Isekai Dungeon Architect

Around a dozen millennia ago, there existed a grand ancient civilisation, the only mortals that existed in the world of the Divine.

The Theory of Origin that this world follows goes something like this: The world exists in a duality.

There is the world, and there is Divine. The system is the representative of the world— the representative of physical reality, and the Ultimate divine is the set laws of nature, the ultimate truth, or what many religions call the Liberation.

The physical world and the ultimate reality exist together. The original theory of origin suggests that both the physical world and the Divine have forever existed to complement one another.

The universe is a beginningless entity; the 'complete' divine is a limitless, omnipotent, omniscient, ultimate truth that all of the world tries to achieve.

There is no beginning to this world, and there will be no end to it. The physical and divine exist to complement each other, and because of their dual nature, they sustain this world.

'But that's just the common primordial philosophy of origin.'

What people of this world focus on isn't the philosophical aspect, but the oldest recorded history that starts everything in this world.

'The Floating Castle of Divine, the pinnacle of mortality.'

There exists a castle in the center of this world, the first ever dungeon, and there exist three continents around the world.

The closest continent to the castle— which is practically an entire continent said to be suspended in the sky— is the first continent.

'Then the second and third, respectively. And we are on the third continent, the largest of them all.'

There exist various forces on this continent, and we are in the kingdom of Isis, one of the prominent forces in the north of the continent.

'There exists a king and a royal family, but they don't hold sovereignty over the nation.'

The decentralised authority gives powers to the nobles of the world, so unlike the other powers on the continent, the nobles hold significant authority within the state.

'Westford may not be under the influence of a certain noble household, but the land surrounding it surely is controlled by different noble forces.'

And one of them is the Hunters of North, the Khalasi, one of the only three marquisates present in the kingdom of Isis.

"You didn't say you were from a famous household, Cass." Crouching before him and checking for any wounds, I first confirmed he was fine.

Then, turning my attention to Reddy before getting his answer, I gave her the same look I had been giving her since earlier.

"Do you just want me to ask you specifically?" The look alone clearly wasn't enough.

But then again, she just looked away as if she were a thief caught in the middle of the crime.

The way I had been treating her ever since we met had been one-sided.

Being someone with practically zero experience with love interests, meeting her in this new world as my savior was just too sudden for me as well.

'I know I've been too forward with her, as well as Cass, but perhaps that's what she liked about me as well.'

There are many reasons to not like my personality. Not even the bosses in my previous world liked me all that much.

I was simply too good at work for them to say it to my face.

'But this isn't the corporate world that I had experienced for a good part of my life. This is an isekai.'

There are people who can and would kill me just because they feel like it— creatures that would tear me apart piece by piece and eat me like a delicious sandwich.

The nobility in this world is no joke either; they are the power, the authority, the government.

Offending them is the same as a capital crime, most certainly punishable by death.

'That's why I had been careful who I flirted with and who would think twice before killing me.'

I'm not strong, and I most certainly don't have any authority or influence in this world.

Reddy was someone that I just clicked with. Cass was too harmless to worry about him too much.

'My instincts had always known there was something about both of them that I did not know, so I had always been careful with them.'

Keeping a step of distance without giving it away was my way to keep my guard up, and I was right to keep my distance.

"You wanted to talk about things, right? We are talking about this when we do that as well… you cannot avoid me forever."

Why she was tolerating me, I had no idea. Maybe she just liked me, or maybe I was just her type. Whatever the case may be, she was unusual.

'Student of perhaps one of the strongest people in the city, a guard captain despite being a support class, an alchemist no less, and having respect for people with unparalleled status.'

She was more than just a sweet, fun Lady.

'She's dangerous.'

And I should keep the danger close if it was going to be on my side.

The same goes for someone of a noble birth.

"And Cass, you should join us as well. Don't you owe me an explanation here?"

Nobles had significant power, at least in this country. A family with as high a status as his? They should have dozens of people as strong as Reddy.

Considering the forces they sent just to bring back a scrawny boy like him, they should have those fantastical knight orders or something as well.

'Making an enemy of them is not going to benefit me… so, if my life is at risk because of this guy, I might as well hand him over to them.'

Unlike Reddy, he doesn't have the power to help me directly. Still, he is as useful to him as the coins in my status window.

"Ummm…"

"You don't want to join me? I won't force you-."

"N-no! I want to!"

He was going to join us; I had made sure he trusted me as much as the staff that he carried.

He wouldn't deny me that easily.

Both of them, as big a death flag as they may be, couldn't hurt me that easily, even if they wanted to.

"Then let's get going as soon as Reddy is done cleaning up this mess."

I'm hungry.

So much so that these convulsing human bodies seem like a flavourful sashimi.