It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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Lemia felt like a wildflower that bloomed without care, while Sonia was a flower bud that had yet to fully blossom due to her ill health.

Maria was a flower in full bloom.

Though the first two were quite beautiful, they couldn’t quite compare to someone who had begun to cultivate her beauty, knowing that she was indeed a beauty.

Of course, all three faded in the presence of Scarlett, the enchanting succubus, but that was a different league entirely.

‘Although all three have withered away for now.’

Lemia due to death, Sonia from the sorrow of loss, and Maria from a new loss she had just learned about.

The three beautiful flowers were struck by a great shock, causing them to wither.

Nevertheless, their beauty remained, and among the three, two had a high chance of blooming again, though it was still uncertain whether the returning flower would be a bellflower, a sunflower, or a poisonous rose.

Yet, they were still flowers.

“How heartfelt.”

Perhaps that’s why something that could be either a butterfly or a bee had already clung to her, who was in full bloom.

The green-haired man introduced as Daniel.

His gaze didn’t leave Maria for a moment. What appeared to be worry on the surface was rooted in fondness.

Such youthful love.

“Don’t forget to prioritize your body.”

“Don’t worry. Maria will surely arrive shortly after we reach the city. They said it’s only about a day’s distance from here.”

“Yeah. That makes sense.”

The love seemed to not only provide water to the withering Maria but also aimed to make her bloom even more healthily.

Whether she would truly bloom again depended on the future…

But for now, it was pleasing to look at.

“…”

As Daniel conversed with Maria, he kept looking back at me, so I pretended not to notice and lowered my head. He was a young man who flinched and turned away as before.

Though his skill was high, it seemed he didn’t yet have the experience of a veteran.

Well, he was still young.

However, even though I wasn’t paying attention, it seemed Maria couldn’t help but notice.

“Please forgive his rudeness, Lady Angelita.”

“Pardon?”

“Adventurers and mercenaries often have experiences that make them distrust others.”

“Aha. It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

“Still…”

“Really.”

“… Thank you.”

As I casually took her hand and smiled to comfort her, Maria bowed her head and expressed her gratitude before moving away.

Her shoulders still looked weak.

Thud, thud…

Thus, the journey back to Solemio, which had started again, was much quieter than when it was just Sonia and me. With two of the five remaining silent, that was to be expected.

And perhaps that was why.

The next day, the voices of the two adventurers who came with Maria sounded unusually loud.

“But does that mean the request has failed?”

“No, it’s a success. We managed to protect and bring that lady back.”

“Oh, I see.”

Leading the way, Maria seemed to try to pretend not to hear but was probably aware of what was being said behind her.

Despite being the Dungeon Lord and significantly stronger than before, I still couldn’t reach the level of a high-ranking adventurer.

Yet, she walked on just fine.

Until those words reached her ears.

“Such a thing is a natural disaster. It’s quite rare for a rookie adventurer to die in a dungeon that has just appeared in a border area. You could say they were just extraordinarily unlucky.”

“Can you say that?”

“Uh, um…”

“Hey, watch your mouth.”

“Yes! Sorry!”

Only after Maria stopped momentarily to warn them did the two adventurers cease their chatter.

Though she wouldn’t say anything here, she probably realized that the weight of words has a significant impact on job evaluations.

This was all just based on my experiences on Earth, but it likely wouldn’t be too different here.

“Phew…”

“Damn…”

Fortunately, it seemed the rookie adventurer would learn from his senior’s slip of tongue that it’s best not to talk too much in adventuring work.

Mouths were the source of all evils, a truth akin to gold.

On the other hand, the official adventurer seemed to carry a grudge against Maria to some extent.

Having lost a family member, he likely thought he had to understand, and while he calmed down gradually, just moments ago, his eyes had raised in anger.

I decided to speak to them.

“You two.”

“Uh… um, are you talking to us?”

“Yes! Mage.”

Yet, perhaps because of the gap in experience, the rookie adventurer responded somewhat blankly while the official adventurer replied with more spirit.

The latter likely knew that many mages had quirky personalities. In this world, mages had a reputation akin to eccentric nobility.

Thus, they were wary of me.

Even knowing that, I still smiled and spoke to them, offering them some of the sweet and salty jerky Eve had made.

“Have you two been in Solemio for long?”

“Uh… I’ve only been an adventurer for a little while. About half a year?”

“I’ve been in this area for quite some time! It’s been nearly five years!”

Just as I thought.

Just by looking at him, he seemed like he had been wandering around this outskirts for a long time. Now that I think about it, there must have been a reason for that.

It was convenient for me, so I was pleased.

“Really? That’s good to know. I have a few questions since I just arrived.”

“Feel free to ask! I’ll answer anything.”

“Thank you. Let’s talk while walking. My arms are getting tired.”

“Then I won’t refuse…”

The more senior adventurer seemed to check Maria’s reaction for a moment but then moved closer and deeply bowed to receive the jerky.

For adventurers, food was invaluable.

They likely wouldn’t want to let go of an opportunity to eat something unique.

“This is delicious! I’ve never tasted anything like this.”

“Truly!”

As I simply observed without questioning, the look in his eyes widened slightly as he chewed the jerky while looking at me.

The rookie adventurer beside him had a similar reaction.

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear you say so.”

“Did you make this yourself? Truly, Mage…”

“No, it’s just a hunting technique.”

“Wow… you hunt as well! No wonder your bow looks exceptional.”

“It’s just a simple skill, really.”

“Not at all! I’ve never seen anything like this in my hometown.”

