In the demon king's room, behind the throne, there's a door. When he pushed the curtain to the side, a small, but sturdy door appeared.
"As I've explained before, the dungeon isn't simply a building, but a living being that you can call a spirit. Like the name suggests, the Heart of the Dungeon is the heart of all living things."
"It provides mana instead of blood?"
When Yong-Ho added to his explanation, Eligor smiled and answered.
"That's correct."
The room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located wasn't different from the other rooms. It was a square room that was dark and hard.
One thing that was different was that in the middle of the room, on top of a shabby altar, there was a large marble.
It was a large, green marble that was a bit bigger than a human's head. As the owner that's connected to the dungeon's spirit, Yong-Ho realized something as soon as he looked at the marble.
"I knew it."
That was the Heart of the Dungeon.
"Hello, master."
The Spirit of the Dungeon spoke as if they were waiting for him. Since this was the Heart of the Dungeon, he expected the spirit to appear as a hologram, but he only heard their voice.
Yong-Ho suppressed his disappointment and asked the spirit.
"Is that marble your main body?"
"Yes, sir. It's small now, but it will become larger soon."
Yong-Ho walked closer to the marble. Inside the emerald-colored marble, there was a flame that was dancing inside it.
Eligor, who was quietly watching him from behind, spoke.
"There are many different ways to grow the dungeon, but in the end, it can be condensed into one sentence. Providing mana."
Yong-Ho turned around and Eligor continued his explanation.
"All living things within the demon world have different levels of mana. It even applies to the low-level spirits that don't have horns. And the more horns that a spirit has, the more mana they have. We call that lump of mana extract."
Yong-Ho was able to sense a lot of things from Eligor. He was able to sense the emotions Eligor displayed on his face, his spirit and the flow of his mana.
The mana that flowed all throughout his body started from the center of his chest and ended there as well.
"When a demon family dies, the lump of mana will naturally disperse like water or wind. However, if it hasn't been that long since the family died, that mana can be recalled."
"And you pour that mana into the Heart of the Dungeon?"
Eligor smiled.
"That's correct. You have a good understanding."
He had a basic idea. If this were a game, it would be like investing into the Heart of the Dungeon with the experience that you gain by killing a monster.
"There is one simple, but extreme method."
When Eligor spoke, Yong-Ho understood."
"You can extract mana from the Heart of the Dungeon."
"That's correct. That's the biggest reason why 'dungeon hunting' or 'dungeon wars' occur."
Eligor emphasized several times about how the dungeon was a spirit. If mana can be gathered from a demon family, then it's only right for demons to be able to extract mana from the Heart of the Dungeon.
"There is a massive amount of mana that can be extracted from it. The bigger and older the dungeon is, the more massive the dungeon's mana is."
What he was saying was common sense. But, Yong-Ho felt out of place by what he just said.
He asked Eligor.
"Can the mana only be extracted while the owner is still alive?"
Yong-Ho was getting ahead of himself, but Eligor understood. He spoke with a bright smile on his face.
"You're very smart. That isn't the case. If the owner dies, then the Spirit of the Dungeon will die as well, however, the Heart of the Dungeon itself will not die."
"That sounds a bit odd."
It's been over a year since the previous owner of the dungeon committed suicide.
The mana can be extracted from the Heart of the Dungeon even if the owner is dead.
If what he said were true, then there was one question.
How was the House of Mammon kept safe all this time?
"The reason why the dungeon was safe during the past year is fairly simple.
Eligor approached Yong-Ho. He politely pointed at the Heart of the Dungeon.
"There's a protective film around it and it protects the Heart of the Dungeon's mana. It'll require a lot of mana to break the barrier with strength. However, once the owner dies and the Heart of the Dungeon goes into the resting stage, the barrier will become weaker and weaker."
"Then, until the barrier weakens, the other owners, no, the weaker demons, are waiting for the right opportunity?"
"That's right. Right now, this dungeon is...I'm sorry. Even though we've fallen, the dungeon's history is well-known within the demon world. Since the barrier becomes stronger depending on the dungeon's history, the weaker demons won't think about getting near it."
He somewhat understood. Also, Eligor and Catalina wouldn't just stand by and watch the other demons take the mana.
But, he still had questions.
"Then, what about the other demons?"
A frown appeared on Eligor's face.
"Even though the barrier is strong, it's been awhile since the dungeon fell, so there isn't much mana to extract."
"To them, it's weak."
To the weaker demons, it was a prize worth stealing, but the barrier was too strong.
To the strong owners, there wasn't much they could take, so it wasn't worth the effort.
Yong-Ho understood the current situation. He asked about what should be done from now on.
"How long does it usually take for that barrier to weaken?"
"It's different depending on the dungeon, but usually, it drops to about half after a year.
