You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

Faced with this blatant questioning and insult, Ross's face flushed red, and a surge of anger rushed to his head.

However, due to the chairman's authority, he suppressed his anger and did not lash out on the spot.

"Veronica, don't be rude!"

Amata rebuked him in a deep voice, knowing full well his capable assistant's character flaws—he was quite capable, but too arrogant and mean.

If he hadn't known that she wasn't a bad person at heart, he would have lost his temper long ago.

"The fact that a large number of adventurers perished in the Black Whisper Caves proves that Mr. Ross's words are true."

Amata looked at Veronica, her tone carrying a hint of warning.

However, Veronica's delicate chin remained stubbornly raised, her face full of indifference.

"Even if that dungeon is really strange, it's just an E-rank dungeon after all. How much power could it possibly have? Is it worth making such a fuss about?"

Amata felt exasperated by Veronica's stubbornness and patiently instructed:

"Veronica, over the next few days, you will conduct thorough interviews with the adventurers who failed in the Black Whisper Caves, gathering as much information as possible about the monsters and traps inside, and then report back to me."

He needs more comprehensive information.

Meanwhile, Amata was secretly calculating in his mind:

Let's wait and see for a few more days.

If this bizarre 0% success rate persists, then he, as the guild leader, will have to personally intervene.

The fact that an E-level dungeon caused such large-scale casualties and panic is abnormal!

……

two weeks later

Time passed quietly.

In a room decorated with ancient runes, on the surface of a deep blue magic crystal ball suspended on a specially made base, data flows and updates as if it were alive:

Total number of adventurers entering the Black Whisper Caves: 1022

Number of Dead Adventurers: 988

[Experience Reward: 1444]

[Rank of E-level dungeon: 2311]

However, the glaringly obvious pass rate column remained as solid as frozen ice, steadily displaying that suffocating number:

0%.

The infamous reputation of the Black Language Caves finally spread like a plague throughout the underground world.

"Who exactly is the dungeon lord of that Black Language Cave?"

"I heard she's Lilith, the only daughter of Lord Cedric the Flame Duke!"

"So it was that young lady! No wonder. With the Flame Duke's power and connections, it wouldn't be difficult for him to hire a legendary 'dungeon builder' to create such a dungeon for his beloved daughter."

"I doubt it! Even a legendary architect could never achieve a 0% completion rate in an E-rank dungeon! That's simply illogical!"

"That's right, so what exactly happened?"

Taverns, mercenary camps, magic markets...

This incredible "death cave" is being discussed everywhere.

Chapter 18 Lilith's Collapse

This storm inevitably reached the ears of Cedric, the Flame Duke.

So he specially summoned his daughter Lilith's personal maid—

Alyssa, she's going to get to the bottom of this.

"Your Grace, you wanted to see me?"

Elisa entered the Duke's imposing study, filled with magical books and fire emblems, and appeared listless.

For the past two weeks, she has watched helplessly as the terrifying 0% completion rate of the Black Language Cave on the crystal ball remained unchanged, while her ranking skyrocketed like a rocket, and she was on the verge of a breakdown.

This completely contradicts her earlier assurance to the Duke that things would "return to normal soon"!

"Elisa".

Duke Cedric of Flames sat behind a desk ablaze with magical flames, his voice steady yet carrying an invisible pressure:

"What's the current situation with Lilith's E-rank dungeon, 'Black Whisper Cavern'?"

Alyssa dared not hide anything, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and report in detail the Black Language Cave's current alarming 0% completion rate, its soaring rankings, and the huge uproar it had caused in the adventurer world.

As Alyssa recounted her story, Cedric the Flame Duke's eyes, which seemed to contain molten lava, narrowed slightly, his sharp gaze piercing the air as if it were tangible.

—In just two weeks? From being ranked at the bottom of the list, over 7,000, to jumping straight to over 2,000?

Back then, it took him two whole years to climb from outside the top 7,000 to the top 2,000 in the dungeon he had poured his heart and soul into building!

Moreover, that speed was hailed as divine at the time!

As a result, he forged a deep friendship with that talented "dungeon builder," and they remain important partners to this day.

—And Lilith's dungeon... only took two weeks?

—This achievement actually came from that… vampire boy who, according to Alyssa, has absolutely no experience in dungeon construction?

"Are you sure... all of this was orchestrated by that vampire kid named Ron?"

Cedric's voice lowered, carrying a hint of incredulous inquiry.

Alyssa looked miserable, almost on the verge of tears:

“Your Grace, it’s absolutely true…it’s him!”

Cedric the Flame Duke, a powerful figure who commands respect throughout the underworld, is now lost in deep, almost endless contemplation!

It sounds like... this vampire kid named Ron is quite a rare talent when it comes to building dungeons.

If we can use his talents to help Lilith steadily grow on the path of becoming a dungeon lord, that would be a wonderful thing.

but!

—If this brat dares to harbor even the slightest covetousness and want to fall in love with Lilith, the beloved daughter of Duke Cedric the Flame?

—Absolutely not! Don't even think about it!

In short, he wholeheartedly supports pure cooperation and joint business development, without any problem!

Duke Cedric looked up from his deep thoughts, his molten lava-like gaze falling on the listless Elisa.

"Elisa".

His voice regained the duke's majesty:

"You continue to closely monitor developments, especially... the relationship between Lilith and that kid."

He emphasized the last half of the sentence.

……

At this moment, Lilith herself was undoubtedly more frantic and distressed than Alyssa.

Two whole weeks have passed, and that damned success rate is still like a number nailed to a tombstone—0%!

This feeling...

This is completely contrary to the prediction that kid made with such confidence back then!

But it's too late now; the contract has been signed, and it's like being shackled.

She could only grit her teeth and wait anxiously for the one-month settlement period to arrive before making any further plans.

"Ah—I'm going crazy!"

Lilith let out a suppressed groan, rolling around on the soft bed covered with expensive moonlight silk, her fiery red hair spread out in a mess.

"I just wanted to find a complete newbie who couldn't even understand dungeon blueprints!"

"How could this be... how could we have accidentally found such a monstrous, self-taught genius!"

She wanted nothing more than to rush over and fire that damn Ron right now!

However, reality is as cold as iron.

The contract she personally drafted, intended to "protect" herself, clearly stated in black and white:

"Both parties to the contract shall pay the other party a penalty of 1 million gold coins, regardless of which party breaches the contract."

Lilith has her own "far-sighted" reasons for setting such an astronomical penalty for breach of contract:

This was to prevent the possibility that the designer they hired might be incompetent, and that Alyssa, the "supervisor" sent by their father, might report them, leading to their father's intervention and the dismissal of the designer with a small payment.

One hundred million gold coins!

That's a huge sum of money, enough to buy a small floating city!

Even those S-class dungeons under my father's name that make a fortune every day still require decades of hard work to accumulate!

This hurdle was originally a challenge she set for her father.

To her utter surprise, this sword of Damocles now hangs over her own head, becoming an insurmountable obstacle to her firing Ron!

Lilith hugged the fluffy down pillow, buried her face in it, and let out a muffled sob filled with despair and regret.

—They really shot themselves in the foot!

Crying without tears!

Chapter 19 Frost and Fire Elementals and Neutral Black Vines

The Vampire Earl's Castle.

Moonlight Banquet Hall.

Compared to the overwhelmed Lilith, Ron's life was like walking on clouds.