When I Was Reincarnated into the World of an Ultra-Difficult Game, I Ended Up As the Sole Subordinate of the Ridiculously Strong yet Incompetent Demon Lord, Tasked with Creating a Dungeon
The Forest Where Elves Dwell
A place where nature remains abundant, left largely untouched by human hands to preserve its original state.
To those of other races, it would be difficult to distinguish this carefully preserved forest from one that has been left completely untended.
Even so, other races besides elves reside in this forest. Among them was a group belonging to the Dark Elves—an opposing race to the Elves.
“With the arrival of a reincarnated individual, their power will soon surpass ours.”
“Given that the Demon King still lives, I doubt they would be foolish enough to openly confront us right now. But once the Demon King is defeated, the situation will change.”
“If only we could secure a reincarnated one for ourselves, that would be ideal.”
“Impossible. It seems they were fortunate enough to have a single man reincarnate as an Elf, and now they’re grooming him into a sage of their liking.”
Elves and Dark Elves have always been at odds.
Though both live within nature, their beliefs differ—Elves revere nature, while Dark Elves seek to control it.
Despite both wielding the power of nature, this fundamental difference prevents them from coexisting.
“It’s troubling. If only a reincarnated one with the power to dominate nature would appear on our side.”
“Your Majesty, if that were to happen, we could finally settle things with the Elves.”
“Just a joke. No reincarnated being of such immense power will ever appear. Even if they did possess great strength, they wouldn’t be able to control it. After all, they lived in a world completely detached from such things.”
The Queen laughed, as if stating the obvious.
Even the Dark Elves gathered here had lived for a long time.
Yet, to their Queen, who had ruled since before they were even born, they were still young.
Even with all the centuries she had witnessed, never had she seen a reincarnated individual capable of mastering overwhelming power.
“If anything, I wish the goddess would grant us power instead.”
“Indeed. If that happened, we would be a force incomparable to any reincarnated one.”
“Some races try to enhance reincarnated beings—through experiments, modifications, rigorous combat experience, or long-term training over centuries. Yet, it seems their efforts rarely bear fruit.”
“Still, having a reincarnated one to train at all is enviable.”
“Indeed. But enough talk of reincarnated ones we don’t even have. Let’s focus on the more pressing matters at hand.”
A part of them wondered—what if a reincarnated one had appeared in the Dark Elf forest instead of the Elves’?
But alas, that had not happened. The reincarnated individual had gone to the Elves, and thus, had nothing to do with them.
There were more immediate concerns that needed their attention.
“A landslide?”
“Yes. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the situation is already under control…”
“However, the collapse revealed a cavern. And inside—monsters.”
“Troublesome… As expected of creatures of darkness. Sustained by the surrounding magic, they persist for years without perishing.”
The discovery of an unknown cavern was, in itself, a fortunate event.
However, the presence of monsters inside changed the situation entirely.
For creatures to have survived in a sealed space meant that there must have once been an entrance.
It had since been blocked, trapping them inside—yet they still lived.
This suggested either an incredibly strong life force or a location brimming with magical energy.
If managed well, such a place could be beneficial to the Dark Elves.
A land overflowing with magic was, in itself, a source of power for them.
But the same applied to the monsters.
Should they take the risk and seize control of the cavern? Or would it be wiser to leave it undisturbed?
“…Simply maintaining the status quo will never bring change, no matter how many millennia pass.”
Many times before, they had been faced with high-risk, high-reward choices.
Each time, they had chosen the safer path.
Yet despite all their careful decisions, the balance of power between them and the Elves had remained unchanged.
And now, the Elves had gained a reincarnated one.
If that was the case, then perhaps it was time for them to take a risk as well.
“Let’s investigate. We can no longer afford to remain as we are.”
And so, the Dark Elves began a full-scale investigation of the newly discovered cavern.
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“The magic here seems to be quite abundant, even compared to our forest…”
Elves and Dark Elves live alongside nature. By doing so, they lead lives rich in magic and have become adept at manipulating magical energy. However, the cavern they now find themselves in is filled with far more magic than the place they once called home.
Everyone was hopeful. They believed that if they could control this place, it would undoubtedly strengthen them.
“It’s promising, but on the other hand, it seems like there are big problems ahead.”
Everyone agreed with the Dark Elf’s words. A place filled with so much magic that they could hardly contain their excitement meant that the monsters dwelling here would also be enhanced by the magic.
“Just as we were saying it, they’ve already arrived.”
“A pack of Mist Wolves… just as we heard.”
Before the Dark Elves stood a pack of grey wolves. But these weren’t just ordinary wolves; they were legitimate monsters. Not only were they large, but they also had another dangerous feature.
“Ah, a troublesome foe!”
As their name suggested, the Mist Wolves generated thick mist using magic. Already, their vision was obscured, and not only were enemies hard to see, but even the positions of their allies had become blurry.
To avoid friendly fire and surprise attacks from the enemies, the Dark Elves quickly employed magic to detect their surroundings.
“The magic is denser than usual! Focus and detect their magic clearly!”
However, the magic in this place was thicker than what they were used to. As a result, they struggled to sense the magic responses of each individual unless they concentrated fully.
Trying their best to detect the positions of the wolves and their allies, the Dark Elves continued to battle the Mist Wolves.
The monsters, attacking in coordination and confusing them with the mist, were certainly troublesome.
However, as Dark Elves who lived in forests, they were accustomed to dealing with wolf packs.
In fact, they had fought and defeated Mist Wolves countless times before.
“Alright! It’s taking some focus, but I’m getting the hang of it!”
Though primarily magic users, some Dark Elves also wielded weapons as warriors.
The frontline fighters pushed the wolves back without forcing themselves, while the rear used powerful magic to steadily reduce the number of wolves.
Just a little more. Based on the number of wolves they had seen before the mist appeared, they were almost finished.
But in that brief moment of carelessness, pain shot through their feet as if the enemy had been waiting for it.
As they hurriedly pointed their weapons down, they found a black snake sinking its fangs into them. Its head had already been severed by a previous strike of their weapon.
Though they had been caught off guard and allowed the monster to strike, it was swiftly killed.
Still, the Dark Elf looked grim, his face growing pale.
“Damn it… these guys.”
“Shadow Snakes…”
“No way… did they team up with the Mist Wolves?”
Normally, Mist Wolves and Shadow Snakes would never cooperate in battle.
However, in this case, the monsters had teamed up to assault the Dark Elves.
It seemed that their primary goal was to eliminate the invaders—the Dark Elves—who had entered the cavern.
That was why, despite normally being enemies, the monsters had allied themselves.
The Dark Elves, realizing this, immediately began preparing to retreat.
“Sorry… I’ve been healed, but… my body still feels sluggish and difficult to move.”
Shadow Snakes’ venomous fangs contained a powerful paralyzing poison that could stop even large monsters in their tracks.
Though the Dark Elf had quickly used an antidote and recovered, the sluggishness in his body remained, and he soon realized that he would become a hindrance if they continued.
Seeing this, his comrades shared the same thoughts, and the investigation team quickly decided to retreat.
“To think Shadow Snakes would attack from the mist… that’s terrifying.”
“Yes, they’re already troublesome enough when they appear from the shadows, but with the mist, we couldn’t even see the attack coming.”
“This time, they must have teamed up because we were the common enemy. If they had always coexisted with each other, we would have been in a much worse situation…”
This was an exception.
It was their own fault for provoking them carelessly.
They would take this information back and do better next time.
With that resolve, the Dark Elves’ investigation team set off toward the Queen’s side.
