Chapter 67
Dreamland lies in the snowy mountains near Fireforge.
Unusually, it wasn't dwarves but humans gathered in front of the entrance; they were Count Wolfhaufen's men.
"The commander still hasn't returned."
"He definitely went in with an escape scroll…."
They stare at the open rift and swallow back a groan.
A week ago, slaves and soldiers went in as the advance party, but there has been no word since.
"……So they all died inside after all. To think such an expensive item would be wasted so pointlessly."
"Since we can't figure out what happened inside… this is really frustrating."
Among the humans, there is a man with a noticeably unusual appearance.
Horns, a tail, and wings—unique features that make him look like a human, yet not quite human.
The man exhaling white breath and voicing his disappointment is named Dragred.
He is a dragon, currently mixed in with the humans in polymorphed form.
He was no ordinary dragon.
And for good reason.
He had been created by the Dungeon Master once known by the epithet the Crimson Dragon King.
Of course, that was in the past.
Most people think he was just a young dragon, picked up and raised from a hatchling by the previous Count Wolfhaufen, and only a tiny few know the truth.
Now he was nothing more than Count Wolfhaufen's loyal subordinate.
As proof, he wore a wolf pendant around his neck.
Decades had passed since Dragred came out of the dungeon.
Even if his looks are like this, his way of thinking is, as you can see, no different from a human's.
"The first Dreamland conquest was a complete failure."
"As Lady Aboralis said, it doesn't seem to be an easy place."
Dragred looked at the Dreamland strategy guide.
'I wanted to finish the conquest as quickly as possible, but that's probably going to be difficult.'
Honestly, when he first saw the guide, he couldn't believe it.
Because Dragred knew very well what a place called a dungeon was.
This dungeon called Dreamland is far too alien.
Starting with the fact that dungeon beings can come outside, there are so many things about it that simply don't make sense.
"Hmm."
He reached out toward the snow drifting like fluff and recalled the past.
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Recently, strange rumors have been circulating in the North Kingdom.
It was the story that a being from a dungeon had come out beyond the dungeon.
Dungeons are unknown wastelands of terror that suddenly began appearing hundreds of years ago.
They are places where treasures called mana stones and Dungeon Masters with creator-like power exist.
For the North Kingdom, which had recently suffered a disaster called a massive mana storm, it was news like a bolt from the blue.
Most of the Dungeon Masters who have survived until now possess power beyond all restraint.
Even the Blessed, who possess infinite lives, can't easily eliminate them.
If they came outside, they'd be no different from a calamity, so fear was only natural.
Also, the source of the rumor is the Church.
The Church uses the North Kingdom as its base.
They serve Oblivion, the god of forgetting, and regard the Blessed as God's messengers, while branding Dungeon Masters who monopolize the gods' grace, mana stones, as evil.
The North Kingdom, which had benefited from mana stones, had especially many Church believers, so the rumor spread at a truly terrifying speed.
Suspicions that the one who caused the massive mana storm might have been a Dungeon Master also spread quickly.
A mana storm is not an ordinary disaster.
It destroys every magic device in the area where it occurs.
For the North Kingdom, which overcomes its cold, barren environment with magic devices, it was a particularly deadly disaster.
Since rumors that the cause of this mana storm was the disastrous collaboration between the ruling class, who took bribes from various schools and allowed large-scale magical experiments in their territory, and the magic schools were being buried, mages and the ruling class also sided with the Church's rumor.
Dragred didn't believe it at the time.
For all the rumors, nobody knew what that dungeon really was.
Beings from a dungeon cannot leave the dungeon.
He knew that better than anyone.
What on earth was the reason such an absurd rumor spread?
The chance to resolve that curiosity came rather quickly.
-Count Wolfhaufen. Do you know of a dungeon called Dreamland?
Aboralis.
A celebrated Blessed, even among the Blessed.
She suddenly visited Count Wolfhaufen's domain.
-Dreamland?
-Yes. It's a newborn dungeon that possesses the most valuable mana stone in this world.
Aboralis had ties with the count.
That was because Lily, the aide she cherished, was from Wolfhaufen.
Dragred, who was listening at the count's side at the time, tilted his head and thought.
The most valuable mana stone, huh.
All mana stones are valuable.
Does she mean the best among them?
Then why is she spreading information instead of conquering the new dungeon herself?
Even for a Blessed, having a mana stone is better than not having one.
The count couldn't possibly not know that.
Even so, rather than asking about her intent, he chose to take the bait.
-Go on.
-As you know, Count, my ability is 'Vision.' I can read the memories of the dead and spy on the past. In the Forest of Life, I happened to see a lord's memories.
Aboralis continued speaking with a smile.
She looked just like a witch luring people in with sweet words.
-Yuben Jericho, baron of the West Kingdom. He led his subordinates and bravely conquered the newborn dungeon. He is famous as a ruthless but intelligent man. He advanced through Dreamland, full of unknowable mysteries, without losing his way. The farther he went, the more of his subordinates died, but he regarded sacrifice as noble and never gave up. And at last, he found the Dungeon Master and the mana stone in front of the core room.
It was a story that was long if you called it long and short if you called it short.
