In the vast and diverse kingdom that emerged after the world of NewWorld Online was brought into reality, the archduchies began to take shape under the leadership of key figures. Among these leaders, two stood out for their strategic focus: Payne, who led the Eastern Archduchy, and Wilbert, in charge of the Southern Archduchy. Both were firm and calcuting leaders, though their methods and philosophies were as different as their territories.

  The Eastern Archduchy: Strength and Discipline

  Under Payne's watchful eye, the Eastern Archduchy quickly became one of the safest regions in the kingdom. Its rigorous military organization, along with the unyielding justice of the Congregation of the Sacred Swords, had turned the vilges and towns under its protection into examples of prosperity. However, what truly set Payne apart from other rulers was his ability to enforce his will without seeking admiration. His presence was a symbol of stability, and his shield, which protected both himself and his people, was respected even by the humblest folk.

  One day, while patrolling the roads alongside Frederica and his other lieutenants, Payne discovered a magical anomaly near some overgrown ruins. Frederica, always attuned to magical fluctuations, was the first to notice something strange.

  “This pce... the energy is flowing downward, like something is absorbing it,” she murmured, kneeling next to a fallen altar.

  Payne, instinctively, was already readying his shield.

  “A dungeon?” he asked gravely.

  The hidden portal they found after moving one of the stone sbs confirmed his suspicions. He knew that if they didn’t act quickly, monsters could start emerging from the pce. Thus, the Congregation cleared the entrance with military precision, facing traps and elemental monsters that rose from the shadows. Each encounter was treated like a tactical operation, with formations, analysis, and precise execution.

  “This isn’t just a ruin,” Payne commented as they defeated the guardian of the second level. “There’s history here. There could be answers about this world.”

  News of his discovery was quickly reyed to Maple, who responded enthusiastically. Payne suggested creating an official registry of all discovered dungeons, a proposal warmly welcomed by Kanade and his research guild.

  The Southern Archduchy: Innovation and Technology

  To the south of the kingdom, Wilbert's Archduchy—led by the head of the Rapid Fire guild—thrived at an unexpected pace. The fertile territory of forests, valleys, and gentle hills perfectly suited Wilbert’s long-range combat style. Wilbert and his lieutenant, Lyli, had established their base in a strategic tower that allowed them to observe kilometers of terrain in all directions.

  Unlike Payne, whose focus was centered on security and discipline, Wilbert focused on technology, summoning, and exploration. His sentinel golems patrolled the roads autonomously, while magical drones mapped the region.

  It was thanks to one of these drones that they detected an anomaly in a forest clearing: a field of magical distortion with strange thermal signatures. Upon arriving at the site, Wilbert led an investigation and found what appeared to be a semi-organic dungeon, its walls seemingly alive, reacting to magic.

  “This pce… it wasn’t made by humans,” Lyli remarked as one of her golems was absorbed by the living structure.

  With his usual precision, Wilbert fired a powered-up arrow, opening the dungeon entrance. Inside, the maze of red veins and magical parasitic creatures presented a completely different challenge from Payne’s dungeon. However, with his characteristic meticulousness, Wilbert advanced and reached a central chamber containing a pulsating magical core.

  Instead of destroying it, Wilbert encapsuted it with Lyli, deciding to study it to understand the technomagical properties it held.

  The Unification of Discoveries

  Despite their differences, both leaders agreed on the need to create a network of information and exploration protocols for the dungeons. They organized a meeting with Maple through a magical communication circle to report their discoveries. Queen Maple, ever enthusiastic, pledged to visit the sites herself. Kanade, for his part, began crafting a magical map of the kingdom, marking dungeon locations and collecting detailed descriptions.

  Additionally, Frederica proposed training new mages to safely support future dungeon expeditions. Lyli, with her usual discretion, offered to share the basic models of the reconnaissance golems with other archduchies.

  Payne, meanwhile, made it clear that dungeons should be evaluated before being opened to the public. There were dark secrets in those structures that not everyone was ready to face.

  A New Chapter

  Thus, as the kingdom continued to develop, the dungeons became a reminder that the new world still held many mysteries waiting to be uncovered. Through the combined efforts of Payne, Wilbert, and other leaders, these dungeons became gateways to lost knowledge, while the pyers—now citizens, adventurers, and rulers—began to write the history of their new reality.

  The kingdom was in constant motion, and the mysteries of the dungeons were only beginning to be unveiled.