Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster - Chapter 41

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈

Chapter 41: The World Keeps Hating on Me for No Reason

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The grand opening cutscene ended, majestic music swelled, and an Abyssal Palace boss monster strode forward.

According to the newbies in <72 Dungeon Strategy Record>, the entrance scenes for the Seven Palaces of the Abyss bosses made their palms sweat.

I could guarantee that the tension I felt right now was no less than that, if not greater.

This wasn’t a game. It was reality. And there were five Abyssal Palace bosses inside.

The doors closed, and I took in the scene before me.

The hall was far wider than I had expected, and so tall I couldn’t even gauge its height.

Countless Lords sat around the enormous Round Table at its center.

Their companions stood solemnly behind them on either side, holding their places.

Among the seats were several that looked nothing like ordinary chairs, each one resembling a monarch’s throne.

There were seven in total. Seats of honor set aside for the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.

My eyes naturally moved from one seat to the next.

The Succubus Queen, gently waving at me.

The Lich King, silently glaring at me with eyes that gleamed like ghost fire.

After passing over those all-too-familiar faces, I looked away.

Thump.

A giant whose slightest movement caused enormous ripples filled my vision.

There was something called cosmic horror. The primal fear people felt when confronted with something too vast for the human mind to comprehend.

I understood exactly what that meant with my entire body. Before him, I was seized by a sense of helplessness, as though my existence had become infinitely small.

[Lv. 94]

He looked about twenty meters tall and took up most of the space by himself.

It was honestly amazing that there was a chair made specifically for someone that size.

Rank 4 of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, the Undergrave Tomb of the Thousand-Year Frozen Tundra. Giant King Dalon.

Dalon’s level was pale green, showing a small degree of goodwill toward me.

That put me a little at ease.

“Is that them? The new Rank 7?”

“Uh-huh! That’s right!”

Beside the Giant King was a man and a woman who stood in stark contrast to Dalon.

Not only were they small, but their mannerisms were incredibly lighthearted.

They clung to each other and giggled innocently, but they sat in seats of honor.

[Lv. 95]

Rank 3 of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, the Twin Star Tower Where Primeval Time Runs Backward. The twin homunculi, Ren and Rin.

Just as I had seen in the game, the two of them strangely shared a single level.

They were less than half my height, but what lay beneath their appearances was probably even greater than the Giant King.

From my perspective, the twins Ren and Rin were the most troublesome opponents to make enemies of.

They could expose my true capabilities by discerning truth from falsehood.

Fortunately, their level was an even deeper green than Giant King Dalon’s, and I swallowed my relief.

A piercing stare made me turn my head to the right.

A woman with sharp eyes was glaring at me from there.

She wore an ink-black dress that blended into the darkness, and her black hair fell to her waist.

The two horns rising from her head resembled a demon’s, yet were somehow different.

She had taken human form through Polymorph, but her hidden nature, including her true form, dwarfed even the Giant King.

[Lv. 97]

Rank 2 of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, the Tenfold Abyss. Dragon Lord Roxanne Dietrich.

My gaze lingered on her level for a moment.

The undisputed strongest person here had a faint red level.

Not caution, but hostility. And the fact that it was Roxanne made it an especially serious threat.

‘...So much for getting treasure from her lair.’

The Tenfold Abyss’s Boss Room was the treasury of the Dragon Lair.

She was strong, but if I got close to her, I could pick up a few scraps too.

Since she treated even artifacts useless to her as old antiques, I had planned to sweet-talk her into giving me at least a Holy Relic... but I had messed up from the very first step.

Right. It had been a hopeless desire from the start.

I should just be glad she didn’t want to kill me.

The other companions of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss ranged from level 80 to level 89.

Needless to say, everyone in the hall was looking at me.

I walked toward the seat of honor at the Round Table, pretending to be calm.

Under all those uncomfortable stares, I leaned back in the empty throne.

Charlotte and Balutak immediately took their places behind me.

“Hi, honey.”

Rose Sha waved gently from diagonally across to my right.

I nodded, feigning indifference.

It hit me again. In truth, I was nothing special, yet I was now sitting on equal footing with the strongest people in the world.

“Everyone is here except the representative.”

A quiet yet majestic voice settled over the hall.

The cavernous resonance beneath its low tone belonged to Dalon.

Because of Dalon’s imposing size, I couldn’t help glancing over whenever he moved even a little.

“Shall we begin the meeting now?”

“Not yet.”

Roxanne crossed her arms with an uninterested expression.

Even the way she crossed her legs seemed to display authority beyond mere arrogance.

No one could question it, since she was the highest-ranked among us.

“We have gathered for the first time in a hundred years. Shouldn’t we follow protocol?”

“Hmm... What do the other comrades think?”

“I feel the same way as our elder.”

“I agree too.”

“You’re all unusually in sync.”

Kalandas and Rose Sha voiced their approval one after the other.

While the Abyssal Palace Lords spoke among themselves, the 72 Lords silently watched the situation.

