It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

The two forces engaged in battle, clearing away the trapped mist and the fir trees that held it.

Both sides donned glistening black armor, making it hard to distinguish them at first glance, but upon closer inspection, distinguishing features became apparent.

“Kyaraak – !!”

“Kishyak!!”

Most of them stood upright with a light gray chitin that seemed to blend into the mist, while the beast-like ones bore black or dark blue fur covering their entire bodies in a similar manner.

‘This is like a stratagem from a game unit classification.’

Just as Libertus thought, or like an army.

“Kyaraak – !!”

A warrior with two pairs of legs and one pair of arms charged at the front-line enemy, weapons in each hand.

Their speed was incredible.

With legs extended sideways around their torso, their structure was ill-suited for running in a straight line, yet they pressed forward.

Crunch!

“Krshit!!”

The charging warrior swung their axe down upon their foe, and the enemy, distracted by another nearby confrontation, screamed as its rear was cleaved in two.

However, that alone would not take down the foe.

“Die – !!”

Learning from this experience, the warrior thrust their spear with their left hand as they charged.

Fwoosh!

“Kuh-huh…!”

In an instant, something pierced them in the side.

It was another monster, twice the size of the one the warrior just gutted.

Crunch, crack!!

A massive warrior lifted one pair of legs, pouring power into two spears, tearing apart the enemy’s body into four pieces.

“Do not fall back – !! Our king watches over his children!”

He shouted while splattered with blood and slime.

A gigantic black body crawling on eight legs, and on top of it, a pale human upper body – an impressive male warrior.

“Do not fall back – !!”

After encouraging his comrades and subordinates, the warrior wielded armor the same color as his body and two spears, attempting to traverse the battlefield.

Splat, splat, splat!!

“Khak…!”

Soon, however, a multitude of enemy warriors charged, and due to his spear, he lost his life before he could turn the tide.

A spirited start ending in an utterly hollow conclusion.

“Kill – !!”

“Kyaaaak!”

Such scenes unfolded all over the battlefield.

Both sides were equally embroiled.

– 2 –

It wasn’t far from where the wagon stopped to here, but the scene revealed with the increasingly audible sounds was incredibly intense.

Countless soldiers and warriors from both factions, throwing themselves into battle without caring for their lives.

In this forcibly formed clearing in the forest, the sounds of blood and death which had been absent moments ago filled the air.

‘Why hadn’t I heard the noise… Ah.’

I realized the reason after a moment’s thought.

The fir trees trapped the water they needed as mist, preventing the sounds from reaching my location.

Sounds and smells can only be transmitted through moving air, and this mist was essentially paralyzed by the trees’ magic, hardly moving at all.

“How did you know? There shouldn’t have been any sounds or smells leaking out.”

I couldn’t help but wonder how Shuue was able to perceive this place.

“Blood… I can sense the blood of living beings.”

“Indeed. Such ability exists.”

This meant that Shuue possessed a power not even the system’s window had detected…

A topic of conversation to share with her had just increased.

– Kyaraak!!

– Kishyak!!

I turned my head back to the battlefield.

The current situation showed that the “light gray” side had the upper hand.

Although their individual strengths were weaker compared to the “dark blue” side, they massively outweighed them in numbers, organization, and venom.

– Kyaraak!!

– Kill them, kill them, kill them, kill them!

– Kyakarak!

They were heedless of anyone dying beside or in front of them, not caring even when their own limbs were severed.

Whether the ones who appeared to be regular soldiers or those acting as higher-ranking officers, they charged forward, their eyes crazed.

Though they adjusted their formation by controlling the front and back strengths, they all advanced as if they were all berserkers.

– Kishyak!!

– Tear them apart!!!

The opponent was not any less relentless.

Though pale in comparison to the “light gray” side, the “dark blue” side rushed in without retreating.

“What a bunch of lunatics.”

“Whichever side it is, they follow their king like a parent.”

“True. Those who…”

The reverence and affection for their parental figures seemed excessive; it looked like nothing short of fanaticism.

