It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a cave with nothingness surrounding me.

The only thing in sight was a huge orb.

It spoke.

– “Eat and grow.”

In this empty space, the orb endlessly illuminated itself with light that seemed akin to “sunlight,” although I had no idea what it was.

It had been gradually pouring essential knowledge into my mind.

But there was not enough time.

“What the heck. What is this dog…?”

“Hey, that’s not a dog, it’s a fox.”

“Wait a minute. This orb, it’s a Dungeon Core. Could this fox…?”

“Dungeon… Lord?”

– Grrr…!!

Before I could even summon my first summon, I rushed at the human, overwhelming hostility surging within me.

“Here, feed it. Summon it right away.”

“I’m really curious about who came up with the idea of controlling dungeons like this.”

“They say it’s a sage. A sage. Thanks to that, we can offer up beastly little bastards for infinite monster byproducts.”

And that came at the cost of endless loneliness and emptiness.

Not even allowed to commit suicide, just endlessly providing labor and prey with the Dungeon Core’s magic.

No hope or stimulation…

My existence had turned into complete nothingness.

“May I ask your name?”

One day, a change intervened in this reality.

Would it bring eternal rest or more suffering?

– … none.

If not, maybe it could be a true change that brings hope.

– 2 –

Creak… creak…

The dark and quiet mine held a silence so profound it was suffocating.

Dust from the ore on the ground billowed up every time a person moved, and a creaky old oil lamp hung from the ceiling, producing a lonely sound.

In other words, it looked like a place where no one could even stay for a night, let alone live.

“Did you all think you could make use of this place without cleaning it?”

“You mean… clean the mine…?”

“To you, it may be a mine, but for the child inside, it would’ve been a living space.”

“A child…?”

Elenore muttered in disbelief, with her family following behind her, filled with terror.

Neither side seemed inclined to answer my questions, so I just shook my head.

“Come out.”

Since I had already entered the dungeon, there was no need to hide, so I called forth all my children.

– Clank!

– Clang!

Clink. Clack.

A ‘warrior’ armed with a weapon emerged, followed by ‘soldiers’ with shields and spears, and then the ‘archers.’

They were all at least formal rank, each possessing a specialized weapon.

Including Mire and Axe, there were twelve high-ranking entities.

To create or summon high-ranking skeletons, I needed to raise the magic power of the core, and I had no idea how painfully difficult it had been to procure offerings for magic when all the beasts near the dungeon had fled and vanished.

“Skeleton…?”

“No way. A summoner…?”

Among humans, there were certainly those who could summon and command skeletons.

However, they weren’t categorized like dungeon lords or demon clans into necromancers or vampires; they were simply referred to as ‘summoners.’

They could obtain specialized properties suited to each type of entity, but even so, they couldn’t gain properties as useful as those of demon clans, and they couldn’t directly create other summons apart from those with whom they had a contract.

Perhaps I would see them later.

“No, but why only skeletons…?”

Anyway, one advantage of a summoner is being able to summon multiple creatures they’ve contracted as needed, but in a cave like this, it would make sense to summon ghosts or zombies instead of just skeletons.

So that’s why they were expressing doubts. “Why aren’t they summoning those?”

They also held the fixed notion that “a Dungeon Lord wouldn’t just come out from the dungeon and act alone.”

“Axe and the pranksters. Leave the soldiers and archers so the officers can guard the entrance and check if the mine has an entrance too.”

– Clatter!

“Be cautious of onlookers since the village is nearby, but if discovered, don’t hesitate. You all are my priority.”

– Clang!!!

I left behind the soldiers, the high-rank entity ‘officers,’ and the archers.

If luck really runs out, the demon clan that supported the Kleimel house might visit here today, so I needed a minimum number of personnel for contact, combat response… and perhaps even hospitality.

Of course, that was all assuming they came.

“Warriors, let’s go together.”

– Clank!

“Eve, keep an eye on our back.”

– Clang!

The warriors, each bearing a specialized weapon, had two who felt special.

The upgraded warrior, ‘Lancer’ and ‘Berserker.’

‘Lancers’ specialized in agility, wielding relatively lighter weapons, while ‘Berserkers’ with enhanced durability and resistance held heavier ones, making them easy to distinguish even at a glance.

Unlike Xue, who doesn’t carry a weapon and replaces it with ‘characteristics,’ it’s quite rare.

“Ah, wait a minute.”

– Clank?

