A man mistakenly becomes the city lord of the land, conquering all the heavens and myriad worlds.

"The powerful dragon residing in the 'Abyss Floors' should have a more imposing name, right? Like... 'Blazing Sky Beast'? 'Abyss Calamity'?"

"Is that a monster from some novel?"

"The Orario Creators Guild occasionally sells these works, which feature characters and monsters with impressive names battling each other."

"That was just a title, not a name, right? Any other opinions?"

Chen Hai didn't consider himself a good name-giver, so he planned to have Hestia think of one for him.

Well……

Hestia frowned, then quickly realized something.

“How is Ignifaros…?”

Does this name have any meaning?

"It seems that Chenhai-kun doesn't know much about this, hehe~ Actually, the prefix Ignis (fire) and the suffix faros ('bearer' or 'glory') together mean 'bearer of flames' or 'flame that burns the world,' which sounds pretty cool, right?"

“This is really good.”

Chen Hai expressed his lack of knowledge and fully agreed with the name Hestia had given him.

He then questioned the giant dragon beneath his feet.

"What did you think? You heard our conversation just now, right? I personally thought it was very nice."

"Roar--!!"

Upon hearing this, the dead dragon roared excitedly, and scorching flames spewed from its nostrils, as if acknowledging the name.

The roar of the dragon echoed everywhere, causing it to reverberate in the abyss.

"Wow!"

Hestia almost jumped up

"It...it agreed?!"

Chen Hai smiled slightly and patted the dragon's back.

"I am pleased to see you here. From this day forward, you shall be Ignifalos—the witness of my fire and the abyss."

Amidst the raging storm, the enormous body of the dead dragon slowly rose into the air, excitedly carrying Chen Hai and the goddess on its back, and accelerated towards the strange light in the distance.

Hestia muttered to herself

"Don't blame me if you don't like it later."

"Agreeing now doesn't mean you'll agree later, right?"

Chen Hai thought that the dead dragon wouldn't do such a thing.

"Anyway, don't worry about that. Let's see where Ignifaros is taking us."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The dead dragon Ignifalos, or simply Ignifalos, began to slow down.

"Mist?"

Hestia noticed the strange scene ahead.

Before she could ask a question, Igni had already driven the two of them through the fog.

This is the end of a huge passage in the 'Abyss Floor'.

The 'sky' in their vision was not pitch black, but rather an inverted, crystal-blue firmament, with countless points of light falling slowly from above like rain falling in reverse.

That wasn't a shooting star, but rather magic stone 'stardust' that scattered and shattered from the magic ley lines.

They emitted fragments of silver-blue and pale purple light, falling silently like fireflies, as if stars were silently withering and being reborn.

Every speck of light that passed by Chenhai and Hestia transformed into a flowing galaxy, extending to all corners of the world.

"so beautiful……"

Hestia murmured softly, her eyes reflecting the starlight, as if they held the entire night sky.

Chen Hai was also surprised.

The 'Abyss Floors' are not only filled with monsters, but also with such beautiful wonders.

But as the altitude increases, a chill also creeps in.

The cold wind from the abyss was biting, and Hestia unconsciously shrank back, her face slightly flushed.

Upon seeing this, Chen Hai gave an order to the dead dragon.

“Igni”.

The next moment, Ignifaros let out a low groan, and flames slowly rose from her back, but without any burning sensation, forming a flowing light screen that dispelled the chill surrounding the two of them.

"Is this to keep us warm?"

Hestia was surprised.

Chen Hai answered with a smile

“Ignic is very smart.”

"Yes!"

The dragon's flames gently enveloped the two of them, while stardust fell like rain all around.

Hestia finally relaxed, unconsciously leaning against Chen Hai's shoulder, and muttered softly.

"...I'm a little sleepy."

I prepared in the morning, set up my stall in the afternoon, and spent the evening following Chen Hai as he experienced the changes in Orario and explored the 'Abyss Floor'.

"Do you want me to take you back?"

"No, this is fine..."

Hestia shook her head in refusal.

She recalled the cold, isolated place beneath the church and had no intention of leaving.

Since living alone, Hestia has longed for a warm 'home'.

And now...

Although she had no subordinates, Hestia felt at ease.

"Go to sleep."

Chen Hai said softly

“Igni and I are here.”

