WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 16: Let's At Least See Who They Are
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Several weeks had passed since Isabella settled in the dungeon to repay her debt.
She didn’t show it, but Isabella felt the time she’d spent here was more than she deserved.
‘I was a member of a weak race driven out in a territorial dispute, only to wake up as a minion of an Abyssal Palace?’
Wasn’t it like rising from a slave to a servant in a duke’s household overnight?
Instead of repaying their debt, Isabella and her companions felt as though they were the ones receiving more.
The Boss was incredibly strong, which filled them with pride. They were also treated well, so their days had been satisfying.
They weren’t worked to the bone. Because it was an Abyssal Palace, it was safe. Every so often, they could even drink human blood.
Aside from the adjutant being a little frightening, it was practically paradise.
That paradise, however...
“Grrr...”
“Eek!”
The instant Isabella met a Werewolf’s eyes, she reflexively looked away.
Look at those bloodshot eyes. What is that thing? It’s terrifying.
Looking around, she wondered if this really was their dungeon.
She knew support had arrived from the Castle Full of Lust. She also understood why that had been necessary.
‘Still, this is too much.’
Simply sharing a space with them made it hard to breathe.
They might be treated as fodder mobs in their own dungeon, but if that dungeon was a Rank 6 Abyssal Palace, that changed things.
Every last one of them possessed enough strength to tear the likes of Isabella apart.
‘I’m a True-Blood Vampire, you know.’
A True-Blood Vampire was supposed to be able to scoff at most things. So why was it hard to breathe here?
Isabella gathered with her companions and shrank into a corner.
They quietly ate, afraid of getting on anyone’s nerves, and even their meal was the corpse of a dead Minotaur.
Pity piled upon pity until tears blurred her vision.
‘Please come back soon, Boss...’
She missed the Boss so much that she even wanted to see the frightening adjutant.
* * *
There were several reasons why the journey by carriage took three days.
A carriage was slower than a single horse. There were also stops for camping and rest along the way.
The destination lay down a long road, so barring any unexpected trouble, it would take three days.
Then how long would it take if a single horse traveled without resting, accepted the risks, and took shortcuts?
“We got here very quickly.”
As it turned out, it took less than half a day.
We had left not long after the sun rose, but it was already dark when we arrived.
The Skeletal Horse was an exceptional steed, and since it was undead, it never tired. It ran at full speed for half a day, and we arrived in six to eight hours.
The creature with zero hearts would have made even Park Ji-sung, famed for having two hearts, weep.
I stopped the Skeletal Horse before the tropical rainforest where the Insects lived.
When I stroked its white mane, it nudged its head against me as if asking for more.
Why was that cute? Had my sense of beauty already turned undead?
“Can you follow me?”
As undead, I could enter the forest without hesitation even at night.
The problem was Charlotte.
Unlike me, Charlotte would be in danger in a forest at night, where she couldn’t see freely.
“I’m accustomed to the darkness as well, so there is no problem.”
Come to think of it, Witches were said to be active when humans went to sleep.
If she was truly nocturnal rather than just figuratively so, she should be fine. By now, her eyes would have fully adjusted to the darkness as well.
“We’ll continue on foot from here.”
Strictly speaking, this was the Insects’ territory.
Outsiders would naturally make them wary, and if we rode around on horseback stirring things up, they could reasonably see us as enemies.
“I’ll restore Golgoli.”
I told her it wasn’t Golgoli, but there she went again.
When Charlotte held out her hand, the Skeletal Horse’s form gradually blurred before sinking into the shadows.
That shadow slowly merged with Charlotte’s shadow as if being drawn toward it.
“Let’s go.”
Charlotte lit the lantern and took the lead.
I hadn’t even said anything, yet she moved of her own accord. I liked that.
‘Her attitude is good, too.’
Charlotte had followed me all the way here without knowing our purpose.
She could have asked what I was thinking, but her blind loyalty kept her from asking.
I had expected as much. Her level was deep green, though it occasionally turned pink.
“Are you not curious why we came here?”
I let Charlotte lead as I followed her into the forest.
The undergrowth and trees of the great rainforest were noticeably richer in greenery and life.
It was the result of nature being preserved without the intrusion of civilization.
Without looking back, Charlotte said, “If it is the Boss’s decision, even harboring doubts would be disrespectful. I will simply do as the Boss commands.”
