Live Dungeon!

The wave of the Stampede had already passed the southernmost city. The knights and military personnel stationed there gathered in the square, having found themselves cornered by persistent Slimes. The mayor, facing this dire situation from the top floor of his mansion, dripped beads of sweat from his forehead.

It happened all too suddenly — they had thought it was a mere earthquake, but next thing they knew, monsters had emerged from the ground everywhere, even, against all logic, through the solid stone-paved streets. The monsters that had welled up from underground swiftly took control of the anti-air magic-powered cannons near the outer walls.

Subsequently, they faced surprise attacks from the sky, the gates opened from within due to marching monsters from the ground, and the armed forces of the city were overwhelmed. Within a few dozen minutes, the city’s armed resistance was captured, and even the civilians were taken as hostages.

The monsters, as disciplined as an army, had completely subdued the city. The outer walls were already surrounded, and no one could leave. The people within the city looked on with faces akin to those pushed to the edge of a cliff, filled with despair.

“Someone… someone, help…”

“Oh, God…”

“AAAHHHHHH!!”

The citizens feared the monsters walking calmly through the city, able to do nothing but pray. Children cried and screamed in terror, with no one calm enough to console them. The city was engulfed in fear of the monsters.

After the city was conquered, various monsters began preparing their meals. They hacked apart the Earth Boars that they had brought with them, ruthlessly extracting their organs in front of the others — some of which were their family. Apparently, the monsters had preferences, as apparent from how they were dividing the organs like hearts and livers separately.

Some monsters forcibly stuffed herbs into the Boars’ mouths and proceeded to roast them whole, while other parts were chopped and ground into minced meat. Such brutal and inhumane handling of livestock was being carried out in front of the citizens.

One Earth Boar, whose child had just been butchered, let out a mournful cry. However, it too was quickly beheaded, its blood and magic stone extracted, and then it was dismembered by the monsters. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a nondescript chunk of meat, sizzling on a heated griddle.

While monsters that invaded the city were replenishing their strength by eating the Earth Boars, a man and a girl entered the room where the bewildered mayor was. As they emerged from the midst of the monster horde, the mayor quivered in fear, prompting the man with a soft-spoken demeanor to chuckle.

“Now, no need to be so frightened. We have no intention of harming you.”

“…Who are you?”

“Apologies for the late introduction — I am called Orbis, and this girl here is Meena. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Hello.”

Orbis and Meena, both wearing an out-of-season black scarf around their necks, greeted the middle-aged mayor with smiles. If seen around town, the two might be mistaken for father and daughter, but in reality, Orbis was the Pope of the Orbis Church, and Meena was his follower.

The Orbis Church defined the God’s Dungeon in Dungeon City as a divine sanctuary and contested the current situation that allowed anyone to enter. While their influence increased after the Devourer Dragon’s attack, their request to restrict access to the God’s Dungeon was not yet granted.

Meena, the only surviving girl among a family of civilians affected by the Devourer Dragon’s attack, had joined the Orbis Church after the Stampede. Initially used as a tool to garner sympathy, her position had elevated to a close aide to Orbis, the Pope.

However, the mayor seemed unaware of the Orbis Church, staring at the two with an eerie expression. Whether they were humans — who just so happened to have emerged from the midst of the monster horde — or monsters disguised as humans, the situation was equally dire.

With an apologetic look, Orbis bowed to the wary mayor.

“Apologies for the sudden attack this time. However, since a frontal discussion is out of the question, we have taken the liberty of restraining you. Please forgive us, for there have been no casualties,” Orbis explained.

“…What is your goal?”

“This time, we would like to make a deal. While we can procure the food that fuels this organization, our equipment is insufficient. We would like to take all the equipment and resources in this city in exchange for the hostages gathered in the square… as well as these Magic Stones. How does that sound?”

Orbis began reaching into his Magic Bag and laying out a multitude of Magic Stones on the table. They were of various types, all Large Magic Stones, and would likely fetch quite a value. Perhaps, by weighing these magic stones against the hostages, the equipment might seem like a small price.

However, it was evident what the procured equipment would be used for. Therefore, as the mayor, he could not easily agree to the exchange. The mayor, withdrawing his fearful expression, boldly asserted,

“…We have no intention of giving away equipment to monsters.”

