It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

“Ah…”

“You need to get up, Sonia.”

Sonia, who had collapsed once after facing the painful reality.

She recovered her body and mind under my care – the kind and beautiful cabin owner in plain clothes, but in fact the enemy of her friends.

Feeding her meals every day, providing simple care, sometimes turning her body, changing the bed sheets that had been soaked with secretions from her body while she was almost out of her mind.

Above all, constantly talking to her.

“Why… why are you being so good to me?”

For me, who had taken care of a grandmother with dementia or someone that truly didn’t care if they died, this was just what one should naturally do when caring for someone.

People who truly think about their own death usually don’t care about any bodily waste.

But for her… or more precisely, by this world’s standards, it seemed to be quite a dedicated action.

Seeing such a reaction.

“Does one need a reason to save a person?”

It’s ironic coming from someone who killed her friends for their own survival, but this was my usual thought.

People kill people. People save people.

These actions are inherently ugly or beautiful.

The reasons and motives attached to them are just accessories that chip away at the hatred or respect for that action. Sometimes it’s necessary to devalue it like that, but not now.

‘Keep allies close, but enemies closer… was it?’

Now, I just needed to wrap the situation more beautifully for my own self-interest and survival, but.

“Thank you. I’ll do it from here.”

“Are you sure?”

Nod.

Regardless whether my answer was truly received.

Shortly after that simple conversation, Sonia began to move on her own and recover quickly.

She said it was thanks to my help, but in my view, the reason for such rapid recovery was due to her goodness.

If not for that, the ‘power’ to shape her broken self into the desired state wouldn’t have worked so easily.

“I can’t burden such a good person any more.”

She had an unusually large amount of magic power.

A level of power that I, still unpolished, couldn’t infuse mental magic into under normal circumstances. At the same time, it was a level of magic power that made it surprising she had been able to survive until now.

Her sincere thought that she ‘couldn’t burden a grateful person any more’ created gaps to instill various thoughts I had.

This helped accelerate her physical recovery.

“There are also people I need to inform about this…”

Of course, she didn’t say it out loud, but there might also be a reason like ‘I need to avenge my dead friends’.

However, not many people can think of others in the face of their own frustration, and use such reasons to recover themselves.

Especially for someone who had thought nothing of their own death and let go of everything.

Anyway, with the synergy of all these things, it took just four days, not even a week, for her to wake from her despair and recover enough to move her body.

Also for her to completely open her heart to me.

This brought me unexpected benefits.

『Name – Sonia Mediv』

『Occupation and Rank – Apprentice Mage』

『Affiliation – Dungeon Exploration Mage Guild, Eyes Tracing Truth』

First, the fact I learned for the first time.

To know an adventurer’s information, it didn’t matter if they hadn’t fallen or sworn loyalty to the Dungeon Lord.

If you could make them open their heart, you could view their information just like a summon’s without necessarily killing them.

Of course, this is generally an almost impossible challenge to overcome.

Whether it’s because adventurers think of Dungeon Lords as enemies, or because Dungeon Lords don’t feel the need to do so.

『Attributes – Health 2 Technique 6 Durability 4 Magic Power 32 Resistance 8』

『Characteristics – Magic: Detection, Magic: Protection, Magic Overadaptation』

My eyes were drawn to the word glowing dully purple in Sonia’s status window.

Magic Overadaptation.

An Epic, hero-grade characteristic.

This must be the identity of the magic action boiling inside Sonia. It would also be the cause of that overflowing magic power score.

The reason she could survive until now with such a characteristic was soon understandable through direct conversation.

“Remia was always kind and gentle even though she didn’t talk much… and Jack, who was always bright and led the atmosphere outside of the field, really liked Remia. To the extent that he wouldn’t say anything even if he had to take on troublesome me…”

Having opened her heart to me, she voluntarily provided information that I couldn’t possibly extract from Remia.

“If those two were really as good as you say, they wouldn’t have thought they were taking you on.”

