Dungeons of this world are not as simple as artificial intelligence. They are conscious beings sustained by a core that regulates different functions within the dungeon's boundaries.

'The dungeon follows rules, and it finds ways to break away from these rules so that the dungeon core could evolve and learn something new.'

It knows what has been taught to it by the creators who are more like programmers and architects instead of just being one of them.

Additionally, as I understand now, the dungeon architects aren't merely people who could create dungeons and different things inside of it.

The stats and skills I possess helps me with creation of the dungeon, with the interference of the dungeon elements, providing suggestions for the other dungeons, and they also help me gain an advantage against threats that are related to the dungeon.

'As I used my new skill to extract the people that the dungeon took away, I countered the dungeon's logic. The question I asked put it in the same spot that I was a moment ago.'

Just like how it took away those people one by one while I was in the middle of solving the puzzle, the question I presented took back the people who had most certainly lost their lives for that moment.

[ "The dungeon has shifted its resource utilisation." ]

The dungeon needed to think deeply about the simple question that I had asked: Who is more important to the dungeon, the creatures inside the dungeon or the people that the dungeon learns from.

If it were the beings that make up the internal ecosystem born from the dungeon's core, then are they important because they are like the dungeon's children? Or is it that the dungeon considers the humans that it gains purposeful knowledge from?

It is true that both are important to a dungeon but at the same time, many dungeons only have monsters with no human interactions needed for the evolution process while many dungeons possess no monsters whatsoever.

The Westford dungeon, as we are speaking right now, is something I would say needs both the humans and the creatures to function.

But that is what I think…

[ "The casualty rate is decreasing." ]

[Death rate: 40%.]

Hearing Rose's sweet voice and feeling the warm feathers wrapped around my side, I slowly opened my eyes inside the dungeon.

"Ughhh…"

My entire body was hurting right now, pain surging through every cell inside my body. There was darkness in front of my eyes, I did not know what to make out of anything, but, from what I could feel, I knew there was a reliable presence sitting right next to me.

"You've caused quite the mess this time, Miss Aria." His voice seemed colder than usual this time, but I don't know why there was this certain joy hidden inside of it as well.

I could not see myself, but as I connected to Qwy's skill threads that tied each of our party members, I could feel what was going on inside of the dungeon right now.

"You're bleeding internally. You should sit up." Branch manager Quinn helped me get up while I was struggling and handed me a healing potion. "I'll look after the other for a moment as well. Please rest for now."

The eyes were slowly getting their vision back, but there was still a bad pain remaining in my eyes. It seemed like someone had tattooed my eyes, the head area right behind it was also hurting right now.

Devoid of all energy, I could hardly lift my fingers as well.

"Qwy!"

My baby helped me drink the potion that the branch manager had left beside me. At least, that little vial of fluid was helpful.

I don't know why but this potion felt different from the others I have had until now. It was warmer, and the moment it slid down my throat, I felt a burst of energy throughout my body.

-Oooooooooooong!

Since there were no outer wounds, the feeling of perceiving the wounds inside of my body was quite painful. When they healed, the pain that surged forth was great enough to overshadow the momentary warmth.

"Argh!!"

Thankfully, the torture did not last long.

By the time I could move my fingers and hands, see with my eyes, and taste the saliva instead of blood in my mouth, a lot had already happened out in the open area where the battle had taken place.

Many people who woke up as soon as I had solved the dungeon's problem were already done cleaning the area a little.

Reddy and the other leaders who were rescued first had taken charge while the healers and other support units were properly looking after the injured people.

The public wasn't going to know what had happened right after the boss was defeated, and since even the branch manager of the association was present, they knew doing something foolish would harm the nobles behind them instead.

'So, from the looks of it, they were following the instructions from the association representative as well as their respective team captains.'

There were still many bodies who were slowly coming out of the 'frozen' state.

It was difficult to understand what had happened to them, but from what they could tell, this seemed like the dungeon's doing.

"Qwy. Qwy!"

"I can tell that much. But it's not like they would believe it even if I tell them it's because of us."

It was far easier to consider the current events as the dungeon's doing instead of someone else's. It was better that way for us as well.

Since all of us were in that state until just now, the only person who knew what had happened here was the branch manager.

If someone wanted to know the truth, they would have to ask him directly. But considering how he only entered the dungeon after the raid was over, even he might not know anything.

"Anyway, we're the only ones who do know the truth." A sigh escaped my mouth as I thought about what would happen if someone else were to find out about the dungeon's current state.

The trial that I was put through, how there would have been more deaths than what we can see right now and how there might have been people who did not make it.

"Actually…"

Now that I take a closer look, it doesn't seem like anyone's happy right now.

"Qwy…"

While we may have saved those who we could save and brought back as many as we could before the dungeon figured out the solution for the 'tower' that I had presented before it, there were still many who did not make it.

Some were still coming back to life but as more and more time passed, the people who seemed to be dead, who were almost covered in cloth as a procedure, did not wake up anymore.

At one point, the death count window that was going down right in front of my eyes, also stopped.

[Death rate: 21%.]

Around seventy people. That's the number of people who passed away in this whole ordeal.

Their lives, meaningful and the most precious to someone out there, did not exist anymore. They were gone, their souls lost in space…

I was at the centre of everything so I was mostly responsible for their deaths, but I was not the only culprit.

The dungeon, the one who dealt the biggest blow to the people as well as everything else, was just as responsible.

But, putting blame on the dungeon that's meant to kill us, sounds like blaming a sharp sword for being deadly.

It was foolish of me to blame the dungeon in the first place. But then again, had it not been for the dumb rules of the dungeon, none of this might have happened in the first place.

[Ding!]

[The dungeon has answered your question.]

[The dungeon has gained new understanding of Mortal humans.]

[The dungeon has recognised your actions. An appropriate reward for the achievement will be granted to the guest anarchist soon.]

[An apology will be prepared by the dungeon.]

[ "Seems like the dungeon understands you a little more now." ]

Rose's words did not soothe my heart this time.

"If it did, it would not say things like apology or reward… it's still far from understanding humans."

I did not like the way those green screens appeared before me. I quickly threw them away from my sight along with the quest compilation window of pink.

I did not want to see these things right now. There was something more pressing waiting for me down there.

"Aria…"

I saved Reddy, I saved captain Lux and the other important people, I did my best, I did everything I could… and yet, there were deaths.

"Reddy…"

We were safe and alive, but we failed to achieve the main goal we had as a battle unit this time.

Unnecessary deaths had happened and I will be the one to blame.

The branch manager was here so he saw everything that was happening here. He was here when we first came to check on the Naga mother, and he also knew about the things that happened during my third practical test inside the dungeon.

Even if they do not recognise me as the culprit, I knew the association would take action against me.

And, I just had to be ready for it this time.

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