I Became the Wrong Race

45 – Dungeon (2)

Dragon is the most representative creature in fantasy.

People who like mass-produced fantasy, people who like light novels, people who like traditional fantasy that is strict about certain copyrights, and people who like games.

When everyone says dragon, something similar comes to mind.

A lizard with a huge body and wings. A fire-breathing monster.

It was the same for me, who read, watched, and played a lot of things shallowly and broadly.

Dragon felt that way to me too.

In other words, there was no need to worry about being mistaken by seeing something flying.

Anyone could tell it was a dragon. A monster with pure white scales shining in the shadow it casts itself.

A transcendent monster that usually appears in fantasy as the final boss.

But when I saw that monster, I couldn’t believe it was a dragon.

Of course, no one could tell that it was a dragon, but….

“Dragon? What is it?”

“I feel like I’ve heard this before… “I don’t know.”

I could tell just by listening to Isla and Ajae.

They seemed to have either not heard of what a dragon was or only vaguely remembered hearing about it.

It was worth it.

As far as I know, there are no dragons in Grimdarker’s world.

To be precise, should we say that it existed at one time but has since disappeared?

Because the dragons were destroyed before the empire was still a kingdom.

I stood there blankly, not knowing what to think of the extinct dragon boldly entering the dungeon.

*

Despite what happened, there was not much damage to our campsite.

The forest was quiet, and even though such a huge monster passed by, there were no wild animals going wild.

It was worth it. There would have to be a beast like that to go crazy or something, but if such a monster was nesting in the dungeon, how would the beast stay?

Only then did I understand why there were no birds. Most would have run away or been caught up and died.

“What should I do?”

“I have to go in.”

Then there is only one thing left.

Will we continue like this or retreat?

I chose to continue.

“Are you okay?”

Isla asked briefly.

“I saw three.”

“Strong. However… “I was wondering why it was here.”

Dragons are an extinct species.

As of now, only the dragons who inherited their bloodline remain.

Even that is powerful. It makes you realize the power of the dragon.

In addition to physical abilities resulting from a powerful soul and vast magical power, it also possesses racial characteristics represented by breath in addition to regenerative power.

Even in the game, Yongin was an unplayable race. It’s possible to play with the mod, but I’ve never played it because it greatly disrupts the game’s balance.

However, it wasn’t that we never met enemies. If you want to speedrun, you need to know everything about the game, so it was intentionally hostile.

It was a powerful enemy. It had close combat performance comparable to that of a well-raised homunculus mourner.

It is natural for an ancestor of such a dragon to be powerful. Normally it would be right not to confront him, but….

Intuitively, I felt like I had to check it out now.

The danger remains the same. How many times has there been a time when you came to this land and were not in danger?

Even recently, I faced a huge crisis in my self-esteem, so I didn’t think it was a big deal and prepared for it.

[Play time: 9,222 hours]

It was a little after noon when preparations were completed.

I took the lead, wearing a long sword on my belt and carrying all the improvised tools needed in the dungeon under my cloak.

Since camping will not be held inside, do not bring food or camping supplies.

However, take basic medicine for treatment.

Herbs that are good for wounds, a bandage to hold the herbs in place, and a tourniquet that I suggested.

Although it took some trial and error, these items were made better than I expected.

Even if I got hurt, I would survive as long as my neck was okay, but for the rest, it wouldn’t be so, so it was essential.

I was about to climb the stairs, remembering where the medicine was in my cloak so I could take it out at any time.

“What are you going to do?”

Isla asked. She was holding a crossbow right behind me.

How, d.

Probably about dragons. I thought for a moment.

First of all, I couldn’t figure out why there was a dragon in the dungeon.

Why did you choose this place as your nest?

Why is a dragon known to be extinct here?

If they exist in good condition, contrary to the saying that they are extinct, how many more dragons are there in this land?

There were so many things I didn’t know. Since I didn’t know the exact specifications of the dragon, I didn’t know whether it would be good or bad to stick with it.

No, no.

We must not confront each other. They said I wouldn’t die unless my head was cut off, but there was no way that wouldn’t happen.

