I take pride in being a veteran who has kept on challenging the mothers of monsters――Dungeons for many years.
Dungeons are monsters. Therefore, they are living beings, they have to prey on something.
Of course, their target is us.
However, the preying method of the monsters called Dungeons is a little bit special.
Normal monsters prey by absorbing magical power. Moreover, it’s enough for them to supplement their magical power once every few months.
That’s because magical power circulates through the bodies of the monsters and they are able to store it.
Naturally, Dungeons also possess the same function. But, the Dungeons keeps on preying.
Why is that?
That’s because the primary purpose of the monsters called Dungeons is to expand their bodies.
The body of a Dungeon. That’s, of course, the interior of the Dungeon.
The inner structure of an expanded Dungeon is complicated.
It continues to expand while becoming more complicated. Almost as if it was instinctive.
Of course, not everyone can set foot into such complicated interior body of this monster.
But, the monsters called Dungeons sp.a.w.n normal monsters in the interior of their bodies. And the things obtainable only after defeating the monsters inside the dungeon can be used to create things that are indispensable for life.
Those who challenge Dungeons and get defeated are preyed upon by Dungeons. The equipment left behind by those who were defeated is enough of the reason to walk inside.
There are cases where some of the equipment became treasures with magical power dwelling in them, making them incredibly powerful magic tools.
These have a value to ama.s.s a fortune.
Furthermore, there’s something called the Heart of the Dungeon deep inside the ma.s.sive Dungeons. That’s far more valuable to obtain than any monsters within the Dungeon.
Depending on the thing, it sometimes has more value than a powerful magic tool.
Thus, people keep challenging the dangerous Dungeons to this day.
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A silent s.p.a.ce where only Young Master’s and my steps echo.
The 34th floor of the Jizenovi Dungeon, located in the west of the Ovent is our current position.
Jizenovi means 19th in the ancient language.
There are many Dungeons in the vast Ovent Kingdom, Young Master and I are trying our skill in this Dungeon.
The 30th level is said to be the dangerous area.
This Jizenovi Dungeon doesn’t have atrocious traps, but the strong monsters are its special characteristics.
There are many powerful things such as “Magic Fragment” obtainable in this Dungeon, but Magic Fragments are not our purpose so we haven’t collected them as they would become baggage.
It’s truly waste, but it’s a trivial thing because the Young Master is the son of a prominent person, so there’s no problem.
Rather, the problem is Young Master coming to such den of thieves like this.
But, Young Master is always saying that if he doesn’t have proper skills himself, people won’t follow him.
For that reason, he polished his martial arts and sorcery, and now he’s strong enough to dive this far into a Dungeon with just the two of us.
After pa.s.sing Jizenovi’s 10th floor, all illumination disappears.
I thought it was a trap for a moment, but I understood that this is just how the Dungeon grew after a while.
But, when there’s no illumination, you have to secure the light yourself. Exploring Dungeon in darkness is no different from a suicidal act.
Even monsters understand that.
The inside illuminated by the illumination magic tool is no different from the 1st floor.
It’s also one of the characteristics of this Dungeon.
A scenery that doesn’t change reduces the adventurer’s concentration, and the monsters aim for that.
While there are no traps, the entire Dungeon is like a detestable trap.
「Young Master. We should be able to see the transfer point soon」
「I see. There weren’t many monsters on this floor, weren’t there?」
「That’s right…… I feel like the monster became scarce once we set foot on the 30th floor, but I might be biased somewhere. Let’s stay focused. There are monster rooms in this Dungeon, after all」
「Alright」
Young Master who was disappointed that no monsters were attacking us tensed up once I reminded him not to lose focus.
There are monsters in the Dungeons. Because monsters are living beings, they wander around the Dungeon.
That’s common sense.
Therefore, there are cases where monsters gather in one place. Places like that are called monster rooms, and they are recognized as traps created by coincidence.
Monsters here are really strong, even with Young Master’s and my fighting strength, it takes a considerable amount of time to bring it down.
This is a Dungeon where two monsters rarely appear at once, but there has been no encounter since arriving at this floor.
But however, although I was more or less careless, I still found the scene before me unbelievable.
Something was thrown from the opposite side of the wall that can’t be destroyed no matter how powerful magic is used, and created holes on both sides of the corridor.
There were two clear holes in the empty pa.s.sage.
Young Master and I were so surprised we fell on our backsides and stared dumbfoundedly.
