Article Publication Date: March 7, 2021

Next week marks the anniversary of the first Dungeon Outbreaks. This makes this as good a time as any to go over the year thus far. It has also been almost 10 months since the first C-rank Dungeon manifestations. Oh, what a time that was. Just like with the first D-rank Dungeon manifestations, C-rank Dungeons also manifested all around the world every three days for a month, although thankfully, at only a quarter of the rate that the D-rank Dungeons did. Yet, despite the increased preparedness, due to the massive spike in the danger level of these Dungeons, there were over 2500 deaths and many more casualties.

Now, think back on when the month ended and remember the tension in the world when both D-rank and C-rank Dungeons continued to appear a few days after the month of mass C-rank Dungeon appearances. Thankfully, though, the continued appearances of Dungeons were at much lower levels, and to quote a certain Earth Alliance official, they were at “very manageable” rates. For the last 9 months, an average of 8 Dungeons appeared throughout the world everyday, the majority of them D-rank Dungeons.

Of course, it has not only been bad news during this year of Dungeon manifestations. First, those various Monster Cores dropped in the Dungeon finally have a truly valuable use. Thanks to research conducted by various Dungeoneer scientists, the world finally has a method of extracting the mana contained in these Cores. Even a common D-rank Monster Core contains the equivalent energy output of around 40 tons of crude oil. The processing is, of course, much different than oil, but due to their small size and weight, they can be used as a highly efficient source of energy. They do not take up much space, and unlike oil, they do not appear to have any harmful byproducts after consumption. Right now, many different products such as vehicles, construction equipment, large household appliances and other large machines have been developed, but there have also been recent breakthroughs that may allow much smaller pieces of technology to also use Dungeon Cores. Although, this is still only planned for high end products since a single D-rank Monster Core currently sells for around $4000.

The second thing to note are the massive improvements to Dungeon management and raiding. After the C-rank Dungeons started appearing, a new class of Dungeoneers started to emerge, often referred to as Scout-class Dungeoneers. These Dungeoneers have a variant of the Summoning Magic Skills that allows them to summon objects or familiars that can move independently. The reason why this is so important is that the familiars or objects summoned by the Scout can pass through the Dungeon portals without the Scout also needing to pass through. Therefore, it is now possible to know what type of Dungeon it is even before attempting to raid it, which was the major cause of losses in the C-rank Dungeons which are not uniform like D-rank Dungeons.

Dungeon management has also been improved due to increased cooperation and abidance with the Uniform Guidelines. This also came with the creation of a ranking system for Dungeoneers, separating them into D-rank, C-rank, and for a limited few, B-rank. Now, no D-rank Dungeon raid attempts are permitted unless there is at least one C-rank Dungeoneer participating. C-rank Dungeon raid attempts are not permitted unless there are at least 15 C-rank Dungeoneers or one B-rank Dungeoneer participating. An introduction to the ranking system can be found at the end of this article. Thanks to all of these improvements, as well as the increased number of Dungeoneers possessing Mental Resistance and Magic Resistance Skills, there have been no deaths in pre-scouted C-rank Dungeons for the past eight months.

To top off this year in review, let us now briefly go over some of the more newsworthy highlights. First, let’s talk about the Sierra Madrazo saga. Honestly, we could go into a very detailed discussion about the life story of this daughter of the former head of one of Colombo’s largest criminal organizations, but let’s focus on only what happened after she awakened as a Dungeoneer. She is credited as one of the first Dungeoneers to defeat a D-rank Dungeon Boss and she gained more infamy as the only Dungeoneer to get into conflicts with the police of other countries in order to illegally enter their Dungeons. It may be one thing for her to do so with D-rank Dungeons since she proved herself capable of taking on the Boss, but she even attempted to take on a C-rank Boss as well. This reportedly ended in failure, and it was another Dungeoneer going only by the alias “S” who defeated the C-rank harpy Boss. Afterwards, she was detained by the Earth Alliance. Other countries immediately demanded that she be handed over in order to face prosecution in their courts, but the Earth Alliance did not do so, on the basis that she required emergency medical treatment first. A funny thing to argue since one country seemed to insist that she face capital punishment.

However, things took an interesting turn when that same country faced a crisis. A C-rank Dungeon manifested inside their President’s residence. Discussions shifted to a different direction and now it was about the service that Sierra Madrazo could provide in exchange for dropping the charges made against her. With only four days on a C-rank Dungeon before an Outbreak, negotiations proceeded at a rapid pace and the first deal of its kind was made. Well, the first of its kind with a Dungeoneer, since similar deals with alleged criminals have of course been made before. Since then, she has cleared more C-rank Dungeons and all international arrest warrants on her have been withdrawn, although the countries state that she is still on a “probation period” and that they will not hesitate to pursue her again if she commits more crimes.

