“Wisteria?”

Jio looked a little pleased.

“It resembles a wisteria in shape. Though the petals are closer to lilacs...”

“I did not realize you were also interested in vegetation.”

Kang Seodam was surprised that “Hunter Seo Jio” knew about Earth’s vegetation. It could have been that he had read the organism’s characteristics through the privilege of divinity, but there had been a kind of personal preference in what he had just said.

‘A divinity that embraces things of Earth this delicately is rare.’

Kang Seodam, who had been examining the pale purple tree with Jio, nodded.

“It does look quite similar to one of Earth’s plants.”

“Though judging by the fact that even the trunk is pale purple, it likely isn’t a plant from Earth.”

“Yes, most of Earth’s native trees have brown bodies...”

“Since the color is unified like this, it looks as if the tree itself is a flower. It’s truly beautiful.”

At Jio’s words, Garasani, who was standing beside him, stared quietly at Kang Seodam.

“...”

“...”

Kang Seodam understood that strange pressure.

‘It seems to mean that once the raid is over and the Sun Cult secures autonomy, we should hand over a share of this tree.’

What kind of unreasonable demand was this, like a foolishly doting grandfather over a precious late-born grandson?

‘If this tree is deeply connected to the raid, it’s questionable whether it will remain after the raid is over, and even if it does remain, it would likely be classified as important research material or a hazardous substance, making distribution difficult... He is absolutely not someone who wouldn’t know that.’

This was in the same vein as telling someone to make flowers bloom in winter in a barren region without the help of magic. And all because the precious grandson he doted on wanted to see them, he was demanding an immediate miracle, some utterly absurd...

“What role do you think this tree plays here?”

“... We will have to confirm that from now on.”

Fortunately, Jio himself seemed more interested in resolving the raid than in ownership of the tree. It was a relief that they would not have to clash with the Collector over an absurd reason.

Kang Seodam called over one priest.

“Do you sense anything?”

“... I apologize. I truly cannot...”

“That actually gives me certainty.”

“I-Is that so?”

“This tree has no heat.”

At that, another team member expressed doubt.

“No heat? When the dungeon is this hot, like a steam room?”

“When you touch it, it even feels slightly cool.”

It was not flowing with a particularly special level of cold. But even this much was strange. Every bit of vegetation in this dungeon was saturated with intense heat.

“Because the average temperature of this dungeon’s vegetation is high, the poison spread more quickly as well.”

“That was certainly true, but then what exactly is that...?”

“I do not know much about that point. It is all the more confusing for priests of the Sun like us.”

Priests of the Sun had difficulty grasping opponents without heat. Because their hot holy power had poor compatibility with them, the other side refused to be perceived. Kang Seodam looked around at the other Hunters.

“Is there anyone else who has an opinion? Since merely approaching it does not seem likely to cause the same frenzy phenomenon as before, please examine it as long as you do not harm the tree.”

At that, Jeong Youngwon, who was a Gardener, stepped forward.

“If it is a plant, I’m fairly interested as well.”

“Is that so?”

“I came on this raid because I heard there was unusual vegetation.”

“Then please come closer.”

“As the priests said, I do not sense any heat, but...”

Jeong Youngwon, who had approached right beside the tree, examined it carefully.

“...”

A strange light appeared in Jeong Youngwon’s eyes.

“... Its life force is extremely strong.”

“Life force?”

“Just as the priests of the Sun are sensitive to heat, I am a healer, am I not?”

“You mean you can sense life force better because of that.”

“Basically, if you cannot grasp the energy and atmosphere of living things, you cannot become a proper healer.”

“I understand, Hunter Jeong Youngwon.”

“I am saying this from that perspective.”

Jeong Youngwon adjusted her round glasses and continued speaking with her distinctive doll-like expression.

“The dungeon’s life force is concentrated in this tree. If we compared it to a human, it would be like an important organ. You could think of something like the heart or the brain.”

“The heart or the brain?”

“It seems to do more than simply store a large amount of life force. It also appears to circulate it through the entire dungeon. To be honest, even to me this part is vague. It may simply be that the life force was so abundant it overflowed and spread outward.”

