Beneath the veneer of Varona's sunlit streets, a damp, hushed world existed. The city's boisterous daytime symphony dissolved into the drip and echo of condensed water, a constant, subtle percussion in the subterranean silence. Passageways, like the veins of a forgotten beast, snaked through the earth, some leading to frustrating dead ends, others to fates far more sinister. The network was a labyrinth, a tangled web of tunnels that defied easy navigation, especially for the uninitiated.

  These corridors, more than mere conduits, were strategically designed. Certain pathways held hidden mechanisms, traps meant to incapacitate rather than obliterate. They were a deterrent, a silent warning to trespassers, whether they were deliberate intruders or simply lost souls who had stumbled into the depths. Of course, the maze itself was often deterrent enough.

  One such passageway, branching off the main cavernous hall, led to the office of Dropper, the Guild Master. A polished, brass plaque, its letters deeply etched, declared her title: "Head of the Assassins Guild."

  The room was a study in contrasts. On the left, towering bookshelves, their spines a tapestry of leather and parchment, stood in meticulous order. Opposite, a collection of drawers and shelves held the tools of her grim trade, each piece gleaming with a deadly purpose. At the room's heart, a magnificent mahogany desk, its surface intricately carved, dominated the space. Dropper, a petite woman with a cascade of platinum blonde hair, sat perched on an oversized leather chair, her small frame swallowed by its vastness. Restless energy propelled her, and with a sharp, silver dagger, she etched her name into the desk's polished surface, a defiant act of ownership.

  Her ascension to Guild Master was a recent, somewhat accidental affair, a consequence of her partner's public intoxication before their master. The weight of the position pressed heavily on her, a stark contrast to the effortless grace she displayed in her deadly craft. The vandalism was a tangible expression of her unease.

  Dropper’s anxiety wasn’t rooted in a lack of skill; she was a master assassin, a force to be reckoned with, a fact known and respected throughout Varona. Her unease stemmed from the daunting task of leadership, of managing a guild filled with diverse personalities, a challenge far removed from the solitary, lethal missions she excelled at. Public speaking, in particular, was her nemesis.

  With her name now defiantly carved into the desk, she rose, the leather creaking beneath her, and exited the office. The dimly lit corridors, their rough-hewn walls damp and cool, guided her to the open-plan training area. The air thrummed with the energy of the latest batch of initiates, their movements a mix of awkwardness and determination.

  Varona, a city of apparent peace, rarely bred individuals inclined towards the shadows. Yet, for reasons unknown, Abi's Assassins Guild was experiencing an unprecedented influx of recruits. The main hall overflowed with eager faces, prompting Dropper to retreat down a less crowded passage. She relied on her assistants to summon her if her presence was truly required.

  In the training hall, Rian, a promising human Rogue, practiced his Shadow Step technique. His movements were jerky, his landings clumsy. Dropper, observing him, noticed his repeated stumbles.

  "Having difficulties?" she asked, her voice a low, melodic whisper, appearing behind him as if from thin air.

  "I am," Rian replied, his voice laced with frustration. "It feels like I'm tripping through the shadow."

  "The shadows are fluid, malleable," Dropper explained, her voice patient. "Shadow Step is akin to teleportation. You move through the shadows, but you must emerge in the same stance you entered. Your stumbles come from losing your balance during the transition."

  The spark of understanding ignited in Rian's eyes, a testament to her clear instruction. "Thank you, Guild Master." He offered a dungeon salute, a gesture adopted from Abi's people, a sign of respect that had quickly spread among the human recruits.

  The title, "Guild Master," still felt foreign on her ears, yet it stirred a warmth within her. Before she could dwell on the feeling, she turned, only to collide with Marie, a vibrant Space Mage.

  "Hey, Dropper!" Marie beamed, her enthusiasm infectious. "Abi said I should come to you for stealth training."

  Dropper sighed inwardly, cursing Abi's penchant for delegation. She returned Marie's smile, albeit with a touch of resignation, and led her to a smaller, secluded training hall. The lesson began, Dropper's expertise transforming into patient instruction, the damp air of the underground echoing with the quiet sounds of training.

  The Assassins Guild

  Dungeon Stories Volume 4

  With each day that goes by, I spend my excess points adding more and more land to my own personal portfolio.

  Me is no longer hounding me to spend points either as each piece costs 1000DP a time, running me dry rather fast. Other than the 5000 I keep in reserve, that is.

  You never know when the Bale of Fortune might need upgrading.

  OK. Bad joke, I know.

  Those points are only a small sum in the grand scheme of things now. Overstock hit max level today and I can now retain every single point of DP that I earn.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Finally!

  You would have thought dungeons could hold that sort of amount without bother, or maybe they can and I'm the exception. Regardless, it's still a great accomplishment. One that I really didn't have to do much of anything to earn. Excess DP seems to be a regular occurrence around here and it was slowly trickling away until I unlocked Stockpile.

  Such matters seem trivial now.

  Miles away from my dungeon, but still connected through the insane logic of Land Acquisition, I can see the village of Orad in the distance.

  The time difference is throwing me for a loop. To me, it feels as though it has only been a year since the last time I laid eyes on the place I once called home. In reality 50 years were lost somewhere down the line between the time of my death and reincarnation from human to Dungeon Core. In that time, Orad has grown more than I would have ever thought was possible.

  Hence how I'm able to see it from such a distance.

  It wasn't the smallest of villages to begin with, but at twice its original size it's now edging on the boundaries of being labeled a city. One that wouldn't take much doing to jump past either if we're being honest. With its current size, I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't the largest village in the entire Ishda region.

