I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

Holy City, Temple of the Sun.

The dome soars into the clouds, and the holy emblem made of stained glass casts colorful beams of light under the sun, making the entire hall appear as if it were bathed in the gaze of the gods.

The pool in the center of the main hall is as calm as a mirror. On the stone platform in the pool stands a statue of a goddess. The water is clear, and countless tiny points of light are embedded beneath the surface, like a frozen galaxy.

Five figures were lying by the pool.

Alicia lowered her head, her long golden hair falling from her shoulders, the ends of which dipped into the pool water, creating tiny ripples. She was naked except for a white robe draped over her body.

Logan squatted on the left, his arms supporting his knees, staring blankly at the surface of the pool; his wounds had completely healed.

Sylvia sat alone in the far corner; Richie, now dressed in a brand new robe, stood at a distance.

Avira curled up in a ball, hugging her shoulders, her dark green eyes staring blankly at the pool water.

The resurrection is complete.

Adventurers protected by the goddess will be teleported back to the designated temple to be resurrected after dying in the dungeon. Their bodies will be intact, but their belongings and equipment will disappear.

Epic armor, weapons, shields, staves, longbows, and the world-class treasure, the Fall of Eternal Night—the core equipment accumulated by the Oracle Squad over many years—were all destroyed in one battle.

Although the body has recovered, the spirit will not.

This is the cruelest aspect of the goddess's protection.

Adventurers who die in dungeons retain their memories and emotions from that time. These terrifying experiences do not disappear upon resurrection; they remain, playing repeatedly every night until they completely crush a person.

Adventurers who experience too many deaths gradually become unable to bear the burden of their memories, eventually leading to a mental breakdown.

Alicia knew all this. She had seen devastated adventurers, crouching in the corner of the temple with eyes as empty as dry wells. She also knew that the Oracle Squad had just experienced a battle that could break anyone, where the five of them faced unique monsters of level 400 or higher and were killed one by one.

That sense of despair and helplessness is enough to leave a deep, unhealable wound on one's soul.

Ten priests stood in a semicircle by the pool.

They were dressed in pure white robes with golden sun emblems embroidered on the cuffs. The eldest one stood in the center with his eyes slightly closed, while the other nine held silver holy bells and spread out in a fan shape.

"Buzz".

Nine sacred bells rang simultaneously.

The long, drawn-out ringing of the bell spread like ripples on water, causing the light spots at the bottom of the pool to tremble. Alicia knelt by the pool, her white robe soaked and clinging to her back. Her body trembled slightly as the bell rang, stirring up memories of death.

Her fingers clenched tightly.

"Do not resist." The elder priest's voice pierced through the bell's sound, "Let the memories fade..."

The second ringtone sounded, and the emotions of fear, anger, and despair were peeled away layer by layer. It didn't directly erase the memory, but simply cooled down the excess emotional intensity.

The five people's breathing gradually became steady.

The ceremony lasted for nearly half an hour.

As the last bell rang throughout the dome, Alicia opened her eyes. The gray haze in her light blue pupils had faded considerably. She looked down at her hands, her fingers no longer trembling.

"The first phase is complete." The elder priest's voice was weary. "May the Sun Goddess bless you all."

The priests filed out.

The temple returned to silence.

Logan was the first to stand up, cracking his knuckles as he grinned and said, "That girl's gun was really powerful; my chest still feels chilly."

"That's the residual effect of the meditation technique." Richie's voice remained flat. "After the memories are washed away, there will be a brief period of temperature disturbance in the nerve endings."

"...Can't you let me have a moment of reflection?"

Sylvia sat by the pool, reminiscing about her longbow, which had accompanied her through dozens of battles since the day she ascended to epic rank, never leaving her side.

Avira was still huddled in the corner, her white robe the only one among the five that was dry, because she had been hiding in the position furthest from the water from the beginning.

Alicia walked up to Avira and blocked the blinding beam of light projected from the dome.

Avira's pupils slowly focused as she looked at Alicia, her lips moved, and her voice was hoarse, as if it were being scraped from the depths of her throat.

"Captain... I'm dead again."

"Um."

"This is the second time."

"Um."

“This time,” Avira lowered her head, resting her forehead on her knees, “I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. My mental resilience is much stronger than last time.”

"very good."

"But... I'd rather cry it out myself."

Alicia reached out and gently placed her palm on the back of Avira's head, as if touching a fragile object.