Even so would I, but the rest of the party did not have the qualifications to fight a dragon.

A mourner who is at least level 8 and a shapeshifter hunter whose level is unknown.

It wasn’t a party worth challenging unless there was at least one magician from the protection school.

“Explore the inside of the dungeon without being detected as much as possible.”

I don’t know exactly what the dungeon structure will be like, but it is unlikely that the dragon will have the sense to reach the entire dungeon.

Melody wanted to explore the dungeon, not to subdue the dragon in the dungeon.

If I told her that I came back after exploring and found a dragon, Melody would understand after seeing and hearing all kinds of things.

The plan came to fruition, and we entered the dungeon without hesitation.

“Oh, count to three….”

“Three.”

“f*ck you.”

The huge door opens and acrid air surrounds the surroundings.

And what greeted us with such gloom was a huge passage.

A passage so large that you can barely see the ceiling if you raise your head. Although it is said to have been created by digging out a mountainous area, its vastness is unexpected.

From noble mtl dot com

I stood in a passageway where an army could easily pass by and looked around blankly.

“Is this a dungeon?”

“No. “It’s not usually like this.”

The mourner answers Isla. I remained silent, agreeing with what Mr. Jae said.

As the saying goes, dungeons were usually narrow according to general perception.

It was not this vast and huge.

However, considering that the New World was an unexplored place, I wondered if a dungeon like this could exist.

Even the necromancer’s dungeon is optimized for training large numbers of soldiers.

As long as there are countless corpses, enough places to use magic, and enough life to steal, this dungeon can function as a barracks.

Yes, I was certain this dungeon was a barracks.

“Let’s grab the formation and go. “So that we can respond even if the enemy appears at any time.”

This dungeon is a barracks. It’s something I’ve never experienced before, but it’s easy to guess.

I have explored all the dungeons of the Old Continent of Grim Darker. Although the structures are different, there is a tendency.

Because every dungeon has a theme and purpose, and it does not deviate too much from that theme and purpose.

This is natural as it is a research laboratory and facility used by three clans.

The key is to quickly understand the theme. I walked slowly, looking around.

As the blade of the star I pulled out burned the darkness, I slowly engraved in my mind what I saw.

Traps, enemies, and structures appear according to the theme.

There are more enemies than traps in the fortress.

It contains a complex structure to repel intruders.

On the other hand, research institutes are intuitive rather than complex, but the complexity of the structure varies depending on detailed themes.

However, there are many pitfalls. Or something similar to a trap.

Bosses also vary depending on the theme.

The fortress is like a monster that was in charge of its defense, and the laboratory is a monster that was distorted as a result of an experiment.

So what is it like here? I assumed that this barracks was a variation of a fortress.

The dragon I saw a little while ago must be the boss or related to the boss.

So my direction was very simple.

“The retreat route has been secured.”

“Good job. Let’s keep moving forward like this. “If you find anything, tell me.”

“What can I do?”

“Prepare for battle with the rear border.”

“I understand.”

The trap hasn’t appeared yet, but if I see it, I can deal with it.

All that remains is to move forward.

We advanced by carving out a passage.

Move around the central passage, and if you encounter a collapsed passage that is inaccessible, take a detour.

The goal is deep, central.

While always keeping in mind the need to prepare an escape route, I also considered the possibility that the dragon would pursue me.

If the enemy undead start pouring out of the barracks, it will inevitably be tempting for the dragon to hear the noise of battle.

So, even if we took a detour through a side road, we always prepared a way out.

I remembered the route I had prepared, and the route remained precisely in my mind while I was checking for traps.

Unexpectedly, there was no battle.

Rather, only silence welcomed us. It was strange that similar structures were repeated.

“The necromancer’s dungeon… “Is it always this quiet?”

The man says. I remembered the dungeon I saw in the game.

Undead pouring out in countless numbers. The rotten bastards were constantly being pushed out, bursting through the star flames placed by Igniter and crashing into his shield.

My mourner swung his ax at those enemies and cut down three or three of them at the same time, but it felt like there was no end to the number of enemies.

