Ruler (2)
Ruler (2)
'Dominion?'
As the alarm popped up in my head, I checked the other kids' reactions, and that's when Han-young lifted his hammer with a puzzled look.
"What the hell, it still won't die?"
He poked at the Great Warrior Orc's corpse—its head smashed into pulp—and started tapping it like it was weird.
Thud, thud! The defenseless body couldn't block Han-young's attacks at all, unlike when it was alive.
Its limbs shattered and got crushed so easily that Han-young tilted his head and glanced back.
"Hey, this thing isn't dead?"
"......What are you talking about?"
"It didn't drop a magic stone. Doesn't that mean it's not dead?"
"It's a boss monster...... maybe that's why."
Deokgu said. Meanwhile, I cautiously checked what I could do with the Dominion.
The moment I acquired it, everything I could do naturally bloomed in my mind.
I started freaking out as I reviewed the organized manual.
'No way, this is......'
Dominion was exactly what it sounded like. Dominion over everything below the 10th floor of the dungeon. As I pondered what to do with this insane power, Aram collapsed.
"Aram!?"
Eunha jumped in surprise and supported the class president. Aram's face was flushed, and she was gasping roughly.
The moment I saw her, I remembered how many injuries she'd healed.
One full-body fracture.
Two or three partial fractures.
Even if her abilities strengthened from leveling up and eased the burden somewhat, healing that much meant she'd taken a ton of damage herself.
With that in mind, I realized what I needed to do first with this power.
Rumble......
The dungeon interior started shaking. Then, the spot where the Great Warrior Orc had been collapsed, revealing a massive cylindrical machine.
Deokgu groaned when he saw it.
"......An elevator?"
"Get on."
"Huh?"
"Just get on."
Deokgu sensed something was off when I hopped on without explanation, but with Aram down, he didn't argue and boarded.
Right after all the kids got on, I pressed the single button, and the metal door closed.
A quieter sound came than when it first appeared, and soon after, the entrance opened.
We'd arrived at the 1st floor.
Squelch, squelch......
"She drank the potion, so she'll be fine when she wakes up."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
The priest left those words and exited the mansion. Well, we'd paid a hefty amount in silver coins for the house call, so thanks weren't really necessary.
I glanced at Eunha and Seoyun nursing Aram, then headed out to Deokgu's room.
Deokgu was sitting at his desk in his room, striking a pose like he was waiting for me—an otaku classic, chin propped on steepled fingers.
"Have a seat. Dojin-gun."
"Show-off, as always."
His glasses glinted with reflected light as I sat in the chair prepared for me. The second I did, Deokgu lowered his voice and started setting the mood.
"Dojin-gun. As commander-in-chief of this mansion, I have a duty to know all the information."
"Commander-in-chief? What bullshit......"
"I acknowledge your achievements as the dungeon conquest team leader, but in the mansion, you follow my orders......"
"I'm out?"
"Hey, can't you play along for once?"
Deokgu slumped back in his chair, disappointed, and started wiping dust off his glasses.
"So, what the hell did you do this time?"
"......Do what?"
"That elevator. You did it, right?"
No evidence, but Deokgu had figured it out from the circumstances alone.
Hiding it now that I'd been caught wouldn't mean much, but it was still too big a pie to reveal easily.
I groaned, debating whether to tell him or keep it secret. Seeing me hesitate, Deokgu let out a mocking chuckle.
"...Dude, aren't we friends?"
"......Yeah, friends."
"Then it's a secret so huge you can't even tell your friend? That it?"
"......Yeah."
"And you couldn't hide it properly and got caught by me right away? Man, that's lame. For real."
Deokgu scolded me like he was disappointed, but I ignored him and sank into thought.
He tossed in some advice while watching me.
"If it's too hard for you to say, I get it. But don't forget I can at least give advice."
"......Yeah. Better than me agonizing alone."
I cautiously explained the Dominion I'd gained in the dungeon this time. The authority to rule everything below the 10th floor.
That I'd used it to create a direct passage from the 1st to the 10th floor.
I had no idea why it came to me, but this power was dangerous. Extremely so.
"......Yeah, I get why you didn't wanna say it. The fewer people who know, the better."
"You understand?"
"Gives me a headache... Not how to use it, but how to hide it......"
Muttering that, Deokgu pondered deeply, then gasped and looked at me.
"Hey...... Dojin."
"What?"
"We...... left the elevator there as-is, right?"
"Oh...... yeah."
That's when I realized. Whether we hid this power or not, the changes had already started. And people would have noticed.
"......What do we do?"
"F-First, let's head to the guild? They probably have a grasp on the situation. We can ask what they think."
"......Yeah, okay."
With that, I headed straight to the guild.
"D-Do, Dojin-nim...... You're here......?"
"......You look exhausted."
"Y-Yes...... There was a sudden incident."
