To Karl El, the dungeon was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Every time he entered this place, he gained something… and lost something in return.
Even when he genuinely wanted to rest—to lie on the sofa with a drink in hand, read a book, or simply sleep for a while—peace never lasted long.
Within minutes, strange events would inevitably find him.
Then he would once again gulp down an energy potion, grab his spear, and throw himself back into battle until complete victory was achieved.
After all, his enemies were never limited to a single person.
Despite being called a dungeon, the place resembled a cozy underground residence more than a prison.
It was not luxurious, but it was warm and comfortable.
The only unsettling objects in the room were three strange contraptions made of wood and cast iron that occupied nearly a third of the entire space. Their shapes were bizarre and difficult to describe, and their purposes were equally suspicious.
Everything else looked surprisingly welcoming.
On the other side of the room sat a soft leather sofa beside a coffee table. Nearby stood a large cabinet filled with food, wine, furniture pieces, and various supplies.
A tall bookshelf packed with books occupied one wall.
Beside it rested a crafting table glowing faintly with magical energy, while a heavy cast-iron chest sat in the corner, radiating an extraordinary aura.
Even the three prison cells at the far end of the room looked less like cells and more like comfortable hotel rooms, despite the iron bars.
Taken together, the place looked absurdly similar to some kind of prison-themed underground inn for eccentric nobles.
All of this was familiar to Karl El.
What felt unfamiliar, however, was the fact that he had never actually brought a true prisoner here before.
The dungeon's original purpose had been abandoned only days after he acquired it, long before he transformed it into its current appearance.
Yet today, it had finally welcomed its first real "guest."
Because this was not a dungeon beneath the Red Keep.
Nor did it exist in the real world.
This was Karl El's game world.
More specifically, it was the dungeon located beneath the Dark Elf Witch's Terror Tower.
A Bat Harpy Maid lived here, responsible for laying crystal eggs.
A Troll Guard also resided nearby, silently protecting the tower.
The troll rarely spoke and spent most of its time quietly standing guard inside a small side room. Karl sometimes thought the creature resembled the overworked husband from Japanese dramas in his previous life—the type who labored endlessly at work during the day, entertained his boss at night, and drank himself unconscious by midnight.
Meanwhile, the Bat Harpy Maid was the complete opposite.
She was diligent, energetic, and overly affectionate toward her master.
At this moment, she leaned comfortably against Karl El with a satisfied smile on her face.
However, unlike usual, she was not trying to seduce him or demand attention.
Instead, her curious eyes were fixed on the human male hanging in front of them.
The unconscious man was bound tightly to a torture rack that the Bat Harpy herself often used.
His head drooped lifelessly.
The harpy tilted her head curiously.
She found it strange that Karl had not spread the captive's legs apart and restrained him the way he usually restrained her.
Still, none of that truly mattered to her.
What mattered was a far more important question.
Did she finally have a new neighbor?
"Oh my… oh my…" she muttered excitedly while staring at the prisoner.
Karl El's expression immediately darkened.
Without hesitation, he decided he would lock her inside the long-unused dark room later as punishment.
Only after that distraction did Karl finally turn his attention toward the bound assassin in front of him.
A suspected Faceless Man.
Earlier that day, during the chase through King's Landing, Karl had abandoned caution entirely.
Driven by anger and a desire to end the matter quickly, he had openly used extraordinary abilities in the real world.
Thankfully, he had not completely lost his reason.
He had used those powers while disguised as someone else.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous.
As for how the assassin ended up here inside the game world…
The answer was surprisingly simple.
At the moment Karl defeated the assassin with a barrage of attacks and used a stun skill to capture him alive, a dialogue box suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It read:
[Do you wish to capture the human before you?]
The instant Karl saw game prompts appear in the real world, his pupils contracted sharply.
Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."
Then, in the very next second, the assassin vanished.
Completely.
Exactly like defeated enemies inside the game world.
The man disappeared into a strange space Karl could neither understand nor perceive properly.
It was a storage area.
A place where living creatures could apparently be contained.
Yet Karl himself could not truly interact with it.
He could not see inside it.
Could not sense whether it contained mice, birds, sheep, or humans.
The only thing he could observe was a single item slot displayed on his panel.
Inside it appeared a special option:
[Sacrifice Human]
Below the words was an additional description:
[Potentially dangerous living human]
Karl had never paid much attention to this feature before.
After all, the enemies captured inside the game were essentially no different from monster materials or crystallized eggs.
They were simply resources.
Nothing more.
Unlike the ancient magic book or the world map, they possessed no meaningful interaction.
More importantly, Karl had used the stun skill in reality before.
For example, during his journey north with King Robert, he had once cast it on members of the Black Stone Mercenary Company before entering the game world.
