He had thought their first dungeon raid would end smoothly.
After clearing it, they would have gone to eat delicious food with smiles, as always.
Failure had never crossed their minds.
They had believed it without a shred of doubt.
But disaster struck without warning.
An arrow came flying, and Roni’s body crumpled like a doll.
“Kyaaah!”
At the sight of Roni, Jane couldn’t stop screaming.
This had to be a dream, right?
Yes. This wasn’t real.
Frozen in place, Jane comforted herself and denied reality.
“Roni!”
Denver shouted and ran to him.
“Denver! We have to get out! We need to get out and treat him!”
Jane shook Denver and wailed.
But despite her urging, Denver quietly shook his head.
The arrow had pierced Roni’s head precisely.
He was already dead.
An expression frozen on his face, as if he couldn’t understand why this had happened to him.
There was no way to reverse his death here.
Then what should they do now?
One of them was already dead.
The dungeon was a far more dangerous place than they had imagined.
Grabbing Jane’s hand and escaping this damned dungeon right now might be the correct choice.
Staying here when another arrow could fly at any moment was no different from begging to die.
Denver took Jane’s hand.
It was a signal to leave.
“No….”
But Jane thought differently.
“I… I’m going to keep going.”
Jane, who had stopped crying at some point, shook off Denver’s hand and stood up.
Her expression had changed.
“I’m going to destroy this dungeon. I’m going to kill every monster!”
She had lost her parents to monsters when she was young.
She had believed such a tragedy would never befall her again.
But today, she had lost Roni, her only family.
And it was monsters again.
But one thing was different from back then.
When she was a child, she had been powerless and could only watch her parents die. Now, things were different.
She had the power to take revenge—magic.
“Shield.”
As Jane chanted the spell, a blue barrier spread out before her.
Now, arrows were no threat.
Of course she was afraid.
But the desire for vengeance overwhelmed her fear.
“Jane! Let’s get out of here first. We can take revenge later!”
Despite Denver’s pleas, Jane simply walked forward in silence.
From the start, running away had never been an option for her.
“Damn it, this is dangerous….”
But Denver couldn’t abandon her, so he followed.
* * *
“That’s it!”
The Skeleton Archer deployed in Zone 1 had taken down one of the intruders.
A perfect headshot!
“Wow, the Death Knight’s Blessing is seriously OP.”
Normally, a mere 2-Star Skeleton Archer’s accuracy was nothing special.
But.
- Accuracy increases due to the Death Knight’s Blessing.
This was possible because of the accuracy buff from the Death Knight’s Blessing.
“Death Knights really are versatile.”
Not only did it boast high specs as a 5-Star, but it also provided a buff to the same Undead line. Furthermore, it had a skill that turned slain enemies into Ghouls, making it a valuable asset in many ways.
On the other hand, thanks to these intruders, he had found a flaw in the dungeon as well.
- Cannot attack because vision is not illuminated.
When the intruders had first entered, he had tried to fire arrows but failed.
The reason was simple: it was too dark to see.
“Good thing the intruders lit torches.”
Thanks to that, he could fire at the illuminated areas.
Even if the arrows had failed, his dungeon had additional Skeletons and a Death Knight, so he wasn’t worried.
“For now, once I repel these intruders, I should place some torches on the walls.”
In a way, it was fortunate this event had occurred now.
If he had overlooked such a weakness, the future would have been rough.
“There are more detailed mechanics than I thought.”
But the admiration was short-lived.
The intruders, who had faltered for a moment after losing their comrade, began to move again.
“Well, at least the game has a conscience.”
It was a dungeon with a Bronze grade.
Since it was Bronze grade despite having a 6-Star monster, he had been nervous about how strong the intruders might be, so this was a relief.
“This time, let’s try fighting them with something other than archers.”
These intruders didn’t feel very strong.
No, they felt like total beginners.
He had no intention of finishing them quickly.
He would play with them as much as possible before ending it.
While doing so, he planned to check all the monsters under his command.
That way, he would know which ones to focus on raising.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
* * *
Jane and Denver kept walking forward.
Fortunately, no more arrows came flying.
Still, since one could come at any moment, Jane maintained her Shield.
Her mana was consumed in real time, but thanks to her artifact, it wasn’t too strenuous.
“What is this place…?”
After walking for a while, they arrived at a wide-open space.
And there, they saw Skeletons.
“There are too many…!”
Denver despaired.
Even if Skeletons were the lowest-grade monsters, their numbers were overwhelming.
Moreover, they had only just become adventurers.
But they couldn’t retreat here either.
The moment they turned their backs, arrows would fly, and all of them would charge.
They had no choice.
They had to fight back with all their might and watch for a chance to escape.
Denver tightened his grip on his sword.
Jane finished preparing her magic as well.
Clack—clack—
The Skeletons began to move.
The first to charge were wielding rusty swords.
“Kuk.”
Even with Jane’s Shield, Denver alone couldn’t block so many swords.
But perhaps the enemies had other intentions, for the Skeletons suddenly withdrew.
“……”
This time, Skeletons holding wooden staves stepped forward.
Thankfully, there weren’t many of them.
“They’re mages! Be careful!”
Jane shouted, sensing faint mana from the enemy Skeletons.
But instead of magic, the Skeletons swung their staves as they approached.
They waved them in the air a few times and simply returned to where they had stood.
