It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

When the Dungeon Core breaks or gets seized, the Dungeon Lord goes completely insane.

The yearning to reclaim something precious leads to a mental decline due to the debuff acquired after the Dungeon Core disappears.

In the game, this debuff was named “Orphaned.” It explained that the young Dungeon Lord is likely to regard the summons as attachments and the Dungeon Core as a parental figure.

And the usual response from the Demon World to a rampaging Demon Lord Candidate, as far as I know, is typically to “let it be.” This is because they have very few means to respond from the other side of the world’s barriers.

However, the Mammon Trading Company wanted to grasp the situation of such a Dungeon Lord. Not to directly recover investments from that dungeon.

‘Looks like they’ve got connections.’

If that rampaging Demon Lord Candidate were a primary trading route for the company, he would certainly have received substantial support from the Mammon Trading Company.

I suspected that there was someone in association with the established Dungeon Lords from the south at the center of that support.

It seems that Scarlett’s true intentions lie here as well. That connection has likely pressured the Trading Company to place some requests.

Even if the head of the group is Mammon, not everything underneath him is Mammon. If there is a ‘Grand Duke’ in the Demon World, there would probably be a ‘Count, Marquis, and Baron’ as well.

‘Of course, this is still uncertain…’

In any case, the potential gains are visible.

This is about fulfilling a request to ascertain the status of the rampaging Dungeon Lord, which means gaining evaluations within the company and, further, in the Demon World.

At the same time as connecting with those connections that he originally possessed.

If luck is on our side, it could also be an opportunity to absorb the resources and funds from the established Dungeon Lord.

“Of course, this is only if it’s possible; I’m not saying you should take unnecessary risks. It’s time to keep your head down now.”

“Right. That’s a reasonable suggestion.”

“Then…”

“Let’s hear what you can offer.”

In the end, I nodded.

After all, I had maintained a good relationship with the Mammon Trading Company up to now, so it was about time I started receiving some requests.

Of course, it also makes sense to show good results. Successfully fulfilling this request wouldn’t mean I’d become their superior.

For now, I was still barely a pawn rather than a knight. Scarlett was merely treating me with some respect.

“So, the level the Trading Company prepared is… something like this?”

“It’s lacking.”

“Hmm. I’ll go out and see if I can pull in more. How about this much?”

“… Alright. Let’s go with that. Your face is also at stake here.”

“Indeed, Lady Libertus!”

“Flattery.”

“I’m being sincere!”

Of course, negotiating compensation was another matter altogether.

Since we already had an information network, it wasn’t particularly difficult, but until they don’t realize that, it’s only natural for me to extract as much benefit as possible.

“Then, I’ll be counting on you, Lady.”

“Look forward to it.”

“Don’t overdo it! The humans are keeping a close eye on the Dungeon Lord around here.”

“That’s unnecessary concern. I know very well.”

“Yes, then. This has been Scarlett Spira Spina!”

“Get going.”

After confirming that the Succubus was leaving and her presence had vanished,

“… You two. Can you hear me?”

– Yes. Lady.

– Here. Master.

I immediately contacted my tracker, Daniel, and the Cerebrum Skull Talhan.

There was no need to wait until the contract was completely finalized. After all, the expansion of the information network is a necessary task. Plus, a new target had just been added.

“Talhan, head back to Solemio. Daniel, create a situation where you can move. To the southern hub.”

– Understood, Master.

– The south… If I handle the current request and move immediately, I believe I can report in about a week.

“If you don’t spare any expense?”

– It could be done in three days.

“Alright, then hurry.”

– Yes.

By the time Scarlett comes next, she will see the achievements I hold, and if the information network is left only to me, the Mammon Trading Company won’t be able to resist spending more on my behalf.

I wouldn’t just let go of such an overwhelming profit opportunity.

– 2 –

The Cerebrum Skull doesn’t possess great power in itself, but it is definitely a ‘High-level’ entity. Right now, I’m a Dungeon Lord of the ‘formal’ or ‘regular’ grade.

What that means is that the number of Cerebrum Skulls I can control is quite limited.

At most, three entities.

There is a restriction on handling entities that are higher than oneself. Thus, I still can’t raise Eve or Axe any higher.

In this situation, the addition of Xue, who appears to be a stable powerhouse, lifted a considerable burden from my mind.

