—
—unless there were exceptional rewards.
Unfortunately for those hoping Sein Dungeon would collapse, its rewards were absurdly generous.
See that swamp ahead? It's packed with big-eyed, adorable basilisks and pitfall traps. Walk in there and you'll be coated head to toe in filth. You definitely don't want to go in, right?
But what if someone told you that pushing through would net you a nifty little tool—one that lets even an idiot who enjoys shouting at deaf people and punching mutes learn magic?
Not interested in magic? No problem. There's Lion's Claw, letting even disabled people leap into the air, and Bloodhound Step, which would allow even Stephen Hawking to dash back and forth.
Not into combat skills either?
Then how about the Pokémon next door?
Put in some effort, find a Poké Ball, and successfully capture one—and you can take home a soft, sweet, adorable Pokémon of your own.
There was also the Potion of Love—a must-have item for NTR enthusiasts, guaranteed to make someone fall in love with you to death.
Thinking this far, Wade suddenly realized—
If those dungeons really only copied his map design, wouldn't they end up dying even faster?
No… no. Surely no dungeon lord could be that stupid.
…Right?
He replied to Pansen.
Originally, he wanted to write:
"Commissar, may I ask where the purge list is?"
But realizing that no one in this world would understand the meme, he changed it to:
"Brother, do you have a list? I want to see who's got the guts."
Stone Giant Dungeon replied quickly, marking five dungeons and stating that those were only the ones whose names he knew—there were others he couldn't identify.
"Interesting."
Wade transferred 500 mana to him.
Not long after, a long reply came back—complaining that the intelligence was worth far more than that price, scolding Wade for wasting mana, and casually tossing in a list of Stone Giant Dungeon's local specialties.
"Pretty straightforward guy."
Wade examined one of the so-called specialties—a stone vaguely resembling a slab of meat. According to the description, consuming it would leave one mentally exhilarated and physically strengthened, similar to a blood vial.
He took a bite.
His body shuddered.
"Stone Giant Dungeon's stuff is too pure…"
On a whim, he sent a piece of Marbled Rock Roast from Tears of the Kingdom to Pansen.
A reply came almost instantly.
"Brother, your stuff is even purer!"
Wade put his hands on his hips, looking like he'd just won some invisible competition.
He checked the positions of those dungeons on the map.
Aside from one called Cangyin Dungeon, the others were all extremely far away.
They also shared one common trait—
Their territories contained an unusually high number of green dots.
They'd already been invaded by Wade.
It wasn't hard to imagine how those dungeon lords felt when their own adventurers began enthusiastically discussing other dungeons.
Probably not very pleasant.
So they came to "learn" from Sein Dungeon's advanced experience—updating old models, innovating for a new era, hoping to win back adventurers' hearts.
"If it weren't so far, I'd really like to go see how they're copying me."
Unfortunately, even the closest—Cangyin Dungeon—was more than a week's journey away. A round trip would be far too troublesome.
Better to forget it.
Still, since Cangyin Dungeon was nearby, rumors would likely reach the taverns in a few days.
As for those imitating him, Wade felt completely indifferent.
If anything, he was curious—eager to see what kind of tricks the dungeon lords of this world could come up with.
So be it.
No interference.
No copyright fees.
No kicking in doors.
Let the bullets fly for a while.
Maybe he really was becoming more of a shut-in.
Lately, Wade had grown increasingly reluctant to go out. His activity range was limited to Bedford City, occasionally taking a stroll along the outskirts.
Whether this change was good or bad was unclear—but for dungeon construction, it was probably a good thing.
He gestured and scribbled across the dungeon lord panel, preparing a new update. Once this one was finished, his focus would shift entirely to Val Dungeon.
At present, Sein Dungeon had already matured into a system capable of cycling on its own. These areas no longer required major revisions—just periodic rotations of traps, monsters, and item placements.
Once adventurers adapted to these map sets, Val Dungeon would likely be close to completion as well.
Among Sein Dungeon's four major regions, only the Forest Region still had a minor flaw—
It lacked a distinct identity.
To fix that, Wade planned to add a "blacksmith" during tonight's maintenance.
Not a living blacksmith like Andre, but something closer to a forging furnace.
After hunting monsters in the Forest Region, adventurers would have a chance to obtain two to three crafting-exclusive materials. Once they gathered enough and fed them into the forge, they could choose which weapon or piece of equipment to craft.
Essentially, it was Monster Hunter's equipment forging system—though in practice, the forge simply exchanged items directly with the dungeon rather than performing real forging.
As an aside, Wade's favorite weapon was the katana—especially the fox blade Kakaru Kumo Naki II.
People in this world already used monster materials to forge weapons, but equipment produced by Sein Dungeon would always possess unfamiliar traits—guaranteed to hook adventurers and make them shout that Sein's gear was absurdly good.
In addition, the Forest Region would gain more hunting mechanics, such as falling boulders and dragonators.
During hunts, adventurers might also encounter a dumb, cat-like creature that called them "boss."
Whether they could befriend it—or even bring it out of the dungeon—would depend entirely on the adventurer.
That concluded the Forest Region update.
Meanwhile, Firelink Shrine would receive a new map.
Remember that non-functional elevator there?
The original plan had been to connect it to New Londo, but considering New Londo's difficulty and current needs, that idea was shelved—possibly to be relocated to the Catacombs later.
Instead, Wade decided to open a small map beneath the elevator, roughly the size of the Dead Knight route in the Catacombs.
Its theme was—
Magic.
The new area would consist of several magic classrooms.
After defeating the elite monster at the end, adventurers would trigger a short cinematic. When it ended, a teleporting treasure chest would appear before them.
And that chest would connect to—
Val Dungeon.
Just thinking about it made Wade's blood boil with excitement.
The first adventurer to discover that chest and reach Val Dungeon would surely become a legendary "discoverer of a new dungeon," basking in endless admiration.
Should he preselect a few candidates? Or simply open the area and let fate decide?
He'd decide in a few days. Always preselecting people was starting to feel boring.
Wade lifted his head and looked into the crystal ball.
On the screen, Darrick had easily defeated the training slimes, earning praise from the instructor and beginning his second round of training.
After completing three training sessions, the clear condition would be met. He could choose to stay and continue receiving guidance—or leave.
The instructor only taught the sword techniques of the Undead Legion, and only the most basic portions—just enough to help newcomers get started quickly.
Eager to share the news with the Farron Guard, Darrick chose to leave.
But before departing, there was still one final vision he needed to witness—
The story of the deserter.
Hawkwood.