Not long after, for science’s sake, we sacrificed those five poor Naked Mole rats, and I handed territorial control to Dungeon Master 06, more Naked Mole rats began appearing, and not just them; worms, insects, small birds, mammals such as deer and rabbits, and numerous rodents like rats and mice soon followed. In other words, creatures of low G.P value, and were possibly for the same reason, not considered invaders by the interface.

However, the influx of creatures didn't stop there. As we, who had only dealt with humans as invaders until now, finally encountered "them": monsters, specifically animalistic monsters as invaders. A heated debate erupted among us about what should be considered invaders and what should be not. According to our agreed-upon consensus, Dungeon Master 06 was to handle his batch of "invaders" , harvest their G.P and then pass control to another Dungeon Master for him to do the same. But since these invaders were animalistic monsters, not particularly powerful and of high G.P value, Dungeon Master 06 refused to consider them a proper batch.

After an insulting and tumultuous negotiation, the Dungeon Masters and I reached another consensus. We agreed that a batch of invaders should have a total G.P value higher than 254.76 G.P to be considered valid. Under this joint agreement, we waited for Dungeon Master 06 to have monsters in his domain with a G.P value exceeding that threshold for him to begin harvesting.

It didn't take long for us to witness this happening. While it wasn't, as I said, a “long time,” it was just an extended enough period, for Dungeon Master 06 and me, who were observing his domain, to understand something about the popping monsters, and mostly "us."

From the way monsters, especially the new ones, were popping up in Dungeon Master 06's domain—both from the entrance and the depths of the domain—and the way some of the dungeon's low-G.P value creatures accordingly decreased, we deduced that the monsters were attracted to the low-G.P value creatures that had initially popped up in Dungeon Master 06's domain. In some way, these creatures acted as bait, luring monsters into our domain. Not only did the bait work, but it also allowed the monsters to thrive.

At first, Dungeon Master 06 and I were perplexed about why monsters, particularly those deep within the domain, were multiplying. There were some that came from the outside world, attracted by the bait, but there were also others that clearly originated from within the domain. It was only as we realized that this phenomenon was not exclusive to monsters that we understood what was happening: new creatures were being born inside Dungeon Master 06's domain.

The logical conclusion we reached, which was likely accurate, led to understandable conjecture about something that, in retrospect, I probably should have figured out much earlier. We mulled over it, but since there was nothing we could do about it and the fact that it didn't alter our immediate goals, we decided to set aside further contemplation and focus on what we collectively and individually needed to pursue.

However, this conclusion also sparked a discussion that, under different circumstances, I might never have considered or allowed as a Dungeon Master. While it was natural and logical to consider my domain, the Undead Domain, as the "main" domain due to hosting the strongest spawns and the most potent Guardian, the revelation led us to understand that, if our goal was still to harvest as much G.P as possible, Dungeon Master 06's domain should be the one we heavily rely on. Given its characteristics, his domain acted as excellent bait for various animals, which, in turn, attracted monsters. Dungeon Master 06, with his domain's spawns, could handle these monsters efficiently, and if necessary, I or any other Dungeon Master could assist.

So, despite meaning that I had to relinquish the title of the main domain, this strategy made the most logical sense. To align ourselves with this new approach, which suggested giving up our desire to individually harvest the G.P that would be reinvested into our respective domains, we—myself, the others and Dungeon Master 06 included—adjusted our Dungeon Mastering strategies accordingly.

Dungeon Master 06, as the first to adjust to our new strategy, shifted his focus from building a strong army of spawns and a powerful dungeon to making his domain as welcoming as possible. He invested in a dungeon version of cattle raising, with the goal of increasing the dungeon size to accommodate the said cattle. This adjustment didn't mean he would give up on acquiring spawns and a strong guardian, but strengthening them wasn't his primary focus. Instead, he left that task to the other Dungeon Masters who would be dealing with invaders.

The rest of us—Dungeon Master 01, Dungeon Master 02, Dungeon Master 03, Dungeon Master 04, and Dungeon Master 05—took it a step further by completely giving up on acquiring spawns and dedicating all available G.P to nurturing a powerful guardian. In my case, I already had many spawns, so I had to adapt to some extent. I didn't want to give up all of them, as it felt like wasting the enhancement provided by the Dungeon Guardian onto the spawns. However, I had to give up some of my spawns, and the worst part was that I didn't get the opportunity to reinvest the G.P value of these spawns onto my dungeon Guardian. Simultaneously, the other Dungeon Masters came to me, wanting their share of it. While I was reluctant to give it up, facing several versions of myself in this battle that couldn't be won with logic, I had no other choice but to share with them using the sacred ratio.

To be honest, I was and still seething at this whole new layering of our roles. Losing my title as the main domain was one thing, but what bothered me more was how much in the background my domain was put. Its nature, which brought death upon anything living, made it challenging to rely on my domain during invasions beyond Dungeon Master 06's ability to handle. Bringing anything living from Dungeon Master 06's domain to mine meant leading them, our supposed "cattle," to an unwanted death, and we certainly didn't want that. In fact, we wanted them to thrive. So before ever relying on my domain, we would naturally rely, if need be, first on the other Dungeon Masters, who had a much more living-friendly domain, before relying on mine.

So yes, my domain was still the strongest, but it meant being heavily sidelined. I understood the logic behind this decision, but that understanding was the most tragic part of it all—I saw the logic, and that made it harder to accept. But well things were they were.