『Name – [ ]』

『Title/Entity Name – Cerebrum Skull』

Most other Necromancer Lords use this to create confusion among enemies in the dungeon or temporarily steal from strong foes, but I decided to utilize it actively for the information network.

For the weak, information is just that important, so it was an unavoidable choice.

To this end, two additional Cerebrum Skulls were summoned, and I immediately deployed them to the field—among the adventurers heading out as reinforcements from Solemio to Copgerin.

While they may not possess the same intelligence or nimbleness as Talhan, these beings, capable of performing their roles, quickly came to ask me for the information I needed.

“The race is Vampire…”

Thus, I learned that the Dungeon Lord of Copgerin had a race I was quite familiar with.

Before my final choice, which led to the development of ‘Libertus,’ the race I had selected most often was Vampire.

The last Vampire I chose named “Scarlett,” if memory serves, was taken from the name of a famous vampire character.

‘Customization tends to turn out beautifully, so I used to favor it.’

Vampires summon zombies just like a Necromancer handles Skeletons.

They wield powers stemming from blood-related diseases and emotions.

Although they are somewhat powerful in magic, their abilities are balanced overall, making them capable of serving both front and rear as a Dungeon Lord.

Additionally, Zombies are sturdy and have endurance, making them a reliable choice for beginners at any stage.

Given that, they likely survived well in this world too.

“The grade is about the entry-level high class… at this rate, unless they are caught off guard, it shouldn’t be easy for the core to be stolen. They’d probably die first. Did they hire a thief or something?”

The kingdom I am in, ‘Kaisen,’ is surrounded by mountains and consists of plains inside.

Thus, it is very suitable for defense, though it is hard to extend outward. Given this situation, the country seems to have emphasized trade benefits while being stuck in the center of the Eastern Continent rather than focusing on military power.

Who would’ve thought there was someone mad enough to hide the existence of a dungeon among the nobility of such a country, to the extent of stealing Dungeon Cores?

Ultimately, the rampaging Dungeon Lord revealed his existence as a high-level Dungeon Lord he had been hiding, causing the kingdom’s residents to become astonished and shift their focus to this suddenly powerful Dungeon Lord…

This was the story I had come to know.

“No matter how beautiful it looks on the outside… did they really want it that much?”

– Clack.

“Do you think so? Well, in the face of desire, people tend to become foolish.”

– Slap!

Indeed, the Dungeon Core appeared externally as a giant, beautifully shaped gem.

And beauty has always been an incitement to desire.

That desire often led to foolish actions.

Even if it’s true that the entity which appears as a gem is a source of magical energy against hostile beings, and that a core-less Dungeon Lord creates monsters or a core-less Lord goes crazy and enhances monsters, it’s still true.

‘Desire…’

It’s an emotion that, even in the face of destruction, drives one to dash forward without recognizing the road to self-destruction.

In ‘Mill Don 1,’ there was an episode related to cores and desire.

The culprit back then wasn’t just a noble, but a princess, and that country ultimately fell to a rampaging Dungeon Lord, who also died in decline having failed to retrieve the lost core—a side story.

The illustrations used in that story featuring the princess and Dungeon Lord were unnecessarily beautiful.

When comparing to the girl right in front of me… no, there’s really no comparison. Just a pretty girl who looks like she fell out of a painting.

“So, when will you come down?”

“I’m not coming down…”

“…”

Xue.

The mercenary brought by Scarlett this time, currently a resident of my dungeon, is a wolf beastwoman from the Western Continent.

As soon as her contract was settled, she started stubbornly following me around.

It would be fine if she just did that, but on any chance, she clings to me like this. Right now, her entire body is pressed against my back as I sit on the sofa in the room with the core.

While it feels nice and fluffy right now, it’s also uncomfortable…

“The skeletons smell… I only like the Lady’s scent…”

“What the heck does that mean?”

Whether it’s the smell of corpses or whatever, if the skeletons smelled that way, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

My senses now are far better than when I was in the modern world, and bad smells always tend to be unpleasant, right?

It seems this wolf beastwoman has sensitive olfactory and other senses.

That must be something stemming from the corpses.

But, it’s hard to empathize with that.

‘They’re such nice and cute beings.’

To me, they were just good guys who only showed kindness.

Thanks to them, I’ve been feeling quite motivated lately.

It’s like they’re bringing up a sense of self-esteem that I hadn’t realized I had.

“… Ugh…”

Now that I think about it, the feelings they send my way are the same from her.

