Chapter 139

The size of dungeons varies immensely.

However, even the smallest ones can rival the scale of a decent village. When considering vertical space, their size increases even further.

Moreover, there are not just one or two areas swallowed by the dimensional rift. Thus, depending on the dungeon, some can be comparable to the size of a large city or even a small nation.

The place we’re heading to last is exactly such a location.

“How big is it?”

“It varies depending on the time. At its smallest, it’s about 400 km², and at its largest, it goes up to 750 km²!”

The Vittorio Arcade is one of the largest dungeons in the academy city. It’s a place not seen in the main game.

So, I did some research and was shocked to discover that its size rivals that of a sizable metropolis.

Inside, a myriad of monsters inhabit the vast area, forming a bizarre ecosystem unique to the dungeon.

Its size brings with it increased danger, and in deeper regions, there’s a high possibility of encountering high-level monsters.

However, the reason we’re visiting this place isn’t to hunt monsters.

If we were to hunt monsters, it would be far more stable to take on low-level monsters in easier locales.

The sole reason the Violet Squad is here is for the relics.

During the preparatory meeting before heading to the dungeon, Irene explained to the team members.

“The average temperature here is around 15 degrees, it might be a bit chilly, but it won’t hinder our activities. And, true to its name…”

“But, Irene.”

“Yes? Do you have a question?”

I raised my hand to ask.

“What is an arcade anyway? Is it like a game room?”

“There’s no mention of a game room in any of the materials.”

768 and 355 spoke up. I was curious. The things you’d find in a game room are what they call arcade games.

But in that dungeon, all there are are shopping buildings.

Irene shook her head. Not arcade games? I was confused. Lucian, who was sitting next to me, chuckled.

“You idiot. You seriously don’t know that?”

Hearing his words, the Violets sitting in the back of the meeting room stood up and raised their voices.

“What? Then what is an arcade? Explain it!”

“If you’re wrong, we’ll punish you!”

“Ah… Aah! Don’t yell in my ear! Fine! I’ll explain now…”

The poor guy, clearly exasperated, raised both hands in surrender. We all chuckled.

“So, an arcade, you see…”

Lucian began to explain slowly.

“Aha! So it wasn’t a game room!”

This guy isn’t only good at magic.

According to the explanation, the dictionary definition of an arcade refers to a street of shops with an arched roof. Simply put, a local market.

And once I combined that with the knowledge I had researched beforehand, I understood why that dungeon was called an ‘arcade.’

“Aha, it’s called that because it’s a ‘dungeonized’ shopping street?”

“It’s not just a shopping area; it’s a city. Violet, wasn’t that information you investigated?”

“Hehe…”

When Irene asked, I scratched my head. Sometimes, if you don’t pay attention, you forget things like this. The Violets immersed in the network hurriedly rummaged through the repository of memories.

“There must be something here?”

“I found it!”

The Violets quickly flipped through the pages. After sifting through a hazy booklet of memories and forgotten lunch menus, I was able to recall.

It’s such a strange sensation to be able to handle memories like a tangible object.

The gradually blurry memories began to surface. Perhaps due to its influence, the interior of the Violet Network transformed into a modern-style city.

Alright, so where was this again?

Vittorio City, a city in an unnamed kingdom. One that no longer exists…

“Violet?”

“Oh, I remembered! Sorry. Let’s continue!”

I returned to reality. Daphne was gently shaking my shoulder. I focused back on the meeting.

*

A century ago, Trist was home to numerous kingdoms, empires, and republics. The invention of the steam engine and the development of a market economy led to a revolutionary revival in the world.

There were minor issues like wealth disparity, but the historians in the academy city refer to that time as the ‘Golden Age.’

It’s some of the thin and broad knowledge I picked up in Polaris Academy’s history class.

In the Golden Age, successful capitalists emerged. The middle class arose. As people found more leisure in their basic needs, their focus turned to self-adornment.

Fashion, once exclusive to the nobility, became accessible to all.

Artisans specializing in clothing and bags emerged, while shoemakers, watchmakers, and jewelers grew incredibly busy to the point their hands became calloused.

Men with money adorned themselves with wonderful watches and shoes, wearing stylish ties and hats. Women accompanied these dapper men into shops to purchase beautiful luxury dresses, bags, and jewelry.

As demand grew, artisans gathered in areas with convenient transportation and a flow of goods.

Numerous textile factories were constructed, spewing smoke day and night, and countless men and women operated sewing machines in a frantic whirl.

