Raised in Dungeon



Allen, who had arrived in the Barkaley region, had to wait until nightfall to enter the dungeon because people who have not registered with the dungeon explorer guild are prohibited from entering the dungeon.

Once night fell, Allen sneaked into the dungeon alone.

When he got inside, he realized that the place was peaceful. He didn't sense any monsters; in some places, there were wooden signposts. This dungeon's system was "change" or "re-structured" at a certain time; the dungeon would re-structure its path so that many people would get lost, and that's why those pieces of wood were put everywhere. Once Allen tried to get lost, he could return to the main path because of those wooden clues.

After walking around looking at everything, he realized that the dungeon hadn't changed much. Even the place where the goblins wanted to rape Lavinia was still there, although the position of the room was different.

As he walked down the path, he deliberately tried to go all the way around the dungeon. He was afraid that he would not find that room once he got to the end of this first floor dungeon. A room, where he and his mother lived together.

He remembered very well what happened at that moment. Once the dungeon reset happened, the room was already gone, covered by the new walls.

Finally he reached the end of the first floor. He stopped and looked around, his eyes scanning the area, trying to take it all in. It was here that everything had happened, where his life had changed forever. He stood there for what felt like hours, lost in his thoughts and memories, trying to make sense of it all.

Usually, when he thought of this place, hatred would well up inside him, consuming him fiercely. But now, only a deep, overwhelming sadness threatened to drown him. He had only lost one here, but the pain was hard to bear. And now, as he stood alone, he realized that he no longer cared about humans or his grudge. The one who killed his mother is already dead. It was all meaningless now.

His eyes wandered to the right, and that's when he saw the door. The one thing he had been looking for, the one thing that could give him some sense of closure. His heart leapt with excitement and he rushed forward to grab the handle.

But he couldn't pull it…

  His feelings held him back, a mix of fear, doubt, and uncertainty gripping him tightly.

It was like dejavu, the same feeling he had felt every time before something terrible had happened. Every time he had ignored it, thinking he could handle it. But now, as he stood there, his mind filled with memories and regret. This feeling makes him unable to open the door. Whenever he opens the door with this kind of feeling, something bad will happen.

Starting when he opened the door to the goblin room, he saw Lavinia almost raped by goblins.

Then when he opened the door in Boldenville's dungeon, there were orcs eating each other.

Allen's hands were trembling, not only because of his fear but also because his hope of seeing his mother again would suffocate his heart. He was afraid that his mother wouldn't be there once he opened the door. That was a sure thing, and Allen knew it. But still, he couldn't open the door.

And with a heavy heart, he turned and walked away, knowing that the door probably would always be there.

Without realizing it, he had been in the dungeon all night; he repeatedly met dungeon explorers and ignored their calls.

Until Allen came out of the dungeon at noon, it was raining. Fortunately, the guards only checked the dungeon explorers who entered, so Allen was not suspected at all.

Without caring about his surroundings, Allen rain-walked in the city's center. People repeatedly called out to him, but he couldn't hear them.

-BRUG

He bumped into two men wearing hoods.

"Huh? What the hell are you doing?"

Allen raised his face for a moment, then lowered his head.

"Hey! Answer my question!"

The man kicked Allen, throwing his body two meters back.

"This kid is so annoying. His face doesn't change even if I kick him."

"Is he a stray? Let's capture him and sell him to a slave trader."

"How can a slum boy like this be worth much?"

The man approached and lifted Allen's head.

"Woah, his hair is black! He must have sold for a lot of money!"

While firmly holding his sword, Allen muttered,

"I'm being attacked... I have to fight back..."

As soon as he was about to split the two heads in front of him,

-BREAK

Someone kicked him from the side.

"Hey where have you been? I've been waiting for you at the stall for a long time!" it was the voice of an old man, hoarse and sounded very angry.

'Who is he?' Allen thought because it seemed like the old man was talking to him.

The old man then looked sharply at the two men beside him and said.

"Huh?! What business do you have with my nephew?!"

Terrified, the man replied, "No no... he just bumped into us, we just wanted to help him stand hahaha..."

"Then we'll leave first. No need to report it to the soldiers okay?" the other man said as he ran from there.

Allen turned to the old man. He was short compared to the average adult, only slightly taller than him, probably because he was hunched over. His face was full of wrinkles, and his stomach was slightly distended.

The old man sighed, and then he said

"Why are you silent? Come help me bring these things."

There were bags of food and some vegetable ingredients discarded on the ground. It seemed like the old man threw them all when he kicked Allen earlier.

Allen somehow obeyed the old man's words. Allen stood up from the ground where he was previously seated and began picking up the scattered vegetable pieces. After he finished, he gave them to the old man,

"Are you crazy? Asking me to carry this heavy stuff?! Hurry up and bring it to my place!"

'Didn't you carry it yourself just now?' Allen thought.

Feeling trapped in an inevitable situation, Allen decided to follow the old man's request since he had nowhere to go. He carried the luggage all the way to his house.

It is just a few meters until they reach the old man's house. It was a small tavern, roughly measuring five meters.

"Welcome to the Drugoymir Restaurant," said the Oldman.

As he walked in, he was greeted by the sight of five wooden tables and chairs placed in the cramped space. Dim lanterns lighted the tavern, and the atmosphere was deserted but warm.

As they entered, a girl named Susan came up to them, wielding a cloth. The old man take the luggage and force Allen to sit down and rest for a while...

"So... what do you think of my soup?" asked Rodion.

Rodion sat down in front of him as soon as Allen finished finishing his soup.

"So-so," replied Allen, curtly.

"I knew it."

"But... so warm and delicious."

The soup Allen ate made him recall his happy times in the dungeon. When he cooked for his mother, then ate the soup together. He also remembered the good times when he cooked and ate with Lavinia. Rodion's soup gave him a little energy to think clearly.

"I knew it."

There was a long silence after he answered. Rodion observed Allen from foot to hairline. And from his face, he guessed what had happened to Allen.

"For now, stay here for a few days. I need a strong male employee, but I don't have much money. In exchange for the soup you have to work without pay in this tavern, understand?"

'Didn't that girl say the soup was free?'

Allen looked around the place, and then he replied

"Alright," he didn't have any goal from the beginning. He had nothing, so there was no harm in staying there for now.

"Once we closes, I'll teach you the basics. What's your name?"

"Allen."

"Allen, from now on call me master Rodion."

Rodion went to the back kitchen to meet up with Susan.

"Master, who is he? Did you save him?"

"Saved him? You fool, don't talk to me like that. I won't waste time saving people. I just need a free new worker."

"New worker?! So that boy will be working here?"

"Yes, he'll also be living here."

Rodion explained Allen's situation to Susan and what a person with black hair meant. At that moment, Rodion thought,

"Saving, you said?.. maybe you're not wrong, Susan. I did meet him when people were trying to attack him. But I didn't save the boy; I saved the people who were pranking him. That child could have killed those two with just one slash,

This world has gone mad, making such a small child into a murderer."