WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Dungeon Gallery's Terrifying Newbie ◈
Chapter 76: Malice
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The intruders on the monitor began making swift progress.
From the second floor to the third, then from the third to the fourth.
"Looks like they're starting to get the hang of it."
Honestly, I thought the Haunted Mansion was an easy area to clear as long as you were careful.
Each floor had the same seven rooms, including a Drawing Room, Master Bedroom, and Dining Room, and that layout seemed to repeat all the way up to the eightieth floor.
Put simply, it was like copying a single floor.
Then pasting it eighty times to create the Haunted Mansion.
Like the other areas, the mansion definitely had rules.
Each room had etiquette that had to be followed, and breaking those rules built up the Death Count until you died.
But.
Unlike the other areas, breaking a rule didn't kill you immediately.
And the same seven rooms just kept repeating from the first floor through the eightieth.
Honestly, it seemed kind of fishy.
Because if all the rules were exposed on the first floor, wouldn't intruders be able to keep avoiding the Death Count on every floor after that?
It was only natural to think that, wasn't it?
Of course, that was only half wrong.
The rules on odd-numbered and even-numbered floors were different.
I'll give a simple example.
On odd-numbered floors like the first, third, fifth, and seventh, you had to take a key from the Storage Room and use it to open the doors.
On even-numbered floors like the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth, you had to smash the doors open, keys be damned.
The odd and even floors were opposites in that sense.
Like a mirror.
There was one more thing worth keeping in mind.
The amount the count increased differed between odd and even floors.
One on the first floor.
Two on the second.
One again on the third.
Two again on the fourth.
That was roughly how it worked.
So the proper strategy was this.
First, learn every rule needed to advance with the minimum Death Count on the first and second floors.
Then, avoid building up the count on the remaining floors while searching for the Elevator hidden somewhere in the mansion.
Anyway, from Dreamland's Dungeon Master's perspective, the Haunted Mansion had been easy enough to feel boring so far.
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golemking: Hmm... They're holding out better in the mansion than I expected.
└ dip: They had a lot of people, so yeah.
└ dip: And the remaining knights seem braver than expected.
└ dip: Look at them go.
└ humanluvr: newbieee!
└ humanluvr: I have a question.
└ humanluvr: You know the mansion's Death Count?
└ humanluvr: It went up by 1 on the first floor... and by 2 on the second... does that mean it'll go up by 3 on the third floor and 4 on the fourth??
└ newbie: That's not it ㅠㅠ
└ humanluvr: What a shame.
└ humanluvr: I wish that was how it worked ㅠㅠ
└ newbie: So close, so close ㅠㅠ
└ sealedconq: But I think they're starting to catch on to the mansion's rules too.
└ sealedconq: Is this really ★5? Why does it feel so weak?
└ sealedphilo: Do you think the fake dragonbrat that's been gathering strength this whole time is a joke?
└ newbie: LOL;;
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Of course it could only feel boring.
Just look at Dreamland's ace areas.
Goblin Cave and the School were packed with mechanics that obstructed exploration itself.
Most broken rules led directly to death, so that impression wasn't strange.
The Anomalies that had appeared as the mansion's rules so far had been fairly kind to the intruders compared to those in the other areas.
The lever leading to the next floor was located in either the Drawing Room or the Master Bedroom to begin with.
There was no need to visit every room or learn every rule.
Still, I thought the mansion's rules themselves were a misdirection.
The real thing hadn't even appeared yet.
The fake dragonbrat mixed in with the group was the clearest example. The question was when it would start causing trouble.
In my opinion, the true horror of this mansion came from the Minion called the Mirror That Should Not Exist.
That Minion was the alpha and omega of the Haunted Mansion.
Honestly, I thought the fake dragonbrat would kill the intruders early on, or that things would unfold that way.
"Hmm."
Looking at the description of 【Mirror That Should Not Exist (★5)】, it obviously had to be hostile toward intruders.
So why was it being so quiet?
The fake dragonbrat should have memories of being betrayed by Dragrade too.
"Well, let's watch for now."
"Blegh."
Even if I was an Anomaly-theme Dungeon Master, that didn't mean I understood everything going through their minds.
The fake dragonbrat must have its own thoughts.
* * *
Dreamland Area 3.
Fourth floor of the mansion, 00:00.
The group gathered in the corridor.
With Krok at the center, they went over what they had learned so far.
"In this mansion, taking certain actions, in other words, breaking the rules, builds up the Death Count. The Death Count activates when it reaches 7. After that, the person bearing the Mark dies, and 7 is deducted from the count."
