It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

My recent hobby was reading books about various magic and sorcery.

The more I looked, the more fascinating phenomena and theories there were, and it was much more fun to read as the magic I experimented with from the books was actually implemented.

『Characteristic – Necromancy… Swordsmanship Introduction, Specialization: Lightning Magic, Specialization: Ice Magic, Specialization: Fire Magic, Advanced Specialization: Curse, Magic Overadaptation』

How much more fun would it be when such a hobby actually becomes an ability, and I can even confirm this with my own eyes?

The ‘Specialization’ characteristic is evidence that you can learn about the relevant sorcery or martial art, embody that knowledge, and digest, to some extent, even techniques in the same field you haven’t yet learned.

Having obtained four types of it shows how much I’ve delved into magic.

Just in case, I also stocked up on various genres of novels indiscriminately, but those were gathering almost only dust.

Crack!

“Although you surely haven’t properly learned magic for long, to be able to handle three attributes already… You’re amazing!”

Hmm.

To be honest, I was excited—not just by the system’s power but also because I could boast to someone about the knowledge I had directly accumulated and its results.

Seeing Sonia, who had shown relatively negative attitudes towards me, now with sparkling eyes is a different kind of fun compared to talking to Evangeline or Xue, who always show positive reactions.

“It’s a really tremendous talent.”

“It might be. But you’ll surely be able to do it too.”

“Will I?”

“Of course. Aren’t you the one who learned new magic even in a situation where you couldn’t properly handle magic power?”

So I ended up in a position that felt slightly deceitful.

As I suppressed the guilt that arose inside from that, I ended up teaching her more seriously than I originally thought…

『Characteristic – Magic: Detection, Magic: Protection, Magic: Fire Wall, Magic: Ice Arrow, Magic: Chain Lightning, Specialization: Curse, Magic Overadaptation』

And I discovered she had more talent for ‘curse’ than expected.

While she barely learned one of each other magic, she easily learned this. She succeeded in transforming the existing ‘Poison Arrow’ and ‘Soul-absorbing Plant’ into a specialization characteristic for curse by integrating them all.

“I don’t know if you’ll be happy, but you have an innate talent for curse.”

“Somehow, it was easy to learn…”

The magic of this world is constructed through the mage’s mental image based on phenomena created from material, spiritual, elemental, and outer space coordinates.

Sonia excelled in qualities communicating with the spiritual world and other realms.

This is a talent specialized for magic familiar to the demon realm, such as curse or necromancy, rather than general magic, spirit magic, or necromancy.

‘Should this be seen as fate too?’

In the end, the reason she couldn’t progress quickly in the magic guild was largely because she had talent that was not friendly with this world’s general magic, and she was in the process of suppressing her magic power.

Perhaps because it was quite shocking that she had such magical talent, Sonia’s expression was dark.

Of course, I had no intention of leaving her to settle in that state.

“Brighten your expression. Isn’t it a good thing? To have talent in even one thing and for it to match well with what your master has.”

“I… guess so?”

“Indeed. Power is ultimately power. Just as the same knife differs in the hands of a chef and a murderer, the same applies to this magic. Also, if you complain that the miracle performed by your hands is not the desired kind, that would be deceitful to those who don’t even have that much.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Sonia nodded her head somewhat firmly after hearing my words.

Thus, the first day’s education ended after deciding on a policy to focus on learning the curse series where she had talent and one elemental magic that could protect herself.

Still, for the first day, it was quite a good harvest.

* * *

A few days after starting education with Sonia.

“Your nature really doesn’t correct, does it?”

I pressed my head due to the headache coming from another education subject.

Recently, Sonia wasn’t the only one I was teaching something to.

Alexis Julka. This man who has now changed his surname to ‘Samigina’.

An elite-rank magic swordsman I’ve newly collected, and an adventurer with considerable desire. At the same time, this man with a wild nature as much as his desire was the subject of teaching.

“This is all wasted effort, I tell you. If it could be corrected in such a short time, even those barbarians over there would quickly become gentlemen?”

What I’m trying to teach him is etiquette.

Of course, it was the etiquette of nobles in this world. Because where he needs to collect information and act directly for me is the social circles of the ‘Southern Capital’ of this kingdom.

You might ask what nonsense it is for someone who hasn’t been in this world for long to teach noble etiquette to others, but it didn’t take as long as you might think for me to qualify as a teacher.

Thanks to ‘Nobility’, it was quick to acquire that conduct just by reading a few books related to etiquette.

“Don’t boast about your foolishness… Haah.”

“Foolish! I’ll have you know, I’m highly praised for my intelligence by the ladies!”

“Ah, I see.”

From my perspective, the reason this teaching isn’t ending well now is a problem with the student’s qualities.

They say knowing knowledge and teaching it are completely different matters, but I even read through ‘Etiquette Textbook for Young Masters/Ladies’ for this process.

So it can’t be helped to think it’s the fault of someone who can’t understand teachings that even a child could understand.

‘He’s probably not really stupid.’

Seeing his excellent survival instincts, I understand that rather than being stupid, his head just doesn’t turn this way or something like that.

Still, it’s been over a week since I started teaching this guy etiquette, and five more days have passed since contracting with Sonia.

While Sonia is making rapid progress, this side’s results are stagnant which is more frustrating.

-Tack.

The one who suggested an unexpected answer to this situation was none other than Evangeline.

“You’ll try?”

-Clatter.

“‘The student’s standard is set too high, and you’re teaching too leniently’…?”

“Uh… Wait a minute. What are you two talking about? This is really unsettling.”

After pondering momentarily, I nodded to Evangeline, meaning for her to try as she saw fit.

Then she approached Alexis with a slightly pleased feeling… and began her own education.

