Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 45: Dungeons

"Eh? Everywhere?"

"Yeah!"

I blink at Eris, ears twitching. "What do you mean everywhere?"

She grins. "Exactly what I said—everywhere!"

"But where?"

Eris lets out an exaggerated sigh before flicking my forehead—hard.

"Ouch!" I yelp, recoiling and rubbing the sore spot.

She smirks. "Silly Felicia." Then, with the flair of a storyteller about to reveal some grand truth, she turns and points dramatically toward the vast, sprawling forest beyond Mistvale's walls.

"See that forest over there? There are fifty-four dungeons hidden among those trees."

I blink. "Fifty-four?"

Before I can even wrap my head around that number, she spins on her heel, extending both arms toward the distant jagged mountains towering in the background.

"And across that mountain range?" She spreads her arms wide. "Hundreds more—scattered throughout!"

My mouth falls open.

Hundreds?

And she's not done.

With a flourish, she twists around again, this time pointing at the vast shimmering lake glinting beneath the fading sun. The water ripples with gold and violet reflections, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.

"And the lake?" she continues. "There are sixty-seven dungeons just along the shoreline. And even more… lurking beneath the water."

I stare at her, my brain short-circuiting.

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"Wha—?! T-that many?!" I stammer, still massaging my poor forehead, as if rubbing it might somehow help absorb the insane number of dungeons she's throwing at me.

Eris nods smugly, her grin stretching ear to ear.

Hundreds of dungeons.

I had imagined, at most, ten. Maybe fifteen, if I were being generous. But hundreds?! That sounds impossible.

I shake my head, trying to process it. "I-I don't understand! If there are that many, where does all the space come from? Unless…" I narrow my eyes. "Each dungeon is, like, the size of a garden shed or something?"

Eris bursts out laughing. "Nope!"

She leans closer, tapping a finger against my forehead. "They don't take up any space in our world."

Huh? I squint at her. "What do you mean?"

Then, realization dawns.

"Ooooh… so they're like… separate dimensions?"

Eris snaps her fingers, pointing at me like I just solved a riddle. "Bingo!"

I exhale, shaking my head. "That's… actually really cool."

Turns out, dungeons in this world aren't just regular caves or underground labyrinths.

Nope. They're way cooler.

Each one is a self-contained realm, a pocket of reality stitched into the fabric of existence. Even though hundreds of them are scattered across the land, they don't actually consume any physical space in our world.

That's why there's always room for more.

And apparently, new dungeons can randomly appear or vanish—as if the world itself is breathing them in and out of existence, like some mystical exhalation.

I shiver slightly at the thought.

"Well, not exactly randomly, though," Eris corrects, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Notice how there aren't any dungeons popping up inside town? If one suddenly appeared here, it'd be a disaster, right?"

"Oh, right!" I nod quickly. "That would be absolutely terrible."

But that raises another question—

"Then… how do dungeons know not to appear in towns?"

I frown, tilting my head. Does the dungeon god—or whoever's creating these things—just… know to avoid cities?"

Eris shakes her head, smiling knowingly.

"It's because of the leylines."

I blink. "Ley… lines?"

"Mhm," she hums, kneeling down to trace an invisible web with her finger on the dusty stone surface. "Leylines are like magical rivers flowing beneath our world. They spread everywhere, unseen but ever-present. Dungeons don't just pop up randomly—they form along these 'cracks' in the magical currents."

Her finger drags a slow, winding path along her makeshift map.

"So, if we map out the leylines, we can actually predict where dungeons might appear!"

My ears perk up as I piece it together.

"Oooooh!" I exclaim, eyes widening. "So, before anyone builds a town, they make sure to avoid leylines so a dungeon won't just… appear in the middle of everything?"

Eris grins and nudges my shoulder playfully. "Wow, look at you—so smart!"

I giggle, feeling a little proud of myself.

But then, Eris's smile fades slightly.

"Well," she continues, "there's actually an entire job dedicated to predicting and managing dungeons. Kind of like how people forecast disasters and earthquakes. We can try to anticipate when and where dungeons will appear… but even so…"

Her voice trails off, her golden eyes dimming just a little.

A weight settles over the conversation.

"It's not like dungeons never appear in populated areas," she murmurs. "And there's still so much we don't understand about them."

A breeze sweeps through the tower, ruffling my hair, but I hardly notice.

Because her words stick in my mind.

Even the best predictions are still just that—predictions.

Back on Earth, no matter how advanced we became, we were still powerless against nature's fury.

Earthquakes.

