I managed to escape somehow. But now where should I go?
A cave would be optimal for avoiding humans and sunlight, but the problem was I might be mistaken for a dungeon boss again.
'Should I really try going to the demon realm?'
That thought was rejected as soon as it came. Crossing the continent isn't exactly easy.
About 5 hours remained until dawn.
Time was limited and I couldn't think of any suitable place.
'First, let's get away from them.'
Currently, the most frightening situation would be Charlotte's pursuit.
With the anxiety that she might come looking for me, I wanted to get away even one second faster.
Maybe I should go to a nearby village.
To find shelter, I'd need to go far and long, and on foot it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Unless I could get a horse.
Fortunately, I had lots of experience riding horses thanks to my father forcing his hobby on me.
At the time, I wondered how this would help with getting a job, but I woke up to find myself in a medieval fantasy world.
'Ah, Father. You were right.'
This is the foresight of someone who's seen fifty springs. Just how many moves ahead did you see, Father?
Thinking about my father suddenly made me miss my family.
Of course, wallowing in tears and self-pity won't change anything.
I swallowed my tears and moved on.
'A medieval village should have at least one stable, right?'
First plan: Sneak into the village, steal a horse, and escape.
They say the first step is half the battle. If I succeed, only half remains, so I can figure out the rest later.
Was the sky not betraying me yet?
After coming down from the mountain and walking for a while, a village appeared in the distance.
Being a medieval village, there wasn't a single light once night fell.
It was so dark that if I weren't a Death Knight with good night vision, a human would have passed by without seeing it.
Walking that way without making a sound, I eventually came across the wooden fence surrounding the village outskirts.
There was a vigilante group guarding the fence entrance with torches, but...
"Kuul..."
Two people were standing guard, but both were nodding off.
'Makes me want to be a duty officer.'
As a discharged sergeant of the Republic of Korea Army, I couldn't just smack their heads.
Of course, thanks to them dozing off, I could safely enter.
Fortunately, there weren't any people walking around inside the village either.
There was a lit tavern, but the noise hadn't died down at all.
Unless someone came out for overtime work, it seemed everyone would stay seated eating porridge.
One worry was that the stable was located next to the tavern.
I can't give up now because of anxiety.
Quietly entering the stable, a black horse caught my eye.
Black Knight with a black horse? Oh, I can't resist this.
"Eh."
That's when I heard a short gasp.
Turning my head toward the source of the sound, I made eye contact with some kid inside.
I hadn't expected the presence of a stable boy at all.
"Thief! Everyone come quick! Horse thief!!"
The kid's shrill voice rang out in the night.
Instead of trying to cover his mouth, I stepped on the stirrup and mounted the black horse.
Neigh!
But the horse twisted its whole body desperately, and I ended up falling off.
'Ah. Right.'
Only then did I remember that undead can't ride living mounts.
I take back thinking good night vision was nice. Damn these bag of bones.
"It's, it's a Death Knight! A Death Knight! The rumored Death Knight has appeared! Everyone in the village!"
This damn brat?
Bang!
Following the door sound, presences came flooding in like water.
I ran without looking back.
"A Death Knight, they say! Where?"
"There! It's running away right now!"
"Huh, it's real? Was the rumor about a Death Knight appearing in the back mountain true?"
"Don't worry! I'm here! The Death Knight is! Hmm? There it is!"
"Hero sir! Where are you going!?"
"Are you chasing after it!?"
What? Hero sir?
When I reflexively looked back, I saw one person running at a frightening speed.
More than that, my gaze fixed on the level above his head.
[Lv. 82]
Are you kidding me?
Looking again, that man's face seemed strangely familiar.
Messy build with a skinhead, and a beard as thick as if hair grew upside down.
The wooden prayer beads around his neck while wearing a martial arts uniform were as thick as a fist. His oriental appearance and level 82 clearly revealed his identity.
The memory of first meeting Charlotte and the current situation overlapped like déjà vu.
The Hero of Faith, Balmonk.
The man was none other than one of the Empire's Four Heroes.
'Why is that guy here!'
Is he a civil servant or something, getting dispatched here?
He should be secluded in the mountains practicing asceticism. What kind of wealth and glory is he seeking by jumping out of a village tavern?
"Be careful, Hero sir!"
"Fear not, brothers! I shall surely slay this undead!"
There wasn't even time to lament my situation, let alone think. I just ran like hell.
I ran hard enough to know what it feels like to run your balls off, even as a eunuch.
'Ah. Why is my life like this.'
Of all things, I'm possessing a Death Knight and got mistaken for a dungeon boss.
To make matters worse, I ran into a crazy witch who claims I'm the boss of the Invincible 7 Palace.
To top it all off, I've become chased by a hero not long after escaping.
