Aria walked down the crystal clear hallway, carefully observing every nook and cranny that stood in her way. One of Yudonia’s signature attributes was that the country loved cleanliness. Every single walkway was litter-free, and countless of tin-shaped robot cleaners roamed the lands to keep it that way. And that cleanliness was reflected within the interior of the offices as well, particularly the government buildings.

It was the one aspect that Aria liked about Yudonia’s government. No matter how bad their services were, there was no way that the government would skimp on cleanliness. Aria dropped her shoulders as her escorts tapped open one door after the other with their keycards. Aria had been at the facility for over an hour now, but she’d yet to reach her destination. Normally, the S-Class Archmagus would make a big fuss, crying out curses to the President. However, this time, the twenty-three-year-old was rather mellow.

After each door was opened, Aria would visibly gulp, unsure if it was from nervousness or anticipation. She was one of the most famous S-Rankers that Yudonia had, and yet, she had to go through so many layers of security screenings. One could only imagine how important their find truly was. Each time they passed through a door, Aria could see an incremental amount of guards holding the area.

Donned in a full black kevlar, the men and women hid their faces with dark sunglasses and black, face masks. Some of them even wore hats to protect their identity. Aria had minimal interactions with the guards, but each time she’d gotten close to their hoarse voice and hardened skin, Aria could tell that something was amiss. Based on their menacing aura, Aria could tell that they were at least at B-Class. The guards protecting the later gates were most likely in the A-Class as well. And Aria wasn’t even at the deepest part of the facility yet!

“Miss Aria, we’ve arrived...” One of her escorts finally turned around, bowing to the S-Class Archmagus. “The President will meet you inside.”

“...” Aria didn’t say anything. She watched as the final doors slid open, sending a wave of gushing cold air onto her poreless face. Aria’s expression froze up alongside the cold air. She was unsure if she really wanted to enter the room, but her feet automatically propelled her onwards.

The final room was a vast oval control centre. Scientists dressed in white robes were busy typing away on their keyboards as their monitors showed different dashboards of data. It wasn’t limited to just scientists. There were also information officers, donned in their military uniform, clicking on their mouse, reviewing hours of raw, fast-forwarded footage. The room had the distinct aroma of a rose-scented air purifier, but Aria’s sensitive nose could pick up the unmistakable stench of sweat. Each and every one of the men or women within the room had visible panda eyes as dark wrinkles formed over their forehead.

Not many people noticed that a flash of light shone from the exit, as the blaring lights of their laboratory were overwhelming enough. However, there were a few observant ones.

“Aria, you’re here!” A busty woman, who seemed no older than forty, sashayed over from the side. Her face was void of make-up, and her hair was puffy from not touching water for over three days. Though she had an excellent figure, it was completely hidden by the thick overcoat that was stained with ketchup and curry stains, presumably after a series of different meals.

“Minerva,” the S-Class Archmage grimaced, not willing to accept that the woman before her was precisely the acclaimed White Sorceress. Still, as a professional, Aria extended her hand out to greet her senior. “Nice to see that you’re well...”

Minerva paused. She looked at the distant manner that the young woman was treating her with and released a sly smirk. Minerva slapped Aria’s outstretched hand away before leaping in for a bear hug, much to the Archmagus’ disgust. “It’s nice to see you too!”

“A-Ah… C-Clothes...”

“Hahaha, so many people died that day… I’m glad to see you so vibrant and alive!”

“Yeah… I’m glad too… But clothes...”

At this distance, Aria’s hound-like nose was able to pick up on all of the distinct smells that dominated Minerva’s scalp. The White Sorceress hadn’t showered ever since she stepped foot inside of this research room, Aria was convinced. The Archmagus slowly peeled herself free from Minerva’s embrace, promptly changing the topic to get as far away from the stinky woman as possible.

“Minerva… Where’s the President?”

“Hmmm, he should be somewhere here...” The White Sorceress poked her head up like a bunny, giving the research facility a quick scan. It didn’t long for the sharp-eyed woman to find the seventy-year-old man. “Ah, there he his!” Minerva pointed to the left, where a dense pack of scientists congregated.

Many of them were holding tablets that had report after report. Some of them were meddling with their pens and notebooks, doing complicated math with intense vigour. However, they were all uniformly doing one thing… Every few seconds, the scientists would look up at the elderly man, who was busy typing away on his keyboard. His right hand would sometimes move away from the mouse and rapidly sign a document that was brought forward. If there were a textbook example of a busy man, the Association President would be the living embodiment of it, Aria felt.

“President,” Aria tiptoed her way past the researchers and coquettishly called for the old man.

“Aria? Oh, you’re here… Have three days really flown by already?” The President was confused at first, but he quickly recalled his appointment with the Archmagus. He glanced down at his computer’s clock, double-checking if the date was correct.

“Yes, it has been three days,” Aria didn’t know how to reply. Quelling her twitching eyebrows, the Archmagus pushed away from the vexatious scientists that stood in her path and took the chair next to the Association President. Aria’s nostrils flared up as her eyes turned fierce in an instant. She gazed into the tired President’s eyes, not wavering for a single second. Aria knew that the President was busy, but she too had her responsibilities and desires. If Aria missed this chance, God knows when she’ll have another opportunity like this. “You promised me that I would have a chance to meet him… I’m sure you hadn’t forgotten...”

The President blinked twice. Three seconds passed with nothing but complete silence. Aria staring at the President and the President staring back at her. In the end, it was the old man who caved first. “Naturally... I’m not one to renege on my promises…”

“That’s good...” Aria beamed. “So, when can I see him?”

“Give it a few hours...”

“Hey! I’d thought you’d said...”

