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
Day 1: We were wiped out at the entrance. I don’t know why, but fortunately, we didn’t lose our lives, so we decided to retreat quickly.
The next day: We were wiped out again in the corridor between the entrance and the first room. It was a terrifying trap. Poisonous mist mixed with toxins leaked from cracks in the rock, but we managed to retreat just in time.
It was clear that this place was not naturally formed.
The queen quickly concluded that it was a dungeon created long ago by the Demon King, similar to those discovered in the lands of the dwarves.
However, even though the dungeon was now abandoned by its masters, it had become an extraordinarily dangerous place due to the monsters that had taken residence.
Every day, we advanced slowly, but it was ridiculous that it took us seven days just to clear the first room. Even though we are long-lived beings, the endless dungeon exploration was starting to wear on me, and my spirit was beginning to crack a little.
“Somehow, doesn’t it feel like the number of monsters has decreased compared to before?”
The dark elves, who had been regularly investigating the cave since the discovery, quickly noticed the change.
The traps, created by the Demon King himself, had been devious and obstructive. And the monsters, which behaved in ways that were different from usual, seemed to have changed their movements as well. Today, both the traps and the monsters had suddenly gone quiet.
“Could it be that the dungeon’s magical energy has run out…?”
Although it was impossible to measure the exact amount of magical energy, it was still clear that this place was more saturated with magic than any location we’d visited so far.
Given that, it was unlikely that the traps and monsters had disappeared simply due to a lack of magical energy.
“Could it be that, because we have visited so frequently, we triggered all the remaining traps?”
“Those monsters were smarter than usual and used traps. Now that the traps are gone, maybe they’ve retreated to a safer location.”
I agreed with my companions’ thoughts. The monsters we had encountered certainly didn’t act on pure instinct. It was as if they had personalities and were able to cooperate in attacks, which made them especially difficult to deal with. If they understood that the traps had disappeared, they might be retreating to more advantageous positions.
“On the other hand, if they’re not around, there’s a lower chance of traps being present.”
“True. We’ll still proceed carefully as before, but we should change our perspective on what to focus on.”
Although we couldn’t relax, the slight shift in atmosphere brought a little relief. The dark elves continued to advance deeper into the dungeon.
“Damn it! They got away again!”
“But that’s fine. We couldn’t defeat them, but it’s better than losing.”
Indeed, we had been close to being defeated by those wolves before. The first day was a complete loss, but after that, we had managed to escape. If we could end the battle with us still in an advantageous position, then allowing the enemy to escape was a satisfactory result.
“Isn’t it strange? They’ve started running away so quickly… something must have changed.”
In another place:
“They wouldn’t come this far if we hunted them with perfect coordination… No, it’s fine to go all out, but this dungeon is scary…”
“Really? I only used the Mist Wolves, but did it not work?”
“If we add more traps just because there’s no Shadow Snake, it’s the same problem…”
“The Mist Wolves have learned to use traps more effectively. We should be able to gain an advantage in our battles with the intruders now.”
“Don’t say that… What is up with these monsters?”
It seems like the Mist Wolves were becoming more skilled. They were getting better at pretending to be defeated. I praised them for it, but the situation with the interruptions was a bit problematic.
…And somehow, I found myself hugging the Demon King and petting their head. I’m still not sure how that happened.
Later:
“I had a feeling… the deeper we go, the denser the magical energy becomes.”
“Yes, this is more than enough to satisfy Her Majesty.”
“It’s a dangerous place, but it’s a shame to abandon it.”
“I hope we can take control of this place and make it our base.”
It seemed like they were more at ease now, even having time to talk like that, while still staying alert and moving forward. This was definitely an abandoned dungeon, and because it had been abandoned, the paths were rough and there was no lighting.
In the dark corridors ahead, I felt a sense of foreboding, something that reminded me of death.
“!! Something’s there.”
“We need to retreat immediately!”
“Wait… I sense something, I need to use concealment magic to hide my presence…!”
