Chapter 364: Ch 363: Truth of this world

The full-scale investigation into the dungeons began soon after, and this time, the government was far more prepared than before.

Proper survey teams were established specifically for dungeon exploration, with researchers, mages, awakened individuals, and ordinary staff being assigned different roles depending on their abilities and experience.

The guilds were also given permission to cooperate with the research teams, allowing them to provide information about the dungeons they had already explored.

Every monster encounter, dungeon layout, magical fluctuation, and dungeon core was recorded and compared with the information gathered from other locations.

For the first time, people were beginning to understand that the dungeons were not random structures that had simply appeared around the world.

They were connected somehow, and the evidence was found by the survey teams.

The researchers spent weeks comparing the data, and eventually, a theory began to take shape.

"The current evidence suggests that the dungeons are part of an interconnected system."

One of the researchers explained during a meeting while displaying several maps across a large screen.

"We initially assumed that each dungeon was independent, but the magical signatures we have recorded suggest otherwise. There are similarities between their cores, monster populations, mana fluctuations, and even the way their structures change over time."

Another researcher pointed toward a map showing several dungeons spread across different countries.

"We also discovered that some of the mana flowing through these dungeons appears to follow specific paths beneath the surface. We haven’t been able to determine where those paths lead yet, but they seem to connect multiple dungeons together."

The room became quiet as everyone stared at the information.

"So you believe the dungeons are connected through some kind of system?"

Tyson asked.

"That is our current theory."

The researcher nodded.

"We don’t know whether it is artificial or natural, but whatever created these dungeons appears to have established a structure that allows them to communicate and exchange mana."

Kael remained silent while listening to their explanation.

On the surface, everything made sense.

In fact, it was probably the most reasonable explanation anyone could come up with using the information they had.

But the moment Kael looked at the diagrams, something inside his mind reacted.

He stared at the lines connecting the dungeons, and then he looked at the information about the cores.

And suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind.

’This isn’t a system of interconnected places.’

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

He did not know where the thought had come from, as there was no evidence supporting it, and nothing in the research suggested such a conclusion.

Yet the moment he saw the dungeon network, he felt as though he was looking at something he had already seen before.

To his eyes, this whole thing looked like a corpse with a similar defence mechanism, and the energy pulsing underneath was the life force of that body.

A corpse.

Kael’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at the diagrams.

The dungeons were not structures created by some unknown system, but rather, they were parts of something.

Something enormous.

Something that was already dead and yet had the power to influence this world. And the people exploring the dungeons were effectively exploring the inside of its corpse without even realising it.

Kael’s fingers tightened slightly around the armrest.

’Where did that thought even come from?’

He did not have an answer.

The idea felt like forbidden knowledge that had somehow slipped into his mind, despite there being no logical reason for him to know it.

Perhaps it was because of the dungeon cores he had absorbed, or perhaps it was because of his connection to the dungeon root.

Or perhaps there was another reason entirely.

Kael slowly looked around the room.

Everyone was still discussing the theory of an interconnected system, completely unaware of what had crossed his mind.

He could tell them.

He could tell Tyson that he believed the dungeons were actually the remains of some enormous dead being.

But what evidence did he have?

None.

Besides, it was dangerous to tell humans knowledge they were not ready to hear. It gave them too many ideas that were dangerous.

So Kael decided to keep this information to himself for now. There was no need to alarm the others about such an issue because, in the end, it did not change anything for anyone.

They still had to take care of the dungeons and collect the cores. And as for what killed the god... it could only be another god or a force that could rival it.

But Kael had a feeling it was something deeper, and it was something the gods had invited upon themselves.

"Well, researching it is fine and all, but we should not get too dependent on mana and such. These things are foreign to our world, and we don’t know how long they will last."

The researcher pointed out, and Kael let out a sigh.

That man had a point.

As far as he could tell, the mana would remain in this world until the full authority of that fallen god was realised. But it likely wouldn’t take long.

Humans had already started to figure out that they needed to start absorbing the dungeon cores if they wanted to increase their power. But they could only get a small portion of the power before their bodies started breaking apart.

In the end, that power flowed into Kael as well because he had the biggest share of this power currently.

’Hmm, does that mean I am becoming a vessel for this god’s power? That does not sound as unpleasant as I thought it would.’

It could be because Kael was not a human anymore, but he had a feeling it was more than that. His very essence was changing slowly, making him no longer who he used to be.

By the end, would he still be Kael, or would he be replaced by a god that wore his face and his name?

’Hmm, should I stop now?’

But that did not sound right either. The solution was likely something else entirely.