WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈

Chapter 22: Tyr

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This is an old post.

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Title: My Personal Thoughts on Dealing with Branded Elves... (Long Post, Beware the Wall of Text)

Author: chongchong_sage

What genuinely gave me chills was... I'm dealing with these guys in the Forest of Life right now.

Honestly, they seem like bastards with absolutely no sense of guilt.

I don't expect humanity from people who committed serious crimes and were cast out by their own kind, but still.

They buy human slaves because "they're the cheapest," fucking LOL, then use them as meat shields.

They even use children. Seeing that really made me lose it...

In short, they have no decency in them.

They're the kind of bastards who'll do anything for profit.

It's funny for me to say this.

I'm a Dungeon Master, and I see every living thing outside my dungeon as a potential enemy.

But I don't think I could ever act like the Branded Elves do.

If my dungeon got completely wrecked and I had to hand my Magic Stone over to someone...

If that someone were Branded Elves, I think it'd be horrifying.

So you guys should be careful too.

Let's pray to Oblivion that we never end up in the Forest of Life.

Good luck with dungeon life.

Let's survive for a long, long time!

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* * *

Forest of Life.

Outskirts, Dreamland's entrance.

"A dungeon really did appear here."

"Reberio and Jius disappeared."

"They obviously went into the dungeon and got themselves killed. Those idiots were always acting tough, and this was around their patrol route too."

"Who doesn't know that, you dumbass?"

"That idiot really..."

The Branded Elves gathered at the dungeon entrance.

They stared at the strange, ominous thing before them, like the Black Gate from old tales.

"Dreamland?"

"That's a cute name."

"It's a newborn dungeon. No wonder Reberio and Jius went in. Greedy bastards."

They were different from the two elves who had died inside the dungeon.

Unlike Jius and Reberio, they were not overly confident in their abilities.

More importantly, they had the example of those two idiots who acted selfishly and got themselves killed.

"Let's head back. We need to report this to the Elder first."

"They're away."

"We can ask Tyr to contact them through the Communication Orb, dumbass. Why does this bastard keep killing the mood..."

The Branded Elves returned to the center of the forest.

Reberio and Jius's disappearance, and a newborn dungeon.

They told Tyr exactly what they had seen.

"I understand."

Every faction had someone at its head.

Tyr was the secretary of the Elder, the owner of the Forest of Life.

As soon as she heard the report, she contacted the Elder.

Though the Elder was busy with something, but always took Tyr's calls.

"Yes, yes, yes, I understand. Yes, I'll lead the others and investigate it. Ah, yes, I believe there are about three Escape Scrolls, but... are you really sure it's all right for me to use one? Yes, thank you. I won't disappoint you."

Tyr ended the call.

Then she immediately spoke to her subordinate.

"Tell everyone with nothing to do right now this: if they clear the dungeon with us this time, they'll be paid an unimaginable amount of money."

"Y-yes, understood."

Dungeon.

Anyone in this world who did not know that word was an idiot.

A treasure trove where the greatest treasures in the world lay waiting.

No one failed to understand the value of a Magic Stone.

At least not in this forest, where the Elder was in charge.

Of course, dungeons were just as dangerous.

Normally, it was only natural that Branded Elves would never even consider entering one.

But Dreamland was a newborn dungeon.

Just as Reberio and Jius had been drawn in, Tyr and the other Branded Elves must have felt the same.

There was a chance.

History proved it.

Not so long ago, yet not so recently either.

When dungeons had first appeared in this world, clearing them had been considered routine.

Now, clearing dungeons that had fully matured was impossible.

But they judged that it would be entirely possible to plunder the dungeon of a Dungeon Master who had existed for less than half a year.

Gathering people for the expedition was easy.

The Branded Elves did not think any differently from Tyr.

"All right. Let's go in first."

"Yes."

Tyr first checked the dungeon's maximum entry limit.

They could leave without an Escape Scroll for up to half a day anyway.

She led her subordinates into Dreamland, then back out.

Naturally, the process was neither simple nor quick.

They had slept in an unknown space.

They had also examined a creepy, pure-white corridor.

A full week passed.

'Twelve people, including me.'

