It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

---

– 1 –

“Welcome. It’s been a while, Jason.”

“It’s been a while indeed, Seurzius.”

As Talhan stepped inside and scanned the room, his gaze halted at one particular spot.

At the handsome young man seated in the center.

Tsk.

Just seeing that face made his insides twist slightly.

There wasn’t any specific reason for it.

Just a natural psychological reaction when facing a handsome ‘enemy’, perhaps jealousy.

He knew it was ‘fake’, but it was still annoying.

“Looking like a parasite.”

However, that emotion didn’t surface.

It had already become a well-trained habit for him not to convey his ‘true self’ feelings to his body.

Thanks to that, the head of the Copgerin Information Guild was receiving evaluations such as, “Though his power seems somewhat faded, his abilities as an informant have significantly improved.”

“I was surprised you suddenly wanted to meet, Seurzius.”

“Oh, I just thought we could have a drink together since it’s been a while.”

Hah.

Talhan sneered at Seurzius’s words this time without bothering to hide it.

“We’re not exactly on friendly terms, are we?”

The ‘Seurzius Dodge’ in front of him and ‘Jason Coulter’ were not that close.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say they had an antagonistic relationship.

Both on the ‘surface’ and ‘in reality.’

“What’s wrong with building a rapport among colleagues in the same industry? Come, eat with us.”

“No thanks. I brought my own.”

Borrowing Copgerin’s body, Talhan lifted a bottle.

Though he was in a state between life and death and didn’t get drunk, it was still foolish to drink the alcohol offered by the head of the ‘Gray Eye.’

Especially for someone who was an informant.

While alcohol itself might not be the problem, it could contain any magic or curse.

“You’re as thorough as ever.”

“You need to be prepared to survive long.”

Talhan pulled out a chair and inspected the food on the table. He scanned it with his senses and even poked it with a silver probe.

Then he pulled out some premium jerky and took a bite.

“If that’s the case, why did you check it?”

“It’s a habit.”

Responding nonchalantly to Seurzius’s incredulous question, Talhan chugged the wine straight from the bottle and took another bite of the jerky.

At least he wanted to uphold some etiquette of drinking.

“… Well, fine.”

It would feel like losing if he stated his purpose first, but after all, this meeting was initiated by Seurzius.

Seurzius raised his hands as if to concede and opened his mouth, but Jason didn’t miss the unnaturally ‘natural’ awkwardness of the gesture.

Snakes.

Seurzius appeared as a young, handsome man, but his appearance didn’t match his estimated actual age at all.

He was one of the disciples of the ‘Gray Eye’ likely in his eighties.

He had to be at least in his forties or more.

And Seurzius was aware that his age was out in the open.

“It’s noisy out in the streets these days.”

The information merchant got straight to the point.

This meeting came about due to the ‘Information Guild’ blocking ‘information merchants’ paths, and of course, one with the Gray Eye was curious why their guild was obstructing them.

It was about information concerning the murderer of a noble.

“Every time the cold wind blows, ash flies around as if the air is suffocating.”

At Seurzius’s words, Talhan cynically poured more wine into his mouth.

The red liquid sloshing around almost looked as if it were filled with blood.

So, am I drinking blood?

Knowing that this was probably closer to the truth, the dull taste lingered longer in his mouth.

Remembering he had already needed to consume thirty humans.

He felt no guilt. Just a feeling bordering on self-pity.

Once this is over, the Master will surely reward me properly.

His loyalty to the Master had been growing recently, but his nature was rooted in selfishness and greed.

In the end, it was merely because he had to eventually oversee the ‘debt’ owed to his great Master.

It meant that he was fundamentally no different from Alexis, who had recently died.

So, it was only natural to expect a reward.

“The old burns away, and new arises in its place; it’s always been this way.”

“But if there’s a scent of blue blood mingled in it, the story changes.”

Talhan set down the wine bottle and looked at Seurzius.

Beyond the wine glass he raised, his softly curved eyes emitted a cold light.

“I’m the head of the Information Guild. What we handle are matters harmful to humanity.”

“So, isn’t it strange? This matter seems to have nothing to do with you.”

Silence fell.

Talhan deliberately chewed the jerky for a long time.

Feigning to hold his tongue.

“The price.”

He once acted for justice, but now he was one of the leaders striving to protect and prosper his group.

He still held some honor and justice, yet he was infinitely flexible.

Thus, it was only natural for him to ask for a price.

“We need to provide something good too. Of course.”

That’s it.

Seurzius smiled inwardly.

