It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

Leonis’s body had certainly faced death.

However, his soul still remained in this world without departing.

This was because I had frozen his body and soul with ‘Necromancy’ right at the moment when his body died, before the soul and body separated.

‘This was the best option.’

To collect all the talents and abilities remaining in his body without damaging his soul, some measure had to be taken.

A body that has lost its soul not only chemically decays over time, but also magically corrupts.

This is a law of nature that cannot be stopped even by magical freezing.

This was the best method among them.

Some, especially clergy, might call it desecration of the deceased, but I hope they’d say it was the best way to keep his last wishes.

-So that’s why you woke me up for the last time.

“That’s right.”

Indeed, his intellect and emotions were maintained this intact.

His appearance, summoned through necromancy from the frozen body, was a colorless form that perfectly captured his appearance in life, though it was translucent.

Speaking of soul quality as Scarlet mentioned before, not only his body’s talent but also his soul was strong and of high grade.

-Then, Miss Sonia. This is my answer.

“Senior?”

-It’s against the natural order for a dead person to interfere in the affairs of the living, so I won’t say anything. You will choose well. Because you’re not a weak person.

“But, I’m not such a person…”

-…

Despite Sonia’s weak words, Leonis didn’t say anything other than what he said initially.

As he said, it’s literally against the natural order for a dead person’s words to interfere with the living.

I decided to help Sonia.

“You didn’t even finish your last words properly. Why don’t you say what you want to say for the last time, if you have anything?”

-…It’s awkward when you speak so kindly. In the end, you… No, never mind. It’s meaningless.

“What’s so difficult about delivering one word from a dead person.”

I could guess what his unclear words meant.

He probably meant that the misfortunes of Leonis and Sonia ultimately stemmed from my intentions.

“Teacher…”

“It’s alright.”

“…Thank you.”

Sonia was looking at me perplexedly, but I just shook my head with a gentle smile.

She too had noticed what was meant by the silence between his words, and was momentarily flustered.

Sonia, who bowed her head to me like that, looked up at Leonis again.

He finally exhaled the remaining words with a sigh.

-…You are not weak. Miss Sonia. Whatever your choice is, I will support you. There’s nothing to resent.

Whether she kills Eleanor miserably, or keeps her alive to make her suffer more, or forgives her.

Saying he would support Sonia.

His words ultimately empowered Sonia’s decision.

“Say your final goodbye, Sonia. The measures I need to take for him can’t be delayed anymore.”

“…Yes.”

Although I froze him with necromancy, keeping a dead person in this world is magically very burdensome.

Now that I’ve temporarily released Leonis’s magical freeze, his decay has already begun.

The sooner that’s handled, the better.

Of course, there’s no need to say such things to Sonia or Leonis.

The last moments should be comfortable for both of them.

“Senior. Thank you. Always…”

-Your existence also. Made me grateful for being born in this world. Miss Sonia.

“…I hope you go to a good place.”

Sonia, who exchanged final greetings, remained in that place.

Because she too had to be present to fulfill his last wishes until the end.

“Your resolve to use your legacy for the dungeon and her hasn’t changed?”

-Of course. Because it seems being by your side is the best for her to survive now.

“I see… I’ll begin.”

-I’m ready.

Nodding at his words, I pointed the tip of my staff at his soul, and placed my other hand on his body.

I mentioned earlier that what I did to his body might seem like desecration of the deceased, but what I’m about to do now might seem even more so.

The only difference is that I obtained consent from the deceased himself.

“…’Sacrifice Appraisal’.”

『Name – Leonis Den』

I pushed aside his information window that naturally popped up.

What I need now is not the assistance of the system that only I possess, but the original function of the Sacrifice Appraisal magic.

Eyes that intuitively grasp the state of the soul and body treated as sacrifices.

Swoosh.

In my current eyes, I could see the spiritual connection linking Leonis’s soul and body, and their state decaying in real-time.

It’s impossible to slow down the speed of decay.

However, it was possible to utilize that decay.

Tok.

