It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

“Damn!”

“Ah…”

Upon seeing a figure from across the corridor, Sonia unwittingly raised her hand in greeting, only to quickly stiffen her expression and hide her body.

“It’s infuriating to get used to this…”

The person wearing a maid outfit couldn’t hide her bulky movements, expertly balancing numerous cleaning tools.

That person was none other than Maria.

‘Sister Maria…’

Though they lived in the same dungeon, encounters between the two were extremely rare.

The young female mage’s living quarters and the material storage assigned to her were located on the second floor or a corner of the first floor, inaccessible from the outside, while Maria’s designated cleaning area, the waiting room for the summons, was primarily in the basement.

So the only time they could meet was usually when catching some sunlight, but even then, Sonia went out early in the morning while Maria strolled out later in the afternoon, meaning their timings rarely aligned.

Of course, there had been times they glanced at each other or sensed the unusual presence of a “human female” in the dungeon, but…

It had been over a month since they had genuinely shared a space together.

Moreover, the events that had transpired before didn’t make it any easier.

‘What kind of face should I show her?’

It was only natural for Sonia to hide upon seeing Maria.

She was acutely aware of her own situation—harboring sympathy for someone she was supposed to hate.

“Sonia?”

“Huh?!”

So when Maria suddenly vanished and Sonia felt relief that she was no longer in sight, she could only be surprised once more.

That voice she thought had drifted away came from behind her.

“What’s with that face? Anyone would think you saw a ghost.”

“Ma, Maria… Sister…”

With her chest tightening, Sonia turned around.

Seeing Maria looking at her, she experienced a fleeting illusion that they had returned to their daily lives.

Maria’s smile while looking at her…

“Yeah, why?”

“Ah… nothing.”

It was just like always. As if nothing had changed.

However, surrounding them was the dim corridor of the dungeon, and snapping back to reality, Sonia managed to put on a semblance of a smile, shaking off the creeping sense of unease.

“You just hid, didn’t you? Did you secretly stash away something delicious? If you have, please share it. The food here is always subpar.”

Currently, the only “people” remaining in the dungeon were Sonia, Maria, Jacob, and the recently joined Western Continent folks, Jinkyung and Alexis, totaling five.

Among them, excluding Alexis, who was always teaching Libertus and Evangeline something, the meals allocated to the other four were not particularly abundant.

They were sufficient to maintain their health, but conversely, that was about it. Nonetheless, considering this was a dungeon, it could still be described as a decent meal.

So it wasn’t particularly strange for someone who had just come from regular dining outside to express dissatisfaction.

[Be thankful that there’s always food available. Some dungeons have residents eating nothing but jerky for a week.]

If that person wasn’t Maria, who had once said such a thing.

“…”

Once more, Sonia felt a wave of discomfort, yet she secretly shook her head.

One was for hope, and the other was for relief.

That Maria hadn’t fallen apart, and perhaps there was still a chance to plan for a future together.

Hearing that there was someone in this place with whom she could continue a more everyday conversation brought her relief.

‘There’s probably no way she’s alright, but still…’

She certainly knew that Maria wasn’t in a good state.

However, holding onto hope was something essential for both of them to do. For Maria, and especially for Sonia, who didn’t consider herself strong, it was even more crucial.

Anyone listening might shake their head, thinking, ‘You just haven’t blossomed yet…’

But ironically, the one person who truly knew how long Sonia had been with Maria was the very person who didn’t realize it.

“Sonia. I understand that right now, you can’t do anything.”

“Y-yeah?”

“If your magic hadn’t been sealed, you’d be able to give it a good whack, but expecting that now would just be foolish of me. So, wait. Until the opportunity arises.”

As Maria spoke with a serious expression, Sonia couldn’t help but voice her doubts.

Yet Maria continued speaking as if she hadn’t seen the look on Sonia’s face.

An invisible wall of understanding had already formed between the two.

“Sister…?”

“It shouldn’t be far off.”

Realizing that Maria’s focus wasn’t on her, but rather gazing somewhere beyond this space, Sonia felt a sense of loss.

“I left a contact person. Your parents.”

“Ah… your two…”

“Yeah.”

Unlike Sonia or Jacob, who were orphans, Maria and Remia had parents who existed in this world.

The reason they had never mentioned those people until now was likely because they were the sole source of hope.

Maria already had hope—for something that wasn’t Sonia.

And though it was inexplicably disappointing, it allowed Sonia to shake off the feeling quickly.

“Um… but.”

“Yeah?”

A strangely lustrous gaze filled with obsession.

Gazing into her sickly eyes, the woman who had suffered from illness could only shake her head.

“… No. Sister. They will definitely come for you. Both of them.”

“Yeah. When that time comes, I’ll talk to you immediately. But we need to act now. If not now, there won’t be another chance… They’ve grown strong so quickly…”

Watching Maria’s retreating figure and the swaying black-and-white hem of her clothing, Sonia felt her own expression gradually darkening.

Though she didn’t speak it, she understood fully.

Libertus wasn’t the kind of complacent being everyone thought he was. And in the relatively small town of Solemio, the appearance of a high-ranked adventurer would surely attract attention.

Given such circumstances, Maria and Daniel’s actions would have garnered significant attention among those who dealt with information.

In the worst-case scenario, that “contact” might have already met a fatal fate.

“Crushing rotten hopes ahead of time is the best course for that person. Sonia, the longer you wait, the deeper the wounds will be cut. Thus, that scar will also deepen.”

And hearing her saying such things, Sonia became increasingly convinced that her suspicions were right.

