I had been speaking with almost no interruptions for nearly two hours. The story was summarized in some parts, and I avoided mentioning unnecessary things. The topic of the pseudo Law and the true Law was completely left out, along with things like my affinity with death. As for my healing ability, I pinned the blame on Sus—she offered me that ability when she became my companion.

I gradually emphasized the strength of the ogres, making it seem slightly less than it really was, like they were just below the borderline between rank two and three. I also cut the number of ogres in half compared to the real count. Slowly, I neared the end of my tale.

Along the way, I observed different types of reactions. Arisa and Sol were the most expressive—every emotion filtered clearly across their faces as they followed my story and imagined themselves in my place. Liza showed slight reactions, mostly marked by concern. Camux was the most surprising. He's usually cheerful and energetic, but this time, he stayed quiet, following my tale step by step.

When I finished telling my story, Camux was the first to speak. "You really had it rough the whole time." He paused for a few seconds, and we were all waiting for what he'd say next. "We're all just happy to see you again. Let's see this as an anecdote now and keep moving forward. Facing dungeons and overcoming them is the best way to get stronger."

"Camux is right. We started growing stronger as we gradually progressed through dungeons. At school, you always go in under supervision, and there's a stronger focus on teamwork to complete them—that helps develop group coordination." My father mentioned something interesting. Apparently, you can explore dungeons during school too. That gives me even more motivation.

"I don't know if Maki will even need companions to clear grade 2 or 3 dungeons—he's already strong enough to fight multiple monsters a rank above on his own." Camux let out a dry laugh while looking at me. Even though he said it as a joke, based on everyone's reactions, they likely agree.

"Yeah, he's probably strong enough now to earn a good reward from a Hero's Dungeon." Liza's comment reminded me of Sus's final gift—it was a failed Hero's Dungeon. They must be similar, right?

"What's that about a Hero's Dungeon?" I don't know much about that topic, so it's better to ask and clear the doubt in my mind.

"Liza can explain it to you. She's dedicated nearly her entire life to studying dungeons. She's probably one of the top three experts on dungeons in the whole marquisate." My mother's words surprised me. With that in mind, I focused all my attention on Liza's words. I glanced around me and saw Sol and Arisa were also deeply focused.

"We can divide dungeons into several categories. The main and most common are the type like the one you were in—open-world dungeons with a condition for completion, like destroying a core, killing all monsters, or just one in particular. We call them general dungeons, regardless of their grade." That information clarified my understanding. I already knew a bit from reading, but now it made more sense.

"As I just mentioned, there are also Hero-type dungeons, and they come in two kinds: Hero Dungeons and Failed Hero Dungeons." Two types? I tried to focus even more so I wouldn't miss a single detail.

"These dungeons usually follow the same structure. They're challenges where you advance through floors and always get a reward for completing them. You're rewarded based on how many floors you clear, how long you take, and your skill display." She leaned forward in her chair and placed her index finger on her lips, seemingly searching for the right words.

"These dungeons can have 6, 8, or 10 floors, with the 10-floor ones offering the best rewards compared to the others." That's interesting. So, if you clear a full 6-floor dungeon, you might get better rewards than just reaching floor 6 in an 8- or 10-floor dungeon.

"They're usually hard to find—very few exist worldwide. Major cities or the headquarters of powerful groups are often built on top of these dungeons. In fact, owning one is a minimum requirement to become a marquis; otherwise, you stay as a count. Some counts have more money or military strength than a marquis but aren't promoted simply because they don't have one of these dungeons." My grandmother's words sparked more doubts. Would there be a civil war if one of these dungeons were discovered? I need to be careful.

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"There are even cases where a noble head builds a city in a specific location just because one of these Hero's Dungeons was found there." My mother added a bit more context.

"These dungeons can be used an unlimited number of times—the issue is the cooldown period. Some take months to be usable again, while others can be recharged faster using grade 5 or 6 monster cores, which are very expensive. They're usually reserved for individuals with enormous potential, where they want to maximize that person's chances of reaching Diamond or even Obsidian rank." I tried to retain every piece of information. I felt like I was in a school class listening to a teacher.