It felt almost like a fairy tale a mother would tell.
Every fairy tale has a reward at the end.
She flaunted the greatness of Dreamland's mana stone and drew the count's interest.
-But in the end, he couldn't defeat the Dungeon Master. By the time it was over, he was alone.
-Wait, I have a question. When you say you read memories with 'Vision'….
-Yes. Yuben Jericho is dead.
-Then did you read the memories inside the dungeon?
-Hmm, not quite.
Bodies inside a dungeon are dealt with by slimes.
That was something Dragred knew well.
-Yuben used an escape scroll and died outside the dungeon.
-The Forest of Life is the land of the Branded Elves, so….
-No. He was killed by a Dungeon Master who had come out of the dungeon.
At that moment.
The count stopped breathing.
Dragred, who had been listening closely, was also shocked.
Of course he was.
Because the idea of a Dungeon Master coming outside was preposterous.
That was.
It was not like a fruit hanging on a tree falling to the ground.
It was the same nonsense as saying it ascends to the heavens.
But.
The one spouting that bullshit was a Blessed.
The beings most closely connected to dungeons in this world.
A person who solved many incidents using Vision and earned fame in several kingdoms.
Her claim may not be trustworthy, but
her very existence is proof enough.
And.
Rumors supporting that claim had already spread through the North Kingdom.
-The Branded Elves were dead before Yuben arrived.
-Then Yuben Jericho's conquest of Dreamland must have taken place after Restia repelled the Branded Elves, meaning the South Kingdom knew about the dungeon's existence and ignored it…?
-I think the reason the Branded Elves disappeared from the Forest of Life was not the South Kingdom's constable, but Dreamland's Dungeon Master. Could a mere constable kill Julius? He can come outside the dungeon. Together with beings so incomprehensible and indescribable that no one would dare try to understand them.
Aboralis insisted.
The reason the Branded Elves disappeared from the Forest of Life, the reason Yuben Jericho died outside the dungeon—it was all because of Dreamland.
-An unbelievable story….
-If my story is hard to believe, then ask the new Baron Jericho. He was the one who supported Yuben's dungeon conquest within the territory.
The count blinked.
She had successfully drawn her opponent's attention.
Then what was the real point?
-In this world, black and white clearly exist and stand opposed. Light and shadow, salvation and destruction, angels and demons, Dungeon Masters and the Blessed. If, one day, Dreamland accumulates enough power and reveals its ambition toward this world, well. Perhaps the four kingdoms that divide the continent will meet the same fate as the Branded Elves….
-Aboralis. Watch your mouth.
Ignoring the count's displeased voice, Aboralis continued.
-Of course, that's only a hypothetical. Dreamland is still nothing more than a fledgling dungeon, and like other dungeons it will need a lot of time to grow. Still, if you cut off the roots of disaster in advance, then anyone great enough to do so would be hailed as a hero for generations to come.
-…….
-Invasion, calamity, curse, a symbol of chaos against order… As the hero who has crushed the seed of the Demon King, wouldn't you like to take home the world's most brilliant mana stone and fame as your spoils?
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The count took the bait.
He asked Aboralis for information about Dreamland.
Then she handed over a strategy guide containing Dreamland's features, traps, and minion information.
She behaved as if she'd been waiting for this moment, which made it feel a little off.
But.
Count Wolfhaufen didn't say a word until she left the domain.
-Are you really going to conquer the dungeon?
-Yeah.
-It makes me feel like I'm being toyed with, and I don't like it.
-There are mana stones in dungeons. And Dreamland is a new dungeon. That alone makes it worth challenging.
-Even so….
-Aei doesn't have much time left. Maybe this is the last chance the God of Oblivion has given me.
The count has a daughter with an incurable illness.
For a man who dotes on the child born to his late wife, he couldn't help but desperately want a mana stone.
Aboralis might have come to Wolfhaufen on purpose because she knows the count's heart so well.
-You are in charge of Dreamland's conquest. I will assign the necessary personnel and supplies, so head to the dungeon at once.
By the way.
Dragred got caught in the crossfire.
I suppose you could call it the fate of a subordinate.
I wasn't surprised, since I had known from the beginning it would turn out like this.
That was because he was the one in Wolfhaufen who knew dungeons best.
-…I'm not keen on it, but I'll do my best.
Bring back a mana stone, no matter what.
Those were the count's final words to Dragred.
Dragred nodded.
Whether he liked it or not, he hadn't had the right to refuse in the first place, so if he was told to do it, he had no choice but to do it.
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Dreamland was near Fireforge.
So he set up a base in Fireforge and went to see Mayor Goldhand to ask for his understanding.
Contrary to expectations, Goldhand welcomed Dragred quite warmly.
No lord would usually like an army from another domain to be stationed there, so it was a strange thing.
In fact, seeing that they even provided supplies, the dwarves seemed to want Dreamland conquered quite badly.
Of course, judging by the guide, it wasn't an easy place.
Still, the atmosphere was definitely not bad.
The soldiers were full of enthusiasm.
They said this dungeon conquest wasn't merely a journey to obtain a mana stone, but a journey to save the North Kingdom.
