“Oh shit! Oh crap! Oh shit! Oh crap!” Theo kept repeating, moving the furniture about his entrance hall with every word. His minion, in contrast, didn’t seem to be in the least bit worried. In any case, the skeleton’s only concern was not to fall off the chair he was snoozing in, while the dungeon moved it about. “What the heck would a legendary hero be doing here?!”

Triple hero, the spirit guide corrected. There’s no way of knowing now, but I would assume that most likely it was an end-life crisis.

“What the heck is an end-life crisis?!” Theo shouted, lifting all furniture—Cmyk included— in the air for several minutes

It’s all part of a hero’s life, especially the famous ones. The older heroes get, the more they yearn for their glory days. Most often, this doesn’t go beyond writing memoirs and constantly telling tales of adventures to bards, friends, family members, and everyone else who would listen. Sometimes, though, they decide to go on an adventure to prove to the world that they still have the heroic spirit.

“Just great…”

I must admit it was impressive that he managed to come here. The valley is rather isolated. If you hadn’t chased away the cicada squirrels, he probably wouldn’t have made it here at all.

Theo opened and slammed the entrance door several times, but said nothing. As someone who’d endured the world of game development, he knew to stick to the golden principle: when at fault, say nothing.

“So, when will they be back?”

Umm… The guide hesitated. In its mind, it had explained very clearly and repeatedly that the squirrels had left the forest for good. In fact, the guild was certain it had done so multiple times. Faced with the impossible dilemma of explaining something that wouldn’t be heard, it took a different approach. Possibly in seven years, is said, skirting the truth quite a bit.

“Seven years?!”

Possibly fourteen. Maybe twenty-one at the most.

“Twenty-one years?! Are you kidding me?”

All the furniture moved to a corner to the room where it remained still for several minutes. Theo was considering this. The more he thought about it, however, the more upset he became. Of all the dungeons in the world, why did a legendary hero have to pick him? Still, this was no time to get into a panic. He had survived over a decade in the game industry in his former life. There was no reason he couldn’t deal with a trivial matter as the occasional aging adventurer. Surely it was pure luck that one managed to make it so far, nothing but a coincidence.

“Twenty-one years?” Theo asked. His tone was much more relaxed this time. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

During that time, heroes throughout the land will attempt to gain riches and glory by finding you and claiming your core.

“What? Why would they want that?”

Since Lord Ezier died within you, all his Experience Points—and the possessions he had on him—were transformed into Core Points and given to you. At present, you are the third most powerful dungeon on the continent. Every hero or champion willing to make a name for themselves will be running to be the ones to claim the bounty.

The light dimmed in the room, as Theo listened on to the explanation. This was beyond not good, it was a complete disaster.

Traditionally, family members have priority, but in today’s day and age, things are a bit more cutthroat among heroes, especially when dealing with such a potential bounty. Of course, it’s possible that several heroes pool their resources in order to—

“Thank you, guide!” Theo said abruptly, not too keen to hear the rest. The initial shock gone, his anger and fear slowly subsided, leaving him with a perfectly analytical mind.

If all the hero’s experience had been converted to Core Points, making Theo the third most powerful dungeon in the land, he could use that power to summon some creatures, cast some spells, and maybe build an additional defense room or two.

“Guide, you can grant me abilities, right?”

No, the guide sighed. Core Points allow you to learn abilities. I merely offer you to activate them, since as a newly created dungeon, the information might be too overwhelming. If you would like, I could let you explore the—

“Do I know any hero repelling abilities?” Theo interrupted. His mind raced through all the most powerful abilities he has seen in games—such as meter, or tidal wave, or mountain golem—but none of them were a permanent solution. From what little Theo knew about the world he was in, he knew that adventurers, and heroes especially, were persistent creatures. A meteor or two weren’t going to be enough.

There is a vast array of spells and abilities that could be good for hero dissuasion, the guild said. Given your strength, a dragon nest would be quite sufficient. At least for anyone but dragon slayers. Lava moats with magma elementals are also a good deterrent.

“No, no, no.” Theo swung all doors in his dungeon about, as if shaking a finger. “I need something better. Something that would permanently stop heroes searching for me…”