The Demon Heads to the Dungeon
The square in front of the dungeon was packed with adventurers checking their gear and citizens seeking shelter from the heat. Its official name was literally Dungeon Square. Whoever came up with it, the name was as straightforward as it gets.
— You have entered Dungeon Square —
A cool stream of water poured down from the statue of a gray-white goddess standing with her hands raised toward the sky. Shaaaaa—!
My contractor and I sat side by side on a bench near the fountain, watching the tiny rainbow created by water and sunlight, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
“I’m curious what principle allows water to be generated in mid-air like that.”
“Can’t you create water with magic, Raven?”
Magic, huh. I guess demons are expected to know magic as a basic skill. Still, I’m not exactly at a disadvantage here. Just as sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic, a sufficiently polished character is indistinguishable from a demon.
“I can make hydrochloric acid instead.”
“...What exactly is that?”
“Let’s just say it’s a very useful liquid for separating bone from flesh.”
Kind of like tomato ketchup on a meatball? If I sprinkle a little on those noisy friends of mine that go ‘Kieeeeeek!’, they absolutely love it. To death. Literally.
“After hearing that, I don’t really feel like seeing it in person.”
“There’s nothing good to see anyway.”
Chomp. Crunch. Crunch.
My contractor was happily munching on a lizard skewer she’d bought from a nearby stall for a mere two dallants, treating it like chicken. The crispy outer skin was coated in some secret brown sauce that looked suspiciously like a weird glaze. Honestly, it wasn’t the most appetizing sight. It looked exactly like a soy-glazed lizard tanghulu.
But our contractor seemed to like it quite a bit. She was even crunching through the bones right now.
“Good to see it’s at least edible.”
“There are a lot of tiny bones and it smells a bit fishy, but the sweet spices make it taste like seasoned chicken, so it’s decent. Are you really sure you don’t want any? I heard demons are very interested in human food.”
Oh, I’m very interested. But if you keep reaching for something you can never touch, you eventually get tired. I’m a special case who got so tired my arm practically fell off. Physiological needs like hunger or appetite? I forgot about those a long time ago.
Still, I didn’t feel like sharing that story. I have no hobby of dividing my misfortune with others.
‘Still… thanks for caring.’
Grateful for her concern, I gently stroked her head and said,
“No need to worry. Just watching you eat is enough to fill me up.”
“...That’s such a warm thing to say. I’ve never heard anything like that in my life…”
She lowered her head as she spoke. Seeing the tips of her ears turn red made me feel strangely awkward too.
‘Damn, that was pretty embarrassing.’
To shake off the awkwardness, I carefully withdrew my hand from her soft hair and quickly changed the subject. A faint hint of disappointment flickered in her eyes as she quietly looked up at me.
“Ahem. So, about tomorrow’s training plan—”
“Umm…”
She turned her head with a creak like an under-oiled machine, crunching on the lizard tail and clearly trying to avoid the conversation. Her reaction was exactly like a middle schooler who’d just been told to study. I let out a dry chuckle.
“You really don’t want to do it, huh?”
“Haa…”
A weak sigh. Shifty eyes. A self-mocking smile and lifeless, guilty pupils. This was a new expression.
“...To be honest, I do think I need training. An adventurer should at least be able to protect themselves. But it’s all so sudden… Haa, I’m sorry. If I say any more, it’ll just sound like an excuse.”
“It’s fine. Don’t beat yourself up too much. I understand what you’re trying to say.”
“...Thank you for understanding.”
I had a rough idea of her current state. She understood the necessity of training, but her motivation was too weak for her body to follow through. On top of that, she seemed to think I was a fairly competent demon and wanted to lean on me, to depend on me. Like a little kid with glasses clinging to a blue cat with pockets.
But I’m not some all-powerful being like a certain cat who suspiciously loves red bean bread, and that kind of one-sided relationship isn’t good for growth.
‘Guess there’s no helping it.’
I’d made up my mind. If you keep a child locked in your arms and raise them like a precious flower in a greenhouse, their legs will take root in the ground and lose their function. They won’t be able to move forward.
So… I’ll just throw her off a cliff!
Humans are creatures who, when faced with the worst situations, struggle desperately to reach the best outcome. If you want to live, make wings out of candle wax. Or grab onto even the smallest root and hang on. Life isn’t about hanging from a rope waiting for someone to pull you up. There are views at the summit that can only be seen when you climb there with your own strength.
It’s okay if you fall. I’ll catch you so you don’t get hurt. Fixing your mistakes beside you, patting your shoulder when you collapse—that’s what being an adult is about, isn’t it?
I came back from a long, painful road, resetting my own broken bones and stuffing my spilling guts back in. But you’ll be different. You have me.
So get ready to cry your eyes out while feeling the solid cushion of a life senior.
