Successfully completed dungeon support.
“This time it ended normally.”
About two hours had passed since Celia was dispatched to the Incubus Dungeon.
And finally, the alarm indicating success appeared.
It seemed like Celia helped properly this time.
– Your relationship with the Incubus Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’ has been upgraded to friendly.
“Oh. There’s a system like this too?”
Yeah, it’s good to build favor by helping like this.
Last time, when I sent her to help, she ended up merging with the dungeon, which flustered me.
Still, Celia was Celia.
“She’s not called a subordinate officer for nothing.”
Is there anything I can gift Celia, who is working so hard?
– Azmo, the owner of the Incubus Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’, has pledged obedience to Celia, going beyond a friendly relationship.
“?”
– Azmo, the owner of the Incubus Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’, has pledged obedience and loyalty to the great Master with reverence.
What is happening right now?
– Congratulations! Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’ has been subjugated to the Master.
Hoo.
It was a good atmosphere.
She helped well, and the relationship update was friendly.
But how did it turn out like this?
This time, it’s awkward to say anything to Celia because the other party submitted voluntarily.
But will it be useful since it’s from a different dimension?
Even in the same world, the meaning of subjugation feels questionable if the distance is too far…
This time, it wasn’t about distance, but just that the dimensions they were located in were different.
“But a different dimension… This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
Up until now, the game was essentially set on the El Dorado Continent. Even the small details were faithfully implemented, which could be seen as a testament to its quality.
For two years, I, too, was on the El Dorado Continent, and there were times I marveled at the historical accuracy.
It was a game that was meticulously and well-made.
But what about a different dimension?
The name of the dimension wasn’t even revealed.
“Is it not just set on El Dorado?”
However, there was no information related to dimensions anywhere in the game.
I immediately started searching, wondering if it might be on the internet.
“……”
But then, a problem arose.
No results related to the game ‘El Dorado’ appeared.
No, if I searched for El Dorado, countless results would appear. The problem was that only information related to the actual El Dorado appeared, not the game.
“Am I the one who can’t find it?”
But that didn’t seem right.
If I had searched with various keywords, even a small clue should have appeared, but none did.
Even the text message that prompted me to install the game I had pre-registered for had vanished.
It was as if a ghost was playing tricks.
This time, I shifted my focus from the game’s name to the game developer.
“What was the developer’s name?”
I went into the game’s settings.
Usually, contact information or information about the developer would be listed there. I could check that.
However, my expectations were beautifully betrayed.
No matter how much I searched, there was absolutely no information about the developer or website.
No, this…
“…Is it a dead game?”
Even for a newly established company, they usually include basic information about the developer and creators.
But this game?
There was nothing at all.
‘I even spent real money, so it wouldn’t be a scam, right?’
As I was expressing a sense of emptiness in my heart.
Suddenly, I felt the sense of unease I had felt a few days ago.
This creepy feeling.
What is it?
The surrounding mana is fluctuating.
This phenomenon had been occurring since I gained Mana Sensitivity a few days ago.
But then, the mana subsided.
– You have made contact with a dungeon from another dimension for the first time.
– You have achieved a unique achievement!
– Warning! Causality is being readjusted.
“Causality?”
It’s a word I’ve never heard before.
– Due to the rapid change in causality, an emergency mode has been set for Lee Kanghyeon, the owner of the dungeon ‘Evil God’s Nest’.
Suddenly, an alarm with my name on it appeared.
Why was my name written here?
Had I ever written my name?
“……”
Ah, there was one time.
When I gifted Celia clothes in the beginning, Celia had asked for my name.
At that time, I definitely…
Huh?
But why am I so sleepy?
– Lucid dreaming is temporarily activated.
Overcome by sudden sleepiness, I closed my eyes without resistance.
* * *
“Huh?”
When I came to my senses and opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar landscape.
Instead of the room I was in just moments ago, a completely different place welcomed me.
