The guild hall wasn't what I was expecting. It wasn't as fancy as I imagined, but it was a sturdy establishment, with plenty of activity going in and out of it. There were several young men and women working as receptionists at a long counter. People with armor and weapons mingled with prospectors and gatherers, forming groups for dungeon exploring.

  "Andy!"

  I turn to see my cousin Teddy. He's got a big grin on his face, as if he's not at a guild hall but a store laden with precious sweets.

  "Hey, Teddy. This place is busier than I thought?"

  "Yeah! Isn't it exciting?!"

  "That's one word for it... is Will here yet?"

  The familiar slap of a firm hand on my back answers my question. I wince from the blow, turning to give Will a playful nudge. The big guy barely reacts to the push. Now that all three of us are here Teddy's enthusiasm grows twofold.

  "Yes, Will, Right on time! Let's go get licensed!"

  Will I exchange bemused looks as we follow behind a giddy Teddy. The shorter boy looks happier now than he did back when Jenny kissed him at the hunting festival. We only have to wait a minute or so in line before it's Teddy's turn to speak to the receptionist. She's a brunette I recognize from someplace in town.

  "What can I do for you?"

  "I'd like to get licensed as an adventurer!"

  An adventurer. From what Teddy has told us, it's a new profession that's come about because of the dungeon. I don't really understand what the dungeon is, but apparently there's a lot of money to be made if you bring useful or unique things out of it for the adventurer's guild. Some people sell the stuff to unrelated merchants, but I don't know any specifics.

  "I see, well, may I ask how old you are?"

  Teddy starts to turn a bit red at the question. He often gets mistaken for a kid due to his small stature, but he's as old as both Will and I. Will gets the opposite problem with his impressively large size. I can't say I envy either of them!

  "I am an adult! Just short, that's all."

  The receptionist looks doubtful. Will and I laugh before stepping in to vouch for him.

  "He's really eighteen, Ma'am, he just is on the short side. Will here is actually the same age."

  "Oh? I see, well, if you want to get licensed you all should attend the next briefing. Briefings are held multiple times a day just outside the guild hall. You can find the timetable on the wall over there-" She points to a posted document.

  With a new objective in mind, the three of us crowd around the schedule. Apparently the next lecture is in a few minutes. The receptionist told us we have to attend one of these meetings to learn about the dungeon, and then we can take a test to verify we've learned enough to enter. It all feels so strange and over the top for what sounds like hunting in a special cave.

  Teddy leads the way out of the guild hall. Outside, things are just as busy. Groups of adventurers network and prepare to journey back to Daywark or into the dungeon itself. Most faces are familiar, but almost as many are not.

  An array of benches are set out in front of a small wooden podium to the side of the guild hall. Several aspiring adventurers are seated, waiting for the briefing to begin. Some of those in the crowd look to be veteran adventurers--or at least experienced in combat. Our party finds a seat near the front.

  Nary a minute passes before an awkward looking man takes the podium.

  He clears his throat, the sound carrying throughout the meeting area. Those who don't immediately give the man their attention are quickly scolded by their neighbors. He sifts through some documents atop the podium before beginning his lecture.

  "You have all come here to become adventurers, right?"

  We collectively give the man a variety of replies, all some form of yes.

  It's obvious in the way the speaker handles himself that he isn't an adventurer or a combatant of any kind, not a mercenary nor soldier.

  "There are only three things you need to know to pass your test and become licensed adventurers-" He is reading from a script of sorts. "-The dungeon layout, the monsters within, and what is valuable."

  My mind is already starting to wander. The way he's presenting things is drab in comparison to the fantastical stories that often slip through the lips of men in the bars and taverns of Daywark. Glory, danger, and intrigue are missing from this briefing.

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  "You'll be able to purchase dungeon maps from the guild, but our information is limited."

  Is a map really necessary? It doesn't sound like it's much larger than Daywark itself. Just a little valley with some trees and a lake beneath a plateau.

  "As for the monsters, there are three to watch out for."

  The man explains some big hawks that live up by the plateau. Contrary to the briefing, many of the others in the crowd tell a different story. If the whispers are to be believed, the great hawks have largely been wiped out. Laying eyes on one is a rare occurrence nowadays.

  "Remember! Any live dungeon monsters are worth good money to the guild! We will not be taking mundane rabbits, bugs, birds, or fish. Great hawks, goliath toads, bullhead geckos, and swarmers are all fair game."

  Apparently there are a lot of ordinary animals living in the dungeon. They aren't exactly the same as the ones in the forest around Daywark, but they are just too plain to be worth anything. A rabbit from the desert isn't much more valuable than a rabbit from the prairie.

