It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

When a dungeon core is broken or stolen, the Dungeon Lord goes mad.

Due to the debuff gained after the dungeon core disappears, along with the desire to recover the precious thing, even their mental strength is lowered.

In the game, this debuff was named ‘Early Orphan’ with the explanation that young Dungeon Lords are likely to view summons as attachment objects and the dungeon core as a parent-like existence.

And as far as I know, the demon realm’s response to such a rampaging Demon King candidate is usually to ‘leave them alone’. Because there aren’t many means to directly respond from the demon realm beyond the wall of the world.

But the Mammon Guild wanted to grasp the situation of such a Dungeon Lord. Rather than immediately withdrawing their investment from that dungeon.

‘They must have connections.’

If that rampaging Demon King candidate was the guild’s main trading route, naturally they would have been receiving active support from the Mammon Guild.

I thought there might be someone related to the established Dungeon Lord of the South at the center of that support.

Scarlet’s true intentions seem to lie here as well. Those connections probably pressured the guild and made a request or something.

Even if the leader of the group is Mammon, not everything under him is Mammon. If there are ‘Archdukes’ in the demon realm, there are probably ‘Dukes and Counts’ too.

‘Of course, this is still unknown…’

Anyway, the gains that can be obtained are visible.

This was an opportunity to gain evaluation within the guild, and further in the demon realm, by carrying out the request to grasp the situation of the rampaging Dungeon Lord.

While simultaneously making connections with the network that person originally had.

And if lucky, it could be a chance to absorb the resources and assets of that established Dungeon Lord.

“It’s only if possible; we’re not saying you must take risks. You should be hiding yourself now.”

“Yes. That’s a reasonable line of talk.”

“Then…”

“Tell me what you can offer.”

In the end, I nodded.

I’ve maintained a good relationship with the Mammon Guild so far anyway, so it was about time to take a request or two.

Of course, it’s natural that I have to show good results too. Successfully carrying out this request doesn’t make me their superior.

At best, I still only held a low-ranking position. Scarlet was merely treating me as a subordinate or underling.

“For now, the level prepared by the guild is… like this?”

“It’s lacking.”

“Hmm. I’ll go and try to draw out more. How about this much?”

“…Alright. Let’s do that. You have your pride too.”

“As expected of Lady Libertas!”

“Stop flattering.”

“But I’m serious!”

Of course, the compensation negotiation was a different story.

Since I already have an information network, there’s really nothing difficult about this, but as long as they don’t know that, it’s natural to extract as much profit as possible, isn’t it?

“Then, I’ll be counting on you, Lady.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Don’t overdo it! Humans in this area have their eyes burning for Dungeon Lords right now.”

“That’s an unnecessary worry. I know well.”

“Yes, then. Today was Scarlet Spira Spina again!”

“Go on in.”

After confirming the succubus’s departure and the disappearance of her presence.

“…You two. Can you hear me?”

-Yes, Lady.

-I’m here, Master.

I immediately contacted tracker Daniel and Cerebrum Skull Talhan.

There’s no need to wait until the contract is fully completed, right? Expanding the information network is necessary anyway. It’s just that one more goal has been newly added.

“Talhan, back to Solemio. Daniel, try to create a situation where you can move. To the center of the South.”

-Understood, Master.

-The South… If I handle the current request and move immediately, I think I can report arrival in about a week.

“If you don’t spare money?”

-Three days will do.

“Good. Then quickly.”

-Yes.

By the time Scarlet comes next, she will see the results I’m holding.

Then, since the situation is that only I’m left with an information network, the Mammon Guild will have to spend more money for me.

I wasn’t one to just leave such an opportunity to gain overwhelming profit.

* * *

Though the Cerebrum Skull’s main body doesn’t have much power, it’s clearly a ‘high-rank’ individual. The current me is a Dungeon Lord at the level called ‘average rank’ or ‘normal rank’.

What this means is that there aren’t many Cerebrum Skulls I can handle.

At most 3 individuals.

There were limitations on handling individuals higher than the Lord themselves. That’s why I still can’t raise Eve or Axe further up.

In such a situation, the joining of Xue, who seemed to be a stable, strong one, greatly relieved my worries.

『Name – [ ]』

『Title/Individual Name – Cerebrum Skull』

While most other necromancer Lords use this to cause confusion among enemies in the dungeon or temporarily hijack strong enemies, I decided to actively utilize this as an information network.

For the weak, information is that important, so it’s an inevitable choice, you could say.

