WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈

Chapter 67: Traitor

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Dreamland was located in the snow-covered mountains near Fire Forge.

Strangely, humans rather than Dwarves had gathered in front of its entrance. They were subordinates of Count Wolfhauffen.

"The commander still hasn't returned."

"They definitely went in with an Escape Scroll..."

They stared at the open rift, swallowing their unease.

A week earlier, slaves and soldiers had entered as an advance party, but there had been no word from them since.

"......So they all died inside after all. To think we'd lose something that expensive for nothing."

"We have no idea what happened in there, so this is incredibly frustrating."

One man stood out among the humans due to his unusual appearance.

Horns, a tail, and wings. He resembled a human, yet could not truly be called one.

The man exhaling white breath as he voiced his regret was Dragrade.

He was a dragon, currently mingling with the humans in Polymorph form.

He was no ordinary dragon.

After all, he had been created by a Dungeon Master once known as the Red Dragon King.

That was a story from the past, of course.

Most people believed the previous Count Wolfhauffen had found him as a hatchling and raised him. Only a handful knew the truth.

Now, he was no more than Count Wolfhauffen's loyal subordinate.

The wolf pendant around his neck was proof of that.

Several decades had passed since Dragrade left the dungeon.

He might have looked like this, but his way of thinking was no different from a human's.

"The first Dreamland Dungeon Raid was a complete failure."

"It seems it truly isn't an easy place, just as arboralis said."

Dragrade looked over Dreamland's Dungeon Walkthrough.

'I wanted to finish the raid as quickly as possible, but that probably won't be easy.'

Honestly, he had not believed it when he first saw the walkthrough.

Dragrade knew dungeons very well.

Dreamland was simply too abnormal.

The fact that beings from the dungeon could leave it was only the beginning. There were too many things about it that made no sense.

"Hmm."

He reached toward the snow drifting down like fluff and recalled the past.

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A strange rumor had recently spread through the North Kingdom.

It claimed that a being from a dungeon had come outside.

Dungeons were unknown demonic realms that had begun appearing several centuries ago.

They were places containing treasures known as Magic Stones, along with Dungeon Masters who possessed power akin to that of creators.

For the North Kingdom, which had recently suffered through the disaster known as a Large-Scale Mana Storm, it was news like a bolt from the blue.

Most Dungeon Masters who had survived until now possessed absolute power.

Even Blessed Ones with infinite lives could not easily eliminate them.

If such beings came outside, they would be no different from disasters. Of course people would fear them.

The source of the rumor was the Church.

The Church was based in the North Kingdom.

They worshipped Oblivion, the God of Forgetfulness. They regarded Blessed Ones as the god's messengers and branded Dungeon Masters, who monopolized the god-given Magic Stones, as evil.

The North Kingdom had benefited greatly from Magic Stones, so it had many followers of the Church. The rumor spread at a terrifying pace.

Suspicions that a Dungeon Master might have caused the Large-Scale Mana Storm spread quickly as well.

A Mana Storm was unlike an ordinary disaster.

It destroyed every Magical Device within the affected area.

That made it an especially devastating calamity in the cold, barren North Kingdom, where people used Magical Devices to overcome the harsh environment.

Rumors that the Mana Storm had been caused by a hellish collaboration between the ruling class, who had accepted bribes from various magic schools to permit large-scale magical experiments in their territories, and those same schools were being buried. As a result, the mages and ruling class also went along with the Church's rumors.

At the time, Dragrade had not believed it.

There were plenty of rumors, but nobody knew the identity of that dungeon.

Dungeon beings could not leave their dungeons.

He knew that better than anyone.

Why had such an absurd rumor spread?

An opportunity to satisfy that curiosity came fairly quickly.

"Count Wolfhauffen. Have you heard of a dungeon called Dreamland?"

It was arboralis.

One of the most renowned Blessed Ones.

She had suddenly visited Wolfhauffen County.

"Dreamland?"

"Yes. It's a newly formed dungeon with the most valuable Magic Stone in the world."

arboralis had ties to the Count.

That was because Lily, the Helper she cherished dearly, came from Wolfhauffen.

Dragrade, who had been standing beside the Count and listening, tilted his head.

The most valuable Magic Stone.

All Magic Stones were valuable.

Did she mean it was the finest among them?

Then why was she spreading information instead of raiding a newly formed dungeon herself?

Even a Blessed One would rather have a Magic Stone than not have one.

The Count could not have failed to realize that either.

Even so, rather than questioning her intentions, he chose to take the bait.

"Tell me more."

"As you know, my ability is Vision. I can read the memories of the dead and peer into the past. By chance, I saw the memories of a lord in the Forest of Life."

arboralis smiled as she continued.

She looked like a witch luring someone in with sweet words.

"Yuben Jericho. A baron of the West Kingdom. He bravely led his subordinates in a raid on a newly formed dungeon. He was renowned as a ruthless yet intelligent man. He did not lose his way amid Dreamland's countless unknown mysteries and kept moving forward. The farther he went, the more subordinates died, yet he regarded their sacrifices as noble and never gave up. At last, he found the Dungeon Master and the Magic Stone before the Core Room."

