Chapter 62: Unique Dungeon
The room gradually returned to normal conversation.
Plans were discussed and routes were confirmed.
Resources were actively being prepared, yet Amon paid little attention to their discussions.
For him, there was no need to plan.
With sufficient strength, all sorts of plans and schemes became meaningless.
Several minutes later, the president rose from his seat.
The conversation immediately stopped, and everyone looked toward him.
"We leave in three hours."
His voice carried unquestionable authority.
The hunters nodded, their eyes flickering with unsaid emotions. They knew they couldn’t force their leader out of his decision, so they could only decide to wait and see what the results would be.
Chairs scraped lightly against the floor as everyone stood.
One after another, they began leaving the conference room.
Soon, only Amon, Levi, and the president remained.
The president glanced toward Levi and said in a light tone,
"Show him around."
Levi nodded.
"Understood."
The president then turned toward Amon, and his expression suddenly became serious.
"There is one thing you should know before entering Aleron."
Amon looked at him silently, waiting for him to speak.
The president’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued.
"The monsters aren’t the problem."
Amon’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"What is?"
For the first time since arriving, hesitation appeared on the president’s face for an instant before he spoke.
"The King."
The room became silent.
Amon frowned ever so slightly and asked in a deep voice,
"The dungeon boss?"
The president slowly shook his head.
"No."
His answer immediately caught Amon’s attention.
A strange chill settled over the room.
The president’s expression grew solemn as he replied.
"We haven’t reached the boss."
Amon’s brows furrowed.
That made no sense.
If they hadn’t reached the boss, then who exactly was this King?
The president continued.
"We encountered him halfway through the dungeon."
His voice lowered.
"He was sitting on a throne."
Amon listened carefully.
The president’s eyes seemed to drift elsewhere.
As though recalling an unpleasant memory.
"There were thousands of monsters around him."
"He didn’t attack. He didn’t move. He simply watched."
The room grew quieter with every word.
Amon could sense the tension hidden beneath the president’s calm tone.
A tension that shouldn’t exist for an S-rank hunter.
Then the president said something that caused even Levi’s face to pale.
"When we challenged him..."
His voice became heavy.
"He killed three S-rank hunters with a single swing."
Amon’s eyes narrowed beneath the mask.
Now that...
Was interesting.
The president stared directly at him.
"The dungeon boss is still alive. The King isn’t the boss. We don’t know what he is in the slightest."
His gaze became sharp.
"But if my instincts are correct..."
A faint pressure spread through the room.
"He shouldn’t exist. He might have killed the dungeon lord."
For the first time since entering Neverland, genuine curiosity appeared within Amon’s eyes.
A being inside a dungeon capable of slaying the dungeon lord and becoming the new ruler of the dungeon.
A being powerful enough to slaughter S-ranks.
A being that even the president couldn’t understand.
Slowly, a smile formed beneath the butcher’s mask.
Amon felt that Aleron was becoming more interesting by the second.
Amon and the president had a few more discussions before Levi was tasked with showing him around.
The president collapsed onto his seat, countless thoughts flowing through his mind.
After some time passed, the butcher and the president were face to face with each other.
The president’s expression seemed to have relaxed considerably after resting for a bit.
Staring at him, Amon asked curiously,
"How long will it take us to get there?"
"On the jet, it should be a few hours."
Amon frowned slightly. A few hours was too long a time when he could instantly take them over there.
"Do you have an image of the dungeon?"
The president thought for a bit and signaled to Levi.
Levi immediately stepped forward and brought a tablet before Amon.
On the tablet was displayed the image of a massive portal that spanned thousands of miles.
There were dark red cracks spread over the portal, and it seemed as though the portal might burst apart at any moment, releasing a devastating wave of monsters into the world.
Just from staring at it, one could feel a chill run down their spine.
However, Amon was different.
He only stared at it with a look of interest.
"So this is what an S-rank dungeon looks like?"
He muttered to himself and nodded.
With that in mind, he turned to the president and nodded.
"I have a method of getting us to the portal as soon as possible."
The president stared at him in surprise.
His thoughts churned, and he immediately thought of something.
"A space teleportation skill?"
Not voicing his thoughts, he nodded.
The next instant, Amon took a light step and was already in front of him.
The president could hardly react in time. His pupils shrank slightly at the disparity between himself and the butcher.
"How was he this strong?"
Before he could react, a hand landed on his shoulder, and the two vanished.
Levi remained staring at the spot with a shocked look.
There was still no ripple in space.
It was as though one moment both men were there, and the next instant they ceased to exist!