For reasons unknown.

“I had a question. Why did you want to contract with me, Xue?”

“Because I like you…”

“No, but why do you like me…? That’s enough. What does the reason matter?”

“Yeah. The most important thing is that I like the Lady. You smell nice, you’re pretty, cute, lovely, and noble.”

“So…”

“Yeah.”

She was indeed a woman of many mysteries.

The sparkling eyes she gives when she looks at me, her expressionless face, but that waving tail whenever she sees me, along with the occasional sadness and teary eyes.

Even now, Xue’s eyes saying she likes me were strangely filled with unshed tears.

Her expression may be blank, but her eyes are incredibly honest.

Ultimately, I gave up on detaching her and instead, leaned back to let her body support mine, when an unexpected entity pulled her away from me.

Bam – !!

“Ugh-ack!!”

With explosive strength, a reddish fist struck down.

The intense slap that seemed it would hurt me as well, even though it barely reached me, sent Xue spinning away, clutching her head.

“What the hell…!”

– Slap!

The source of the fist was Eve.

With coldly hardened eyes, she looked down at Xue, who had jumped up from the sofa. Again, Eve turned one hand red, while black magic energy began to erupt from her mouth.

It was a clear signal that if she didn’t behave, she would taste that slap once again.

“… Got it…”

Then, surprisingly, the previously stubborn Xue became remarkably well-behaved.

She looked nearly miserable, but it’s bizarre that, after such a harsh blow, she didn’t even think to charge at Evangeline.

Xue must be stronger than Eve.

– Slap.

While folding her arms and nodding, Eve casually patted Xue’s head as if to say, ‘That hurt, huh?’

Xue didn’t protest and stayed quiet.

Just moments ago, she had declared her dislike for skeletons.

Even Evangeline, who acted as though this situation was familiar, and Xue, who wasn’t rebelling against it.

They seemed genuinely kind to each other.

As if they had some unspoken connection that I was left out of…

‘But there’s no time for that.’

Logically speaking, it must be that Evangeline had encountered her somewhere before coming here as my summon.

After all, any Dungeon Lord’s first summon consists of beings that already exist in the world.

A total blank being wouldn’t be able to help an ‘infant’ Dungeon Lord.

It’s a little disappointing that they didn’t tell me directly, but isn’t waiting for them to tell me a virtue of a Master?

– Lady. Are you there?

As I was lost in thought, a ‘knock’ echoed in my soul.

It was an attempt to contact me from an entity directly linked to me.

“I’m listening, Daniel.”

– I’ve arrived at Copgerin and confirmed that there isn’t much time left for the deployment concerning the dungeon. Reinforcements have just arrived from Solemio as well. It seems rather urgent.

Copgerin was the name of a city not far to the west of the dungeon Lord.

So far, it has been said to be the southern hub of the kingdom and a considerable commercial city.

“Got it. We need to move quickly.”

– I’ve already decided to join as well…

“Good work. If I’m lucky, we may see each other there.”

Copgerin—the distance to the dungeon isn’t too far from my dungeon, but it’s somewhat longer, and to travel from my dungeon to there would be about the same distance as going from Seoul to Busan.

Considering the way back, even moving as fast as possible would probably take a normal person over a week, and with a carriage, it would take about four days.

But that should be sufficient.

Even I, lacking in stamina, could travel all day long on just a couple of hours of sleep.

– … Yes. Until then.

“Maria has no particular issues. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to visit the dungeon after this matter is resolved.”

– Yes, Lady. Thank you.

After scratching that itchy part and guessing the reason for the silence in his tone, I ended the communication.

Beside me, my cherished first soldier approached.

“Eve. Prepare for deployment. You’re coming with us this time.”

– Slap!

To interfere in a war regarding an entity that falls under a High-level Dungeon Lord, it seems best for me to gather as much power as possible.

Right now, I have enough children to protect the dungeon, and there’s no chance that strong adventurers will come nearby, so keeping my best power, Evangeline, lounging here is a loss.

“Bring Sonia too. I need to count the materials.”

– Clack!

Eve respectfully nodded and left.

Watching her retreating figure, I embraced Xue again as she burrowed back into me.

“Will I go too?”

“It seems like that’s the case.”

Her white uniform and silver hair filled my view.

Upon hearing my answer, the previously expressionless face of hers broke into a subtle smile.

That smile carried a desirably mischievous energy, quite different from her earlier blank expression.