Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster - Chapter 13

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈

Chapter 13: If You're Buying the Game, the DLC Is Essential Too

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Sinister death energy settled around Kalandas. The epithet “the embodiment of death itself” certainly suited someone who brought death wherever he went.

In the game, Kalandas's aura inflicted a debuff on the living that made even moving difficult.

It was only natural for Charlotte to tremble, her face pale.

But it didn't work on someone who was already dead.

If I were still alive, I might've been shaking so badly I'd lose my mind. But I was undead now.

"Lich King. Not everything can go your way."

"...."

"If you want to set things right, get out of my sight this instant. Otherwise, come at me prepared to die. I'll meet you with every intention of killing you."

To him, I wasn't just the low-ranking Rank 7 Abyssal Palace boss.

I was the Rank 7 boss who had killed a Hero in a single blow.

Buoyed by that thought, I put some method acting into my bluff.

Then Kalandas's blue eye-fires went out for a moment.

Was he trying something? Had he lost consciousness? All kinds of thoughts crossed my mind.

His level color remained orange, so it didn't look like he intended to kill me.

To be honest, even if he did, there was nothing I could do. I would just die helplessly without even being able to struggle.

When the blue flames returned, I lifted my chin as though I didn't care.

"Is that human so precious to you?"

He's just talking tough because he's scared.

"Otherwise, there'd be no reason for this."

"...I'll stop."

Kalandas slowly withdrew his hand.

"I came without warning and acted discourteously."

"I don't need an apology. Go back."

"Yes... Staying any longer would only make things uncomfortable."

Whoosh!

Kalandas's shadow rapidly spread, covering every spot where the undead stood.

Charlotte flinched, but I merely watched without moving.

I knew it was the return animation I'd seen to death in the game, so I could pretend to be calm.

The undead army dug into the ground as if digging their own graves, then slipped into the Lich King's shadow all at once.

Only after retrieving every undead did Kalandas restore his shadow to its original state.

"I thought we could have had a good relationship. I suppose I was mistaken."

"So did I."

"Don't place too much trust in humans. They're a treacherous lot."

"Thanks for the advice."

I got it, so shut up and leave already.

Perhaps he sensed what I was thinking, because a violet portal opened before Kalandas.

"Oh, right."

He could've just left, yet he had to get in one last word.

"My wish for you to join my faction hasn't changed. Don't dwell too much on what happened today."

"...."

"There will soon be a 72 Boss Convocation. The New Seven Palaces of the Abyss have been established, so I suppose it was only natural."

"So?"

"It's nothing. I just hope we can meet with smiles then."

With that, Kalandas stepped into the portal.

Even so, I didn't let my guard down until it vanished.

I thought he might be trying to lure me into lowering my guard, then suddenly leap out and attack.

He probably wasn't that unreasonable, but there was no harm in being careful.

[Lv. 93]

Just before he left, his level color changed for an instant to the black that signified terror.

...I must've seen that wrong, right? I was actually the one who was scared.

Fortunately, the portal vanished without anything happening, and I let out a breath of relief. Cold vapor poured endlessly from my mouth, as if I'd been holding dry ice inside it.

'I thought I was going to die....'

Honestly, I didn't have even the slightest desire to get close to Kalandas.

Maybe that would change later, but that was how I felt now.

'Still, a 72 Boss Convocation....'

Among the Seven Palaces of the Abyss alone, there were six beings capable of killing me as easily as breathing.

I had been placed in a position where I had to stand shoulder to shoulder with monsters like them.

The reality of it hit me all over again, and I kept sighing like a chain smoker.

My thoughts were interrupted when Charlotte approached me.

"...."

Charlotte silently moved her lips.

Her usual blank expression had returned, but I could glimpse the feelings beneath it. She looked too sorry to even say a word.

Well, she had caused me to make an enemy of a high-ranking Abyssal Palace boss. It was understandable.

[Lv. 72]

I was about to speak first when I saw her level and flinched.

It was such a deep pink it was nearly hot pink.

...There it was again. That bone-freak Witch.

'Her face is pretty, at least.'

Looks-wise, she blew all the official heroines out of the water. It was her personality that put me off.

Thud.

Charlotte dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground.

It happened so suddenly that I was caught off guard. Was she going to bow because she couldn't put it into words?

I appreciated the sentiment, but this was only making me uncomfortable.

"Get up."

"...."

"I said, get up."

"...."

Perhaps she felt too sorry to raise her head. She only kept her forehead pressed to the ground.

About a minute passed before Charlotte finally rose. Even then, she kept moving her lips without saying anything.

To show that I understood she'd been through a lot, I placed a hand on Charlotte's shoulder.

As I naturally lowered my gaze, I noticed the damp dirt beneath us.

It was where Charlotte had pressed her face to the ground... Looking at it now, maybe she'd done that to hide her tears.

'She cried. She really cried.'

I considered teasing her for bawling to lighten the mood. Then I decided against it, since it would make me lose my dignity as a boss.

"Rest."

Pat, pat. I patted her shoulder and walked past Charlotte.

I needed some time alone too, if only to clear my head.

* * *

The Merchant Association had already left, and there had been no retaliation from Kalandas.

Peace came after a storm had swept through.

"Adjutant, some blood, please...."

"Shut up before I break your fangs. I feel like I'm going to become anemic because of you."

Even while watching their ridiculous little skit, I couldn't simply relax.

The 72 Boss Convocation. If I wanted to hold on to my Rank 7 position among those monsters, I needed a plan of my own.

