It was April 17th, Japan Standard Time—the dead of night, right as the date was about to change.
Suddenly, every television channel across the globe cut away from its scheduled programming.
The announcers appearing on screen looked flustered, yet they maintained a strangely solemn composure. Each one delivered the same emergency bulletin: first, they asked the viewers to look at the footage they were about to broadcast.
Then, the video feed switched.
What appeared on screen was a stark white space. A single man sat upon a white throne.
The man had long white hair and skin that was a sickly, pale white. Most strikingly, his eyes were a brilliant gold. His age was impossible to determine; he looked like a young man in his twenties, yet he could just as easily have been approaching his fifties.
His age was indeterminate less because of his hair and more because his features were so gaunt. His cheeks were hollowed out, and deep, dark shadows—so dark they looked black—hung beneath his eyes.
Judging by his skin tone, he might have been mistaken for Caucasian, yet his features seemed strangely shallow. Of course, no human existed with eyes that glowed with such a golden light.
He was an enigmatic presence, untethered to any recognizable race.
That was the first impression most people had when they saw him.
Exuding a weary, listless atmosphere, the man opened his mouth to speak.
"People of Earth, hello."
The greeting was brief.
However, in that instant, many realized the sheer abnormality of his speech.
The sounds were unlike any language on Earth, yet their meaning was instantly clear. People watched with wide eyes, stunned by the bizarre phenomenon.
"First, let me explain. I am broadcasting this image to every region on Earth. While I am speaking only one language, none of you should have trouble understanding me. The reason is simple: I am using a skill called Celestial Voice."
"This skill allows the listener to understand my words as clearly as their own native language. It is a skill that does nothing more and nothing less than that."
"I believe you now understand why my words are clear. So, let us move straight to the heart of the matter."
"I shall explain who I am."
"I am—"
"—I am the Dungeon Master."
"If you ask what a Dungeon Master is, the answer is simple. I hold administrative authority over every dungeon currently appearing on Earth."
"Now... there is, of course, a reason I have appeared before you all today."
"But before that, I imagine you are wondering: what is a dungeon? Let me answer that for you."
"A dungeon is, in your terms, a terraforming device. It is a mechanism used to remodel a planetary environment to make it hospitable for a specific life form."
"In this case, it goes without saying that this 'life form' is not you humans."
"Once the terraforming by the dungeons is complete, you will die. Every last one of you."
"I will tell you now: you lack any means of interfering with this process. Furthermore, this terraforming is irreversible. No matter the stage of the environmental alteration, it will never return to its original state."
"Some of you may have already suspected this, but the terraforming currently in progress is the diffusion of magic essence into the Earth."
"The process follows these steps:
Phase 1: The appearance of dungeons. This has already concluded.
Phase 2: Monster Outbreak. Once the magic essence concentration on the surface exceeds a certain threshold, monsters will begin to emerge from the dungeons and enter the surface world.
Phase 3: Expansion of dungeon territory. Monsters will begin to spawn directly on the surface.
Phase 4: Seven Core Dungeons appear, and the diffusion of magic essence via monster outbreaks accelerates.
Final Phase: Global dungeonization. Once this happens, monsters will spawn everywhere on Earth."
"By the way, I do not recommend that you stop using magic stones or try to seal the dungeons."
"The current situation lies between Phase 1 and Phase 2. If you do not hunt the monsters within the dungeons, monster outbreaks will begin to occur even before the official transition to Phase 2. While monsters that emerge on the surface eventually perish over time, they scatter magic essence as they do so."
"In other words, sealing the dungeons only buys you a little time. Furthermore, by refusing to enter the dungeons, humanity will lose the strength it needs to deal with the monsters."
"However, you may rest easy. There is indeed a path to survival."
"And that is to conquer the dungeons."
"You must clear the seven Core Dungeons that will eventually appear and seize their administrative authority. That is your only choice."
"To that end, you must delve into the dungeons and prepare the forces necessary for their conquest."
"Now... I expect you are wondering why I, the Dungeon Master and the enemy of humanity, am showing you a way to survive."
"My reason is quite simple. There is no need to overthink it."
"—Entertainment."
"Humanity’s extinction is a near-certainty. There isn't a one-in-ten-thousand chance that you will conquer a Core Dungeon."
"But by all means, struggle desperately. Perhaps, at the end of it all, you might actually seize the administrative authority from me and survive."
"A game with a predetermined winner is terribly dull, don't you agree?"
"That is why I want to enjoy the sight of you all struggling. I want to experience the thrill of a possible defeat. That is all."
"Furthermore, refusal is not an option."
"This is a game. A game with the survival of your species on the line."
"If you choose not to participate, you have no choice but to perish."
"If you are going to be destroyed either way, wouldn't it be better to bet on a slim possibility?"
"Lastly—"
"There are likely those among you who suspect I am a mere charlatan spinning lies."
"Therefore, I wish to present proof that my explanation is the truth."
"Proof that I am, without a doubt, the Dungeon Master."
The man paused.
He slowly raised his right hand and—
Snap!
He snapped his fingers.
"At this very moment, I have unlocked a certain function of the dungeons."
"It involves the objects you call teleportation circles."
"Until now, you could only return to upper floors from below. But from now on, that has changed. Provided you have already conquered a floor and reached its teleportation circle, I have unlocked bidirectional teleportation."
"In other words, if it is a floor you have reached once before, you can now teleport instantly from, for example, Floor 1 to Floor 10."
"This is a small gift from me to all of you."
"I hope you will use this function to conquer the dungeons."
"I look forward to your valiant efforts."
"Well then—"
With that, the video feed cut out.
The screen returned to the news studios, where announcers began explaining the footage. They reported that governments worldwide had been requested to broadcast this message by a being calling himself the Dungeon Master.
It was currently unclear why the governments had agreed to the release.
However, the announcers added that if the bidirectional function of the teleportation circles had truly been unlocked as the Dungeon Master claimed, his credibility would be undeniable.
Some television stations returned to their regular programming, while others launched into emergency specials, beginning heated debates with hurriedly summoned dungeon experts.
Is the Dungeon Master real? If he is, what does this mean for the world? Can the monster outbreaks and the expansion of dungeon territory he described actually happen? Does this relate to the monster outbreaks that occurred today—or rather, yesterday—in seven major cities? Was that his doing or not?
Filled only with unconfirmed speculation, the discussions were hollow and superficial.
However, only a few minutes later, more breaking news arrived.
Reports flooded in, confirming that the teleportation circles had been updated exactly as the Dungeon Master had claimed.
Thus, the world was plunged into a state of profound chaos, forced to transition into a new and dangerous stage.