“Then what do you think of the Insects?”
Since Charlotte would be involved in the plan, she needed to know about them too.
Insects were insectoid monsters roughly the size of humans.
Insect King Balutak belonged to the Insect race. More specifically, they could be divided into beetle-types and arthropod-types, but collectively, they were known as Insects.
“I consider them insignificant and barbaric.”
Just as I thought.
The tropical rainforest inhabited by the Insects lay at the Empire’s southernmost edge. Beyond the sea directly south of it stretched the Demon Realm of the Southern Continent.
Whenever Insects appeared in the game, they were victims nine times out of ten.
Situated between the only two major powers, they often ended up getting crushed between fighting whales.
Before the DLC came out, people viewed them as a race of total pushovers on the same level as Vampires.
‘That changed after Balutak became a Boss.’
The Insects changed completely when their Great Chieftain, Insect King Balutak, became the Boss of an Abyssal Palace.
Their power grew so great that the Spiral Hive of Deceit, despite being one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, became an independent force rather than belonging to the Demon Realm.
It even boasted defenses like an iron fortress without being pushed back by the two great powers. If I recruited them, they would become an enormous asset.
“I think highly of the Insects, who evolve without end. The reason I came here is to recruit them as allies.”
“I do not doubt the Boss’s judgment, but Insects are extremely barbaric. They do not live in colonies, nor do they possess a Hive Mind like Dungeon monsters. Insects are the most difficult monsters to rule over.”
That was true.
The Insects’ way of life was the complete opposite of belonging to a group and living under someone else.
“Insects do not hesitate to kill and even consume their own kind. They seek only Evolution. Even if you recruit them, I believe they will be impossible to control...”
The Insects’ means of survival was barbarity at its extreme.
They pursued endless Evolution, which came with absolute survival of the fittest.
Bring Insects that would even consume their own kind for Evolution into a dungeon? Many had tried, and every attempt had failed.
There was a reason the Insects had remained wild monsters until now.
“I have a plan.”
“Yes. I will follow you.”
Despite the advice she had just given, Charlotte quickly accepted my decision.
Just as expected of a loyal retainer. She would offer advice, but no matter what decision I made, she would support me with all her heart.
“As you know, survival of the fittest is everything to the Insects.”
The logic of strength. That was all there was to it.
“If an overwhelmingly powerful being rules over them, what could even the Insects do?”
“...”
I knew what Charlotte’s silence meant.
The logic of strength wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t entirely right, either. In reality, Charlotte would be ruling them instead of me, but still.
A relationship between ruler and subordinate built on strength alone wouldn’t last long.
“If I want them to become trustworthy subordinates, I need to grant their greatest wish.”
That relationship would only last if it benefited both sides.
What was the ambition the Insects pursued with their lives on the line? Evolution.
“Fortunately, I can grant that wish.”
The Evolution skill I possessed would be an indescribable blessing to the Insects.
“Of course, a large number of Insects would be difficult to control. Their racial traits make them creatures who consume their own kind and lack obedience. But if there are only a few, Charlotte, you should be able to handle them alone. I’ll select only the useful ones, so don’t worry.”
Sorry, but you really would have to handle them alone.
Even at this point in time, Balutak would probably be stronger than me.
Who knew what disaster might happen if I kept someone whose thinking was rooted in survival of the fittest at my side?
If all my weaknesses were exposed, my life as a Death Knight would be over.
‘I need to make the hierarchy clear to them.’
Insects: fodder mobs.
Charlotte: adjutant.
Me: the adjutant’s superior and an untouchable Boss.
As long as that hierarchy was firmly established, I wouldn’t have much to worry about.
“As expected of the Boss. I will follow you with all my loyalty.”
Charlotte nodded, apparently understanding my intention.
After that, we walked without speaking.
There was no reason to make noise, and we stayed alert in every direction in case of an ambush.
About thirty minutes passed before I noticed tracks that appeared to belong to Insects.
Nearby, I also found what looked like Insect droppings.
Charlotte suddenly approached the droppings and crouched down. I frowned without realizing it when I saw her touch them with her fingertips.
She didn’t touch just one pile. She touched every bit of dung scattered around, getting it on her fingertips and rubbing it together.
“For Insect droppings, they are excessively small. Despite their high moisture content, they crumble easily to the touch... There are no recognizable remains of anything consumed within the waste. If they had preyed on wild animals, even fur should have remained.”