This dungeon was strange.

“No, in the first place, enemies would have piled up at our feet.”

“I have to be careful. “I will take the lead.”

“Lu behind me.”

The formation changes. They seemed to be wary that they would come out all at once.

I thought so too, so I guarded the rear, and Isla advanced with his crossbow pointed forward.

[Play Time: 9,225 hours]

Three hours passed and we finally met our first enemy.

Push!

A skeleton whose skull was shattered by a lead bullet fired by Isla became forever silent.

That was it. We were slowly realizing that something was wrong.

I was thinking about whether I should go back now.

“Llewelyn, look here.”

The mourner called, and when he turned his head, he was pointing the torch at the wall.

“… Writing?”

It was a letter.

“What does it say?”

“Well, I can’t read it either… “Was the text correct in the first place?”

There was no other reason why I was convinced it was a letter.

It was because of the text that appeared in the status window overlaid on top of it. Text that was originally unreadable was being translated into the status window.

“The text is correct. However… “The damage is severe.”

How do I explain the fact that even though it is an unreadable text, it is readable?

After thinking about it, I figured it was because the damage was severe and read the text.

Even with the power of the status window, it was difficult to read properly.

It felt like gibberish and the overall content was jumbled.

It was an article that made me think it was written by someone with mental problems.

“This is my first time seeing this text….”

Isla rarely slurred her words, and I could tell what she was saying was not what she was saying.

It was a natural guess. Considering that I am a homunculus and three clans created me.

The writings on this wall were their letters.

However, it was not a normal text.

It was a journal that looked as if it had been carved with a huge carving knife.

There were few parts that could be read properly because they were erased and worn out here and there, but even the parts that could be read properly felt like an insane obsession that was hard to regard as normal.

No, it wasn’t.

This was not a carving knife, but a text carved with a dragon’s claw.

The moment I realized that, I saw something.

[We overcame the illness through the mercy that our father gave us, but he gave us another illness. I am busy treating the disease day by day.]

One of the more intact phrases.

The words “Mercy” And “Sickness” Are contained therein.

Maybe this is why the dragon is not visible?

Isn’t this the reason why even though they disappeared as a species, the only trace left was the dragon?

A question also arises.

Who is the father who is constantly mentioned in the flavor text?

With all those questions in mind, we continued walking.

Along the passage leading to a huge cavity.

The cavity seemed to be located in the center of the mountain.

There was a hole in what was supposed to be the top of the mountain, and the sun’s warm rays were coming down through the huge hole.

It was a passageway created for some gigantic creature to enter and exit.

―――!

There we encountered a huge being.

A roar that sends pressure that makes your bones go numb and makes you want to vomit.

Without realizing it, the mourner falls to her knees, covers her ears and leans against the wall, and Isla curls up with her tail in her mouth.

While the cloak was flying around due to the loud roar, I saw a dragon.

The dragon was slowly being chipped away amidst the roar.

Bones shrivel, skin shrinks, and horns break. It finally appears after an unknown process.

“… Female?”

As the mourner said, it was a woman.

A woman with horns on her head and her tail stretched out behind her back.

A miserable expression reminiscent of a widow and a paleness that does not seem human despite its maturity.

A white and neat dress wrapped around it.

The woman with a sad expression slowly raised her head and looked at us.

And the moment her eyes met, the dragon who had taken on the appearance of a human widened her eyes.

All kinds of emotions are melting away with wide-open eyes on a bloodless face.

An intuition came to me.

The three clans are called the three ‘clans’.

And a certain recognition that in order to stand shoulder to shoulder with powerful races such as shapeshifters and vampires, necromancers must also be powerful races.

Even the words that say sickness and mercy.

The possibility that came to mind didn’t go away, so I consciously put it into words and came up with it.

What if the necromancer is a dragon?

In my intuition, my body naturally tenses and stiffens.

I see the dragon, who made eye contact with his face, turn to me.

You have to run away. If you move quickly along the pre-arranged retreat route—

“Father?”

What stopped my assembling thoughts was a single word from the woman’s mouth.

And the tears were flowing down that beautiful face.