Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

The Guildmaster holds his cup but doesn't sip. He merely watches the water swirl, the steam curling upward. Then, he continues his story of the S-rank dungeon.

We listen in silence, absorbing his every word.

——————————

(Karlogen's POV)

The moment we stepped through the dungeon gate, the world changed.

It hit us not like a threat, but like a revelation—an overwhelming tide of awe that stole the breath from our lungs and silenced every thought. Our bodies went still. Our minds blanked. It was as if reality itself had bent around us, revealing something utterly beyond comprehension.

Never—not in my wildest dreams or most fevered fantasies—could I have imagined a place like this. It wasn't just beautiful. It was transcendent.

Before us stretched a city—no, a realm—so vast it spanned the horizon, a vision of impossible grandeur that seemed shaped not by mortal hands but by divine will.

A golden city.

Every structure shimmered beneath a light that never faded. Towering spires of burnished gold pierced the sky like sunlit spears, while roads of flawless metal wound gracefully through districts of palaces, temples, and monuments. Windows of ruby, sapphire, and emerald gleamed with vibrant color, scattering brilliant mosaics across the polished streets. Jewelled lanterns flickered with crystal fire, their flames dancing in a slow, eternal rhythm. Even the air seemed enchanted—each drifting mote of dust sparkled like powdered starlight, a thousand golden flecks swirling around us.

My legs gave out before I even knew I was falling.

I dropped to my knees, trembling, heart pounding against my ribs like a drum of war. The sheer scale, the splendor, the sacred weight of this place—it was too much to bear.

And I was not alone.

All around me, thousands of adventurers buckled beneath the same awe. Some fell to their knees in stunned reverence, hands clasped as if in prayer. Others simply stared, wide-eyed and unblinking, as though afraid that even a blink would banish the vision. A few wept, openly and without shame, tears streaking down their cheeks as they whispered prayers or cried out in broken wonder.

"Gods! Oh, Heavenly Gods!" someone roared, their voice trembling with devotion.

"Divine… it's divine!" another gasped, words cracking into sobs.

And some said nothing at all. They simply bowed, low and reverent, pressing their foreheads to the golden street—as if kneeling before the very throne of a god.

This world… this dungeon—

It was too beautiful.

Too overwhelming.

A vision so dazzling it bordered on the unreal, as if we'd stepped into a dream shaped by divine hands. Surely, it had to be the work of gods. What else could have carved such a city into being? This wasn't simply a marvel of architecture. It was a masterpiece—one that defied logic, transcended the laws of reality, and stood utterly beyond the reach of mortal creation.

Beside me, my brothers and sister stood frozen in quiet reverence.

Kerth's eyes blazed, fixed on the golden spires above. His hand gripped his sword hilt tightly, knuckles white, as if it were the only thing tethering him to the real world.

Carmien took a staggering step forward, his breath shallow and uneven, chest heaving like someone drowning in light.

And Kailene… she clutched her staff with trembling fingers, her wide eyes drinking in the gleam of crystal towers. Her lips parted, not in words, but in a silence filled with wonder.

Then—like a dam breaking—the madness began.

People broke ranks. Formation dissolved. Some ran wild, throwing themselves at the golden walls, caressing the structures like long-lost lovers. Others went so far as to bite into them, as if unable to believe they were real.

"It's gold! It's real gold!" someone screamed.

"No way—holy shit, it's real!"

And they didn't stop there.

Weapons came out. Adventurers began digging into the ground, prying up gold tiles like scavengers at a banquet. Some climbed the streetlamps, yanking out embedded gems with bare hands. The gleaming paradise descended into a frenzy of greed and disbelief.

But we… we did not join them.

We moved cautiously, keeping our distance, eyes scanning every shadow, every ripple in the enchanted air. We didn't let the beauty cloud our judgment.

Because we knew better.

No matter how divine this world seemed, no matter how holy it felt—this was still a dungeon. An S-rank dungeon.

And in dungeons, anything could happen. Glory meant nothing if you didn't survive to claim it. Treasures were often bait—bright, glittering lies meant to lure you into death's jaws.

We had seen it before.

Adventurers drunk on victory. Overwhelmed by awe. Lowering their guard for just one fatal second. That was all it ever took.

Kerth raised a hand—a silent signal.

Don't touch anything. Don't get greedy. Stay sharp.

Even though gold glittered beneath our feet and diamonds sparkled within reach, we held ourselves back. We resisted the temptation.

And so, cautiously and carefully, we proceeded.

——————————————

As we wandered deeper into the golden city, still dazed by its brilliance, it was Kerth who finally broke the silence.