“Hmm.”
“The tracks we saw on the way here were faint enough to be difficult to make out. It reminded me of that, so I checked just in case, and it seems I was right. There must be starving or sickly Insects nearby. They have fallen behind in the competition for Evolution, so they will soon die.”
“Kieeek!”
That was when we heard a scream.
I knew the sound from the game. It was an Insect.
Charlotte and I met each other’s eyes and nodded at the same time.
Without needing to say anything else, we headed toward the source of the scream.
To find Balutak, we had no choice but to catch an Insect and get information from it.
“...?”
When we pushed through the dense brush, an unexpected sight unfolded before us.
There was a broad clearing carved out of the forest, where countless Insects were carrying things.
Bricks, ore, lumber, sandbags, stone. Every item was heavy and useful for construction.
Crack!
There were also Beastfolk whipping the Insects as they performed manual labor.
“You bug bastards! Don’t stop working!”
“No time to rest! It all has to be done by tomorrow! No water if you fail!”
It was a scene I had never expected.
No matter how I looked at it, the Beastfolk were using the Insects as slaves.
I had expected an Insect jungle ruled by survival of the fittest. Instead, the truth was a construction site full of Insect slaves being worked to the bone.
‘What the hell is this?’
They were building something in the middle of the jungle.
Judging by its shape, it looked like a pyramid. What were they planning to use it for?
“...Why are the Insects...?”
I completely agreed with Charlotte’s mutter.
She had just been talking about how difficult they were to control, yet we had witnessed them being used as slaves.
The Insects might have been everyone’s punching bags at this point in time, but this went too far.
“Hmm?”
Among the Insects struggling to carry stone, I spotted a familiar figure.
Its face resembled an ant. Its teeth were spider fangs. Its eyes were the size of an ant’s, but up close, they were compound eyes like a dragonfly’s.
The basic foundation was as I remembered, but it was extremely small and lacked body parts it should have possessed.
Normally, it should have had stag beetle chitin for an exoskeleton, a pair of praying mantis forelegs, a hornet stinger on its rear, and dragonfly wings.
Perhaps it was natural for it to look so miserable. Since this was the past, it probably hadn’t evolved much yet.
Thud.
The Insect that appeared to be Balutak staggered and collapsed limply.
Naturally, the stone it had been carrying fell on top of it.
“Kirik... Balutak is tired. Balutak is thirsty...”
The voice was weak, but I heard it clearly.
The moment it called itself Balutak, my guess became certainty.
But it was nothing like the Balutak I knew.
[Lv. 38]
Its level was only 38, lower than mine.
Was this really the Insect King, the nightmare of the DLC whom the community cursed for its difficulty?
It was completely different from what I remembered, as if that overwhelming scale had been fabricated.
Looking at it now, it seemed like a slave I could pick up and raise, but its potential was unmistakable.
“Give me the waterskin.”
“Could it be that you intend to show that Insect kindness?”
“Yes. It said it was thirsty, so we should give it water.”
“The Boss... Even though you are the Boss of an Abyssal Palace, you are so considerate. That is another quality I admire.”
Why was giving it water such a big deal?
How terrible were the other Bosses that I got praised for something like this?
I took the waterskin Charlotte offered and approached Balutak. Then I held it to its mouth and tipped it forward.
Even as water spilled down its face, Balutak gulped it down as though it were rain after a drought.
“W-Water. Balutak will live...!”
“Humans! Humans have invaded!”
The Beastfolk with whips interrupted the stream of water.
Pheee!
At the sound of a Beastfolk whistle as it pointed at us, every Beastfolk turned to look our way.
[Lv. 32]
[Lv. 36]
I had expected the Beastfolk to interfere.
But what were they going to do? They weren’t even level 40. What could they possibly do when level 72 Charlotte stood beside me?
“Charlotte. Deal with them.”
“Yes.”
While Charlotte stepped in front of me, I counted ten seconds in my head.
During that time, magical blasts, Beastfolk screams, and the sound of bodies collapsing mixed together.
Once everything grew quiet, the Beastfolk were lying on the ground as expected. Dear me. Their mouths would freeze crooked if they slept on bare ground.
Bang!
Someone burst out of an annex that appeared to be a rest area.
“What’s all this commotion about?!”