Jeong Youngwon stepped a little away from the tree.

“I cannot say for certain whether this tree is being favored by the dungeon, or whether the dungeon can be maintained because this tree exists. If it is the latter, there may be a method of quickly dealing with these trees while accepting some damage, but...”

The Hunter listening to her looked appalled.

“Um, healer. No matter what, that’s... We’ll all die. Seeing as another team also found one, there seem to be several trees, and I think we’ll be wiped out before we can deal with them all.”

“Yes, and it is not a certain method either. From what I heard, team six, which touched the tree, also seems to have failed to deal with it, so although it looks weak on the outside, it likely is not a tree that can be easily snapped.”

Hunter Yu Jina of the Collector cut in.

“What happens if it is the former? If the tree is being favored by the dungeon.”

“At the very least, even if we destroy them all, this dungeon will not be cleared.”

“Then would we just be provoking the dungeon’s anger? This is a headache...”

It was a situation where one frenzy had produced many dead and injured. The circumstances were not good enough to hastily attempt to clear the dungeon by destroying the trees.

The young priest’s face was appalled.

“How could it have been A-class when this is the state of things, even though so many excellent talents have gathered...”

“You must not speak weakly in front of those who have joined our event.”

“I-I apologize. I showed an unsightly side of myself because I felt frustrated. I will reflect on it.”

The priest bowed his head deeply, but he did not particularly look as though he was reflecting. At that, the expressions of the other Hunters also twisted.

In a situation that was hot and humid, where people kept getting injured, where the whole world was poisonous plants and everyone had grown terribly sensitive, it was only natural that they would be annoyed when they were caught in a not-quite-quarrel that sounded like, “We paid dearly to call you here, so why are you so bad at your jobs?”

“I will apologize on his behalf.”

In the end, Kang Seodam stepped in.

“After the raid, I will also deliver an official letter of apology, Hunters.”

“What? Ah, no. There’s no need to go that far... The order has its dignity to consider.”

“It is said that sincerity and humility are more important than dignity. I would be grateful if you gave us a chance to reflect.”

While Kang Seodam skillfully soothed the Hunters, Hunter Sanarae, who had been wearing a sullen expression, quietly approached the pale purple tree. Jio greeted Sanarae with a smile.

“You’ve come?”

“There’s a strange smell coming from the tree.”

“Would that be connected to that sullen expression?”

“Sullen? What a cute way to put it.”

As always, Sanarae vaguely dodged the topic in an odd direction and wrinkled the bridge of his nose.

“...?”

At that expression, Jeong Youngwon, who had also been observing the tree, asked.

“Hunter Sanarae, you are famous for your excellent five senses. I’m sure you know things other people do not, so if you sense anything, could you tell us?”

“Famous? It’s not to that extent. I’m in a good mood after receiving praise I don’t deserve, though. Mm, it’s nothing much, but... How should I put it...”

Sanarae trailed off, then spoke with his distinctive smile.

“It smells like corpses?”

“...”

At Sanarae’s words, Jio called Garasani.

“Mr. Garasani.”

“Please speak, Hunter Seo Jio.”

“What did Priest Kang Seodam say earlier during the regrouping?”

“He said he had found traces of something heavy being dragged.”

“And we confirmed that monsters move here in the evening.”

“You are correct, Hunter Seo Jio.”

“Then shall we check what the monsters do when evening comes?”

In this dungeon where the times for the sun and moon to rise were a mess, it grew dark quickly after only a short wait. The capable Hunters erased their scents and presences, then hid and observed the monsters’ movements, and the information revealed that way was quite shocking.

“...”

“H-How...”

A priest with a still youthful face collapsed to the ground.

“How could they use priests, priests...!”

“Calm yourself.”

“They’re using priests as fertilizer!”

His face was full of hatred toward the monsters and the dungeon.

“These horrible monsters! Filthy monsters! You wicked demons from whom even the goddess has withdrawn her gaze...!”

When night came, the monsters brought “fertilizer” from various places around the dungeon. Most of them were monsters that fell asleep when night came, which were dragged over, but among them were also the corpses of the previous subjugation force that had not yet been recovered.

