"Let's see if it will work now," Azazel leaned back comfortably on his throne. Closing his eyes, he examined all the regions of Avalon. As the most dominant power in this realm, he naturally occupied most of Avalon.
Except for the Fairy Realm, Azazel's influence extended everywhere. Although Avalon was an infinite dinsion, Azazel's power seed small in comparison—but it wasn't.
Despite its infinite nature, Avalon was still bound to a control chanism carefully designed by the Fairies. This chanism governed the dinsion, and at its core was Gaia.
Gaia was a Dinsional Managent tool created by the Fairies long ago. Possessing its own will, this chanism was the pinnacle of Fairy craftsmanship.
Even an infinite dinsion could be controlled by Gaia. However, the Fairies had imposed a safety restriction on it: the Fairies needed to maintain the largest population in Avalon for Gaia to function.
If the Fairies ever fell from power or lost their population advantage, Gaia would beco useless. It was a strict yet effective safeguard.
Back then, Fairies were everywhere in Avalon, so there were no issues. But after Morgana took control of the Fairies and the war between Fairies and Calot, most Fairies were wiped out.
As a result, Gaia beca nonfunctional—until Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table exiled all threats to Avalon. When Azazel first discovered Gaia, he wanted to seize it and gain full control, but that was technically impossible.
Gaia was hidden in an unknown part of Avalon. Azazel and Carmila once fought a great battle over Gaia. There was no victor, but Azazel gained the most.
By torturing Vivian, he learned the way to control Gaia. The key to controlling Gaia was to communicate with it.
This required the forr Fairy Queen, Vivian. As the true Queen of the Fairies, Vivian had the power to bypass Gaia's security asures.
With Vivian's help, Azazel could have easily made Gaia submissive. However, Vivian thwarted him by committing suicide, leaving Azazel at an impasse—until he discovered Vanessa, Vivian's reincarnation.
When Azazel brought Vanessa to Avalon, he manipulated her while she was unconscious, tricking her into forcing Gaia to submit to the demons' will.
Though Vanessa wasn't fully Vivian, her soul still held imnse Fairy power. This allowed Azazel to claim a quarter of Gaia's authority.
Though it seed small, it was not insignificant. Through his bond with Gaia, Azazel connected Avalon to Earth's coordinates.
By creating 1,000 gateways between Earth and Avalon, Azazel used mories Lucifer had given him to travel swiftly across Earth.
"USA, Canada, and xico," Azazel murmured, recalling the countries. Dungeons would beco operational in these nations. The dungeons were already prepared, each designed with 20 levels as per Lucifer's request.
These dungeons were ticulously crafted. Each level housed increasingly powerful monsters, traps, deadly toxins, and a final boss at the end.
To be honest, Azazel was excited. It had been a long ti since he had such entertainnt. His father was truly a master at manipulating humans.
"Dungeon masters, dungeon cores… but sothing feels missing," Azazel muttered thoughtfully. Finally, his eyes lit up. "Of course, treasure!"
"In RPG gas, rewards are a must for players," Azazel remarked with amusent. Leaving behind so gold as treasure seed like a good idea—it would excite both governnts and individuals eager for endless wealth.
"Still, as Father said, we need a mid-level boss," Azazel smiled, thinking of a na. "Beliar… he's quite obsessed with this thing they call broadcasting. He'll be perfect for the job."
Azazel didn't want to manage the dungeons himself. That's why he decided Beliar, a typical foolish villain obsessed with his own fun, would be ideal.
If another demon managed the dungeons, their goal would be to create perfect dungeons. Beliar, however, would do it purely for his own amusent.
This was exactly what Azazel wanted—a perfect cycle. Dungeons that people would constantly want to challenge, with a 50-50 chance of success and death.
"Let's see, where is Beliar?"
Azazel moved to sense Beliar's location. Finding him on Earth didn't surprise him, and he reached out to communicate with him.
At that mont, in a room filled with high-end gaming equipnt, Beliar was intently playing a ga. Just as he got shot by a Russian player, he erupted in fury.
Cursing in Russian, Beliar slamd his fists on his keyboard, then flung his broken monitor to join a pile of shattered screens.
Even as he vented his frustration, Azazel's calm voice interrupted him, "Beliar, leave these mortal distractions and listen to ."
"Lord Azazel?" Beliar asked in surprise. "What do you want to do this ti? More chaos?"
"No, this is more important," Azazel replied. "I want you to manage the dungeons. Co to imdiately for more information."
Though reluctant, Beliar couldn't refuse. He left Earth and teleported to where Azazel summoned him.
Upon arrival, Beliar was shocked to see an advanced technological system. Azazel, smiling proudly, gestured toward what he had created.
"Do you know what this is?"
"No, my Lord."
"Well, you're about to find out."
Azazel beckoned Beliar closer and pointed to a large capsule-like device.
"I call this the Virtual Reality Creator," Azazel declared with pride. "It allows you to control all dungeon cores from here."
"Like the virtual reality headsets humans talk about?" Beliar asked cautiously. Azazel nodded. "Yes, but far better than anything they've imagined."
"Now, enter the capsule and close your eyes," Azazel commanded. Beliar obeyed, stepping into the capsule. As a device clamped onto his head, his mind shut down.
Monts later, Beliar found himself in a void of endless darkness. "Where… am I?"