I’m saying this myself, but I’m a veteran who challenged many dungeons. Young Master is also a powerful person who’s equal to the 1st elite of the capital’s Knights Order.
The innocent girl who slipped through one of the open holes pa.s.sed without minding us.
She did it so naturally as if there was nothing wrong, almost as if the hole was originally supposed to be there.
The floating illumination magic tool illuminating the area around her is the top quality among illumination magic tools.
The girl’s hair illuminated by the light is silver.
A transparent-like clear white skin.
Beautiful amethyst eyes.
This scene makes me forget that this is the danger area. The girl leaves with three maids following after her.
They walk brilliantly as if not feeling the weight of the huge, swelled up rucksacks on their backs.
The maids who noticed us curtsy to us and chase after the girl.
But, their footsteps are so light, it’s hard to believe they are just maids.
「Ras.h.i.+gant…… it seems that I have become crazy……」
「Young Master…… me too」
I could hear Young Master’s dumbfounded voice after a while pa.s.sed since the abnormally ridiculous scene.
I thought the same, so there’s no problem.
Rather, it’s better like this since I understood that what I saw wasn’t just an illusion.
No, perhaps the two of us saw the same illusion, but there shouldn’t be monsters with such ability on this floor.
「What is that throbbing in my chest…… this pa.s.sionate and painful warmth……!」
「…… Eh?」
When I looked at Young Master, who has blurted out something weird, a scene of Young Master holding his heart with a face of ecstasy entered my view.
Ah, it’s useless. This fellow has fallen.
I thought such only for a brief moment. Young Master plunged into the open hole.
And then, I heard terrifying screams of agony and sounds of flesh and bones getting ground up.
No one can blame that Young Master soon returned in silence by crawling and dragging his weak legs behind.
That must be the doing of the sounds I’ve heard a little while ago.
This was the first encounter.
In spite of witnessing such dreadful scene which makes you want to pity the monsters, Young Master didn’t give up on the girl.
Even if he had to crawl after her in such unsightly way.
Even when met the girl in the Dungeon again thanks to gathering information, and receiving a direct hit to the head from the monster that got blown away.
Even when he completely lost his minds after seeing the girl leisurely drinking tea in the depths of the Dungeon.
「You…… aren’t you the one who was making a stupid face after getting hit in the head by the monster I have blown away? What is it today? You are making such face as if you are seeing something wondrous」
「…… Ha! I, I’m! I’m Roland Landris.h.!.+ Please a.s.sociate with me with the premise of marriage!」
「Y, Young Master!?」
I really didn’t think he would suddenly propose in the depths of a Dungeon.
Certainly, Young Master has been recently gathering information as if obsessed.
But, I certainly didn’t think he would propose all of sudden.
Moreover, this is deep inside a Dungeon.
A super dangerous zone where you could get attacked by a monster at any moment.
「You are a strange person, aren’t you? Even though the other gentlemen would run away at high speed after seeing my strength」
「I have fallen for such you! It was love at first sight!」
「Fufu…… it’s my first time receiving good will so straightforwardly」
「T, then!」
「Yes, that’s right. Then」
The girl matched Young Master’s glittering expression, stood up from the luxurious chair that’s not suitable for the Dungeon at all, and slowly approached him.
But, I noticed my back running with a cold sweat at that very moment.
The girl emitted a fiendish thirst for blood.
Young Master’s expression brimmed over with happiness as if he didn’t notice the thirst for blood.
Ah, no good. This fellow.
My expectations, or rather, my intuition was correct.
I also investigated the facts beforehand……
「If you win against me, I will happily offer you this body」
「…… Eh, guaoaaaaah」
The girl’s constant smile instantly vanished, and Young Master flew away.
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The girl’s name is Annela La Christophe.
She conquered 20th-floor Dungeon for the first time by the age of seven by herself.
After that, she conquered forty dungeons in just five years, an existence called as the Dungeon eater.
She continues traveling alone across the brutal Dungeons which take approximately ten years for ordinary people to finish.
Furthermore, the girl doesn’t have a single weapon.
She hardly uses sorcery, and she also doesn’t possess any offensive magic tool.
All is done with her own body.
That very body crus.h.i.+ngly defeats all monsters.
An abnormal existence that smashes the huge Magic Fragments that hide deep inside――Great Magic Crystals and returns.
Since that day, Young Master has been enthusiastically challenging her every day.
Young Master’s screams resound around the Dungeon today as well.