A man mistakenly becomes the city lord of the land, conquering all the heavens and myriad worlds.

She originally wanted to help Chen Hai, but now she realizes she was overthinking things.

On one side is the lord of the underground city, and on the other side is the chief god of zero-kin clans; they are not on the same level.

"If I wanted to invade Orario, I wouldn't be sitting here chatting with you guys."

"First, I will gather people and train powerful monsters (heretics) before launching an attack on the ground."

"Now that you mention it... actually, a single dead dragon from the 'Abyss Floor' would be enough to destroy Orario."

Chen Hai continued.

He believed that the dead dragon should be on the same level as the black dragon that was driven away and sealed, or even stronger.

To put it bluntly, even with the gods unable to intervene, Chen Hai's 'underground city' still possesses the power to conquer the surface.

As the system owner, Chen Hai needs to accumulate experience.

While there are methods to enslave the entire Orario, Chen Hai believes such methods are too extreme and not necessarily efficient.

A competent ruler must know how to use the whip and the candy in his hand.

Now the 'whip' is there, and it belongs to the countless adventurers trapped in the dungeon;

Next, we'll give the native inhabitants of Orario some 'candy'. As for how exactly to do that, we'll need to discuss it further over time.

After all, Chen Hai is not a demon, but the lord of the underground city.

"I was really overestimating myself before, actually inviting Chen Hai to join my clan..."

"Before knowing the truth, everything Miss Hestia did was out of kindness, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"So Chen Hai really isn't our enemy?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to cooperate."

Chen Hai had watched the animation.

In his eyes, this world is an interesting dimension, and there's no need to destroy it.

However, Chen Hai is not exactly an innocent newbie.

As he sipped his tea, he added a sentence.

"For those who are unwilling to cooperate, I will give them two choices: disappear into the dungeon, or disappear outside the dungeon."

"These two options don't seem to make much difference."

Loki opened his narrowed eyes slightly and made a wry smile as he complained.

Hestia disagreed with this.

"I think what Chen Haijun meant was 'disobedient people will be swallowed up by the dungeon' and 'choose to give up exploring the dungeon forever'. One will be killed, and the other can live."

"What if 'disappear' means exactly what it sounds like?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?"

Hestia looked at Chen Hai with concern once again.

He smiled.

"I will show no mercy to my enemies, nothing more."

There were no further explanations; it was up to the two main gods before them to understand for themselves.

At this moment, the leader of the Adventurers' Guild arrived at the scene.

His name is Royman Madier.

A centenarian elf who indulges in pleasure.

With his gray hair and hunched back, Royman Madier stood at the door of the lounge. As his eyes met Chen Hai's, he cautiously walked to a seat by the window and sat down.

"Good evening, Mr. Chen Hai. I am Royman Madil, the current manager of the Adventurers' Guild."

"Now that we know each other's identities, let's get straight to the point. I plan to cooperate with the Adventurers' Guild to make the upcoming exploration of the dungeon more rational and efficient."

This is an unexpected topic.

At first, Royman took the staff’s claim that “the dungeon lord has come to visit” as a joke.

After hearing multiple reports confirming that the dungeon was completely sealed off and adventurers could not freely enter or leave, Royman finally took it seriously.

If the other party really is the 'Lord of the Underground City', Royman has several plans in mind.

One of them: cooperation, to establish a new system;

Secondly: Eliminate unstable factors that the Adventurers' Guild cannot control.

After finalizing the plan, Royman intended to have a serious talk.

Chen Hai was unsure of the other person's thoughts, but he understood their respective positions.

When the enemy's boss comes to you, you certainly won't greet him with a smile and cooperate obediently.

However, Chen Hai didn't really care whether Luo Yiman agreed or not.

He never liked this guy.

"Mr. Chenhai, if I may be so bold, could you consider sealing off the underground city as a way of intimidating us?"

"It depends on how you interpret it. This is both a show of force and the leverage to get us here to negotiate, isn't it? I believe you couldn't have initially thought of me as the real 'Lord of the Underground City'."

For three thousand years, people have developed a very complex relationship with the underground city.

Some fear that the dungeons will once again be engulfed by a devastating wave of monsters invading the surface.

Adventurers, on the other hand, hope to grow stronger in the dungeons and follow in the footsteps of ancient heroes.

Regardless of the situation, the importance of 'Dungeons' in Orario, and even the entire DanMachi universe, cannot be denied.

"I understand, Mr. Chenhai. What are your requirements? In what areas do you intend to cooperate?"