“……?”
How should she put it.
It felt like they were toying with them.
But Denver interpreted the sight differently.
‘These bastards… they’re playing with us.’
Perhaps the enemy monsters were letting their guard down.
If he lured them well, couldn’t they find a chance to escape?
Thud—
But that was a delusion.
A being clad entirely in black, from sword to armor, had stormed in.
“What!”
A monster that appeared out of nowhere.
Its momentum and appearance were on a completely different level from the simple Skeletons.
‘Why is something like this here…?’
This was clearly an Iron-grade dungeon.
But the being before them was absolutely not something that belonged here.
Its aura was so overwhelming that even a novice adventurer like himself could tell.
They might die.
They might actually die!
Its mere presence made it feel difficult to breathe.
The monster swung its hand toward Jane’s Shield.
“Kyah!”
The Shield was torn apart like paper.
At the same time, Jane was flung into the wall.
“Jane! Are you okay?!”
It was a hopeless situation.
Now the monster’s next attack would be aimed at him.
“……”
He waited, believing it was his turn, but even as time passed, the being merely stood still and did not attack.
‘What the…’
Just as that doubt surfaced.
Clap, clap—
Someone appeared, applauding.
“She has merely fainted; fortunately, her life is not in danger.”
A woman appeared.
She was strikingly beautiful, but the horns on her head made it easy to tell she was a monster.
“Are you the master of this place?”
Denver answered, keeping his guard up.
Every dungeon had either a master who ruled it or a boss-level monster.
The one who seemed to be this place’s master fortunately appeared to possess intelligence.
Denver recalled a story that circulated among adventurers.
It was said that if a dungeon’s master had intelligence, one could strike a deal with them.
Some had earned riches through such deals, and some had paid a price to save their lives.
“Let’s make a deal! Let’s trade!”
Denver immediately proposed a deal.
He didn’t know if they could survive this situation.
A hope that had not existed bloomed in an instant.
“Ho… to propose a deal even in this situation. That courage is admirable.”
The woman merely exclaimed and clapped a few more times.
“Are you mocking me?”
Denver was furious at her attitude.
“Surely not? I happen to like brave men very much.”
“……”
“However, a deal is only possible when both parties have something to exchange. What is your name, sir?”
“Denver.”
The being before him smirked, then straightened her posture.
Then she politely bowed at the waist and introduced herself.
“Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Celia, the first servant who serves the Supreme One. Currently, I manage this dungeon according to His will.”
“The Supreme One…?”
Denver chewed over the words of the one who called herself Celia.
To serve someone meant that ultimately….
“The dungeon has a separate master?”
“You catch on quickly. Hoho. That’s correct. I am merely His agent. The one who manages this dungeon is my Master.”
Denver quickly shouted in a loud voice.
“I demand a fair transaction with the master of the dungeon!”
Celia frowned at Denver’s behavior.
She was annoyed by his rudeness in daring to enter her Master’s dungeon and act so discourteously.
“Ha… I suppose it cannot be helped.”
The intruder had requested a deal with her Master.
No matter how much authority Celia had over the dungeon, this was a matter for her Master to decide.
She could handle it herself, but that would mean going against her Master.
“This lowly servant dares to speak before the Supreme Master.”
Celia looked into the empty air and spoke.
“Please give your command on what to do with these foolish beings who have intruded upon your dungeon.”
***
“The intruders’ punishment?”
As expected, the intruders had been subdued easily.
Of course, in the process, he had realized how useless Skeleton soldiers and magic trainees were.
So he had immediately sent in the Death Knight.
He thought it was over, when suddenly one of the intruders proposed a deal.
- Will you accept the deal?
He immediately pressed ‘No’.
“Am I crazy? What fair deal? They barge in here and grow a conscience?”
He needed to set an example first.
“But how do I give a command?”
At that moment, a window popped up on the game screen.
- Please write down what you wish to [Command].
Oh, free response.
It wasn’t a multiple-choice system.
Did it understand whatever he wrote?
He immediately wrote down a command.
“Make them regret coming to my dungeon.”
A short, bold command.
This was satisfactory enough.
The ones in the dungeon would handle the rest.
For that matter, he was getting hungry.
Should he quit the game here and get something to eat?
* * *
“My Master has answered me.”
Gulp.
Denver anxiously looked at Celia.
“Now, come this way.”
When Celia snapped her fingers, three Goblins sprang out from among the Skeleton horde.
“What is this…?”
Weren’t they going to make a deal?
Why Goblins all of a sudden?
Denver’s mind grew chaotic.
“Hoho. My Master is not pleased that you have come here.”
It meant the deal he had been hoping for did not exist.
‘Liar!’
He wished all of this were just a dream.
Denver despaired inwardly.
“Don’t make me laugh! We only entered this place!”
They had done nothing wrong.
They had simply entered the dungeon to fulfill a guild request.
But the other party did not see it that way.
“The problem is that this place is the bosom of the Supreme One.”
Celia spoke as if it were obvious and looked at the Goblins.
“Now then, shall we begin?”
As soon as Celia finished speaking, the three Goblins approached the fallen Jane.
Though they held no weapons in their hands, Denver instinctively shouted.
“Stop!”
But his cry merely echoed, useless.
“No!”
Amid Denver’s screams, the Goblins began to tear Jane’s clothes.