"You're in the Administrator's Room," Azazel's voice echoed from all directions. As Beliar marveled at the technology, Azazel guided him further.
"You'll oversee 1,000 dungeons. First, try to sense them. Gaia will assist you and help with basic tasks."
"Gaia?"
"Gaia is the dungeon's natural AI," Azazel explained calmly. A female voice echoed in the void, "Greetings, Sub-Administrator Lord Beliar. I am the AI tasked with assisting you in managing the dungeons."
"Gaia will calculate the number of monsters, their difficulty, and the rewards for hunters without your interference. Your job is to make critical decisions and prevent hunters from reaching the dungeon core."
"What happens if the dungeon core is destroyed?" Beliar asked.
Azazel laughed before replying, "If the core is broken, the dungeon relocates to another place, with different monsters and bosses. It gives humans a sense of accomplishnt."
"I understand, my Lord, but I have more questions," Beliar said eagerly. "Can I manage the dungeons as I please?"
Azazel smirked internally but hid his amusent. "You can, but be cautious. If you see the dungeons serving as a resource for humans, you can increase their difficulty."
Beliar grinned, excited to begin his new task. "I'm ready, my Lord. Let's start."
"Good to see you enthusiastic. I expect great things from you, Beliar. Don't disappoint ."
Hearing Azazel's subtle threat, Beliar paled but said nothing. As Azazel left, Beliar was alone in the infinite darkness.
"Gaia, explain what I need to do."
"As you wish, Lord Beliar."
Gaia activated the system, showing a dungeon's layout. The first dungeon was filled with adorable slis and toxic creatures on the initial level.
While the entrances of all dungeons seed harmless, the slis were anything but innocent. Their acid was strong enough to dissolve not just clothing but also human skin.
Azazel had designed the dungeons to appear harmless but be filled with dangers. True to his intent, they were.
"I want to start imdiately," Beliar declared, but Gaia's refusal surprised him. "Why not?"
"You must first learn, then act, my Lord," Gaia replied emotionlessly. Beliar sighed but complied with the training.
Two hours later, Beliar finally activated the dungeons and allowed Avalon to connect to Earth.
******
With Gaia's awakening, nearly 1,000 dungeon gates began to appear across North Arica. The dinsions fractured, and dinsional rifts tore through the Earth's atmosphere. As the dinsional gates opened, rune-covered stones erupted from the ground, ascending rapidly toward the sky.
As the dinsional rifts ford, pillars rose around them like a doorway, enclosing the rift and leaving behind only a mysterious, glowing portal.
The surroundings of the portals were instantly transford according to the dungeon's nature, reshaping the world. The area around the Hell Dungeon turned completely into smoldering embers, while each dungeon entrance was unique and distinct in its design.
The Vanguard Demon Hunting Corps quickly mobilized, sealing off the dungeon surroundings and implenting precautionary asures. At Lucifer's command, the Vanguard Corporation began systematically classifying the dungeons and recruiting hundreds of Demon Hunters.
News about the phenonon quickly dominated screens, t not with fear but with excitent. This might seem strange, but it wasn't. After all, Vanguard had been preparing for this.
They didn't just recruit hunters; they instilled a sense of imnse confidence in the public. This confidence was tied to the wealth promised by the dungeons.
For many people, wealth was enough to inspire the courage to face a dungeon, even when confronted with the fear of death. That, in itself, was fascinating.
What people didn't realize was the true danger of the dungeons. For now, they were simply captivated by the promise of riches.
Finally, after a single day of preparation, 10 Demon Hunters handpicked by Vanguard for their potential were ready to enter the first dungeon under the gaze of live caras.
Equipped with state-of-the-art gear provided by Vanguard, the Demon Hunters waited at the gate. Watching this unfold, Lucifer rejoiced; his plans were finally in motion.
"Now that the dungeons are ready, they can begin," Lucifer calmly instructed. As expected, Vanguard responded imdiately after receiving the news.
"Understood. We're moving out."
"Good, and rember," Lucifer said calmly, "don't assu everyone who goes in will co back. Tell them to be cautious."
"Understood. We'll convey your words." With that, the call ended. At Lucifer's command, Vanguard sprang into action, initiating humanity's first dungeon invasion.
"Do you think they'll all make it back?" Gwen asked curiously. Hearing her, Lucifer replied seriously, "The smart ones will survive; the arrogant and greedy ones will perish. Sotis, intelligence is what saves your life."
"Why are you so certain? They haven't even entered yet," Gwen frowned. Lucifer smiled. "Don't underestimate humanity's arrogance. Among them, there will undoubtedly be fools and opportunists. Surviving a dungeon requires cooperation and tactical intelligence. If they can't even manage that, then it's better for them to die."
"Half of my team will die," Lucifer stated with conviction.
"I think there won't be any casualties, but they'll retreat before going too far," Sam speculated. Ethan, however, disagreed with Sam's words. "I think, as Lucifer said, those who refuse to cooperate will die, and the rest will be forced into working together."
"Care to bet on it?" Gwen asked with a mischievous grin. When Sam, Ethan, and Lucifer heard her, they all smiled.
"Fine, the loser cleans the house for a week."
"Deal."
With everyone agreeing, the hunters finally entered the dungeon and began their advance.
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