I called Eve, who was heading back with the Lancers, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

– Clang!

Eve, who usually moved with such ease, froze. My arms passed her sides, gently caressed her back.

“If you’re sulking today, this should help.”

– Cl-cl-clank!

“Hehe. Let’s go.”

“… What’s that?”

I heard some rustling behind me, but of course, I didn’t mind.

I didn’t need to worry about the costs of their summonings later on.

“Hey, if we’re entering the dungeon, shouldn’t we get weapons…?”

“Didn’t I say the inside of the mine is empty? You lot.”

“B-but…”

Arriving here, the nobles must have guessed their purpose for coming, as their expressions were filled with anxiety.

I could imagine what they were thinking.

“I don’t plan to feed you all to that child. Don’t worry.”

My words didn’t provide them with complete reassurance, but the fallen nobles managed to settle their expressions somewhat.

Whether they believe me or not, this is the truth.

It might be that facing the Dungeon Lord could be a better fate than simply being devoured by them, so I had no intention of torturing or agonizing them for pain.

Neither I nor Leonis shared that kind of relationship…

In any case, wasn’t there someone more suitable to be the master of vengeance against them? Someone who should decide their treatment before me.

[Senpai…!!!]

Sonia’s heart likely wasn’t settled regarding this matter yet.

An unforeseen farewell is always like that.

It had been only two months since losing a friend, and losing someone who could bolster her spirits might lead her to break down.

‘So, I need to make sure vengeance is properly concluded, whatever it takes.’

You think Elenore alone would be enough for revenge? Would it not be a burden to make her kill her whole family?

Well.

Honestly, I think the possibility of revenge and forgiveness is fifty-fifty. In this case, gathering all family members could turn out to be a good choice regardless of the route taken.

Whether to use them as slaves or recycle them.

“Uh…?”

As I was heading deeper into the mine, a puzzled voice suddenly erupted from Elenore.

It was just after a room had appeared before us.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, this room…”

Elenore examined the room as she looked around.

Overall, it seemed like a typical dungeon room. Nothing there, but one could expect monsters to burst out at any moment…

‘A typical room? A Dungeon Lord raised from birth?’

“There wasn’t originally a room like this here, right? Am I wrong?”

“Uh, uh…”

“What happened…?”

By the time I realized the anomaly, Elenore also confirmed it with her family.

Everyone responded affirmatively to that question.

“Warriors. Be on guard. An enemy may emerge. Xue, Eve.”

“Yes.”

– Clang!

We changed formation.

I sent both of them forward while I stepped back to position myself. To my sides were the two Berserkers that had originally stayed with Xue.

It was not so much to ensure my safety, but rather, it was the most efficient formation.

‘Now that I think about it, it is strange.’

These nobles had said that they were using personnel extracted from the dungeon for mine development. Yet on the way over, I hadn’t seen any personnel at all.

As if they had just vanished somewhere.

“What kind of monsters were originally down here? I thought you were using that personnel.”

“That would be… zombies.”

Elenore hesitantly started to speak more respectfully at the end of her sentence.

She was probably starting to guess about my true identity… well, she’d figure it out. I hadn’t decided yet whether to kill or spare her.

“Zombies, huh… Did you not say the Dungeon Lord was a Were Beast?”

“Yes, that’s right. So I thought it was strange. Those were animal ears, for sure…”

“Animal ears…”

The Dungeon Lord reigning over the beastman-dominated dungeon in the Eastern Continent is a ‘Were Dragon.’

However, that doesn’t mean it’s a true dragon beast; it’s merely a translation of “dragon” in the Western Continent.

Moreover, in this world, dragons aren’t fixed into the long reptilian form.

All ‘powerful, smart, and divine/corrupted beasts’ are referred to as ‘dragons’ in this world.

In other words, while it is called a Were Dragon, it could actually be any other animal from the zodiac or even an insect or cat-human.

‘But cases like this are rare.’

Because, in the Eastern Continent, a beast that powerful would usually be a ‘dragon,’ or at the very least, a large species like a wyvern or phoenix, kraken, etc.

Thus, it’s odd.

Dungeons typically spawn Dungeon Lords in forms that are ‘familiar’ and ‘easy to evoke fear’ for that continent.

Almost no terrifying beasts with animal ears exist in the Eastern Continent. They do exist, but they are far too weak compared to something like a kraken.

For that reason, there were practically no Dungeon Lords born with animal ears.

