The long wooden table against the eastern wall of the Guild Hall felt unusually cramped, not because of the number of people gathered around it, but due to the intriguing items laid out before them.

Five identical books were spread open across its surface, their pale covers already marked with fingerprints and a light layer of dust. Inside, clean ink filled the pages, accompanied by structured diagrams, handwritten notes, and meticulously drawn symbols.

Each cover boldly proclaimed "Dungeon Guide Book," but it was the content within that had completely captivated those seated at the table.

Gregor occupied the head seat, his broad shoulders slightly hunched as he rested one thick forearm on the wood while slowly turning a page.

His green hair cast a gentle shadow over the paper, and his sharp eyes moved deliberately over each line, no skimming or rushing here; he was deep in study.

To his right sat Brutus, an imposing figure even while seated. His arms were folded across his chest when he wasn't jabbing a thick finger at specific lines of text. He leaned forward more than someone of his size should have been able to manage, squinting as if trying to decipher fine print in dim light.

Across from them was Calista, one leg crossed over the other. The guidebook balanced lightly in one hand while her other hand wielded a quill she had seemingly produced from thin air, already jotting down notes in the margins of a spare sheet of parchment. Her eyes sparkled with interest; that familiar sharpness appeared on her face whenever something genuinely intrigued her.

Beside her sat Leona, resting her elbows on the table with her chin propped on her hands. Her golden eyes flicked between diagrams and descriptions.

Unlike Brutus, who read as if the book might insult him if he looked away, Leona's focus flowed smoothly; she occasionally glanced up to observe the bustling crowd in the hall before returning to her reading.

At the far end of the table sat Caelis quietly apart from everyone else. One hand supported his cheek while his other turned pages with precise movements that seemed almost reverent. His hair fell loosely around his face as he absorbed every word with narrowed eyes and deep thought.

For a time, silence enveloped them despite the lively atmosphere surrounding them, the clinking coins, raised voices, footsteps echoing through laughter and arguments. at their table, however, it felt like they had stepped into another world entirely.

A world described within those very books.

Finally breaking this silence was Brutus: "...This is insane."

His voice was low and subdued as he stared intently at the page before him.

Gregor didn't look up. "Which part?"

Brutus dragged a thick finger down a section of text before tapping firmly against a bold heading: "Dungeon Monster Behavioral Scripts."

Calista paused mid-note; Leona raised her brows slightly; even Caelis shifted his gaze toward Brutus.

"Dungeon monsters don't act like wild beasts. They follow structured behavioral scripts that dictate their movement patterns, aggression levels, territorial boundaries, and priority responses."

He exhaled sharply through his nose. "Guard. Hunt. Ambush. Protect Core."

Gregor finally looked up. "That changes everything."

Leona leaned in closer. "How so?"

Gregor closed the book partially, resting his hand on the cover.

"It means they're not random," he said slowly. "If they aren't random, then deaths in dungeons aren't just bad luck; they're miscalculations."

Calista resumed writing with her quill. "Exactly," she affirmed. "If monsters adhere to scripts, then there are discernible patterns: patrol zones, trigger conditions, reaction chains."

Her eyes sparkled as she turned the page. "This means we can study dungeons, map them out and predict their behavior."

Caelis spoke for the first time, his voice calm yet heavy with implication. "And exploit them."

That word settled over the table like a fine layer of dust.

Brutus snorted in disbelief. "So all those times teams got wiped out because 'something unexpected happened'… it wasn't unexpected at all?"

Gregor's jaw tightened slightly. "Not from the dungeon's perspective."

They returned to their books, turning pages that revealed a structured framework unlike anything they had previously encountered regarding dungeons.

The text detailed how monsters near dungeon entrances primarily followed Hunt and Guard scripts, roaming loosely defined territories and responding to sound, mana disturbances, or physical intrusions.

It explained how deeper floors showed a gradual shift: fewer wandering monsters but more stationary ones; overlapping ambush zones; funneling paths; and spatial pressure that herded intruders toward specific routes.

This wasn't merely descriptive, it was anatomical.

Leona traced a diagram illustrating overlapping movement paths. "So this is why," she murmured, "in some dungeons you can walk for hours without encountering anything and then suddenly get swarmed from all sides."

Calista nodded in agreement. "Because you've crossed from Hunt-dominant zones into Ambush layers."

Brutus scratched his head in confusion. "What about Protect Core?"

