It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

Not much was needed to pressure Gyeonghan.

Just taking away his weapons and having two skeletons stand beside him, each holding an axe and a hammer, seemed to make him unable to think of doing anything.

He just lay face down in a perfect posture with all his arms and legs together.

‘「Sacrifice Appraisal」.’

『Name – Gyeonghan』

『Occupation and Rank – Formal Tracker』

『Attributes – Health 12 Technique 16 Durability 8 Magic Power 14 Resistance 13』

The ‘sacrifice information’ appearing before my eyes now proved that the subject had completely submitted.

When a subject is completely subdued under my control, or when a creature has lost its life functions mentally or physically, the dungeon core treats the subject as a ‘sacrifice’.

The subject before me fell into the former category.

『Characteristics – Trace Finding, Specialization: Thrower』

『Specialization: Thrower – Receives bonuses for both throwing and shooting.』

And… it’s a pity.

If it weren’t for this, there would have been no need to kill him.

“You’re acting as if addressing a noble.”

“Y-You are a noble of darkness, aren’t you! Lady!”

“Hmm.”

He’s making cringeworthy sounds without hesitation. Of course, I can feel this sentiment because I’m in an advantageous position.

If it were other Dungeon Lords, not me, they would simply be pleased with such sounds.

“You speak as if you have experience dealing with us.”

“Th-That’s impossible! This lowly one has just overheard a lot!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Of course! So please forgive any disrespect…!”

He seems to have been worried about what if his attempt to hit Sonia had bothered me.

In fact, I didn’t have any particular regrets about that.

Whether it’s Sonia, Remia, or Maria, there wasn’t much time to get attached or become close, was there? If one becomes attached after just one journey, the continental saying that ‘the four seas are one family’ wouldn’t be too wrong.

They were enemies, to begin with.

“P-Please, if there’s anything you want me to do, order me anything!”

“Do you have a reason to be confident that I have anything to order someone like you?”

“I think you wouldn’t have called me separately like this if you didn’t!”

“You’re quick-witted.”

As I watched his reactions for a while, the man started to carry on the conversation on his own.

It was a sharp and cunning behavior, exactly as I had thought when I saw him before.

Just as I had expected.

“I-I’m just sorry for daring to meet the gaze of such a high person!”

“I’m glad you know it’s not disrespectful.”

“Hii, hiik! I’m sorry!”

It’s quite impressive how he manages to pronounce clearly while making such a suppressed voice while lying face down.

I imagined his life for a moment.

Humans often mistake ‘difference’ for ‘wrongness’. Even on Earth, where information can be instantly transmitted from one side of the planet to the other, it’s like that, so it would be no less here, if not more so.

Therefore, this man who came from the Western Continent to the Eastern Continent for some reason must have often been ignored or despised by people.

So naturally, his quick-wittedness developed, and just as much evil accumulated inside him.

And thus, he gained an ability.

“I want to use you as my eyes.”

This was one of the two things I wanted from him.

A spy.

I could obtain the ‘characteristic’ I most wanted even if I just killed him outright.

However, what’s important to me now is the efficient use of resources. To do that, I contemplated if there was anything more I could extract from him, and finally decided to obtain his ‘quick-wittedness’.

Quick-wittedness that activates much more keenly towards hostile individuals.

“D-Do I need to make a contract?”

However, despite being so quick-witted, he was a man who utterly failed to hide himself.

Thinking that I would propose a contract to him, he’s happy not only because he thinks he’ll survive but also because he thinks there’s a means to gain power.

From what I’ve seen in that city, there must have been good people among those who were his neighbors until now. He doesn’t even consider the harm he could cause to them.

“Do you think I would take the likes of you into my retinue?”

Because he immediately brightens up like that, even I start to feel capricious and spiteful.

It’s probably also because he’s not a type of person I particularly like.

“Th-Then…! Hihik…! P-Please spare my life!”

“Why would I erase you?”

“Please… p-please…!”

“It would certainly be a waste of effort to remove your existence.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

Gyeonghan expresses his gratitude while banging his head on the floor. Seeing blood form on the floor, I felt like I was starting to get a sense of this man.

Then this should do.

“I will take your body from you.”

“Wh… What?”

“I didn’t tell you to raise your head.”

“S-Sorry!”

Thud!

The man raises his head in surprise. But even more surprised by my words, he buries his head again, and for a moment, it sounded like something broke.

At this rate, he’ll get damaged before I can properly use him. I should stop teasing him now.

“If you do your job well and finally earn my favor, then I’ll give you a more powerful ‘human-like’ body instead of that wretched one. Try your best. But for now, you’ll use the body I give you.”

Of course, unless Gyeonghan had a sudden epiphany overnight, that was very unlikely to happen.

Although I wasn’t lying.

