Marvel Multiverse System

Seeing Yuri and Ryuu calmly leaving her shop, Hephaestus couldn't help but speak up.

"Why are you leaving? Hestia is still here."

"Oh, Hestia will stay at your place, Hephaestus," Yuri said matter-of-factly. "To be honest, I still owe a huge debt to the Hostess of Fertility, and I'm currently living and working there to pay it off. So I'll leave Hestia with you for now."

"Eh?!"

Hephaestus felt exhausted just watching Yuri walk away so calmly—and then seeing Hestia smiling like she was walking on clouds.

After that, Yuri and Ryuu spent a pleasant afternoon shopping.

It was already getting dark, and the streetlights were coming on, illuminating the city.

Yuri and Ryuu walked hand in hand through the streets like a couple. Ryuu had agreed to go along with Yuri's excuse.

It wasn't until they reached the front of the Hostess of Fertility that Yuri let go of her hand.

"Ryuu, I just remembered something. Could you head back first?"

Yuri's expression turned cold. Although she didn't know what he had to do, Ryuu nodded obediently and disappeared around the corner under his watchful gaze.

Yuri then looked into a dark alley to his right, his eyes turning red as the Mangekyō formed.

At the same time, small cracks appeared beneath his skin, and his molars elongated.

He was activating his Oni powers.

Calmly, he entered the alley, where four figures soon appeared before him.

Yuri looked at the four calmly. After a few seconds, he realized who they were.

They were the Gulliver Brothers, a group of four executives from the Freya Familia—

Each one a Level 5 adventurer.

(Hmph... Seems like Freya sent her little dogs after me because of what I did yesterday.)

The men didn't know what Yuri was thinking. Instead, they spoke with obvious jealousy.

"Come with us. Freya-sama wants you to join her Familia."

"I refuse. I'm already part of a Familia."

Yuri looked at them coldly.

"Go back and tell that bitch you call a goddess that I have no interest in joining her Familia."

Yuri's words ignited immediate rage in their hearts.

"How dare you insult our goddess?! Since you won't come peacefully, we'll take you by force!"

The Pallum holding a spear growled murderously, grinning at Yuri.

"Of course~ But before that…"

Just as the spear-wielding Pallum was about to charge, he collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

"AAAHHHH!!!"

His screams echoed through the alley.

"No, don't look into his eyes!"

The fallen Pallum's warning sent a cold sweat down the remaining three's backs.

They immediately raised their shields to avoid direct eye contact with Yuri.

Yuri's appearance had changed again. His eyes still held the Mangekyō, but now his hair had turned long and white, and a red, flame-like mark covered much of his forehead.

He wore a twisted smile and pointed at them—his nails now sharp like claws.

Terror gripped their hearts. They felt like prey standing before a predator.

"You guys should feel honored. I just became a Level 1 adventurer, and I need punching bags to test my strength."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuri stomped the ground and vanished.

Crack!

A small crater formed where his feet had been.

Yuri dashed at the man holding an axe, leaving a trail of flames in his wake.

THUD!!

CRACK!!

Before they even registered it, Yuri was in front of the axe-wielding Pallum.

His fist slammed into the man's stomach.

The armor shattered, and the Pallum was sent flying, crashing and rolling along the ground while leaving a bloody trail.

The remaining two stood frozen. Two of them had already been taken down—without even fighting back.

Level 1?

This was the strength of a novice Level 1 adventurer?!

Before they could move, Yuri vanished again with a sharp sound.

THUD!!

The Pallum with the longsword was kicked straight into the last standing member.

In the blink of an eye, Yuri had defeated the Gulliver Brothers.

"Let's see... I defeated these Level 5 adventurers with ease. My current strength must be close to the top of Level 5."

Without sparing them another glance, Yuri returned to the Hostess of Fertility.

"Hey Yuri, I heard an explosion outside. Are you okay?" Chloe asked as she saw him walk calmly through the door.

"Everything's fine."

Yuri gently stroked Chloe's ears and smiled.

"Don't worry. Just a few dogs barking."

There is a cave in the world.

A cave that has existed since ancient times—even before the human race was born.

This cave is known as the Dungeon.

It appears to be alive, spawning monsters from its walls and ceilings, and repairing itself when damaged. It harbors an immense hatred toward the gods—if one is detected inside, the exits of the room are sealed, and a black version of a monster is spawned to kill them.

These Black Monsters are far stronger than their normal counterparts and show a degree of intelligence—such as when the Black Wyvern looked around for its target. However, the dungeon does not spawn a second Black Monster after the first is killed, even if the god remains alive. This implies its power is limited to some extent.

The dungeon is vast, with floors that grow larger and more dangerous the deeper one goes. It takes at least five days for a party to reach the 50th floor. While the upper levels can be explored solo or in pairs, the middle levels and beyond require a full party—or mean certain death.

There are floors where no monsters appear, known as safe zones. There are also other hidden areas unknown to most adventurers. These are used as Hidden Villages by the Xenos—intelligent monsters who refer to the dungeon as their "Mother." They believe she created these sanctuaries to protect them.

Astraea once mentioned that gods don't use their Arcanum within the dungeon because doing so would break the promise of the Promised Time. She also said that if a god were mortally wounded inside the dungeon, they would be absorbed into it instead of returning to Heaven.

According to Dionysus, the dungeon is currently at its limit.

Its true depth is unknown, but it is confirmed to go at least 71 floors, as that's the deepest that Zald and Alfia have reached. There is also a region called Sand Land, but its floor level is uncertain.

Before the gods descended, heroes fought monsters with the aid of Spirits. After descending, the gods granted Falna to mortals to empower them against monsters. Uranus was the first god to bless someone with a lie—disguising their status.

Despite the lack of sunlight, the dungeon has its own natural light sources. It also contains unique plants and ores found nowhere else in the world.

And when monsters are slain, they leave behind something extremely valuable—magic stones.

(End of Chapter)

Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king.