To waste time, I spent my days much like the other Dungeon Masters—watching Dungeon Master 06's massive farm-domain grow. He had invested heavily in the domain aspect of his domain, resulting in a gigantic shape resembling the one I spawned with, circular like a pouch filled with countless little white dots and scattered blue dots. Due to the bait-relying nature of Dungeon Master 06's strategy, his domain was never left idle and was constantly invaded, mostly by monsters. While human invasions still occurred, they were minimal compared to what Dungeon Master 06 acquired through harvesting various monsters.

In terms of levels and individual rewards, if one were to compare them to the averagely harvested monsters, Verdenkinds and Highbreeds yielded substantial G.P, especially considering the level of those typically invading. However, when looking at the constant invasions, particularly by monsters, provided a steady stream of G.P. The amount of G.P gained from these monster invasions ratioed to that of the one gain from human invasion were of a staggering 47:1 and still going up with the creatures breeding and spawning all over the domain. The results were impressive, and it forced me to acknowledge the practicality of the new approach.

Yes, that ratio was indeed ridiculous, leaving me wondering why I hadn't come up with this earlier. I couldn't help but think about the missed opportunity for harvesting G.P. Instead, I had chosen the undead path, ending up with the suboptimal strategy of patiently waiting for humans to appear in my domain somehow. "Ah, tragic," I sighed, "truly tragic."

With Dungeon Master 06's efficient strategy, human invasions became a rare and occasional interference, if not an entertaining spectacle. The humans would pop up and wander through the gigantic maze that was Dungeon Master 06's domain, appearing lost and confused. I couldn't even blame them; the size of his domain was truly colossal.

Anyway, to pass the time when there's no human invasion or anything peculiarly interesting happening in Dungeon Master 06's domain, I would usually engage in discussions with the other Dungeon Masters. There's some form of madness to this, but talking to myself in this situation became a unique yet very effective way to pass my convoluted time. As for the topics of our discussions, they rarely make sense. Our conversations usually involve thoughts that shouldn't be voiced but are somehow confidently expressed somehow.

***

The conversation continued, with each Dungeon Master offering their own insights into the hypothetical battle.

"Guys," Dungeon Master 04 suddenly began.

"Hm?"

"What?"

"Which one do you think will win in a fight, a level 47 P-Ritter 02 or a level 7—no, 8 Nihility Wraith?"

A moment of silence hung in the virtual air as each of us processed the question.

"Dungeon Master 04, are you serious?" I asked, unable to suppress a chuckle.

"Absolutely," he responded with a grin in his voice. "I mean, the P-Ritter 02 has that impressive defense and powerful attack coupled with several innate knight abilities, but the Nihility Wraith has its ethereal abilities. It's an intriguing match-up."

A lot had happened since my combat against the lone invader Tusko Vagar. One of these many things was that the Monsters Mechanical Constructs of Spawns Catalog section of the interface kept expanding, now including several sub-sub-categories clearly replicating the available Stamina-focused class of the verdenkind race, and several unique creations that mimicked robots.

"Well, considering the P-Ritter's high level, it likely has a significant advantage in terms of stats and combat skills. But you can't underestimate the Nihility Wraith's ability to phase through attacks," Dungeon Master 02 chimed in.

Dungeon Master 01 added, "And let's not forget the unpredictability of the ethereal realm. The P-Ritter might have a tough time landing solid blows."

Times like this, discussions like this made us wish that the system gave something to benchmark the strength of our spawns. Of course, there were stats like offense and defense that filled that benchmark aspect, but once you factored in abilities like "Ethereal Realm," which allowed the spawn to become intangible for a set amount of time, it became complicated to rely solely on them.

"Dungeon Master 05, who had been silent thus far, finally spoke up, 'Honestly, I'll take a Nihility Wraith any time of the day.'

"Why's that?"

"I'm not wasting 468 G.P on a level 47 P-Ritter 02"

"I wasn't trying to figure out which one is more rentable. I just wanted to know which one is stronger. Neither will I, by the way. Goddess forbid I acquire anything from that catalogue."

And one thing, however, that never changed was how ridiculously priced anything from the Mechanical Construct category is.

"If it's that, then it's all about strategy. If the P-Ritter can close the distance and capitalize on its strength, it has a good chance. But if the Nihility Wraith can keep its distance and exploit its ethereal nature, it might turn the tables."

"In the end, it's a clash of strengths and weaknesses and most importantly brain. Each has its own advantages, and it depends on how the spawn will act. There's not much we can do as Dungeon Masters, unless perhaps you put that P-Ritter 02 as Guardian."

In that moment, silence set in, followed by a guffaw from all of us.

"Hahahaha."

"What kind of idiot would take a P-Ritter 02 as a guardian!?"

"I really don't know."

I was there talking and laughing nonsense with the Dungeon Masters when I felt it, “Something is happening.” I wasn't sure of what I was feeling, as it was something I've never felt before—a strange sensation that made me want to escape the form I was currently in. It took me a lot of puzzlement to eventually figure out what was happening here: A presence, an authority, was approaching, and the unusual feeling I was subject of was a signal from the “Authority gathering” authority picking up on it.

“Guys, hold on a moment,” I interrupted the ongoing discussion, my tone shifting from lighthearted to serious. 'I sense an authority nearby. It's closing in on us.'

The Dungeon Masters fell silent, their virtual selves turning towards me in a collective focus.

There wasn't much we could do, except wait, and eventually, it finally came as an interface notification.