No, is this disciplining through punishment?

Thwack!!

“Ow! O-Okay, I got it! Got it!”

To give an appropriate analogy for this… I’d have to say there’s a generational difference.

If my education was from the 2020s, Evangeline’s was from the 1980s.

‘Come to think of it, this might be right.’

Now is a world closer to medieval times.

There is a concept of human rights, but there are many things more important than protecting those human rights.

For example, life or power.

Moreover, it’s even an era where it’s easier for those with strong egos to survive rather than listen to others.

Thwack!

“Oww!”

So, when trying to hammer in a certain way of thinking, it was right to use a ‘faster’ method rather than respect people’s hearts. Especially in cases like this guy’s, where knowledge needs to be hammered into a head that has never turned that way at all.

And also in cases like mine where a superior is dealing with a subordinate.

Look even now.

Tack!

“Ow! Hitting the same spot again…!”

Isn’t Alexis not looking down on Evangeline at all? Unlike when he was subtly relaxing his posture in front of me.

In the end, it seems my qualities as a teacher didn’t fit this era.

Something to reflect on.

Thwack!

“I got it! I got it, okay! Just don’t yell!”

‘Excellent.’

Alexis gradually straightens his posture as time passes.

In front of him, Evangeline is taking a disciplined posture and teaching perfect etiquette, with a body showing only white bones.

‘Was she really a knight? Or a noble? …Maybe.’

Especially while watching Evangeline among them, I imagined what kind of person she might have been in the past.

I couldn’t help but be curious.

The current her demonstrated flawless manners that even I, who had acquired etiquette recognized by ‘Nobility,’ could find no fault with.

‘Maybe she was a hero or champion.’

There were such cases in MilDun 1 too.

Extremely rare events where past heroes or champions became corrupted and became subordinates of Dungeon Lords or summons turned out to be hidden heroes.

The result of that event was one of two things.

Rapid strengthening of the summon or mercenary or severance of the relationship.

“…”

As I was thinking that, before I knew it, Evangeline in my mind had taken on the appearance of a beautiful swordswoman with blonde, silver, or black hair flowing.

A figure showing perfect manners like that of a knight but moving with a much freer spirit.

‘…That might have gone too far.’

Then, I shook my head to come out of the imagination.

It seemed I had spent too much time on thoughts that were still just delusions.

“I’ll leave Alexis to you. Eve. Do well.”

-Tack!

“Wait! Wait a minute! Lady! Save me! Aargh!”

Hearing Eve’s cheerful response and Alexis’s agonized scream, I left the room where they were.

Looking at that state, it seemed that all corrections would be completed within three days at most, so it was time to consider the next task.

* * *

‘Come to think of it…’

Time left over after entrusting Alexis’s education entirely to Evangeline.

I decided to examine the current situation of the dungeon for now.

『Demon King Candidate ‘Libertas’s Dungeon Lv. 4』

『Alias – None』

『Possessed Wealth – 13,087 V』

『Continent Fame – 3 (Made to be ‘Unknown’)』

『Demon Realm Fame – 168 (A Newbie Known to Those Who Should Know)』

『Core Activation – 772/792』

After glaring briefly at the awkwardly uneven wealth situation, turning my gaze to the whole made me feel satisfied again.

‘Still, at this level… It’s very fast, even considering starting with good abilities.’

Considering the difference between the game and now that it’s become a reality, I can raise the growth rate even more since I can freely cause dungeon attacks and waves now.

Considering that, although it can’t be said to be very fast, it can still be said to be quite fast.

Although I don’t consume fixed time for dungeon maintenance like in the game, I can’t reduce that time to zero.

The problem is that the growth is abnormal.

‘From now on, I should focus on the growth of the dungeon and summons rather than myself.’

Naturally, a dungeon isn’t everything just because the Dungeon Lord grows alone.

Even in ‘MilDun 1’, there was a Musou meta that endured the early stages by raising only the Dungeon Lord. But most of them struggled even to endure the middle stages, let alone move on to the late stages if the summon gacha failed in the middle.

‘The current situation of my dungeon is similar to that.’

I, too, have hastily raised my rank to high rank in order to have elite adventurers under my command.

In contrast, my forces’ highest-ranking members are Xue, a high-ranking mercenary, and the contracted elite adventurers Jin Kyung and Alexis.

Among these, Alexis needs to be sent outside, so the actual highest combat power is Jin Kyung, who is unstable depending on the situation; Xue, who is generally reliable but still only high-rank; and Evangeline, who can temporarily exert as much power as them if wrapped in my buffs.

Only by raising their power more stably can I aim for both the safety and expansion of the dungeon.

‘In the end, the dungeon and the Lord are one body.’

After the Dungeon Lord becomes stronger, the dungeon also progresses further in ‘magicalization’, and as the Lord grows, that created momentum gradually begins to leak outside.

Unless the dungeon itself has overwhelming power or is in a completely remote area, it’s time to be wary that humans can now recognize the dungeon.

Rather than keeping the entrance open and making adventurers come, I needed to consider how to hide more and eat in other ways.

For that…

-…What…not-!!!

“Hm?”

A shout was heard while examining the overall structure of the dungeon.

It wasn’t a voice but something perceived by a secondary, additional sensory organ.

Tap!

“Thank you.”

-Clatter.

I sat in the chair that a skeleton quickly brought, then decided to watch that scene for a while.

-Don’t call me Sister. You’re not my younger sister, nor my younger sister’s friend.

Closing my eyes and concentrating my will on one of the ‘Necromancer’s Eyes’, a scene unfolds as the landscape beyond becomes visible and more detailed sounds are heard.

As expected, those who appeared on the stage seen like that were two familiar to me.

Sonia and Maria.