Getting hit from this side and that side, everything's gone to hell.
The world is really against me.
Balmonk is a martial artist, so Enhancement Art doesn't work on him.
A hero should use a sword, what's with being a martial artist? Out of all the many heroes, is it mere coincidence that the only martial artist is chasing me?
How cruel, how cruel. Even if I don't die from this? The world seemed to be saying that to me.
"Stop right there, undead!"
Clop! Clop!
He must have mounted a horse by now as hoofbeats were catching up.
I can't outrun a horse's speed. With no choice, I threw my Black Knight's Black Iron Greatsword in a semicircle.
Neigh!
I heard the sound of something collapsing, probably hitting the horse.
It would have been good if he fell off with it, but Balmonk landed gracefully with superhuman reflexes.
'This crazy monster bastard.'
A Death Knight is a monster? That's nonsense.
To my eyes, that human seems much more monstrous.
I never thought I'd have to go back to that place.
Can't be helped. The lesser evil is better than the worst.
I immediately turned toward the dungeon.
The opponent is beyond big shot - he's one of the Four Heroes, the Empire's greatest military power.
Charlotte and the vampires are no match, but I had nowhere else to rely on.
I know we might all die like water ghosts if I'm not careful.
'Sorry, but I need to live too.'
I'm also human and all humans are selfish. Why should I think of others when my life is most important?
If there's even a 1% chance of survival, I have to take it!
"Stop right there! Let's test the compatibility between your skull and my fist!"
I'm already a corpse, I can't die twice.
Charlotte or whoever, please just save me.
==
Click clack.
Elegant heel sounds echo in the cavity.
Charlotte tilted her head while looking around.
'Is this really a dungeon?'
It was too narrow, short, and small to be a dungeon.
Though they say new dungeons are usually like this, this is the Invincible 7 Palace.
Questions lingered about the reality that the Invincible 7 Palace was just this much.
"Hmm. Perhaps my thoughts were wrong."
The origin of the Invincible 7 Palace predated the Empire's history by several times.
The Invincible 7 Palace remained unchanged for a thousand years. In other words, until now, the concept of a new Invincible 7 Palace didn't exist.
This place marks the beginning of the new Invincible 7 Palace.
Though shabby and cramped for its fame, even the Invincible 7 Palace must have looked like this when it was new.
Charlotte thought to herself that she might be the first to discover this.
A dungeon that needed work everywhere she looked.
To Charlotte's eyes, it needed to be completely overhauled.
'This is actually good.'
This was an opportunity. If the dungeon was this shabby, couldn't she show her competence as a deputy plenty?
"Um, Deputy? I'm curious about something, may I ask?"
Beside her, Isabella timidly looked for cues.
Charlotte nodded her chin as if saying speak.
"I suddenly got curious. How are the Demongate rankings decided?"
"You must be a vampire born in the Northern Continent."
The Northern Continent is human territory. The Southern Continent is demon realm.
Monsters born in the Northern Continent often didn't know non-human common sense.
Charlotte sighed deeply as if annoyed.
"The Demongate rankings aren't decided or determined by anyone, they're imprinted."
"Imprinted?"
"As soon as bosses are born in a dungeon, numbers are imprinted in their minds. Numbers signifying the dungeon's hierarchical ranking."
Dungeon history spans over a thousand years.
Naturally, mysteries surrounding dungeons haven't been mysteries for a long time.
"If numbers are only imprinted in the boss's mind, then rankings are divided solely by the boss's power?"
"No. Rankings are determined by comparing all the power of the dungeon, not just the boss."
And dungeon rankings are variable.
While one dungeon might be in a stalemate without progress, if a lower-ranked dungeon focuses on strengthening its forces, rankings could be reversed.
Bosses instinctively sense these changes like a primal instinct.
Because of this, dungeon hierarchies were clearly divided without power struggles.
This was why they didn't fight over who was stronger, and also why the Invincible 7 Palace persisted for a thousand years.
Though they didn't clash with each other, they were still ultimately broken by humanity's hands.
"I have a question too, Isabella. Were there no existing monsters in this dungeon?"
"No. It doesn't seem so."
In a new dungeon, the dungeon core is generated first, followed by the boss and monsters in order.
But occasionally there were dungeons where only the dungeon core and boss were generated. These are called single entity dungeons.
"It's amazing that this is a rank 7 dungeon. I can hardly believe a single entity dungeon became the Invincible 7 Palace even seeing it."
Other Invincible 7 Palaces had hundreds or thousands of monsters lurking, including the boss.
Meanwhile, this dungeon's boss alone secured the throne of the Invincible 7 Palace.
Charlotte's body trembled at this feat that went beyond amazement to awe. The thrill and goosebumps wouldn't subside.
"...I'm getting impatient. This won't do. I must show them my everything."