"That's right."
Two people had died so far.
Still, those sacrifices had clearly meant something.
They didn't know every rule of the mansion.
But they had learned one crucial fact.
"The rules on the first and third floors were the same."
"The rules on the second and fourth floors were the same too."
The rules differed from floor to floor.
But the odd-numbered floors appeared to share the same rules with each other.
And the even-numbered floors appeared to share their own set of rules.
The reason was simple.
This time, Krok had taken a key from the Storage Room on the third floor.
After ascending in the same way they had on the first floor, he was certain.
The fourth floor had the same rules as the second.
The colors of the first and third floors were also similar overall.
The second and fourth floors were darker, so they could now distinguish the shared traits of each floor just by looking.
Naturally, they would need to investigate further to be safe.
But this meant we could move forward without building up the Death Count.
Anyway.
The rules the group had learned so far were as follows.
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Odd-numbered floors
Do not break down doors. (Presumed.) Do not enter the Master Bedroom. Do not eat the prepared food in the Dining Room. (Presumed because Olivia had mentioned eating there.) Do not remain on odd-numbered floors from 8 PM to 11 PM. (Presumed.)
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Even-numbered floors
Do not touch anything in the Storage Room. Do not enter the Drawing Room. (Presumed.) Do not use an Escape Scroll. Do not use a key to open doors. As with odd-numbered floors, do not move around during the forbidden hours. (Presumed.)
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They had learned the minimum rules needed to advance.
That was an enormous gain.
But.
There was still one troubling point.
When Olivia tried to use an Escape Scroll on the second floor and when the group tried to take a key from the Storage Room, the Death Count increased by two at once.
It wasn't because they had broken two rules.
That much was certain.
It made more sense to think that the second floor was a place where the Death Count increased by two at once.
If so, they needed to be careful on the third and fourth floors too.
If the Death Count rose in proportion to the floor number, breaking a rule on the upper floors could lead to a disaster of unimaginable scale.
「3」
The count on Leo's forehead moved to Bitters.
It seemed likely that the Mark transferred randomly to someone else every two hours.
With that, they had established the mansion's basic exploration method.
The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth floors.
If things continued this way all the way to the eightieth floor, exploring from here on wouldn't be a problem.
All that remained was finding a way to deal with their thirst and hunger, as well as the forbidden hours on the even-numbered floors.
There were forbidden hours on odd-numbered floors.
The count had risen by as many as six at once on the first floor.
That meant six people had broken a rule at the same time.
At the time, the group hadn't done anything.
They had simply been talking in the corridor before the stairs leading to the second floor.
There was no way to explain it except through forbidden hours.
There might not be forbidden hours on the even-numbered floors.
Still, there was no harm in being cautious.
It was the only disaster in this mansion that could wipe out the entire party at once.
They were wary even of eating because the mansion had a Dining Room with food laid out inside.
The fact that it was normal food bothered them.
They could make do with the provisions they had brought.
But that might be what built up the Death Count instead.
Before he died, Hector had said Olivia ate the food in the Dining Room on the first floor.
And when they shared that information, 「1」 had appeared on Leo's forehead.
Based on everything they had learned so far, the most likely explanation was that 「1」 had appeared when Olivia ate food in the Dining Room.
If so, the second floor might be different.
It was a place with rules that opposed those of the first floor in many ways.
"I'll check the second floor. Bitters, no... Since the Mark could transfer, everyone should wait in front of the stairs leading from the second floor to the third. Please bear with the thirst and hunger a little longer. It's best to be as careful as possible."
"I'll check it myself. You all take turns keeping watch and resting."
Krok thanked Dragrade for the offer.
Honestly, he wanted to rest.
They had been through a great deal today.
The group headed to the third floor.
Then they collapsed where they stood.
Everyone looked exhausted, not just Krok.
Unlike the others who rested, Dragrade went down to the second floor.
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Dreamland Area 3.
Third floor of the mansion, 02:00.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Dragrade's scream echoed from the second floor.
The group, who had been nodding off by the stairs, snapped awake.
「3」
Krok reflexively looked at Bitters's forehead.
Fortunately, the count hadn't changed.
"I'll go down."
"B-But..."
"If I need help, I'll scream as a signal."
Krok ran.
As he urgently approached the source of the scream, he found Dragrade facing off against someone.
"G...i...v...e... i...t... b...a...c...k."
Krok checked Dragrade's condition before looking at the enemy.
One of his arms had been severed.
