So This Is Why You Hate It!

There are many types of dungeons in Dungeon God.

Some dungeons are modeled after the very 'gods' that exist in Dungeon God, while others are composed in the form of complex mazes.

Just as varied as those dungeons are, the 'dungeon entrances' themselves come in all forms.

Basically, an entrance presents itself as a door. However, sometimes, as is now, that door cannot be seen; furthermore, sometimes the entire region itself becomes the 'dungeon entrance'.

'When did we pass by?'

Was it when we arrived at Lurdan Forest? I couldn't say exactly.

I should have been more careful, but now that we're inside the dungeon, there's nothing to be done.

Anyway, it's a dungeon of the same grade.It's still not enough to stop us, who have with us not just one, but two 'Apostles'.

"Brother! Are you saying this is a dungeon right now!?"

The first to react to the news that we had already entered the dungeon was Serena.

Unable to hide her bewilderment, she darted her gaze around. The gloomy forest with no sunlight filtering in entered her view, and as she saw that, she seemed to realize her mistake.

"No wonder it felt darker than usual!"

If something seems off, say so from the start.

"If this place is a dungeon, then it's just what I was hoping for!"

Next was Barkal. Raising his axe, he began swinging it in the air and shouting into the void.

"Thrag, I shall prove that my brother and I are great warriors!"

By now, I have gotten quite used to the antics of these two. I ignored them and checked the carriage on the other side.

Much like us, the carriage had come to a stop, as if bewildered by our sudden reappearance.

"What in the world is..."

As I approached, I saw an adventurer with a clearly troubled expression.

He was muttering to himself, but upon seeing me, he flinched in surprise. It seemed he had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed my approach.

"Y-you're the one from earlier..."

"Do you have a mana stone compass?"

"A c-compass?"

"The one you get from the Adventurers' Guild."

As if remembering, the adventurer pulled a compass out of his clothing and showed it to me.

Hm? There's a crack in the compass. Did he bump into something?

In any case, as I expected, the mana stone compass was broken, just like ours.

"This place is already a dungeon."

"What!?"

So, he too entered without noticing the dungeon entrance.

"I'm not lying. This is a dungeon."

The male adventurer stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"W-well, barbarians don't lie, after all."

It sounded as though he was saying Barbarians lack the intelligence to lie.

Can't be helped, that's society's general view on Barbarians.

"... Ugh."

As I approached the carriage to continue the conversation, a strange stench assaulted my nose.

What is this smell—could it be coming from me?

No. I shower once a day, or at least every other day, even when circumstances are difficult.

Sniffing again, I realized the source of the foul odor wasn't me after all.

It was the carriage the adventurer was riding in.

"Brother Barkal!?"

A startled voice called out from behind—it was Serena's.

Turning my head, I saw Barkal had descended from the carriage and was approaching me, brandishing his newly acquired axe, 'Erindal'.

"Dmihtan, my brother."

Barkal's expression was unusually serious. That gave me a sense of what was happening.

So that's what it was.

"Don't approach those people. My instincts tell me so."

As expected of Barkal, apostle of Thrag, who abhors the magic of the dead. His instincts were accurate.

I looked down at the adventurer before me, standing on the carriage step, and checked his body. His side caught my attention.

There was a gaping hole. So big I could see right through to the other side.

The man was already dead. That was the source of the stench.

* * *

Earlier, when we first encountered the carriage, Barkal was the only one who had sensed something was off.

Why hadn't I noticed?

Probably because I am a 'necromancer'. Magic of the dead—raising the dead—is something I can use, and am rather familiar with.

"Already dead..."

Serena showed signs of discomfort. I had already explained it to her: the adventurers before us were already dead.

"It's magic of the dead! There must be a necromancer somewhere in this dungeon."

Barkal declared with conviction. I agreed with him.

"Isn't necromancer magic about reviving the dead as undead?"

"That's right."

Just like the 'skeleton summons' I use. Summoning the undead is the magic of a necromancer.

Although a necromancer might be able to summon intelligent beings, it's impossible to perfectly restore the dead.

"Then why does that person seem mentally sound?"

Exactly. That's what puzzles me, too.

Serena continued to cast a pitying glance at the adventurer's party.

"If they don't realize they're dead, won't they just wander around forever, unable to pass on?"

Not that there's much we can do. In the first place, those adventurers and we are strangers. There's no reason to get deeply involved.

"If we kill them again, wouldn't they be able to go to heaven peacefully?"

Serena...

That's a rather scary thought.

"There's something I want to check."

After explaining to both Serena and Barkal, I approached the adventurers again.

"I'd like to ask you something."

"Oh. Yes, go ahead. Especially at a time like this, we should help each other."

As I got closer, the stench became even more pungent. Through the gap in the carriage curtain, I could see part of the luggage area.

Inside were corpses. Probably their companions.

The adventurer's name was 'Jillan'. Unlike us, who had accepted a commission from Iushil, he said they had set out from a port city called Raskis.

"Raskis is a great place. The seafood is delicious there!"

Jillan spoke with clouded eyes.

Still strange. Are they not really dead? I even wondered that.

'Is there magic that can do this to the dead?'

I thought of the necromancer spells I'd learned playing Dungeon God.

