How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

15 – Good at Hunting Mana Beasts?

What elements are essential for human survival?

A question that hardly requires agonizing over.

Ask anyone, and they would likely offer the same answer.

Clothing, food, shelter.

The renowned trinity of *Ui, Shik, Ju* (衣食住).

The three essential components to guarantee the bare minimum of a human life.

But I think differently.

If there were a single element encompassing clothing, food, and shelter…

It would undoubtedly be…

“…Bounty?”

*Geum* (金).

Money, pure and simple.

“You’ve dealt with a total of 32 wanted individuals.”

What, so many died?

From the beginning, those weren’t even deaths at my hand.

‘No, wait, *I* killed the True Ancestor, so did I kill them?’

Come to think of it, that’s right.

Whatever the process, they died because of me, didn’t they?

So there’s no need to explain.

They’re giving me free money, there’s no reason to refuse.

“The total settled amount is… ah, 10,000 Imperial gold coins.”

*Gulped.*

10,000 gold coins could buy at least three mansions in the Imperial capital.

“And this is…”

The official in his regimental uniform fumbled and pulled something out.

He presented me with a badge gilded in gold.

“This is your Imperial Special Inspector Warrant. From now on, the maintenance of order and the inspection of all of Blackmore will fall under your Excellency’s jurisdiction.”

A golden badge, symbolizing the local administrator.

Among them, those who manage particularly dangerous special zones are called Special Inspectors.

A special engraving, symbolizing the Special Inspector.

Having been dispatched to Blackmore so suddenly, I’d left in a flurry without even receiving a proper warrant, but it seems the formal procedure has finally been completed.

“That concludes what I had to deliver.”

The administrator bowed respectfully, and he and his entourage boarded the carriage.

The carriages departed thus, and after organizing the gold coins received as bounty, I returned to the office. Such is the present moment.

“Hmm.”

I sat perched on the sofa, lost in thought.

Imperial Special Inspector.

They manage special zones filled with all sorts of bizarre terrain, environments, and rampant demonic beasts.

Among them, *I* am the official managing Blackmore, the Empire’s most notorious demonic territory, alone.

One could say it’s a step up, perhaps, but considering my situation, isolated in the heart of a demonic frontier, it wasn’t exactly cause for celebration.

The basic principle is that Special Inspectors are dispatched to their assigned territories.

From the moment they are dispatched, they bear the duty of managing and overseeing the area, and are granted the authority to maintain order and conduct inspections.

In highly dangerous special zones, Special Inspectors can exercise some extra-legal force at their discretion, making it akin to holding all the power over ‘Blackmore.’

Which is to say.

I, having been appointed as a local administrator, and specifically a Special Inspector, am now in a position to play the role of a quasi-lord, at least within Blackmore.

That’s not to say I can cross any and every line, but conversely, it means that as long as I stay within the bounds, the Imperial Household will not interfere, no matter what I do.

I remember that the reason for the creation of this unique position is that the world of the original work that I was suddenly cast into is intended to be, in part, dark fantasy.

Conflicts between enemy factions, outbreaks of war, rampaging demonic beasts, seeds of destruction…

The continent has been hurtling towards ruin for centuries, and amidst all this, there are vast unexplored regions across the continent. Even the Imperial Household, hailed as the sun of the Empire, is reaching its limits.

As such, the organizational chart of the Imperial Household has undergone numerous changes, and the ‘Special Inspector’ is one of the specialized roles that emerged from this.

They are dispatched to unexplored areas that even the Imperial Household has abandoned, and they can exercise extra-legal authority limited to their jurisdiction.

Naturally, this is not a task that can be entrusted to any ordinary official.

Thus, a personnel order for a Special Inspector is one that cannot be approved without the Emperor’s sanction…

“…Why me?”

Luke Richter.

A b*stard of the Richter Earldom, and simultaneously, a newly appointed low-ranking official just inducted into the Imperial Palace.

“…This is strange, indeed.”

Where did it all go wrong?

The Imperial Household wouldn’t have appointed me, of all people, as a Special Inspector for no reason, driven mad as they may be.

But truly, I’m just a nobody, an extra!

“I don’t even know anymore.”

Asking wouldn’t get me anywhere, I suspect.

There’s no chance of this newly assigned personnel order being rescinded.

What truly matters now is surviving this hellscape, one way or another.

This place is a nightmare realm.

Civilization is non-existent; grotesque abominations teem; the value of life is meaningless… a land of death where surviving is harder than dying.