The priest, who could be called a young man, was utterly disgusted by the monsters’ downright blasphemous behavior.

“No wonder I could not see the brothers. Something like this was happening...!”

“I told you to calm yourself.”

“B-But...! I did not know it would be such a horrific dungeon!”

“You are bringing disgrace to the name of the Sun.”

“...”

“Tsk.”

When Kang Seodam clicked his tongue, only then did the young priest close his mouth and turn deathly pale. Within the order, Kang Seodam was a sharp priest with great influence and a clear distinction between public and private matters. Since he had made a bad impression on someone like that, it was only natural to be frightened.

Ignoring that priest, Kang Seodam looked around at the Hunters.

“Fertilizer... It was a method I had not expected.”

“Well, there weren’t any traces of the ground being separately dug up, so that was only natural.”

“To think the ground would split open...”

Kang Seodam looked tired.

When the night monsters brought the “fertilizer” and drove their claws into the ground, the earth split open as if in pain. Then they put the “fertilizer” into the gap in that fashion.

“The hole seemed quite deep, yet you somehow managed to smell the corpses, Hunter Sanarae.”

“It just happened that way? I wondered what it was because it smelled kind of strange, you know?”

“Whatever the case, thank you for your cooperation. Thanks to you, we have confirmed the location of the brothers’ remains.”

“I’m not sure whether those can be called remains, though?”

“It is better than not finding them at all.”

Even after seeing what was presumed to be the place where his brethren’s traces lay, Kang Seodam’s expression did not change. He knew very well what role he had taken on in this expedition. It was not the time to weaken, nor the time to show any sign of it.

“And we learned unexpected information as well.”

“If we hide well, the monsters cannot find us even near this tree.”

“Yes, it is as Hunter Seo Jio says. I do not know the reason, but...”

Even when they had been elsewhere, if they concealed themselves, the monsters could not determine their location, but no matter what, was this not near the tree where the dungeon’s life force was concentrated?

Kang Seodam frowned and muttered.

“Are they so focused on the tree that they cannot examine the surroundings properly...?”

At that, the Hunters showed their puzzlement.

“Then does that have any meaning as favoritism...? If they really cherished it with their lives on the line, I would think they would examine the surroundings more carefully. Honestly, if it is such an important tree... I also wonder why there are no monsters remaining here to guard it.”

“I agree. In an A-class dungeon before, there was also a pillar that played the role of a heart, and there were monsters guarding around it very openly. There were also a ton of traps and such to keep anyone from approaching, but there is nothing like that here, is there?”

“It is strange. If almost all of the dungeon’s life force is truly concentrated in it, and because of that it is deeply connected to the dungeon’s life and death in some way... Wouldn’t it have been made harder to approach than this? This is an A-class dungeon, after all.”

At those reactions, Jeong Youngwon nodded.

“Then at the very least, it means this tree is not the dungeon’s heart. I do not know whether it is an invincible tree that cannot be damaged at all and therefore does not need to be protected, but even taking that into account, it bothers me that the monsters are too indifferent.”

The monsters active at night seemed comparatively especially intelligent. Such monsters would not be negligent about matters their lives depended on. The more half-bakedly intelligent a monster was, the more many monsters tended to be faithful to instinct.

“Then what exactly is it? The dungeon’s life force is concentrated this much, yet the monsters who are residents of the dungeon are indifferent. If it is simple favoritism, the monsters’ actions make no sense.”

“To begin with, what role does that tree play in this dungeon? If life force is concentrated to that extent, there must be a clear meaning to it, but for now, there is nothing special aside from the fact that all hell breaks loose if we touch it.”

“It doesn’t become poisonous when touched, it doesn’t attack people, and its appearance is delicate... As for eating corpses, if the night monsters hadn’t stabbed at it, I don’t think it would have opened the ground either.”

“Then isn’t it just a plant with no intention of attacking anything? Why would a plant like that be in a dungeon? And why does all hell break loose if it’s touched?”

At that, Jio, who had been thinking deeply, spoke.

“Isn’t this usually how one treats a hostage?”

“... A hostage?”

“As a sort of leash to control someone useful.”