"The butcher is truly terrifying!" he muttered in his heart, his alarm growing to another extent.
Swoosh!
Amon and the president appeared at a distant place, and Amon felt his mana drain considerably.
Frowning slightly, he glanced around in shock.
He hadn’t expected the distance to be so great that more than twenty percent of his mana reserves would be drained from the teleportation alone!
"Whe... where are we?"
At this moment, he heard the president’s voice filled with shock and surprise.
Amon turned around to meet him.
"Aren’t we at the dungeon you mentioned?" he asked, glancing ahead where a rotating portal could be seen.
It was similarly purple, with deep red cracks like scars spreading across its length.
"No." The president shook his head slightly.
"This seems to be a... different dungeon."
The president sounded sure and unsure at the same time.
"You mean both dungeons aren’t the same?" Amon asked in a deep voice, surprised by this development.
The president seemed similarly confused.
There was no need for Amon to think for much longer.
With a casual step forward, he was in front of the dungeon.
His Danger Sense tingled faintly, but he couldn’t particularly feel any sense of danger that could immensely threaten him.
With that, he no longer hesitated and stepped inside.
Instantly, he was dazzled by the sight before him.
Rows upon rows of monsters stood in neat formations, waiting as though they were an army preparing for war.
Thousands of creatures occupied the crimson plains before him.
The sight alone was enough to make ordinary hunters despair.
Yet Amon’s attention wasn’t on their numbers.
It was on their discipline.
Not a single monster moved.
Not a single roar echoed across the land.
Every creature stood perfectly still.
Waiting.
The atmosphere felt unnaturally silent.
Amon narrowed his eyes.
This wasn’t normal.
Monsters weren’t known for restraint.
They slaughtered.
They rampaged.
Yet before him stood a force that resembled a trained army.
Behind him, the president finally stepped through the portal.
The moment he saw the scene, his expression changed.
"This isn’t Aleron."
His voice sounded grave.
Amon nodded lightly.
He had already realized that much.
The pressure here felt entirely different.
His Danger Sense spread outward.
Farther.
Deeper.
Beyond the army.
Beyond the crimson plains.
Beyond the distant mountains.
Then his eyes suddenly narrowed.
There.
A presence.
An overwhelming presence hidden deep within the dungeon.
The moment he sensed it, everything else faded into irrelevance.
The thousands of monsters.
The strange sky.
The ominous atmosphere.
None of it mattered.
Only that presence remained.
Amon’s heartbeat quickened ever so slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The president noticed the subtle change in his demeanor.
"What is it?"
Amon didn’t answer.
His gaze remained fixed on a distant point beyond the horizon.
The next instant, he took a step forward.
Space folded.
The world blurred.
Then he vanished.
The president’s pupils contracted.
There wasn’t even a ripple left behind.
One moment Amon stood beside him.
The next, he had disappeared entirely.
...
Far deeper within the dungeon.
Space distorted.
Amon appeared silently atop a vast obsidian platform.
The moment he arrived, he immediately understood why his instincts had led him here.
A massive palace stood before him.
Ancient black pillars stretched into the heavens.
Silver flames burned along the walls.
The architecture possessed an elegance unlike anything he had ever seen.
At the very center of the palace sat a throne.
A woman occupied it.
Amon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She possessed breathtaking beauty.
Long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders like flowing moonlight.
Smooth pale skin contrasted sharply against the dark throne beneath her.
Elegant black silk draped across her figure, leaving her shoulders and much of her back exposed.
One slender leg rested over the arm of the throne.
Her posture was lazy.
Relaxed.
Almost playful.
Yet the aura surrounding her eclipsed everything he had encountered since entering the dungeon.
Even the air itself seemed to bend around her existence.
The moment Amon appeared, her crimson eyes shifted toward him.
Surprise flashed across them.
Then amusement followed.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"How unexpected."
Her voice was soft.
Velvet-like.
Yet it carried effortlessly throughout the entire hall.
She slowly adjusted her posture upon the throne.
The movement was graceful and elegant.
For a moment, silence filled the palace.
Then she rested her chin upon her hand and studied him openly.
Her gaze lingered on the mask.
Then on his cloak.
Then on his eyes.
The amusement in her expression deepened.
"It has been a very long time since I’ve had a visitor."
Amon stared at her calmly.
His Danger Sense remained active.
Yet strangely enough...
The woman showed no hostility.
Only curiosity.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
"How rude of me."
She inclined her head ever so slightly.
"I am the Queen of this place."
The silver-haired woman smiled.
"Welcome to my kingdom."
