Chapter 5
A dungeon appeared in the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range.
It was an extremely sudden phenomenon.
The hundreds of dungeons in this world all go through something called a location shift on the same day after a certain cycle.
In the previous location-shift cycle, no dungeon appeared in the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range.
Then normally, it shouldn't have revealed itself until the next cycle.
This dungeon had appeared quite suddenly.
However.
The residents of the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range weren't smart enough to find this difference suspicious.
This was the rookie dungeon master's great luck.
If the dungeon hadn't happened to land right next to some giant troll's den, that is.
That troll had been living in the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range for decades.
It was twice the size of an average troll and a vicious one at that.
"Grrr..."
Its intelligence was fairly impressive, even by troll standards.
For that matter, it had enough intelligence to order the goblin village near the troll den not to be wiped out, but to offer it food every month.
That thing was cunning.
So even after discovering the dungeon, it didn't decide to go in alone.
It went to the village and arrived at the dungeon entrance with a group of goblins it had taken as subordinates.
"Karruk, krrruk!"
All species get excited when they see a dungeon.
It's a physiological reaction.
Just as you drool when you see delicious food while hungry, dungeons are the same.
Instinctively, they sense that the dungeon can turn them into great beings.
"Kaaah!"
One excited goblin couldn't hold itself back.
Thwack!
The troll split the goblin trying to enter the dungeon in half.
"Karrr..."
The goblins grew frightened as they looked at the blood-soaked troll.
Order was restored in an instant.
The troll selected the goblins that were useful.
There were seven in total.
They went in ahead of the troll, and it followed behind them.
The remaining goblins followed the troll, but only two of them managed to get inside.
The remaining goblins looked around in confusion, but since they had no way to break through the closed dungeon door, they waited there.
If the troll didn't come out within a few hours, they'd probably return to the village.
They had almost no patience.
***
Meanwhile.
All the monsters that entered the dungeon encountered an unidentified space.
It was a mysterious landscape unseen in this world.
The intruders all fell asleep amid a riotously colorful, canvas-like scene.
How much time had passed like that?
They all woke up.
They found themselves facing one another inside a dark cave.
It was a strange place, though not as mysterious as what they'd seen before falling asleep.
"Krrruk..."
As the stupid goblins stood there dazed,
Thump! Thump!
the impatient troll stomped its feet.
"Kiyeek!"
The goblin hurried forward.
The troll followed behind.
"Grrrr..."
The troll couldn't contain its excitement.
It had sensed that the treasure in this dungeon could make it great.
Like an explorer standing before mountains of gold and silver treasure, its steps looked eager.
Maybe.
It might have thought it could become a true ruler, like the manticore that dominated the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range.
The dungeon was laid out as a straight corridor.
It was like walking down a long hotel hallway.
The sight of a small goblin leading the way with the troll following behind was reminiscent of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
but the troll wasn't pretty like Snow White, and the goblins were stupid and ugly.
No one would think of it that way.
1 hour.
2 hours.
3 hours.
The troll and goblins walked diligently.
But they couldn't find so much as a pebble, let alone treasure.
4 hours.
5 hours.
6 hours.
"Grrrr..."
7 hours.
8 hours.
9 hours.
By the time their march had reached a full 14 hours,
Flop.
One of the goblins had collapsed from exhaustion.
The others were no different.
They were all completely spent.
"......"
The troll wasn't pleased,
but it had no idea what they might encounter ahead.
It put down the axe it was holding and sat down on the spot.
They settled down for a nice rest right there.
But.
There was a problem.
It was thirst and hunger.
They probably hadn't expected to end up walking this long.
They hadn't managed to prepare food or water.
It was the result of being blinded by dungeon rewards.
"Grrrr."
Still, they'd probably get the reward tomorrow.
If there was an enemy blocking the way, they just had to smash through it.
There was no troll as powerful as itself.
It was one of the top ten monsters in the Rowjinrat Great Mountain Range.
If it couldn't find the treasure, it'd go back and prepare again.
That was what the troll thought.
Click.
Something activated while they had their eyes closed,
but no one heard the sound.
The next day.
The goblins and the troll continued their exploration while enduring thirst and hunger,
but as expected, they found nothing.
"Grrrr!!"
The troll grew frustrated.
It swung its axe at the dungeon's stone wall, but it didn't break.
Goblin or troll, it made no difference—they were all exhausted.
The troll turned around.
It was a clear signal to retreat.
"Kerrruk!"
The goblins rejoiced that they no longer had to keep walking through that eerie, unpleasant corridor and followed behind the troll.
Another 1 hour.
2 hours.
3 hours.
4 hours.
......
......
16 hours.
17 hours.
18 hours.
"Ugh, grr..."
They still couldn't see the exit at all.
What in the world was this?
Surely it had come back along the path it had walked.
Had it taken a wrong turn?
Had it forgotten the direction after waking up?
It was hungry.
Thirst was more urgent than hunger.
The goblins were frightened as well.
They instinctively felt fear at the endless corridor.
The troll wasn't an exception.
A decision had to be made.
"Grrrr..."
In the end, the troll decided that it and the stupid goblins had gotten the direction wrong.
