When hunger finally set in, the dream came to an end.
Hainis had once been very fond of a book titled If I Had a Dungeon.
The protagonist was a young girl around her age who, after acquiring a dungeon, transformed it into a dreamlike paradise filled with birdsong and blooming flowers—something akin to heaven itself.
When Hainis read it, she yearned for that kind of life. She used to imagine that if she ever had a dungeon of her own, she would plant it full of sunflowers and violets—because Father liked sunflowers, and Phyllis liked violets.
But now that she truly was a dungeon lord, all she wanted was to go home.
Her Mana dwindled day by day. The pressure from the demon race grew heavier with every passing moment, and on top of that, there was no one she could talk to.
It was far too much for her to bear.
How could a pampered young noble lady—someone who, until recently, loved to act spoiled—possibly withstand the crushing pressure of building and maintaining a dungeon?
"Hey! Still not giving me an answer today? Don't blame me if I stop being polite!"
The demons had come again.
At the front stood the frog-headed demon. Behind him followed several vacant-eyed humans. The frog-head clapped his hands, and one by one their bodies began to swell, instantly transforming into grotesque, monstrous forms.
How many times had Hainis witnessed this bizarre and horrifying scene now?
From being scared into tears at the beginning, to barely forcing herself to watch—it could probably be counted as progress.
Once the demons transformed from humans completed their metamorphosis, they went berserk, destroying everything in sight without restraint.
Compared to their terror, even the swamp terrain modeled after Sein Dungeon felt like paradise.
"Hehehe, you even changed the terrain," the frog-headed demon mocked loudly. "Do you really think this kind of dying struggle is useful?"
"If you want to live, cooperate with us. Otherwise, your end will be a quiet death—like a stray dog dying by the roadside, unnoticed by anyone!"
"You're copying Sein's terrain? Hahaha, hilarious! Do you think I've never seen the real Sein? That's something you could never imitate!"
"The fear Sein brings—you can't even begin to understand it!"
"Everyone who comes here gets sucked away by Sein. Shouldn't you hate it? Work with me. Not only will I let you live, I'll even give you a chance to take revenge on Sein."
As he spoke, the frog-head grabbed one demon, stuffed something into its mouth, then crushed it in his grip.
At the same moment, Hainis received nearly five hundred points of Mana.
What…?
When demons transformed from humans died, they weren't supposed to release Mana—were they? Did it have something to do with whatever he had just fed it?
Five hundred Mana. If she conserved it carefully, she could barely survive a little longer.
Her small body trembled.
Was it fear?
The frog-headed demon waited calmly. He was certain his actions would sway the dungeon lord before him.
He had once been a trusted subordinate of the late Doslepo. After Doslepo and his forces were completely wiped out, the frog-head—one of the few survivors—believed he could inherit the position of army commander.
But to replace a leader, he needed achievements.
That ambition kept him from fleeing back to the Western Continent immediately. After weighing his options, he chose Springday City as the starting point of his rise.
In his eyes, Springday City had three advantages.
First, it was small and easy to infiltrate.
Second, its dungeon was weak and easy to exploit.
And most importantly—it was far away from Bedford City.
As long as it was far enough from Bedford, he wouldn't be crusaded by a massive army like Doslepo had been.
Before human soldiers could even react, he could wipe out Springday City completely, then return triumphantly to his people and inherit Doslepo's legacy.
There was no way some random force would suddenly appear to attack him.
Absolutely impossible.
The frog-head laid out his bargaining chip and waited quietly for an answer, convinced the dungeon lord must be tempted and deep in thought.
Hainis was thinking—but about something entirely different.
"I don't want revenge against Sein. We don't even have a grudge…"
The moment Sein was mentioned, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Judging by his tone, the frog-head had been to Sein Dungeon before—and feared it.
He trembled at the mention of Sein, yet acted arrogantly here in Cangyin. The contrast made Hainis fall silent.
She had heard many rumors about Sein Dungeon back home. It was said that even the legendary Sword Saint Gapar had suffered defeat there.
No wonder the frog-head feared Sein.
And no wonder he looked down on Cangyin.
Hainis thought—if she had become a dungeon lord, then surely Sein Dungeon also had someone controlling it.
If Sein's dungeon lord were here… how would he treat the frog-head?
He'd probably shove him onto a long invisible bridge, chase him with a giant iron ball from behind, and have goblins shoot at him with massive bows from the front!
Hainis suddenly recalled the ordeals she and Phyllis had suffered in Sein Dungeon. The tightness in her chest eased slightly.
If Sein's dungeon lord were here, he'd definitely beat this disgusting demon until his teeth scattered everywhere.
She firmly believed that.
Someone capable of setting up so many sinister traps had to be twisted—but also incredibly strong.
She envied him.
She couldn't help but admire his power.
"The dungeon lord of Sein must have gone through a lot to become so strong."
"What I'm facing now would probably be nothing to him."
"What was he before? He loves traps so much… maybe an alchemist who kidnaps children?"
"I—I don't want to lose to that bad guy."