“Eating something actually makes me feel a bit stronger.”
“If you’re done eating, let’s get going.”
“Are we heading back to the base?”
Her expression was a complicated mix of self-mockery and relief. Too bad for her.
“No. From now on, we’re going into the dungeon.”
“Please spare me.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”
Instead, you’ll taste shock and terror. And then you’ll awaken.
As a combat dark mage who can freely wield guns and black magic!
My contractor and I were walking toward the dungeon via the central avenue. The closer we got, the more stalls selling equipment and magic goods replaced inns and taverns. Adventurer parties with sharp, battle-hardened auras appeared far more frequently than ordinary residents.
‘Classic.’
I walked along, quietly admiring the crude double-handed sword hanging on a stone wall, when my slightly nervous contractor spoke up.
“You do have a plan, right?”
Of course. Even having no plan can be considered a plan in its own way.
“A demon always has a plan. Whether it always leads to success is another matter.”
“I feel so reassured I could cry.”
“Save those tears for inside the dungeon.”
“....”
I slowly turned my head away from my contractor, who had begun glaring at me with dead eyes. It wasn’t because I was scared. I just had something to think about.
‘What should I do with our pathetic contractor?’
I’d boldly declared that I would show her the bitter taste of fear, but she was such a super newbie that she tripped over her own feet (I’d already caught her twice today). Too much pressure could backfire. So the important thing on this dungeon trip was to maintain an appropriate level of tension and fear while simultaneously making her feel, ‘I can do this too.’
The one problem was that even I was a newbie in this world. I had zero information about the dungeon. But that fatal issue had been mostly resolved thanks to my contractor, who had completed the guild’s basic education course. No wonder she took over two hours to come back down.
“So the dungeon classifies difficulty by color?”
“It’s more accurate to call it the risk level per stratum rather than difficulty.”
She might be clumsy with her body, but her memory was exceptional. She had memorized the entire two-hour-long basic adventurer education course she received during registration.
“Then why couldn’t you memorize the geography near the base?”
“I was too tired that day…”
Setting that aside. According to her, the dungeons in this world used unique colors to distinguish the risk level of each stratum.
“White Zone for safe, Green Zone for caution, Red Zone for danger, Black Zone for unknown, right?”
“Um. To be precise…”
Her explanation was getting long and complicated, so I summarized it in a way even a cat could understand.
White Zone: A safe area where no Entities spawn. It is protected from external invasion under the guardian’s blessing (my contractor didn’t know what the guardian was either). It is one of the few farming areas in the dungeon, where people called gatherers mine mana stones that regenerate on the inner walls or collect and capture Arcane Creatures and medicinal herbs.
Green Zone: The boundary between safe and dangerous areas. Entities may appear, so caution is required. Most beginners safely gain combat experience here.
Red Zone: Exploration has progressed to some extent, but it is a dangerous area filled with many high-tier Entities, making access difficult. High-tier adventurers temper themselves at the entrance of this zone.
Black Zone: Uncharted territory. Even the gods don’t know what dangers lurk there. Those who step foot here first are called pioneers and can obtain great wealth and honor. Or so they say.
End of summary.
“Since you’re a beginner, we’ll build combat experience at the entrance of the Green Zone.”
“...Can’t we just safely make money by gathering?”
Gathering? Gaaathering? Are we entomologists or something? What kind of gathering are we doing in a dungeon? Planning to follow in the footsteps of Jean-Henri Fabre?
“If you want to keep living in that cramped room, that wouldn’t be a bad method.”
“...I guess I’ll have to adventure if I want to make money quickly.”
“Exactly.”
“...Sigh.”
‘Then today’s goal should be to catch just one or two small Entities, right?’
But for a soft, inexperienced beginner like my contractor, hunting something on her own from the start was nearly impossible. So as her hunting senior, I’d have to teach her well and provide support when needed.
‘I’m a little nervous.’
I was more confident than anyone when it came to taking care of my own body, but protecting someone else… honestly made me a bit anxious.
‘I can’t make any mistakes.’
Remember when you were thrown into that damn game. Go back to the mindset of the beginner who wouldn’t cross even a stone bridge until he’d tapped it thousands of times with a minigun.
‘Haa, why am I getting so tense over this?’
The closer we got to the dungeon, the colder my blood ran from tension. With every step, the principles of survival were carved deeper into my chest.
Tap. Never let your guard down.
Tap. Never be complacent.
Tap. Never overdo it.
Tap. Never be arrogant…
Tap. Give her opportunities to gain experience, but if there’s any sign of danger, retreat without hesitation.
‘Information is lacking. Safety must take priority over efficient growth.’
Because this world isn’t some game. It’s harsh reality.
‘We’ don’t get a second chance.