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

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Recently, the Empire faced unprecedented chaos with the emergence of the new Seven Lairs, the Tomb of Faith.

With two heroes dead and an Undead seizing the Holy Sword…

Regardless of the situation, Duke Astoria had no time to spare for such matters.

His family had been the guardians of the Empire’s northwest since its founding.

To him, the annihilation expedition was his one and only duty.

“Minister.”

On the wall, the Duke surveyed the army preparing to march.

Though he was familiar with this sight, the scale of nearly 100,000 men sent chills down his spine.

The signs of beasts gathering, extensive magical energy detection, and the reports from scouts all pointed to one conclusion.

This monster wave of annihilation would be the largest and worst in history.

Adding to the already chaotic situation at the Tomb of Faith, if the northwest were to fall, the Empire would plunge into unparalleled chaos.

‘…This time…’

It could be the trigger for humanity’s extinction.

The Duke clenched his fist tightly.

The fate of that 100,000 strong army rested in his hands.

Moreover, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the fate of all humanity was in his hands.

“Your Excellency, we have received support from the Mage Tower.”

Until now, he had defended the wall by his own strength, but for the first time in his life, he sought assistance from anywhere within reach.

“From the Mage Tower?”

However, the support from the Mage Tower was met with skepticism.

What sudden whim made those shut-in mages, who had cut themselves off from the world, decide to help?

…Everyone seemed to sense something was amiss.

They weren’t stubborn fools blindly refusing to assist.

Obviously, the leaders of the Mage Towers had recognized the significance of this annihilation expedition.

A satisfied smile crept onto the Duke’s lips.

In such a large-scale expedition, support from the Mage Tower was akin to obtaining an army of celestial beings.

As he pondered this, the Duke jolted.

According to the Chief of Staff, the reinforcements weren’t “on their way,” but rather “have arrived.”

Yet, communication was abundant, and the actual reinforcements were nowhere to be seen.

“Lieutenant. How many reinforcements are there?”

“One.”

“One?”

I couldn’t help but let out a snicker, which turned into a sigh.

If it was just one person, could it possibly be the Tower Master himself?

One of those notoriously lazy individuals had deigned to show up. The Duke scoffed.

“How arrogant.”

Sure, one was better than none, but just one?

No matter how capable the Tower Master was, it was merely a display of bravado rather than genuine confidence.

The Duke had witnessed the power of the Tower Master and knew it well.

Indeed, it was magic worthy of a superhuman, but one had to be cautious.

“The youngsters these days are too confident. They don’t know how to count their lives.”

From the perspective of an old veteran, it merely seemed foolish.

It was then that a single footstep echoed from afar.

The Chief of Staff rushed towards it.

Seeing this, the Duke frowned.

The Chief of Staff was wagging his tail in front of the Mage Tower Master while the Commander stood beside him.

How could the discipline of the Chief of Staff be so lax, treating him like a mere soldier?

The Duke clicked his tongue.

“It’s been a while.”

However, the moment he laid eyes on the figure, the Duke momentarily widened his eyes in shock.

“…The Great Sage?”

In the midst of a war, there were very few he would address with such respect as a commander.

At most, it was the Emperor and the Pope.

Even then, he was simply honoring their positions, not the individuals themselves.

Unlike them, the elder standing in front of him was being honored as a person.

“Why are you here, my lord…?”

“Didn’t you hear? I came to help you.”

If one were to name the true strongest in the Empire, everyone would point to the Great Sage.

Not only was his personal power unparalleled, but he had also trained the leaders of the Mage Towers, becoming a role model for all mages.

If one was asked to choose someone capable of single-handedly stopping a monster wave, no one would dare to scoff.

Yet, after a moment’s pause, only one name would come to mind.

Gulp. The Duke instinctively swallowed.

He never expected that the solitary reinforcement would be the Great Sage.

And it made sense; the Great Sage had long since left the world, becoming an otherworldly sage.

Why, after all this time, was he suddenly intervening?

Even if the expedition was seriously important, would the Great Sage step in?

After repeated questioning within himself, he couldn’t shake off the confusion.

“Astoria. When the expedition is over, I have a request. First, I will step forward on the frontline for this old man. That way, there will be no need to mitigate any damage.”

As he said, if the Great Sage led the charge, victory would surely come without significant losses.

However, that didn’t mean he could simply rejoice in it.

There was a reason the old man had come all this way.

The Duke swallowed his nervousness and listened intently to the subsequent demands.

