Chapter 33
Run 1.
Dungeon exploration, Day 1.
Just like the intruders who had visited Dreamland before.
Yuven's expedition first checked how many people could enter, then used detection magic to map out Dreamland's structure.
The result was that at most twelve people could enter.
Was it because this was a new dungeon? The number of people he could deploy was small.
Yuven reorganized the expedition team.
First was Yuven as commander, then one third-tier mage as his adjutant, and two wandering knights.
He entered the dungeon with eight soldiers to handle combat and miscellaneous duties, including supply runs.
He told the soldiers who couldn't enter the dungeon to wait at the entrance and return to the territory once supplies ran out.
"This is the dungeon map. What's strange is that nothing shows up on detection. Not even the dungeon master. It's definitely not jamming, but it's bizarre...."
According to the mage, Dreamland was closer to a vacant lot than anything else.
'Even if it is a new dungeon, it has no traps and not even a single minion?'
Something felt off.
Yuven ordered them to stay alert around the area in case anything happened.
The group walked on.
And they arrived at the elevator where many branded elves had lost their lives.
Creak- creak-
The elevator blocked the passage.
"I can't break it even with my sword...."
"Mage, this is a different story. You said it was empty."
"I-it's strange. It isn't jamming, and it definitely didn't show up in detection magic...."
An obstacle that couldn't be broken or moved.
The party was at a loss.
Just as everyone was wondering what to do.
Yuven recalled a line from the documents he had read before entering the dungeon.
'Dungeons grow stronger by feeding on intruders.'
That was why newly born dungeons were weak.
Of course they'd have to be weak. Hardly any intruders would have come in yet.
'Even if he's a wandering knight, he can use aura, and an obstacle that can't even be cut by someone like that? In a newly born dungeon, no less?'
Hmm.
The material clearly said, 'Each dungeon has its own unique characteristics.'
This might not be the kind of place you just smash your way through like a normal dungeon.
We need to investigate inside that device first.
"I'll go take a look."
The third-tier mage raised a hand.
Mages were generally a curious lot.
Fascinated by the elevator, which hadn't been detected, he readily stepped forward to inspect it.
"Be careful. We don't know what might happen inside, so, hey, I'm counting on you."
"Understood, my lord."
Yuven assigned one wandering knight to escort the mage.
And then.
【Capacity exceeded】
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The elevator's chewing motion began.
A moment later, the mage and the knight returned to the group as chunks of flesh.
"H-Henald, n-no...."
"W-what the hell is this...."
Everyone was shocked beyond words.
Some even screamed and wept on the spot when their longtime friend died.
But.
Yuven simply stood there, deep in thought.
'I need to investigate a little more, but... I think I get it.'
.
.
.
Dungeons each have their own unique characteristics.
In other words, they were always consistent.
The knight who had gone into the elevator alone to take revenge
strode into the unlit hallway and died just like that.
A certain soldier who bravely stepped forward to figure out this machine
met an insect-man inside and lost his life.
Their common point was that they became corpses without ever making a move.
Yuven was certain.
'Seems like this isn't a dungeon that needs that much combat power after all?'
Think about it.
We had just confirmed the killing power of this machine.
If it bared its teeth the moment an intruder boarded and crunched them to pieces, there'd be no answer for it.
This machine doesn't kill people who board it alone.
Something in the unlit hallway kills people.
But if you don't step out into the unlit hallway, it won't kill you.
The insect-man is probably the same.
If I had to guess, it either doesn't attack unless provoked or just ignores you.
From the start, this dungeon has a way to proceed to the next area without killing minions or destroying traps.
There was basically an escape route built in.
This machine follows a set of rules.
If you follow those rules, you won't die.
The method of progressing is probably the same.
Like I said before, dungeons are always consistent.
A truly simple and straightforward dungeon.
A place that doesn't really require specialized skill?
Magic and swordsmanship don't work in Dreamland.
Paradoxically, that meant magic and swordsmanship weren't needed.
Of course, having them would still be nice.
But did he really need to spend a fortune bringing in arrogant ability users who might become uncontrollable if they got offended?
If they find out I have escape scrolls, their reaction will be obvious.
People naturally value their own lives most.
This place was different from other dungeons.
In practical terms, clearing Dreamland felt more like
solving a puzzle.
"Aah……."
"W-what should we do……."
Though in truth, it was a life-or-death puzzle, so morale would plummet in an instant.
Looking at the soldiers whose minds had already snapped, Yuven spoke.
"No need to spend a fortune bringing in experts after all."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It's a pity, but farewell. I'll tell your families you died bravely in battle."
"L-Lord…?"
These guys wouldn't listen to me to the end, would they?
Before anything else could happen, Yuven tore the escape scroll at once.
He had a feeling he knew what to do.
.
.
.
Yuven returned to his territory.
Then he wrote down the information he'd found in a memo and called for his retainer.
"You're back already? What happened to the people you took with you?"
"They're dead. Send someone to offer some token condolences to the families of the fallen, and give them some money too."
"……."
"Anyway, bring me the slaves right now. As young and easy to handle as possible, please. I think I've found the key to clearing the dungeon."
Though it seemed like a lot had happened in the dungeon, Yuven simply passed his requests to the retainer as if it were nothing.
"Understood for now. But what you're writing right now is……"
"The information I found in the dungeon. Read it if you're bored. It's really interesting."
The retainer blinked.
