To summarize what a Dungeon is, Lynn drew a circle in the ground using the cool-looking stick that Arezu had found during their hunt—right before they discovered what she assumed was an uncharted Dungeon.
Labeling the circle as Circle A, Lynn explained that it represented their world.
Next, she drew another circle overlapping Circle A, labeling it Circle B. This one represented a world different from their own.
Finally, Lynn shaded the area where Circles A and B overlapped, labeling it the Dungeon.
To explain her proudly drawn diagram: the Dungeon is the intersection between their world and another—a world where monsters originally come from.
This overlapping area is known as the Dungeon Domain, where the environments of both worlds coexist.
"...The ruins you're looking at right now weren't here a few days ago. After all, they came from a world different from ours, Mr. Arezu."
Though the overgrown, ancient trees were certainly part of the northern forest, the ruined town was not. It had appeared when the dormant Dungeon Core—hidden somewhere beneath the ancient ruins buried in the forest—was reactivated.
At the end of her brief explanation, Lynn looked at Arezu, waiting to see how he would react to the possibility of other worlds.
Usually, when people first heard the Dungeon theory, they were skeptical. The existence of other worlds is, after all, hard to believe.
"So you're saying the Orcs came from inside that Dungeon?"
To Lynn's surprise, Arezu accepted her explanation without even a hint of doubt.
That reaction genuinely pleased her. She smiled—sincerely, more honestly than she ever had before—but that smile was hidden from Arezu. When he turned to her, waiting for an answer to his question, Lynn was already wearing her usual mischievous grin.
"Well, we won't know for sure until we explore the Dungeon, right, Mr. Arezu?" Lynn said, trying to mask her happiness with mischief.
Though they hadn't encountered any monsters aside from the Orcs they fought the previous day, it was still possible that the Dungeon could spawn other creatures. More importantly, Lynn and Arezu needed to confirm the existence of the Orc nest inside the Dungeon to avoid failing their orc-hunting quest—prompting them to explore it.
However, before they could proceed—
"First, we need to find the entrance to the Dungeon."
"Entrance?" Arezu asked, clearly uncertain about what she meant beyond the literal word.
As their group moved around the perimeter of the ruins, Lynn continued her explanation.
"Take a look at this, Mr. Arezu."
Once she had his attention, Lynn threw a stone at a ruined wall. Before the stone could reach it, it bounced mid-air—as if hitting an invisible barrier.
"That's the Boundary of the Domain," Lynn said, watching his surprised expression.
She went on to explain: the Boundary keeps the monsters contained inside the Dungeon and prevents anything from entering or exiting—except through the designated entrance.
"On a side note, if a powerful monster became the Dungeon Master and took control of the Core, it could expand the Domain, and even break the Boundary. That would cause a monster stampede."
"That sounds like more of a main concern than a side note."
Eventually, the group reached what appeared to be a ruined gate, with stairs leading down to what looked like an underground labyrinth. Here, there was no invisible barrier stopping them from proceeding.
"Are you ready, everyone?!" Lynn called out, standing in front of the entrance.
"Today's the day we set foot into uncharted land, into unknown territory, into a new world! Today's the day we conquer this Dungeon! Yeay!"
"Yeay!"
Gwen and her party echoed Lynn's cheer as they followed her into the Dungeon.
Arezu, however, grabbed Lynn's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
"My, my… Are we getting intimate now, Mr. Arezu?"
Though flustered by her words, Arezu kept his hand on her shoulder. He had something more important to say.
"What do you mean we're going to conquer this Dungeon?" he asked, anxious and serious.
Confirming the Orc nest was essential to their quest. Conquering the Dungeon, however, was never part of the plan.
Arezu had no idea how strong a Dungeon Master could be—but he was sure of two things:
First, it would definitely be stronger than the giant goblin flasher, which had likely been the Master of an incomplete Dungeon during their goblin-slaying quest.
Second, even with Gwen's party, their group had no chance of conquering a Dungeon—much less defeating a Dungeon Master.
"What I mean is, I want to get rich by conquering a Dungeon, Mr. Arezu," Lynn said, half-serious, half-playful.
"So it is about the money... No, that's not the answer I was looking for!"
Despite his frustration, Arezu had no choice but to follow Lynn and the others into the Dungeon, leaving their wagon and Minion 2 to look after Chevaline.
As they walked deeper into the underground path, Arezu realized something troubling.
"Lynn…"
Lynn glanced back without stopping.
"What is it, Mr. Arezu?"
"You said even veteran iron-rank adventurers took this orc-hunting quest, right?"
Pleased he was paying attention to her, Lynn nodded with a cheerful "Mhm!"
"Then… did none of them make it back to the guild to report the existence of this uncharted Dungeon?"
If their group had found the Dungeon by simply stalking an escaping Orc, then surely other, more experienced adventurers could have done the same—and informed the Adventurers' Guild. That would prompt the Guild to take action and bring the Dungeon under control.
The fact that Arezu had heard nothing about a new Dungeon meant one of two things: either no one reported it... or worse, no one made it back.
That realization made Arezu even more anxious. Lynn, noticing the worry on his face, responded with a mischievous grin—implying she'd kept all of this from him on purpose, right from the start.
"Lynn… You…" Arezu muttered, trying to contain his frustration at her for dragging them into such a dangerous situation without warning.
"It's not like I lied, okay?" Lynn said.
Her sudden remark puzzled Gwen's party. But her next words confused them even more—this time, about the true nature of her relationship with Arezu.
"Besides, even if I'd told you everything, you'd still have come with me anyway, right, Mr. Arezu?"
Arezu couldn't deny it. Still, he would've preferred she told him everything from the start.
Realizing her actions may have damaged his trust, Lynn decided to offer a way to make amends—just as she had planned.
"If you want, I can tell you everything now. And if that's not enough... how about I fulfill one of your requests, Mr. Arezu?"