The Perfect Hideout

"This is actually happening."

The status window floated clearly before my eyes. After denying reality for two whole hours, I had finally, barely, accepted it. Game transmigration. The kind of unrealistic event you only ever saw in webtoons or web novels had actually happened to me.

"Sigh."

A cold chill seeped out with my sigh. The breath of the dead, not the living. It served as a stark reminder of the reality that I had become a Death Knight.

Even my reflection in the spring water was utterly bizarre. In place of a face, there was a skull reminiscent of a medieval plague doctor's crow mask. Atop it sat horns resembling stag antlers, and lifeless, color-drained white hair hung down. Though my body was hidden beneath black iron armor, it was likely made entirely of bones. It was exactly as I remembered.

Of all things, the game I transmigrated into had to be 72 Dungeons, and to make matters worse, the difficulty was Undead Difficulty. Putting aside my miserable plight for a moment... what now? What else? I had to survive first.

The current era was one of dungeon raids and monster subjugation. The moment I caught a human's eye, it was obvious I would be hunted down by a subjugation force. After all, wasn't the human faction the very reason Undead Difficulty was so notoriously brutal?

"At least it's a relief I have a status window."

The base stats I checked on the status window were decent. But were they overpowered? Not at all. My level was merely that of a Death Knight, a high-tier undead. The only difference lay in my active traits—and even those were Enhancement and Evolution.

In truth, despite being a Death Knight now, this character's original class was an 'Enhancer.' The reason was an easter egg: if you died and triggered the conditions to become undead, you would turn into a random undead monster. Anyway, an Enhancer was a class that fought by enhancing weapons or evolving familiars—or rather, to be precise, by making them fight.

But what about now? All my enhanced weapons were gone, and so were my familiars. Yet, the active traits remained perfectly intact.

"Well, I suppose it's better than nothing."

At least they weren't reset.

Evolution was useless right now. I couldn't apply it to myself; it could only be used on familiars. Since I wasn't a high lich and didn't even have a baby skeleton familiar, it was practically a white elephant. On the other hand, what about Enhancement? A Death Knight's default equipment was all A-grade. If I could successfully enhance them, I might become an overpowered Death Knight carried by top-tier gear.

Screeech, screeech.

Drawing the greatsword from the rusted scabbard strapped to my back was an ordeal in itself. The unpleasant sensation, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, made my fingertips tingle. As I finally managed to pull the greatsword out and look at it, a status window notification popped up.

"Destroyed?"

Did I misread that? There was no such setting originally. In the game, even if you failed, you just waited for the one-hour cooldown and retried, spinning it repeatedly until it succeeded. Are they giving me this garbage penalty just because this is reality now? ...Don't tell me the other items are like this too?

My hope that this wouldn't be the case died out like a fading ember. No, let's not break down here. It's easier if I just pretend I never had these traits to begin with. Think positively. Positive mindset.

Who am I? A Death Knight, someone who practically cannot die under normal circumstances. No need to eat, sleep, or excrete—isn't this incredibly lucky? Food, clothing, and shelter are already sorted without me lifting a finger. The only important thing now was finding a way to hide without getting caught by humans.

The forest I was currently in looked dangerous even at a glance. I could see occasional man-made snares, and many trees had been logged. It was practically screaming, "There's a human village nearby!" Wandering around in broad daylight would be no different from committing suicide.

Furthermore, this was a spring. Wild beasts gathered where there was water, and hunters often patrolled near springs to hunt those beasts. That was likely why there were snares nearby. With a bit of exaggeration, someone might have already spotted me through the bushes and passed by. Please let that not be the case.

I shouldn't make any reckless moves right now.

While villagers might venture into the forest during the day, the woods at night were dangerous for humans. If I wanted to move while avoiding them, the pitch-black night was the perfect time. Above all, undead took damage if exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods. For a Death Knight like me, the night would serve as an excellent shroud. If only I had a stealth function among my traits. It was truly a shame my class was a caster type.

Was there anywhere good to hide until nightfall? In a forest with sparse vegetation, there should be plenty of hiding spots. Let's look for a place out of the sunlight, ideally suited for an undead. If there really was nothing, should I just dig a hole and bury myself alive?

"Hmm?"

Just then, behind some vines and a massive boulder, a dark opening of unknown depth caught my eye. Thanks to the cover of the vines, it was impossible to tell a cave was even there from a distance.

"Perfect."

It was naturally concealed; there was no reason to refuse.

"Hey, rookie. First time exploring a dungeon?"

"W-Yes? Wait, were we heading to a dungeon?"

"Dungeon, my foot. Why are you scaring him? Hey, rookie, straighten your shoulders!"

Thud! Thud!

Henry nearly fell forward from the rough slaps on his back. Seeing this, the senior members of the expedition burst into hearty laughter.

"Sigh... Man, why is a guy so girlish?"

"If he'd been born a girl, he would've been popular. Actually, Henry, you're probably popular with men who have weird tastes even now."

"Haha..."

Henry scratched his cheek and laughed awkwardly along with them.

The Wemad Ivory Expedition. They weren't particularly famous, just one of the countless expeditions scattered across the capital. Only a few of them actually made a living out of exploring; ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most were just loafers looking to strike it rich by finding treasure ruins. But regardless of their mindset, their experience couldn't be ignored. Excluding the rookie, Henry, the other members had been living as explorers for over a year, and their captain was a seasoned veteran who had survived decades in the trade.

"Captain, isn't that the place? The one the villagers talked about."

"Looks like it."