"Hey," he said, glancing over his shoulder with a crooked grin, "if we could bring back as much treasure as we wanted… if we had unlimited wealth—what would you do with it?"

Carmien answered first, his eyes practically glowing.

"A house—no, a mansion!" he declared proudly. "A giant mansion with hundreds of maids pampering me every day! Baths big enough to swim in, velvet robes, gold cutlery—everything!"

Kailene burst into laughter, nearly doubling over as she clung to her staff, her voice ringing like wind chimes.

"And me? I'd eat all the food in the world! Roast boar dripping with honey, spicy soup that burns your nose, desserts bigger than my head—every single thing!"

Kerth chuckled at their answers, warm and fond. Then he turned to me.

"And you, Karlogen?" he asked, softer now. "What about you?"

I blinked, still half-lost in the city's surreal glow. Everything around us shimmered—too radiant, too perfect. It almost hurt to look at.

"Well… I don't know," I murmured. "But never having to work again… that would feel damn good."

…

Right.

Never having to work again.

Even now, I remember exactly how I said it. Not because it was clever, or grand, but because it was honest.

Because for us, work was never just work. It was pain. It was hunger. It was sacrifice.

There were nights when the only thing in our bellies was the ache. Days when we split crusts of bread so thin they barely counted as food. And through it all, Kerth bore the weight of our survival. I still remember the way he'd quietly slide his portion to Kailene and me, pretending he wasn't hungry, pretending it was nothing.

We lived in a shack barely holding itself together—walls damp with mold, the floor buckled and rotting beneath our feet. The air stank of waste and despair. At night, the smell of garbage fires would choke our lungs. By dawn, the bitter smoke of burning trash had already seeped into our clothes, our skin, our souls. My siblings, despite being so young, were already coughing like old men. Their lungs all severely scarred from breathing in that filth.

And worse, clean water was a luxury we couldn't afford. We rationed every drop—never enough to drink, let alone bathe.

And we were not the only ones. Hundreds—no, thousands—lived just like us. Stacked together like forgotten things, risking their lives in dungeons day after day, just to scrape together enough money to keep breathing.

Still, we endured it because we had to. Because it was close to the dungeon. Because it was cheap. Because we didn't have a choice.

So when we stepped into that golden city… when we saw towers glinting like sunlight incarnate and streets paved with riches beyond reckoning…

It felt like rebirth.

Like stepping out of the grave and into a world we were never meant to see

———————————

However, as we ventured deeper into the golden city, a strange feeling began to stir within me.

It started quietly—like a whisper at the edge of thought, barely louder than the sound of our footsteps. A question, simple yet unshakable, began to take shape.

If this place was so rich, so impossibly prosperous…

If even the sewers gleamed with gold, if the very dust shimmered like powdered gemstones in the sun…

Then why?

Why was it abandoned?

Why was it this empty? This void of life?

…

Indeed.

There were no signs of life. Not a single soul. Only us—outsiders, intruders.. Sure, the two main worlds held many abandoned ancient cities, their broken ruins scattered across desolate wastelands.

But this was different.

But this was no ruin.

There were no crumbling walls, no vines reclaiming stone. Everything stood untouched—pristine, preserved. The windows sparkled. The towers gleamed. Not a speck of decay, not a whisper of erosion.

And yet… there was no one.

No people. No animals. Not even a single monster lurking in the shadows.

It was beautiful. But it was wrong.

As I look a the reflection of myself on a golden pillar, my face, framed by light and wonder, twisted in something close to dread.

Not joy.

My heart began to race. Not with excitement, but with unease. A low, creeping chill crawled up my spine. The kind of fear that doesn't roar—but seeps. Quiet. Constant. Unrelenting.

Something was deeply, fundamentally wrong.

It felt as if we had stepped into a place we were never meant to see. A sanctum forgotten not by time, but by choice.

But back then… no one said a word. No one gave voice to the doubt.

We were too enthralled—too blinded by treasure and temptation. Too busy looting. Too busy digging into walls, prying gems from lamp posts, stuffing pockets with impossible wealth to notice the way the air felt too still, too quiet. As if the city itself were holding its breath.

Eventually, we reached its heart.

A palace.

Not merely grand—but colossal. A golden citadel that swallowed the horizon, its towers vanishing into clouds. It shimmered with an otherworldly radiance, like a fortress plucked straight from a god's dream. Every inch of it glowed with divine craftsmanship—its gates alone were taller than any castle I had ever seen, adorned with carvings too intricate, too perfect to be made by mortal hands.

And the gates… were wide open.

Waiting.

Another guild had already entered, their footsteps swallowed by the dark beyond.

Without a word, we followed.