Chapter 125

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

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“A treasure chest. Monsters. Traps…”

“This is definitely a dungeon, isn’t it?”

That’s fine. It’s what I expected, so there’s no problem.

But… isn’t this all a little too convenient?

“It looks like an ancient dungeon, but…”

“Your Majesty?”

“No, let’s move forward.”

No way. The idea that someone actually made this… That’s just me being ridiculous.

These aged walls, floors, and ceilings—just replicating them alone would take an immense amount of effort.

And then there are all these traps, monsters, and even treasure chests brimming with magic.

If someone could prepare something like this, it would have to be someone on the level of a Demon King.

And even if they could do it, why would they do it in our territory?

“It’s a Nightmare Sheep!”

“Ah, let’s drive it away.”

Not defeat it—drive it away.

Yes, now that I think about it, how many monsters have we actually defeated in this dungeon?

The number is surprisingly low compared to how many we’ve encountered.

Could it be… that someone really did create this dungeon?

Not as some remnant of the Demon King’s past, but something more recent?

“It ran away.”

“Yes… but now we can finally move on to the next floor—”

My subordinate’s words cut off mid-sentence.

Sensing something off, I followed her gaze. And I understood immediately.

A massive creature, big enough to block the entire path. Its color was like dull lead.

Was it a living thing? Or an inorganic being? It was hard to say—Golems tend to blur that line.

“That’s a Rush Guardian.”

“W-What should we do?”

Her trembling voice was understandable.

This thing was as powerful as a Soul Eater—no, probably stronger.

That tough body was practically immune to both magic and physical attacks.

If you asked me whether we could win… I’d have to say, probably not.

“What else? We go forward.”

“R-Right…”

Even so, we advanced.

Not one of my subordinates hesitated.

Why? Because despite being harder to defeat than a Soul Eater, this monster was less dangerous.

“Well, ideally, it would flinch and let us through…”

I launched a rock magic attack—the same spell that had startled a Soul Eater before.

Though, to be fair, it was strange that it had even worked on a Soul Eater in the first place.

Regardless, I hit the Rush Guardian with an attack of equal or greater power, landing every shot.

“Your Majesty!”

The Rush Guardian noticed us and began to move forward.

At least we’d drawn it away from the blocked path.

But… it completely ignored my magic.

Despite already having a body that tough, it was now forming a magical barrier as it advanced.

“Oh, of course! This is exactly why I hate these things!”

That barrier—that was what made defeating a Rush Guardian so difficult.

Not only was its body incredibly durable, but it also wrapped itself in a barrier even harder than that.

“Ugh!”

“No good. Fall back!”

Hearing the cries of my subordinates, I reluctantly gave the retreat order.

Not out of despair, but simply out of irritation.

After all, the one who had screamed was perfectly fine—running alongside us, completely unharmed.

“Ahhh!”

Another scream.

It was obvious what had happened. Someone had been caught by the Rush Guardian.

Each one that got too close was sent flying by that impenetrable barrier.

That was what made the Rush Guardian so annoying.

It didn’t attack. It didn’t chase. It just bounced everything away.

It weakened our attacks. And if we got too close, it would just send us flying down the narrow dungeon corridors.

Infuriating!

“Oh, come on! A Rush Guardian in a cramped dungeon hallway is just unfair!”

If the Demon King had placed this thing here in the past, then he must have been extremely spiteful.

It just kept pushing us back, over and over again.

A monster designed purely to keep intruders away from something.

Honestly, if monsters really were created by the Demon King, then seeing something this absurd would make me believe it.

“It’s not deadly, but without a countermeasure, we’re not getting past that thing…”

Finally, we reached a spot where we could regroup.

Some of my subordinates were rubbing their backs.

I could understand why. Getting bounced around like that must’ve been painful.

I was fine, but that monster… I really don’t like it.

“That area seems suspicious.”

“Yeah… If it’s guarding it that obviously, then either something valuable is there, or the place itself is important. It’s worth investigating.”

Back when the war against the Demon King’s army was fiercer, I’d seen Rush Guardians many times.

They were always placed to protect something significant.

If this one was a leftover from the Demon King’s era, then whatever lies beyond it must be important.

For now, our priority is figuring out how to deal with that Rush Guardian.

◇

“A Rush Guardian?”

