"Yes, Tracy has been keeping me informed, it sounds like things are progressing pretty smoothly at the Sinners Guild," Smiled Charlotte, as she took a sip of champagne.

"Yeah, it's going well. We've got plenty of time to train and stuff, after all. Of course, it's hard to properly assess everyone's progress without seeing them in action during a raid, but if nothing else, we've had the time to make sure they're as well-prepared as possible," I replied.

"Thanks for assigning Tracy as our secretary, by the way, she's been a massive help," Chimed in Aria gratefully.

I second that notion.

After seeing how much work she does, the work that would normally fall on my shoulders, I probably would've resigned as Guildmaster within a week if I had to do all that, and that's being generous.

"You know, you should really think about implementing that in all the Guilds, assign someone to handle the administrative side of things. Most Guildmasters probably don't have as much time as they'd ideally need to properly train and work on their abilities," I pointed out objectively.

"I've actually been considering that myself, I'll bring up the proposal to the HUC during the next meeting," She nodded in response.

"Any signs of the Dungeons returning anytime soon, by the way?" Aria asked her.

"Well, nothing significant, but we have detected some slight shifts in the Mana Currents over the last few days. Nothing that indicates that the appearance of a Dungeon is imminent, but we'll be closely monitoring the change in activity. As soon as it looks like the Dungeons are going to rise again, we'll alert the Guilds right away."

"Hm, what if times passes differently between the two worlds? Or, alternatively, the Monsters, particularly the Demons and Dragons, perceive time differently? They live way longer than we do, after all. Meaning it could possibly be quite some time before they make their next move," I reasoned after mulling it over.

"Interesting...we don't exactly have any way of proving it, but it's certainly a possibility. Have you asked Luxuria for her thoughts on it?"

"Yup, I have. And she has no clue," I replied with a wry smile.

"Fair enough."

"It's too bad we don't have the option of taking the fight to them. Like, if we had a way of crossing into the Monsters' world, we could catch them off-guard and wipe them out," Suggested Aria with a wry smile.

"Yeah, I don't think that's the best idea. Based on what we know, they've got a pretty massive army on their side, and their Demon Lord is supposed to be insanely powerful, powerful enough to subdue every Archdemon and Dragon in that world. Even if we could attack them, it'd be way too dangerous," I pointed out prudently.

"I have to agree. The Monsters in the Dungeons are just a fraction of their forces, and even that much is enough to overwhelm us," Charlotte nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, guess you guys have got a point," Smiled Aria sheepishly.

"Oh, looks like the fireworks will be starting soon, less than a minute to midnight," Remarked Charlotte, as she glanced at the time.

"Cool, I'm looking forward to it. Let's just hope the loud booms don't amp up Ciel to the point where she lets the adrenaline get to her and starts firing off explosions," I replied with a wry smile.

"I doubt she'd be that reckless...at least, I hope not," Frowned Charlotte warily.

"I mean, it definitely sounds like the kind of thing she'd do, knowing her. It certainly wouldn't surprise me," Laughed Aria in response.

"Well, she did say she was going to be sticking with Rex to make sure he doesn't leave early, so maybe he'll be able to keep her in check, if it comes to that," I remarked, before looking around the space as everyone began to gather up.

"Ah, looks like everyone's getting ready to start counting down," Responded Charlotte, before, right on cue...

"TEN!!!"

"NINE!!!"

"EIGHT!!!"

Suddenly, Charlotte's I-Watched dinged with several notification, her brows furrowing as she lifted her arm and tapped on the device to bring up the display...

"THREE!!!"

"TWO!!!"

"ONE!!!"

Several sharp whistles rang out as the fireworks shot up into the air, erupting in colorful, vibrant blasts high above, loud booms ringing out as they exploded one after the other.

Huh...okay, this is pretty cool.

I mean, I'm not particularly awestruck or mesmerized, but it is beatiful to look at. Definitely not the same as seeing pictures or videos, this is pretty nice.

Hm?

"Uh, you okay?" I asked Charlotte as I glanced at her, a tense look on her face as she turned pale.

"No. This is bad...a hundred Dungeons have just appeared, all at the same time, twelve of which are in our jurisdiction."

What?

"Huh? I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right...did you just say a hundred?" Responded Aria with a stunned look on her face.

"Yeah, you heard me right. One hundred Dungeons have risen simultaneously...the Threat Levels are being calculated as we speak," She replied grimly, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face.

I blinked a couple of times as I proceeded that bit of info, struggling to wrap my head around it.

Cheers and jovial laughter rang out all around me, everyone oblivious to the dire situation we'd just found ourselves in.

I shook my head with a grimace, getting my thoughts in order...alright, freaking out and panicking isn't going to do shit, I need to assess this calmly.

A hundred Dungeons rising all at once sounds intimidating as hell, but twelve Dungeons in our vicinity isn't a lot...there are usually anywhere between fifteen to twenty Dungeons in any given Sanctuary's jurisdiction, rarely much more than that.

So, we can handle this...well, depending on the Threat Levels of these Dungeons, of course.

"We, uh...we're going to have to rain on this parade and let everyone know," I said to Charlotte, as I looked around.

"Yeah...we don't exactly have a choice in the matter."

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