The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 218 - "The Winner"

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“It’s almost like the Adventurer’s Guild is deliberately ignoring it, isn’t it?”

The words from Shuna’s mouth left Will momentarily stunned.

She was right.

Though, as someone connected to the Guild through his family, he didn’t want to admit it.

But…

Lucifa’s “frustration,” “sadness,” and “confusion” could indeed be traced back to the Adventurer’s Guild’s deliberate neglect.

“So, as a member of the Hysterm family…” Shuna said, her tone sharp like a detective piecing together a case. She leaned in close, her perceptive eyes locking onto Will.

“…shouldn’t you know the reason behind all this?”

“I should,” Will admitted. “But as everyone outside assumes, I’m the least favored one in the family. They never intended for me to take over anything, so I have no idea what they’re thinking.”

“What a shame,” Shuna teased, her voice light but laced with sarcasm. “You could’ve gone full tyrant and surprised Lucifa with something like…”

She paused for dramatic effect, then mimicked an exaggerated commanding tone:

“‘Don’t worry. With just one order from me, you’ll have hundreds of adventurers here by tomorrow.’”

Will flinched at her mock “tyrant” voice, even though such a role didn’t exist in this world.

“But if I look at it from a business perspective,” Will began thoughtfully, “at this point in time…”

Currently, the Hysterm family was still under heavy restrictions imposed by the Entark royal family. They hadn’t yet fully brought the dungeon system into the public sphere.

Every year, they paid massive taxes and faced limitations imposed by Entark’s government and military in various cities.

So…

“Carver might be using this strategy to isolate and weaken the royal family. After all, the closer you get to the capital, the stronger Entark’s influence becomes.”

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That was the conclusion Will arrived at.

“You see, with the Guild controlling transportation routes, they haven’t even bothered to establish proper connections here.”

From a temporal and strategic perspective, it made sense, didn’t it?

However…

When Will thought about it further, he realized something unsettling. Dungeons and their resources had always been considered “random” phenomena in this world. But if Carver could control a dungeon’s prosperity by limiting the number of adventurers accessing it, then the Hysterm family and the Adventurer’s Guild had far more power than he had initially imagined.

Could this be one of the long-hidden threads buried in the original story?

“Is that so? It still feels… more complicated than that,” Shuna mused, resting her chin on her hand as she seemed to dive deeper into her thoughts—thoughts that went beyond surface-level political struggles.

“Without adventurers exploring it, this dungeon will remain stagnant. Hmm… my intuition is usually spot-on, but I don’t like relying on intuition alone.”

Her gaze shifted from the empty streets outside to a contemplative stillness as she closed her eyes.

“Why would that old witch send us here? Even if she wanted to mess with us, she wouldn’t have chosen such a weak dungeon. There must be something else she wanted us to discover…”

“Let me give you some advice,” Will interjected. “Don’t try to understand what an experienced witch is thinking. She might’ve just wanted to prank us.”

“But Will,” Shuna said firmly, “I can’t shake the feeling that someone is actively trying to stop dungeon exploration—perhaps from within the dungeon itself, unrelated to us humans.”

“That…”

Will hesitated.

If he relied solely on what he knew from this world, he couldn’t draw any meaningful conclusions.

But…

From the perspective of the original story…

In the parts of the game he had adapted, there were hints of an internal “organization” within dungeons. Some dungeons that seemed geographically and politically unrelated were actually united on a hidden front.

However, the original story had stalled at this point. In Volume 6’s ending, one Empress had mentioned this to another dungeon Empress—an encounter that Will had now surpassed in his own adventures.

If he went by what he knew from the original story…

This was likely a deep abyss best left untouched.

“Forget it,” Will said with a sigh. “I think we should stop overthinking this. Even if there’s something going on inside the dungeon system, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Hmm…”

Shuna nodded slowly before opening her eyes and letting out a sigh.

“You’re probably right.”

“Alright then, let’s head back and try to sleep. Although… I doubt I’ll manage to sleep anyway.”

“Wait a moment…” Shuna said, grabbing Will’s wrist as he turned to leave.

Her grip was firm enough to make him wince slightly.

“I’ve been up all night thinking about the ultimate secrets of dungeons—that’s why I can’t sleep. But you—what’s keeping you up?”

“This… uh…” Will hesitated.

He realized he hadn’t shared his thoughts with Shuna yet.

“Hmm? Come on, we’re both awake anyway. Why not talk about it?” Shuna said as she gently tugged him toward the window and made space for him beside her.

“Look,” she said, gesturing toward the window she had wiped clean earlier. “Let’s sit here and talk while looking outside.”

Will glanced out.

The streets of Zymart Town were eerily quiet and desolate. Most of the buildings weren’t shops but run-down residential homes. The houses were in poor condition, with no signs of maintenance or repair.

It was hard to believe that this town—so close to the capital and even supplying resources to it—could fall into such disrepair despite having a dungeon.

It was nothing like the prosperous cities he had seen before.

The conflict between Entark’s imperial system and the dungeon production system had created this fractured zone. One day, they would inevitably clash—signaled by the king’s death a year from now.

But…

If his fate remained unchanged, Will might not live long enough to see that day come.

“I… I’ve been thinking about Treya,” Will admitted softly.

“You?” Shuna quipped with mock indignation. “Thinking about another woman in the middle of the night? You’ve broken my heart—conversation over!”

She pouted dramatically and turned away.

“Ugh! I thought Shuna would be an amazing emotional counselor—someone who’d listen to a brooding young man pour his heart out under the moonlight. Especially since you’re literally my only option for that…” Will trailed off as he felt a flick on his forehead.

Shuna had flicked him—not too hard, but enough to sting slightly.

“Alright, alright,” she said with a laugh. “I was just messing with you. We talk about stuff all the time anyway. But seriously—don’t try sweet-talking me like you’re flirting with someone; it gives me goosebumps.”

Despite her words…

Will could tell she was secretly pleased.

Shuna sighed and gently rubbed his forehead where she had flicked him.

“Okay then, spill it. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m really worried about her,” Will confessed. “The royal family’s situation doesn’t seem optimistic. I originally thought Treya was just angry at me for disappearing suddenly—like Leah would’ve been—but after hearing what Lucifa said… it doesn’t match what I imagined.”

“Oh?”

“Her dependence on me is far greater than I realized. So…”

“So you think this responsibility is too heavy for you?” Shuna asked gently.

“No,” Will replied firmly. “I’m thinking that if that’s how things are… simply giving her a weapon won’t be enough—whether as an apology or as support.”

Will had already considered this before. Treya wasn’t someone who could be easily appeased or fooled. And now it seemed that weapons weren’t even what she truly needed at this moment.

“You’re stronger than I thought,” Shuna said with a smile. “Weren’t you supposed to be brooding?”

Will scratched his head sheepishly.

“Isn’t this exactly what I’m brooding over? I’m… replaying details of ‘fate’ from my dreams.”

“And then?”

“And then… standing behind her… supporting her…”

“…to make her the ‘winner’ of this royal conflict.”