From what I had seen at the assembly hall, they could not speak unless they were given the floor.

Their throats must have felt dry, and they must have felt suffocated. Even I, seated in a place of honor, felt the same way.

I had no idea where to even look.

I was undead and didn’t need to breathe, yet I felt suffocated anyway.

“I would like us to have a conversation until the representative arrives.”

As Dalon spoke, his golden eyes turned toward me.

Not just Dalon’s. Everyone around the Round Table looked at me.

An indescribable, wordless pressure weighed down on me.

“What, are you going to make Vargoer introduce himself?”

Rose Sha laughed at the end of the question.

I appreciated the help in the hall, but I really wished Rose Sha would shut up right now.

Even staying quiet and putting on a dignified act was making me nervous as hell.

“First, I welcome the birth of a new member of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss. I’m sure everyone at this table feels the same. I’m truly moved to have a new comrade who will fulfill this duty alongside us.”

“...”

Silence added weight to my authority, and it was also groundwork for dealing with truth-detection.

This was exactly when the saying, “If you stay still, you’ll at least avoid half the trouble,” applied.

“I never expected the first member of the New Seven Palaces of the Abyss to be a single entity. They said you killed Balm Monk in one blow without even laying a hand on him.”

“I could do that too.”

Roxanne suddenly cut in, glaring at me as though she wanted to kill me.

From my perspective, I hadn’t done anything, so it felt unfair.

Thinking about Roxanne’s personality, the source of her hostility was simple and straightforward.

She just didn’t like a rising powerhouse.

Dalon cleared his throat and asked, “Sir Vargoer. Could we have a light exchange of questions and answers until the representative arrives? Everyone is quite interested in you.”

After speaking, Dalon moved his golden eyes around. He seemed to be seeking the others’ agreement.

Roxanne gave a small nod, while the twins Ren and Rin nodded so hard it looked as if their heads might come off.

Kalandas and Rose Sha simply watched me in silence.

Dalon looked back at me and smiled with satisfaction.

“I’ve long been curious. How strong is a single-entity Abyssal Palace? I would like to hear your honest thoughts. Assuming you fought each of us one-on-one, how high a rank do you think you could challenge?”

What kind of shitty question was that?

The question was so unexpected that I thought I had heard wrong.

A bad memory from my military service suddenly came to mind.

When I was a new recruit, a senior sergeant nearing discharge had asked me to pick just one person among them I thought I could beat in a fight.

And now I was being asked something similar in this hall, by an Abyssal Palace boss.

The absurdity of it was one thing, but every eye in the seats of honor was focused on me.

Come to think of it, the Seven Palaces of the Abyss belonged to the ranks of the strongest beings in the world.

When it came to strength, they must have possessed immense pride.

Depending on what I said, things were bound to get out of hand. But if I backed down, I would be letting them seize the initiative.

“I heard you already know Rose Sha and the Elder Lich. Could you defeat both of them? Surely you wouldn’t surpass this old man and then challenge the twins and Lady Roxanne...”

“Shut up.”

Roxanne’s eyes sharpened even further.

That glare was aimed at me, not Dalon, who had been speaking.

Why the fuck did she keep picking on me when I was just sitting here?

“He is Rank 7. Have you forgotten my rank?”

“But Lady Roxanne, isn’t he a Single-Entity Dungeon? He seized the Seventh Seat of the Abyss by himself.”

“So?”

Roxanne sprang from her seat.

Click, click.

The sound of her heels echoed through the silence.

She stopped directly in front of me, standing perfectly straight.

“Want to test it right here?”

“...”

With a single gesture from Roxanne, I would burn to death without even ash remaining.

So please, just spare me.

I looked around with that thought in mind, but everyone was only watching with interest, without any sign of stopping her.

Even Rose Sha kept smiling brightly.

Someone fucking stop her.

Rumble─

At that moment, the stone doors opened with perfect timing.

The attention that had naturally focused on me shifted to the silhouette approaching through the doorway.

‘I almost died...’

One sneeze from Roxanne and my body would vanish without leaving even a fragment of bone behind.

I swallowed my immense relief and stared at the approaching silhouette.

They wore a neat suit. Yet the moment I saw their face, instinctive disgust rose inside me.

Their long face resembled an octopus, with five pairs of eyes arranged from top to bottom.

Sticky mucus constantly dripped from more than a dozen tentacles.

“I greet the Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss.”

[Lv. 92]

That octopus head was the adjutant of the first-ranked Old One.

In terms of level alone, they could contend even with the Abyssal Palace bosses.

I was about to turn away because I couldn’t bear to look at that disgusting appearance any longer.

[Old One’s Old Thing (No. 3)]

[Enhancement Chance: 0%]

[※Warning! Applying Enhancement to the target will destroy it without fail!]

[If Enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]

[Would you like to enhance Old One’s Old Thing (No. 3)?]

[YES/NO]

When I first saw it, I was startled. Then I assumed it had appeared because of an item the adjutant was carrying.