Dojin didn't need to hear what kind; her role as his dedicated staff made it obvious. Seeing her thank him for the breather just from his arrival stabbed at his conscience like he had fur growing on it.
Rubbing his aching chest, Dojin played dumb.
"What happened?"
"You haven't been to the dungeon yet today, have you?"
"Oh, yeah. Not yet."
"Then you might not know. The...... dungeon from 1st to 10th floor got integrated."
"......Integrated?"
It was news to him. Dojin figured maybe an elevator to the 10th had been found, speeding up adventurers' progress, or people mistakenly going to the 10th caused more accidents. Something like that.
Reality was crueler.
"Yesterday, a huge cylinder suddenly appeared on the 1st floor... Investigation says it's a direct passage to the 10th floor."
"And?"
"After that passage appeared...... people can meet each other in the dungeon now."
"Isn't that good?"
"No, it's not good at all......"
Pion explained how the direct passage punched a hole through the fourth dimension, creating a straight-line path.
Dojin, who'd heard about the dungeon from her recently, couldn't grasp what was wrong from the explanation alone.
Finally, she grabbed some paper and a pen to demonstrate.
"A while back, I told you the dungeon spreads out in the fourth-dimensional direction, so people can't meet, right?"
"Yeah."
"That passage punched through the fourth dimension like this, making them overlap."
Pion stabbed a pen through three sheets of paper, sticking them perfectly together at the point.
"So...... that means......"
"Now, floors 1 through 10 aren't separate dungeons anymore. People can see each other. Even the darkness blocking visibility is gone......"
"Hmm, still sounds all good."
"Not at all. The massive demand for lowest-grade magic stones people were churning out—we can't keep up anymore?"
"Wait, why......?"
"More people in the dungeon, but monsters stay the same."
More people entering doesn't mean more monsters spawn proportionally. If it did, the dungeon would've exploded from overcrowding.
Dojin understood the aftermath he'd unleashed. From his view, just a direct passage from 1st to 10th floor. To other adventurers, it was cataclysmic.
Adventurers who'd hunted and earned easily would now fight fiercely for scraps.
Some fed up with the competition would aim for the sealed 11th floor like before.
The guild-leeching parasites would get weeded out, leaving only proactive, challenging adventurers.
That's what Dojin had done.
'Good or bad......'
Optimistically, cleaning out stagnant water. Pessimistically, kicking away the ladder. Long-time adventurers' complainers would be thrilled; rookies just starting out would curse him.
Either way, he had to hide his role in this mess.
"......Guess no dungeon today."
"You will?"
"Yeah. Doesn't seem like the time to go."
"Understood...... Actually, it's not bad for you, Dojin-nim."
"...Why?"
"─Because it's just a direct passage straight to the 10th floor, no losses for you, right?"
"Oh, yeah. Right. No loss for me."
Haha, Dojin burst out laughing and stood to leave before Pion sensed anything off. Then he headed back to the mansion.
Pion gazed wistfully at his back, then realized she had to return to hellish work and screamed.
─It's your fault......!
─Why me......?
─Look at your mom acting like that......!
Chatter flies everywhere, shattering noises filling the house.
To the little girl, it all feels like her fault alone.
She knows what to do when she's wrong. She knows it too well.
─I... did wrong.
─Aram? You're awake?
─Don't cry, it's not your fault......
She knows it's not her fault. But she can't help it. Taking blame for what isn't hers sacrifices her self-esteem, but it brings temporary peace.
Sacrificing herself restores household peace, makes everyone happy.
─Our daughter is too kind.
She tried to be kind.
─Good at studies too......
Studied hard.
─Unlike your father, doesn't break mom's heart......
She tried.
But.
How long?
How much longer?
Why only me sacrificing?
Why?
Why?!
Crackle, the world shatters.
She opened her eyes. The mansion ceiling—still unfamiliar after the recent move—came into view.
Her body felt heavy. Not fatigue, actual weight.
Turning her head, Eunha was face-down on the bed, head buried. Seeing that, Aram realized she'd been nursing her.
'Ah, it was a dream.'
She realized. She'd been isekai'd. Became an adventurer fighting monsters, succeeding enough that survival was no issue......
"......Bathroom."
Soon after regaining her senses, the piss from passing out stimulated her.
Carefully rising so as not to wake Eunha, she set foot down. Then, with a jolt of pain, she toppled forward.
"Kyaa-!?"
Bracing for impact, she squeezed her eyes shut. But no pain came, no matter how long she waited.
Curious, she cracked her eyes open to find Dojin grinning, holding her waist.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yeah...... Thanks."
Aram leaned on Dojin to stand slowly. Startled by the scream, Eunha woke and approached.
"Aram, where you going......?"
"Oh, uh... just woke up. Gonna pick some flowers."
"Want me to come?"
"That'd be great."
Dojin handed Aram to Eunha upon hearing that. As she parted from him, Aram felt a twinge of regret.
Her body felt strangely hot. Especially where they'd touched.