“Yes. It’s one of the rare ones. But then again, all of them are precious and adorable in their own way.”

I couldn’t agree more with Lady Fiona.

They were affectionate, obedient, and listened well.

So no matter how monstrous they appeared—whether they were giant bugs or grotesque little goblins—to me, they were all adorable.

“The Rush Guardian is amazing. It deflects any attack with its barrier and keeps bouncing intruders back to the entrance.”

That barrier is seriously impressive.

But if it keeps bouncing enemies back to the entrance, wouldn’t it be perfect for placing deep inside a maze?

Just imagine—someone barely escapes from the Basilisks’ poison, thinking they’ve finally reached the end of the maze, only to be greeted by a Rush Guardian.

Wait… this is actually a great idea.

“Let’s place one at the maze exit.”

“You’re saying something scary again…”

“Rey, you definitely have a bully’s mindset.”

“Rey-kun’s plans always have an unconscious intent to kill.”

Hey. Rigma’s gang.

Ananta, Karmal, and Rigma himself—do they all really think my idea is that bad?

No, wait. I need to calm down. Those three may look like separate people, but they’re actually just Rigma.

Which means this is just Rigma’s personal opinion. The others might…

“Wouldn’t this completely wipe out any challengers in the Beastmen Dungeon?”

“Rey, maybe you shouldn’t mess with the game balance too much~?”

Even Primilla  and Pilkaya, the most reasonable of the demons, are reacting like this.

I’m doomed…

“I think it’s a very effective placement.”

“The Beastmen might not be able to break through the barrier… No, actually, knowing them, they’ll probably brute-force their way through somehow.”

“A non-lethal monster that still ends up causing carnage… As expected, Rey is a genius at this~.”

Dikitis and Ipiletis are praising me. Which means I’ve gone too far.

Epiclesi is more reasonable, but he’s not commenting on my placement plan at all.

In other words, the only people on my side are just as crazy as me.

Alright, fine. This one’s on me.

“Let’s just place it somewhere random in the Dark Elves’ dungeon…”

“What should it guard? With a Rush Guardian, we could protect a valuable item or facility. At the very least, it’ll buy us some time.”

“Maybe we should just set up an empty treasure chest and some traps?”

“I love that idea~!”

Ah, never mind. This is a bad idea too, isn’t it?

Ipiletis’s eyes are sparkling. Which means she’s imagining a floor full of traps designed to torment intruders.

“Sigh… Fine, at least let’s make the traps weak ones.”

Dungeon design is hard…

Wait, now that I think about it, Lipianem hasn’t said a word.

Magirema is busy with her restaurant as always, and Terapheia  is stationed in the medical room. That makes sense.

But Lipianem is actually here with us. So why is she so quiet?

“……”

“What’s wrong, Lipianem?”

“Lord Rey. I’ve heard that the Rush Guardian’s barrier is impenetrable.”

“Yeah, I just learned that too.”

“I wonder… How effective would my power be against it?”

Ah. That’s what’s on her mind.

…Might as well let her test it.

Lipianem has been weakened, so the result shouldn’t be too disastrous.

Plus, it’ll be a good durability test.

“Give it a try.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah, I’d like to know just how strong it is.”

“Alright!”

Lipianem steps in front of the Rush Guardian.

She gives it a command, and sure enough, a magic barrier forms around it.

“Hah!”

—Slash.

The Rush Guardian is sliced clean in half, barrier and all.

“Lord Rey…”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“B-But I did feel resistance when I hit the barrier!”

“So you just overpowered it and cut straight through?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, actually, this is useful. At least now we know its barrier isn’t invincible. Overconfidence would’ve been dangerous.”

Still, poor Rush Guardian. I should recreate it later.

“Wasn’t Lipianem supposed to have better control over her power now?”

“I do. Nothing else got damaged, right?”

“…Oh, you’re right. So you’ve learned to channel all your power into just the target?”

“Exactly. I’ve evolved to destroy only what I need to… That’s the unstoppable beast, Lipianem.”

Everyone’s talking about me like I’m some kind of monster.

So Lipianem’s stats may have dropped, but she’s actually grown stronger in a different way.

…A demon that gets stronger when she’s sealed.

I can’t help but wonder—if she ever breaks free, just how powerful will she become?