NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Witches must be exterminated. That’s the consensus of this world.
The creation of witches stemmed from dark magic, and the roots of that dark magic were secretly unleashed in the second-ranked dungeon, “The Abyss’ 10 Realms.”
Although it has been over a hundred years since then, humanity’s hostility towards witches has not faded away.
To learn dark magic, one essential condition was required: one must be a woman pregnant with a daughter.
Women who were enchanted by dark magic even chose pregnancy just to obtain it.
It was a magic only known in secrecy, and with such a stringent condition, the number of those who mastered it barely reached single digits.
Strangely, even without new initiates in dark magic, the number of dark sorcerers rapidly increased like mushrooms after rain.
The reason was that the mother’s magical power continued to exist in her offspring.
As long as her offspring lived and they gave birth again, theoretically, dark magic could last forever.
Once the news got out, humanity united in calling dark magic the wicked scheme of The Abyss’ 10 Realms.
Alongside this, women who learned dark magic were labeled as witches, and across the empire, massive witch-burning ceremonies were fervently held.
Charlotte, a fourth-generation witch, had lived hiding from humans since she was born.
In her life of escape, she had to watch her friends, grandmother, and mother burn and could only flee.
Years of seething hatred and a desire for revenge against humanity had coiled inside her.
An eye for an eye, right?
Charlotte’s vow to exterminate millions of humans until her dying breath was perhaps a natural progression. Just like they had done to her family.
But the world was vast, and humans were numerous. Now that half the continent belonged to humans, Charlotte’s hiding spots were severely limited.
There was a magical territory dividing human forces, but the magic lingering there posed a great danger to human Charlotte.
Charlotte thought.
A place safe from human exposure.
A place where she could satisfy her thirst for murder and find comrades to plot her revenge.
“Dungeon.”
Since formulating her plan, Charlotte had served multiple times in dungeons as an aide and a sentry.
But due to being human, most didn’t last and were chased away.
Despite repeated failures, Charlotte set off on her wandering journey with grand ambitions.
And now, she was resting at an inn in a village settled between paths.
“Hey lady, have you heard the news?”
“I’m not interested.”
“Sigh, you’re so stubborn! A lady should be more sociable! Anyway, I guess you’re not interested in dungeons, huh?”
Everyone thinks of the publicly recognized 72 dungeons when dungeons are mentioned.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Charlotte felt a flutter of camaraderie.
Was it just camaraderie? As it was her old workplace, the conversation about dungeons automatically triggered a response.
“What news are you talking about?”
“There’s a new dungeon in the back mountain. And it’s even—oh gosh, what’s wrong with me? I really shouldn’t get so worked up.”
The innkeeper shook her head mid-sentence.
Charlotte frowned and casually tossed a coin.
Upon receiving the coin, the innkeeper checked and gasped, realizing it was gold.
He took a deep breath.
“Could you explain in more detail?”
“Uh, uh! Of course, I should!”
The owner eagerly spilled the beans, practically spitting in excitement.
Charlotte’s initial hopes swelled into something even more grandiose.
‘The Seven Lairs? No way.’
Charlotte had heard rumors that the Seven Lairs had recently been conquered.
As usual with dungeons, it seemed a new seventh-tier dungeon would soon emerge.
And it was just behind this town?
If the birth of the Seven Lairs was true, both the Human Empire and the Demon Realm would be thrown into chaos.
“…Isn’t that just a rumor?”
“Hey, listen, it’s what I heard directly from the hunting party that went there! They said right from the get-go there were beginner Vampires and Death Knights, and even some irregular Death Knights showed up! It was said in a drunken stupor, but I didn’t think it was a lie.”
Said in a drunken stupor, huh?
That didn’t exactly boost its credibility. Humans can lie like it’s their job when they’re drinking.
‘But what if it’s true?’
If it really was the Seven Lairs, it would definitely be a prime place to settle.
Whether they’d accept her was another story, but you won’t know until you give it a shot.
“Do you know where that hunting party is?”
“Oh my, looks like you’re interested? They’re staying in the biggest room upstairs. I heard they’re leaving tomorrow morning—”
Before the owner could finish, Charlotte dashed upstairs.
Ah, that brat. A sigh could be heard from behind her, but she ignored it and went right past.
Knock knock.
“What’s it now? Huh?”
Just as she knocked, the door swung open with a creak.
Charlotte immediately scattered mana powder from the pouch in her hand.
Then, one by one, the burly men who opened the door collapsed like dominoes into a deep sleep.
Charlotte crouched down, matching their eye level and asked,
“Tell me everything you know about the dungeon behind the mountain.”
A mind-control spell that intersects with sleep.
With this, they had no choice but to truthfully reveal everything they saw, heard, and felt.
“The mountain… dungeon…”
They mumbled, their words barely coherent.
Through cross-checking, the information all pointed to one conclusion.
The recently updated Seven Lairs had appeared on the mountain behind this town.
While it wasn’t a confirmed fact, the likelihood was substantial.
If she could establish a base there, it would set the first crucial piece of her plan in motion.
There was no time to waste. Charlotte set off towards the mountain under the cover of night.
*
‘This is dragging on like a dog’s dinner.’
Originally, Charlotte was meant to head to the ‘Ten Realms of the Abyss,’ but now she wanted to settle here.
Why? Because she thought of it as the Seven Lairs.
Hearing the talk about being obsessed with the Seven Lairs confirmed it was from a time in the past.
The backstory I know of Charlotte is that she wanted to join the Seven Lairs to take revenge on humans.
