The little place I had carved out at the end of the dungeon was finally starting to feel like something real. My hideout was growing. And it was all because we had taken in Daniel.

  Daniel was a great guy. He put in real effort every single day—hauling materials, reinforcing walls, even helping cook when no one else wanted to. I caught myself thinking, Man, I’d love to summon another woman for him. Give him a chance to build a family down here. It sounded ridiculous in my head, but after so many loops of dying alone, the idea of people actually living instead of just surviving felt… right.

  I still had one booster pack left. During lunch hour, we gathered around the makeshift table. I placed the pack in the center and cracked it open.

  A woman materialized in a swirl of light. Brown hair, pale skin, twenty years old, eyes already scanning everything like she was cataloging the room for upgrades. Her name was Ale, and her specialty was engineering.

  She started talking instantly. “I need a workspace. Immediately. I can’t function if I’m not building or fixing something.”

  I grinned. Another woman. The woman-to-man ratio just got a lot healthier. No drama incoming.

  I introduced myself, explained the situation, and told her we’d build her a proper workshop. But first, she needed to meet XD—the AI who handled most of our logistics. XD would help her with anything she needed.

  In the blink of an eye, Ale was already digging through Daniel’s backpack. She pulled out his rifle like it was a fascinating new toy.

  Daniel snatched it back in a heartbeat. “That’s not a toy. It’s a very dangerous tool.”

  Ale tilted her head. “What kind of tool?”Daniel rubbed his forehead with a forced smile. “It puts holes in things. Permanently.”

  Her eyes lit up like she’d just discovered fire.

  I laughed. “Daniel, show her how it works. But carefully—we don’t want the nerd getting injured.”

  Everyone cracked up, even Daniel. He set up a quick target with a mound of earth I shaped using basic magic. One controlled shot later, the target exploded in a puff of dirt.

  Ale was glowing. Literally glowing with excitement.

  I waved them off. “Alright, let the couple talk. XD, Lupita, let’s head back to the house.”

  As we walked away, I felt something shift inside me.

  With these people… I’m finally starting the second phase of this dungeon. It’s going to be hard, but for the first time, I think I can actually do it.

  I had no idea how long I’d been trapped here. Days? Months? Years in loop time? It was cool to exist in this place, sure, but I wanted out. I wanted to conquer it, step outside, and see the real sky again. The stars.

  We can do anything in this world… with enough money, obviously. I chuckled to myself. Nobody touched the moon until NASA dropped enough gold coins.

  My mind wandered to all the hours I’d spent on videogames and anime back home. Here, with real magic, bending reality to my will should be easy.

  And then it happened.

  A new skill awakened in my status screen.

  The Conqueror

  Not for thirst of blood, not for gold, but for the good of humanity will he bend everything to his will.

  I stared at the description. Why now? Why after all this time? Maybe because I’d stopped just raging and started building something instead.

  But the surprises didn’t stop there.

  The shitty-ass store—the one that used to sell trash for insane prices and paid nothing—sent me a quest notification.

  Guild Relationship Quest: Buy or sell goods worth 1,000 gold coins to unlock the next tier.

  I knew it was probably a rip-off. But I wasn’t going to pass it up.

  I gathered every useless monster core, broken weapon, and junk loot I’d been hoarding. I dumped it all at the guild store.

  Ten thousand gold coins worth of trash.

  If I’m doing this, I’m doing it big. One thousand would be boring.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The system chimed.

  Flea Market unlocked. Shared access with other players.

  My brain short-circuited.

  Other players?

  Everything I thought I knew about why I was here shattered. But my faith in the Lord stayed intact. His ways are a mystery to us mortals.The flea market interface opened in my mind. Guns, rifles, energy weapons, motorbikes, batteries—everything I could imagine. But the prices… holy crap. Penetration ammo for Daniel’s rifle? Ten thousand gold just for a decent stack.

  This changes everything. I can sell dungeon loot here too.

  I mentally pinged XD. This was a hidden gem the whole time? Nobody in the upside world has access to this.

  And then the realization hit like a truck.

  I became everything I hated. A main character with overpowered skills, harem delusions, boss-level cheats…

  “NOOOOO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  XD materialized instantly in front of me.

  “What happened?”

  I collapsed into a mix of laughing and crying. “I’m one of those… one hell of a dirty bastard… with a cheat skill.”

  It was a cheat, sure. But to actually use it? I needed an army of slaves grinding day and night. Ten thousand gold just for bullets that would last one floor? I’d have to farm the same amount I already had just to afford them.

  Out of the question.

  I stared at the listings again. Guns. Rifles. Energy weapons. Motorbikes. Batteries. Everything.

  Looks like I’m a slave to money now. Time to recruit more people.

  I headed back to the hideout, geared up, and descended into the dungeon. Floor fifty. I had to be cautious—my power was growing, and I had no idea what the deeper levels would throw at me.