Hurricanes.

Floods.

They came uninvited.

Sometimes without warning.

And they always left devastation in their wake.

Thousands of lives lost.

Homes turned to rubble.

Tragedies no amount of preparation could truly prevent.

Maybe… dungeons are the same.

A force of nature, unpredictable and unstoppable.

Something that can't be controlled—only endured.

Just as the thought settles heavily in my mind, Eris speaks again, breaking me from my trance.

"You know," she says, her voice pulling me back to the present. "Dungeons here are ranked, too."

I blink, shaking off my thoughts. "Ranked?"

"Mhm." She nods. "Like adventurers, dungeons are classified from F-rank to S-rank. The Adventurer's Guild assigns these rankings after extensive investigations."

Then, a memory clicks.

"Oh! Right! You mentioned this before!"

Just yesterday, Eris had told me that her father went missing inside an S-rank dungeon…

I turn to look at her, but she's already watching me, her expression serious.

Her golden eyes narrow slightly, locking onto mine.

"Listen carefully, Felicia."

Something in her tone makes my spine straighten on instinct.

"About half of all dungeons are F-rank—relatively safe. Some are so harmless they don't even have monsters."

She pauses.

Then, her expression hardens.

"But the other half? E-rank and above?"

A shadow passes over her face.

"Those are different. Those are packed with danger."

I swallow, suddenly feeling the chill in the air.

"As a general rule…" she continues, her voice steady, "it takes a party of five adventurers of the same rank to explore a dungeon safely. So, for example, to venture into an A-rank dungeon, you need five A-rank adventurers. No exceptions."

Her eyes sharpen.

"Underestimating a dungeon is a fatal mistake. Never enter one without meticulous preparation, Felicia."

Gulp.

I nod slowly, feeling the weight of her words sink deep into my bones.

Because now, I finally understand.

Dungeons aren't just exciting adventures.

They are deadly mysteries.

And the moment you underestimate them…

They will consume you whole.

And then—

Her scar.

The image of that jagged, brutal wound flashes through my mind.

Even now, it haunts me.

Eris is a seasoned adventurer, strong and experienced—yet even she made mistakes. Mistakes that almost cost her life.

I swallow hard, nodding silently. I won't forget her warning.

I can't.

But then, a thought surfaces, a question pressing against my lips before I can stop it.

"But… your father… why did he go into an S-rank dungeon? He was only an A-rank adventurer, right?"

For a moment, Eris doesn't answer.

Her jaw tightens.

Then, in a voice that's strained, she murmurs, "It's… because the authorities underestimated it."

She pauses.

I glance down—her fists are clenched, knuckles white. There's a storm brewing in her eyes, frustration and grief tangled together.

Ah… damn it.

I shouldn't have asked that.

"I'm sorry…" I whisper.

Eris shakes her head. "No, it's okay."

She takes a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "They said it was just a regular A-rank dungeon. But then… it changed. Twenty people, including my father… not a single one returned."

Her voice is quiet, but each word hits like a blade.

"Eris…" I whisper, my chest tightening with the weight of her sorrow.

She quickly wipes at her eyes, forcing a small, fragile smile. "Sorry, Felicia… I just got emotional again."

I shake my head. "You don't have to apologize."

She exhales, staring at the horizon. The moonlight catches in her hair, making it glow.

Then, after a moment, she speaks again.

"You know, being an adventurer isn't just about treasure or discovery." Her voice is softer now. "It's about protecting the weak. Stopping the dangers before they reach innocent people."

That makes me pause.

"Wait… monsters can leave dungeons?" I ask, my eyes widening.

Eris nods. "Of course."

The thought sends a chill through me. I'd assumed dungeons were self-contained, but if monsters could break free…

"But don't worry," she adds, her tone warm now, reassuring. "It doesn't happen often. And even if it does…"

She turns to me, gently taking my hand.

"I'll be here to protect you."

Ba-dump.

My heart skips a beat.

"T-thank you," I murmur, a soft warmth spreading through my chest as I instinctively squeeze her hand back.

The way she says it—steady, certain, unshakable—makes her seem even cooler than usual. But more than that, I know she means it.

Having her by my side… it makes me feel safe.

Like no danger in the world could ever reach me.

We stay atop the clock tower a while longer, the conversation drifting back to dungeons. The night air is cool and crisp, wrapping around us as the town below grows quieter, its streets bathed in soft lantern light.

By the time I finally notice, the moon is high, the stars glitter like scattered diamonds, and the wind blows, gentle and refreshing.