When I picked and pulled the decaying part from Leonis’s soul, something like black paint stuck to my fingertip.

This is ultimately a negative force born from the decay of soul and body.

It was a force similar to the magic power of demons, and it’s something that should be familiar to necromancers.

Thanks to that, it was possible for me to control it like this.

-Why do I have to die…

-I don’t want to go alone…

What’s felt from there are emotions that Leonis in his normal state wouldn’t put into words.

It was full of emotional curses so concentrated that even I felt uncomfortable.

An ordinary necromancer would amplify this state, make the soul decay more ‘appropriately’, and strengthen and use these emotions as well.

However, what I’m about to do now was the opposite of that approach.

Slash!

Using the slightly detached ‘decayed soul’ like a surgical knife, I cut out all the existentially decaying parts from Leonis’s body and soul.

It’s a process of slowing down the speed of decay while increasing the power I’ll use.

-…This is.

“Senior. You look a bit younger.”

-Haha. I guess so.

As a result, Leonis’s soul had the side effect of becoming a few years younger.

The voices of the two people who don’t know exactly what’s happening brush past my ears, but I leave them be and continue the process.

They’d only panic if they knew anyway.

“‘Soul Refinement’.”

Swoosh!

As I chanted the spell, the detached decayed soul simply cut off the string that connected it to Leonis’s soul and body, which were its original self.

A magic that purely separates from soul and body so they can’t affect each other.

Since the influence that others’ magic power can have on a soul is limited unless sufficient time and magic power are invested, this is a magic that can be used immediately only with the consent of the subject of the procedure.

Of course, necromancers usually take talents from both to create summons, so they don’t need to put sacrifices in this situation.

This was a creation made solely by my thoughts and imagination.

-…I feel free.

An amusing thought came to me at an inappropriate time.

It was because his words reminded me of a meme used on Earth.

Fortunately, laughter didn’t burst out, and I called up the system window again to check the situation I had created.

『Attributes – Health X Technique 5 Durability X Magic Power 14 Resistance 11』

『Attributes – Health 24 Technique 36 Durability 29 Magic Power 40 Resistance 35』

『Characteristic – Special Grade Specialization: Detection Magic, …』

『An adventurer mage with abilities better than their grade. The body is high-grade, and the soul is top-grade.』

『In the process of being processed by the sorcerer’s will, the soul underwent one grade increase.』

Although I minimized the part that the soul takes from the body, it couldn’t be completely without influence.

Also, Leonis’s spirit feeling ‘free’ seems to have been an emotion that occurred in the process of his soul’s grade increasing once.

If this had happened while he was alive, wouldn’t it have immediately become an opportunity to rise one level?

Since it’s only possible after death, is it meaningless to assume?

“Sonia. Are you ready?”

“Ah… Yes!”

Anyway, all preparations are now complete.

Preparations to show Leonis’s last wishes being fulfilled before he attains nirvana.

This is a method of ‘transferring the abilities of a dead sacrifice’ by applying the ‘ability transfer through contract’ that can be used after becoming a high-rank Dungeon Lord.

“As I’ve already explained, what’s about to happen will be different from the enhancement you usually experience through orc’s flesh and soul.”

The ‘Sacrifice Enhancement’ I’ve done so far was done without the consent of the subject.

Therefore, to forcibly extort the sacrifice’s resources, I used the power of the soul to suppress the spirit remaining in the body.

This wasn’t because I wanted it that way, but was the mechanism of the Sacrifice Enhancement magic itself.

However, the enhancement I’m about to do now was different.

“You said I would become much stronger.”

“It’s possible because Leonis agreed to use his body for you. Although I can predict the results to some extent, I don’t know what side effects there might be.”

A situation where the deceased agrees to use their entire body, and with the soul’s own consent, even the spirit that would resist is fully used as a sacrifice.

All of Leonis’s remaining resources will be used for Sonia’s enhancement.

Even I could only predict how large the scale of that enhancement would be.

-Wait. Didn’t you say it would be safe?

“I meant that because I’m here. Whatever happens, she won’t be seriously injured. Leonis.”