Hestia responded softly, and the two leaned against each other, enveloped in the warmth of the flames on the dragon's broad back, and closed their eyes together.

Igni slowly spiraled, carrying dreams and stars, passing through the meteor shower of the 'Abyss Floor', flying towards its destination.

Chapter Seventeen: Orario Adventurers: No More Being Laborers! Loki: I Agree with the New Rules (Please add to your favorites, give flowers, and leave a review!)

The next day.

Orario Adventurers' Guild Main Gate Notice Board.

The notice board, which had been covered with various requests, was now cleaned up, and Eina held a huge notice in her hand, intending to post it there.

Misha, a fellow guild member and good friend, ran up to her.

"What's wrong, Eina? The president told us to post this announcement as soon as possible."

"You've seen the above too, haven't you? I never expected this arrangement..."

"To be honest, I don't quite understand what that 'underground city lord' did, but I think his new rules are pretty good."

After Michael finished speaking, he took the notification from Eina's hand.

Upon opening it, I found it contained the 'New Rules for Dungeon Exploration' drafted by the Adventurers' Guild.

First, before the adventurer cards are updated, all adventurers, regardless of which clan they belong to, are not allowed to enter the dungeon;

Secondly, regarding the opening levels of different dungeon floors, those that do not meet the minimum standards will be excluded.

Finally, there are the 'exploration time' and 'shift change rules' for different levels and floors. Adventurers who do not comply will lose all qualifications related to the dungeon.

"Aren't there a lot of hotheads lately? They think they're the chosen ones, taking on tasks they can't handle, only to end up failing miserably."

Michael began to talk about his recent work.

Because Orario monopolized most of the world's magic stones and formed a magic stone product industry, it attracted merchants and laborers from all over the world.

There are also many adventurers among them, all hoping to make a fortune through dungeons.

As a result, he didn't earn a single penny and had to change careers.

Some unethical individuals turn into thieves or robbers, which is a real headache.

Even with the Ganesha Familia, the "military police of the labyrinth city," diligently patrolling, it is impossible to eliminate all darkness.

Therefore, Misha felt it was very important to strengthen the management of adventurers!

"Guilds only care about profits, and sometimes they even support adventurers with bad records. I don't think that's good."

Michael spoke quietly with Eina.

This is not a rumor, but a fact.

“For example, the ‘Apollo Familia’ and the ‘Soma Familia’: the former’s chief god will recruit a man into his family, even if the man is a criminal, once he takes a liking to him, while the latter…”

"Misha, don't discuss other clans casually."

"That's true..."

Michael nodded, having been stopped by Eina.

The guild has always maintained neutrality and has not interfered with the operations of the Familia under the command of the main god.

Misha couldn't make decisions about the things she cared about; she could only focus on her work.

“Let’s stick it on, Michael, give me the glue over there.”

"Good."

"After this notice is posted, the next step is for that gentleman to personally explain what will happen to Orario."

"Does 'that person' refer to Mr. 'Dungeon Lord'?"

"Yes."

In Eina's eyes, the 'Dungeon' and 'Orario' are actually complementary.

Without dungeons, there would be no adventurers; without the gathered adventurers and the gods descending to the lower realm, there would be no Orario.

"Will it trigger a major war or something?"

After saying that, Michael tilted his head as he handed over the glue.

"I don't know. The gods of Orario might launch a coordinated attack, but... the monsters from the dungeons have invaded the surface before. If the lord of the dungeons could break free of the barriers and lead the monsters up, we wouldn't be able to resist at all, would we?"

The gods cannot intervene, and the number of adventurers is probably less than one percent of the number of monsters.

As they talked, they posted the notice, and Eina and Misha's actions attracted the attention of passersby and adventurers nearby.

"Eina-chan, Misha-chan, what kind of announcement are you going to make? All the other requests have been withdrawn."

"Stop calling us 'Jiang'! You'll understand once you see this announcement."

Misha stuck out her tongue, letting the adventurers see the contents for themselves.

The crowd began to gather, squinting as they read the text.

"What is this?"

"Entry into the dungeon is prohibited?"

"I must update my adventurer card?"

"Furthermore, different levels restrict access to different floors, and failing to follow the rules will disqualify you from exploring the dungeon?"