"Wow, you really wouldn't know it was there unless you looked closely. By the way, it doesn't look like ruins at all."

"It's better than doing nothing."

"True enough."

Upon climbing halfway up the mountain behind the village, they found a cave hidden by vines and boulders. The entrance alone looked eerie and gloomy, but to the expedition, it felt as familiar as home. The captain led the way, and the members followed behind him without hesitation.

We're going in there?

Only Henry stood frozen. He had only heard rumors that ancient ruins were located in such desolate places. But there was a vast difference between hearing about it and seeing it with his own eyes. To enter such a terrifying cave so readily? It looked exactly like a dungeon. Henry, who had wanted to strike it rich like everyone else, realized only after seeing it—just like everyone else did—that this was not a job one could do with a half-hearted attitude.

"What are you doing over there, rookie? Hey, rookie! Henry!!!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Ah, damn it. There's a limit to how spaced out a rookie can be. Get it together."

"I'm sorry, senior!"

His steps as he belatedly followed them were far from light.

Once the expedition entered the entrance, the member at the front lit a piece of oil-soaked wood. As their vision brightened, there was nothing particularly surprising to see. Henry, who had been tense, let out a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sigh of relief.

"What, scared?"

"W-Well, yes. A little."

"A little, my ass. I can see your face is pale as a sheet. I understand how you feel, though. When you enter a place like this for the first time, it feels less like ruins and more like a dungeon, right?"

"Gasp. How did you know?"

"Everyone's like that, kid. We're all human."

Because the cave had a low ceiling, their voices echoed. It could have been considered noisy, but no one told them to quiet down. Even if they were adapted to it through long years ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of exploration, human primal instinct feared the dark, and creating this kind of atmosphere in the darkness brought peace of mind.

"Do you think I teased you about going to a dungeon for no reason?"

"Ahaha. True. If you had tricked me, I really would have thought it was a dungeon."

"You wouldn't even have gone in. You would've screamed bloody murder, asking why an expedition, not a subjugation force, was entering a place like this."

The members, familiar with Henry's high-pitched, panicked voice, let out small chuckles. Henry, wanting to pretend he hadn't heard, blurted out the first thing that came to mind to change the subject.

"But there's no way this is an actual dungeon, right?"

"Of course not. Do you think we'd just walk in without any prior investigation? We looked into everything before coming."

"Really? There's really nothing here?"

"You're nothing but a scaredy-cat. Use your head. The villagers said this cave has been here ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a very long time, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Do you think none of them had the same thought as you? Even if there's no report, once a place like this is discovered, the Subjugation Guild comes by at least once to run a mana identification."

There were many ways to distinguish whether a place was a dungeon from the outside. Most could be clearly identified through mana identification. In fact, only places that had undergone mana identification were registered as dungeons by the Subjugation Guild. The cave the expedition was in had already been classified as a mere cave, and it wasn't even suspected of containing ruins. They were only visiting because the village chief had suggested it to them during their stay, and they happened to be itching for something to do.

"Ah. Though, who knows? Maybe this place is a dungeon."

"...What?"

In an instant, Henry's face turned pale. The senior struggled to hold back his laughter as he continued.

"Do you know what an Irregular Dungeon is?"

"W-What is that?"

"Sometimes, there are dungeons that can't be identified from the outside. No matter how great a mage is, they say it's completely unidentifiable. I think they call those Irregular Dungeons? Anyway, theoretically speaking, this place could be an Irregular Dungeon."

Gulp.

Henry's Adam's apple bobbed. Catching this, the senior's eyes curved into crescents. Teasing a cowardly rookie was a specialty of seniors everywhere.

"An Irregular Dungeon is far more dangerous than a regular one. I told you, it's a dungeon whose mana can't be identified from the outside. Why do you think that is?"

"You just said it was unidentifiable..."

"Ugh, you blockhead! I meant there's no official consensus, but there are plenty of theories. Do you know what the most prominent theory put forward by the Subjugation Guild is? Mana concealment. Concealment."

"Concealment?"

"Yeah. What if a dungeon boss can hide the dungeon's mana? That would mean they have some sort of intention. And that, in turn, means the boss is highly intelligent and of a high caliber. In fact, the Irregular Dungeons that have been discovered turned out to be part of the 72 Dungeons—and high-ranking ones at that."

"The 72 Dungeons!"

The 72 Dungeons, known as the origin of dungeons and the public enemy of humanity. If young children feared the boogeyman, the 72 Dungeons were an object of terror for everyone, regardless of age or gender. Henry's already pale lips trembled. If this place really was an Irregular Dungeon... wouldn't that also mean it was one of the 72 Dungeons?

"If this is an Irregular Dungeon, we're all dead meat. We'll probably all die screaming. Well, if you cried loudly when you were born, you might as well go out the same way."

"That's enough, Jack. You're taking the joke too far with a kid who just joined."

"Yeah, yeah. Looking at his face, if I keep going, he's going to wet himself."

Clank, clank.

Just then, a metallic clanking echoed from an untraceable source. It wasn't a noise made by them, but a sound coming from deep within the darkness beyond.

"Shh!"

Starting with the captain at the front, the members noticed the suspicious presence one by one. The vice-captain extinguished the torch and lit a small flame in a lantern. As he extended his arm toward the darkness ahead, everyone froze in place.

Full-body armor of ink-black iron, blending perfectly with the shadows. A skeletal face instead of a human one.

As the Death Knight turned its head, a chilling, razor-sharp light flared from its eyes.