He had learned enough from ‘the living Jason’ that this reaction indicated a trade was being established.

“Perhaps you’ve heard? Recently, a merchant came from the west.”

Seurzius’s eyes flickered slightly.

To the upper left.

Talhan didn’t miss that movement.

It was the movement of an eye rummaging through memories.

A motion small enough that an ordinary person would have a hard time noticing.

“That merchant… come to think of it.”

“Right. You probably know. They say he was prancing around near the source on the night the ash winds started. The interesting part is…”

“After that, he disappeared.”

Indeed, he assumed that Seurzius had grasped at least that much.

The merchant was in fact the owner of the burned corpse inside the mansion instead of ‘Alexis’, but someone oblivious to the situation might think he had committed some wrongdoing and quickly hid himself.

“Interesting. A merchant, huh?”

Clink.

Seurzius tapped his finger on the wine glass.

Talhan chuckled softly.

He needed to catch on at least this much.

“Just give me the orders plainly. After all, we’re trading here.”

“Ah, pardon me. It’s our custom.”

“Well… it’s just street gossip. But you know, gathering that kind of info is our job.”

“Of course.”

The merchant was real, but the trading company he belonged to was all fake.

This was a trap.

To verify where and to whom the eyes of the informant ‘Gray Eye’ were attached.

“But that’s not enough. You should normally know what that merchant was up to.”

“The cost is likely to be high.”

“We’re prepared accordingly.”

“Hmm.”

Pretending to think for a moment, Talhan shook his head.

He would inform them that ‘the culprit is the daughter of the Duchess from the western outskirts,’ but he had to be greedy here.

“It won’t come cheap. I assume you suspect there’s a reason we’ve concealed this information.”

“Oh dear…”

Seurzius, who had been smiling awkwardly, eventually revealed the price he brought.

“They say the ‘Arpina’, who disappeared into the northern magical realm, has reappeared. Because of this, we’ve recently started tightening control over our organization.”

That held quite significant value for both Jason and Talhan.

“… The Dream Witch…”

“Yes.”

The corners of Talhan’s mouth twitched.

That name was shocking enough, and even without the Guild Master’s knowledge, it was something one would well know.

It was the name of one of the seven infamous murderers known across the continent.

“Her return means…”

“They say Dantalion released her for some unknown reason. Perhaps he found out she poses a threat to humans.”

The news of her return suggested that the Information Guild would also need to tighten control over its members.

That’s why it was mentioned as big information.

But for Talhan, it was still insufficient.

The same went for Jason.

“Where is she moving to?”

“Here. She’s coming toward the center.”

“… That’s truly big information. Thank you.”

Indeed, Seurzius couldn’t afford to appear relaxed with that information, and his expression stiffened.

Jason’s face similarly turned grim.

“Not at all. Now, can I hear your story?”

“Of course. A noble from the west recently bought a significant amount of silk… originally meant for the Monastery, but it might have been a message of interest to someone…”

Flowing out information regarding Michaela, who was set to reappear, Talhan savored it inwardly.

A mix of sweetness and bitterness lingered on the tip of his tongue.

I came to execute the Master’s orders, but I’ve stumbled upon an even better offering for him.

The Dream Witch, Arpina, was likely a strong enough presence to rank high in power.

If she began her activities in this central region, then the Dungeon would also have to maintain a sharp vigilance.

– 2 –

“That’s enough now. Great Master.”

“You’ve worked hard, Camellia.”

Daniel had finished the mental adjustments for the elite-level mercenaries he had brought.

This time, rather than taking direct action, he wanted to utilize their capabilities. He wished to assess the powers of the Alraunes that had taken residence in his dungeon.

“It was nothing. Just a small matter.”

“It’s better to inflate the contributions. Assessing correctly is my job.”

“In that case, it’s also a servant’s duty to lessen your workload.”

“That’s quite a sensible remark.”

“Thank you.”

The red camellia, which I initially thought was a rose, ‘Camellia,’ seemed to possess the strongest power among the five Alraunes.

While the other Alraunes were enchanting the first batch of mercenaries, she alone had fully completed one and was now casting magic on a second mercenary.

‘Still, the others aren’t lacking either.’

“It’s late…”

“Ugh… I’m tired…”

Though late compared to Camellia, by the time she attempted to enchant the second mercenary, all the others had finished their tasks.

Now, all that remained was to plant one seed of loyalty upon the minds they had broken and take action.

The planting was loyalty, and the action was transformation into a powerful monster.

Thus, the takeover of Daniel’s monster-hunting mercenary group, the ‘Twilight Hunters,’ was ‘almost’ complete.

