The Fatal Question
A dungeon. By definition, an unknown space teeming with monsters and traps. But among adventurers, the real meaning was something else entirely—a gold mine that spat out cash and a proving ground for glory.
"Damn it, the torches are almost out, and we still haven't seen a single monster!"
The party leader at the front, Kalrics, shouted through ragged breaths.
This was the D-rank dungeon known as Starving Goblin's Ravine. Infamous for its goblins armed with the latest traps and vicious ambush patterns.
But.
"Leader, over there... something's off about this dungeon."
The party's mage, Eli, spoke in a trembling voice.
This was definitely a goblin dungeon. Yet had they heard even a single goblin footstep so far?
The answer was no.
Not a goblin in sight—not even a passing ant. The dungeon was dead silent.
Goblin nests littered the corridors, but their owners were nowhere to be found. As if the entire dungeon had evaporated overnight.
"Yeah, it's too quiet."
Kalrics swallowed hard. A monster jumping out would have been less terrifying. This silence felt more like the hush of death than mere quiet.
That's when they spotted it—a jarringly red iron door embedded in the dead-end wall at the corridor's end.
Creeeak—
As if waiting for them, the red door swung open on its own.
And from beyond, a woman in a mask glided out with eerie grace.
Her hair was disheveled. In her hand, scissors stained with red liquid.
The moment she appeared, the dungeon's atmosphere shifted.
"D-Danger...!"
Eli screamed.
From that entity radiated killing intent, overwhelming pressure, and a primal wrongness that twisted the laws of reality itself.
Everyone backed away, but the masked woman's movements were far faster.
In an instant, she closed the distance to Kalrics and asked in a grotesque voice,
"Am I... pretty?"
"......"
An incomprehensible question. No—the whole dungeon made no sense. A goblin dungeon without goblins, and now this bizarre woman?
"Am I... pretty?"
The question came again.
"......"
No one answered this time either. Kalrics gripped his sword tighter, eyes locked on her every twitch.
Silence. Their only form of resistance. A faint hope that without a reaction, she might lose interest and vanish.
Worst case, they could strike first.
But silence was the wrong answer.
In a blink, the woman vanished from view.
Teleportation? No—faster than that, she burrowed into Kalrics's guard.
"Guhk!"
A gruesome crunch echoed from Kalrics's jaw.
She was right in front of him now, crushing his jaw bare-handed like putty.
Slash—
His mouth tore from jawline past his ear in a scream that never fully formed. Blood sprayed like a fountain as Kalrics convulsed, eyes wide open, before collapsing.
"......!"
The party froze in horror. The brutality before their eyes numbed their minds.
The woman crouched before Eli, meeting her gaze. Emotionless eyes.
"Am I... pretty?"
Again. The same question.
Thousands of thoughts raced through Eli's mind. Silence meant death—they'd just seen it.
What about yes? No? I don't know?
She didn't want to die. She wanted to live.
Eli screamed desperately in a quavering voice,
"Y-Yes, you're pretty! Really, really beautiful!"
Please. Please let this be right.
The woman's eyes curved in satisfaction at Eli's earnest plea.
...I'm saved!
Eli's heart swelled with hope—
"Really? Hehehe..."
—just as the woman slowly removed her mask.
"Thank you."
A horrific mouth, torn to the ears, exposing raw red flesh.
"I'll make you pretty like me."
This wasn't right either.
Despair flooded Eli's face.
"N-No...! Stay away! Get lost!"
Eli sobbed, scrambling backward, but the woman brought her scissors to Eli's face.
"It's okay. It won't hurt."
Snip. Snip.
The chilling scrape of blades through flesh shattered the dungeon's silence.
I’m the only one who made it out alive. Party? Wiped.
Goblins? Lol no. No goblins there at all. Just one crazy bitch.
Suddenly a red door opens and this masked chick pops out, asks one thing:
"Am I pretty?"
Yo, this is where it gets fucking critical. DON'T ANSWER. But fuck, even silence gets you killed. Makes no goddamn sense lololol
Our leader shut his mouth and tanked it—got his jaw ripped off. Mage said she’s pretty to survive—heard "I'll make you pretty too" and got her face shredded.
Yes, no, silence—all instant death. The second she asks, you're done.
This ain't a dungeon. It's an unavoidable insta-kill monster with no.
Adventurer Guild, you fucking assholes—what the hell did you scout?! D-rank my ass!!!
Don't go. Gear, honor, bullshit— you'll just die.
"Phew."
I, the architect of this massacre, sighed as I stared at the Adventurer Gallery.
The largest community for all isekai adventurers. It was absolute chaos.
My gamble had paid off.
Horror stories work.
At that thought, a translucent window popped up as if on cue.
Dungeon 'Starving Goblin's Ravine' successfully repelled invaders.
HR Score increased by 5 points.
The HR Score in my status window had changed. From -95 to -90. A five-point gain. Crisis averted—for now.
"That was close. Nearly died for real."
Fired? Reaching -100 points meant total erasure from existence.
One day, I woke up trapped in this shitty game, Dungeon Maker, as Aiden.
Dungeon Maker. Build dungeons to fend off invaders. Simple in-game.
But here, it was real—and dungeon-making was a corporate job. Failures ticked down a death countdown.
Three bungled dungeons post-possession plummeted my score to -95.
One more standard isekai monster setup, and I'd be gone.
But this world has no urban legends.
A different dimension from Earth. Missing people or deaths? Blame monsters, not ghosts. Horror concepts were alien here.
Thus, my Earth horrors outpowered any monster.
Screw it, tossing in the Red Mask legend was a godsend.
Result? Total success, as seen in the Adventurer Gallery.
Horrors definitely work.
First dungeon of mine not cleared since becoming Aiden.
Phew...
I sighed in relief—
Knock knock—
—when a knock from beyond the partition snapped me straight.
"You look brighter, Aiden."
Sweet yet chilling perfume wafted in with Eastern Sales Team 3's leader, Liliane.
She stood before my desk, handing over a single sheet.
Per HR Committee ruling, dismissal proceedings against subject 'Aiden' are hereby suspended pending performance review.
"Blowing dungeon after dungeon, but looks like you had some epiphany this time?"
Liliane spoke in her usual emotionless tone, laced with faint intrigue.
She ignored underperformers completely.
Her red lips curved elegantly.
"Overturning the standard concept with an unexpected twist—it's even buzzing on Dungeon Gallery. I'll be watching."
She brushed imaginary dust from my shoulder. The intimate gesture chilled my spine.
"Good work."
"...Thank you."
With that, Liliane left without a backward glance.
I stared at the words Dismissal Postponed for a while.
I'm alive. For now.
Seeing it on official paper, not just the status window, made it real.
My gaze shifted to the Dungeon Gallery tab.
Adventurer Gallery for humans only. Dungeon Gallery for monsters only.
Why I can access Adventurer Gallery? No clue...
But it was a boon, no loss.
Let's check Dungeon Gallery next.
I pulled up the Dungeon Gallery.
Sure enough, atop the main board, the top post screamed for attention.
A review of the dungeon I made.