Now, onto some news that made headlines in the Entertainment section of many publications. This is the story about Haley Star, who, at only eighteen years old, became the world’s youngest B-rank Dungeoneer. Haley Star is one of three B-rank Dungeoneers in Merrick, and her name is often brought up when discussing who the strongest female Dungeoneer in the world is. Also, something that makes her even more interesting is that outside of being a Dungeoneer, she is also an incredibly popular indie singer. With the songs that she composed along with a friend of hers, she gained a massive online following. She currently has over two million subscribers on her YouTube channel and her first original song has over one hundred and fifty million views, all of which happened in a span of nine months. She will be holding her first live concert next month, albeit a small one with only 500 live audience tickets for sale. They are all already sold out, but you can buy virtual tickets for the online stream.

The final story to end this recap is about the mysterious Dungeoneer “S” that was mentioned earlier. “S”, along with fourteen other Dungeoneers have been organized under the Earth Alliance’s newly created Emergency Dungeon Task Force (EDTF). The members of the EDTF are charged with the duty of clearing C-rank Dungeons around the world when there is not enough manpower available locally. “S” serves the most crucial role in this task force as the only B-rank Dungeoneer, and therefore having to clear many C-rank Dungeons on their own, whereas the other C-rank members are intended to bolster the numbers to meet minimum requirements. The EDTF is also sometimes tasked with participating in Outbreak defense, and again, it is clear that “S” serves the largest role and is often sent alone.

There have undoubtedly been many attempts to uncover the nameless Dungeoneer’s true identity but it remains entirely confidential to this day, likely only known to a very limited number of Earth Alliance staff or executives. What is not so secret, though, is this Dungeoneer’s overwhelming power. “S” is usually not brought up when discussing the strongest female Dungeoneer since their gender is unknown, but they are often brought up when talking about the strongest in the world. In a recent poll, asking people to rank all the registered B-rank Dungeoneers, “S” was ranked no. 1 by 29% of people. This makes “S” a close second to James Maverick who was ranked no. 1 by 33% of people.

This year has been a tumultuous one so far, to say the least. What started as two different months of utter chaos has now almost seemed to settle down to a casual, daily routine. A new technology and energy market is emerging now due to Dungeons and people nowadays talk about Dungeoneers like they do with professional athletes. There are even websites that operate fantasy teams in which you pick out certain Dungeoneers from different ranks and then compare their “season records” based on things such as average or best clear times, participation against Mid-Bosses and Bosses, and number of other participating Dungeoneers of a lower or higher rank. There are even sites that take bets on these kinds of statistics or on when a Dungeoneer will rank up. However, despite the new normal we find ourselves in, I want to remind us all that although it may not be soon, a third wave is likely to come. Perhaps, in a way, we have already jinxed it when we created the B-rank for Dungeoneers. Of course, if this was simply flawed labeling from the start and more difficult Dungeons never appear, that would be for the best. But, if they do appear, I hope that all of humanity continues to work cooperatively to combat the new crisis.

Zack Liner

*****

Introduction to the Dungeoneer Ranking System

Although newly awakened Dungeoneers are not required to register, they must do so if they wish to participate in either Dungeon raids or Outbreak defense. Dungeoneers may obtain a rank after registering. If you do not wish to obtain a rank, you will be registered as an unranked Dungeoneer. Unranked Dungeoneers are still considered Dungeoneers under law, wherever relevant, and they are still allowed to participate in D-rank Dungeon raids or D-rank Dungeon Outbreak defense. However, there are some conditions on the scope of their activities. If you do wish to obtain a rank, see below for more information on how to receive a particular rank.

D-rank: You must meet two criteria in order to register as a D-rank Dungeoneer.

Write the D-rank Dungeon Safety Test and score of at least 80%. These tests are conducted twice a month, and there is no limit to the number of times you can take this test. Go to the Earth Alliance website to look up your nearest testing location. Pass the D-rank Physical Test. A series of short tests will be conducted to ensure that your physical Stats are all at least 10. This test can be substituted with a written declaration confirming your Stats are all above 10 from an Earth Alliance staff member with the Appraisal Skill.

C-rank: You must meet three criteria in order to register as a C-rank Dungeoneer.

Write the C-rank Dungeon Safety Test and score of at least 80%. These tests are conducted twice a month, and there is no limit to the number of times you can take this test. Go to the Earth Alliance website to look up your nearest testing location. Pass the C-rank Physical Test. A series of short tests will be conducted to ensure that your physical Stats are all at least 100. This test can be substituted with a written declaration confirming your Stats are all above 100 from an Earth Alliance staff member with the Appraisal Skill. Participate in at least two D-rank Dungeon clears OR at least one C-rank Dungeon clear OR defeat at least one D-rank Dungeon Boss OR at least one C-rank Dungeon Mid-Boss OR at least one C-rank Dungeon Boss

B-rank: Currently, this rank can only be obtained if the Earth Alliance specially grants it. If you are a C-rank Dungeoneer and your Stats are too high to be appraised, you may apply for a special review by the Earth Alliance Special Committee on Dungeoneer Ranks. Details on how to apply can be found on the Earth Alliance website. If you are refused the granting of B-rank after a special review, you must wait at least 60 days before applying for another special review.

Please visit the Earth Alliance Dungeoneer FAQs page for more information about Dungeons and Dungeoneers.