The wolf Beastfolk who appeared late was a staggering level 62.
I would have been tense without Charlotte, but she was standing right beside me.
“...Humans? Was this your doing?!”
The wolf Beastfolk bared their teeth and growled.
Even if Charlotte was overwhelmingly stronger, it was best to avoid a pointless fight.
There was no need to let them mistake us for humans and make them openly hostile.
I also felt stifled, so I casually removed my helmet.
The wolf Beastfolk’s hostile gaze turned puzzled.
“A Death Knight? What is an undead doing here?”
“I’m the one asking questions. What are you using the Insects for?”
“Ha! You dare speak without knowing your place?!”
At level 62, I could see why they would view a Death Knight as nothing.
Awooo!
A wolf’s howl echoed through the night.
One by one, Beastfolk emerged from the brush, as if they had been hiding there.
Perhaps their confidence rose when their pack joined them. The wolf Beastfolk snorted and growled.
“Don’t try anything funny! Take one more step, and I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
The moment those words left their mouth, Charlotte took one step forward.
Just one step, as irritatingly as possible.
Then, as if to show them, she lightly waved both arms.
“My limbs are still attached.”
I would have been furious too.
As expected, the wolf Beastfolk glared at her as if they wanted to tear her apart, grinding their teeth.
“I’ll kill you!!”
With a single leap, the wolf Beastfolk closed the distance and rushed right up to us. At nearly the same time, the other Beastfolk charged.
Charlotte simply flicked her fingers downward.
I had seen that incantation for Charlotte’s signature gravity magic countless times in the game. I had also suffered through it plenty of times.
“Guh...!”
The Beastfolk, including the wolf, were unable to resist as they stuck to the ground like gum.
Even a ten-level difference became enormous among higher classes.
The wolf Beastfolk could not have even served as entertainment for Charlotte.
“You bitch, you’re no ordinary human...!”
“I’m a Witch.”
“Ha! A Witch? I suppose it makes sense that you would become arrogant after getting drunk on such paltry power! Do you even know what you’ve done?”
They were talking tough because they were scared.
I crouched before the wolf Beastfolk and met their eyes.
“Do I need to?”
“...Death Knight. You two could really get yourselves killed.”
“You’ll die before I do.”
I placed my hand on the wolf Beastfolk’s head.
Although my level was much lower than theirs, crushing the skull of a defenseless Beastfolk would be easy.
“Heh... If you aren’t afraid of the consequences, go ahead. Once the Boss arrives, you are both dead.”
“Boss?”
“Yes! Do you see that tower? Of course you do if you have eyes. How could you possibly overlook such a majestic sight? It is one of the 72 Dungeons a mere Death Knight would not even dare look upon!”
The wolf Beastfolk suddenly turned to Charlotte.
“It is one of the 72 Dungeons that humans like you fear so much. You dared to attack one of the 72 Dungeons without a shred of fear. It is already too late for regret. Once that person arrives, you will be devoured alive.”
“What is your Boss’s rank?”
At Charlotte’s question, the wolf Beastfolk laughed aloud.
“Kuhuhu... So you are afraid now? This is the dungeon of Lionheart, the Lionheart King, ranked 14th and renowned even in the Demon Realm. If you value your lives, run while you still can! Though even that will only prolong your lives a little!”
“If it is Lionheart, the Lionheart King, ranked 14th, the dungeon should have been in the Demon Realm. Judging by the fact that it is unfinished, it seems Lionheart intends to move it here.”
The wolf Beastfolk’s eyes widened.
Their expression clearly asked how she could possibly know that.
“And yet, you called my Boss a mere Death Knight. You even threatened to kill the Boss and acted on that threat yourself. At this point, it will be difficult to take your circumstances into account.”
“What? What are you talking about...?”
“As the adjutant of a fellow 72 Dungeon, I witnessed that disrespect. Your Boss will have reason to fear the repercussions once they learn of this.”
“A fellow 72 Dungeon...?”
“Allow me to introduce myself belatedly. I am the adjutant of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss. And...”
Charlotte looked toward me and respectfully gestured with one hand.
“This person is the Boss of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss. My master.”
“...What?”
It was an impersonation, but... Ah, fuck it. Whatever.
At times like this, I had to brazen it out.
I arrogantly raised my chin and spoke.
“Take us to your Boss.”
Let’s at least see who they are.
Footnotes:
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