Rodrick Barker's pov

sifting through mountains of paperwork containing new contracts, some are offers from nobility and others are intel about potential targets from my spies create a pile on my desk. Simply looking at it gives me a headache, I left the knights order to get away from this kind of work.

The tent flaps open and my most trusted subordinate entered and salute towards my direction before giving his report "The dungeon entrance has been secured and we are working on getting the blockades set up but are experiencing difficulty, the camps are set up we are working on setting up more permanent shelters for the horses, The livestock will arrive with the old guys soon and already have pens ready for them to use. Preliminary scouting has found that the first couple hundred meters are bare tunnels that look like they were dug out by something then it opens up to an underground jungle, Danger seems minimal at the moment with no response from the dungeon thus far. Loot is abundant if the reports are correct, the rogues have found quite a few useful plants used for beginner alchemists and animals have fine furs. Most importantly there seems to be ore crystals present and Oliver says they are of high purity which is strange for a first floor. So boss coming here was the right decision we are going to make a killing I've already sent some of the fast guys to go get picks from the nearest towns to begin collecting."

he was grinning the entire time he was reporting about the possible rewards from this place but I'm more worried about something else so I ask him "There is a jungle in the first floor" then he immediately nodded his head and said "I've checked myself after the reports of the danger level there is a fully functioning ecosystem down there which is strange for a first floor, most dungeons only have anything resembling an ecosystem only from the 20th floor onwards and only simple ones at that"

After contemplating for a while I questioned "did you find any other anomalies in there, this dungeon seems like an anomalous one to me we have no idea what these types are going to throw at us at any time which makes me nervous"

he didn't think for long before replying which is even more disconcerting he said "there was a large door in the middle of the first floor just standing there"

"what do you mean just standing there where did it lead to?"

"don't know" he replied

"wouldn't it open you can get Brigham to build some siege equipment if you need it"

while looking like he was straining his head how to explain he said "didn't need to open it we could see what is behind the door"

"what was there"

"Nothing" he simply replied.

"How is there nothing behind the door"

with a cramped smile, he tried to explain "you don't understand boss there is nothing behind the door because the door is just a door like it's just sitting there in the middle of an island with nothing but the door there no walls holding it up just a door"

I was starting to get annoyed and snapped back "did it escape you that it may have been a dimensional door it would be strange for one to appear on the first floor but nothing is impossible to appear in an anomalous dungeon especially a new one"

beads of sweat begun to form on his brow as he started trying to explain "I know that but the door itself is frightening it has carvings of monsters that make undead and ghosts look like baby otters, none of the men were willing to try and open it some of the scouts even refused to go back into the dungeon after seeing it. They kept saying that it's the doorway to hell or some other shit sir"

resisting the urge to use the loaded crossbow trained on his manhood that is attached to the bottom of my desk I dejectedly reply "you mean my mean who have weathered a hundred battles, these battle-hardened veterans are afraid of a bunch of pictures on a door"

"You haven't seen this door sir I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight"

I know for a fact that the man in front of me doesn't have a single bone of a coward in him I started to contemplate our next course of action before saying "ok don't put too much into this endeavor just send the newbies in for experience and collect some things to sell don't commit too much resources or valuable members of the mercenary band to this. If all goes well the newbies come out after this mission more experience and we come out richer or we look for more recruits later. Also, tell the leaders to be ready for an attack at any time they will know what it means"

he said with a knowing smile "we plan to ditch this mission if it goes down shit creek right boss"

while nodding I think to myself that he seems smart in the most random ways, we are indeed going to ditch this if it even smells like shit. I've heard stories of anomalous dungeons that give people heaven-defying treasures for no reason, but I've heard plenty more stories of these types of dungeons suddenly spewing out floods of monsters from the stories that preachers tell to scare children and no ditches, doors or traps we could make would stop that. My mage acquaintance while drunk at a tavern once said that the cities built on top of dungeons have no means of stopping an invasion of monsters from the dungeons they are built on top of and that the sigils and rituals they perform are only to make the masses feel safe living on top of a living disaster waiting to happen.

Now that I think about it Richard said something about problems with the barricades for the dungeon so I ask "you said there were issues with the barricades for the dungeon entrance"

being let off the hook about the previous matter he sighs in relief and says "yes we are having difficulty making any barricades because there is no real entrance to the dungeon, there is just a hole in the ground as if something smashed through the roof of the cave so we can't put doors on it we can't dig ditches around the entrance to use spears to kill anything charging out we can only put fences around the opening which takes up significantly more time and resources and only Oliver has any experience making anything other than basic siege equipment or homes and the floor is a dungeon roof so it's nearly impossible to get any foundations deep enough"

This place is becoming more strange the more I hear about it, There is reinforced dungeon walls in such a low floor and no real entrance to it. Most dungeons have a ramp down which makes it easier to take out heavier and larger things I think that I'll have my horse stabled nearby just in case this place gives me an ominous feeling. that and I could feel something with a massive mana signature skulking around earlier than vanishing soon after. This special ability of mine has saved me on many an occasion but is equally a curse too I could barely keep myself from mounting up and running at full speed the moment I sensed it, the only reason I kept calm was with years of experience and the knowledge that if something with such absurd mana found out I had this ability I would undoubtedly suffer a bad ending.

After several minutes of silence, I order Richard to go and get the men who refused to go back into the dungeon and give them 50 lashes each. Afterward, I get a drink of some wine I "requisitioned" from some merchants in some backward country then went to bed early so I would be ready for anything tomorrow when the main force entered the dungeon.