Avira's body stiffened for a moment, then her mind slowly relaxed. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders began to tremble slightly, and there was no sound, only suppressed low sobs.

Alicia remained in that position, feeling the warmth of Avira's head with her palm, her thumb gently stroking the stray hairs at the back of her head.

At that moment, steady footsteps could be heard outside the main hall.

As the man walked to the palace entrance, the beam of light projected from the stained-glass window fell directly on him, making his long golden hair appear as if it were melting sunlight, with a strand of white hair on his left temple standing out prominently in the light.

Anrivi Fording, Alicia's younger sister, is the current leader of the Dawn of Light.

Anrivi is two years younger than Alicia, but no one in the warband would notice the age difference; her eyes are a calm, deep blue.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Alicia stood up, her white robe still dripping wet, her golden hair clinging damply to her back. Her gaze fell upon Anrivi, who was entering the hall.

"Oracle Squad, all members are normal."

"The warband will handle the equipment issue," Anrivi's voice was flat. "Three days from now, you need to return to Dark Hemkas. Can you manage that?"

"no problem!"

"Very good. After you change your clothes, come to my office."

An Ruiwei turned and walked out of the hall, the sound of her military boots clicking on the stone steps crisp and decisive.

The corridor of the Temple of the Sun is 100 meters long, with stone pillars on both sides carved with reliefs of heroes from the Dawn of Light throughout history.

Alicia changed into dry casual clothes, and Logan, Sylvia, Richie, and Avira followed behind her, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

At the end of the corridor was an oak door, above which hung the emblem of the Dawn of Light.

The sun and the sword intersect to form a slanted cross.

Alicia pushed open the door.

The office is small.

An oak table, a few chairs, and a map of the continent of Ashu hanging on the wall, marked with gold thumbtacks the dungeons that the Dawn of Light had conquered: Niflåm, Hakkas, Blackrock Spire. Each gold thumbtack represents a victory worthy of being recorded in war history.

Dark Hemkas also had red thumbtacks stuck in it.

An Ruiwei sat behind her desk, wearing a white uniform with gold trim, her white hair on her left temple tucked behind her ear.

A thick stack of documents lay on the desk, the cover bearing the emblem of the sun of the Dawn of Light and a line of large gold lettering.

Dark Hemkas Strategy Plan - Phase Two.

"sit."

The five people took their seats.

An Ruiwei's fingers pressed on the document cover, her deep blue eyes sweeping over the faces of the five people one by one.

"Based on the intelligence you brought back, we have enough to formulate the second phase plan." An Ruiwei opened the file and pushed it to the center of the table. "The twentieth floor BOSS, Sandworm Pilian, is a unique-class monster, level 400 to 450, with the divine artifact Crimson Martial God, and is currently imprisoned by the Fall of Eternal Night."

She turned the page.

"I will have the Silverwing Squad rush up as fast as they can. If we can take care of Pirian, we can get to the twenty-first floor and bring back more intelligence."

Alicia took out the pendant given to her by the goblin leader of the first level and said, "We still don't know how many levels Dark Hemcas has, but their demon king should be a primordial dragon god."

"The Primordial Dragon God?" An Ruiwei's gaze fell on the pendant in Alicia's hand, which had the Demon King's head engraved on the front and the Goblin Leader's head engraved on the back.

"It was a gift from the goblin leader on the first floor," Alicia said, placing the pendant on the table. "It says the front is engraved with the Demon King, and the back is with itself."

An Ruiwei picked up the pendant, her deep blue pupils slightly contracting. Although it was just crude engraving, the combination of these features pointed to an existence she had never imagined would appear in the dungeon.

The ancient creature at the top of the food chain on the continent of Ashu.

"No wonder Dark Hemkas operates differently from other dungeons." An Ruiwei put down the pendant, clasped her hands together to support her chin, "The lifespan of the Primordial Dragon God can be measured in tens of millions of years. Perhaps for it, running a dungeon is just a boring pastime."

An Ruiwei pushed the pendant back in front of Alicia.

"No matter what the Demon King is, our objective remains unchanged. The Silverwing Squad will be responsible for a swift attack. If Pilian is still sealed, we will break through to the twentieth floor and bring back information about the twenty-first floor. The Oracle Squad will temporarily serve as the second echelon, ready to provide support at any time."

Alicia nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

An Ruiwei closed the file.

"Next, I will issue a mobilization order for the Dawn of Light: we must defeat Dark Hemcas at all costs!"

The five men stood up at the same time, pressing their right fists against their chests.