WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 36: Do You Think Seven Palaces of the Abyss (Not Really) Is Funny?
──────
Blue flames along the banquet hall walls illuminated the room.
They cast only a dim light while creating a uniquely terrifying atmosphere.
[Lv. 69]
[Lv. 71]
[Lv. 74]
[Lv. 78]
[Lv. 81]
[Lv. 86]
Everyone here felt nothing but fear, wariness, and hostility toward me.
Rather than their colors, I focused on their levels.
Anyone above level ninety would undoubtedly be the boss of an Abyssal Palace.
‘...I guess there aren't any?’
I'd prepared for every possible way of carrying myself, yet not one of them was here.
It was a relief, but somehow a letdown too.
Rumble.
Brion closed the door and followed us inside.
I looked at Brion and asked, “What about the other Seven Palaces of the Abyss?”
“My apologies, but the Lords of the Abyss have only stated their intention to attend the Roundtable Meeting.”
I understood why without needing an explanation.
The ball was for bosses who needed factions to strengthen their connections. The auction was being held under the Merchant Association's contract for hosting the gathering.
Both were nothing but a waste of time to the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
‘So the Roundtable Meeting is the real focus.’
The ultimate purpose of gathering the 72 Lords was the Roundtable Meeting.
Their sense of superiority probably played a part too.
Something like, We are the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. Why would we attend a banquet with riffraff like you?
Either way, I was the only one from the Seven Palaces of the Abyss here.
I was already someone to watch out for, and I was also the only one from the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
There was a reason every gaze was focused solely on me.
‘I should've attended only the meeting too.’
Maybe this had been the Merchant Association's intention all along.
I'd heard that I was the star of this Assembly in many ways.
From the Merchant Association's perspective, it would be ideal if I showed my face at the banquet hall from the start.
I hadn't asked when the other Seven Palaces of the Abyss would attend, and the Merchant Association had no obligation to tell me something I hadn't asked about.
‘If I complain now, I'll just look petty.’
It wasn't like they'd neglected some duty. They hadn't exactly deceived me either.
If anyone was at fault, it was me for not being thorough enough.
I'd stupidly fallen into a trap without even bait.
Now that I was already here, I couldn't exactly turn back.
With Charlotte and Balutak at my sides, I walked farther inside.
Every gaze in the hall followed my movements.
“Is that Death Knight the master of the new Abyssal Palace?”
“It doesn't look like much....”
“It's one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. How could the likes of us possibly know?”
“I heard it killed Hero Wilhelm. Would you like to go speak with it?”
“I'll pass. How could I approach one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss...?”
Orange and black levels had gathered together, stealing glances at me.
One Elf was even trembling so hard that the hand holding their wineglass shook.
Then I spotted a group silently glaring at me from beyond the darkness.
Every one of their levels was pale red. Hostility.
‘Gergoer's faction? Or maybe Kalandas's faction.’
At least none of them had murderous intent.
Then again, showing murderous intent toward one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss would have been absurd.
No matter where I looked, I couldn't find a single pale green level.
I thought Rose Sha's faction, which was friendly toward me, would be different, but I was wrong.
I could understand it to some extent. Even if their faction leader said she was fond of me, they had never seen me before.
On top of that, they had heard I'd killed the twenty-first-ranked boss. If I were them, I'd have been wary or afraid too.
“Neither of you leave my side.”
The two of them were the only ones here I could trust.
“Kirik! Got it!”
“Thank you for worrying about us.”
Actually, I said it because I was worried about myself, but whatever.
We had barely entered when someone began walking toward me.
A fox Beastfolk in a gorgeous dress. Judging by her seven tails, she was a Seven-Tailed Fox.
A wolf Beastfolk and another fox Beastfolk accompanied her on either side.
“It's an honor to meet the master of the new Abyssal Palace.”
All three bowed at once.
[Lv. 73]
A level seventy-three Seven-Tailed Fox was probably a boss ranked in the twenties.
She wasn't even green, only black, yet she had boldly approached me.