Gregor flipped further into the text. According to Sage's notes, Protect Core didn't just signify stronger monsters near the dungeon core; it indicated a structural shift where monster density increased exponentially rather than linearly.

Patrol routes tightened as Guard-class monsters layered into Elite-class formations appeared only in areas where the dungeon's mana flow was most stable, where monster regeneration was fastest and spatial distortion thickest.

Caelis's fingers tightened on the page as he spoke quietly: "So the deeper you go... you're not just fighting monsters anymore; you're battling the dungeon itself."

Gregor exhaled slowly in agreement. "It seems so."

The next section truly unsettled them:

Dungeon Monster Rank System — Guild Standardized.

The text delved into the rationale for distinguishing between dungeon monsters and magical beasts.

Unlike external creatures, dungeon monsters are not independent organisms; they are generated entities shaped by dungeon cores, recycled through mana, and endlessly replaced.

Their threat doesn't stem solely from physical strength but from their integration with the environment, execution of scripts, and coordinated responses.

This understanding led to the creation of a new classification system:

Tier 1 — Spawn-Class: These are baseline entities that are individually weak but numerous. Primarily programmed with Hunt-scripts, their role is to exhaust, test, and probe intruders.

Tier 2 — Guard-Class: Serving as territorial enforcers, these monsters possess greater durability and can coordinate to some extent. They are tasked with zone control, blocking corridors, and setting up ambushes.

Tier 3 — Elite-Class: These script-flexible entities exhibit high combat intelligence and can manipulate their environment. Often central nodes in patrol networks, they can adapt tactically to changing situations.

Brutus's expression shifted from curiosity to disbelief. "So when people say 'the boss controls the dungeon,'" he muttered, "they weren't just being poetic."

Gregor didn't respond right away; instead, he turned the page to reveal comparative charts between Warrior Ranks and Dungeon Monster ranks.

Each entry included expected survivability thresholds, combat parity estimates, mana output equivalents, and risk amplification coefficients. The terminology was technical but the implications were clear.

Calista furrowed her brows as she examined the data. "According to this," she said cautiously, "a Tier-2 Guard-Class monster already matches the lower boundary of an Adept-level Knight."

"And a Tier-3 Elite-Class…" Leona whispered as she followed the column downwards.

"…starts at Expert-Level Knight," Caelis concluded quietly. "And it only scales upward from there."

The room fell stillness once more, not because they had nothing left to say but because so much had suddenly become clear.

Gregor slowly closed the book; the soft sound of its cover against the pages felt final.

"Then the boss of the third dungeon…" Brutus began before trailing off.

"…couldn't have been lower than Tier-3," Calista finished for him.

Gregor's fingers curled slightly as everyone instinctively turned their heads toward Sage across the hall. He sat casually at his desk with gold coins stacked nearby while Mina leaned against him animatedly chatting away. His relaxed posture and carefree smile made him appear like the least threatening person in the entire building.

Leona swallowed hard. "According to this," she said softly, "an Elite-Class dungeon boss would be equivalent to at least a 3-Star Expert Knight."

"And probably even higher," Caelis added thoughtfully.

Brutus exhaled slowly. "Then how," he asked heavily but quietly, "did he walk out alive?"

"…He didn't beat it," Gregor replied slowly.

The others looked at him expectantly.

"He survived it," he clarified. "And those two outcomes aren't the same."

Calista's quill paused mid-air. "You're suggesting…"

"I don't believe he triumphed solely through strength," Gregor replied, his tone unwavering. "He succeeded by leveraging his position, manipulating circumstances, timing his moves perfectly, and taking advantage of the dungeon itself."

Caelis nodded slightly. "Which is far more dangerous."

Brutus leaned back in his chair, its wood creaking under his weight. "…So the man selling us books for just two gold coins," he murmured, "walked into something that could wipe out most mercenary companies… and came back alive."

Leona's gaze shifted back to Sage. "And even wrote a manual about it."

They all looked at the distance Sage and then shook their heads.

"The Guildmaster mentioned that these rankings don't fully capture the true strength of the Dungeon Monsters, but they do give us a rough idea of their power levels. While it's not entirely precise, it represents a significant advancement for us." Gregor glanced at the warning note in the corner of the page and added,

"Well, he also noted here that he will keep updating the ranks to ensure they're as accurate as possible." Calista chimed in with a smile.

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