The wound was horrific, as if someone had twisted it off with brute force.
He seemed to have lost a great deal of blood. Without treatment, it looked dangerous.
Dragrade took a frightened step back.
But.
The other side simply closed that much distance again.
"That's..."
Krok frowned.
It was an Anomaly.
A woman with the same appearance as Dragrade.
Horns, wings, and a tail.
She appeared to be a Dragon who had used Polymorph.
But she wasn't an ordinary Dragon.
Her body was melting.
It looked like mud slowly dripping down.
The grotesque sight was so horrific that bile rose in his throat.
"Is that... a Dungeon Minion?"
"...It seems so."
"Are you alright?"
"...I can bear the pain somehow, and I have a Healing Potion. But that thing is the problem."
With every step Dragrade took back, the monster followed.
"G...i...v...e... i...t... b...a...c...k."
The distance between them slowly closed.
At this rate, Dragrade would be killed by that monster.
'Every Anomaly has a solution.'
Krok thought.
Then thought again.
Physically escaping that monster was impossible.
Krok drew the sword at his waist.
He threw it precisely at the thing's forehead.
But seeing it melt away, that didn't seem to be the answer either.
"Damn it, there has to be a way..."
To be honest, Krok hadn't liked Dragrade at first.
After all, the supposed leader acted passively every time in this mansion.
He had never stepped forward even once.
He had earned a reputation far greater than he deserved.
Contrary to the rumors, he was a coward.
Krok thought that assessment would never change.
But after Hector died, Dragrade had fulfilled his responsibility as a leader and a vassal of Wolfhauffen.
If the knights wouldn't step forward, he would do so alone.
Those words had moved many knights, including Krok.
He was essential to the Dreamland raid.
Now and in the future.
So they couldn't lose him here.
"Longsword."
"Pardon?"
"The only item in the Storage Room whose use we couldn't figure out. That might work."
Ah.
Right.
There was that.
If they couldn't run.
If they couldn't hide.
Then in the end, they had to fight and win.
"Bring the Longswords!"
Krok shouted.
As loudly as he could.
So the group on the third floor could hear him.
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They couldn't take things from the Storage Room on the second floor.
But the Storage Rooms on the first and third floors were different.
The mansion's odd-numbered and even-numbered floors had different rules.
Therefore, the knights possessed two Longswords.
Comfort and Krok grabbed them.
At first, they hesitated.
Was this really the answer?
"G...i...v...e... i...t... b...a...c...k."
But they had no choice.
If they didn't act, Dragrade would be attacked.
"That's right. This is revenge for Hector and Olivia. We'll kill this thing and give their souls at least a little peace."
"G...i...v...e... i...t... b...a...c...k."
Comfort moved first.
He charged forward and drove his sword straight into the monster's core.
"G...i...v...!"
The monster writhed in pain.
It worked.
"Look at this stupid bastard. The Longsword must hurt like hell. It doesn't even look like it wants to fight back, hahaha!"
Comfort's sword began to lash out viciously.
As if avenging Olivia, who had become a lump of meat, he swung without restraint.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! You monster bastard!"
The monster clung stubbornly to life.
Krok joined in from the side.
"M...y... b...o...d...y..."
"What the hell has this thing been babbling about this whole time?"
"We don't need to respond. Kill it."
"I...t... h...u...r...t...s... S...t...o...p..."
It was closer to butchery than a fight.
The monster's screams and the knights' mad fury intertwined strangely.
Dragrade closed his eyes.
His expression looked peaceful, as though gentle music were playing.
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The monster disappeared.
More precisely, only its remains were left on the corridor floor.
"Ahaha, I feel so much better."
"We've been dragged around by the nose this whole time. It feels good to finally land a blow on the Dungeon Master."
The knights laughed.
Relief, joy, exhilaration, satisfaction.
Those must have been the emotions they felt.
"Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!"
And.
The person who looked happiest among them was undoubtedly Dragrade.
"Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!"
As if he were having the time of his life, he drank a Healing Potion.
His severed arm didn't grow back, but the bleeding stopped and the wound closed.
"Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!"
Then he clutched his stomach with his remaining arm.
The way he laughed through tears like someone who had lost his mind, and the way he linked shoulders with the happy knights to share in the joy of victory, felt strange somehow.
"Hahaha, hahaha, hahaha!"
"..."
Only Krok stared blankly at Bitters.
It was fortunate that they had defeated the monster.
A monster dangerous to us was gone.
That was truly fortunate.
But.
「5」
For some reason, the count had increased.
Footnotes:
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