But no matter how hard I looked, they weren’t wearing any items, and the notification window had appeared from the adjutant themself.

Now that I looked closer, even their name was Old One’s Old Thing.

Based on the circumstances, the notification window had appeared from the adjutant.

...Why did this work on an adjutant rather than an item?

The chance was 0%, and instead of a rank, it clearly displayed the incomprehensible label No. 3.

No. I knew exactly what that meant.

‘A Holy Relic.’

The Holy Relics I knew of were No. 5 and No. 4.

Those were the Holy Relics I had seen in the Tenfold Abyss and the Empire’s Holy See.

One of the remaining Holy Relics, which had been veiled in mystery, was right in front of me.

And it was a living being, none other than the Old One’s adjutant.

To be honest, I had guessed that the Old One possessed a Holy Relic.

There had been plenty of hints, and it would have been stranger for Roxanne to have one while the Old One did not.

Still, I had never imagined I would see it in a living form, under the title of an adjutant.

More surprising than anything else was that, with one click of Enhancement, the Old One’s adjutant would disappear without a trace.

Of course, I had no intention of using Enhancement like that here.

Either way, the information I learned through Enhancement had to remain a secret.

If I carelessly mentioned it, there was no way it would end well for me.

Once I had shaken off my confusion, the adjutant sat in the empty seat of honor.

Roxanne had returned to her own seat by then and spoke to them.

“It’s been a while, Blizz.”

“It is good to see you. My master asked me to convey their regards.”

“Tell them I’m always doing well.”

The adjutant called Blizz exchanged greetings in rank order.

Watching from right beside them made things awkward for me.

Still, thanks to Blizz, my conflict with Roxanne had been glossed over.

I had almost been in real trouble.

I had only stared blankly into space and kept a straight face, yet Roxanne had gotten worked up and picked a fight with me.

At this point, was I not even supposed to breathe?

‘Ah. I really shouldn’t have come.’

I shouldn’t have come to this gathering at all.

“You must be the Lord of the New Abyssal Palace.”

Blizz had finished exchanging greetings with Rose Sha and approached me.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Blizz, adjutant to the Old One.”

“Good to meet you. I am Vargoer.”

“Please feel free to treat me casually.”

We shook hands briefly, and Blizz returned to their seat.

My eyes unconsciously fixed on the level above Blizz’s head.

The level that had been pure white had turned deep black.

...What had I just done?

Was it a bug? Yeah, it had to be a bug.

I hadn’t done anything, so why would Blizz be afraid of me?

I could understand a faint black. But I had rarely seen black that deep. Compared to that, Blizz’s demeanor was completely calm.

No matter how I thought about it, this had to be a bug.

“Blizz, you...”

Roxanne stared at Blizz with pupils as wide as saucers.

Her eyes were on Blizz, but for some reason, her fingertip pointed at me.

“Why are you afraid of him?”

My confusion lasted only a moment before Roxanne’s Foresight came to mind.

Roxanne, Rank 2, possessed Foresight that discerned fear.

It could see not only whether someone was afraid, but exactly how deeply that fear ran.

The levels I could check only showed feelings toward me.

Roxanne’s ability to discern fear, on the other hand, could tell who was afraid of whom.

Which meant Blizz’s level was not a bug.

Blizz was genuinely terrified of me.

A questioning silence settled over the hall.

Even as time passed, no one spoke.

Under the pressure to answer, Blizz finally opened their mouth with difficulty.

“As expected of a single-entity Abyssal Palace.”

Roxanne looked back and forth between Blizz and me.

I didn’t know what the hell that was supposed to mean either.

“As with Lady Roxanne’s Foresight just now, the Abyssal Palace Lords possess Heaven-Gifted Insight. I possess such insight as well.”

This was the first I had heard of it.

I had thought that was a privilege belonging only to the Lords.

“In my case, I do not see emotions. I see numbers. The likelihood that the target can kill me.”

It wasn’t the same as my ability to see killing intent. It wasn’t even a sense of danger to my life.

It was something deeper than that, the likelihood of dying at the other person’s hands.

If I used Enhancement, Blizz would die without even realizing it.

With a 100% chance, even greater than with Balm Monk.

“Based on the numbers I had seen before, Lady Roxanne was the most dangerous. No matter what means I used, I would die eighty percent of the time. But...”

Blizz paused and met my eyes.

“If Sir Vargoer wishes to kill me, I will die on the spot. No matter what means I use.”

What Blizz felt toward me was not simple fear, but fear born from death.

Enhancement was an instant-death ability that only worked on Blizz.

Enhancement only applied to that Holy Relic, and its chance was 0%.

The Lords, who knew nothing of my true capabilities, would surely take that as a measure of my strength.

The stares directed at me already gave me my answer.

“Then are you saying Sir Vargoer is the strongest among us?”

“At least from what I can see...”

Blizz cautiously added to Dalon’s question.

“I do not believe there is a Lord here who could defeat that person alone.”

Ah.