“If that happens, take your knight order and join the assault on the Seven Lairs.”

“…The Tomb of Faith, you say?”

The Great Sage nodded.

“It is the Emperor’s command. They say a group will soon be organized to subjugate the holy warrior Cecilia as the mainstay. The military hopes you will assist Cecilia.”

Somehow, the Duke managed to suppress a laugh.

Now they wanted me to support a young rookie?

Despite feeling a shiver run down his spine, he contemplated the political landscape of the Empire.

‘How predictable.’

They surely wanted to attribute the crucial merits to Cecilia and elevate the birth of a new hero.

The Empire’s Four Heroes surely had their roles to play on a grander stage.

Yet the Duke wasn’t obligated to surrender his military authority, regardless of an imperial command.

His sole responsibility was to protect the Empire from annihilation.

However, if he were to incur a significant debt like this, beyond his responsibilities, he had to accept it from a humanitarian standpoint.

‘But calling for the Great Sage…’

The Great Sage would hardly listen to the Emperor’s commands.

This meant that his demands carried a deeper intention beyond a mere imperial decree.

The Duke fell silent, deep in contemplation.

With the Great Sage’s support, victory would be assured with minimal losses, and peace could be enjoyed for a time.

Above all, the Great Sage’s participation served as evidence that the Tomb of Faith could become a great evil capable of engulfing the Empire.

After much thought, the Duke nodded.

“Very well.”

After completing the expedition with minimal losses, he would assault the Tomb of Faith.

***

“The atmosphere is quite eerie, isn’t it? I wonder if something will suddenly pop out.”

Isabella shivered as she walked.

The only sounds in the chamber were Isabella’s voice and the rustling of their footsteps.

I casually glanced at Charlotte’s expression. Her deadpan face clearly showed her discontent.

Isabella exclaimed, “Just as expected, Boss! You flipped the golem! Incredible!”

However, Charlotte was entirely the opposite.

By nature, Charlotte couldn’t forgive herself more than anyone else for her own mistakes.

She was always serious and held herself to the highest standards in everything she did.

Positively, it was self-reflection; negatively, it was just plain stubbornness.

‘Of course, she felt down after hearing me say that.’

Given her personality, it was only natural for her to sulk.

I wasn’t about to comfort her, not now anyway.

She had to reflect on her mistakes and grow from them.

‘…But it’s quite unsettling.’

Even when I tried to ignore it, I found myself discreetly glancing her way.

As I tried to focus and keep moving forward, red glowing levels were flashing in the darkness.

[Lv. 71]

[Lv. 72]

[Lv. 75]

Even the minor mobs deployed in this ancient dungeon were boasting level 70.

After pondering for a moment, I reached out to stop Isabella from stepping forward.

“Charlotte.”

I nodded towards her, keeping my eyes on her.

Startled, Charlotte blinked.

Realizing what I meant, she unleashed a magical spear into the darkness.

Squeak!

With a final cry, the numbers vanished.

Indeed, for her, those monsters were mere trifles.

Although there was no significant difference in their stats, the real gap was enormous.

“Neat.”

After saying that, I observed Charlotte’s reaction.

Even her usually stoic expression was now hidden as she bowed her head.

Though her tightly clenched lips were clearly visible.

‘She likes it.’

It’s a shame that I was so soft-hearted.

But if I look closely, it seems like she’s becoming quite the precious gem.

With a boss like her and an exceptional executive, the Seven Lairs truly is in its dotage.

I fiddled with the potion vial I had hidden in my pocket.

The Blessing of Mana (S+) I received from Great King Daron.

I planned to give it to Charlotte if the dungeon raid became difficult, but it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

After several hours of successfully progressing through the dungeon without trouble, we finally arrived at a room larger than the guardian’s chamber.

Perhaps because I had a poor recollection of being utterly defeated by the guardian, neither of them dared to approach readily.

It was only logical that there was something stronger than the guardian inside a dungeon like this.

‘It’s not a big deal anyway.’

More precisely, there was the mid-boss Bond Dragon.

Although it was referred to as a mid-boss, it was essentially the final boss of the dungeon.

According to the setting, it was said to be the most loyal subordinate of the Greater Dragon, but I didn’t care less about that.

Inside, there would be an altar.

If one touched that altar or made contact with the Bond Dragon, or even faced it head-on, the slumbering creature would awaken.

Other than that, nothing would wake it up, no matter what.