At that time, the only result had been exceptionally deep sleep.
Nothing else happened.
But this time was different.
This time, after defeating an enemy, the game system had somehow recognized the target as capturable.
Whether it was due to some hidden condition or an unseen update to the game's rules, Karl did not know.
But the result remained undeniable.
For the first time ever…
He had dragged a living person from reality into the game world.
That realization sent chills down Karl's spine.
Because it meant something terrifying.
The boundary between reality and the game world had cracked open.
And he had accidentally found the opening.
Karl stared silently at the unconscious assassin hanging before him.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.
He picked up an iron bucket nearby, filled with cold water.
Without warning, he dumped the entire bucket over the assassin's head.
Splash!
The freezing water struck like a hammer.
The unconscious assassin jolted awake instantly.
His eyes snapped open.
His memories rapidly returned.
The chase.
The battle.
The mysterious stable boy.
The overwhelming magic.
Then he instinctively struggled.
Only to realize his wrists were bound together above him, hanging from an iron hook attached to the torture rack.
When he looked up and saw Karl El standing before him, shock immediately appeared on his face.
"Karl El?!"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
He had clearly attempted to assassinate Karl successfully.
So why was Karl alive?
Before his memories fully returned, he had assumed he'd been ambushed by some mysterious priest capable of magic.
But now, recollection flooded back completely.
The stable boy.
The terrifying magical abilities.
The crushing defeat.
The assassin's expression changed drastically.
"Where is the man who defeated me?"
"The one who used magic?"
"Who is he?!"
Despite his terrible situation, this was the first thing he asked.
Karl found that amusing.
The man cared more about the mysterious magician than his own captivity.
A cold smile appeared on Karl's lips as he casually tossed aside the empty bucket.
"You want to know who he is?"
"You want to know about magic?"
"That's possible."
Karl folded his arms.
"But first, tell me your real name."
The assassin slowly calmed himself.
His expression regained composure with remarkable speed.
First, he glanced toward Karl.
Then he carefully observed his surroundings.
The room confused him deeply.
The decorations.
The lighting.
The strange warmth.
Everything felt unnatural.
After several seconds, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.
"Someone has no name," he said calmly.
"Because someone is nameless. Faceless. Without identity."
"If that troubles you… then you may simply call someone a Faceless Man."
His eyes were deep and still, like a silent lake.
"And now, Duke Karl El… perhaps someone deserves answers as well?"
His words were calm, but every sentence contained lies, evasions, and probing.
Unfortunately for him, such tricks were meaningless here.
This was Karl El's world.
His territory.
His domain.
Still, Karl did not expose him immediately.
Instead, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Someone?" Karl repeated with amusement.
"That's an interesting manner of speaking."
"If I remember correctly, people from Lorath often speak that way."
Karl slowly approached him.
"So tell me, Mr. Faceless Man…"
"Do you worship Boash, the Blind God of Lorath?"
"Or perhaps you were once a Lorathi noble?"
The assassin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Karl smiled faintly.
Everything he said was deliberate probing.
Then he continued walking closer.
The assassin had believed Karl was falling into his verbal trap.
But the next moment, his expression froze completely.
Because Karl El's body began to change.
His height shifted.
His face distorted.
His features transformed.
Until he became…
The stable boy from earlier.
The very person who had defeated him.
The assassin's calm expression shattered instantly.
His eyes widened uncontrollably.
Yet Karl was not finished.
Using his summoning magic, Karl perfectly maintained the appearance of the stable boy while grabbing the assassin's chin.
A mocking smile spread across his face.
"So then…"
"Mr. Faceless Man…"
"I wonder if your real name might be…"
"Jaqen H'ghar?"
The assassin's breathing stopped for an instant.
"You…!"
His composure cracked completely.
But Karl continued smiling.
Then his appearance changed again.
This time, the hand gripping the assassin's chin became smaller and rougher.
A girl's hand.
Karl's face transformed into Scarlett's severed appearance—the very girl whose face had once been peeled away.
"Or perhaps," Karl whispered softly, "I should call you Scarlett?"
The assassin's eyes trembled violently.
Still, Karl did not stop.
His body shifted once more.
Now he resembled Hyde, the wine steward from King's Landing.
Then another transformation.
A sailor named Bob from the Pike.
Again.
And again.
One identity after another.
Each face represented someone the assassin had once become.
Each transformation cut deeper into his secrets.
Finally, Karl transformed into something even more horrifying.
A faceless figure.
Long hair split between white and red.
No eyes.
No nose.
No mouth.
Only a blank, featureless face.
Karl leaned closer and whispered chillingly:
"Or perhaps…"
"Someone should simply call you…"
"Jaqen H'ghar?"
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