  I wielded my trusty sword. This thing’s been with me through countless campaigns. I won’t let it rust.

  Torch in hand, the corridor was pitch black.

  Then it roared.

  A gigantic red-horned demon stepped out of the shadows. Skin wreathed in living fire. A massive mace imbued with flames.

  The roar alone made me nearly shit my pants.

  But I couldn’t back down. Finally. A real boss fight. Something big. Something sweet.

  It swung the mace in a wide arc. I jumped back, the impact cratering the floor and sending sparks flying.

  Reversed swing—fast, brutal. I barely avoided it by twisting mid-air.

  Up-to-down smash. I rolled sideways as the ground exploded in flames.

  Wait… it’s repeating the pattern.

  Swing. Reversed. Smash.

  Again. And again.

  Like a videogame boss with a fixed moveset. Nice.

  I waited for the cycle to finish, rolled to its blind side, and struck—sword sinking into its leg.

  200 damage out of 10,000.

  What the fuck… a health bar?

  The dungeon had never shown HP before. This was new. And terrifying.

  I dodged, rolled, jumped, waited—avoiding death by millimeters over and over. Every miss felt like it could end me. Every successful dodge gave me a tiny window to strike.

  When the bar hit half, the pattern changed.

  Phase two.

  The demon leaped into the air and slammed down ass-first, unleashing a radial wave of fire that scorched the entire chamber.

  Straight out of a mythical mid-game boss. The kind that makes you shit your pants in real life.I drank an energy potion just to keep moving.

  My muscles screamed. This wasn’t fun anymore—it was exhausting.The health bar dropped to ten percent.Berserk mode.

  It never stopped attacking.

  Swing after swing. No pauses. No mercy.

  Twenty hits away from death.I couldn’t lose now.I drank another potion, gripped my sword tighter, and charged.

  “FOR OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST!”

  A flurry of attacks—slash, thrust, slash—while chugging potions between swings. Unorthodox? Absolutely. Effective? Hell yes.

  The demon finally collapsed in a heap of fire and ash.

  Victory.

  It dropped loot.

  I picked up the first piece.

  Standard Issued Armor N4110 – Blitz Marine Division.

  Red and gold plate on the front. Completely flexible. Adaptive to the wearer’s body. Full environmental protection—extreme climates, lack of oxygen, hazardous atmospheres. Designed to keep a Blitz Marine alive in the worst battles for humanity.

  This would’ve been the hardest cosplay back in my world. Now it’s real.

  And it’s mine.I stored it in my inventory.

  Then I saw the other drop.A red demonic tablet on the floor.It looked exactly like the green one I’d found at the very beginning of this nightmare. Another piece for XD.

  I took both items and headed back to the hideout.

  Walking through the growing settlement, a wave of emotion hit me.

  This place makes me feel very honored to have died and ended up here. It’s awesome. What a shame I can’t bring my friends from the old world… but it’s okay. I love them. I hope they’re alright.

  I got cozy with Lupita and XD for a bit, then headed to the shop. I asked if they had booster packs.

  They did. The cheap ones were affordable but had terrible odds. Then I saw the premium one.

  Guaranteed Epic Legendary Card + 10 A-Rank Cards.

  Expensive. Very expensive.

  But with people bound to me through the packs, they couldn’t betray me. They followed orders, but kept their personalities.

  And right now, we desperately needed more hands for gold farming.

  I don’t want them to complete the dungeon for me. I want to farm as much as possible so when I reach the surface, I can start my real campaign.

  I sold every boss gem I’d hoarded from previous floors.Two million gold coins.I felt like an eminence.

  But I was still short.The premium pack goal was ten of them. Eight million more to go.

  I bought two anyway.

  We gathered everyone and opened the first.Out came a master dwarf—Borin Blackanvil—and ten skilled helpers.

  They knelt and pledged loyalty immediately. Then they started building proper houses for themselves.

  The second pack?Elves.Of all things, elves.I’m a huge fan.

  One Elf Queen—Celebriel—and ten proud archer companions.Celebriel stepped forward, regal and composed. Borin was already hammering away at temporary shelters.The elves looked around, a bit reluctant.

  I called a meeting in my house with Celebriel, Borin, and the key summons from earlier packs.

  I explained everything with XD’s help projecting a simple map.“We’re at the bottom of a triple reversed dungeon.

  Floor 201.

  The world above is the ‘upside.’ We’re going to get out eventually. I won’t change your ways—I just ask for your support.

  ”Celebriel bowed deeply. “We pledge our loyalty and will fight for your cause.”I felt the Conqueror skill hum faintly. Probably an effect from that.

  Borin grunted. “Already working on houses. Elves want fancy? They’ll get fancy. But temporary for now—until we know better.”

  And just like that, the end of the triple reversed dungeon started to feel less like a prison… and more like the seed of something much bigger.