WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
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◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈
Chapter 62: Blessed One
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The Forest of Life had once been home to the Branded Elves, considered the South Kingdom's most vicious vermin.
After Julius was killed by a Constable of the South Kingdom, the accepted story was that the remaining forces scattered in every direction.
Naive people believed that story, praised the Constable as a hero, and dismissed the Forest of Life as a worthless place.
But arboralis, the Blessed One currently walking through the Forest of Life, thought differently.
'They said Yuven died in this forest. And after that, Max, Sinclair's Helper, died too.'
She would have to examine the chain of events more closely to know for certain.
Still, she strongly believed that the Branded Elves' disappearance was connected to the dungeon called Dreamland.
Julius had been a meticulous criminal.
Despite not being a Blessed One, they had successfully raided a dungeon before.
If Julius had been someone who couldn't think straight in the first place,
there was no way they could have led those vicious criminals.
Yet Julius had been killed by a mere Constable?
Well, it was true that the Constable named Restia had slain a Manticore in the Lowjinrat Great Mountain Range.
Since then, Restia had earned many more achievements and become one of the South Kingdom's foremost heroes, trusted by the current king. Still, something about it felt unnatural.
There was evidence that a dungeon had appeared in the Forest of Life.
And a Helper and a lord had died in that dungeon.
If they died during a Dungeon Raid, shouldn't the same have happened to Julius?
According to the information Sinclair posted on the Blessed One Gallery, Dreamland was a newly formed dungeon.
A newly formed dungeon.
It was a term she hadn't heard in a very long time.
None had appeared for so long that she thought she'd never see one again.
'It hasn't even been added to the Dungeon Raid Quest... Hmm. There are a lot of things bothering me.'
Sinclair's party had been shattered by the disastrous failure of the Maharaurava raid, and Sinclair had completely fallen apart.
Normally, Sinclair would have investigated this thoroughly and posted the information on the Blessed One Gallery.
Blessed Ones were generally uncooperative with one another, but Sinclair seemed a little different.
Still, rather than place her hopes on Sinclair, who had shut themself away in an inn,
arboralis thought it would be better to investigate personally.
She could use Vision.
Vision was an ability that allowed its user to read a corpse's memories and obtain information from the past. It wasn't magic.
It was a privilege only she could use.
Using this ability, arboralis had earned quite a reputation beyond Dungeon Raids.
For example, it made it extremely easy to identify whoever was behind an assassin who had killed a high-ranking noble.
Vision could read the memories of any animal corpse, including sentient beings.
She thought it would surely prove useful here as well.
arboralis continued onward at a brisk pace.
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She read the memories of a dead deer.
There, she found the entrance to Dreamland that had existed in the past.
She also saw the Branded Elves entering it.
-All Branded Elves, including Tyr, are dead.
-Everyone, stay alert.
That was Julius's voice.
"A newly formed dungeon that even that group couldn't raid..."
The Branded Elves had been elite.
Even with Julius, who had successfully raided a dungeon before, they had failed.
"It must have been born only recently, yet it's like seeing a newborn kill an adult. Hehe, how fascinating."
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Vision wasn't all-powerful.
It was useless for Dungeon Raids in the first place.
Nor could it read every memory.
She couldn't select only the parts she needed, so it took time.
There was a cooldown as well.
As a result, nearly three days passed before she reached the part concerning Yuven in the dead deer's memories.
-I was too hasty for someone who isn't even a dungeon raider.
-I'll return to my territory and make another plan, starting with reallocating our people...
Yuven was running away in the memory.
Dreamland had apparently given him a hard time.
He was a complete wreck.
His expression was bleak.
Even so, the fire in his eyes showed that he was no pushover.
The deer in the memory secretly followed Yuven.
It was probably a particularly curious animal.
"It seems you were never meant to live long either."
arboralis stroked the dead deer.
-I will.
-I will have that dungeon.
Yuven had made up his mind.
Judging by that venomous expression, did he want the Magic Stone that badly?
That was when it happened.
-Hide well. I can see your hair.
The deer ran the moment it heard that voice.
It was so chilling that even arboralis, who was only tracing the memory, was deeply startled.
She furrowed her brow.
The deer's final memory showed Yuven trembling like a child who had lost his parents,
then fleeing into a cave.
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"Is this the place...?"
arboralis headed into the cave.
A starving bear greeted her.
"Grrr..."
It was a rather hostile greeting.
She couldn't read the memories of living creatures, so there was only one thing to do.
She drew her sword.
She brought it down in a single strike.
The starving bear collapsed in a spray of blood.
In the quiet cave, arboralis read its memories.
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-D-Dungeon Master, why are you here...
-They said Dungeon Masters couldn't come outside! They definitely said they couldn't come outside!
-Calm down, calm down, calm down. I have to calm down.
-Aaaaaaah!!
-Grrr...
-Eat plenty.
arboralis drew in a breath.
What on earth did I just see?
She touched her eyes.
For the first time, she doubted her own ability.
After all,
she had just witnessed something that shattered everything she knew.
'A Dungeon Master... can come outside the dungeon?'
A black-haired man covered in blood.
He appeared human, yet looked utterly strange.
According to Yuven,
he was Dreamland's Dungeon Master.
His eyes were cold and chilling.
Perhaps restrained was the better word.