As shopping areas formed, word of mouth brought many people, and the reputation of the region soared. Even the kings and emperors took notice and visited.

Here, the trends of world fashion were determined.

As time passed, voilà! The city of Vittorio City was born, renowned for its global fashion and luxury goods.

If we were to compare it on Earth, it’d be like Milan or Paris. Up to this point, it seems like a happy ending.

However, that’s when monsters appeared. The city vanished into the dimensional rift.

Decades after the first dimensional invasion and the subsequent minor wars, the diligent efforts of passionate artisans faded into memory, and the concepts of luxury goods and fashion barely revived from the ashes. Suddenly, Vittorio City reappeared as a dungeon in reality.

Hunters, risking their lives, set out to explore.

After countless disappearances and deaths, the grotesquely twisted city revealed new potential like a clam spitting out a pearl.

“So, the clothes you’re wearing are made from the fabric sourced there?”

“That’s right. It’s expensive, but nearly half of the materials used for armor and clothing come from there.”

We were heading to the entrance of the dungeon in a truck. Violet 12 was bored and touched the coat Irene was wearing.

The black fabric between her fingers was soft but hardened like metal at the slightest bit of pressure. It was a bizarre texture that wasn’t cotton, polyester, or silk.

What the dimensional rift swallowed wasn’t just thousands of artisans, or hundreds of thousands of workers, or millions of citizens.

People either died or turned into ghouls, yet there remained a massive amount of raw materials, including fabric and leather in Vittorio City.

Because the monsters didn’t loot the shops, almost all the goods remained.

“Still, we must insist on going to the deeper regions. That’s where relics like necklaces or rings with good effects are found.”

“Don’t overdo it. High-level monsters inhabit those areas.”

“Daphne, I got it!”

12 responded to her with a cheeky grin.

The items in this city soaked in Ether were bizarrely transformed.

The fabric stacked in textile factory warehouses or clothing stores became reinforced fabric that boasts otherworldly strength. Accessories like rings or necklaces from jewelry stores can enhance the wearer or deploy barriers.

All of these things continuously emerge. They say items are being copied?

In simple terms, all items are relics!

Thus, the city of luxury and fashion turned into a city of relics and hunters.

What the Violets need to do is simple. Walk down the main streets and alleys and rummage through drawers in any empty shop.

As we passed the checkpoint, a gate appeared. After waiting in line with a long stream of vehicles, it was finally our turn.

“Alright, I’m going to enter.”

I stepped on the accelerator. Passing through the shimmering violet gate, several huge elevators stood beneath the colorless marble floor.

To exaggerate, they were almost the size of a building.

In front, a guide waved a flashlight, directing the vehicles. One by one, the cars entered the elevator.

Our car also went inside. The interior was huge enough for several cars to fit.

Once the elevator was filled with cars, the doors slowly closed. The freight elevator beeped with a warning sound and began to descend slowly.

Soon, darkness greeted us. As we descended underground, the light gradually drew near.

“Everyone ready?”

After a while, the massive freight elevator gently landed on the floor. We heard a sound like a giant sighing as the air was released.

The creaking elevator came to a stop and the large doors opened.

In front, a hunter holding a flashlight directed us, and the cars waiting inside the elevator slowly moved out.

The truck rode across the forward base. Surrounding us were small shops and repair shops catering to hunters, as well as hospitals.

I turned my head. Various signs and advertisements surrounded me.

[Entry restricted to authorized personnel only]

[In case of crisis, we will respond directly. Temperance Insurance]

[Warning: Do not venture outside the forward base without adequate armament. Safety cannot be guaranteed – Atlas Security Service]

Exiting through the entrance of the forward base, we immediately entered the boundary zone.

As we pulled out with the truck, the grotesquely twisted main road waved at the Violets.

The first thing visible was an incredibly high, circular ceiling.

The interior space of the dungeon looked like a distorted and enlarged version of 19th-century European buildings. Even the size of a streetlamp was abnormally large.

The bizarrely warped and elongated structures jutted out in various directions, tangled together, reaching up to the ceiling.

The temporary buildings and walls we saw earlier felt paltry compared to this place.

Between the holes in the arched ceiling, light seeped through. The streetlights and interior lights in the buildings were glowing on their own, despite not having electricity flowing through them.

We headed toward the passage beyond the distant shadows.

This is the city of relics, Vittorio Arcade.