It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

A fragrance that seemed nonexistent in this world wafted from the approaching queen.

A fantastic scent, reminiscent of a rainbow-colored flower with a surreal appearance.

“‘Shadow of the Void’.”

Before I could savor that fragrance.

I absorbed it into the shadows to block it before it could affect Serha or Xue.

I had already seen the perilous nature of such a scent through the example of the Red Alraune; how much more potent might this queen’s be?

“Ugh…?”

For just a moment, Serha—who almost fainted from the fragrance—regained her senses.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes! I’m sorry. I feel like I’ll just be a bother, so I’ll stay back for a bit.”

“That’s probably wise. Xue, you too.”

My beautiful silver-haired werewolf pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

After all, there were plenty of guards in my shadow, so I wouldn’t mind if she stayed close until they could reach her.

“… No. I’m fine… If you help me, I can hold on, so don’t worry.”

“Alright. Just do that.”

Sure, it would be unsettling.

Only after Serha’s presence had pulled away sufficiently did I cast a disgruntled glance toward the approaching Alraune Queen.

Despite the circumstances, she still wasn’t suppressing her scent.

As if challenging me to act.

“I’ve seen you before, but it’s our first true meeting, isn’t it? Queen of the Dungeon.”

The Alraune Queen’s gaze didn’t waver from me, ignoring the retreating pair entirely.

Her strange, obsessive, and aesthetic gaze held a resemblance to my first maid, Yuran, but with a slightly different focus.

“I’ve heard that before.”

“I still remember. Riding in a carriage along the human road outside the forest, the foolish humans saw only you as another human, but I recognized you immediately.”

“When was that?”

“It must have been when you first left this dungeon. I’ve longed to meet you like this ever since.”

Her words hinted at some possibility.

The fact that she had known of my existence since then, yet did not approach me, was likely due to her awkward consideration of me.

I, a being of intense beauty that managed to catch her eye.

Fortunately, I no longer had to regard this possibility as mere conjecture.

“If you wanted to meet, you had plenty of opportunities.”

“But back then, you were still weak. I thought it might be burdensome for my presence to approach you.”

Of course.

If I weren’t as pretty or handsome, this queen would have surely taken some manner of approach much sooner.

And that approach would likely have… been filled with hostility.

I was already well aware of the impact previous Dungeon Lords had on the surroundings from what I’d heard from Kamaya.

Is it also the reason why the other two queens are against contacting me now?

“And I had confidence that your patience wouldn’t last long.”

“Confidence?”

“Yes. The confidence that you would become strong enough to stand before me so soon. Far stronger than before. And surely enough.”

With a smile, she drew closer, emanating an even stronger scent than before.

Honestly, it was an unpleasant display.

She must have already seen me blocking the fragrance moments ago.

And even if controlling such scent was difficult, there was no way a queen wouldn’t be capable of it.

Yet, she was still releasing the scent.

“You’ve appeared before me with such a degree of power, on par with my queens.”

The implication that she was operating at an elite-level capability meant that, until now, she was essentially a monster with elite-level power, implying a base guarantee of four-star quality for a character level.

Traditionally, this was the highest rank one might obtain from a standard mercenary summon in a dungeon.

“Since five-star characters were only available through events or seasonal releases.”

Generally, elite-level beings start at four stars.

Though some might reach five stars or higher due to growth limits or other conditions, likewise, even some with base levels below that might still manage to achieve a four-star ranking.

In essence, it meant that one could achieve a five-star or even higher grade existence with a reasonable investment of resources.

The system I acquired upon coming to this world doesn’t seem to display these star rankings, which leads me to suspect it was either meant to be judged independently or that it simply didn’t exist from a game-like perspective.

“That’s quite fortunate.”

It was a level of capability powerful enough to suppress some discomfort.

Elite rank was also the highest level among the humans inland.

At the very least, it would be appropriate to serve as a meat shield—or rather, a plant shield.

“Yes. Truly fortunate. Your strength… has also become formidable with this.”

And just as I managed to suppress my discomfort, her fragrance abruptly vanished.

Not completely gone.

It still lingered around me.

However, the overwhelming aroma that had previously engulfed the area and nearly made me dizzy had now diminished to just an understated suggestion.

The ‘test’ had ended.

“In this way, it seems you maintain enough composure not to react to distasteful actions from others.”

“You tested me.”

“Judging others solely based on their words or immediate impressions is a foolish endeavor, is it not?”

As I responded in mock ignorance, the queen merely maintained her bright smile.

In her mind, I must have evaluated her incorrectly until just moments prior.

Wrapped in Serha’s assessment that “Alraune is foolish” and tangled with the prior actions of the Red Alraune, I likely regarded her fragrant behavior as just an inconsiderate distraction vying for my attention.

“Well, I suppose that was a satisfactory enough way to maintain my feelings.”

Of course, that was merely my reaction to her test.

While it was still better than the outright hostility of the other two queens, she still couldn’t be considered completely on my side.

Unlike Kamaya.

Displaying all one’s capability almost certainly results in being used; thus, a degree of concealment is a virtue.

It was the same back on Earth.

Didn’t they say one should hide at least 30% of themselves wherever they went?

“That was unpleasant, my queen.”

“I’m sorry, Dungeon Lord. For testing you so abruptly.”

With sincere regret apparent, she clasped her hands and bowed, her face blushing slightly as she whispered her desires.

“If it truly upset you, you could spend the night with me.”

“I would refuse. I’d find that even less acceptable.”

“Oh, how cold.”

