I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

Inside the banquet hall, blue flames lit up the walls.

The lighting was ambiguous, creating an eerie atmosphere.

[Lv. 69]

[Lv. 71]

[Lv. 74]

[Lv. 78]

[Lv. 81]

[Lv. 86]

The emotions the crowd had towards me were nothing but fear, vigilance, and hostility.

They focused on my level rather than my appearance.

If I was over level 90, I was undoubtedly the boss of The Seven Lairs.

‘…Seems like there’s nobody.’

Despite preparing every possible way to handle the situation, not a single person was in sight.
On one hand, it was a relief, but on the other, I felt deflated.

Ku-gu-gu-gu.

Just then, the door closed behind Brion as he entered.
I locked my eyes on him and asked,

“What about the other members of The Seven Lairs?”
“I apologize, but the Lords of the Lairs have only expressed their intent to attend the round table meeting.”

I understood why even without an explanation.
The ball was just a social gathering for the bosses who needed to build their power. Auctions were an event conducted based on contracts with the hosting guild.
Both were nothing but a waste of time for The Seven Lairs.

‘So, the main focus was ultimately the round table meeting.’
The summoning of the 72 Lords was ultimately aimed at the round table discussion.
Perhaps aside from this, a sense of superiority played a part as well.
“Why would we, who are of such stature, attend a banquet with the likes of you lowly beings?”

In any case, I was the only member of The Seven Lairs present here.
And being the only member made me a high-profile target.
There was a reason why all eyes were solely focused on me without any distractions.

‘I wish I had just attended the meeting instead.’

In a way, it might have been the guild’s ploy.
From various angles, I heard that I was the main character of this assembly.
From the guild’s stance, it would only benefit them to showcase me right from the banquet hall.
By coincidence, I hadn’t asked when the other members of The Seven Lairs would attend, and the guild had no obligation to disclose such information.

‘Trying to insist on it now would just make me look petty.’

If it was shirking a duty, it would be another matter, but it wasn’t like I was deceived.
If anything, this was completely due to my oversight.
I had foolishly gotten caught in a trap with no bait.

Having already stepped in, there was no way to turn back.
I stepped forward with Charlotte and Balutak on either side.
The gazes of the hall followed my every move.

“Is that Death Knight the new master of The Seven Lairs?”
“Doesn’t look like much on the outside….”
“Is he really from The Seven Lairs? How could we possibly know?”
“I heard he defeated the Hero Wilhelm. Should we go have a chat with him?”
“Not for me. How could I speak with a member of The Seven Lairs….”

Gathered in a huddle, the orange and black levels peeked at me.
Among them, a fairy was trembling, holding a wine glass.

Meanwhile, a group watching silently from the shadows came into view.
Their levels were all a faint red. Hostility.

‘Could it be the faction Gergor belonged to? Or perhaps the Calandas faction.’
If there was anything to be thankful for, it was the lack of murderous intent.
Well, it wouldn’t make sense for anyone to show such intent towards The Seven Lairs anyway.
No matter where I looked, there wasn’t a hint of light green to be seen.

I thought things would be different with Roseha’s faction being on my side, but I was wrong.

I could slightly understand it; even if the faction leader held affection for me, they had never even seen my face.

Plus, after hearing about me taking down the level 21 boss, I would have been suspicious and scared too.

“Don’t stray too far from my side.”

In this place, these two were the only trustworthy allies I had.

“Kirik! Got it!”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Actually, I was the one feeling concerned, but anyway.

I hadn’t even been here long when I noticed footsteps approaching me.

A fox beastman clad in a bright dress. With seven tails, she seemed to be a Chilmihou.

On either side of her were companions, a wolf and another fox beastman.

“Allow us to meet the new master of the Seven Lairs.”

The three of them bowed at the same time.

[Lvl. 73]

A level 73 Chilmihou was likely a boss in the 20th rank.

Not only was it not green, but a black one courageously approached me.