Jio continued.

“You have to feed it regularly, check its condition every night, but since there is no affection for the subject, it would be a kind of sense of duty. Rather than caring for and cultivating something, it feels like they are merely treating it as a task they have to do. Then why would the monsters go out of their way to do that?”

One Hunter answered in an unconfident voice.

“If dungeon monsters feel a sense of duty, then, uh... Isn’t it because the dungeon is maintained if they do? They seemed like monsters incapable of higher-level thought, but... Because of that, I think they would actually be even more sensitive to anything disadvantageous to themselves.”

“That is a good thought, Hunter Dangwoo. Then why would the existence and growth of this tree help maintain the dungeon and benefit the monsters? As we said earlier, the monsters do not have much affection for the tree. Seeing as they do not even guard it out of duty, these trees likely are not important organs of the dungeon either.”

“... It is not the dungeon’s heart, but it definitely helps maintain the dungeon... Mm... I’m not sure. Is that where the hostage idea you mentioned earlier came from? If so, what, or who, is it a hostage against?”

“The dungeon.”

Jio continued.

“This place is a Villa Dungeon formed underground. It is a space that appeared beneath a cave. Though it is not connected to the sky, rain falls, the sun rises, and the moon rises.”

“Well, that’s because dungeons are spaces that go beyond common sense by nature...”

“We are making an assumption. Who is making this rain fall? Who raises the sun, and who raises the moon? This is not an entirely different dimension.”

It was a physically existing space.

“It could be magic.”

“That is true, but...”

“A question arises.”

Jio looked back at Yu Jina of the Collector, who was a mage.

“Ms. Yu Jina, can humans make rain fall with magic?”

“If an A-class is willing to wreck themselves, yes.”

“Can humans raise the sun with magic?”

“If an S-class is willing to wreck themselves, maybe?”

“Can humans raise the moon with magic?”

“That is the same. That is not the realm of humans.”

“Then who does magic belong to?”

The blue eyes curved gently.

“Does it not belong to humans?”

Humans could not dare raise the sun and raise the moon.

“Where does this place’s sun set? When the moon disappears, where does it go? Earth’s sun and moon repeatedly rise and set through the process of orbiting, but as I said earlier, this place is a Villa Dungeon.”

“Uh...”

“It is a fixed and physically limited space. Honey flew as high into the sky as possible, and Dana ran across as much of the ground as possible, but this place was not as wide as a single planet.”

“...”

“Then where does the sun go when night comes? What does the moon do until the sun rises? This place’s sun and moon rise and set in exact symmetry. The moon goes where the sun was, and the sun goes where the moon was.”

Jio looked at the “sky.”

“Since above this is a cave on Earth, the sky we are seeing now is not actually the sky, but a massive ceiling. Through Honey, I confirmed that this place’s ceiling is covered by trees.”

He continued.

“And rain fell.”

“...”

“If rain falls from the ceiling, then water must be falling from the ceiling, right?”

Fine and numerous droplets of water, enough to be called a rainforest downpour at that.

“When the moon rises and night comes, the heat subsides a little, and the night monsters serve food to this tree. And the monsters here do not like heat either. That is why the daytime monsters can only sleep when night comes, and the highly intelligent night monsters can actively move around.”

If, here, the “moon” was assumed to be a better thing than the “sun.”

“You said this tree alone has particularly no heat, did you not?”

“... We did.”

“And you also said life force is concentrated in it.”

“I did.”

“Let us simply make an assumption.”

Jio pointed at the “sky.”

“What if this dungeon is being supported by a giant ‘something,’ and these trees are favored by it? What if this fragile-looking tree is like family to that giant thing?”

He lowered the hand that had been pointed upward, covered his mouth, and smiled.

“If it were me... I think I would endure it.”

For my family, I would support this enormous forest.

“That is why I briefly brought up the word hostage.”

“... Hostage.”

“There is a high possibility that it is nothing more than a simple delusion, though.”

“...”

Kang Seodam, who had been listening to the entire story, soon rubbed his face.

“... I will have every person capable of moving focus on the search.”

There were dungeons that could only be cleared once their story was understood.