Like a cave, or rather, judging by the surrounding terrain, this was a dungeon.
Why am I in a dungeon?
It’s a place I’ve never seen before, yet it feels strangely familiar.
And not only that.
Instead of being flustered by the current situation, I felt an inexplicable sense of comfort.
Is it a dream?
I lightly pinched the back of my hand.
But it felt really ambiguous.
It was neither painful nor not painful; it was difficult to describe this feeling.
It wasn’t just a feeling.
The mana is fluctuating again.
This phenomenon occurred after I gained the trait of Mana Sensitivity.
At first, I thought it was just a reaction to not being used to it.
But I had a feeling it wasn’t just that.
As I pondered what it could be.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
I heard a voice calling me.
The owner of the voice was a woman in front of me.
Her appearance was also very familiar.
Two large horns atop her pure white hair.
Bewitching eyes and appearance that could captivate anyone.
And the outfit she was wearing, a maid uniform.
The moment I saw her, I knew who she was.
“Celia.”
It was the succubus Celia, whom I had seen countless times while playing games.
The only difference was that Celia, who only existed within the game screen, was now in front of me.
‘It must be a dream.’
Otherwise, the Celia from the game wouldn’t be in front of me.
Perhaps it was because I called her name.
Celia smiled at my words.
“I am truly moved to finally see your divine presence, my great Master.”
Celia bowed deeply and greeted me.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Celia, who lives a new life by your noble grace and currently manages the dungeon according to your will.”
Celia continued speaking.
“However, Master is currently in an unstable state. It is only by the grace of my shortcomings that I can merely hold onto your noble spirit here. I apologize.”
Celia lowered her head, offering some unknown apology.
‘The mana is again…’
At that moment, the fluctuating mana began to rage more.
I took a deep breath.
It will be okay now.
It’s just a dream anyway.
I don’t need to think too seriously about it.
If I can consciously think and move, it must be a lucid dream.
If it’s a dream, I can control it more easily.
As I thought that, the mana began to calm down.
‘That’s better.’
“Yes, is it okay for me to look around the dungeon?”
Now that I had eased up, I asked Celia if I could look around the dungeon.
Celia replied with excitement at my words.
“Of course! It is an eternal honor for me, humble as I am, to guide you on your dungeon tour!”
My lips curved at the words “eternal honor.”
Celia’s overly doting demeanor was amusing and cute.
‘By the way, I should get her some new clothes sometime.’
The maid outfit Celia was wearing.
The outfit that I thought would suit her well was actually diminishing her charm.
Thinking that, I followed Celia.
“The first place I will explain is the Core, which is the most important and located in the center of the dungeon!”
It was something I didn’t need to be told.
If the core were destroyed, the dungeon would be destroyed simultaneously.
The core is essentially the heart of the dungeon.
Any Hunter, or even an ordinary person who hasn’t awakened, would know this common knowledge.
However, the core of my dungeon was still exposed.
The area around the core was open with nothing there.
It was practically saying, “Please destroy my dungeon.”
A normal dungeon would have many traps, obstacles, and even monsters surrounding the core, which is its heart.
But mine was different.
Since it was a game, I didn’t bother to care.
More importantly, with Celia here, would this dungeon ever be breached?
Still, the exposed core, called the heart, didn’t look good.
‘This needs improvement.’
Even if it’s a dream, seeing it like this is different from just seeing it on the game screen, and it made me think a lot.
Celia immediately explained another place.
“This is where I work!”
This time, she explained the subordinate officer’s room.
Celia seemed to have a lot of work to do alone, so I created a workspace for her.
Just in case, so she could rest a bit.
“It’s also my personal space. This is a meaningful place where Master gifted me, humble as I am, a personal space!”
Celia explained with pride.
Looking again, she really had a tendency to overpraise me.
“Hmm.”
Indeed, the subordinate officer’s room, located in the center of the dungeon, looked luxurious.