"The difference between Hero and Failed Hero Dungeons lies in what I just explained—failed ones can only be used once." Her words chilled me. I almost gasped but held it in. I activated my concentration skill to avoid any noticeable gestures or shifts in my Imra.

"Their only benefit is the reward, which is slightly better. Let me give you an example." She leaned back in her chair, thinking of a good one. "Imagine someone clears a standard 8-floor Hero Dungeon and, burning through all their luck, also gets the chance to clear a failed one. In the second dungeon, they only manage 7 floors before giving up due to difficulty." She looked me straight in the eyes.

"They might receive the same rewards in both cases, simply because the second was a Failed Hero Dungeon." Based on what they're saying, I must already be qualified to clear a Hero's Dungeon—since they're as hard as higher-grade ones.

"The rewards usually come as a list of options. The voice of the world itself speaks to you when you enter and finish the dungeon. You'll get between four and six choices, and the one you pick depends on your current needs." So I can only choose one? That's not very generous of the dungeon. "Some reward examples are: high-potential skills, law guidance, a Law itself, mana increase, Imra control enhancement, special weapons, more ability slots, soul enhancement, or even fusion of skills. These are just examples—no one really knows how the rewards are determined; we just have theories." Liza truly is a well of knowledge when it comes to dungeons.

"Maki could ask my uncle if he'd let you use our Hero Dungeon. You won the rookie tournament easily and even saved my life." Arisa spoke for the first time since we moved to this side. Then she realized her words and added something. "Though, thinking it over, those might not be enough merits for him to accept. Knowing him, he'd want you to join the marquisate's army directly." Arisa furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

"Arisa's right. With your potential and future prospects, the marquis would likely let you use his Hero Dungeon someday. The problem would be the conditions he sets. I wouldn't recommend it." Camux spoke bluntly—not badmouthing the marquis, but his tone was firm. I looked at Arisa to confirm, and she didn't seem to mind.

"If it would cost me my freedom, I'd rather not try. Clearing a Hero Dungeon could give me a big boost, but if I don't do it now, I'll reach the same results eventually anyway." I prefer to keep my freedom and not tie myself down under anyone's power. I want to live life on my terms—and I already have an ace up my sleeve.

"It's your decision, Maki." My father smiled at me—he doesn't want to push me into it either.

I nodded toward them both, thankful for their advice. We belong to this marquisate, within the Kar Empire. We respect our emperor and marquis deeply—it's just completely different to join their armies by choice or through imposed conditions.

Arisa kept thinking hard about who knows what, and Sol took the opportunity to rest her head on my shoulder and yawn softly. That yawn felt a little fake… I didn't say anything and let her get comfortable. Upon noticing Sol's action, Arisa mimicked her and leaned on my other shoulder.

"Getting back to general dungeons—there are lots of variations, enough to talk for hours." Liza resumed the topic, quickly explaining again what a general dungeon is and how it works. They're formed by the buildup of ambient mana in certain areas or by powerful beings like Sus. The goal is to either finish them before monsters overflow or just kill some inside to maintain balance.

"In the last 15 years, a few rare dungeons have been found. They're like a fusion of both types. They're known as Greed Dungeons—they're similar to failed Hero ones but with one key difference: you can die inside." She paused for a moment to let the importance of that sink in.

"If you don't know your limits and chase the best reward, you could die from your own greed. Even though you can leave just by saying a phrase, some people keep climbing because these dungeons can only be entered once. They vanish once someone clears them—unlike a failed Hero Dungeon, which disappears only if you die or leave voluntarily." That variant had a chilling name. I can understand why people might push further—and why others would stop halfway.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention this." Liza covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Hero Dungeons are gold-colored. Failed ones have a slight red tint on the edges. Greed Dungeons are completely red, and general dungeons vary between blue, green, and yellow." Liza kept explaining basic dungeon functions for another ten minutes until my mother gently stopped her, reminding her they were guests and we shouldn't overwhelm them.

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