… Unless they have such ‘tastes’ and choose not to change their appearance later on. ‘Customization.’

“Why…”

A Dungeon Lord with animal ears. And a dungeon capable of summoning zombies.

The combination I know appears only in a single instance.

‘Why is a beast from the Western Continent here?’

It’s pretty much an Eastern-style. In other words, it’s only in the dungeons of the Western Continent where this Dungeon Lord exists.

Dungeon Lords in the Eastern Continent can summon or produce and manage different kinds of monsters, but that’s usually after they’ve reached at least a high rank and learned summoning techniques or other dungeon lord spells.

‘In contrast, the Western Continent tends to be more lenient with those restrictions.’

The monsters appearing in their dungeons are beings they refer to as ‘spirits.’ In other words, there are hardly any standardized species within their dungeons.

It seems they resemble their first summon, but unlike in the Eastern Continent, they don’t summon only the same kind of entities.

Thanks to this, they can adapt more effectively to various situations. The drawback is that aside from ‘Yokai Gathering,’ they can’t organize them into an army.

– Grrr…

Kwahk!

This speculation turned into certainty upon encountering an entity deeper inside the dungeon.

“Jiangshi.”

“What’s a Jiangshi?”

“You don’t need to know. Elenore.”

Similar to zombies, but the movements are stiffer, the skin is tougher, and it appears meticulously preserved as if it had just died.

People of the Eastern Continent would refer to it simply as a ‘zombie,’ but this, in fact, was a ‘Jiangshi.’

While it didn’t have the talismans on its forehead or the ornate clothing of the Western Continent, it was dressed in ragged clothing.

Although, each one had slightly different garments.

“Why is there a being from the Western Continent here?”

“That… is…”

– …

I was paying attention to Xue and Eve’s reactions.

After they learned about the ‘Dungeon Lord with animal ears’ and the presence of a ‘Jiangshi,’ the two abruptly stopped making eye contact with me.

They definitely knew something.

If it were information harmful to me, they wouldn’t hide it, so I was okay, but I felt a little hurt.

What could be so secretive?

– Grrr…

– Grrr…!

For the time being, it wasn’t something to worry about, and as we continued deeper into the dungeon, the numbers of Jiangshi began to increase.

It was shortly after encountering the fourth Jiangshi that I noticed something odd.

“Wait. You guys. Don’t attack.”

“Okay.”

– Clang!

As they attacked and knocked down the Jiangshi, the moment my command fell, Xue and Eve immediately halted, flinging the Jiangshi aside and stepping back.

Following their lead, the skeletons also retreated, while I stepped forward instead.

Upon seeing me approach, they froze and then, in that state, bowed down deeply in front of me.

“Lady. Danger…”

“No, it’s not dangerous. Xue knew that, right?”

“Uh…”

Although she was sweating coldly, Xue didn’t avert her gaze. Eve beside her wasn’t quite as bold, but she didn’t look away either.

Perhaps their lack of confidence came from not revealing the information they had known to me.

Even so, not turning away was their way of saying they hadn’t done anything shameful.

It’s not extremely important that the Jiangshi haven’t attacked us since we first met.

“Since I wasn’t certain before.”

“Next time, even if it’s just a possibility, tell me.”

“Okay…”

– Clang.

Leaving the two who nodded behind, I circled around the Jiangshi to assess its condition.

The Jiangshi now stepping forward moved much more smoothly than the Jiangshi I had seen earlier.

It felt like there was some will behind its movements.

Honestly, I had never heard of a Jiangshi bowing.

“Let’s go. It’s inviting us.”

From that moment on, we maintained only minimal vigilance and continued to move deeper into the dungeon.

And at the end of it, we met ‘her.’

– “Ah…”

Despite being in a cave, she stood against a backdrop that resembled a shaman’s shrine or a small temple, clearly recognizable…

Turning toward me, she expressed profound joy on her face.

– “My lord.”

With fox ears above her head and two tails trailing behind, a black-haired woman with golden eyes gazed at me.

– “I have long awaited your arrival, my lord.”

Her true identity was as I had already anticipated – a being from the Western Continent, a fox with two tails.

‘Gumiho.’

In other words, a nine-tailed fox or a celestial fox, but still in its early stages, with only two tails.

‘There’s no binding collar.’

The restraints from House Kleimel that had supposedly been placed on her were no longer visible anywhere on her body.

… These fallen nobles are utterly useless.