"If the weaker spirits were really waiting…"
Eligor didn't answer, but he knew what Yong-Ho was thinking just from his expression. If the spirits fought against each other to get the mana, then this was the best time for them to attack the Heart of the Dungeon.
"We need to strengthen the defense as soon as possible."
No matter how he thought of it, being the son of a chicken shop was better than being the owner of the House of Mammon.
But, he already accepted it. Instead of complaining, Yong-Ho checked the things he had to do.
"Strengthen all three traps so that they'll work properly. And like I've requested before, give me a report of all facilities and traps.
"Yes, master."
Eligor answered with respect. After taking a deep breath, Yong-Ho walked around the room that the Heart of the Dungeon was located in.
Enemies would eventually enter this place.
Complaining about a future that won't change is something that a dummy would do. The only thing the owner of the dungeon can do is to do their best.
"Great. Shall we go look around?"
Yong-Ho spoke energetically and walked out of the room.
It was time to explore the House of Mammon's dungeon.
\u0026
Yong-Ho crossed his arms. He looked down while standing in a slightly crooked position and then slowly looked up again. After inspecting the figure before him, he asked.
"Um, what's with that outfit?"
It was his guard, Catalina.
She wasn't wearing her usual suit. She was wearing a black, leather pair of pants that hugged her soft skin and she wore a pair of boots that enveloped her firm calves.
She wore a piece of black, leather top that reminded him of a swimsuit, but since the top was pretty short, it revealed a part of her waist and pelvis. She wore a pair of black arm warmers, which came up right before her bare shoulders and a small catapult was installed on her left arm, which she could use with one hand.
It was fine up until here. She looked like one of those sexy, female robbers that appear in games.
The issue was the black hood that she wore on her head.
Usually, hoods would sit on top of shoulders or is connected on the back like a cape, but it only covered her neck, head and face.
.
Catalina carefully answered Yong-Ho. He couldn't tell since it was covered by the hood, but it seemed like her ears were drooping.
"Um...this is my combat gear."
"I see. It suits you."
She looked pretty in it and since agility was important to Catalina, it was an appropriate outfit.
'The hood matches with the thief class.'
After acknowledging it, Yong-Ho waved his finger and created a window of light in the air. After becoming close with the Spirit of the Dungeon, it was a skill he was able to use at will.
The window of light displayed the dungeon's map.
"First, I'm thinking about going through the areas that the previous owners didn't activate."
Yong-Ho pointed at the black areas while talking. Catalina spoke carefully.
"But, sir. Won't that be too dangerous?"
He knew what Catalina was worried about. But, Yong-Ho had made up his mind.
"The areas that the previous owners activated are safer. But, those areas have already been looked at by the previous owners. There won't be much left, right?"
It was reasonable, so all Catalina could do was nod. Yong-Ho looked at her and asked.
"But, what do you mean by dangerous?"
It didn't seem like the traps were what she was worried about.
Catalina hesitated for a bit, but when she made up her mind, she straightened her posture and took a deep breath. She looked straight at Yong-Ho and spoke.
"The House of Mammon's dungeon is wide and deep. Not one of the previous owners were able to completely activate every part of the dungeon. The previous owner and the owner before that weren't able to go near the lower level."
"Wait, there's a lower level? The map that the Spirit of the Dungeon showed didn't display that."
With a shocked expression, Yong-Ho zoomed in on the map. No matter where he looked, there wasn't a lower level.
Catalina glanced at Yong-Ho and spoke.
"Um, with all due respect sir, you aren't able to control all over the dungeon with your current power, so that's why you can't see it. It's because the Spirit of the Dungeon relies on your strength."
"You're saying that I'm unable to look at the entire map yet."
Instead of answering, Catalina displayed an awkward smile and Yong-Ho nodded. He asked another question.
"How many lower levels are there?"
"I apologize, but I don't exactly know how many levels there are."
"It's not your fault. There's no need to be sorry. Just tell me everything that you know."
If she were this careful every time, it would tire out the other person. Thankfully, instead of being intimidated, she answered right away.
"This is something I've heard from the previous guard, so I'm not sure how accurate it is, but there are at least five lower levels. The previous guard assumed that the lower you go, it becomes a narrower inverted triangle."
"Hm."
The first floor was so big that it could fit 100 rooms. But, if there were lower levels too, then this dungeon was extremely big.
"Catalina, you're not saying it's dangerous just because of the traps, right?"
"Yes, sir. It's not because of the traps."
Catalina stopped talking. It seemed like she had something important to say because she closed her eyes momentarily and breathed in. Yong-Ho became nervous just looking at her.
As soon as she gulped, Catalina spoke.
"Mammon's Spirits lie somewhere within this dungeon."