As always, he couldn't quite read this lord's mind, and today he especially seemed oddly pleased.
"You took two knights and even a mage, and still failed. Isn't this a dangerous place? And now you're even bringing slaves who can't fight as the expedition team. I think you should stop right now…."
"Hey. Don't worry. If I die, I'll give you this territory."
"I'll bring the will right away."
"You bastard… while you're at it, bring me a magic book too."
"Suddenly?"
"Even so, it seems better to know at least some basic magic. Communication and detection should be enough."
And so.
Yuven prepared for the second run.
***
NoSubordinates: Yuven, what the hell was that ruthless cut-off... I'm honestly shocked too...
SkeletonBones: Damn, the judgment to just bail right away in case things go weird.
CowHead: He went out way too anticlimactically, kinda shitty.
AntQueen: I told you he was a psycho lolㅋㅋㅋㅋ
WhaleWhaleYeah: Hmm...
AntQueen: Why do you say that??
WhaleWhaleYeah: No, I keep replaying the footage, and doesn't his gaze look insanely confident?? It's like he's saying, "If I come to the dungeon next time, I'll just gobble everything up..." or something, which is kind of unsettling...
MagicHero: Wooooow, you're getting all worked up again after soooo long without seeing him...
WhaleWhaleYeah: No, I'm not being dramatic. If intruders show up, they could just steamroll it with numbers... You're lords, right, damn it? Then they'll probably bring a ton of lackeys, and isn't a newbie dungeon weak to sheer numbers??
GolemKing: Another live-stream non-watcher added, yep.
DIP: What's a non-viewer??
GolemKing: A troll who didn't watch the live broadcast, yep.
DIP: Yup yup, totally agree
WhaleWhaleYeah: No, theoretically twelve people enter every week, damn it. Even if it's a small territory, he's a rich lord, so he'll probably have a record number of escape scrolls... If they swarm the weird phenomenon, figure out the rules, and clear it, isn't that damn hopeless??
TheWorldIsCold: Ah, so this is the bastard who bought escape scrolls from the elves this time lol. As far as I know, he has four of them, yep.
SealedPhilosopher: Why aren't you dead? Did you make up with the elves?
TheWorldIsCold: I'm gonna survive and then off myself after seeing the newbie lord's smugness, yep.
KingSlayer: That's inferiority complex.
AntQueen: lol I think he'll bring young slaves that are easy to handle... Then it'll just be wave defense success there, yep.
WhaleWhaleYeah: Why the hell??? Aren't you guys worried at all??? Didn't he run into his hard counter???
AntQueen: Haaa!!!! Just fucking watch!!!! You non-viewer bastard!!!!
WhaleWhaleYeah: That's harsh...
AntQueen: Sorry for cursing, haha;;; freeloading leeches are always bound to be put in their place...
***
Run 2.
Dungeon exploration, Day 1.
With his retainer's help, Yuven brought the slaves into the dungeon.
There were ten slaves in total, all young and frail.
His capable retainer had personally procured them from another territory.
He'd have to reward him later.
Yuven wasn't all that strong.
Of course, because he'd received elite training since childhood, he could toy with ordinary soldiers one-on-one, but he was still about three tiers below a knight who used aura.
So he brought young slaves.
They were still too young to know how the world worked, and being slaves made them far more obedient than soldiers.
And no matter what happened, he should be able to subdue them easily. That was the most important part.
Still, he couldn't afford to be careless.
To prepare for any mishap, he promised rewards and brought one soldier along to manage the slaves.
At this point, he should be able to keep a firm leash on them.
He didn't bring a mage.
Aside from detection magic and communication magic, it didn't seem like there were many situations where a mage would be needed.
Fortunately, Yuven had studied basic magical theory before.
He'd been out of practice for a while, so studying again was a bit of a pain, but anyway.
He could substitute for the parts that required a mage.
"Listen up, all of you. If you follow my orders from now on, you'll get to eat until you're full. If you do really well in this dungeon expedition, I might even free you from slavery. Understood?"
"Yes. Lord…."
As the dirty, thin slaves bowed their heads, Yuven patted the head of the oldest girl, Heidi.
"You said your name was Heidi, right? I heard the kids follow your words very well, so your role is very important. Make sure you comfort and guide them properly from behind."
"……."
Yuven's tone was kind.
He spoke gently, like he was being generous. But still.
Heidi wasn't stupid.
This was a dungeon where people could die.
Wasn't Yuven basically saying, 'There's some trial ahead, and even if the kids die while going through it, soothe them well so you can keep using them as pawns'?
"You slave bastard, how dare you fail to answer properly when the lord is speaking!"
"…S-sorry."
Heidi lowered her head.
She hated pain.
Because she hated it, she had no choice but to submit.
'And yet you dragged us into a dungeon…. '
What could she do?
Even if it was unfair, she had no power.
She couldn't hide her helplessness from her face.
The reality that she couldn't even resist came bitterly to her.
"S-sister…."
"I'm scared…."
"It's okay. Big sister is right here."
Heidi stroked the children trembling with anxiety.
Though she was scared too.
She had to look reliable as the oldest.
'Am I going to die here?'
As she chewed over her despair and followed behind Yuven,
"Huh…?"
Step, step.
Step, step.
Someone was approaching from the other side.
And since that figure wasn't one of Dreamland's minions or a trap,
"What the hell, that crazy bastard."
Yuven's usually calm face was dyed with shock.