The reason they immediately decided to flee was because they were skilled explorers.
If this had been a reckless reincarnated person or a rogue, they would have carelessly gone deeper and been eaten.
“!!”
“…!”
It seems the dark elf woman’s magic arrived just in time, and the huge worm with its distinctive large mouth passed right by them.
Its terrifying strength was something anyone could understand, even without fighting.
Everyone stayed perfectly still, not moving a muscle or making any sound.
They suppressed even their breathing to make sure it wouldn’t notice them.
“That was close… Thank you.”
“If we had kept running, it would have caught us and eaten us…”
“Soul Eater… that might be the creature the wolves were wary of.”
As its name suggests, it was a monster that devours souls.
Prey swallowed by its massive mouth would have their souls eaten, without any physical harm to their bodies.
According to ancient legends, an elf who had been devoured by one of these monsters was revived with a resurrection potion, meaning it wasn’t actually consuming the soul, but…
It was still a dangerous monster that would kill anyone who was eaten.
“We might finally have an idea of what’s going on.”
“Yeah, if we want to make this a base, we’ll have to deal with the Soul Eater.”
“…It’s beyond our abilities. We’ll need to report to the queen and ask for more help if we’re going to tackle that thing.”
Because the dungeon had changed, they returned with investigation results unlike anything before.
The queen was pleased by the report, but also troubled, wondering how to handle such a powerful enemy in the future.
Another scene:
“Maybe we shouldn’t overcomplicate things.”
“Yeah, you’re starting to get it.”
“Let’s make a few small rooms at each branching point, and once they pass through, they can go to a large floor from any direction.”
“If we want to invite them, it’s better that way.”
“Then, let’s place a mini-boss there.”
The monster gacha produced something that seemed like a good fit, so it might be just right.
Soul Eater
Magic: 65
Strength: 51
Skill: 39
Toughness: 55
Agility: 49
It was an upper-tier monster, just like the Gargoyles and Hippogriffs, and had an eerie presence.
To me, it was a cute monster, but to intruders, its appearance would be a formidable weapon.
“Soul Eater. Do you think you can just wander around this floor and defeat any intruders that show up?”
The Soul Eater nodded. Despite looking like a giant worm, it had grown fond of me, and it started to look cute.
This was just like the Dungeon Crawlers. Even insect-like monsters were cute when they became attached to you.
“Did you not realize this… Rigma? I can’t do this…”
“Huh? Why not? It’s a Soul Eater, right?”
“That’s exactly why… Do you plan to have it wipe out all the intruders in that hall?”
Well, but… the Beastmen have been dealing with the Gargoyles fairly well.
The Cockatrices and their large birds… Well, they’ve been guarding that area seriously, so no one has broken through.
Ah, I see. He misunderstood and thought I was going to have the Soul Eater go all out.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it holds back. Can it do that?”
Alright, it seems the Soul Eater is fully motivated.
“Well… wait, Ananta, don’t get distracted. If I was told to defeat that thing alone? …Yikes, that’s terrifying…”
“I’m planning to have it hold back based on the intruders’ abilities.”
“They don’t know that, so they’ll probably stay cautious for a while…”
“If this drags on too long, we’ll have to move the Soul Eater to the Beastmen dungeon.”
“Are you planning to have it kill the Beastmen… Well, maybe it could work? No, never mind. Being with these guys is messing up my sense of logic…”
“Hang in there, Ananta. Don’t let us down.”
“Your sense of logic is actually quite reliable.”
“Soul Eater… If you go all out, you’d be unstoppable against the Beastmen.”
“No, don’t do that!?”
“I understand, Ananta-sama…”
“You look unhappy…”
“How about we try it just once? Look at that big mouth. It’ll definitely eat plenty of intruders.”
“You think you can convince me with that kind of appeal? What the hell is going on with you all…”
For real, good luck, Ananta.
I’m more on the side of Dikitis and Ipiletis anyway…
