Chapter 4
Dungeon Wallachia is located near the West Kingdom.
The dungeon master is True Ancestor Valentine.
This dungeon, run by a vampire, is one that people of the West Kingdom tend to avoid.
Dungeon Wallachia is a treasure vault where countless mana stones, the world's most powerful resource, lie dormant.
If you ask whether that's more precious than life itself, well.
Only a tiny handful of sentient beings dared to try raiding Wallachia, which was packed with powerful minions ranging from ghouls to vampire dragons, as well as fiendish, brutal traps.
The difficulty of the clear was part of it, too.
Valentine also possessed hypnotic abilities powerful enough to brainwash even blessed beings who possessed the power of immortality.
That is especially lethal to highly intelligent races.
For that reason, Wallachia was relatively quiet compared to other dungeons.
Since people were reluctant to enter in the first place.
She sat on the throne with her legs crossed, tilting a teacup filled with human blood.
The place her gaze was directed at was none other than the Dungeon Gallery.
For the reasons above, this True Ancestor, who went by the nickname SsibganSaranggae, could spend more time in the gallery than other dungeon masters.
Wow, wow, wow….
Aside from drinking blood, her only hobby was browsing the gallery.
For her, who had brainwashing powers, conversations with the people around her were closer to issuing orders than to communicating.
Up to now, she had always eased her boredom by talking with other dungeon masters in the gallery.
She was starting to get tired of this shut-in routine.
After all, even browsing the gallery every day from a dark corner gets boring if you keep doing it for decades.
There were fewer intruders than in other dungeons, too.
Yeah.
In gallery lingo.
Her daily life lacked dopamine.
But.
Right in this boring moment, a newbie appeared.
That no new dungeon masters would appear in the future.
He calmly appeared, shattering the claims of the head mod and the other users.
He was like a pure white blank canvas.
It had been a long time since she'd seen a rookie who knew nothing.
Why had he appeared?
She didn't really know why, but it wasn't a very important issue to her.
Anyway.
He was a newbie, just as his nickname said.
Humans naturally like to act like experts in the things they know well.
Vampires were probably no different.
How should I put it, he was kind of cute.
The way he clumsily tried to follow along with what she'd told him, fumbling about, felt like a small animal.
"Heh-heh… in vulgar terms, was it called newbie-pounding?"
It had been a while since she'd seen a newbie, too.
His personality didn't seem bad either, so I personally hoped he'd live a long time.
When the clueless newbie asked whether he could use this method to prepare for when trolls showed up.
She was certain.
That this guy would definitely survive for a long time.
"You said you're human…."
The reason her nickname was SsibganSaranggae.
It was because she liked humans.
More precisely, she liked the blood inside human bodies.
"What kind of taste would your blood have?"
Among the dungeon masters active in the gallery right now, there wasn't a single pure human.
The newbie was the one and only exception.
"I hope he doesn't pick some weird theme and end up changing races…."
A dungeon master's body is heavily influenced by the dungeon theme.
The reason she herself had become a vampire was because she'd chosen the theme of night.
"Should I brainwash him into somehow keeping his human form… hng."
Still, as a senior, she couldn't stand in her junior's way.
If he later declared that he'd pick some strange theme.
Then I'd have to tell him to store blood in a gourd-shaped flask beforehand.
Though my body can't go out right now.
Someday, I might be able to get out.
Slurp.
A sweet taste lingered in her mouth.
"Personally, I think a human dungeon master's blood would be an incredible delicacy… hehe, I'm looking forward to it."
Twelve hours remained until the newbie's first wave.
Just as I was lurking, wondering whether the newbie might ask more questions privately, at that very moment.
"Hm?"
Newbie: Guys, I've got a question.
Newbie: I found this while working on the dungeon. What is it?
A photo of a purple stone embedded in the wall was attached.
She quickly replied to the post.
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Newbie-yam!
ㄴNewbie : !!!
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : It's a mana stone-yam!
ㄴNewbie : What's a mana stone-yam?
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : The reason countless races go crazy over dungeon raids!
ㄴNewbie : For real?
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Without a doubt, the most expensive substance in this world!
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Research, weapons, food, medicine, mana, the body, efficient energy sources, and so on… just think of it as an all-purpose item used everywhere!
ㄴNewbie : Ooh... but then I have something I'm curious about
ㄴNewbie : If someone shows up that you really can't beat no matter what, wouldn't it be fine to just abandon the dungeon and hand over the mana stone? Then there'd be no need to protect it, right?