For this, two additional Cerebrum Skulls were summoned, and I immediately deployed them to the field among the adventurers leaving Solemio as reinforcements for Copzerin.

Though they didn’t have as innovative or agile originals as Talhan, these beings who could sufficiently fulfill their roles soon brought me the information I needed.

“The race is vampire…”

As I learned like that, the Dungeon Lord of Copzerin had a race quite familiar to me.

Because vampires were the type I chose most often before ‘Libertas’, which was the last one I raised with enthusiasm and kept throughout.

The name of the vampire I chose at the end was also ‘Scarlet’. I remember naming it after a famous vampire character.

‘I used it often because the customization came out the prettiest.’

Vampires summon zombies like necromancers handle skeletons.

They handle the power of diseases and emotions originating from blood.

Though their magic power is slightly stronger, they’re Dungeon Lords with specs that can be employed as both vanguard and rear guard as their abilities are balanced overall.

In addition, zombies are tough and tenacious, so whether early or late game, they’re easygoing and could be said to have abilities recommended to beginners in many ways.

As such, they probably survived well in this world too.

“The rank is about early high-rank… At this level, it shouldn’t be easy to have the core stolen unless they’re careless. Rather die than that. Did they hire some phantom thief or something?”

The kingdom I’m in, ‘Heisen’, is a country surrounded by mountains on all sides with plains inside.

As such, it’s suitable for defense but difficult to expand outwards, and because of this situation, it seems this country has focused on trade benefits using its position nailed in the center of the Eastern Continent rather than military power.

Who would have known there was a being with madness-driven desires to hide the existence of a dungeon among the nobles of such a country without them knowing about it and steal the dungeon core?

In the end, the Dungeon Lord, who went mad, clearly revealed their presence as a high-rank Dungeon Lord that had been hidden until now, and the people of the kingdom were surprised by the sudden appearance of a powerful Dungeon Lord within the kingdom and started to focus their forces…

This was the story I came to know.

“No matter how pretty this looks on the outside… Did they want it that badly?”

-Clatter.

“You say they would have? Well. People become foolish in the face of desire.”

-Tack!

Clearly, the dungeon core externally appears to be a huge and beautiful jewel.

Beauty has been an object that evokes desire since ancient times.

That desire made them do foolish things.

Even if the reality of what looks like a jewel is a mana supply source for hostile life forms, and even if it’s true that a core without a Dungeon Lord goes berserk and generates monsters, or a Lord without a core goes berserk and strengthens monsters before swarming in.

‘Desire is.’

An emotion that always makes one charge towards the path of self-destruction without recognizing it.

In ‘MilDun 1’ too, there was an episode related to the core and desire.

At that time, the culprit was not just a noble but even a princess, and that country was eventually destroyed by the rampaging Dungeon Lord. That Dungeon Lord also declined and died, unable to find the lost core, as a side story.

The illustrations of the princess and Dungeon Lord used in the story were unnecessarily pretty.

Compared to the woman in front of me now… No, it’s incomparable after all, just between a drawing and a pretty woman who seems to have torn out of an illustration.

“So, when are you going to get down?”

“I’m not getting down…”

“…”

Lin Xue.

The wolf beastkin from the Western Continent who is the mercenary Scarlet brought this time and has now become a resident of my dungeon.

As soon as the contract was decided, she started persistently following me around.

It would be fortunate if she just did that, but she clings like this at every opportunity. Even now, her whole body was pressed against my back as I sat on the sofa placed in the room with the core.

It feels soft and nice right now, but still uncomfortable…

“Skeletons smell… Only Lady’s fragrance is good…”

“What on earth kind of smell are you talking about?”

Whether it’s the smell of corpses or whatever, if the skeletons smelled like that, there’s no way I could have tolerated it.

My senses now are much keener than when I was in modern times, and bad smells always make people uncomfortable, don’t they?

In the end, it seems this wolf beastkin is sensitive in smell or other senses and feels something.

That’s probably some other thing felt from corpses.

Still, it’s not easy to sympathize.

‘They’re such nice and cute kids.’

To me, they were good fellows who only showed me goodwill.

Thanks to them, I’ve been quite motivated lately.

It’s like they’re scooping up self-esteem I didn’t know I had from nowhere.

“…Nyaa…”

Come to think of it, she was the same in showing such goodwill.

For whatever reason.

“I was curious about something. Why did you want to contract with me? Xue.”

“Because I like it…”

“No, so why do you like… Never mind. What does the reason matter?”