“There’s no rush, Aria!” The President flailed his arms about, pushing the girl’s eyes away. “We’re all swamped right now! Minerva, keep Aria company while we get the chambers ready!”

“Can do!” The White Sorceress chuckled and pulled the indignant Aria away from the scene. All of the white-robed researchers hadn’t noticed the commotion and were all busy scribbling down various notes, completely engrossed in their own world. Most of them had morbidly ghast faces as if the Apocalypse had just begun. And well… Based on the numbers on their screen, they weren’t that far from the truth.

Aria’s pout quickly turned into a despondent frown. The faces of the researchers in the chambers… They were a reflection of the mood in Yudonia. Gloomy and overall, fatigued. Thus, the Archmagus couldn’t really fault them for delaying her ‘prize.’

“Terrible, isn’t it?” Minerva folded her arms under her two dense breasts. Her gorgeous pupils were dilated, and beautiful wrinkles became ever prominent. “It has been like this ever since we conquered the Dungeon… Bad news after bad news… And these guys are the ones that are at the forefront of everything…” The White Sorceress held onto Aria’s hand, slowly guiding her into a private room. On its outer wall, there was a thick glass window, enabling those within to observe the scientists without interruption.

Minerva reached into her handbag and took out a small commercial box. Ripping the plastic, the woman took out a simple white stick that emitted the nauseating stench of tobacco. “Want one?” The middle-aged woman offered.

“No, I don’t smoke...” Aria smiled bitterly, raising her left hand up in rejection.

“Neither did I,” Minerva scoffed as she lit up the cigarette by creating a small flame on her fingertips. Her cheeks went hollow as smoke puffed out from the end of the white stick. Inhaling a big dosage, Minerva blew out the smoke from her mouth and nostrils, and it forced her to cough uncontrollably. “However, with all the shit that’s going on… I needed a distraction… You should try it… It gives you a clear head.”

“I’ll pass,” Aria rolled her eyes.

“Suit yourself...”

Minerva took three more puffs, experimenting with the various ways she could ingest the fumes. She leaned on the glass window and alternated her gaze between the researchers and Aria. The room went silent as the sound of the burning cigarette bud was the only thing that could be heard. Aria didn’t really know how to start a conversation, and neither did Minerva.

“We… We really should have listened to you...” The White Sorceress held in her voice with her gaze locked at a distance. “If we had gone to World Congress, we wouldn’t be in the mess that we’re in now...”

“...” Aria stood silently, watching the famed White Sorceress sigh in self-deprecation.

“We all thought that the S-Class Dungeon would be like any other. We clear it and reap the rewards… Who knew that once we’ve cleared the Dungeon, the world would undergo that many changes… Natural disasters that still continue to this day and worse of all… The montgen levels are still rising as we speak...”

That was the most significant issue that plagued Yudonia and the rest of the mortal world. On average, the mana concentration of an ordinary countryside should be 1.0 montgen. Most living creatures in the modern day would live comfortably at 1.0-3.0 montgen while higher class beings such as Aria and Minerva could withstand up to 10.0 montgen on their own. Anything more would be considered hazardous and possibly life-threatening. That was why the Association had tailor-made numerous safety suits for the S-Rankers when they dove down into the S-Class Dungeon.

However, immediately after Yudonia’s S-Class Dungeon was conquered, the world universally felt a rise in the average mana concentration. It didn’t matter if it was at the North or South Pole, in the middle of a desert or the winter highlands of a mountain. The mana concentration of the entire world saw a rapid rise. Now, if one were to bring a mosimeter into the public, they would see an average of 5.0-6.0 montgen, five to six times the standard rate.

Stronger bodies would naturally be able to withstand the sudden change, but children… infants… and even the ailing elderly… They would all fall victim to mana poisoning and die off eventually.

Fortunately, governments all around the world had acted quickly. Schools were closed down, and hospitals were equipped with the best possible amenities and facilities. Parents were advised to stay home and guard their child, keeping note of any irregularities. More affluent countries even distributed safety coats that would shield against the increased montgen levels.

It was a planet-wide disaster, and all economies were ground to a halt. People have perished from the drastic change, and there would be more soon to come. So, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it the beginning of the Apocalypse. And in these dire times… Everyone was looking for a person… or a country to blame. And well… Yudonia was the one feeling the heat.

“We’re the ones that conquered the Dungeon and unleashed this upon the world. We’re the ones that wanted to keep all of the rewards to ourselves. If we had the backing of Elfheim or Gondor… Perhaps there would be some pressure lifted off our shoulders…” Minerva let out yet another puff of smoke, thinking about what could have been. “We managed to silence some of the smaller countries by promising them we’ll hand over our Dragon corpses, but the rest of them are growing impatient… They might even wage war against us, just to eradicate Yudonia off the face of the world...”

“Hah… Idiots...” Aria shrugged her shoulders. “What would blaming Yudonia accomplish? The mana concentration of the world will still continue to rise. It would just be a waste of resources, resources that could be spent finding solutions to the problem.”

“Still, we aren’t all rational creatures, are we?” The White Sorceress flicked the cigarette bud into the ashtray. She reached into the very same box in her bag and took out a fresh cigarette. “Humans, dwarves, elves, giants, beastmen, vampires… We’re all the same. We all want vengeance… or justice.”

“...” Aria blinked. It was the first time that she had seen Minerva this defeated. The White Sorceress, she… Truly felt guilty about clearing the S-Class Dungeon. A deed that she was obligated to do.

That was where the conversation died off. Aria was thinking about retorting, but her knowledge was far too shallow. After they conquered the Dungeon, she had been resting at home, oblivious to many of the changes in the country. Aria’s mind had wholly been focused on one task and one task only… Investigating the man that slept in the treasure room.

‘Everything will be clear once we find everything more about him!’'