There was a spell called Resurrection of the Dead, which had a similar effect, but it only brought back 'abilities', not 'memories'.

Lowering my gaze slightly, I saw Jillan's midsection, pierced and hollow. There were traces of blood, but the bleeding must have gone on so long that now, no more blood flowed.

There's no way he isn't dead.

What on earth...

* 〈Thrag furrows his brow at the disgusting air.〉

Oh, it's you again.

* 〈Thrag desires a new sacrifice.〉* 〈Thrag hungers for the downfall of these foul beings.〉

For Thrag to react so sensitively—that rarely happens.

Wait, actually, it has happened before.When that guy was chewed up.

And another time.When it was revealed I was a necromancer upon first arriving in Dungeon God.

Now that I think about it, I need to calm Thrag's temper a bit. He throws a tantrum at the slightest thing.

Back then too, he really got mad.

* 〈Thrag emits a growl full of rage.〉

Yet this time, there was no forewarning for Thrag to be angry. Is it because of a necromancer inside the dungeon?

* 〈Thrag commands heightened vigilance.〉

No.This wasn't how it was previously.

"How long have you been wandering here?"

"You mean our party? We... I..."

Jillan's face suddenly darkened.

"When did we come in...?"

"Have you ever noticed anything strange?"

"Something strange?"

He contemplated for a moment, then answered.

"Oh, I did see something! Stairs descending underground in this forest. Uh...?"

Jillan let out a groan.

"I remember our party approaching those stairs, but after that, my memory is..."

"Jillan."

"Yes?"

"You are dead."

"What do you mean...?"

"Where were those underground stairs located?"

That must be where either the 'dungeon master' or the necromancer is.

"Uh, ugh..."

Suddenly, Jillan started groaning. Is he going to attack me as an undead?

"Y-yeah, we... we fell to the necromancer..."

Jillan muttered, seemingly remembering something, and drew the sword from his back.

His eyes turned bloodshot, and the gash in his abdomen began to rot rapidly.

It's definite—he's turning into an undead.

He's going to attack. That's the natural course of things.

"Th-the place where we saw the stairs was near where the rotten maple tree stands!"

Then, Jillan placed the sword at his own throat.

"I, Jillan Leidenheim, may not have saved my comrades, but I shall defend my honor!"

Thud.With those words, Jillan decapitated himself with his sword.

Jillan's head tumbled to the ground. It was a gruesome, chilling sight, but my gaze was fixed elsewhere.

Now was not the time to worry about that.

"Magic of the dead!"

"Brother, it's the enemy!"

With a rustling from the forest, enemies began to appear. However, they were not dungeon monsters.

Skeletons made of bone. They were the same as the ones I summon with 'skeleton summons'.

"Wretched necromancer! Show yourself, you vile fiend!"

The first to charge at the skeletons was Barkal.

When his enormous axe made contact, the skeleton wasn't just broken apart—it crumbled to dust, skipping all funeral rites.

Barkal is indeed strong, but 'skeleton summon' is one of a necromancer's mainstays.

Though there were several at once and they were clearly weaker than the skeletons I summon, I didn't expect him to finish one in a single blow.

"Erindal...!"

Barkal gripped his axe and started to laugh.

"This new Erindal fits perfectly in my hand!"

Now that I think of it, we did get a new weapon.

"Liberas, grant me your strength!"

Likewise, Serena entered the fray. She covered herself in buffs with a brief prayer, closed the distance with the skeleton in an instant, and threw a punch.

With all those buffs, one punch from her was more than enough to obliterate a skeleton.

Or at least, it should be—why is she using joint locks instead?

"Hnnngh...!"

Crunch—With a yell, Serena twisted off the skeleton's head in a headlock.

But then, behind her, another skeleton appeared brandishing a bone sword.

"Serena, watch your back!"

Barkal called out in concern, but I felt nothing in particular.

Clang—

Because when the bone sword struck her trapezius, it shattered.

"It's the ring's effect."

I briefly explained to Barkal, who didn't know about the newly acquired 'Iron Fortress Ring', that it was simply the effect of the ring.

One of the ring's effects is 'Iron Fortress', which makes you immune to damage below a certain threshold.

That's why we called equipment bearing the 'Iron Fortress' effect 'farming gear'.

Why?Because when gathering resources in weaker hunting grounds, 'Iron Fortress' gear lets you save on potions!

'Anyway.'

Crrack.Crrunch—Serena continued to subdue the advancing skeletons with joint locks.

Joint locks are certainly effective in 'PvP'. Personally, I think Serena is stronger than Barkal in such situations.

But why bother using joint locks on skeletons that could be taken out in one hit?

Crack—As bones snapped, I looked at Serena's face.

Cheeks flushed crimson.

A faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Blue eyes burning with passion.

Beautiful.

Her appearance was so awe-inspiring, one could easily mistake her for a saint—or even a Goddess.

But she gave me goosebumps.

"Hoo, hoohoo... Heehee!"

Because I could feel that she was genuinely enjoying herself.

Enjoying what, you ask?

The sound bones made.

The act of breaking bones.

"Brother."

"Yes, Barkal?"

"I know I am not a normal man."

Really?

"But she is also insane."

This time, I had to agree with Barkal.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Oh no, Barkal is gaining awareness...Well, Barkal is sometimes more aware than MC.【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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