“I was born a witch before I was human. I may look simple, but I have experience as a deputy in 72 dungeons, and this place, being a newborn dungeon, is still incomplete. If you let me in, I could be quite helpful.”
“I was reborn as a witch before. I may look like this, but I have experience as a vice-captain in the 72 Lairs, and here, in this newly spawned dungeon, it’s still incomplete. If you let me help, I’d be quite the asset.”
With her stiff tone and mechanical facial expression,
This girl is like a sociopath without a drop of blood or tears to her name.
Honestly, just having a conversation feels utterly terrifying.
Whether Charlotte is a human or a witch who hates humans isn’t the point.
This isn’t even a dungeon, to start with!
“I’ll say this once. This is not the Seven Lairs. I’m not the boss.”
“Is that so?”
She didn’t look convinced at all, despite her words.
I mean, why on earth would I be the boss of the Seven Lairs? This isn’t a dungeon, and I’m not the boss! So just get lost already, you crazy girl.
If it were up to me, I’d blow off this pent-up frustration.
[Lv. 72]
It’s because of that level that I can’t do anything.
I barely swallowed down my irritation.
I can’t act hastily in front of Charlotte.
Am I just a scaredy-cat coward? Well, yes, but it’s also true that this psycho is an emotionless killing machine.
She’s a witch whose hobby is to skin humans alive. Who knows how this mental patient, who smashes things at her whim despite her exterior, will act?
Let’s say this isn’t a dungeon and I clear the misunderstanding.
What would Charlotte’s response be next?
“Understood. This wasn’t the Seven Lairs. How dare you deceive me! You shall pay with your life.”
If she comes at me like that, I wouldn’t even be able to resist before I’m dead.
Then, if I tell her I won’t accept her?
“I see you don’t trust me. Then let me show you my power. (Magic blast BOOM!)”
Every thought leads me back to death.
After a long, hard think, my choice was:
“Welcome. I accept you as the vice-captain of the dungeon.”
As I extended my hand, Charlotte gripped it with her trembling hand.
Despite her constant poker face, her true feelings were showing through her actions.
“Thank you for accepting me.”
“Make sure to work hard from now on.”
“Yes. I will do my utmost to be of help.”
Whether it turns out or not, do as you please.
The vampires behind us clapped loudly. Arrogant little mosquito brats.
“I need to step out for a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“Now that I have a vice-captain, I have things to do outside. Don’t ask any more than that.”
“I see. Understood.”
What kind of business would I have outside now that I have a vice-captain? Truth be told, there’s none of that.
Forget it. I’m outta here.
It’d be better to set up shop in the witch’s territory than stay here.
*
“I’ve never seen a dungeon boss go out before.”
Charlotte trailed off while glancing at the vampires. It felt like she was asking whether their boss usually behaved this way.
Isabella shrugged her shoulders.
“We’re not really sure either. We just got to know him recently.”
“What do you mean?”
“Um… actually, we’re not even part of this dungeon. We just stumbled in here yesterday, and he kindly accepted us. We didn’t even know it was the Seven Lairs… I’m only just realizing it now.”
“I ended up coming in, and you graciously accepted me. I had no idea this was The Seven Lairs… Now I get it.”
“Get what? What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing much. Ah, or maybe it is something significant? The boss nearly died saving me… um, in the process, I ended up like this.”
Charlotte struggled to convey her thoughts clearly.
If Isabella hadn’t touched the horns, fangs, and red eyes, she would have never figured it out.
“So you’re saying you evolved thanks to the boss?”
“Ah, evolution! Yes, that’s right. They didn’t tell me how, but it’s real.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes, suspicious of the truth behind the statement.
Having lived alongside non-humans in the dungeon, she knew more about them than humans.
Monsters could only evolve through self-awakening. There had never been a case where forced change succeeded.
If this were true, it was truly an unfathomable ability.
Suddenly, she recalled what the hunting party had said at the inn.
They had claimed that their weapons had vanished with a single gesture from the boss.
“That’s true too. Huh, I thought something was different, but you really are the boss of The Seven Lairs…”
Isabella seemed oddly excited.
After all, The Seven Lairs were objects of longing and reverence among the non-human races.
A dungeon boss with incomprehensible abilities who wouldn’t hesitate to venture out.
Charlotte gave up on trying to understand him; the bosses of The Seven Lairs were all beings that defied comprehension.
‘So that’s why it’s The Seven Lairs.’
Charlotte looked around.
“I guess I’ll have to wander around until the boss arrives.”
Since it was a newly formed dungeon, she needed to figure out the internal structure before making improvements and reinforcements.
As the aide personally appointed by the boss, it was her duty.
The hierarchy within the dungeon was as follows: Boss -> Mid-boss -> Sentinel -> Various fodder.
Here, the Sentinel refers to those who guard a particular floor or room.
By the way, there’s another branch called aides.
Dungeon aides bore a heavier responsibility than aides in human society.
They served as assistants to the boss while also gathering information from the human world.
Furthermore, they were in charge of dungeon expansion, monster recruitment, trap placement, supply of water and food, construction of ore collection bases, managing maze plants, map-making based on altered terrain, establishing strategies for intruders, and setting up emergency contact lines with dungeon merchants for contingencies.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were given total authority over all dungeon management.
In a way, the dungeon aide could be seen as the second-in-command.
Thus, aides must be more ‘capable’ than mere brute force.
As Charlotte strolled around, she calmly observed the interior of the dungeon.
Though the boss accepted her, they were likely to distrust her because she was human. Charlotte knew this all too well from the endless experiences of being underestimated.
So, she decided to prove her competence as much as possible to change their mind.
“When you come back, I’m sure you’ll be surprised.”