“Yes. The most important thing is that I like Lady. You smell good, and you’re pretty and cute and lovely and noble.”

“So…”

“Yes.”

She was truly an unfathomable woman.

Those eyes that kept sparkling while looking at me, that luscious tail that excitedly whips around in all directions when she sees me despite her expressionless face, and the occasional loneliness and watery eyes she shows.

Even now, Xue’s eyes were full of inexplicable tearfulness as she said she liked me.

Despite having no expression, only her eyes are really honest.

In the end, I gave up on trying to remove her and was just about to lean my body comfortably when an unexpected being separated her from me.

Smack-!!

“Ugyaak!!”

A forceful hand that strikes with a red fist using even the ‘Explosive Power’ characteristic.

At that intense flick that would make even me, who wasn’t hit or even grazed by the force, feel pain beyond the one who was directly hit, Xue flew up, holding her head while leaving me as is.

“What are you doing…!”

-Tack!

The source of the punch was Eve.

My first soldier looking down at Xue, who had jumped off the sofa with her eye lights hardened coldly. She was making one hand red again while spewing black magic power from her mouth.

It was a signal that she would show her fist taste once more if she didn’t behave properly, obvious at a glance.

“…I got it…”

Then, Xue, who had been stubborn all along, became surprisingly docile.

Though she became dejected enough to look pitiful, it’s strange that she doesn’t even think of pouncing on Evangeline despite being hit so strongly.

Xue should clearly be stronger than Eve.

-Tack.

Eve nodded once after crossing her arms, then gently stroked her head as if saying, ‘Did it hurt?’. Xue doesn’t resist that either and stays still.

Despite saying she disliked skeletons just a moment ago.

Both Evangeline, who acted as if she was used to this situation, and Xue, who didn’t resist.

It’s a sight that seems quite affectionate towards each other.

As if there was some kind of rapport between just the two of them, excluding me…

‘But there’s no time for that.’

Reasoning rationally, Evangeline probably had some acquaintance somewhere before coming here as my summon.

After all, for any Dungeon Lord, the first summon is summoned from among apprentice-level beings that already existed in the world.

You can’t give a completely blank being to a ‘baby’ Dungeon Lord, can you?

It’s a bit disappointing that they don’t tell me directly, but isn’t it also a virtue of the master to wait until they tell?

-Lady. Are you there?

While I was letting such thoughts flow, a ‘knock’ sounded in my soul.

It was a contact attempt from a being directly connected to me.

“I’m listening, Daniel.”

-I arrived in Copzerin and confirmed, but it seems the expedition against that dungeon isn’t far off. Support troops from Solemio just arrived too. It looks quite urgent.

Copzerin was the name of a city not far to the west of the dungeon where the Dungeon Lord is.

I’ve only heard so far that it’s still the center of the southern part of the kingdom and a large commercial city.

“I see. Alright. We’ll have to move right away.”

-For now, I’ve gone in the direction of participating as well…

“Well done. If we’re lucky, you might see me there.”

The distance between Copzerin and the dungeon is similar to but slightly farther than the distance between my dungeon and Solemio. Going there from my dungeon now would require moving a distance equivalent to going from Seoul to Busan.

Considering the roundabout path in between, even moving as fast as possible from here would take over a week for a normal person’s movement, and even by carriage, it would take four days.

But that should be enough.

Even I, who has the least stamina, am a monster who can move all day with just two hours of sleep.

-…Yes. I’ll see you then.

“There’s no particular problem with Maria. It would be good to stop by the dungeon after this is over.”

-Yes, Lady. Thank you.

After scratching even the itchy part by guessing the reason for the silence between his words, I ended the communication.

My beloved first soldier had already approached beside me.

“Eve. Prepare for the expedition. Let’s go together this time.”

-Tack!

To interfere in a war against a being equivalent to a high-rank Dungeon Lord, it would be good for me to scrape together as much force as possible.

Now that there are enough children to guard the dungeon and there’s no chance of any strong adventurers coming nearby, it would be a waste to leave Evangeline, one of my best powers, hanging around here.

“Bring Sonia, too. We’ll need to score materials.”

-Clack!

Eve bowed solemnly and left.

I watched her go, then turned to face Xue, who was digging in again.

“Shall I come with you?”

“I think you should.”

Her white uniform and silver hair fill my vision.

At my answer, her expressionless face breaks into a small smile.

It was a far cry from the expressionless smile of a moment ago, and it contained quite a longing aura.