My name is Elina

A D-Rank Elf Adventurer.

Normally elves like remaining in our native domains.

I am different in that regard.

Since young, I have admired the heroes of old, conquering impossibly powerful dungeons.

I have wanted to be among them, going on exciting adventures, conquering dungeons, bringing back loot.

This is my dream, I want to be recognized.

I have gone against dungeons with odds stacked against me yet I either survive or prevail.

I never rely on luck, I have become an oracle to help me on these adventures.

But nowadays, I feel like that dream is getting further and further away, as dungeons nowadays never possess even a fraction of what old dungeons like the Demon Lords Castle are capable of.

The truth is clear in my eyes, Mass Dungeon Extermination Rule.

Destroy the dungeon before it can become a threat.

Or enslave them.

Both options are terrible to me, as they will never possess powers of old until a certain thought crossed my mind.

What if I enslaved a dungeon to have it grow to what is comparable to dungeons of old.

It may be a silly thought experiment but still feasible, the Adventurer who enslaves the dungeon gets full rights over it.

and when I set out to enslave one of my own, I found one immediately, a couple of kids let their guard down but it was their fault, Dungeons Spirits seek nutrients from every form of mana possible.

They died because of their silly mistake but what surprised me most was this dungeon was actually smart in concealing its core in a way making others think that the dungeon has closed itself off.

I tried to enslave it, but it chose death, now I needed to find another.

A couple months pass, and I hear a rumor of the new dungeon infamously called 'Riddles of Insanity'.

Apparently, people say its an artificial dungeon designed to drive people crazy.

From what I hear, if you choose to go up a floor it heats up and is filled with gases that cause uncontrolled altering of voice while being full of traps that drop you back to the beginning.

Heat is not much of a problem if you know the right spells, but this voice altering tampers with the spells you chant, causing it to go ballistic with results ranging from further heating up the room to putting yourself into under a random effect spell.

That's not all if you choose to go down a floor it cools down to freezing cold, filled with liquids that stick to anything and everything and staying covered too long in this weird liquid causes you to stick to whatever you touch, even a couple of awkward situations arise due to 2 and even 3 people being stuck together.

And one wrong move, the entire room floods with this liquid, hearing more about it made me curious.

Just what kind of deranged lunatic would create such a dungeon?

I decided to head over to check it out, I was surprised there are quite I few I know already trying to tackle this weird dungeon.

I decided to run it on my own since it has been confirmed that everything so far in this dungeon is non-lethal.

The first puzzle wasn't hard to figure out, it was just a looping corridor, just needed to find the right exit, and this is especially easy for aura-users.

I decided to go down as that voice altering gas is concerning for me.

The first Riddle '4 legs at dawn, 2 legs at day and 3 legs at dusk, what is it?'

No wonder people were having trouble, it looks and sounds so profound, to the point that it seems to be a riddle from gods.

I decided to use my Oracle magic request godly assistance.

After listening to my Oracle, I cannot believe it the answer was so simple yet so profound.

"A Baby at Dawn, An Adult at Day and An Elder at Dusk, the life cycle of an ordinary individual"

The gate opens, I hear that if you get it wrong, this entire place floods with that liquid.

The traps that lay these paths aren't very hard to avoid, just tedious to walk around.

ok, on to the next one, 'A dog tells you 'all dogs are liars', is this dog telling the truth?'

What?

I clear my mind of all thoughts and look again.

'A dog tells you 'all dogs are liars', is this dog telling the truth?'

This doesn't make any sense, it looks more like a prank than anything else.

I decided to use my Oracle magic again, but no matter how hard I ask they don't have an answer for me.

for such a question to confuse even divine beings.

Just what kind of Lunatic made this question?

For now, I shall go with what I think.

"The Dog is the liar"

That's when my vision was filled with this disgusting liquid.

...

That was horrifying in its own right, no wonder the majority would rather choose the path going up, and If I don't clean this off quick then alot of stuff will start sticking.

I head up this time, the first corridor is the same just shaped differently.

The first riddle is the same as before, and I already know the answer to it, so onto the next riddle.

'It is superior to Gods and eviler than any devils, The poor possess it, the rich require it, What is it?'

"......ugh"

Let me get this straight, this riddle is asking me to be blasphemous towards the gods.

something that is above gods but is evil that surpasses the devil. yet mortals can be in possession of it.

I use my Oracle magic to help solve this but all my efforts were for naught.

They didn't answer anything, I decided to use my own reasoning to solve this.

Strong yet Vile, in possession of man but those at the top need it, oh

A heart, a pure heart, that is strong yet can be vile but is possessed by man.

"Heart"

...

"This dungeon really is deserving of the name 'Riddles of Insanity'"

Even I can't keep a calm state of mind, it's like this place is tearing my mind apart.

I refuse to give up, an artificial dungeon spirit can still be enslaved, but if it has its own owner then I just need to find another one.

The only thing I'm wondering is what drove an insane lunatic to build all this?