“The girl is a rank 27 Road Mihou.”

It was clear she was trying to make connections with the Seven Lairs.

Chilmihou was quite skilled at captivating others, much like a succubus.

Maybe she was hoping that my looks could charm even the fledgling Seven Lairs.

But I was just a castrated Undead, having withstood even Roseha’s allure, which she couldn’t compare to.

‘Did I really look like water to her?’

I exhaled cold air and leaned closer.

The Chilmihou flinched and leaned back. The black level became even denser, merging with the darkness.

“S-Sorry! I’ll back off….”

Though I hadn’t said a word, the beastpeople scrambled away in a panic.

It seemed my display worked; no more bosses approached after that.

People who stared openly now only dared to sneak glances. If our eyes met, they hurriedly looked away.

‘So what now?’

Making friends with just anyone would only lead to my disadvantage.

Just as I pondered whether to continue standing there sternly…

‘Well, would you look at that?’

The red-level group still glared at me with wide eyes.

When a group gathers, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right?

The troll shaman in the middle of them seemed to be their source of confidence.

[Lvl. 86]

Just by looking at the level, it was clear he was rank 8.

Normally, I knew the rank 8 boss wasn’t a troll but a twin-headed ogre.

Comparing it to the player starting point, this was likely a past timeline. Naturally, there could be bosses I didn’t know about.

‘That guy will probably get taken down soon.’

The fact that I was seeing him for the first time meant he wouldn’t be around for long.

There was no reason to fear an organization whose leader would disappear.

The moment I decided, I glared back with fierce eyes.

A silent standoff clashed in the air.

Suddenly, I was puzzled; no matter how many faction members I had killed, I couldn’t understand why they maintained that attitude in front of the Seven Lairs.

Could it be that there was more backing them that I didn’t know about? Or was their power greater than I imagined?
Is what I’m imagining larger than life?

“Over there.”

“Yes, yes.”

I happened to grab the vampire boss passing by and asked,

“Are those guys part of a large faction?”

The sudden question flustered the vampire, but he managed to answer.

“Rather than a large faction, it’s a subordinate group.”

“Subordinate?”

“Yes. I heard recently that they entered the domain of Lich King, ranked 5th…”

Was that really the case?

Since I’m already on the bad side of the Calandas faction, their hostility towards me only solidifies their bonds as rivals.

It’s only been a day since I killed Gergor, so they couldn’t have joined a subordinate group that fast.

It was just a remarkable coincidence, good for them, bad for me.

Silence settled in, and I could hear their whispers.

“Lord Babayaga, there’s no need for this here. Let’s talk at the round table.”

“By the way, the rumors were true. I never thought a human would be a subordinate of the Seven Lairs.”

“Does he not know his place? A human, not even half-human, half-demon? Isn’t he tarnishing the prestige of the Lairs?”

The orc’s words were incredibly annoying.

I didn’t even need to hold the hilt of my sword.

Swish!

The holy sword drew itself and surged toward them with unimaginable speed, catching everyone off guard. The tip stopped right in front of the orc’s face.

Bang! The orc clumsily fell on his rear, unaware of his stop.

I slowly approached him.

The bosses of the factions assumed a clear defensive posture, but I didn’t care.

Soon, the orc in front of me swallowed hard.

“Rank and name.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I said rank and name.”

“…I am Burtaalgrim, ranked 34th.”

Seeing his level was 68, I had somewhat expected it.

So, a mere 34th place insulted the Lairs. With the backing of the 5th-ranked, he mustered up some courage.

“I remember that. Stop here, for the sake of the situation.”

“….”

“Next time, be ready to lose your tongue. Your answer?”

“Y-Yes, I won’t do it again….”

I sheathed the holy sword and glanced at the head of the faction, Babayaga.

His expression was clearly one of shock. It seems even the Seven Lairs didn’t expect me to be this reckless.

Anyway, you all will soon vanish. And even if you don’t, this would have happened.