“Do you think so? No. They wouldn’t. Because I was really a burden…”

“Even if that were really the case, you are the life they saved and their legacy. So from now on, you just need to change as to not be ashamed in front of them.”

“Can I do that? Really…?”

For example, the complex relationship between them.

Among the reasons for her extremely low self-esteem, there probably exists the trajectory of that life where she long relied on those two grateful people.

The feeling of burdening precious people makes a person rot a lot.

Just like when I used to live in ‘delusion’ in the past.

“‘Magic Overadaptation’… I see. There was a reason I felt too much magic power from you.”

“Because of this constitution of mine, I always needed medicine to stabilize my magic power. The two of them really struggled a lot for me.”

Another was the story about her physical condition, which was also the reason why her friends bothered to take her along.

“But one day, an opportunity came. My magic guild said that if they succeeded in stabilizing my condition, I could become an excellent mage.”

“So as an apprentice.”

“Yes. With this inadequate body… It was really a great honor. The two of them sincerely congratulated me.”

After hearing her words, I naturally checked on ‘Magic Overadaptation’.

『Magic Overadaptation – Innate talent. Mana accumulates naturally without any special attempt to accumulate magic power. Increases magic stability limit and magic usage limit.』

It was a luscious characteristic.

Just from the description, there seem to be no disadvantages. That’s why it’s more dangerous.

If the amount of magic power exceeds the stability limit, growth is blocked if the magic power isn’t suppressed, and if it gets worse and exceeds the malignant limit, it even consumes lifespan.

The sum of her durability and resistance is 12. Her stability limit was probably 18, and even if it increased due to the characteristic, it would have been around 23-25.

And the malignant limit was probably about 30.

The reason why durability and resistance, which naturally grow to some extent as a person grows, remain at or below the level of an ordinary person despite the high magic power level must be due to this characteristic.

More precisely, due to the magic power that has grown beyond the limit.

Probably her magic power had already exceeded the limit when she was quite young, and since then, she had barely been preventing the consumption of her lifespan by taking medicine.

I wonder if she was trying to find a way to overcome the medicine while earning money through adventurer work. As you can see from the apprentice-level detection and protection magic she’s learning now, she should be able to use small magic even in that state.

Despite doing so, her magic power continued to increase, finally reaching that level.

“Your body isn’t fully healed yet. Do you really have to move already?”

“Yes. As I mentioned before, there’s someone who needs to know about this.”

“Someone who needs to know… Is it family?”

“Yes, that’s right. All of our family lives in the city.”

“So you have guardians. That’s good.”

Besides that, the most useful information was about their family.

“Yes. Sister Maria is a member of a guild active in a big city. If I tell her about this, she’ll definitely help. Even… sniff. To retrieve my friends’ bodies.”

“I’m sure she will. But going alone…”

Among them, especially the existence of Maria Olas, Remia’s sister and a high-ranking adventurer. It’s a fact that a dangerous enemy could have rushed in front of me someday if I hadn’t known. (tl/n: Korean girls call their friends/lovers etc. as unnie/oppa (sister/brother) too even when they don’t have blood ties, so Sonia previously referred to Maria as ‘Sister’ just like that)

These conditions of her body and all sorts of relationships were the reason I decided to put more effort into her.

“Right. I’ll accompany you.”

“What?! But causing that much trouble…”

“I can’t send you alone. If the person I saved dies in an unknown place, I too, would be burdened in my heart.”

“But…”

This was also the circumstances that led me to leave the dungeon for a while and head to Solemio.

It was also an inspection of the city that would become part of my territory in the future, and a journey to adapt to the new world.

“And… there’s still something I haven’t told you, right?”

“Really… Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing.”

When I smiled while making eye contact with Sonia’s blue eyes, she smiled back, expressing her gratitude to the fullest.

Though still weak, it was a cute smile.

* * *

Even in MilDun 1, Dungeon Lords who had become sufficiently powerful could project their power externally.

By forming clans composed of Dungeon Lords, implemented by leading other user or NPC Dungeon Lords, and placing nearby areas under their influence.