The reason for the convocation was obviously the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss. If I, the new boss, refused to attend, I wouldn't be able to avoid the scrutiny of the 72 Dungeons.

But attending without a plan was bound to end in disaster.

It was a truly shitty situation, but I had crossed the point of no return long ago.

"You seem deeply worried."

It was Charlotte, who had approached without my noticing.

Her level had returned from hot pink to dark green.

It was probably the same thing again. Something like, 'I'm human, so I can't admire my lord!'

"Though it may be presumptuous, I may be able to help in some small way."

She must've assumed I was worried about Kalandas, because she was openly showing concern for me.

Kalandas was part of it, but only a small part.

Seeing the Seven Palaces of the Abyss in person had made reality sink in.

I was in a position where I had to stand beside monsters like them.

Could I protect my life among them through empty bluster alone? No chance.

I also couldn't rely on Enhancement forever.

If I left my life to luck, sooner or later I would suffer a serious blow.

'I need another useful card besides Enhancement.'

There was one key to securing stability against the 72 Dungeons internally and the Extermination Party externally.

The dungeon's forces needed to become as strong as the true Seven Palaces of the Abyss.

Only then wouldn't the other members of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss suspect me, and only then could I withstand the Extermination Party.

"Charlotte. From an adjutant's perspective, how would you assess our dungeon's forces?"

"Considering we bear the name Abyssal Palace, aside from the boss, we are essentially an open door."

"Why are you excluding yourself?"

"I do not measure up even to the boss's toes. Without the boss, this dungeon could collapse overnight."

"...Then reinforcing our forces is urgent."

"Yes. We have been urging the Merchant Association to supply monsters, but...."

The way she trailed off told me there had been no progress.

Right. Ordinary methods wouldn't make us into a real Abyssal Palace.

Unless I used an extraordinary method.

And I wasn't an ordinary player.

'Who am I? A thirty-thousand-hour veteran of 72 Dungeons.'

Since it was a fairly successful game, <72 Dungeon Strategy Record> naturally had DLC content too.

The bosses introduced in the DLC were the bosses of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss.

In other words, they were the Abyssal Palace bosses who replaced the existing members of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss after players cleared them.

Charlotte had told me that this was the past, and I had already figured out the current date.

It was October 21, Year 467 by the Imperial Calendar.

At the same time, I recalled when the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss bosses I had seen in the setting book were supposed to appear.

Judging by that timeline....

'They'll become bosses in less than ten years.'

According to the official timeline, six of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss would be established over roughly five to eight years.

Of course, with no players around, things might remain unchanged.

Even so, the DLC bosses' potential, the potential to become members of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, wouldn't simply vanish.

There were two ways the bosses of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss could be born.

The first was for a Dungeon Core to emerge first, then create an entirely new monster.

The second was for a Dungeon Core to draw in a high-potential monster it detected nearby and make it into its boss.

Three of the six New Seven Palaces of the Abyss bosses were the first kind. That meant they hadn't even been born into the world yet.

In other words, the other three were living somewhere with that gem-like potential inside them.

'And I happen to have the skill Evolution.'

If I recruited those three to my side and evolved them, it would be like gaining an army of champions.

Of course, they wouldn't become as powerful as they had been when they were Abyssal Palace bosses in the DLC.

No matter how much I evolved them, it couldn't compare to an Abyssal Palace Dungeon Core causing them to awaken as bosses.

'Still, they'll be insanely strong.'

Their potential was enough to become Abyssal Palace bosses. What more was there to say?

My top priority had been decided. I would bring the future Abyssal Palace bosses from the DLC over to my side.

Recruiting them wouldn't solve everything, though. What good were absurdly powerful subordinates if I was weak?

I didn't know yet, but let's say I could level up.

Could I take leveling to its limit and become as strong as an Abyssal Palace boss?

It would probably be difficult even if I spent centuries on it. There were inborn limits.

Each class had a level cap, and I remembered that an undead body could only reach level 80 at best.

There was a reason Undead Difficulty was so brutal.

What if I reached the level cap, then spent centuries mastering swordsmanship and magic? Even then, I wouldn't even come close to the Abyssal Palace monsters.

'I need to find the fastest possible method.'

Now that I had made an enemy of the fifth-ranked boss, I had a fire under me.

I needed to reinforce the dungeon's forces and strengthen myself as soon as possible.

Was there anything?

Some effortless way to grow stronger quickly, like in any fantasy novel.

It would be even better if it were a hidden piece that only I knew about at this point.

The DLC had an answer for that too.

There were two DLCs in the game. The first DLC, as I had just mentioned, was themed around the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss.

The second DLC was themed around Ancient Dungeons.

Ancient Dungeons buried beneath the sands, the origins of the 72 Dungeons.

Absorbing the Dungeon Cores sleeping within them would let me grow stronger in a short time.

It wasn't completely effortless, since the process was quite arduous.

Despite being called Ancient Dungeons, countless traps still functioned within them, along with many powerful Keepers. That was probably why they were DLC content in the first place.

Even if I knew every trap, the monsters would be a problem.

Who would deal with those?

'The future Abyssal Palace bosses, of course.'

And then.

"Charlotte. How far are you willing to go for me?"

"Though insignificant, I wish to be of help even if it costs me this one life."

Satisfying.

A stronger Charlotte and the future Abyssal Palace bosses should be able to clear an Ancient Dungeon.

In any case, my highest priority had been decided.

"Bring me a map of the Empire."

The moment I spoke, Charlotte respectfully held out a map.

...She followed orders fucking fast.