It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

Marianna Leonis wanted to leave the city right away, but both of them knew that it wasn’t possible.

Even if Leonis was in charge of finding the exact location of the dungeon, they needed to replenish their forces for the battles that awaited inside.

The adventurers they had gathered so far were specialized in searching for dungeons and people.

To bolster their combat power, they needed to hire other adventurers or mercenaries.

At the very least, someone was needed to defend Sonia and the others besides Maria and Daniel, who were to go into battle.

“Here, your payment. You all worked hard.”

“Thank you, Lady Maria.”

“Good luck, Lady Maria…! I’m sure you’ll find your siblings!”

“Thank you, Velvet.”

And thanks to that, I now had some time to spare.

The reason I had come to the human city was not only to gather enemy information but also to confirm information about the nearby area.

In the late night when everyone was asleep and the roads in the city were closed off, I slipped out from the inn where Maria’s party was staying and stepped into the night sky.

“It’s a bit cooler at night.”

It was summer, or a season that felt like summer.

Yet, as I overlooked the city from the ramparts where the patrol guards were asleep, a pleasant breeze caressed me instead of the usual humidity.

I hadn’t expected this since the river was nearby.

Having escaped the company of unfriendly but well-disposed people felt indescribably good.

‘It’s a good view.’

The darkness of the city in this world was much thick than on Earth, but that didn’t pose any problem for me.

Just like how vampires have the power of blood and emotion, and dream demons the power of dreams and souls, the necromancer’s commanding art also wielded the power of shadows.

For me, day and night held no significance in moving around.

‘That direction.’

“Let’s go.”

– Clang.

The ramparts of the fortress city were tall, and thus their shadows were deep and thick.

After dropping down from the ramparts, I landed safely on the ground, stepping one by one on the bright white bones that had emerged from the shadows.

“Eek…!”

A shrill scream pierced the air, the unfortunate one becoming the unlucky victim of the night.

“Oh dear.”

“I-I didn’t see anything…!”

“Right. From now on, you won’t see anything at all.”

Crack!

The inside of the inventory had already been emptied in preparation for such an occasion.

My skeleton, once a bandit but now loyal to me, dragged the body into the shadows, loading it into my inventory.

I could either dispose of it in a suitable place or, if I couldn’t, simply ‘summon’ it as it was.

“How high.”

The inner citadel of the lord was built in a location close to the eastern outer wall, and it was constructed even taller than the walls, perhaps for directives.

I deduced that the lord’s living and meeting spaces would be at the highest part of the castle where sunlight could reach, and I immediately moved toward the shadow of the inner citadel.

“Now, let’s enter.”

Thereafter, I inserted the crystalline eye made from magic into the interior.

Neither sight nor presence could be felt. If anyone outside would witness this scene, the alarm would surely have been raised already, given that bizarre, bug-like creatures were crawling into the castle.

Furthermore, this castle had no protective measures against the Dungeon Lord’s magic.

Considering how few Dungeon Lords had ever burst forth from dungeons throughout history, it was only natural, yet from a tense standpoint, it was reasonably disappointing.

“I’m more disappointed than I expected.”

Thanks to that, it didn’t take long for the outcome of the series of actions to be grasped in my hand.

No traces were left behind.

The sole unfortunate victim was just a homeless person seen near the castle walls. That poor life would soon be forgotten as if it had never existed.

However, the castle was more underwhelming than I had anticipated.

“The locations of nearby villages, and where which monsters reside, aren’t even properly marked…”

What lay before me were merely the locations of mountains, rivers, forests, and cities.

The ‘military map’ was nothing more than a deplorable record of geological and urban locations.

I knew that medieval maps were notoriously terrible, but given the existence of magic, I had hoped for better.

“Oh. Mages.”

Suddenly, it struck me: mages might actually have more detailed maps after all.

I pondered for a moment.

While the lord’s castle was unprotected against magic, could it be that the Magic Guild would also be the same?

Of course, I concluded that I wouldn’t know for sure unless I tried.

Now was the perfect opportunity, as all the forces of the city were absent, having gone to hunt down the previous Dungeon Lord. Even without the ‘Eyes of Truth’ guild, it seemed likely that the number of personnel at the main base would be significantly lower.

‘It’s worth a shot.’

With that thought, I looked at the second map I had obtained from the castle.

This one was drawn in much more detail than the initial map depicting the area, outlining the strongholds inside and outside.

The inn where Maria’s group and I were staying was located in the southern part of the inner wall, right near the Magic Guild of the ‘Eyes of Truth’.

The lord’s castle was in the east.

Moreover, there were three more Magic Guilds along the northern and western outer walls.

The placement must have been deliberate, considering an immediate response in case something happened to the walls.

In my eyes, the path seemed like a pleasant walking trail.

‘It’d be nice to take a look around and then return.’

Leaving that thought to linger, I set my movement in motion.

Fortunately, my nocturnal endeavors bore fruit.

– 2 –

After spending the first day resting, Daniel returned the following morning, late in the day.

Considering our slow travel time, it wouldn’t have been strange if we had arrived together, yet

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Lady Maria, I’m a bit late, huh?”

“No, you arrived just on time. We can rest today and depart tomorrow.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I couldn’t find the dungeon, but I secured a suspicious location. We can bring a new mage to verify it.”

“You did well. It’ll be much faster now.”

Maria, Leonis, and Daniel moved swiftly.

They hurried at the Adventurers Guild and Mercenary Guild in the city to confirm the remaining personnel while securing several individuals with a considerable reward attached.

The task itself was significant, and along with the compensation, due to the numerous people involved, the survival rate was relatively high for large quests.