“This girl is Mijo, the twenty-seventh-ranked Lord.”
Her intentions were obvious. She wanted to build connections with the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
Like Succubi, Seven-Tailed Foxes were masters at charming others.
She probably had some expectations too. Maybe she thought her beauty could seduce even the master of the new Abyssal Palace.
But I was a eunuch undead, and I'd even endured Rose Sha's seduction, which was incomparable to this girl's.
‘Does she think I'm a pushover?’
Cold air poured from my mouth as I brought my face closer.
The Seven-Tailed Fox flinched and leaned back. Her black level darkened further, blending into the darkness like camouflage.
“I-I'm sorry. I'll leave....”
I hadn't even said anything, but the Beastfolk fled in a panic.
The example must have worked well, because no more bosses approached me afterward.
Even those who had openly stared now only stole glances from the corners of their eyes. Whenever their eyes met mine, they quickly looked away.
‘So what do I do now?’
If I made friends with just anyone, I'd be the only one at a loss.
Just as I considered standing here and keeping up appearances...
‘Well, well?’
The red-level group was still glaring at me with shining eyes.
Did they think they had nothing to fear as long as they were together?
The Troll Shaman in the center of the group was surely what they relied on.
[Lv. 86]
Its level alone made it clear that it was ranked eighth.
The eighth-ranked boss I knew wasn't a Troll, but a Twin-Head Ogre.
Compared to the player's starting point, this was the past. Naturally, there could be bosses I didn't know about.
‘That one's going to get exterminated soon.’
The fact that I had never seen it before practically meant it would be exterminated before long.
There was no reason to fear a faction whose leader would soon disappear.
The moment I decided that, I glared back at them.
Our gazes clashed in a silent battle of nerves.
Even if I had killed one of their faction members, I couldn't understand how they could maintain that attitude in front of one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.
Did they have backing I didn't know about? Or was their faction larger than I imagined?
“You there.”
“Y-Yes?”
I stopped a Vampire boss who was passing by and asked, “Is that faction large?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, the Vampire hesitated before answering.
“W-Well, it isn't particularly large, but it is a subordinate faction.”
“Subordinate?”
“Yes. I heard they recently entered under the fifth-ranked Lich King's banner....”
So that was it.
They were already part of Kalandas's faction, which was hostile toward me. Their hostility toward me would only strengthen the bonds within the faction.
Only one day had passed since I killed Gergoer, so they couldn't have joined Kalandas's faction that quickly.
The timing had simply overlapped perfectly. In a good way for them, and a bad way for me.
The hall had grown quiet enough that I could hear their whispered conversation.
“Lady Babayaga, there's no need to do this here. Save it for the Round Table.”
“More importantly, the rumors were true. To think the adjutant of the Abyssal Palace is human.”
“She really doesn't know her place. Not even a half-human, half-demon person, but a human? Isn't that tarnishing the dignity of the Abyssal Palace?”
The Orc's last words seriously irritated me.
I didn't even put my hand on the sword hilt.
Shing!
The Holy Sword drew itself and shot toward the group at terrifying speed. No one could react before its tip stopped right in front of the Orc's eyes.
Thud!
Without realizing it had stopped, the Orc sprawled onto the floor.
I slowly walked over.
The faction bosses openly took defensive stances, but I didn't care.
Standing before me, the Orc swallowed hard.
“Your rank and name.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I told you to state your rank and name.”
“...I'm Brutalgrim, ranked thirty-fourth.”
Seeing that Brutalgrim was level sixty-eight, I had expected as much.
A mere thirty-fourth-ranked boss had insulted the Abyssal Palace. Having the fifth-ranked boss behind them must have given them courage they didn't normally possess.
“I'll remember that. I'll stop here, for the sake of this gathering.”
“....”
“Next time, be prepared to have your tongue ripped out. Do you understand?”
“Y-Yes. I won't do it again....”
I sheathed the Holy Sword and glanced at Babayaga, the leader of the faction.