Naturally, walking through the front door would lead me to a direct confrontation.

Fortunately, beside the main entrance was a narrow side path, just wide enough for one person to enter, and if I continued along it and turned left, I would find the back door.

Only by using that back door could I sneakily snatch the dungeon core without a battle.

For this reason, the Ancient Dungeon DLC made it the easiest dungeon to obtain rewards.

Ironically, achieving a total clear was the hardest.

“It seems dangerous, so wait here.”

Up to this point, they had fulfilled their role.

All that remained was for them to wait silently.

Turning my back to them, I slipped into the side path.

The black iron armor scraped against the confined walls, producing an unpleasant noise.

Though it was difficult initially to enter, once inside, it was surprisingly spacious.

As I crawled forward slowly like a crab, I occasionally got stuck, but I didn’t mind much.

As the path continued on, it eventually turned left.

After curving that way and walking a bit, a stone door came into view.

Creaking—

The stone door opened with a grand noise, revealing the interior.

From a distance, I spotted the Bond Dragon lying in a dragon-like pose.

Knowing I had the upper hand now, I had nothing to fear, but I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

I tiptoed cautiously, taking one careful step at a time.

I spotted a red stone altar, revealing a golden orb resting upon it.

That was a fake reward.

Not the dungeon core, but the powerless wish-granting jewel.

The developers might have called it the Dragon Heart, but to me, it was nothing but a wish-granting jewel.

If you unknowingly touched the wish-granting jewel, the Bond Dragon would awaken.

There was no use for it anyway, so I ignored it.

‘Let’s see…’

The walls of this room were adorned with many round glowing stones that emanated light like bulbs.

There appeared to be hundreds of them, but I knew their positions and subtle distinctions.

While the other glowing stones radiated a scarlet hue, the dungeon core emitted a gentle golden light.

The moment I focused on the remembered position, my feet headed straight there.

‘…For sure.’

After confirming the slight difference, I snatched the dungeon core.

Even after clasping it in my hand, I kept my gaze fixed upon it, ensuring it was the right one.

I had seen everything I needed.

Carefully, I tiptoed out via the back door, and all the while, the Bond Dragon remained in its slumber.

I had worried, what if the game and reality were different, and the Bond Dragon awakened? But that concern proved unnecessary.

Phew— a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

Before stepping back into the side path, I took one last look at the dungeon core.

Absorbing the core here wouldn’t cause the dungeon to collapse.

That, too, was distinct from the ancient dungeons and the 72 dungeons.

Crack—

The moment I shattered the dungeon core with my grip, a brilliant golden light burst forth like incense from within.

The heritage of the Greater Dragon, filled only with the fundamental powers of the dungeon core and the wish-granting jewel.

Without scattering elsewhere, it solely settled within my own flesh.

Had it absorbed completely without leaving a trace? I felt a marvelous sensation within me.

Looking around several times, I was just about to test whether it had absorbed well when I happened to spot a centipede.

I immediately glared at the centipede and activated my pyre with my intent.

In an instant, the centipede that had been crawling smoothly went limp.

“It worked.”

The Dragon’s pyre functioned perfectly, and all that remained was to use the incantation.

Dozens of characters surged within my mind.

Given the space, I focused solely on the incantations applicable to targets rather than a wide-ranging invocation.

“Heavenly Pressure.”

Crunch!

The slackened body of the centipede was crushed under the immaterial force.

As its level vanished, so did that power like a mirage.

I nodded in satisfaction.

With the pyre working seamlessly, the incantations functioned well, too.

Just a note, while the pyre was a permanent passive ability, the incantations had cooldowns.

Even with different characters, once an incantation had been used, subsequent uses couldn’t follow consecutively.

There was a cooldown between a minimum of 10 minutes to as long as 24 hours.

Pitter patter—

I saw a cockroach crawling at my feet.

“Void Death.”

Muttering as I looked at the cockroach, I didn’t have high hopes.

It hadn’t even been 10 minutes; it was impossible.

I had merely uttered the incantation out of disgust.

Squeak!

It was then that the cockroach went limp.

There was no postmortem rigidity; I felt no signs of life.

Above all, the loss of its level signified complete death.

“…What the?”

Could it be that the incantation actually worked? Without a cooldown, consecutively?

Asking myself didn’t yield answers.

I scanned the surrounding bugs, choosing one in view, and began reciting the incantation one word at a time.

The incantation “Void Death” was successfully executed a total of eight times.

“…Stunned?”