The only thing that caught my eye was how shabby the skeleton soldiers standing in front of it looked.
A luxurious subordinate officer’s room combined with the lowest-tier monsters…
I didn’t realize it when I saw it in the game, but looking at it like this created a sense of dissonance.
Celia is the administrator of the dungeon.
If the lowest-tier monsters are guarding such an administrator, how would others perceive it?
Probably all ten out of ten would look down on her.
I can’t stand the thought of my Celia being looked down upon by anyone.
‘I need to draw more.’
If I get good monsters, I’ll place them in the subordinate officer’s room first.
Thinking that, I tried to open the door to Celia’s subordinate officer’s room.
“Ah!”
Huh?
Celia suddenly shrieked.
“Ah, no…! Um, Master?”
Celia’s flustered expression.
This was rare.
Her restless behavior made her even cuter.
At the same time, I realized how indifferent I had been towards her.
Celia is a woman.
If you think about it, a man opening a woman’s private space door without permission?
This is not manners.
I immediately withdrew my hand from the door.
Then, from behind me, I could hear Celia letting out a small sigh of relief.
Celia took a moment to breathe and then resumed her explanation.
“Next is the altar. Through this, I offer sacrifices to Master.”
Ah, sacrifices.
An altar and sacrifices.
I felt a sense of déjà vu for a moment.
As soon as I saw the altar, the mana that had been fine until just moments ago began to fluctuate again.
‘Is this what the Mana Sensitivity trait is like?’
I felt a sense of unease again.
“……”
I looked at the altar and asked a question.
“What is the correlation between sacrifices and me?”
The sense of unease I’d been feeling for days.
The mana that only flared up at specific times.
The first instance was Kim Minjun.
Kim Minjun, who was sacrificed in the game.
Kim Minjun, whom I saw on the villain bulletin board after leaving the dungeon.
The former Kim Minjun was sacrificed, and I gained a trait.
The latter Kim Minjun was an opponent who possessed the same trait as me.
And from there, a ridiculous conjecture arose.
I needed to understand the source of the unease I was feeling.
It wasn’t about who was sacrificed or who was harmed because of me.
Those things didn’t matter.
Lately, ridiculous things had been happening to me.
I got a status window, and even an A-Rank trait.
At first, I thought all of this was a coincidence.
I thought it was compensation for getting the status window later.
But perhaps that wasn’t the case.
Therefore, there was only one thing I wanted to confirm here.
It was necessary to bring out the things I had hidden deep in my heart because they were so absurd.
Is what I’m doing now truly a game?
Or is it reality?
The mana began to rage even more.
The continued unease.
I wanted to resolve this problem.
That’s why I absolutely had to ask this question.
What do I gain by offering sacrifices?
A few days ago, to know for sure, I set the sacrifice as an artifact in the settings.
But that couldn’t be the answer.
What impact do sacrifices have on me?
Celia answered with a smile to my question.
“You can regain your power, Master.”
“Power…”
“The day you regain all your power, the world will bow down to you.”
As Celia finished speaking, she knelt.
I see.
I quietly nodded.
Suddenly, something came to mind.
Celia’s first words to me.
“You said this when you first saw me, didn’t you? That it’s all you can do to hold onto my spirit right now.”
Celia nodded at my question.
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
– Caution! An error has occurred with the emergency mode set for Lee Kanghyeon!
Alarms I had only seen in games continued to appear.
They were now obscuring my vision.
“I realized it. Master has not yet fully recovered their power.”
– This is an unexpected process.
– There is a risk of significant distortion of causality.
– Executing defense mode.
– Abruptly stopping lucid dreaming.
“Ha…”
I could see a clue to the unease I had been feeling all along.
Whether this is reality or a dream doesn’t matter now.
All I needed was a small clue.
I quickly said to Celia.
“Then, from now on, offer me everything.”
– Waking up from lucid dreaming!