Count Wolfhaufen himself explained that whoever killed the Dungeon Master causing the disaster and brought back the mana stone would be granted a title and a huge sum of money.
Whatever the truth may be, the soldiers' anxiety and desire for advancement ultimately resulted in a boost in morale.
Defeat the disaster and become a hero.
It was a chance to realize the fantasy everyone dreamed of as a child.
Dragred formed the first assault team and attempted the dungeon conquest.
The result, as you can see, was that everyone died.
But.
Even so, he still thought it was a situation worth challenging.
Morale was intact, and there were still plenty of soldiers.
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"What should we do from here on out?"
Dragred woke from the past.
It was Reilo's voice that woke him.
He was a Wolfhaufen knight who volunteered to serve as Dragred's aide this time.
Dragred shrugged.
"Hmm. Let's prepare for the second conquest for now. Slaves are still impossible. There's little chance they could be controlled even inside the dungeon… anyway, let's form the assault party out of soldiers."
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That scene is being watched by a slime.
***
The World Is Cold : Honestly, if you have any conscience, pay Malangi a salary, yeah.
ㄴAnt Queen : Now it's even acting as an observer; I just can't even lol.
ㄴNight Raven : The number one culprit for making our dungeon slimes lose heart...
ㄴGolem King : Just the great Malang.
ㄴDIP : Great Malang.
I Have No Underlings : In the end, Aboralis just didn't want to tackle it herself, so she dumped it on someone else.
ㄴTV Head : It was pretty obvious.
ㄴTV Head : To put it simply, Dreamland is basically an environmental pollution problem.
ㄴTV Head : You know it's dangerous, but you still don't really want to deal with it yourself lol.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Are you seriously putting down our Newbie's Dreamland by calling it a dungeon like 'greenhouse gases'??
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Why are you putting our Newbie down?????
ㄴTV Head : Honestly, that's the highest compliment for Newbie, yeah...
ㄴNewbie : (////)
ㄴNewbie : But this time it's a kingdom I'm up against, so I'm pretty depressed...
ㄴNewbie : The count did show up, but this fake news is fucking bullshit.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Newbie!
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : If they get a taste of a few weird phenomena, they'll freak out and run away anyway!
ㄴNewbie : Really?
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Exactly!
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【Anomaly Slime(★5)】
【Tags : anomaly, immortal, harmless, flight, size reduction, ???】
【Quickly cleans up the trash inside the dungeon. Follows the dungeon master's orders.】
Ta-da.
It's our Malangi.
The size-reduction ability can shrink it to about the size of an ant.
This time, I used that ability to gather some information outside.
Anomalous phenomena don't trigger detection magic; you have to spot them with your own eyes.
Finding a flying slime the size of an ant is almost impossible.
At least a mosquito buzzes when it flies.
Our Malangi is silent when it flies, so there's no chance it'll be caught.
Do you all remember Restia?
Back then, while returning from the Rojinrat Great Mountain Range to the South Kingdom, she met Sinclair, and I saw how she acted.
Being able to observe the world through a minion's eyes was one of the perks of being an anomaly.
The question of why I was being targeted had been answered.
Aboralis had leaked the information.
In the process, she spread nonsense like the idea that Dreamland had the world's greatest mana stone and that its Dungeon Master was a global terrorist capable of causing a mana storm disaster.
I'm so dumbfounded I'm speechless.
So this is that fake-news stuff, huh.
So much that they'd want to eliminate me by any means.
I guess that means they don't like my existence. Well.
At least it hasn't been specifically identified as Dreamland yet.
But looking at how things are going, it was only a matter of time.
Could I end up becoming the target of the entire kingdom later?
That would be a little scary.
No matter how much I say otherwise, I'm still a Dungeon Master.
I doubt this fake news will be corrected before I die.
Well, the only thing I can do right now is.
beat them senseless until they come to their senses.
A beating is medicine.
If they came at me intending to violate me, they should be punished.
As I said.
I have no mercy for people who try to harm me or my friends.
Overwhelming fear.
If I branded that into everyone's minds, all their anxiety would be resolved in one fell swoop.
If my dungeon were the big boss's dungeon.
Would they still have dared to come in, even if I went on and on about the end of the world and all that?
I won't hurt you.
You're being deceived right now.
If persuading them with words is practically impossible,
then all I have to do is smack them around until they come to their senses.
The policy was set.
Then the biggest question right now is.
Newbie : What is that dragon-looking thing? Anyone know?
That bastard over there is with the humans.
Unlike Secha-ham, it has wings, so I'm guessing it's a dragon.
Kingjjang Evil Spirit : Newbie.
ㄴNewbie : Yes, bro.
ㄴKingjjang Evil Spirit : Do you remember the word 'revolution'?
Of course I do.
It's the reason the veterans said never to hire minions early on.
A minion killing the dungeon master was what they called a revolution.
Kingjjang Evil Spirit : That bastard is one of the minions who started a revolution.
ㄴKingjjang Evil Spirit : A traitor who teamed up with a Blessed and killed the dragonling.
Aha.
So he wasn't just a dragon—he was Yi Wan-yong?