You should have chosen your words wisely.

Right now, it was a gathering for friendships, and any physical threat would only backfire on me.

They probably thought the same.

For the time being, let’s bottle up all our grievances and unleash them at the round table meeting.

With other Seven Lairs factions around, they would likely try to politically pressure me, especially through Calandas.

I had already prepared all the countermeasures in my head, so I wasn’t too worried.

When I returned, Charlotte spoke up with a gloomy expression.

“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m the cause of the conflict….”

“It doesn’t matter.”

I seized upon the conflict with Charlotte and used it to showcase my authority.

Since it was a scenario I had planned in advance, I wasn’t overly concerned.

People around might think I’m a rogue, but it’s more likely they’d view me as a tyrant.

There’s a fine line between a rogue and a tyrant. However, the weight of that difference is truly enormous.
It was absolutely epic.

“Speaking of which, that bastard Calandas.”

One of the reasons for having the Sanha faction clearly pointed towards me.

The awakened holy sword. It seems like they’re trying to expand their territory by keeping a check on it.

If things have escalated this far, I should consider joining Roseha’s faction soon.

It wouldn’t hurt to have not only allies connected through factions but also bosses I’ve formed direct friendships with for my peace of mind.

To be honest, that was the very purpose of me coming here.

“I need to build camaraderie with those promising little sub-dungeon kids.”

I’ve memorized all the high-potential bosses from Dungeon 72.

So how did I gauge that potential?

The rankings of Dungeon 72 are volatile, and in the lower ranks, they swap positions like a game of musical chairs.

To investigate this closely, I had an account slot left unattended, untouched by any dungeon runs.

Through prolonged natural ranking fluctuations, I discerned their potential.

This dungeon started in the 50s but later soared up to the top 30. Just like that.

Who wouldn’t become a seasoned player after 30,000 hours of buildup?

I tried everything imaginable in the [Dungeon 72 Strategy Guide].

Though this is a past moment, it wasn’t that long ago.

Unlike Babayaga, I believe there are still some promising bosses I’ve remembered.

With rising expectations, I scanned my surroundings, and my gaze soon halted at a corner.

[Lv. 44]

A level that you wouldn’t believe was a boss. It had the darkest shade of black.

At first glance, I thought it was just a human girl about to undergo a coming-of-age ceremony.

If she hadn’t had those tiny horns on the back of her head, I would’ve mistaken her for a human.

Thanks to her turning her back to me, those small horns stood out, despite her size.

“Half-human, half-horse Estizel.”

In reality, she was my top target for recruitment.

Starting at rank 72, Estizel was a boss who rocketed up to rank 10 by the end.

If I nurtured her and protected the dungeon well, it meant a rank 10 boss could become my ally in the future.

However, there was one downside: being half-human, half-horse.

Just approaching her would naturally undermine the dignity of The Seven Lairs.

While future-oriented practicality is important, my name’s value mattered as well. Otherwise, Roseha’s faction wouldn’t accept me.

I mentally punched some numbers.

Should I recruit Estizel, even if it meant some embarrassment?

Currently, Babayaga at rank 8 has a level of 86.

Compared to that, the complete form rank 10 boss, Estizel, had a whopping level of 88, if I remembered correctly.

That’s because it was a single-entity dungeon.

“It’s easy as long as I can win her favor.”

Since it was a single-entity dungeon, it was easy to manage.

If I can draw her in, the whole dungeon will be on my side without any disgruntled minions.

“My officer is human, so it should be fine.”

Having made up my mind, I headed for Estizel.

Although that very dark black color gave me a bit of pause, well, I could just talk nicely.

As I approached her, I placed my hand on her shoulder. A slight tremor traveled through my fingertips.

Creak. Estizel awkwardly turned her body like a wooden puppet.

Seeing her face, I was immediately taken aback.

For some reason, she was a mess, covered in tears and snot.

“Pl-please just let me live…”

Wait, what did I even do?

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