It was a story that was both long and short.

It felt like a fairy tale told by a mother.

Every fairy tale had a reward at its end.

She drew the Count's interest by praising the greatness of Dreamland's Magic Stone.

"But in the end, he could not defeat the Dungeon Master. He was alone by then."

"Wait, there is something I'd like to ask. You said you read his memories through Vision..."

"Yes. Yuben Jericho is dead."

"Then did you read his memories inside the dungeon?"

"Well, no."

Bodies inside dungeons were dealt with by slimes.

Dragrade knew that well.

"Yuben used an Escape Scroll and died outside the dungeon."

"The Forest of Life is Branded Elf territory, so..."

"No. He was killed by a Dungeon Master who came outside the dungeon."

At that moment, the Count held his breath.

Dragrade, who had also been listening closely, was stunned.

Naturally, the idea of a Dungeon Master coming outside was absurd.

It was like saying fruit growing on a tree did not fall to the ground, but ascended into the sky instead.

But the one saying that nonsense was a Blessed One.

One of the beings most closely connected to dungeons in this world.

Someone who had earned fame across several kingdoms by resolving many cases with Vision.

Her claim itself was not reliable.

Yet her very existence made it credible.

And rumors supporting her claim had already spread through the North Kingdom.

"The Branded Elves were already dead before Yuben arrived."

"Then Yuben Jericho raided Dreamland after Restia defeated the Branded Elves. Does that mean the South Kingdom knew of the dungeon's existence and ignored it...?"

"I believe the Branded Elves disappeared from the Forest of Life not because of a Constable from the South Kingdom, but because of Dreamland's Dungeon Master. Could an ordinary Constable kill Julius? He can come outside the dungeon, along with beings too incomprehensible and indescribable to fathom."

arboralis insisted.

The Branded Elves had vanished from the Forest of Life, and Yuben Jericho had died outside the dungeon, all because of Dreamland.

"An unbelievable story..."

"If you find my story difficult to believe, speak to the new Baron Jericho. He assisted Yuben's Dungeon Raid within the territory."

The Count blinked.

She had succeeded admirably in drawing his attention.

So what was her real point?

"This world has clearly defined black and white, and they oppose one another. Light and shadow, salvation and destruction, angels and demons, Dungeon Masters and Blessed Ones. If Dreamland gathers power and one day reveals its ambitions toward this world, well... perhaps the Four Kingdoms will suffer the same fate as the Branded Elves..."

"arboralis. Watch your tongue."

Unaffected by the Count's displeased voice, arboralis continued.

"Of course, this is only hypothetical. Dreamland is still only a newly formed dungeon, and it will need much time to grow like other dungeons. Still, if someone were to cut off the bud of disaster in advance, any great individual capable of such a deed would be praised as a hero for generations to come."

"......"

"Invasion, disaster, curses, a symbol of Chaos that defies order... Would you not like to take the world's most brilliant Magic Stone and fame as spoils for defeating the Seed of a Demon King?"

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The Count took the bait.

He demanded information about Dreamland from arboralis.

She then handed him a Dungeon Walkthrough containing information on Dreamland's traits, traps, and Minions.

It felt unpleasant, as though she had been waiting for this moment.

But Count Wolfhauffen did not say a word until she left the territory.

"Are you truly going to raid the dungeon?"

"Yes."

"I don't like how it feels as though we're being played."

"There's a Magic Stone in that dungeon. And Dreamland is a newly formed dungeon. Those facts alone make it worth challenging."

"Even so..."

"A doesn't have much time left. Perhaps this is the last opportunity Oblivion has given me."

The Count had a daughter suffering from an incurable illness.

As someone who treasured the child born to his late wife, he could not help desperately wanting a Magic Stone.

Perhaps arboralis had come to Wolfhauffen specifically because she understood the Count's feelings so well.

"You are in charge of the Dreamland raid. I will provide the necessary personnel and supplies, so head to the dungeon immediately."

Dragrade was caught in the fallout.

Perhaps it was the fate of a subordinate.

He was not surprised, since he had known from the beginning it would turn out this way.

After all, he was the one in Wolfhauffen who knew the most about dungeons.

"...I don't want to, but I'll do my best."

Bring back the Magic Stone at all costs.

Those were the last words the Count gave Dragrade.

Dragrade nodded.

Whether he liked it or not, he had no right to refuse. If he was told to do it, he had to do it.

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Dreamland was near Fire Forge.

So they established Fire Forge as their base and went to see Mayor Goldhand to ask permission.

Contrary to expectations, Goldhand welcomed Dragrade warmly.

No lord would normally be pleased to have an army from another territory stationed nearby, so it was strange.

The fact that Goldhand even provided supplies suggested the Dwarves were also eager for Dreamland to be raided.

The walkthrough made it clear that it was no easy place, of course.

Still, the atmosphere was not bad.

The soldiers were full of enthusiasm.

This Dungeon Raid was not simply a journey to obtain a Magic Stone. It was a journey to save the North Kingdom.