“Everyone, please state your names.”

““Yes! Great Master!””

They referred to me as the ‘Great Master.’

Reflecting their queen Nirvana’s master.

It felt… somewhat peculiar.

It resembled the term ‘Princess’ or ‘Lady’ in this world, implying a similar connotation.

“Camellia, White, Nepenthes, Butter, Jade. Well done, all of you. You were impressive.”

The names of the red camellia, white rose, Nepenthes, butterwort, and jade vine Alraunes.

The straightforwardness of their names also attested to the fact that there weren’t many Alraunes.

Such straightforwardness is only possible when there aren’t overlapping entities.

“I’ve well observed all your abilities. Quite excellent.”

They were Alraunes with strength at the mid-level elite, who were considered candidates to be Nirvana’s successor.

I thought that Nirvana would only delegate work when she grew tired of running the organization…

But anyway, a successor is a successor.

They possessed the power befitting that title.

Yet, there were some drawbacks…

“If these girls are around, I think they can carry out the tasks given to them well from now on.”

“Just as I mentioned, huh? Hehe.”

…

Nirvana smiled lazily, her eyes curving as she laughed, and the observing gazes of the Alraunes slightly lifted in jealousy.

Her distance was close, and the Alraunes were envying her for it.

Charm ability…

So, they were among those who had a yearning to ‘metaphorically’ devour me.

Hah.

“Nepenthes. Jade.”

““Yes! Great Master!””

The two Alraunes answered brightly, though not as exposed as their leader Nirvana, their appearance was still quite revealing.

They were almost only hiding the essential parts.

Even though their skin’s hue was strange, being neither a pale flesh tone nor a typical color, their suggestiveness didn’t diminish.

If their complexion truly seemed that strange, the mercenaries wouldn’t have easily become enchanted.

“You’ll be helping Kamaya with a task.”

“The Harpy Queen’s orders?”

“The Harpy Queen… Hehe. She looked delicious…”

“Hey. Focus.”

Jade was courteous, while Nepenthes was rather gloomy.

Yet, it wasn’t as if their innermost feelings were identical to their outward appearances, which was the troublesome aspect.

Though differing in degree, both looked at me with lustful eyes.

Doesn’t matter.

As long as they did their jobs properly, I didn’t mind how they viewed me.

If they were not going to be my allies or subordinates, I wouldn’t really care how they gazed at me; otherwise, I would have taken some other measure.

“Okay. It’s a simple task of bringing a human.”

“Is that the order of the Harpy Queen?”

“The Harpy Queen… Hehe. She looked delicious…”

“Focus!”

Jade was respectful, and Nepenthes was gloomy.

But just because their outward appearances were different, it didn’t mean their innermost feelings were any different; they both gazed at me with lust in their eyes.

Doesn’t matter.

As long as they did their jobs right, I didn’t care about how they looked at me.

They wouldn’t be my allies nor be under my rule, so if they stared at me like that, I would have taken another action.

“Yes, it’s a simple task of bringing back a human.”

“Is that what the Harpy Queen meant?”

“Surely she looked delicious…”

“Pay attention.”

Jade was well-mannered, but Nepenthes was gloomy.

Still, those lewd looks in their eyes mirrored each other.

“Well, there’ll be something you’ll be doing to help Kamaya.”

“A human, I see…”

“One from the nobility.”

“A noble… We can’t eat them, can we…? They look delicious… Or we could convert one of our own…”

At Nepenthes’s question, I smiled, and Jade Vine quickly understood the meaning of my smile.

“Ah! I understand! I’ll make sure to bring him back intact!”

“Ugh… what a pity…”

Leading Nepenthes away, Jade bowed several times before disappearing.

Seeing that parting gesture made me feel slightly uneasy.

“Will they do well?”

“Don’t worry, Master. Even if they look that way, they’re greedy kids, so they know when to hold back for their biggest desires.”

“… That’s quite reassuring.”

“Not at all.”

Even with her usual seductive smile, Nirvana lingered in my mind, but I merely nodded.

If she has managed thus far, I guess it’s for good.

If not, I could just ‘punish’ them.

Well, that’s settled…

“Mur. I’m counting on you.”

“Of course. Just give me the word, Lady.”

After sending off the Alraunes, I decided to reassess my abilities before starting the full-scale operation.

I had at least a few days to do so.

The time for serious operation hadn’t come yet.

“I can’t wait.”

Indeed, performing magic in a completely new world was far more challenging and fascinating than I had anticipated.