Her face made it obvious that she was at a loss for words. It seemed she hadn't expected even one of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss to act this unreasonably.
Your group will disappear soon anyway. And even if you didn't, I would've done this.
You should've watched who you insulted.
This was a place to socialize, so physically threatening them would only hurt me.
They were probably thinking the same thing.
For now, they would bottle up all their dissatisfaction, then pour it out passionately at the Roundtable Meeting.
With the other Seven Palaces of the Abyss there, they would likely use them, especially Kalandas, to pressure me politically.
I had already prepared countermeasures in my head, so I wasn't too worried.
When I returned, Charlotte spoke with a gloomy expression.
“I'm sorry. It feels like I'm causing nothing but conflict....”
“It doesn't matter.”
Someone picked a fight with Charlotte, and I used it to display my authority.
It was a scenario I had planned in advance, so it didn't bother me.
People around me might think I was a lunatic, but they were more likely to see me as a tyrant.
There was only a fine line between a lunatic and a tyrant. Yet the difference in weight they carried was enormous.
‘Still, that bastard Kalandas.’
One reason he had taken on subordinate factions probably had to do with me.
The Awakened Holy Sword. It seemed he was expanding his faction because he was wary of it.
Things had gone this far, so I needed to start considering joining Rose Sha's faction.
I would feel more secure if I had not only allies connected through a faction, but also bosses I had personally built relationships with.
That was actually why I had come here.
‘I should build connections with promising lower-ranked dungeon bosses.’
I remembered every boss in the 72 Dungeons with high potential.
How had I figured out that potential?
The rankings of the 72 Dungeons were fluid, and the lower ranks constantly changed places.
To study that closely, I had an account slot where I never touched the dungeon conquest content and simply left it alone.
Over a long period, I had learned their potential through the dungeons' natural rank fluctuations.
This dungeon started at rank fifty, but later rose into the thirties. Things like that.
I hadn't become a thirty-thousand-hour veteran for nothing.
I'd tried all sorts of things in <72 Dungeon Strategy Record>.
This was the past, but not that far in the past.
Unlike Babayaga, I believed there would be promising bosses I remembered.
I scanned the room expectantly, and my gaze soon stopped at a corner.
[Lv. 44]
A level too low to believe she was a boss. Its color was darker black than anyone else's.
At first glance, she looked like a human girl who was just about to undergo her coming-of-age ceremony.
If it weren't for the small horns at the back of her head, I would've mistaken her for a human.
She had her back to me, but the horns stood out despite their small size.
‘Estigel, the half-human, half-demon person.’
She was actually my top recruitment target.
Estigel started at rank seventy-two, then soared all the way to rank ten by the end.
If I took her in and protected her dungeon well, a future top-ten boss would become my ally.
The one unfortunate thing was that she was a half-human, half-demon person.
Approaching her alone would naturally damage the dignity of the Abyssal Palace.
Future-oriented practical gains were important, but so was my reputation. Otherwise, Rose Sha's faction might not even accept me.
I ran the numbers in my head, weighing whether I should endure a little humiliation to bring Estigel over to my side.
Babayaga, currently ranked eighth, was level eighty-six.
By comparison, I remembered Estigel in her Complete Form, a tenth-ranked boss, being as high as level eighty-eight.
Because she was a one-person army, a Single-Entity Dungeon.
‘All I need is to get her to like me, so this is easy too.’
Being a Single-Entity Dungeon also made her easy to handle.
If I brought her in, the dungeon itself would be on my side without any troublesome underlings.
‘My adjutant is human too, so it should be fine.’
After making up my mind, I headed toward Estigel.
Her extremely dark black level bothered me a little, but I could just talk things out nicely.
The moment I approached, I placed a hand on her shoulder. A startled tremor traveled through my fingertips.
Creak, creak.
Estigel turned around unnaturally, like a wooden puppet.
The moment I saw her face, I was startled.
For some reason, it was covered in tears and snot.
“P-Please, just spare my life....”
What had I even done?
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
