About

About 10 years ago, things called Gates began to appear, and inside them were spaces called Dungeons and magic beasts. Modern weapons were useless against these beasts, but as if to strike a balance, some humans began to awaken and became able to oppose them. A Dungeon boss must be defeated within a week; otherwise, a Dungeon Break occurs, allowing the magic beasts to pour out of the Gate. Generally, Gates take the form of caves, but in the case of Red Gates, diverse terrains unfold. Once you enter a Red Gate, you cannot leave until it is cleared or a Break occurs. Dungeons, like Hunters, have ranks ranging from S to E. The rank does not exactly match the size of the Gate or the area of the Dungeon; instead, it is determined by the mana measurements emanating from the Gate. Despite this, frequent errors occur in these measurements, often posing a threat to Hunters' lives. A Raid refers to a large group of people attacking a Dungeon, and a minimum number of participants is set for each rank. It is common for strike squads or guilds to purchase raiding rights to clear them. Since Dungeon Breaks occur even in D-rank or lower Dungeons that aren't profitable, the Hunter Association often manages them directly. Dungeons yield minerals like Mana Stones and Luminous Stones, while magic beasts yield Essence Stones. These are used as energy sources or resources for making weapons, and humanity now depends on them. Even the bodies of monsters are utilized as important resources. In short, everything from a Dungeon becomes money. Corporations also establish guilds to secure their own resources and enter the Hunter business. In truth, Gates are a type of skill used by beings like Rulers and Monarchs. Dungeons were created to make Earth suitable as a battlefield. Environments exposed to mana are naturally strengthened; the Rulers created Gates and Dungeons to expose Earth to mana so it could withstand the future war between Rulers and Monarchs. The reason some humans began to awaken was also to prevent the extinction of all mankind in that war. Awakened humans were those capable of surviving the conflict. In other words, Gates and Dungeons were like gifts given to humanity by the Rulers. As for the identity of the magic beasts in the Dungeons, they are beings called inhabitants of the chaos world. They are essentially remnants from the past war between Rulers and Monarchs—specifically, prisoners of war from the Rulers' camp. Additionally, Dungeons contain the Cartel created by the Architect, temples, and the Demon Castle.