"It's very simple. I need the Adventurers' Guild to impose more appropriate 'restrictions' on adventurers. Adventurers of different levels should only be allowed to move around on fixed floors, and their hours should be fixed to ensure three shifts."

"Um...you mean you want adventurers to explore the dungeon non-stop by taking shifts?"

"You're right."

If the adventurers are exhausted from working without shift changes, Chen Hai will gain less experience.

But changing shifts is different.

It can ensure efficiency while avoiding overexertion of adventurers.

After all, this world is not as competitive as the world Chen Hai originally lived in.

If you don't do it, plenty of others will.

No, no.

The number of adventurers is limited.

High-level elite adventurers are even rarer.

They are all the chosen workers that Chen Hai has his eye on.

"Adventurers are inherently free beings. Guilds merely provide them with a platform to transform their power into wealth. Chen Hai's new arrangements undoubtedly impose significant constraints on them."

"One more thing, adventurers entering dungeons will no longer be treated as beings that must be killed by monsters."

"Oh?"

Does that mean you won't die?

Not only Royman, but Loki and Hestia were also surprised.

Chen Hai's arrangement is consistent with what he said before.

The more employees, the better.

As long as they don't get killed, that's fine.

"In this situation, they can fight monsters, explore dungeons to find rare ores, and become stronger while making money, achieving multiple benefits at the same time; even if they are injured, they will receive a reward."

This... is the 'five social insurances and one housing fund' for adventurers in Orario.

Chapter Nine: Instantly Defeating the Sage of DanMachi—LV.4·Fels (Please give flowers! Add to favorites! Rate!)

While Chen Hai was discussing matters with Royman Madil in the lounge, a ghostly figure was moving through the dark corridor beneath the Adventurers' Guild.

He was dressed entirely in black, with patterned black gloves on his hands, and was called 'Ghost' by some of the guild members because of his appearance.

Now, the man in black ascended the spiral staircase to the upper level, activated a mechanism known only to him, and finally emerged from the gap in the rooftop.

His name is Fels, and he comes from a magical superpower. In the past, he was a "sage" who took the development of the ability "mystery" to the extreme and successfully created the "Philosopher's Stone".

He was taken in by Uranus and became his personal mercenary when he was wandering in Orario hundreds of years ago.

Fels has been ordered to investigate the 'Dungeon Lord' who has appeared at the Adventurers' Guild headquarters.

Based on the intelligence he received, Uranus believed that something strange was happening in the underground city.

If the problem is not investigated and resolved in a timely manner, it is highly likely that the terrible event from many years ago—the invasion of underground monsters onto the surface—will be repeated.

It's important to know that even today, monsters that have escaped from dungeons and multiplied still exist all over the world.

Fels walked to the edge of the rooftop, looked down, and gazed at the lit-up lounge.

Dungeon Lord...

That's how the Adventurers' Guild staff address each other.

Eina, being the first person to connect with him, believed that the identity was most likely genuine.

Because after the 'Dungeon Lord' announced the closure of the maze entrances and exits, the same situation actually occurred.

Fels was also skeptical about this.

What if it's just a coincidence?

It's impossible for an underground city to be controlled by a single city lord.

After all, it is like a twisted life form that is unreasonable and irrational.

Despite his speculations, Fils decided to listen to the conversation.

Then make a judgment.

If this 'Dungeon Lord' poses a significant threat to Orario, he should try to eliminate him.

but……

If they fail, conflict is bound to erupt between the two sides.

This reminded Fels to be careful enough.

Thinking of this, Fels couldn't help but shift his gaze to the distant Tower of Babel, and then the word 'heretic' came to mind.

Fells has been associated with the 'heretics' for 16 years.

If the identity of the 'Dungeon Lord' is true, then the fate of those heretics should be able to change, right?

And so, Fels jumped off the roof, concealing himself as he moved along the outer wall.

The reason for not meeting directly is to maintain the advantage of 'the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark'.

The outcome was completely different from what Fels had imagined—

The moment he ran to the bedside in the lounge to eavesdrop, a questioning voice came from inside the room.

"Would you like to come in? You are a guest outside."

Chen Hai, sitting on the sofa, looked out the window.

"Huh? Is anyone outside??"

Hestia looked puzzled, and her gaze followed the empty window.

Just as Royman and Loki were getting curious, Chen Hai had already left his seat.

He spoke as he walked toward the window.

"I don't like sneaky guys."

Chen Hai, who can use his abilities to sense the entire underground city, can also conduct an 'investigation' of his surroundings from his own perspective.