The way she lowered her brows while saying so seemed genuinely pitiful, creating an atmosphere that would lead an ordinary man to forgive anything.

I heard the Alraune here had frequent contact with humans, so it seemed she had naturally honed her skills in charming them.

With her beauty and human-like features, it must have been easy to seduce thoughtless fellows.

Inviting me, one who must contend with hostility against humans, into such a situation was indeed unusual…

“But it makes you appear more delightful, your…”

“Let’s introduce ourselves first.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, I realize I haven’t shared my name yet. How rude of me. My apologies.”

Perhaps this aspect applied her ‘foolish’ nature.

The words and actions seemed to reveal it plainly.

“My name is Nirvana. I am the queen who rules this marsh.”

This leads up to the encounter with one of your queens, Alraune Queen Nirvana.

– 2 –

“Nirvana…”

There’s something inherently malevolent about that name as if it has been bestowed with a malicious intent.

Nirvana refers to the ‘Extinction’ in Buddhism.

It speaks of the practitioner attaining enlightenment and transitioning from this world of ‘Suffering’ to the world of ‘Bliss.’

“Whether the name means ‘so alluring that one who overcomes it could attain Nirvana,’ or ‘an allure so compelling that even a practitioner on the brink of Nirvana would fall to it,’”

It seems malicious yet quite appropriate.

Slrrrk.

Just glancing at that floral appearance, which does not belong to this world.

A flower with a black backdrop reflecting rainbow hues.

At first glance, it may evoke images of a halo surrounding one achieving Nirvana, but in the West, where rainbows are viewed as auspicious, in the East, they are seen as omens.

In our country, too, there are records of rainbows appearing before the Abnormal Shrinkage Incident and Imjin War, suggesting it could carry significant superstitious implications.

“Looking at it in conjunction with her name creates a contradiction, does it not?”

Of all things, it’s an omen of Nirvana.

Isn’t the combination suggesting that all entwined could either fall into the abyss or be sent to a place akin to Hell?

Rather than seen as monstrous, it deserves to be described as demonic.

“The essence of Alraune is both you and the flower, isn’t it?”

Naturally, this made me curious.

What this flower was and what relationship it bore to her.

“Are you curious about me? Yes, that’s correct. We are both two yet singular.”

“Two…? Are you saying the flower possesses its own intelligence?”

If her words were to be taken literally, it meant that the floating lotus over there also had different consciousness moving independently from the Alraune before me.

She nodded in affirmation.

“Yes. While it’s not the case for all others, we both possess intelligence. This one is my avatar.”

“Then, what should I call your avatar?”

“It is originally known as Iris Black Lotus. It blooms after receiving Dark Elf magic.”

Ah. Indeed.

The quintessential flower of marshes is the lotus.

It’s the flower that symbolizes Buddhism.

The petals are widespread, fluttering like wings, and the stems below shimmer in rainbow hues, making it impossible to perceive as an ordinary flower.

… Hold on.

Could that glimmering object nearby be lotus root?

“Now, let’s get to the main topic.”

I couldn’t help but ponder how this flower, raised by Dark Elves, became reborn as a monster, but discussing that would be too lengthy.

I was still occupied.

I needed to meet two more queens, and to talk with all of them, it would require at least a week.

This was a task only I could manage.

“I need to check the dungeon as well.”

Beyond that, the most urgent matter at hand concerned the dungeon.

I’ll have to properly kickstart the dungeon soon and then reassess the outcomes.

However, this was not an undertaking that strictly required my presence.

“I’m thankful to have two who can serve as aides. There are also quite a few external collaborators now.”

Ib, overseeing matters within the dungeon, and Lan, managing those dispatched externally, were handling these tasks nicely.

Moreover, with more human extensions like the Cerebrum Skull and others with human forms, there were plenty of tasks I could leave aside without being present in the dungeon.

Still, if possible, I’d like to witness it firsthand.

Because it’s my possession, my dungeon.

“Oh my, why are you so rushed? Shall we have a meal and chat instead?”

But she had no way of perceiving my urgency or intention, so she proceeded at her own pace.

As befits a leader among monsters, her self-centeredness was clear.

“True enough.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still sulking over what happened earlier? I sincerely apologize for that. Or perhaps… do you desire a gift?”

“I’m fine. I already have a gift.”

I shook my head at her question.

It wasn’t a lie.

In truth, I was merely acting upset and hurt.

Thinking of how she had flung out that fragrance while conducting a random test and potentially harming my subordinates.

Now given that, while unpleasant enough to influence my actual feelings, it could hardly undermine the significance of this encounter.

However, if it meant I could obtain a gift, there was no need for me to be overly dismissive.

“Hmm. That was just to impress you, so that’s that. But what about this?”

In terms of propositions, what she offered was quite reasonable.

“I’ll send a few children I have my eye on to the dungeon, of course, in the form of a contract with you. How does that sound?”

This was, of course, a mutually beneficial transaction.

Dispatching forces into the dungeon was inherently the most crucial aspect of our dealings.

She’d be able to understand the dungeon’s conditions more accurately, while I would acquire forces that I could employ immediately.

Furthermore, elevating the caliber of those forces and transferring them entirely under my wing would indeed be considered a gift.

Whether such promises would be honored remains to be seen.

“That sounds good. I look forward to your cooperation, Nirvana.”

“And I too. Let us establish a strong partnership going forward, Libertus.”

Having finished our conversation, it wasn’t long before we shook hands.

However, what I had overlooked was the extent to which she had anticipated our meeting.