Whether Serha saw things differently or if the concept of “mother” among demons and monsters was distinct from what I knew.

‘By the looks of the fighting, both sides seem to hold value.’

While I found myself swayed by the latter thought and continued to watch the battlefield, I soon realized every fight had ended.

It had been nearing its end when we arrived.

The losing side, refusing to back down, was only escalating the ferocity of the battle.

“We’re heading out. Let’s follow.”

“Okay.”

A moment later, I started walking after the retreating “light gray” side, who were consuming the corpses scattered across the battlefield.

“Wait. An intruder.”

They quickly noticed my presence.

I hadn’t intended to hide myself from the start, of course.

However, it didn’t take long for the expression of what appeared to be a general from the light gray monsters, who approached with keen eyes, to stiffen.

Mere disbelief washed over her face.

“Don’t tell me…”

Her gaze swept towards Serha, who was half a step behind me, then settled on my face, stopping about ten paces ahead to bow deeply.

A position similar to the full prostration I had seen before.

“A lowly one meets the Queen of the Dungeon.”

From the back, other soldiers also hesitated, then began to bow towards me.

One thing was certain.

Even though the queen of the north avoided me for some reason, she wasn’t hostile.

Had she been, the general and soldiers would have kept their backs straight.

“You have sharp instincts.”

“Thank you! … May I… be permitted to ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Perhaps…”

The general hesitated for a moment.

It was hard to believe this was the same person who led the mad rush just moments ago. This was likely her true nature when not in battle.

Nevertheless, she definitely spoke using conversational language.

Despite being a subordinate of a wild monster, her reasoning was clear, and she exhibited proper etiquette.

Sigh.

“… What… brings you to this place, the coniferous forest…”

As I urged her to express her question through her rustling robe, she finally began to spill out the query she was so anxious to get out.

Of course, I had but one answer.

“I came to see your queen and speak to her directly.”

“… U-uh, I’m deeply honored, but we must proceed to another area to carry out our next orders.”

She seemed relieved by my response, relaxing her shoulders, but soon tensed up again and sought my understanding.

Speaking with the decorum of an old-fashioned retainer but mixing in a phrase I recognized from Earth.

“Therefore, while it would be proper for me to guide you myself, may I apologize for the impertinence of sending someone else to escort you?”

“There’s no need for that. I came to observe you all in battle.”

“How… could that be?”

My words evidently surprised her greatly.

Seeing her accidentally lose the perfectly poised bow was a clear sign.

“Are you asking me for my opinion?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

She quickly dropped back into a bow as soon as she heard my next words.

“However, this is a matter between leaders, and I ask that you forgive the lowly me as I prioritize my loyalty to our queen…! Also…”

“Also?”

“If you visit another king’s territory and fail to meet the first person you should, it would be a mutual offense, and I fear your face might turn red, leaving me at a loss…”

As I continued to listen, her speech was dizzyingly perplexing.

I couldn’t tell if it was just her or if they all spoke this way.

Yet, I could understand her loyalty, and if the queen still did not see me as a foe…

“Very well. I understand.”

It might be good to have a chat before visiting the other faction.

“Well then…?”

“Your commendation is commendable, so I shall heed your counsel and meet your master first.”

“Ah! This lowly one’s gratitude towards the Queen of the Dungeon is immeasurable…!”

“Off you go.”

“Yes!”

… She was more troublesome than confronting an enemy.

That was the thought forming as I observed the general’s bowing form disappearing from my sight.

– 3 –

Accompanied by the detachment of monsters the general assigned, I crossed the battlefield and arrived at a small cave created at the bottom of the mountain.

Outwardly, it bore a striking resemblance to the early form of my dungeon.

“This is it. May we now be excused to return to the battlefield?”

“Indeed. Do so.”

Their race certainly had a penchant for verbosity.

I wondered if this trait stemmed from their diligent, tireless nature.

No way to tell.

“Welcome.”

