Chapter 32

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 32

Chapter Title: Chewgan (2)

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Yuben Jericho obtained information about Dreamland from the black merchant.

"A newborn dungeon..."

He never imagined those words could go together.

This was the first newborn dungeon he'd ever laid eyes on in his life.

Sure, they had existed back in the day.

But from some point onward, no more dungeons appeared.

He didn't know the reason.

Only Oblivion, the God of Forgetfulness who created the blessed ones and Dungeon Masters, would know that.

"Hmmm..."

Yuben pondered.

The life of a lord who had everything was so abundant it bordered on boredom.

Ever since becoming a lord, he'd lost any sense of purpose in life. Or rather, that's how it felt. Most scholars claimed that ordinary humans, driven by ambition, dreamed up new goals once old ones were achieved.

Gaining a title higher than baron? Eh.

That didn't appeal to him much.

He didn't want to do it, and it wouldn't be easy anyway.

Ruling the territory was a hassle, but handing the position off to someone else felt like a waste.

The only things that still amused him were women and booze, so he'd delegated full authority to a vassal he trusted and was just coasting along, blowing tax money.

"I want mana stones."

Mana stones.

The most valuable treasure in this world.

A substance close to the Philosopher's Stone itself, usable in virtually any field.

They said that if a human absorbed a mana stone completely, their lifespan would multiply exponentially, like that of a long-lived species.

"Immortality's not bad, turning it into jewelry's not bad, making it into a magic tool's not bad, cashing it in's not bad..."

Beyond just the reward, Yuben wanted to see a dungeon and its Dungeon Master at least once.

He wouldn't have given an old dungeon a second glance.

But a newborn one? That changed everything.

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"Escape scrolls all of a sudden?"

"Yeah."

"We're already broke from pocket money to you, investments in the territory, and bribes to other lords. What do you need escape scrolls for? Space magic escape scrolls have fixed customers among the blessed ones' party members, so they sell to them first, and only leftovers are available to us. But the World Tree Forest is in chaos with dungeon raids right now. The elves have probably bought them all up already."

Yuben stroked his chin.

"Then bribe the elves in the World Tree Forest to buy some back."

"Do you want to see me run away too, my lord?"

"I'll quit women and booze for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while. No more pocket money to me. That should free up enough for two, right?"

His vassal stared at Yuben in shock.

What on earth was this wastrel thinking? It made no sense.

"Thinking of trying a dungeon raid."

"A dungeon raid...?"

Yuben nodded.

"Yeah. I've got motivation for the first time in ages. Feels like it'll be fun."

"Your eyes do have that spark again. It's been a long time."

His vassal figured a dungeon raid was more productive than whoring and drinking.

He promised to somehow procure the escape scrolls.

"Oh, and muster the knights too."

"We don't have knights in our territory."

"...Then pick some soldiers who can actually fight."

"Why not hire a blessed one instead?"

"Are you nuts? They'd tell me to get out of the dungeon."

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Yuben decided to scout first before full preparations.

He could always walk out in half a day without scrolls.

"The Forest of Life is really quiet, huh?"

The infamy of the Branded Elves was well-known even in the West Kingdom.

Apparently, Julius had been killed by a heroic security officer from the South Kingdom.

Anyway.

That wasn't the point.

True to the black merchant's word, there was a dungeon called 'Dreamland' on the outskirts of the Forest of Life.

"Hmmm... You found it well."

Fortunately, word about the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dungeon hadn't spread.

Was the South Kingdom keeping it top secret?

Nah.

There weren't even soldiers around, so the atmosphere didn't suggest that.

And the Forest of Life wasn't that close to the South Kingdom anyway.

"They must not have spotted it on the outskirts yet... No, maybe that security officer who killed Julius did something."

Still, no one seemed about to barge in right now.

Confirming that was enough.

Yuben entered the entrance to Dreamland.

And then.

As he gazed at the pristine white corridor stretching endlessly,

"Hoo."

His interest ignited further, like an explorer discovering the New World.

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Yuben was the type who had to possess anything that caught his eye to feel satisfied.

It was true of his lordship, treasures, family, booze, and women.

His greed was bizarrely intense—one flick of the switch, and he'd trade his life for it.

Though he'd lose interest and discard them after getting them.

Right now, that didn't matter to Yuben.

He knew it was a bad habit.

Even if he poured everything into obtaining something without regard for means, he'd end up throwing it away like trash. What could be more pointless?

But.

"If a big-assed, big-titted woman shakes her hips right in front of you, holding back wouldn't make you a man."

Dreamland was a new treasure that captivated him.

Probably the most valuable thing he'd ever wanted.

The moment he stepped inside, he felt an indescribable emotion.

The pristine white corridor, the unfamiliar lighting structure, the straight endless passage.

Gazing at the bizarre, unsettling space, Yuben marveled.

And rightly so—Dreamland was like a work of art.

How could this endlessly empty, meaningless, ephemeral space look so beautiful?