It could be considered either few or many.

Could they do it?

Since it was their first dungeon raid, it was hard to judge their chances.

Escape Scrolls were expensive and difficult to obtain in the first place.

Even the Elder, who had the most money, only possessed three.

They had two chances.

And on the last one, they would have to stake their lives.

But.

Tyr's eyes had long since been clouded by greed.

The other Branded Elves were the same.

The life of a criminal was not very pleasant.

The life of a poor criminal was even less so.

Most of them lived in poverty.

They had once lived fairly comfortably.

Recently, though, several kingdoms had tightened their crackdowns, and there was less and less work for Branded Elves.

A chance to turn their lives around.

A rise in status.

What sweet, precious words those were.

Every crime came with risk.

The same was true whether they killed someone or sold drugs.

It was not a matter of guilt.

The moment they were caught, their lives would be over.

"Phew... Shall we go?"

Tyr took an Escape Scroll.

Then she headed into the dungeon with the Branded Elves.

* * *

Day 1 of the dungeon expedition.

"This isn't what we were told. The path is blocked, fuck, and half a day has already passed..."

"What is that unidentified machine? I've never seen a design like it. Is it a trap?"

Creak, creak.

Just like Jius and Reberio before them.

The Branded Elf expedition led by Tyr stopped before an old elevator.

"It won't break either... This is troublesome."

There was little the expedition could do outside the elevator.

They had gained nothing of note, either.

Tyr stroked her chin.

It looked like the last place anyone would want to enter, but they had no other option.

"There's no point in camping out here and waiting. We have no choice but to go inside. First, let's divide into teams of three. Moving together should be safer than acting alone."

Being the Elder's secretary was a fairly high position.

In the Forest of Life, she ranked among the top five, at least.

"Team One will be led by me, Team Two by Stings, Team Three by Dardan, and Team Four by Ray. Is any team willing to enter that device first? I intend to divide the reward fairly, but your accomplishments inside the dungeon will also be taken heavily into account."

Tyr herself possessed a certain amount of charisma.

Even in this highly unsettling situation, the Branded Elves remained under control.

"My team and I will go in first."

Dardan had apparently already discussed it with the team and proudly raised a hand.

Dardan had always been quite confident.

"Very well. I'll leave it to you."

"Come on, guys! Look at these cowardly bastards dragging their feet!"

Dardan snickered at the other team leaders.

Dardan gave them a thumbs-down and jeered, though it was not meant seriously.

"That bastard really never backs down."

"First to rape women, first to come, first to explore... Starting today, your nickname is Fastest Dardan."

"You fucking bastard, have you ever even fucked me?"

Dardan's cheerful behavior lightened the mood considerably.

The gloomy expressions of the group, blocked by the creepy corridor and the unknown machine, eased.

Dardan and the team entered the elevator without hesitation.

"Nothing's happening?"

"There are buttons inside, and the interior is old, just like Dardan's house. At least it isn't dirty."

"The dungeon owner must be a tidy per..."

They exchanged trivial remarks as though there was nothing wrong.

Hearing that, Tyr started toward the elevator, but then.

『The doors are closing.』

Bang!

It happened in an instant.

The elevator doors shut before anyone could react.

Tyr stared ahead in stunned silence.

The number 1 had disappeared from the display, replaced by a new message.

【Capacity exceeded】

.

.

.

.

.

Crunch!

Crack!

Crack!

Blood began to flow from the gap.

At the same time, grotesque sounds came from inside the elevator.

It sounded like a gigantic creature chewing.

The noise was so loud that it seemed to drown out their screams.

Everyone stared at the closed doors with horrified expressions.

『The doors are opening.』

The people who had been in the elevator could no longer be identified.

They were closer to minced meat than corpses.

A bead of sweat ran down Tyr's forehead.

She heard sounds of retching behind her.

Taking a deep breath, she desperately tried to understand what had happened before her.

"What in the world..."

Dreamland.

Something wearing the shell of a newborn dungeon.

The fact that it was a place where no one could let their guard down was firmly carved into all their minds.

A tiny surveillance camera attached to the ceiling quietly watched them.

Footnotes:

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