Before Chen Hai and Loki's reunion and meeting—
Adventurers' Guild Master Loiman had sent the drafted new regulations to Orario's Head-Gods overnight.
Freya Familia stronghold, the top floor of Orario's skyscraper, The Tower of Babel—
Late at night, a beautiful woman stood on a balcony overlooking the entire city, savoring the fine wine from afar that wealthy merchants had sent a few days ago.
She wore an elegant black dress that clung to her body and revealed some skin, with exquisite hair ornaments of the same color on both sides of her beautiful hair. Her adorned beauty made countless Adventurers drool.
At this moment, the door was pushed open. Freya turned to look, and a woman with hair covering her right eye handed her a notice.
"Lady Freya, this is a notice sent by the Adventurers' Guild. They said only you can open it."
"Oh? Is there some event?"
Freya, the 'Goddess of Beauty' who presides over beauty, handed her wine glass to the other person and took the sealed notice.
Upon opening it and reading the contents, Freya frowned slightly.
"This isn't a joke, is it?"
"What happened, Lady Freya?"
"You can take a look, Helen."
Freya handed over the notice in her hand.
The woman called 'Helen' took it and quickly read through it.
"This... it's too outrageous. Although we previously received information that the Dungeon was completely sealed, it suddenly reopened later. Adventurers considered it a 'Dungeon rampage' and an accident. But it turns out... it was done by the 'Dungeon Lord' mentioned in the notice?"
Helen didn't quite believe it.
Or rather... she dared not believe it.
Since its birth, the Dungeon, while filled with treasures, has also been a nest for monsters.
Once, the human world was invaded by monsters that escaped the Dungeon, and they haven't been completely eliminated to this day.
If those monsters had a central leader, the consequences would be unimaginable.
If the other party wished, the extinction of humanity would probably only be a matter of time.
"However, if we combine this with the 'accident' that happened earlier, everything makes sense."
"Accident? Lady Freya, do you mean...?"
"Uranus has disappeared."
??
Helen couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence.
What exactly did the disappearance of a god refer to?
Returning to heaven? Leaving Orario? Or... "I believe he was killed."
"That Lord... the chief god of the Adventurers' Guild, was killed by someone?"
"If this notice is real, then Uranus's 'death' was very likely caused by that 'Dungeon Lord'."
Freya turned to look at the brightly lit streets of Orario.
"Is a new era coming?"
"The content mentioned in the notice seems quite reasonable. I wonder what you think, Lady Freya."
"Those contents are the beginning of a 'new era'. Free Adventurers probably only have two choices."
Freya concluded,
"To follow arrangements or leave Orario."
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At the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia, Hephaestus stopped her work, put down her hammer, and walked to the door.
Looking at the Adventurers' Guild employee who delivered the notice, she asked curiously before reading the content,
"What exactly happened at the Guild... Uranus's divine power flared up for a moment, but then quickly vanished."
"I'm sorry, Lady Hephaestus, I don't know the details either. I just came to deliver something."
"Alright."
Hephaestus took the notice and returned to the back of the weapon shop.
The previously busy Familia Captain appeared before her.
Tsubaki Collbrande stared curiously at the letter.
"Who sent it? My Lady."
"The Adventurers' Guild. They probably sent this to every chief god."
The two walked to the window, opened it, and read the contents together.
The Adventurers' Guild decided to standardize Dungeon exploration.
Different levels can only go to different floors;
In addition, a shift system will be implemented to ensure 24-hour Dungeon exploration.
This rule made Hephaestus very confused.
But a crucial piece of information at the end made her understand the reason.
"This is a proposal from the 'Dungeon Lord'."
"That's strange, My Lady. Does the Dungeon really have a Lord? If so, it couldn't have remained silent for so many years, could it?"
"Many people believe the Dungeon is a self-aware entity. Perhaps... after countless years, those consciousnesses gave birth to an 'integrated entity'?"
This was the only possibility Hephaestus could think of.
"Speaking of the system mentioned here, it feels like the work arrangements of those shops. Free Adventurers have become employees who must abide by company regulations."
Tsubaki hit the nail on the head.
Hephaestus had the same thought.
"And Adventurers who don't follow the arrangements will lose the qualification to explore the Dungeon, which means... we must follow the arrangements of that 'Dungeon Lord'."
Whether Adventurers or gods like Hephaestus, under the new rules, they were all employees of that Lord, his laborers.
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"You've seen that notice, haven't you, Ganesha."
"Why did you suddenly come to me, Hermes?"
At the headquarters of the Ganesha Familia, the chief god Ganesha looked at Hermes, who appeared before him with his Captain. Even with a mask on, he could tell from his tone that he was very confused.
"You have a deep understanding of the 'Dungeon', and through activities like the 'Monster Festival', you are committed to promoting understanding and coexistence between humans and monsters. So I'm very curious about your opinion on this notice, and whether you agree with the arrangements of that 'Dungeon Lord'."
"This is not something I can control. I believe you know, Hermes, that before we received the notice, Uranus he..."
"Was killed, or rather... sent back to heaven."
Hermes added.
This was a fact that all the gods of Orario had noticed.
When the 'Dungeon Lord' appeared, the great god Uranus left this world!
This was definitely not a coincidence.
"The other party is very strong, there's no doubt about that."
"Indeed, Hermes. However, from the notice, the 'Lord' is someone who can be communicated with."
"So what will you do?"
"Seek cooperation."
Ganesha replied quickly.
If he had the power, if he really was the 'Dungeon Lord'... "If everything is true, Orario... no, this world will usher in a true change."
Facing the notice issued by the 'Dungeon Lord', the gods of Orario, knowing that Uranus was instantly defeated, decided to act according to their own ideas.