Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Tyr
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This is an old post.
Title: Personal Thoughts While Dealing with Branded Elves... (Long Post, Heavy Reading Warning)
Writer: BangBang Sage
The really creepy part... I'm in the Life Forest dealing with these guys right now.
Honestly, they seemed like total psychopaths with zero guilt.
I'm not expecting any humanity from scum who got cast out by their own kind for heinous crimes.
But they buy human slaves (reason? Fuckin' lol, cheapest option, fair enough) and use them as meat shields.
Hell, they even exploited kids. Seeing that straight-up petrified me...
Bottom line: no morals whatsoever.
They'll do anything for a profit.
Funny for me to say this.
Sure, I'm a Dungeon Master, and I see all creatures outside as potential enemies.
But even I couldn't act like those Branded Elves.
Imagine my dungeon gets wrecked and I have to hand over the magic stone to someone. If it were them? Horrifying thought.
So watch yourselves.
Pray to Oblivion that they stay out of the Life Forest.
Dungeon life fighting!
Let's survive long and prosper!
Life Forest.
Outskirts, Dreamland entrance.
"This is seriously a dungeon showing up."
"Reverio and Gius vanished."
"Obvious they bit it inside. The cockiest assholes around, and their patrol zone was right here."
"Who doesn't know that, dumbass."
"That idiot..."
The Branded Elves gathered at the dungeon entrance.
They stared at the bizarre, ominous thing that resembled the Black Gate from oral traditions.
"Dreamland?"
"Cute name."
"Newborn dungeon. Explains why Reverio and Gius went in. Greedy bastards, always."
Unlike the two elves who died in the dungeon, these guys were different.
They lacked the overconfidence of Reverio and Gius.
The biggest reason was the precedent of those two dying from their selfish bullshit.
"Let's head back. Gotta report to the Elder first."
"He's away."
"Just ask Tyr to relay via comm orb. Dumbass. Why you keep spacing out?"
The Branded Elves returned to the forest's heart.
Reverio and Gius's disappearance. The newborn dungeon.
They relayed everything they'd seen straight to Tyr.
"Confirmed."
Every faction has a leader.
Tyr was the secretary to the Elder, master of the Life Forest.
She contacted the Elder immediately upon hearing the report.
Even with his busy schedule, he always picked up Tyr's calls promptly.
"Yes, yes, yes, confirmed. Yes, I'll rally the team and scout it out properly. Ah, yes, I know we have about three escape scrolls, but... really, it's okay if I use one...? Yes, thank you. I won't disappoint."
Tyr ended the call.
She immediately instructed her subordinate.
"Spread this to everyone with nothing better to do right now. If we clear the dungeon together this time, we'll pay more money than you can imagine."
"Got it."
Dungeon.
In this world, you're an idiot if you don't know the name.
The ultimate treasure trove, self-proclaimed and otherwise, where the greatest prizes sleep.
No one is ignorant of a magic stone's value.
At least not in this forest under the Elder's rule.
Of course, that's because they're proportionally dangerous.
Normally, Branded Elves wouldn't even dream of it.
But Dreamland was a newborn dungeon.
Like how Reverio and Gius were tempted, Tyr and the other Branded Elves were no different.
There was potential.
History proved it.
Not too long ago—short if you're counting—in the era when dungeons first appeared in this world, clearing them was the norm.
Sure, impossible to clear rotten old ones now.
But ravaging a Dungeon Master's lair less than half a year old? Entirely feasible.
Gathering the scouting party was simple.
The Branded Elves thought the same as Tyr.
"Alright. Let's head in."
"Yes."
Tyr first checked the dungeon's max entry limit.
Half a day out was possible without escape scrolls anyway.
She led her subordinates into Dreamland, then out.
Of course, the process wasn't simple or quick.
They camped in unknown spaces.
They checked out that creepy pure-white corridor too.
It took a full week.
Including me, twelve people.
Few, if you think about it.
Many, in another light.
Can we do it?
First dungeon raid ever—hard to estimate.
Escape scrolls are pricey and rare.
Even the money-flush Elder only had three.
Two chances.
The last one? Life on the line.
But.
Tyr's eyes had been clouded by greed for ages.
The other Branded Elves too.
A criminal's life isn't pleasant.
A poor criminal's life? Even less so.
Most are broke.
Their lives used to be decently affluent.
But lately, kingdoms cracking down hard—jobs for Branded Elves drying up.
Life reversal.
Status climb.
How sweet, how priceless those words are.
Every crime carries risk.
Murder, drug dealing—same deal.
Not about guilt.
Get caught someday, life's over.
"Hoo... Let's go."
Tyr grabbed her escape scroll.
Then headed into the dungeon with the Branded Elves.
Dungeon exploration, Day 1.
"This ain't like the first time. Path's blocked, fuck, half a day's gone already..."
"What's that unidentified machine? Never seen that style before—trap?"
『The door is closing.』
Bang!
Just like dead Gius and Reverio.
Tyr's Branded Elf scouting party halted before the rusty elevator.
"Won't even break... This is a problem."
Options outside the elevator were limited.
They gained nothing useful.
Tyr stroked her chin.
It looked uninviting, but no other way.
"Standing guard out here does nothing. We have to go in. First, split into groups of three. Safer moving together than solo."
Secretary to the Elder was a high position.
Top five fingers in the Life Forest, at least.
"Group 1: me. Group 2: Stings. Group 3: Darudan. Group 4: Ray as leaders. Any group volunteering to go first into that machine? Rewards split fair, but in-dungeon performance weighs heavy."
Tyr had charisma too.
Even in this baffling mess, the Branded Elves stayed in line.
"Me and my team will go first."
Darudan raised his hand proudly, already consulted his group.
He was always brimming with confidence.
"Good. Count on you."
"C'mon, lads! Ugh, you scaredy-cats dawdling!"
Darudan snickered at the other leaders.
Thumbs down, jeering—but not fully serious.
"That guy's got no chill."
"Rape's priority one, nutting's priority one, scouting's priority one... From today, your nickname's Fastest Darudan."
"Fuck you, you ever raced me?"
Darudan's antics lightened the mood.
The gloom from the creepy corridor and mystery machine lifted from the blocked party's faces.
Darudan and his group stepped into the elevator without hesitation.
"No issues here?"
"Buttons inside, interior's worn like Darudan's shack. Lucky it's not filthy."
"Dungeon owner's a neat freak..."
Chatting idly, reporting all clear.
Tyr started toward the elevator—but then.
『The door is closing.』
Bang!
It happened too fast for reaction.
The elevator door slammed shut.
Tyr stared blankly ahead.
The display: 1 vanished, new text appeared.
【Capacity Exceeded】
.
.
.
.
.
Crunch!
Crrrrunch!
Crrrrunch!
Blood seeped from the cracks at the same moment.
A grotesque noise echoed from inside.
Like a massive giant chewing.
The roar so immense, screams drowned out.
All stared at the sealed door, chilled to the bone.
『The door is opening.』
The guys inside the elevator were unrecognizable.
Less corpses, more ground meat.
A bead of sweat trickled down Tyr's forehead.
Vomiting sounds from behind.
She took deep breaths, desperately trying to process what just happened.
"What the hell is this..."
Dreamland.
Something wearing the mask of a newborn dungeon.
The fact it was no place for complacency seared into everyone's minds.
A tiny surveillance camera clung to the ceiling.
Silently watching them.
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