“Th-Then what will happen to me?”

“You will become a slave using the body I give you.”

“P-Please. Is there no way I can serve you as I am?”

His voice is choked with tears. However, there was no compromise on this part. After all, his current body was literally going to be used as a ‘sacrifice’.

But I didn’t particularly show such inner thoughts.

“Your appearance is too well-known. No one in the city doesn’t know you. There are many who hold grudges against you too.”

“That’s… true, but…”

“That way, you can’t properly play the role of my eyes in the shadows. I intend to give you a body that can be used differently than your current self.”

“A body that can be used differently… means…”

“You’re troubling me.”

I cut off the answer to his question there, and Gyeonghan lay face down in his place for a moment, lost in thought.

It was a brief silence where I could almost hear his eyeballs and brain rolling.

“I… I’ll do it.”

“Good. Then, endure a moment of pain.”

“Wh…at?”

Crunch!

“Cough…! S-Save…”

As I flicked my hand once, one of the skeletons standing beside him plunged the bone dagger it was holding into his heart.

Not understanding my words and making a stupid sound, the man collapses, spitting blood from the oncoming pain, and the skeleton grabs his hair and forcibly stands him up.

So that I can see him well.

“I told you I wouldn’t erase you. I won’t erase you. So now, be reborn. 「Summon: Cerebrum Skull」.”

Approaching him like that, I touch his forehead once with my staff.

He meets death.

Crunch! Crack crack!

“Ugh… Aaaagh…!! Aaaagh-!!! S-Save me-!!!”

The magic power I had already invoked seeps into the man, and what happens next before my eyes is truly grotesque. Even though I knew it in my head and was prepared for it in my heart, it was still enough to make me frown if it weren’t for ‘Nobility’.

So without giving a detailed description, let me just tell you the result.

『Name – [ ]』

『Title/Individual Name – ‘Cunning’ Cerebrum Skull』

『Attributes – Health 1 Technique 13 Durability 4 Magic Power 12 Resistance 9』

『Characteristics – Central Nervous System Hijacking, Member of Necropolis』

『Title – Cunning: A title given to individuals with superior Technique and Magic Power compared to the same species.』

『Central Nervous System Hijacking – Replaces the target’s spinal cord and skull to dominate and control the body. Can change bodies if desired, but the original body dies.』

A snake-like summon made of skull and spine, having shed its original body like a shell, was coiled around the arm of one of the skeletons, waiting for my orders.

Looking at that state, it seemed that while Health and Durability, which had become useless compared to when alive, had drastically decreased, the necessary abilities were maintained as they were.

Although its blue eye lights were dimmed by the pain of its past life, it still seemed to have some clear reason remaining.

“Call Susan from among those remaining. She would be the most suitable.”

An apprentice-level warrior who wouldn’t gain much benefit even if used as a sacrifice now. She didn’t stand out much usually, and she looked like someone who had no connection with Gyeonghan originally, I heard she had no family.

There was no better body to make my subordinate Gyeonghan infiltrate the city again.

“From now on, your name is ‘Talhan’.”

“I will… receive your orderrrs…”

『Name – Talhan』

A moment later, the ‘Cerebrum Skull’ that had stolen the central nervous system of the woman called into the room and dominated her body stood before me, waiting for orders.

The tears that hadn’t dried yet, and the tear ducts wet with those tears were impressive.

Although his speech is still awkward because he’s not used to the body yet, he will soon adapt.

More important was what I would instruct him to do.

“Your first order is to find your former colleagues who know about Remia and Maria’s story. Those three, including Velvet. You know them, right?”

“Yesss… I knoww them…”

“It would be better to change your way of speaking. You’re too frivolous now.”

“I’ll… be carefull…”

There were still people outside who knew about me. Those who knew about the vicinity of my dungeon, or those who would soon find out that Maria and Daniel had disappeared.

I needed to control as much of the information scattered along the way as possible.

Before their guild, ‘Shadow Blade’, learned the proper information.

“When I find them… what should I dooo…?”

“Bring them. If that’s not possible, find a way to kill them on the spot. Of course, you know which one I prefer.”

“I know… the method…”

“Good. It’s fortunate. There’s a use for your cunning head.”

If this guy really does well and brings good situations and information, my heart that doesn’t waver now might change.

Rewards for loyal servants.

Because that’s natural.

“I’ll… be going…”

“I’ll be expecting your usefulness.”

Besides him who had now become she, I had already decided on the treatment for the remaining two as well.

I will ‘touch’ the head of Jacob, the trap specialist, to use his knowledge as my own over a longer period, and if Robin is found to have no other use, he will become my skeleton as is.

That’s how I dealt with the four people.

“Call Leonis.”

A few days later.

Finally, I called for the mage who had other knowledge I needed, and the man who loved Sonia.