-…

“Thank you, Senior.”

Sonia smiled at Leonis, who was looking at her with worried eyes, and then looked at me firmly.

To that, I executed the final process.

“‘Sacrifice Enhancement’.”

Shaaa-!

As soon as the words fell, black magic power covered Leonis’s body.

However, its aspect was different from usual Sacrifice Enhancement. If the usual one was much more turbid and sticky, what was covering his body now was much… ‘cleaner’.

Without any blazing or slimy appearance.

It flowed cleanly like ink, changed into a single sphere, and the ‘residue’ left in that place was absorbed into the dungeon more quickly.

“Uh…”

“It’s bigger than usual. I’ll proceed.”

The power of the sacrifice created like that was much larger than usual, making even Sonia, who had gone through Sacrifice Enhancement several times, momentarily hesitate.

It does look quite unusual.

However, I didn’t wait any longer and immediately moved that sphere to her.

Swoosh!

“Uh… huh?”

The sphere that looked clean on the outside was absorbed even faster than usual.

Sonia, startled by the large amount of liquid that disappeared into her body in the blink of an eye, touched various parts of her body, but of course, there was no trace of the vanished Leonis to be found.

Although it was clearly visible to my eyes.

『Attributes – Health 19(◀ 7) Technique 29(◀ 11) Durability 31(◀ 16) Magic Power 50(◀ 34) Resistance 41(◀ 27)』

The increase in values was about half of what remained in Leonis’s body.

Physical ability stats increased more than magic-related ability stats.

『Characteristics – Advanced Specialization: Detection Magic, Advanced Specialization: Curse, …Magic Overadaptation』

Also, the detection magic he originally had was absorbed with its level slightly lowered.

Plant and illusion-type magic were all integrated into curse and absorbed with a higher level.

And finally, the grade of Magic Overadaptation increased by one more level.

Probably some of the magical talents that she couldn’t absorb now went this way.

At this level, her ability is so extraordinary that the ‘official’ grade stamped by the Mage Guild, which hasn’t recognized her yet, would be strange.

I should visit the demon realm soon to get what I need.

“Um… ugh. I feel nauseous…”

-That’s an injury, you know.

“I’m sorry to Senior, but… ugh.”

Perhaps due to this influence, Sonia’s face turned pale white. Probably due to the sudden surge of magic power.

“It seems that special talent you originally had has returned to its original state, one level up. Your constitution has changed, so it’s natural to feel that change.”

“What? Then…”

“Now that your ability is sufficient, that magic power won’t be a problem anymore.”

“Haah…”

Sonia greatly relieved, touching her chest at my words.

…Come to think of it, as her body returns to normal, that part is growing a lot too. I think it was very small originally.

No. Never mind that.

-I’m glad, Miss Sonia.

“Yes, Senior. …Senior?”

I could see Sonia’s eyes shaking greatly as she raised her head.

It must be because Leonis’s soul had become noticeably more transparent than before.

It’s time to say goodbye now.

-Don’t make that face. I think there’s no one in the world who has met such a mild end for being involved with a dungeon. It’s an achievement you can be proud of.

“I don’t think that’s something to say in front of the dungeon master.”

-Bear with it. It’s the last time.

Leonis’s expression was very clean.

As if he had really thrown off all the shackles and bonds of the world.

Even in his expression looking at Sonia, while there was loving feelings, there wasn’t a single trace of obsession.

“Senior…”

-Goodbye. Miss Sonia.

And so, Leonis departed.

‘I wonder if this could be considered resolving one’s own affairs in some sense.’

In the end, I was the one who dropped him into the abyss, and by my hands, I sent him to where he should originally go.

* * *

“I want to give her… Eleanor a chance too. A chance to learn proper heartedness.”

Perhaps it was inevitable that Sonia, who had properly ended things with Leonis, made such a decision.

“Alright. Do as you wish.”

Of course, I allowed that as well.

‘As expected, she…’

Now I think I understand a bit.

About the feelings Sonia has for me.