“Master…”

Though it wasn’t articulated explicitly, the gaze from Libertus seemed to ask Sonia, ‘Will you truly be able to bear Maria’s despair when the time comes?’

– 2 –

– So when I said I didn’t want to…

“Sereka, I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

– Huh? Already? It hasn’t even been 30 minutes.

In a normal communication timeframe, 30 minutes would result in a profit, so what remained to be said that was so voluminous?

It had already been five days since she left.

Yet Sereka, as if she had forgotten her earlier statement of “I don’t know why I have to contact you,” continued to communicate at least once every day or two.

Her conversations mainly centered around how “the mansion and the nobles here were too stifling,” ranging from a brief 10 minutes to an hour-long exchange, and I realized in our first communication that it was best to cut them short to manage the flow properly.

“There’s been some work over here.”

– … I got it. I won’t bother you then.

However, even though it truly was a matter of work that required me to end the call, I could hardly ignore her somewhat sullen demeanor.

‘Why is she getting so close, I wonder…’

… I was equally weak in the face of someone drawing near.

While pondering this and scratching my head, I decided to offer some advice to increase the interval between communications a bit further.

“It’s only natural that it would take time for you—who used to grow strong like a wildflower—to adapt to a new environment. Nonetheless, I hope you’ll bloom like a jewel at the end of that journey. I sincerely wish you find a good balance at your family home.”

– … Okay! I’ll contact you next time!

It was rewarding to find that my words had an effect, as Sereka’s last voice ended on a remarkably bright note.

– Click, click.

As my gaze then fell to the ground, there crawled a peculiar summon—one with the eyes made of artificial material mounted atop human bones—climbing up onto my desk.

Maria had probably felt relieved all this time, thinking I was completely unaware of the two women’s personal lives.

Nonetheless, I was always ready to hear them out.

Surely Sonia was aware of how much I valued information, but she wouldn’t have known the means by which I did so.

– Click.

That means—I currently held in my hand, resembling a spider, the “Necromancer’s Eyes” used by other Dungeon Lords to primarily watch outside the dungeon.

With almost no other functionality aside from reporting and listening, and occasionally fetching something—a very minor summon indeed.

Of course, I didn’t scatter these carelessly all over the dungeon. There was no need for such inefficient actions.

– We must act now. If not now, there won’t be another chance… They’ve grown strong so quickly…

I had placed these near spots where Sonia and Maria might cross paths, ensuring that the skeletons attached for monitoring were left out when the two of them passed through there.

This was merely a story of the two of them meeting at one of those locations.

‘It’s as I knew.’

Despite being somewhat lackluster, it felt rewarding to have made the effort.

‘There’s a possibility Maria noticed the surveillance and spoke about something else, but…’

Well. At least as it stands, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Maria didn’t seem like a person capable of such discernment, and even if she were to be, the experience she just had would fundamentally change a person, making it unpredictable in the first place. The only way to deal with that would be to take more defensive measures.

Of course, I could simply eliminate her right now, but…

– Snap.

“That’s not happening.”

Even now, Mire standing beside me felt significant.

‘She won’t betray me, but she could be damaged.’

This was one of the events that often occurred in Mill Don 1.

When the original family is executed, an already summoned retainers can become damaged for “unknown reasons” due to familial ties.

Thinking those occurrences wouldn’t happen here would be overly optimistic.

Of course, from an objective standpoint, losing her wouldn’t deal a significant blow to my overall strength. Although she had heroic-grade traits, she didn’t immediately translate into substantial power.

‘If she were to vanish, she would likely be greatly disheartened…’

Warding off the fear of her becoming damaged stemmed from my own “attachment”.

That attachment to the summons I originally held had only grown stronger since arriving in this reality.

Thus, I wanted to “own” Maria as best I could.

Part of this was the collector’s instinct from being a gamer, but mainly it was to avoid losing the affection I had genuinely developed since coming here.

I wasn’t particularly keen on maintaining my humanity as a Dungeon Lord, but neither did I wish to become a heartless monster.

Looking after Sonia and Maria now was part of that notion.

– Click, click.

“Crushing rotten hopes ahead of time is the best course for that person, Sonia.”

“Master…”

Leaving the “Necromancer’s Eyes” to crawl onward, I greeted the woman who entered the room.

“I have come at your call. I… please…”

With her eyes shaking fervently as she gazed at me, she merely bent her body deeply in greeting, resembling an approach towards someone of very high status.

She likely understood the meaning of such a gesture.

“Even without your request, I don’t intend to do anything to her. I’m someone who cherishes my belongings.”

“… Thank you.”

As she straightened up with eyebrows lowered, her atmosphere radiated an overwhelming sense of futility.

Having lived with the threat related to her lifespan all her life, she now bore a pitiful air that seemed like she could give up on her life at any moment.

“Magic Overprotection – Currently Sealed.”

One unique trait could be cited as the reason for this woman’s aura.

This heroic-grade trait called “Magic Overprotection” is a quality trait that gradually increases one’s magic during their life while also raising their magic stability limit.

However, her late discovery of this ability caused her excessive magical power to halt the development of her body, effectively locking her physical capabilities in a childlike state before her adventurer days.

In essence, she couldn’t fulfill adventurer duties and had been forced into it thanks to her friends’ help.

“Now… choose.”

“What…?”

And from now on, I would be receiving this woman’s traits.

“Will you maintain that ‘blessing’ you possess, or will you shed that lifelong burden and become an ordinary magician? I’m curious as to which choice you’ll make.”

“…”

Through either of those options.