Count Wolfhauffen had personally explained that whoever killed the Dungeon Master responsible for the disaster and brought back the Magic Stone would receive a title and a vast sum of money.

Whatever the truth was, the soldiers' unease and desire to rise in status had ultimately improved morale.

Defeat a disaster and become a hero.

It was an opportunity to fulfill the fantasy everyone had dreamed of as children.

Dragrade formed the first raid team and attempted the Dungeon Raid.

As one could see, every one of them died.

But even so, he believed the situation was still worth challenging.

Morale remained high, and there were still plenty of soldiers.

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"What should we do now?"

Dragrade awoke from his recollection.

Railo's voice had brought him back.

Railo was a Wolfhauffen knight who had volunteered to serve as Dragrade's aide for this mission.

Dragrade shrugged.

"Who knows? For now, let's prepare for the second raid. Slaves won't work after all. There's little chance we can keep them under control inside the dungeon... Anyway, let's form the raid team out of soldiers."

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A slime was watching the scene.

* * *

worldiscold: Honestly, if you have any conscience, you should pay Malrang a salary.

└ antqueen: It's ridiculous that Malrang is even working as an observer now LOL

└ nightraven: The biggest reason our dungeon slimes are losing confidence...

└ golemking: G r e a t Malrang

└ dip: G r e a t Malrang

no_minions_4_me: So arboralis decided to dump it on someone else because she didn't want to raid it herself.

└ tvhead: It was pretty obvious.

└ tvhead: To put it simply, Dreamland is like an environmental pollution problem.

└ tvhead: You know it's dangerous, but you don't really want to deal with it yourself LOL

└ humanluvr: Did you just belittle our newbie's Dreamland by comparing it to greenhouse gases??

└ humanluvr: Why are you discouraging our newbie?????

└ tvhead: It's honestly the highest compliment for newbie, though...

└ newbie: (////)

└ newbie: But this time, I'm up against a kingdom, so I'm feeling pretty down...

└ newbie: The Count did come, but this fucking fake news...

└ humanluvr: newbieee!

└ humanluvr: Once they get a taste of Anomalies, they'll freak out and run away anyway!

└ newbie: You think so?

└ humanluvr: Of course!

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【Anomaly Slime (★5)】

【Tags: Anomaly, Immortal, Harmless, Flight, Size Reduction, ???】

【It rapidly cleans up trash inside the dungeon. It follows the Dungeon Master's commands.】

Ta-da.

This is our Malrang.

Size Reduction could shrink Malrang down to around the size of an ant.

I used that ability to gather some information outside this time.

Anomalies could not be detected by Detection Magic and had to be spotted with the naked eye.

Finding a flying slime the size of an ant would be nearly impossible.

At least those mosquito bastards buzzed.

Our Malrang flew silently, so there was no chance of getting caught.

Does everyone remember Restia?

Back then, she met Sinclair while returning from the Lowjinrat Great Mountain Range to the South Kingdom, and I watched what she did.

Seeing the world through a Minion's eyes was an Anomaly privilege.

My question about why I was being targeted had been answered.

arboralis leaked the information.

Somehow, Dreamland had become a dungeon with the world's finest Magic Stone, while its Dungeon Master had become a global terrorist capable of causing disasters like Mana Storms.

It's so ridiculous I don't even know what to say.

Is this what fake news is?

I guess they dislike my existence enough to want to get rid of me like this. Whatever.

At least Dreamland had not been specifically identified yet.

But judging by the situation, it was only a matter of time.

What if I ended up becoming the target of an entire kingdom later?

That'd be pretty scary.

Even if I shouted that it wasn't true day and night, I was still a Dungeon Master.

Would this fake news ever be corrected before I died?

Well, the only thing I could do now was beat them senseless until they came to their senses.

Violence was the best medicine.

If they tried to rape, they deserved to be punished.

I've said it before.

I have no mercy for anyone who tries to harm me or my friends.

Overwhelming fear.

If I imprinted that on everyone, every concern would be resolved in no time.

If my dungeon had been head mod's dungeon, would they have even dared think about coming in while talking about the end of the world and all that?

I don't hurt you people.

You're being deceived right now.

If talking it out and persuading them was close to impossible, then I just had to slap the living shit out of them until they came to their senses.

The policy had been decided.

Then the biggest question now was this.

newbie: What's that dragon thing? Anyone know?

That bastard with the humans.

Unlike secha, that guy had wings, so I figured he was a dragon.

op_ghost: newbie.

└ newbie: Yes, boss.

└ op_ghost: Do you remember the word revolution?

Of course I remembered.

That was why the Veterans had told me never to hire Minions early on.

They called it a revolution when a Minion killed their Dungeon Master.

op_ghost: That bastard is one of the Minions who started a revolution.

└ op_ghost: A traitor who joined hands with a Blessed One and killed dragonbrat.

Aha.

So he wasn't just a dragon. He's Lee Wan-yong?

Footnotes:

Lee Wan-yong was a historical Korean official widely remembered as a traitor. The joke plays on the Korean word for dragon in his name.

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