Stepping further inside the cave, the first being I encountered was a female entity bearing a carapace, yet she looked nothing like a warrior.

“The queen has been waiting for you guests.”

Though she didn’t prostrate herself like the general, she knelt and bowed modestly, welcoming us.

Though the general had given no prior signal, she held an expression and spoke as if she had anticipated our arrival.

‘They must have a long-distance communication method. Perhaps some kind of pheromone.’

“Hello!”

Unlike the heavy armored beings outside, she had a pair of legs, large, completely black eyes, and antennae protruding from her head, with an upper body resembling a human’s but sporting two pairs of arms, and a delicately slender appearance.

The first one to speak to her, of course, was Serha, my guide.

“Oh my. Serha!”

The face of the “maid” lit up upon spotting her.

They seemed to be acquainted.

“It’s been a while since we met during the last exchange!”

“Indeed! How is the queen faring?”

“She’s quite busy these days, but she’s well. Oh, please come in! I’ll guide you. Great Queen of the Dungeon.”

“Very well.”

With gestures that confirmed my guesses, she slightly turned her body inward, pointing the way, and the moment she heard my reply, she stepped ahead.

Following behind her, the cave was…

‘Incredibly vast.’

It was so neatly organized that it shattered any preconceived notions I had of them.

One could tell at a glance that nearly the entire mountain’s interior was their domain.

“They even make use of their carapace here.”

“It’s the wisdom of our queen.”

“It certainly looks that way.”

The high walls of the cave and the pillars placed within were all covered in a material resembling their black carapace.

It seemed to reinforce the weakened ground caused by excavating such a large space.

‘… After all, if it weren’t a fluid material, the composition would never have been detected from the outside fir trees.’

“This way, my queen.”

While I gazed around their nest, which was akin to a dungeon, I stumbled upon a remarkable mode of transport in the cave’s plaza.

What I saw, following the maid’s lead, was a huge monster carrying massive flowers on its back resembling lotus petals.

For a moment, I felt as if my body had shrunk to the size of Alice’s, entering a much smaller world.

“What an interesting fellow.”

“It serves to guide you to the inner court. Here is so vast and tall.”

I reached out near the creature’s face, and it recoiled slightly, but soon slowly leaned in again.

It seemed to recognize I bore no hostility or malice, gently rubbing its chin against my hand.

Though it had an outwardly fearsome appearance, it proved to be a wholly innocent creature.

“It’s rare to see it open up to other species. You must have made a significant impression on the Queen of the Dungeon.”

“Is that so? I actually like it too.”

“If you mention it to the queen, she might lend you a friend.”

“That’s an enticing proposition.”

If I hadn’t designed my dungeon in the form of a mansion, I would consider keeping one.

Clop, clop!

As my companions climbed aboard the large monster, it swiftly traversed the cave faster than a wagon.

Despite its considerable size, it moved with remarkable silence and speed.

The power came from the six pairs of legged little kin touching the ground, far thicker and more muscular than those of ordinary beasts.

With such strength, it could crawl without burdening the ground or causing vibrations.

A well-designed creature.

Slick…

Crossing the cave, it rapidly ascended what appeared to be stairs leading to the king’s quarters, arriving before a large door in no time.

Aside from a slightly harsher vibration than the wagon, the movement was quite comfortable.

“Your queen. The guest has arrived.”

– Let them in.

“Yes! I shall guide you. Your queen.”

The maid—no, the woman I had thought up till now was a maid, moved without hesitation into the room where the soldiers opened the doors.

No matter how one looked at it, her demeanor was anything but that of a subordinate.

“Welcome. Queen of the Dungeon.”

As I followed her inside, one of the monsters there stood so that it looked like it was declaring “I am a knight” at first glance.

Upon noticing us, she removed the helm from her head and gestured to the other shoulder with one hand in a silent greeting.

“I am Orea, queen of the Muirmikian, the Clever Tribe.”

Muirmikian.

In other words, it was the meeting with the queen who led the “ant-human” race.