Let's transform it to match the fame of the Invincible 7 Palace.
What Charlotte took out from her bosom was paper made of black goat leather.
A merchant summon ticket that only those who built favorable relations with the dungeon association could receive.
Not just anyone could possess dungeon association tickets.
Charlotte had spare tickets because she had previously belonged to dungeons.
The dungeon association's help, which encompassed the demon realm, was essential in dungeon construction.
Rip!
As if responding to the torn ticket, a jet-black portal that blended with darkness and camouflage opened in mid-air.
Soon after, a red devil jumped out from the portal. Landing on the ground, the devil bowed formally.
It was the devil merchant Charlotte had contracted with when she was in her old dungeon.
"It's been a while, Lady Charlotte. Oh? I see you've entered a new dungeon. Then you must desperately need our association's help."
"So serve me with your utmost."
The devil merchant's brow twitched.
Quite an arrogant statement. Even though she's human, I've put up with it a few times because of her ability.
"Your words are... a bit off-putting?"
"This is the new Invincible 7 Palace. And I am its deputy."
"Pardon?"
The devil asked back stupidly.
As soon as he muttered to himself, his eyes, nose, and mouth grew abnormally large.
"You mean the real Invincible 7 Palace? Hiya! I thought it was about time for one to appear, and finally! The revival of the 7th Demon Lord..."
The devils of the demon realm also called Demongate bosses Demon Lords.
"How upset I was hearing the news that the previous Demon Lord was defeated by heroes! I wanted to catch and kill all the heroes if I could. Ah, the story got sidetracked. Anyway, deputy of the Invincible 7 Palace. As expected, Lady Charlotte has great ability."
"Spare me the flattery. First, starting with dungeon expansion, wait. These vampires might be useful monsters...."
Charlotte trailed off while examining the vampires.
Isabella, meeting her gaze, smiled brightly. While doing so, she pointed at herself insistently with her fingertip.
Swoosh!
Charlotte's head turned away.
"I've changed my mind. Let's start with monster recruitment."
Isabella's face quickly fell.
The weakness of new dungeons is their vulnerable defenses.
The possibility of subjugation parties taking advantage of this can't be ruled out.
It was always best practice to prepare for variables.
"Give me the inventory list of high-rank monsters handled by the association. Those with intelligence but no ego."
"You mean high-rank monsters that are easy to handle? I brought those expecting this."
With those words, the devil handed over a parchment scroll.
Charlotte slowly looked it over before folding the scroll.
Then she estimated the dungeon's vertical width by eye.
'I can widen the horizontal width with my magic. Then there won't be crowding and we can overwhelm with the hired monsters.'
The current size was too narrow for large monsters to reside.
Still, she estimated it would be enough to accommodate them with some modifications.
"Please prepare two well-trained minotaurs and one basilisk."
The devil flinched at that.
Both minotaurs and basilisks belonged to the highest rank of monsters.
Three monsters that cost ten million cel each?
"I'd like them prepared right now."
"R-Right now, you say?"
"With a demon realm portal, shouldn't it take 5 minutes?"
"There will be a 10% surcharge if we do that, is that alright? No, before that, do you have the money?"
"If it's the Invincible 7 Palace, we can draw a hundred million cel loan, right?"
The implication was clear.
I don't have money, but if you lend it to us, I'll buy with that money.
The devil gauged her intentions while drooling.
'Pretending to be the Invincible 7 Palace to borrow money, that can't be.'
The Charlotte the devil knew was thorough rather than reckless.
Besides that, if someone falsely claimed to be the Invincible 7 Palace, the dungeon association would destroy that dungeon. Charlotte couldn't be unaware of such an obvious fact.
'If it's really the Invincible 7 Palace, it's an opportunity we can't miss on our side too.'
What the dungeon association values more than money isn't trust, but having the Invincible 7 Palace as a client.
Ten other dungeons together aren't worth one Invincible 7 Palace. The Invincible 7 Palace isn't called that for nothing.
Anyway, it was clear that securing connections with the newly generated Invincible 7 Palace would bring enormous benefits to the association.
"Where is Boss Lord?"
"They stepped out briefly."
"As expected of the Invincible 7 Palace, unpredictable. Have you finished discussing with the Lord?"
"I take responsibility for everything. Even if it's unilateral, as long as I satisfy them, that's all that matters."
"Conversely, if they're disappointed, well, I'm sure you know how to conduct yourself."
The devil merchant's mouth corners slightly rose upward.
If things flow well, this might draw a big line in his performance record.
"I'll have them ready right away."
The devil opened a portal with a happy heart.
About 5 minutes passed from then. Heavy, massive bodies emerged one by one from the portal.
"With this much, we needn't fear even if heroes come."
Charlotte nodded with satisfaction.