I wondered when someone would say that.
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Newbie.
ㄴNewbie : Hmm?
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Mana stones are your life.
Mana stones are the heart of the dungeon.
A dungeon master and their dungeon share the same fate.
If the dungeon disappears, the dungeon master disappears too.
This was a rule proven over a long time by the blood of dungeon masters.
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : If you don't want to die, protect it no matter what it takes.
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Got it??
ㄴNewbie : Got it, thanks haha
"He's smart, so he got it, right?"
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Newbie-yam
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : If you're grateful, send me a selfie, haha.
ㄴNewbie : That's a bit much lol;;
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : I'm pretty cute, want to swap photos?
ㄴNewbie : I already searched the posts and saw it...
"Eh."
In more ways than one, this newbie really made me curious.
His face, and his future, too.
***
One hour left until the wave.
I was currently in the heart of the dungeon.
The room where the mana stone was located.
In the gallery, they called this the core room.
The huge purple stone set in the core room came into view.
If this gets pulled out, the dungeon master dies too, they say.
In many ways, dungeons had a lot to keep track of, and it felt troublesome.
"Can I really do this…."
For now, I'd gotten help from the gallery guys and managed to prepare somehow.
Since this was my first wave, I couldn't help worrying whether it would go smoothly.
Even if you get isekai'd, don't you usually end up on the side of raiding dungeons rather than defending them?
"Sigh…."
Calm down.
Even if you're dragged into a tiger's den, as long as you keep your wits about you, you can survive.
I am invincible.
I am the strongest.
I can do it. If it's me….
"Fuck…."
My self-hypnosis failed.
No, if failure could get you killed, who could possibly stay calm?
At the very least, I guess I'm not the type with a steel heart.
Newbie: Guys, I'm shaking. What do I do...
ㄴKongKong : It's fine, it's fine. If you fail, you can just die lol
ㄴSealedPhilosopher : For real lololol
ㄴSealedConqueror : That's true, actually
ㄴAnonymousButcher : Even if it's a dungeon master you didn't choose, you just have to grit your teeth and power through.
These bastards?
ㄴKingJjangEvilSpirit : That's way too harsh on the newbie; comfort him with love ㅠㅠ
ㄴGolemKing : You've prepared well so far
ㄴDIP : It'll be fine, yeah.
ㄴTheWorldIsCold : Still, there aren't any elves, so have a drink.
Yeah.
Somehow it'll work out.
Looking back, my life had always been the same.
Even when my family was literally torn apart by my parents' business back in school.
Even when I gave up on going to college and took a factory job just to make a living.
Even when the factory I got hired at went bust and I went two months without pay.
Even when some bastard I called a friend borrowed five million won and vanished without a word.
It wasn't a life-or-death issue like now, but.
Each time, I never gave up and tried to find a new way forward.
As a result, I got the money back through a state agency.
Though it wasn't the university I'd aimed for, I ended up attending night school and studying what I wanted to study.
My parents' debts were cleared by renouncing the inheritance.
Until I was dragged into this godforsaken dungeon, I can say I lived a life that wasn't well-off, but one I was satisfied with.
I have to!
I slapped both cheeks.
If luck was bad, I'd have to handle the rest myself somehow.
If I just sat down and got depressed, nothing would change.
Even if the world is shitty.
What else can I do? I just have to keep my head up.
I gripped the 'Sharp Dagger' I had bought for 100 points from the 【Weapon Shop】.
Still, one thing was fortunate.
ㄴMagicHero : Hang in there...!!!
ㄴIHaveNoSubordinates : Don't get too nervous. You can definitely do it.
ㄴOrange★ : Since you can still use gallery features during the wave, you know what I mean, right?
This time, there were people cheering me on.
I don't know their faces, and I don't even know whether they're real people.
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Newbie-yam!
ㄴSsibganSaranggae : Cheer up!
I found comfort in the feeling that I wasn't alone.
【5 minutes left until the wave.】
Good.
I am invincible.
I am the strongest.
I can do it. If it's me.
This time, self-hypnosis worked properly.
My heart pounded from excitement, not fear.
【3 minutes left until the wave.】
【1 minute left until the wave…….】
【5】
【4】
I took a deep breath.
【3】
【2】
【1】
Bring it on if you can.
【The wave begins.】
【Intruders are entering.】
【The number of confirmed intruders is ten.】
【Nine goblins.】
【One troll.】
I'll smash every last one of them.