Many had gone out for the major commission placed to exterminate the dungeon rampage, and the remaining individuals also had a high likelihood of joining later, so additional expenses were inevitable.

“Still, thankfully we managed to secure a few.”

“Though they don’t seem particularly reliable…”

We hadn’t secured any ‘upper ranks’ but had merely managed to recruit two formal adventurers and two rookie adventurers.

Two vanguards and two support units.

“Hey! Lady Mage. It’s nice to see you again.”

Among them was a familiar face.

A somewhat foolish formal adventurer who was observant yet couldn’t hide his pride, Kyunghan, a tracker from the Western Continent.

In the meantime, it seemed that others had already accepted requests for the warfront. I suppose I should be glad I didn’t run into anyone else I recognized.

Even though this was the one person Maria wouldn’t give a positive evaluation, he had been hired again, which likely indicated a severe shortage of people in the city.

“Kyunghan. Good to see you again.”

“The taste of the jerky you gave me still lingers in my memory.”

“Oh, that?”

“Wow. Eating this makes it hard to even think about trying any other jerky.”

“That’s wonderful to hear.”

He was still a man skilled in goldplating his face.

“Kyunghan. Please take care of things this time.”

“Of course, Lady Maria!”

He was a man whose expression would contort in dismay if anyone treated him poorly even once.

However, I could spot the contorted face of Kyunghan turning away from Maria.

He surely had that face that made me feel like he was about to cause trouble.

Crackle…

Then, starting from the third morning, the journey to the dungeon commenced far more swiftly than before.

We obtained a carriage.

Although the distance was too short to justify the expense of traveling by carriage, Leonis, in a hurry, generously spent his resources as a mage.

While the previous beginners had to combine their search with travel, this time we simply had to move quickly.

‘…I knew about it but it’s uncomfortable.’

Even so, we couldn’t get a luxury carriage, so it was quite uncomfortable.

I was of demon kind, and the others were well-trained, so they had good recovery, or were basically fine, but weak Sonia turned pale and was on the verge of being sick.

“Sonia. Are you alright?”

“I’m okay… Really, I’m fine.”

Maria insisted several times for her to rest in the city, but Sonia seemed unwilling to listen, looking upset.

It was puzzling, considering that until just a year ago, she had followed Maria closely.

“…”

I shook my head at Maria, who was looking at me.

I had already tried to persuade her several times, but it meant she wouldn’t listen. That’s not a lie.

In fact, I had persuaded her, and she had declined.

[… Do you understand?]

[Yes, Master.]

I had only hinted at a few things to her earlier.

For Sonia, this life-altering event had to reach a conclusion somehow, and that conclusion had to be seen with her own eyes and completed with her own hands, or else progressing onward would be difficult.

Such things.

“I must… find my friends…”

“Sonia…”

Thanks to that, Sonia’s stubbornness was decidedly her own. Just because the wind blows, the boat doesn’t always just drift.

There might be a bitter backlash from Maria, but ultimately, the steering was in Sonia’s hands.

After watching the two for a while, I sensed a presence drawing near and turned my head in that direction.

The power of the Core.

It was a force representing the object that could be called my other half.

‘Looks like a good diversion.’

Over the past few days, I had observed and sensed the atmosphere of this world of living beings. Although the development might be slightly behind, and the culture vastly different, it felt much like traveling in a secure foreign land.

The return from such a pleasant trip always carries a good feeling.

I felt the same.

‘I want to see Eve soon.’

Her image, waiting for me like a large breed dog, conjured in my mind.

Imagining Eve in my mind was of a beauty, but her hair color was always different, making it hard to recognize immediately. Her eye color was blue, so at least her eyes matched that side.

“… Hah.”

I couldn’t help but smile quietly so that others wouldn’t notice, recalling her sitting like a dog and wagging her tail.

Even though such thoughts were perhaps not suitable right before battle, they could not block my imagination.

– 3 –

At the same time, in Rita’s dungeon.

‘… They’re coming.’

Despite being nothing more than a skeleton ragdoll, far from being a dungeon core, Evangeline sensed her master’s presence drawing near.

Clang.

Swish.

– Clatter.

As she rose from her seat still clad in Jack’s breast armor, a blue glow ignited in the darkness.

Dozens of soldiers rose up, each wielding axes, hammers, or other weapons perfectly suited for rogues.

Each one looked slightly different.

Ranging from slight differences in size to major differences in their original races.

– Snap!

Clap!

However, despite their disparate appearances, there was a martial precision in the movements of the skeletons converging together.

It would be hard to imagine that they were run-of-the-mill skeletons that hadn’t undergone any class upgrades; instead, their movements seemed akin to those of skeleton soldiers.

Swish!

As Evangeline raised her sword, the skeletons followed suit and raised their own weapons in unison, beginning to march.

Just over a week had passed since Evangeline had gained the ability to command the dim-witted skeletons like a military force without Rita’s directives.

『Genius commander – When commanding over fifty soldiers, both the commander’s and soldiers’ main stats increase, in proportion to the number of soldiers.』

She herself couldn’t see it, but in her vague status menu, the ‘Blue’ trait that had bloomed while Rita was away shone brilliantly.

Unbeknownst to her, the fact that she had trained the movements of her foolish subordinates, who had been foolish in life and even dumber in death, to showcase a glorious form when her master returned was a blend of past and future brought back into this present form.

If Rita were to discover this, she could only crack a smile. Whether in a hollow laugh or in genuine joy.

In any case.

– Snap.

In the shadows of the dungeon entrance, the resolute eyes of a warrior gripping his sword sparked with blue flames.

A battle was approaching before Evangeline and her master.