Now he wanted Dreamland more than mana stones.

"But I hear extracting mana stones from a dungeon makes the whole dungeon vanish. Does killing the Dungeon Master have no effect?"

While his vassal scrambled for escape scrolls, Yuben quickly gathered info on dungeons.

He didn't want to lose this treasure to his own mistake.

There had been plenty of dungeons as research subjects in the past.

Studies were far more active back then.

Yuben asked an acquaintance mage for related documents and started reading.

"......"

It wasn't practical stuff ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like blessed ones' strategy guides—"This dungeon has these traps and minions, the Dungeon Master uses these abilities."

"Dungeons grow stronger by feeding on intruders. Dungeon Masters can create lifeforms, like the God of Forgetfulness in legends. Killing the Dungeon Master doesn't affect the mana stone or dungeon, but taking the mana stone causes both to vanish."

A bit more general and fundamental.

Yuben kept reading.

"Dungeon Masters have no memories. Dungeon Masters cannot leave the dungeon. Dungeon Masters, like the blessed ones, have means to communicate with all Dungeon Masters in the world."

Cannot leave the dungeon.

Makes sense—no reports of Dungeon Masters leading armies to invade.

No worries about reinforcements.

"Dungeons are multidimensional composite spaces, so escape... What the hell does that even mean?"

Mages always spouted difficult nonsense.

Yuben flipped the document.

"Dungeons each have unique characteristics."

Yuben thought.

If that pristine white corridor represented the dungeon's trait...

"Hmm."

Couldn't get a read on it.

Well, he'd figure it out once inside.

Yuben returned to his mansion.

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"You got four escape scrolls?"

"Yes. So don't die—grab the mana stone and come back to invest in the territory."

"That's tricky. Now I want the whole dungeon."

"What kind of idea is that?"

"Go see it yourself. It's genuinely the most beautiful place in the world. After killing the Dungeon Master, drain its fluids, stuff it, and display it—no treasure could top that."

"Like an insect specimen? Unbelievable. Since when did you have such an artistic soul, my lord... You'll do whatever anyway, no matter what I say. Go ahead."

Yuben pocketed the escape scrolls.

Four chances.

More than enough for raiding a dungeon not even half a year old.

"So, who's useful for scouting?"

"They'll be here soon."

True to his vassal's word, people arrived.

But Yuben's twitching eyes suggested he wasn't pleased with the lineup.

"You joking?"

"Why?"

"Does our territory really lack talent? They all look like weaklings. Even for a newborn dungeon, this is bad. We'd get wiped instantly."

At the lord's shout, the armed soldiers looked dejected.

The vassal cleared his throat awkwardly.

"...They're top-tier in our territory."

"Sigh. I heard wandering knights are around nearby. Hire them and bring them along."

"Talking like money's no object."

"Sell the women I was playing with."

"I'll go calculate roughly how much we'll get from selling them to the black merchant versus what we've spent maintaining them so far."

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He couldn't hire all the wandering knights.

Money aside, bringing in too many outsiders to turn the tide was a last resort.

He might lose control.

Two would be just right.

Bringing along two wandering knights wasn't hard.

Advance a hefty sum, promise even more upon safely finding mana stones.

"We'll take the offer."

"A dungeon... First time stepping into one, but a newborn? Sure."

Of course, he didn't fully trust the wandering knights.

Treasures turned people's eyes; no one could predict the future.

'Gotta keep an ace up my sleeve.'

Yuben acquired deadly poison.

And finally, a 3rd Circle fire mage useful for mapping the dungeon and combat versatility.

"Good."

Scouting team, supplies, escape scrolls.

And goal—all set.

Yuben headed to Dreamland with confidence.

Damn it.

What new tactic was this?

I'd developed a new worry lately.

Someone obsessively commenting on my posts like this "love" character.

A human with seriously unsettling fixation had entered the dungeon.

So I posted a comment seeking advice from "love," who was always lurking in Dungeon Gallery 24/7.

What.

Ant Queen replying to my casual post.

Scumbag.

Before becoming a Dungeon Master, I'd crossed paths with a lot of high-and-mighty types, and we didn't part on good terms.

The nobles I'd met were mostly scumbags. Sigh, looks like this one's no different.

Scumbags have ranks, though.

My old boss from two jobs ago, who made me work overtime daily with "This is just your duty to the company, you're the one fucking it up causing overtime, why should we pay extra?"—that guy's solid C-rank scumbag.

So a scumbag who killed his own siblings to become lord? At least A-rank, several times worse than that old boss.

Of all things, a highly ambitious scumbag ruthless enough to kill family for his goals enters my dungeon.

Fuck.

Got me down.

Lords usually had lots of underlings.

What if he comes at me with human wave tactics?

My dungeon's weak to numbers.

Whew.

Mentally unstable episode again.

This is the last time.

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"Ah?"

Thinking about it, yeah?

This situation might be manageable depending on how it plays out?

I'll think about that one a lot.