“Hahaha… Would a casualty convince you otherwise?”

“AAAHHH!!”

When Orbis tapped his hand on his black scarf, screams echoed from outside. An Orc lifted a knight, whose hair was stuck to the ground by adhesive Slimes, by grabbing his hair and placing a sword at his throat. The mayor, flustered, looked out the window at the scene, and Meena stretched to see what was happening outside.

“As much as we’d rather not kill anyone who isn’t a pompous Explorer trampling over our divine sanctuary, I see no reason to deny your… preparedness to die. However, even if you put your lives on the line here, the result won’t change. If you do not cooperate, we will slaughter the immobilized knights and turn the terrified citizens outside into monster fodder. Then, we’ll collect the equipment,” Orbis explained calmly.

“Life is precious… Isn’t that right, mom?” Meena murmured as she tilted her head, looking at her arm as if someone was there.

The orc, clad in armor, moved eerily fast, lifting the heads of the restrained knights with slimes and placing weapons under their necks. The faces of the knights, pale as if sentenced to execution, and the suddenly moving monsters made the citizens scream in terror.

Hearing those screams, the mayor closed his eyes in anguish. If he handed over the equipment now, the monsters, acting like an army, would undoubtedly use it effectively. This would inevitably lead to further damage to the Royal Capital.

However, all their military power was currently sealed. Even if they declared not to hand over the equipment, as Orbis pointed out, the result would not change. Orbis was likely genuinely considering human lives; he was someone they could negotiate with.

“…All right. We accept your conditions.”

“A wise choice.”

After hearing the mayor’s words, the orcs immediately lowered their weapons and returned to their meals. The knights sighed, and their families shed tears of relief. The city mayor, also relieved, exhaled as he watched the scene from the window.

“I understand your situation, but we don’t have much time — please have everything ready immediately. We’ll have the monsters carry the equipment. Meena, time to go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Calling Meena, who had been glancing around the room, Orbis urged the mayor to guide them. The equipment and magic tools were carried out by the monsters following Orbis’s instructions, and Meena looked around with an Orc giving her a piggyback ride.

“You there,” she said to a child hiding behind her mother, wearing an envious expression, “Take good care of your mom, all right?”

“Y-yeah…”

The child, about the same age as Meena, nodded timidly. Meena continued to go around the city, casting her gaze upon families, as if chasing after illusions.

“Meena, you’re supposed to help out, too — Keep an eye on your surroundings.”

“Yes, sir.”

After walking around for a while, Orbis signaled Meena to help, and she tapped her hand on the scarf she was wearing. However, since the people of this city had lost their fighting spirit upon seeing the monsters surrounding them, there was not much work to be done. Meena, looking bored, played with her black hair with her fingertips, letting out a small yawn.

After transporting what was in the city for about half a day, Orbis snapped his fingers. The Slimes that had restrained the knights moved away, gathering around him.

“The monsters under our command won’t attack this city, but there might be some stragglers. We’ll leave you with enough magic tools for self-defense, so don’t let your guard down,” Orbis warned.

“……”

“Well then, I hope we can meet again.”

“See you later.”

With that farewell, the two left the city with the monsters. The mayor watched them leave with a serious gaze, quickly closing the gate and instructing the knights to observe their movements. The group of monsters stopped in one place.

“…Shall we open fire, sir?”

“Don’t be foolish. They won’t go down with what we have.”

Although they had two magic-powered cannons remaining, they had to remind themselves that even with their originally impeccable equipment, they had been cornered, rendered unable to do anything. The mayor, after scolding the knight for looking at the cannons, continued to watch the group with a tense expression.

Then came another earthquake, similar to the one that occurred earlier. The knights and the mayor showed signs of panic. Looking at the group of monsters frozen in place, the ground at that location seemed to be cut out, as if sliced away.

“…What in the world…”

And with the rumbling, the earth rose. What appeared from the ground had the appearance of a giant turtle with four legs. Faced with the colossal monster, the mayor’s hands, holding binoculars, trembled.

“Is that…”

The massive monster strolled leisurely, and its shell was riddled with holes. Beside one of those holes, the mayor recognized a familiar sign.

“A Dungeon…?”

Seeing the sign indicating the entrance to a Dungeon on the shell, the city mayor could only mutter in terror.

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