When the troll ordered them to go back the way they came,
"Karruk! Karruk! Kaaah!"
the goblins grew angry.
They brandished their spears and protested to the troll.
Crunch!
One goblin was crushed flat.
The troll drank the dead goblin's blood to wet its throat.
"......"
In an instant, the atmosphere turned quiet.
The goblins suppressed their anger and licked the blood their comrade had left behind, barely relieving their thirst.
They rested once more and walked on again.
But.
The next time and the one after that,
they still couldn't find the exit.
A long corridor with no end in sight.
It was a pitch-dark maze with a straight-line layout.
They could neither go back nor move forward.
"Aah, kaaah, aah!!"
After repeating the pointless march for quite a long time,
the impatient goblins began to go mad from thirst, hunger, and fear.
The remaining eight pointed their spears at the troll and vented their anger.
"Aah, kaaah, kraaark!!"
The troll was speared in an instant.
The goblins were on a roll.
But.
"────!!"
There was an insurmountable gap in strength between the goblins and the troll.
The troll, having instantly regenerated its wounds, literally beat the goblins to death.
Not a single one was left.
The goblins who had been its subordinates were reduced to food.
The enraged troll chewed them all up and drank their blood.
In order to leave the place littered with spears and bloodstains.
In order to escape this unpleasant, gloomy dungeon.
It kept hurrying onward and resting over and over again.
......
......
Only then did the troll realize something was wrong.
It had been going around the same place over and over.
No matter how frantically its two legs moved,
it always ended up back at the spears and bloodstains on the floor.
Whether it walked forward or backward, the result was the same.
"Aah, haaah, ugh..."
The troll's breathing grew even rougher.
Had it ever been this terrified?
The exit was nowhere in sight.
The fear of hunger and thirst came rushing in.
For a long time, amid the same scenery,
the troll's mind, repeating only the same actions, was slowly going insane.
No matter how powerful its regeneration and brute strength were,
they were nothing more than useless before this incomprehensible phenomenon.
The predator that had known no fear in Rowjinrat ended up pissing itself right there.
The troll scratched at its own skin.
Its flesh was torn away.
Dark blood splattered on the wall, but it didn't care.
Its regeneration was slow.
It was because it was utterly exhausted.
The troll walked on.
How long had it been walking?
It couldn't even guess how much time had passed.
The troll couldn't rest.
It was afraid that if it slept and got up again, it'd lose its way once more.
Terrified, it could only keep moving its two legs endlessly.
It fought off sleep with self-harm.
It soothed thirst and hunger with its own blood and flesh.
Why had it come here?
All that was left was regret.
...
...
The troll-like creature eventually collapsed.
Its body had reached its limit.
The troll-like creature was smiling.
Because it no longer had to walk through this unpleasant place.
Death was liberation for it.
And most of all.
Step, step.
Step, step.
It felt relieved that it didn't even need to see with its own eyes the being approaching from beyond.
***
Newbie: Guys, I successfully defended the wave haha
I uploaded a proof pic.
I'd been live-commenting it in the gallery, but I had to let them know it was over.
Newbie: Took out one troll and nine goblins
ㄴSquinty-Eyed Character: Isn't this fucking the Backrooms, not a dungeon...?
ㄴKing-Jjang Evil Spirit: It's an evil spirit... newbie's scary...
ㄴKongKong: That troll bastard died smiling...
ㄴTV Head: This is... I can't even make the joke that he's just been left alone, having a nice dream...
ㄴSealed Philosopher: You're the first bastard who's ever stopped a troll like this... scary bastard...
ㄴSealed Conqueror: This dungeon expansion feature (+new dungeon master bonus) and direction-loss debuff trap, right?? Why didn't we think of this until now...
ㄴAnt Queen: Maybe because we don't have memories, or maybe because we're stupid???
ㄴDIP: The lease is up, hi lol
ㄴGolem King: You're awesome lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴAnonymous Butcher: We seem like we could be good friends. I'm leaving with a lot of inspiration.
ㄴKing Slayer: Insane.
ㄴThe World Is Cold: Newbie, please come here and beat up some elves for us, for fuck's sake.
ㄴSkull Bones: You're the pride of our gallery
ㄴPsych Ward Chief Patient: lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ this idea is truly legendary
ㄴI'm a Clown: Agreed
ㄴ3M Hamster: This just makes it impossible not to comment... yeah
ㄴCow Head: Hm... is it really that much...
ㄴDungeon Master Was Disappointed: Shut up
ㄴOrange★: Oh...
ㄴI Have No Subordinates: Amazing...
ㄴShitty-Sneaky Dog: Newbie is scaaary ㅠ
Seeing even unfamiliar usernames leave comments,
this wave defense must have been a success.
ㄴRoarRoarYeah: How much reward did you get??
A reward, huh.
For now, I got quite a lot of points.
My level went up a lot too.
【All intruders were repelled while feeling extreme fear and suicidal impulses.】
【The level gap between the intruders and the dungeon master is huge.】
【A special achievement was unlocked.】
【Hidden Theme - Anomalous Phenomenon has been unlocked.】
What is this?
Maybe I should screenshot it and post it.