Chapter 7

I appeared inside a well-organized staging room between two pillars. The blurry portal I’d just exited was behind me, and there was a significant crowd gathered on the opposite side of the dungeon entrance.

I suspected the portal worked like the ones in my previous realm, where groups could enter on one side of the portal, while those exiting came out the other.

A guard stood nearby, though he didn’t seem threatening so much as merely present. Beyond the guard were a couple of counters that had to be passed to get to the exit. The farthest one appeared to have a customer, while a group of four waited nearby.

The entire area was enclosed, and two additional armored individuals stood guard by the exit.

“I’ll take this one,” a man said, drawing my attention as he approached from a shrouded alcove I hadn’t noticed.

The man wore the vestments of a priest – flowing silver robes, marked with metallic blue symbols representing Dia, this realm’s goddess. I was glad to see that much hadn’t changed.

The symbols were significantly more stylized than I recalled from the simulation, but that made sense if the symbols I was familiar with were an older version of what I was seeing now.

The priest stood almost a full head taller than me, which put him at a bit over eight feet tall. He wasn’t the tallest person in the vicinity, but he was close.

His skin was a silvery blue, marking him as having at least undergone his second evolution since I didn’t think skin changes were an option before that point. The man’s hair was also silver, though without the blueish hue that his skin carried, while his eyes were remarkably similar to Rho’s.

“Welcome, Ascender,” the priest greeted me before motioning toward a side door. “I am Priest Zeth. If you would please follow me, I’d be happy to help you get situated.”

I followed Priest Zeth down the winding hallway, not bothering to use my newest skill to learn more since I could sense the man’s power far eclipsed my own.

The building we were in appeared to have been newly constructed and looked far more elaborate than the one I’d arrived in for the simulation.

That made sense considering the Dungeon Complex in the simulation was only supposed to be connected to a third evolution dungeon as opposed to an Ascender Dungeon.

It also made sense if the old Dungeon Complex, including the temple and Delver Association buildings, was renovated or rebuilt during the dungeon’s evolution.

“Are travelers or transmigrators a real thing in this realm?” I asked, thinking back to how the simulation had labeled me as a traveler.

“Such individuals are not unheard of, though they are rare.”

Priest Zeth paused in front of an unmarked door and pressed his hand against a panel next to it. As if drawn by an unseen hand, the marking ‘A7’ appeared on the door.

He stepped back and motioned for me to place my hand on the panel. When I did, the marking on the door pulsed twice, and the door slid open.

“As far as I’m aware, the same should apply to the lower realms,” the man said as he followed me inside the small apartment. “Were such visitors common in your previous realm?”

I shook my head as the door slid closed behind us. The living room was small, but provided plenty of space for a couch, chair, and a few small tables. There was also a coffee table that looked like it contained some type of storage as well.

The décor was all done in shades of silver and blue, which made sense, given the goddess’s colors.

Attached to the living room was a bedroom and a bathroom, though I didn’t see a kitchen anywhere.

“No. I had the opportunity to experience a simulation of Dia prior to ascending,” I explained. “I was given the role of ‘Traveler’ in the simulation. I just wondered if that was something that really happened here.”

“You were one of the few lucky ones. Most ascend with little to no knowledge of what to expect when they arrive,” the priest informed me. “I must warn you, though. Much has changed in the twelve thousand years since the demons began invading our realm.”

“There wasn’t anything about demon invasions in the simulation,” I said, mentally glossing over the amount of time that had passed.

Was that one of the changes that Rho was alluding to?

“Unfortunately, the incursions by the demons have changed Dian culture somewhat. Much of the realm’s technology regressed or was lost altogether due to the death and destruction that the initial wave of incursions caused.

“Some territories were completely lost, while others organized together to form states. You should expect that much of what you experienced in the simulation might no longer be applicable,” the priest said consolingly.

I frowned. I’d expected something significant to have changed, but demons were outside of my expectations.

Zeth motioned for me to take a seat on the couch, taking the chair for himself.

Folding his pale hands in his lap, he said, “Let me fill you in on the basics. As you know, this realm is named Dia, named such after our goddess. The realm is comprised of a single large world named Vasillios.

“There is only one star, which serves as our sun. The rest of the vast space around our world is empty. No matter how far one might travel, they will never encounter anything beyond this system.

“However, the world is vast and has many places to explore. It also holds many secrets, some of which have yet to be discovered,” the priest said, pausing to let the information settle.

“12,473 years ago,” he continued a moment later, “the first incursion from the Demon Realm into Dia occurred, marking the beginning of our new calendar. While progression has always been important to Dia and her people, the appearance of demons and the upheaval that they caused necessitated a change in how society functioned.

“Where youths used to be free to travel as they transitioned from child to adult – a milestone that has always occurred with the first evolution at level 200 – such freedoms were deemed too dangerous in modern times since the weakest demons attacking our realm are typically well into their first evolution.

“Because of this, nearly all youths remain in the city of their birth until they reach adulthood. Upon gaining access to the system at age fifteen, youths enter the Dungeon Complex, which consists of the temple, a medical facility, housing for certain delvers and the clergy, the local Delver Association, and, of course, the entrance to the dungeon itself.

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“There, they are provided room and board, as well as any training and support they might need to become successful adults capable of at least facing the weakest threats facing our realm.

“Every transitioning youth is required to delve so they may progress to the first evolution. Beyond that is a matter of personal choice, but most understand the threat we face and opt to continue gaining strength so they may protect themselves and others.”

“This is mandatory?” I asked.

“It is, by necessity. Those who refuse the laws of society are granted their freedom from such restrictions through exile,” the priest said casually. His words weren’t expressed with any sort of threat, only a statement of fact. “While perhaps considered unfair by some, it is a harsh truth that the people of Dia, new and native, must acknowledge.

“Those who have not yet reached their first evolution are functionally incapable of protecting themselves against even the weakest of the threats facing our realm. Their skills are too weak, and they cannot use higher-evolution weaponry to make up the difference since the strain of using such weapons could cause permanent harm.

“Because they rely on the efforts of others for their safety, such measures were deemed appropriate to ensure a sufficient number of citizens remain capable of fighting the ongoing incursions.