Hainis wiped away her tears and glared at the frog-head, as if she could kill him with her eyes alone.
Her body trembled. At first glance, she seemed terrified—but one look at her clenched silver teeth revealed the truth.
She was furious.
When fear reaches its limit, it turns into anger.
She didn't know why the demon race wanted her cooperation, but it was definitely nothing good. These creatures were humanity's enemies!
I, Hainis—daughter of a duke—don't need the demon race's charity!
She glanced at Available Monsters, then at her pitifully low Mana. As if making a life-altering decision, her trembling finger hovered over the panel, hesitating again and again as fear and doubt flickered through her eyes.
"I can't be afraid…"
With her eyes squeezed shut, as if pouring out all her strength, she pressed Available Monsters, dumping all the Mana obtained from the frog-head into it!
I don't care for the filthy Mana of lowly demons!
The frog-head's confidence began to crumble as he waited. Growing impatient, he was just about to order the demons to resume their destruction—
When suddenly, several crooked figures came running from the distance.
Upon closer inspection, they were all pseudo–Crucible Knights!
In the past, Cangyin's monsters would flee at the mere sight of the frog-head, as weak as their master. Yet today—
They were fighting back?
The frog-head froze. Then his face twisted into a ferocious snarl.
"Tear them apart!"
"Fight! Drive these bad guys away!"
Hainis waved her tiny arms wildly, cheering for her monsters.
At that moment, the pseudo–Crucible Knights displayed true knightly spirit—fighting to the death without retreat, even managing to slay several demons.
Unfortunately, they were soon torn apart by the enraged frog-head. The gap in strength was simply too great.
"Just wait here and die, you ungrateful idiot!"
He cursed loudly, led the remaining demons in one final rampage, then stormed out of the Cangyin Dungeon.
The frog-head would return.
He believed that under the pressure of death, this dungeon would eventually submit.
Besides, lacking supplies, he truly needed a dungeon's support.
"If I see you again, I'll beat you up again!"
Hainis shouted angrily, flying back and forth in midair.
But when she saw how little Mana she had left, her large eyes quickly filled with tears.
Impulsiveness is the devil.
The exhilaration of resisting the demons and the regret of wasting mental power twisted together. As her anger faded, she reverted back into a helpless little girl.
Still—this time she had improved.
At least she didn't cry immediately.
"I—I need to tell people outside about the demons."
She sniffed. In such a dangerous situation, she had to learn to think independently.
The demons' appearance could only mean one thing—killing.
She had to spread the news.
But how?
She couldn't communicate with people directly.
Just then, her gaze fell upon the demon corpses scattered across the ground.
(***)
Cangyin Dungeon — Valley Area
"Captain, I think we'll clear this dungeon pretty quickly."
Belto set down his map-drawing pen and stretched his fingers as he spoke.
For them, this place was ridiculously easy—so easy it was almost boring.
Luluwo lay among the flowers, humming softly, clearly not listening.
The scenery inside Cangyin's valley really was beautiful. Not fantastical like Sein Dungeon's Gourmet Zone, nor dangerous like the forest zone packed with elite monsters.
This was a gentler beauty—the kind you stumbled upon in everyday life and gradually sank into.
Less thrill. More nature.
That was why she felt it was such a pity. If Cangyin played to its strengths and turned itself into a grand park, it could probably maintain a steady flow of visitors.
Not all dungeons needed to slaughter adventurers for massive Mana. Peaceful coexistence and slowly absorbing ambient Mana was also a viable way to survive—though it offered little future growth.
All things considered, Luluwo quite liked the valley. If she lived nearby, she'd definitely come here to relax during her free time.
"By the way, what was the clear reward again?" Belto asked, looking toward Mira, who was walking over with a large chest.
"This," Mira said, patting the chest. "I heard Cangyin Dungeon has a special trait—you can obtain items lost by other adventurers inside dungeons from its treasure chests."
"Uh… doesn't that mean you could just open trash?" Belto asked skeptically.
"Very likely," Mira shrugged. "But there's also a chance to get something interesting. Want to try your luck?"
"I'll pass." Belto waved his hands and called toward Luluwo.
"Captain! We need your luck!"
Luluwo had always been fond of opening treasure chests. At the call, she sprang to her feet in a single motion.
"I'm blessed by the Goddess of Luck. Watch closely."
She rubbed her hands together, then flung the chest open.
A stench—a strong, bloody odor—assaulted their noses.
"Whoa! What the hell is this?!"
Luluwo jumped back instantly, covering her nose in disgust.
But when she saw what lay inside the chest, her expression turned serious in an instant.
Fresh, still-warm demon remains—blood dripping down.
The next second, she took out a magic crystal. It was a small gift from Count Charon, capable of transmitting information across distances.
Though it had limits on range and usage, it was more than enough to reach from Springday City to Bedford City.
"Hey, Darrick? Something's up here."
"Yeah. Demons. Want to come take a look?"
"…Okay. I'll have a griffin pick you up—no? You're riding wolves over?"
"Alright then. I'll wait here."
"Prepare your swords."
"And your rage."