I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

Arthas tidied up his "recycled" equipment from adventurers. The leather armor was worn, the iron sword had several nicks, and his backpack contained dry rations and a small bag of coins.

Judging from his appearance, he looks like a penniless young newbie who has just registered with the Adventurers' Guild.

Although it possesses a human soul, it has lived as a demon for a hundred years, so it's impossible for it not to feel uncomfortable.

Arthas pulled out the map he had taken and spread it out on his lap. His current location was near his territory, Dark Hemkas, which was unclaimed land and a buffer zone between human kingdoms and monster territories.

Three days to the west will take you to the human border city of "Greystone Town"; two days to the east will take you to "Blazing Canyon," where the Lava Wyverns have migrated.

[Dungeon Warning: Due to dungeon energy being below 60%, fear level -1000]

Fear Level: 29158

Damn!

Based on past experience, the daily fear value is already only enough to break even, and now it's been reduced by another thousand. If a suitable third-level boss cannot be found within twenty-nine days, Dark Hemkas will collapse on its own...

"Let's go to Graystone Town and gather information first," Arthas decided immediately, then put away the map.

Although he could use teleportation, he looked at his feet and decided to walk on two legs for the first time, just like a "human" after a long time.

……

After walking for about an hour, Alsace's strides became shorter and his pace slower.

"ha……"

I haven't walked this road in a hundred years.

One hundred years!

In the dungeon, most people use teleportation to move around, but now we can only walk on foot. Just as Dracula said, there are indeed things we're not used to.

Forget it, I'll just use teleportation!

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind.

Arthas looked back.

in the night.

A fast horse galloped from afar, carrying a man and a woman, both dressed in standard leather armor.

Adventurer?

The horse quickly caught up with Alsace, but instead of passing him directly, it slowed down and stopped beside him.

The one holding the reins was a spiky-haired young man who was not yet twenty. He looked Arthas up and down, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Hey! Newbie."

Arthas pointed to his face: "Me?"

"What else?" The spiky-haired youth dismounted and walked up to Arthas. He was half a head shorter, but his imposing manner was eight octaves higher. "Walking alone at night, are you looking for death?"

"I……"

Sitting behind the horse was a girl with neat short hair, who looked a few years older than the young man, and had a calm gaze.

"You're going to Dark Hemkas too?"

Upon hearing this, Arthas was taken aback.

Dark Hemkas?

Isn't that my dungeon?

"I don't……"

"Don't pretend." The spiky-haired youth patted the bag hanging on the saddle and said, "Judging by your gear, you're going to raid a dungeon too, right? Going solo? How long have you been a registered adventurer? Iron or Bronze?"

Arthas opened his mouth, unsure of where to begin his response. Although he had memories of his past life, he only had a vague understanding of the adventurers in this world.

The young man mounted his horse and said to himself, "No matter what, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Come with us."

……

The young man's name was Rein, and the girl's name was Oris. They were partners from Graystone Town and were both bronze adventurers.

Their best achievement was clearing the second level of Dark Hemkas. Now that they heard the third level boss was leaving, they wanted to seize the opportunity to boost their own achievements.

Adventurers on the continent of Ashu are divided into Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Epic, and Legendary ranks based on the levels assigned by the Adventurers' Guild.

These were all pieces that Alsace managed to cobble together after being forced to travel with them, taking him half an hour.

What Arthas couldn't understand was that the second level was currently changing monsters and could be breached, but why were bronze adventurers able to pass through the first level?

Through their senses, they could tell that the magical energy flowing through their bodies was pitifully low. Logically speaking, the goblin leader on the first level should have been able to crush them in no time.

Arthas decided to investigate.

"Let me tell you, Dark Hemcas is one of the five legendary dungeons! Do you know the Black Flame Dragon? It's said that one dragon can destroy an entire kingdom!" Renn led the horse ahead, his mouth never stopping. "However, the current Demon King seems to be incompetent. I heard the fifth-floor boss has already run away, hahaha!!"

"……oh."

Arthas followed behind expressionlessly, still somewhat unaccustomed to being around humans for a hundred years.

"And, you know what? That demon lord's title is really long, what was it again..." Renn scratched his head and continued, "Arthas Dick Illidan?"

"..."

"Don't you think the name is strange?" Renn glanced at Arthas. "You're strange too, why aren't you saying anything?"

"I'm listening."

"I didn't expect you to be so boring." Renn curled his lip, then turned to Oris. "Sis, what floor do you think we'll get to this time?"

Olis, mounted on her horse, glanced at Renn indifferently: "If you talk less, you might be able to take two more floors."

"I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

Arthas was feeling conflicted as he headed towards his dungeon with two adventurers.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Even more outrageous, this guy named Raine kept complaining about himself, from his name to the layout of the dungeon.

Damn humans!

"By the way, what's your name?" Ryan suddenly turned around.

"Ah..." Arthas almost blurted out "Arthas," but thankfully stopped himself in time: "Dick Reynolds."

Renn blinked and a smile played on his lips.

Oris frowned slightly and pursed her lips.

After a brief silence.

Ryan chuckled. "Dick? Hahahaha!! Your name isn't all that great either!"

"Shut up..."

"So what rank are you? Bronze? Or just registered Iron?" Renn wiped away the tears of laughter, patted Arthas on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, stick with me, and I'll show you what a legendary dungeon looks like."

Alsace took a deep breath.

Hold on.

I'm here to recruit the BOSS, not to kill people.

The three continued on their way, and after walking for another hour or so, a continuous stretch of dark shadows appeared on the horizon ahead.

That was the entrance to Dark Hemkas, a colossal stone gate surrounded by a river of lava. On either side of the gate stood two black dragon statues, each tens of meters tall, their eyes inlaid with magic crystals that emitted a dark, eerie red glow in the darkness.

For hundreds of years, this underground city has devoured the lives of countless adventurers and has seen two demon kings rise and fall.

At this moment, the current Demon King is heading to the entrance, listening to the Bronze Adventurer boast as a human.

"See that door?" Renn introduced like a tour guide, "It's said that when the Black Flame Dragon died, its blood was used to forge the entire stone door, which is why it's still burning. When you get closer, you'll feel it; it's incredibly hot..."

Raine stopped mid-sentence, because a figure was standing in the direction of the underground city entrance in the distance.

The man stood with his back to them on the bank of the lava river, seemingly observing the towering stone gate.

Renn gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze turning serious. He lowered his voice, "Let's stop for a moment. There seems to be someone ahead?"

Oris also dismounted, clutching the arrow in her hand.

Arthas narrowed his eyes; with his extraordinary perception, he could make out the outline of the person from afar.

The woman had long, silvery-white hair that reached her waist, and what was even more remarkable was the intense flow of magic surrounding her.

Master?