  The most frightening part of the lecture is talk of the eclipse. Apparently there are rare cases of the sun within the dungeon being eclipsed, and when that happens everything is bathed in red light. The animals and monsters go into a frenzy and attack anything they find.

  "This concludes today's briefings, if you'd like to go get your license enter the guild hall and ask to take the test. If you can't read you may take the test orally."

  The crowd disperses as the majority of onlookers move to the guild hall. Another fresh batch of adventurers for the dungeon, so many people that it's worrying. Will looks just as concerned as I do. Teddy is too excited to see the inside of the dungeon to care.

  "C'mon fellas! We have to get in there!"

  "Alright, alright. The dungeon isn't going anywhere, Teddy."

  ~

  The issues with the adventurers' constant exploitation of my dungeon are only growing worse. Not a single great hawk is living within the dungeon, and the ones they've brought out alive are not going to live for very long. The cages they keep them in are frankly horrible. I thought I was cruel to let my animals fight to survive in an enclosed ecosystem, but now I am more confident in my way of doing things.

  Adventurers flow in and out of the dungeon like water does through a river. The only thing that keeps them from simply storming in and bulldozing the place is the eclipse and their need to sleep. Night time is the quietest part of each day, with barely anyone coming to visit. Those that do are often too few in number to do the damage the daytime hordes commit.

  I've found it both humiliating and frustratingly helpful to have so many people roving through Green Valley. Their presence means a lot of passive mana flowing into my core, but they're destroying everything! Pathways are being formed as foot traffic tramples the grass into dirt, Fair Plateau is nearly devoid of animal life due to rampant hunting, and several wooden ladders have been brought to make climbing down the sides of the plateau easy.

  While not all bad, this is driving me nuts. I value control of my dungeon.

  The people moving throughout Green valley look like ants from above. Of course. If the humans are pests, then why not give them a similar treatment as I did the insects?

  Once again it is time for me to create an obelisk--to enforce another dungeon law, a fitting term for these magical effects that encompass whole regions of the dungeon. This time I carve out a large room within my core area for the obelisk. I don't think it would fit anywhere else right now, so it gets its own room with high vaulted ceilings and simple architecture.

  The obelisk itself is massive. The dark obsidian monolith rises from the floor, my mana coalescing rapidly to take its shape. Countermeasures to keep the adventurers from crowding into my dungeon hover at the forefront of my mind. The mana follows my will as it carves symbols into the obelisk's surface. Every adventurer within the dungeon pauses as if holding their breath. Their eyes scan for the source of their unease--but they find nothing.

  Then, without a sound, the dungeon law takes effect.

  ~

  We're about to enter the dungeon for the first time. It took way longer than we expected to get through the test, since Teddy had to do it orally. Now there's a bit of a crowd as so many people are exiting the dungeon for the day.

  "This is going to be so cool!"

  Teddy will not shut up about the dungeon.

  Apparently that boring lecture actually entertained him, as he was happy to hear some new details on the monsters native to the dungeon. I still don't understand the difference between a monster and a regular animal living in the dungeon. Is there even one?

  We walk along the path to the dungeon, pausing outside the door.

  The sight of it takes our breath away. After spending all this time getting ready to take a trip into the dungeon it is a shock to actually be standing in front of the place. It feels a bit like hearing stories about someone, and then meeting them for the first time.

  The door is taller than I expected. It could probably fit three of me on top of one another, and four of me across! The thing is open, and yet the door itself is more interesting than the corridor beyond. Pictures are carved into the stone like fine paintings. Imagery of a woman bound in chains and blindfolded put an eerie feeling in the pit of my stomach. There's pictures of the monsters, of plants, all with the woman. Who is she?

  "What are we waiting for?" Will breaks our silence.

  "Was just taking in the scenery! This is a big moment."

  Teddy, ever the dungeon enthusiast, is the first to step through the door.

  At least that's what was supposed to happen. Instead of stepping through the threshold between the forest and the dungeon he simply smacks into the open door like he's hit a wall. He lets out a pained yelp before stumbling backwards. Will and I catch him, looking from his bruised nose to the dungeon's door.

  Where there was open space is now a strange shimmering wall. It's like glass, with parts of it invisible to our eyes and other areas glowing faintly like the moon. The odd barrier is blue in color and gives off a steady hum I both feel and hear.

  "W-What is that?!”

  Teddy scrambled to his feet before striding forward to smack his fist on the wall of blue energy. It doesn't budge, behaving as if made of solid rock. Teddy pauses only to squint at the translucent wall. I follow his eyes to find there's writing on its surface.

  "What's this say? I can't... you know."

  Nodding, I step a bit closer to give it a look.

  "Over capacity. Twenty eight out of... six?"