If fear took form, it would surely feel like that.
-This makes things a little awkward. I was going to ask you something.
Was such a thing really possible?
Could Yuven have been so terrified that he was mistaken?
Dungeon Masters couldn't come outside their dungeons.
In exchange, they wielded absolute authority within them.
They manifested Hell and caused infernos to rise.
At times, they brainwashed people and made them into servants.
At other times, they created plagues to eliminate intruders.
They created life and nature.
They resembled the creators described in myths.
If they could come outside their dungeons, this world would surely have become Hell.
Dungeon Masters couldn't come outside their dungeons.
That was common sense, an unbreakable and immutable law.
'Did that bear eat Yuven, bones and all?'
She wanted to confirm it in greater detail.
But arboralis couldn't obtain any more information in the Forest of Life.
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"Hmm..."
arboralis considered her options.
Should she just ignore it and continue on her way?
She had mountains of things to do.
Was there really any reason to set her sights on this newly formed dungeon?
【Clear Dungeon Raid Quests and earn Achievement Points to prepare for Ascension!】
【Current Achievement Points: 30/100】
The life of a Blessed One was busy.
The ultimate goal was, of course, Dungeon Raids.
To raid dungeons, she had to raise Helpers, prepare supplies, gain experience and Points, and do countless other things.
【Maharaurava】
【Earn 100 Achievement Points upon clearing】
【Wallachia】
【Earn 80 Achievement Points upon clearing】
【Ant Nest】
【Earn 70 Achievement Points upon clearing】
【Tomb of Swords】
【Earn 60 Achievement Points upon clearing】
【Replicant Automata】
【...】
【Extinction Winter】
【...】
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【Dino World】
【Earn 1 Achievement Point upon clearing】
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Dreamland.
It wasn't on the Dungeon Raid Quest list.
Sinclair had said it might be a hidden quest, but she doubted it.
Oblivion, or rather, the System, was quite straightforward.
In all her life as a Blessed One, she had never even heard of a hidden quest.
The rational conclusion was that Dreamland wasn't listed as a Dungeon Raid Quest because it was too weak as a newly formed dungeon to be worth Achievement Points.
And.
Only one person could raid a dungeon.
That meant other Blessed Ones were both allies and competitors.
With every Blessed One needing to raid dungeons before another Blessed One cleared them,
was there really any reason for her to set her sights on this newly formed dungeon?
"I can't decide..."
"Blessed One! Blessed One arboralis! What are you worried about!? Are you perhaps deciding what to have for dinner tonight?"
arboralis blinked and emerged from her thoughts.
She had been drinking alone in a quiet tavern in the South Kingdom when two people approached and warmly greeted her.
They were arboralis's party members, her Helpers.
"Lily, Tors, are you already back from Fire Forge?"
"Hehe, we came back sooner than expected, didn't we?"
"I thought you wouldn't be back for another half month... You didn't do anything rude there, did you, Lily?"
"What do you even think I am, Blessed One? Hmph. I wasn't actually upset, though. They said it was the funeral of the mayor's aide, so I was expecting something grand. I was surprised by how modest it was!"
"Hehe, did you pay your respects properly?"
Beside the chattering Lily, Tors nodded.
Before becoming arboralis's Helper,
Tors had been a Dwarf from Fire Forge and was acquainted with Chase, the mayor's aide.
About two months ago,
Tors received a letter.
It was from Gronak.
Its contents could be summarized simply.
Chase, the mayor's aide, had died.
Gronak would appreciate it if Tors attended the funeral.
Tors and Chase had been quite close.
Until Tors departed on a journey with arboralis,
the three of them, including Gronak, had shared a close friendship.
"Blessed One."
"Yes...?"
"I have something to tell you."
Tors sat down, saying he had something serious to discuss.
To borrow a Blessed One Gallery term, he was always serious and stern.
But today, his mood seemed especially grave.
She nodded.
Then she ordered Tors's favorite beer.
"Take your time. Tell me."
"Well... I heard that my friend's death was caused by a dungeon. And it's been bothering me a little. No, a lot."
A dungeon.
Had Dino World, which World Tree Forest had been eyeing, transferred to Fire Forge?
The relatively weak Fire Forge had no dungeons it could raid at the moment.
No, surely not.
"Dreamland?"
"H-how did you know?"
"Go on. Tell me everything."
So her suspicion had been right.
What kind of coincidence was this?
Tors told her everything Gronak had said.
Everything concerning the Dwarves' Dreamland raids, up through the seventh attempt.
The more she heard,
the more arboralis's face stiffened.
"Does that even make sense...?"
"I honestly can't believe it either. But... that is what I heard."
As a Blessed One who knew more about dungeons than anyone else in the world, she thought.
Memory removal.
Information manipulation.
Instant-death traps...
There was no way a dungeon could contain such vicious concepts.
She hadn't thought it was an ordinary newly formed dungeon, but this was beyond anything she imagined.
"Um, arboralis."
"Yes."
"I want to avenge my friend. If you're willing, I want to head to Dreamland right away..."
arboralis remained silent as she considered it.
Then she made her decision.
"Everyone, I'm sorry, but could you take a vacation here?"
"What...?"
"This has been bothering me. I'll go to Fire Forge alone for a little while."
She couldn't take this matter lightly.
She needed to see it with her own eyes.
Footnotes:
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