It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

“…There’s a dungeon here.”

Leonis Den’s skill was indeed excellent, befitting his rank as a senior mage of the guild.

He succeeded in detecting the presence of a dungeon while passing from one point to another, not from the candidates that Daniel had picked out using all sorts of magic-imbued tools and experience to find the dungeon.

“What? Here, you say?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Huh…”

At first, however, no one could easily believe his words.

It was because of the state of the dungeon entrance.

“Uh, um… Sir Mage, could it be that you’ve made a mistake this time…”

“…”

The size of this disbelief was so great that even the adventurer himself didn’t properly recognize that his words were completely ignored.

Well, it was understandable.

What Leonis pointed to was a dungeon entrance blocked by collapsed soil and rocks, as if a landslide had occurred.

“Did they block it knowing we were coming…?”

“That’s impossible. Dungeon Lords don’t avoid incoming attacks, do they? This must be just an accident.”

Leonis negated Maria’s judgment.

As he said, it was common sense in this world that Dungeon Lords never avoid oncoming battles.

Occasionally, there were individuals who used deceptive tactics.

But they were only a very small number of individuals who had learned to win using such tactics from the beginning, and it was established theory that they could show ‘tactical retreat’ or ‘dungeon concealment’ only when they had gained much more experience, not when they were ‘young’ like the current dungeon.

Moreover, even such individuals ultimately ended the most important phase with battle, so this judgment was extremely common-sensical given that Libertas’s actions were unknown at this point.

“How should we break through that…?”

Whatever it was, they would have to break through this collapsed cave to confirm the dungeon said to be inside.

While people were looking at the collapsed cave with perplexed gazes, Rita pointed to one place and spoke.

“There. There seems to be an entrance.”

“What? Oh… It’s true! Miss Angelita has contributed! There’s an unblocked part over there!”

Gyeonghan, who didn’t forget to convey the impression of being an excellent person to those around him while not missing subtle flattery even in this situation, confirmed what Rita had said with the quick eyes characteristic of a tracker and further testified.

Anyway, people’s gazes gathered there, and soon everyone’s expressions brightened.

Because there really was a passage open wide enough for one person to pass through.

“When giving tactical instructions, I will speak as quickly as possible. Daniel and I will enter first. Gyeonghan, Robin, and Susan, you three move primarily to protect the mages from the rear, and Leonis and Jacob, enter when we send a signal back.”

After the adventurers who had discovered the dungeon they needed to enter finished their final check, Maria stood among the seated people and spoke.

People moved according to her quick instructions.

The two newly hired apprentice-level warriors had a moment of confusion finding their positions, but with many people to direct traffic, it didn’t take long.

“There’s nothing suspicious that looks like a trap.”

“No magic has been cast either.”

“Then, we’ll enter.”

Before entering, Jacob, an apprentice trap specialist, and Leonis each performed checks on dungeon facilities and detection of magical traps.

As soon as they heard that there was no problem, Maria and Daniel, who were waiting with curved swords and short swords drawn, entered first.

Right after that.

-Kieeek!! Humans!!

“It’s the sound of goblins.”

“Oh my. Just from the sound, it’s not just one or two. I’ll go in first!”

“Me too.”

As soon as the goblin voices were heard, Jacob and Gyeonghan, who had loaded their crossbows and bows, informed the group of their intention to enter.

It’s not that they were ignoring Maria’s plan, but when dealing with goblins, those capable of ranged attacks should enter first.

Although goblins themselves are weak monsters, when a small number of strong opponents attack, they very actively adopt the strategy of hit-and-run, or more precisely, fleeing and then looking for opportunities.

“Miss Mage, please stay behind us… Huh? Miss Angelita?”

However, there was someone who moved faster than them.

Rita, who was originally at the back, took Sonia’s hand and stepped forward, then turned towards them and smiled quietly.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Wait…! Miss Angelita, Sonia is…!”

“Come slowly.”

“No, that’s…!”

Ignoring Leonis’s attempt to stop her, Rita slipped into the entrance. Sonia, whose hand was held by Rita, followed without showing any sign of resistance.

Naturally, Leonis, who was worried about Sonia, followed right behind.

“Uh… What should we do?”

“What do you mean? Let’s go in too!”

Suppose they left the mages like this; who knows what accidents might happen inside. Although the compensation they should receive wouldn’t change just because the mages got a little injured, it’s not desirable either.

Of course, the mercenaries immediately entered following the mages.

However, what the adventurers who entered the cave saw was not the bewildered faces of the mages, or Maria’s angry expression asking why the mages had entered first breaking the plan.

Whoosh…!!

-Kieeaak!!

-Hot, it’s hot!!

It was a fire burning with goblin oil, filling the entire field of view except for the large central pillar and brightly illuminating the surroundings.

* * *

People’s reactions when discovering the dungeon entrance were as expected. It was something I had done believing they would think that way from the start.

Dungeon Lords don’t avoid approaching battles.

It’s ridiculous that this is common sense, but it’s true. Even when I came up with this method, my ‘body’ felt resistance.

What are they? Are they some kind of warrior race?

Still, ‘Nobility’ seemed to value victory more highly than deceiving the enemy through trickery, so it didn’t interfere with this thought and action. If anything, it helped suppress the body.