A two-faced individual hoping to rise among strong people, glibly flattering those in power, was his character, and I didn’t think it necessary to point that out.

Unless he intended to do me a favor.

“What are your names, by the way?”

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Kyunghan, a tracker.”

“Velvet. An archer. Although I’m still a rookie.”

The official adventurer Kyunghan was from the Western Continent, meaning he had an Oriental style in terms of Earth, while the rookie adventurer Velvet had a sturdy Western appearance.

Both tracker and archer were classes specializing in using bows to find monsters and creatures or fight from a distance, respectively.

In the game, they might have had titles like Hunter or Ranger, but now that it had become reality, such distinctions weren’t really made.

Still, if I were to roughly categorize them based on appearance and game terms, I could say Kyunghan was a ‘hunter’ using a short bow and dagger, while Velvet likely chose ‘archer’ to go for ‘marksman’ with a long bow.

Regardless, since they both used bows, they were sending curious and friendly glances at me, the rather peculiar mage with a bow on my back.

“I noticed earlier that your bow seems to be a composite bow. May I take a look?”

“Do you know a lot about bows?”

“I can’t say I know that much, but I’m certain I have an eye for it! The bows of this southern region are excellent, but they still can’t compare to those from our continent.”

Velvet shot Kyunghan a displeased look.

But seeing that he was used to it, it seemed he had likely heard such talk about pride in the Western Continent’s bows frequently.

However, I knew that the Western Continent’s culture was a mix of East Asian elements, so I found myself agreeing internally.

The composite bows of the Korean Peninsula certainly have their pride. Although my bow isn’t one of them.

“It’s truly a well-crafted bow!”

“Really?”

“Yes, indeed. Perhaps it’s because you didn’t have good materials, but the glue or finish might be a bit rough… However, the balance and necessary elasticity are all superb. If there had been better materials, achieving this level would have been quite difficult.”

“…”

As Kyunghan pulled the bow a few times and aimed, I recalled Eve.

She was the one who had made this bow and helped me practice. It was also her suggestion to recommend a bow when I mentioned needing a weapon.

When I complimented the weapon, I was being genuine.

Having just handled the bow, Kyunghan’s eyes gleamed vividly, and he was soon quiet.

Whether it was greed or pure admiration for seeing a truly good bow, it was quite an immediate reaction.

“However, under these conditions, it won’t be easy to use for long. You’d definitely need to stop by a workshop when you get to the city.”

“I was planning on doing just that.”

“I’m glad you had that thought without my prompting. Truly wise judgment.”

His flattery was a bit much.

Still, thanks to this, I could inquire freely about various topics regarding Solemio.

About notable people in the city or the lord, or whether there were local specialties or other nearby towns.

All this was thanks to the bow Eve had made for me. I thought I’d have to pet her head a little more when I returned.

“A rampaging dungeon, you say?”

“Yes. Because of that, the south has been quite noisy lately. I suspect a search party will be dispatched from Solemio soon.”

The most valuable piece of information was this.

The rampaging of a large established dungeon that was said to be in the south.

‘Someone must be quite hurt.’

The phenomenon of rampaging dungeons was exceedingly rare.

It occurred under one of two conditions: either ‘when a Dungeon Lord survives while the Dungeon Core is seized outside the dungeon’ or ‘the Dungeon Lord dies while the core remains intact.’

While the Core and Lord have a close interrelation regarding their survivability, the death of one doesn’t necessarily mean the destruction of the other.

Of course, if the Core is destroyed or moves too far away, the Lord’s power diminishes drastically, and if the Lord dies, the Core cannot do anything until a new Lord appears.

However, if both are not sealed or destroyed with much time between…

Either one will start going berserk.

Whether it be a Lord who has nothing left to protect or reclaim, or a Core that needs to secure additional mana that the Lord can’t provide.

In such a case, negotiations or threats involving the Core won’t come to an end. Going berserk is just that sort of thing.

“How did such a thing happen?”

“Some greedy fellow succeeded in stealing the Core while evading the Dungeon Lord. I heard that the Outskirts Duke is grinding his teeth to find out who did it.”

“Is that true?”

Suddenly interjecting in the conversation was of course Maria.

Her face was seriously grim. She likely understood very well what this information meant for her.

“Maria… Yes. It’s true.”

“Then…”

From the looks of it, she was hearing this for the first time, as she hadn’t thought about the situation with her younger siblings in mind when heading to the dungeon.

Despite the disappearance of rookie adventurers, no additional search parties were dispatched, and even when a high-ranking adventurer came directly, the Solemio Adventurers Guild wasn’t very cooperative.

With the tumultuous situation in Solemio now added to the rampaging dungeon news, all the pieces led to one conclusion.

The city of Solemio would soon be dispatching a support unit to deal with the rampaging dungeon. Therefore, they likely had no intention of sending additional manpower to find mere rookie adventurers.

This news was poison for Maria, yet a remedy for me.

“Lady Angelita.”

“Yes. It seems it’s going to be hard to get substantial cooperation.”

“Ha…”

The notion that obtaining support from the city would be difficult moving forward meant we were likely on our own.

As we continued, the sight of the walls of Solemio gradually came into view.

“Damn…”

The feelings reflected in the eyes of both me and Maria as we saw those walls were contrasting.

While I saw the sunset-backed walls as extremely beautiful, Maria’s eyes, looking upon a city as a stronghold for Sonia and her allies, were filled with frustration and resentment.

This marked the end of a short six-day journey on foot, greeted by the setting sun.