  Then again, what do I know? I was comatose for a good amount of time which puts me well out of the loop. Maybe I should have been more inquisitive about how things have changed. I could have got a lot of information from my Assassins now that I think about it.

  Never mind. We'll lay the blame on Abi of the past, Abi the Shortsighted, and pretend I'm not involved. Not that it matters now that I'm fucking free.

  With a change of plan and new goal in mind, I change the direction of my skill and start purchasing towards my previous home. Less than a week later, four days to get there and two to unlock the land Orad sits upon, my DP influx has seen a 50% increase. It's truly amazing how easy it is to exploit the rule of having people in the dungeon when said dungeon is actually outside my mountain.

  It would have taken me much longer to purchase the land beneath my former home if The Lord of the Bale hadn't granted my off-hand wish. Not that it was a bad wish. With Divinities' Presence at max level, I no longer have to worry about sustaining damage due to people being in or on potential dungeon land.

  Now that I've acquired Orad, it should make reaching Ishda a much quicker endeavor thanks to the increase in my daily spending limit. Before I do anything else though, my mind is begging me to have a quick nosey around town to see what's changed and what hasn't, since I've been gone.

  20 minutes later and I'm back in my tower on top of the Academy. I'm also feeling slightly confused. The lack of criminals in my former home, or souls in need of redemption, or imprisonment in my case, was the first thing that caught my attention.

  I locked the small handful of redeemable souls in the ToT, then left them in the capable hands of Hana and Mira. The women shouldn't have much problems correcting the behaviour of their first visitors.

  Also, I've only got the citizens of Varona to compare Orad against, but surely there should have been more yellow souls than five? Hell, a tenth of the entire village is already green and there's roughly 10,000 people living there. The ones who have taken their first steps to enlightenment, or whatever.

  How!?

  How can a place change so much in such a short amount of time? Hardly anything changed in the entire 16 years I spent there and there were a lot more less-than reputable people back then too.

  "How is it so different? Orad's like... a completely different place." I tell my assortment of cute and cuddly companions. Sadly, none of them offer a reply.

  I can wholeheartedly believe the words Katrina spoke back when she decided to join my family. Not that I didn't believe her before, but the ridiculous time frame was a lot to get my head around.

  After seeing Orad myself though, it feels like more time has passed than I've been told about. There's barely anything remaining from the days of my youth. Sure, some buildings are still in the same locations, but everything about them is different. The construction, the layout and interior, all changed, all bigger to accommodate the increase in foot traffic.

  Out of all the people that lived there before, there was only one person left that I knew. Know?

  I do still know her after all.

  Little Suzie Walker, who is now old Suzie Walker, still works at the family business. Having passed down the shop to her descendants, Suzie was muttering something about an item "not being right" and was in the process of telling her daughter how to do it correctly. As old ladies often do when they have nothing else going on in their lives.

  At least it looked like she got to live a good life and reaching the age of sixty is a great achievement all on its own. If we forget that Marie exists that is. She's an anomaly, that one.

  The Space Mage, who has to be over a hundred years old and who also has insane grandeurs of being an Assassin, is currently out on a mission with Light. I really need to learn to put my foot down somewhere because I'm a downright pushover whenever they ask anything of me.

  Marie is the only Space Mage I have and I hate the idea of the elderly lady being out in the field on assignments. I get that she's got skill. Hell, she went undetected around here for long enough and I thought my intruder detection was top notch. Still, I can't help but worry.

  She's old.

  It's like your grandma telling you she wants to come on your quest to slay the dragon. It just wouldn't happen and if she tried to follow you, you would somehow manage to stop her. My efforts in that department were to try to get Marie to teach magic to the citizens in hope we might get a few more Space Mages.

  Two birds, one stone.

  Occupied Space Mage making more Space Mages.

  Sadly though, if my great-grandma wants to slit throats and take out the trash, I can't stop her.

  Letting out a sigh, I bring up my most-recent gains, the ones from Orad falling under my control, before realizing that's the wrong way to think about what happened back there, lest that dictator joke comes back to bite me in the ass.

  Abi the Dictator doesn't sit quite right in my list of self-named titles.

  No, not falling under my control. I don't control shit.

  Adding to the DP Factory, that has a much better ring to it.

  Looking at the new features I've unlocked from expanding the DP Factory, the biggest assets gained are guilds.

  Most are what would be classified as minor guilds. Ones that are primarily filled with non-combatant members. Sewing, Blacksmithing and Leather working all fall into that category. Normally I wouldn't bat an eyelid to that lot, but the guilds are missing from my city so it's a fantastic addition to Varona right now.

  The best addition though and one that I hadn't even realized was missing, or thought about, as per the norm, is the Adventurers Guild. Which begs the question, where the hell did my adventurers come from then!?

  Gorn obviously.

  Since the city-sized army of people arrived here months ago with Wheeler, no one has been able to acquire a melee-related class. With all of them being classified under the adventurers branch, no wonder there aren't droves of new adventurers queueing up for the dungeon.

  Which is also good in a way. I don't want to place too big of a burden on Simon's shoulders. Granted he's got Katrina, Anon and Sophie helping him out, but with now close to 20,000 people living in Varona, a sudden boost to the number of dungeon divers would throw him for a loop.

  I suppose I'm going to have to create some assistants for him too. It's getting to that point where some of my family members feel like third cousins. The ones whose faces you remember, but their names are like water, slipping through your fingers.

  Oh well. Here come a dozen more cousins.