And I have to endure five years here.

My chances of surviving five years at my current level?

Naturally, slim to none.

Even with Ludine and Adina recruited into my circle.

No, in truth, they haven’t been fully recruited yet.

If I were to describe them, they are akin to a time bomb, one ready to detonate at any given moment.

“…The biggest problem is Ludine.”

My train of thought drifted to Ludine.

Her soul, bearing the seed of the apocalypse, is closest to pure evil.

A celestial omen of slaughter – such inherent nature cannot be rectified.

Naturally, the option of reformation is nonexistent.

The moment the apocalypse within her blossoms, she will transform into an avatar of carnage, threatening the entire continent.

Of course, it’s not entirely hopeless.

Having read the original work, I know a fair number of turning points.

Among them is Ludine’s socialization.

“In the original work, surely…”

The depths of Blackmoore.

There, the roots of a colossal tree, nourished by the blood of elves, lie firmly entrenched.

“…Yggdrasil.”

Yggdrasil.

The ancient, magic-steeped great tree, yet also a corrupted World Tree yearning for blood and madness.

‘No choice, then.’

I clicked my tongue, wrenching myself from contemplation.

Priorities were set.

Rudine’s socialization, and the Yggdrasil exploration.

That much, at least.

The Enforcement Agency, ‘Arcana’.

A military organization under the grand Arcane Council.

Within the Council, which revered power above all else, these were the investigators, and as such, their martial prowess was considerable.

The prestige of being the Council’s elite was well-deserved.

Balkan Kast, the Chief Executor of Arcana, was no different.

The mere sight of his warrant earned admiring gazes, and his own strength was among the best even within the Council.

And he, too, was summoned to Headquarters.

The one who summoned him was none other than the Grand Lord Arkan.

Occupying one of the Six Celestial Thrones, she was the Council’s de facto sovereign, its absolute ruler.

It wasn’t only Balkan.

Most of Arcana’s personnel were summoned to Headquarters alongside him.

Over twenty individuals in all.

Ominous.

Even for Balkan, Chief Executor, this was the first time the Grand Lord herself had drafted personnel in such numbers.

So he went, carrying a handful of expectations.

The command they received.

“Go on a little deployment for five years.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Didn’t you hear? I said go somewhere for five years.”

…A deployment, of all things.

And for a full five-year term at that.

The details… they were beyond belief.

The Arkan Council owed a man a significant debt, and in exchange for clearing it, they were demanded personnel from the main branch.

And so, the mission they received was this:

“Just think of him as your errand boy. Easy, right?”

“Excuse me?!”

“Listen well for five years. Report anything unusual. And don’t get any bright ideas. The moment even the slightest complaint comes from him, I’ll have to mediate myself.”

“…Understood.”

“Good, good. Just treat him as you would me. He’s no pushover, so be careful.”

“…”

No less than twenty-three individuals were selected.

It was unbelievable.

Without a doubt, this was a mission unprecedented in Arcana’s history.

“…Just what kind of man is he?”

But the Grand Duke’s command was absolute.

They dared not, and could not, raise any objection.

Of course, that was separate from the fact that this whole situation made absolutely no sense to them.

They moved to the designated location.

Which turned out to be at the very entrance to Blackmoor, an area bordering the deadly cliffs of Kalvaron.

And arriving at their destination, was now.

“Oh, you’ve arrived.”

A man approached, greeting them.

“Arkan sent you, yes?”

“…Yes, I am Chief Executor Balkan.”

“An Executor, so you’re affiliated with Arcana? They’ve really sent some talent.”

A light exchange of greetings passed between them.

His casual way of addressing the Grand Duke like an old friend was deeply unsettling, but he gave no sign.

“I hate to do this to someone who just arrived, but I need to step away for a moment.”

“Is that so?”

“So, I was wondering, would you mind if I gave you a task right off the bat?”

“Of course not.”

The man ushered them into the office.

Then, he thrust a bundle of placards at them, their meaning obscured.

“…These are?”

Placards? Utterly out of the blue.

And their contents even more so.

[Can you swim well?]

[Are you good at catching monsters?]

[What color is the hamburger?]

[Burgundy]

[Hahahahahahaha]

…

…

…

“???”

What is this?

And to say *this* after handing these over…

“Just go around sticking them at places where people are likely to die. Easy, right?”

“Excuse me?”

Luke Richter.

He was certainly a man with something deeply, profoundly wrong with him.