Anyway, thanks to this, after showing people that I had made a small contribution by discovering the dungeon entrance, we were able to enter the dungeon.

“Sonia. You…”

“When did you learn such magic, Sonia?”

After clearing out the goblins at the dungeon entrance like that, Maria and Leonis, who knew about Sonia, gathered in one place.

The two people’s questions were a natural progression.

Previously, Sonia had only learned detection and protection magic befitting an apprentice level.

But suddenly she had learned elemental magic of a considerable level from somewhere, so of course they were surprised.

“Well…”

Sonia hesitated and didn’t answer immediately.

Was it because I had instructed her that there was no need to reveal that she had learned something from me?

It was a useless hesitation. Her eyes were already glancing at me.

It didn’t take long for people’s gazes to gather.

『Characteristics – Magic: Detection, Magic: Protection, Magic: Flame Barrier, Magic: Poison Arrow, Magic: Draining Plant, Magic Overadaptation』

Anyway, as a result, there was a change in her characteristic window visible to my eyes.

Three offensive spells had been added.

At the same time, these also exist in my status window. The only difference is that mine are all ‘Advanced’ while her characteristics are ‘Common’.

I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed like the difference arose because I learned her magic and then taught her. Maybe my teaching skills weren’t that good.

People can’t be good at everything.

The aggressive state of the magic was for the same reason. Although she hoped to learn offensive magic, after all, the magic itself was obtained from the Mammon Guild.

“She wanted it, so I taught her a few things I knew.”

“Is that true? Teaching magic wouldn’t be an easy decision… I thought it might be the case when I heard what Sonia calls you, but…”

Leonis’s surprised face.

The magic of this world is full of intuition, experience, and calculations through invisible coordinates, so it’s not easy to learn just from books. Therefore, when learning any magic, the existence of a suitable teacher or master is essential.

However, if this is an era that treats such knowledge as property, of course, the method of creating that special property is also naturally high-grade property.

It was natural to be surprised that I had freely given such special property to someone I had only met recently.

In fact, for me, it was nothing more than spreading what I had quickly learned through the status window, and probably through ‘Nobility’, but that’s how it looked to others.

That was why Sonia called me ‘Teacher’.

“If I hadn’t been involved, I wouldn’t know, but since it’s a life I saved, isn’t it human nature to help so they don’t die more easily somewhere?”

“Still, an ordinary mage wouldn’t go that far…”

“Is that so?”

Amidst my casual reply and Leonis’s admiration, people’s gazes changed.

If until now I was a ‘pretty mage who hasn’t yet shown her eccentric nature’, now it seems I’m being treated as a ‘mage who is good-natured and pretty too’.

“To do this much for Sonia. I’m truly grateful, Miss Angelita.”

“It’s nothing. As I’ve already said. It’s only natural for me.”

“Was it needless suspicion…?”

Seeing that even Maria showed more familiarity than before and even Daniel, who had been suspicious all along, showed admiration, it seems that the value of magic is really considered quite precious.

It’s like they feel ‘there’s no way someone who even teaches magic could really be a suspicious person’.

Yet demon races seem to treat it as merchandise for sale in the guild.

Even Daniel, who was suspicious from the start, didn’t seem to assume that I might be a Dungeon Lord in the first place, so maybe it’s natural that the suspicion itself doesn’t last long.

“Let’s stop the chitchat here. We’ll start moving again. Let’s move quickly while the mood is good.”

Maria clapped her hands to gather people’s attention, and people started moving again.

This time, the formation changed.

Maria and one of the warriors recruited this time stood on the left and right, and in the center front stood Leonis, the detection mage, and Jacob, who had learned trap techniques.

In the center, Daniel and Gyeonghan, who had the best eyes and were quickest, kept the mages and scouts in front and behind in their sight while guarding the surroundings, and at the very back stood me, Sonia, and the remaining warrior.

They say this is the standard for a newly created dungeon.

Since there’s almost no possibility of enemies appearing from behind, it’s a formation that focuses on properly guarding against enemies from the front and sides while also protecting the mages.

“Here… This is the place…”

“It’s okay, Sonia. We can find your friends.”

“Yes, Teacher… With my own hands, I must…”

When the long corridor that I had put effort into appeared in front of the first entrance, Sonia momentarily hesitated and expressed mental anguish as past memories revived.

However, she showed a relatively strong appearance of getting up and shaking it off.

“The corridor really is incredibly long.”

“Don’t stop being vigilant. According to Sonia’s testimony, something might be hiding beside or on the ceiling of this corridor.”

“But would a young Dungeon Lord really use such a deceptive tactic? There’s no way they would know about it in the first place.”

“Maybe not at first. But now they might know. How effective an ambush can be.”

As Maria rationally said, people walked down the long, long corridor as if waiting, with their bodies stiffened with tension.

For nearly an hour.

“Up ahead. I can see light.”

“Is this boring section finally ending…”

“Don’t let your guard down until the very end. Attacks at times like this tend to be fatal.”

As people who were somewhat mentally exhausted entered the room like that.

I encountered a welcome presence and smiled.

“Teacher…?”

“Sonia. Prepare your magic.”

“Battle preparations-!!”

A familiar skeleton holding a longsword stood in front of us.

Along with more than fifty owners of blue eye lights.