Although I didn’t see it directly, the six Archdukes probably created ‘demon realms’ in this way.

‘In that sense, I also need to grasp the surrounding ecology and the state of nearby cities.’

Even though this is said to be the frontier, there must surely exist Dungeon Lords who are hiding or have survived, as well as particularly powerful individuals among wild monsters.

Isn’t it normal to observe the neighbors while handing out rice cakes after moving?

I had to figure it out.

Whether they could be made allies, or if they needed to be defeated as enemies.

And while sending subordinates was enough to find out if there were other Dungeon Lords, moving directly myself was the most effective way to deal with human castles.

Given that I came to this world in human form.

“Are you going to be like this?”

However, the journey for this purpose was hindered from the start.

The biggest obstacle to my progress towards Solemio wasn’t obvious facts like a Dungeon Lord becoming weaker when far from the core or that I couldn’t reveal that I’m a necromancer.

-Clack!

My soldier, Evangeline. It was her herself.

Ridiculously, she lay down in front of the gate connecting the cave to the cabin, protesting with her whole body, saying that if I wanted to go, I should step on her.

It was both amusing and not amusing.

The unamusing part was her overprotectiveness, and the amusing part was that even though I knew the task I had to do now was absolutely necessary, I disliked the idea of stepping on her like that.

Especially as I could constantly feel her clear goodwill and loyalty.

“Eve. My soldier. You know well that this is necessary, don’t you?”

-Clatter!

Even though I’m speaking gently, she shakes her head vigorously, expressing as if she doesn’t want to hear it.

Is it because verbal communication is still impossible? Her emotional expressions that can be done with her body have been growing larger and richer, and sometimes she shows such childlike behavior.

“You’re acting like a child at times like this. It’s my first time seeing it.”

I gently grasped her skull with both hands.

She stopped shaking her head just from that.

I didn’t apply any force at all, and she could easily shake it off if I did, but she didn’t seem to want to at all or as if she was afraid I might get hurt.

However, the blue glow in her two eyes was trying to avoid looking at me as much as possible.

There might be fear of being persuaded, but she was also a bit embarrassed to show this kind of behavior.

-Clack!

Still, with one hand, she alternately pointed at Mire and a few other skeletons standing beside me and herself, then clicked her jaw bones once again.

She was asking why she couldn’t be taken along when Mire and others were being taken.

“Although I’ve carefully hidden the dungeon… it will be discovered someday anyway. Who else but you could protect this place then? Those clumsy wild-born goblins? Kobolds? Or the thief skeletons that have just been created?”

-Clatter.

With her eye lights shaking intensely, Eve now pointed at herself and then outside.

This time too, it was a clear expression of intent. That she would go instead.

“How would you hide your appearance?”

-Clatter…

Of course, that intention was refuted in one go.

I fixed her head, which still wasn’t making eye contact, to look at me properly, and tapped her forehead with my finger.

“I trust you. You’ll do well, won’t you?”

-…Clack.

Only then did she get up from her spot and prostrate herself before me, expressing her wish for me to have a safe trip. Probably my emotions that I sent strongly along with the words ‘I trust you’ had a decisive effect.

After all, she was weak to me.

I tapped her forehead once more to make her raise her head and look at me, then stroked the top of her head a couple of times.

-Clack!

She always showed sparkling emotions at times like this, and this time was no different.

“The core and my room are well hidden, so you should prioritize yourself over the dungeon rooms being destroyed. If you’re hurt when I return, I’ll be very sad. Understand?”

-Clack.

She lowered her head once reliably and then raised it again.

The intention she sent to me was demanding a promise that ‘I should do the same’, and I agreed to that as well.

“Yes. As much as I’m going against your stubbornness, I definitely will.”

-Clack!

So I was able to depart from the dungeon, leaving Eve behind.

To observe the city that might become my territory in the future. And to find out about those who might become my enemies.

“Sister Maria…!”

“Sonia? You…”

Meeting Maria’s group, who had set out from Solemio to find Sonia’s party, happened just three days after that.