Chapter 4: The Master Dungeon

Aura almost gasped as she looked at the massive labyrinthine complex that stretched out beneath her. High in the sky, on the back of one of her prized dragons, Aura could not help but feel impressed at her brother's work.

"Huh, Mare really overdid himself this time."

A massive cluster of towering obsidian walls formed the skeleton of what could only be called a living maze. From her vantage point, Aura could see variety of geographical features: volcanic zones filled with magma, lush rainforests, murky swamps, barren deserts, all joined together by a network of stygian walls. Edifices such as temples, shrines, tombs and pyramids littered the complex, serving as checkpoints, hidden treasure troves or boss areas. Atop the walls of the maze were walkways which allowed servants of Nazarick to observe and evaluate the performance of individuals as well as provide support and healing in times of emergency.

The level of detail was incredible. For a moment, Aura wondered if she could have done a better job. She recalled Bukubukuchagama's saying: "Leave it to us big sisters to show their little bros how to get things done."

What would her creator say if she was here now?


"I'm glad it's over."

Mare Bello Fiore sighed as he oversaw the finishing touches being made to the so-named "Master Dungeon". Dressed in a forest-green leaf cloak and a matching short skirt, it was hard to believe that the timid little dark elf was the mastermind behind one of the greatest architectural and technological achievements in the history of the New World.

In the hand not clutching his staff, Mare gingerly held the book that he had named his dungeon after, personally gifted to him by the Supreme Being himself.

"Yggdrasil Dungeon Master: The Comprehensive Guide".

Through the book, Mare had learnt how to combine various weather spells and area of effect spells to create special landscapes that could be maintained through enchantments. He found tips as to where to best organize creature spawn locations in order to create an environment for adventurers that was adequately challenging, but not impossible. The book stressed "good design over fake difficulty". It also provided information regarding secret passages and locations and how they should be implemented throughout the complex.

With the information from the book, as well as extremely generous support from the Great Tomb of Nazarick in terms of resources and advice, Mare was able to finish the "Master Dungeon" within half a year.

Magic casters that had stayed behind at E-Rantel had been recruited to help place the enchantments within the dungeon. Dwarven craftsmen and runesmiths helped to build the edifices and to create elaborate environmental mechanics. Undead and golems handled all the manual labor without rest.

Those of Nazarick did their best to help. Aura had helped pick out some of monsters to use within the dungeon. Demiurge gave advice on time management and resource utility, as well as demons to place in the dungeon. Hamsuke was able to give some insight over monster ecology in forested areas. Shalltear even offered to be a boss encounter, but Mare was wise enough to politely reject her, much to the vampire's disappointment. Lord Ainz himself created many of the weather enhancements himself through high tier and super tier magic.

"I couldn't have done this by myself."

Of that, Mare was certain.