How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

35 – The White-Hair Clan (1)

Clatter-clatter.

Inside the swaying carriage, I was lost in thought as I gazed out the window.

“……”

The Rune of Space.

Among the ten runes scattered across the continent, it, along with the Rune of Time, is considered one of the most powerful.

The power of a rune is conceptually different from skills in games.

Skills simply unleash pre-determined abilities like a macro, whereas a divine power allows you to touch the very source of the underlying force.

That’s why the names of runes are usually very intuitive, allowing you to immediately understand what a rune is just by hearing its name.

Like the Rune of Time I acquired first, or the Rune of Elements, or the Rune of Crimson Fire… they are all easy to understand.

Among them, the Rune of Space is currently the most necessary for me.

While the Rune of Time is certainly overpowered, it’s not enough to deal with the Outer Gods in the future.

Strictly speaking, the Rune of Time is a power more specialized in defense than offense.

Of course, depending on how it’s used, it can instantly kill humans or magical beasts, but that’s only if the opponent is mortal.

For beings like the Outer Gods, who live for eternity, the flow of time doesn’t mean much.

‘But if I have the Rune of Space, things will be different.’

There is no being unaffected by Space.

Of course, beings of divine origin surpass space itself, but the Rune of Space works on the Outer Gods who have violated causality and descended into the material realm.

It’s one of the few powers that can actually harm them, which is why the Rune of Space is treated as an essential route in the original story.

Moreover, when combined with the Rune of Time, the synergy effect is more than double the existing one.

I subtly asked Arkan, who was sitting right next to me.

“So, where is the Bible?”

She smiled as if she knew I would ask.

“Kalmash. Beyond the Boundary.”

“…What was that?”

I hadn’t known at all.

In the original timeline, the spatial rune had been in the Constellation’s hands since the story began.

The Constellation had desperately concealed the rune’s origin, so I’d never known the precise source… but hearing her words, I think I understand the gist.

‘They must have stumbled upon it while chasing Elfriede’s traces.’

If that was the case, things were simpler.

Blackmore was under my jurisdiction, and there was still plenty of time before the original plot kicked off.

“Beyond the boundary… is that all?”

“There’s a labyrinth deep beyond the boundary, you see? What was its name… The Spire of Arkasia, was it? They say it’s buried nice and deep in a subterranean laboratory there.”

“……”

Countless labyrinths and ruins existed in the original story.

Some never even appeared in the main plot… they existed merely as part of the author’s world-building whims.

The Spire of Arkasia.

A forgotten magic tower, rumored to be the ruins of a great necromancer hailed as the Dark Lord in the earliest of times.

It never made a single appearance in the main storyline, but I remember it was mentioned briefly in the world-building compendium.

Webnovels had been the only joy I had in my enslaved past life, so when I came across novels with settings that were unusually deep or complex, I’d organize and memorize every detail from beginning to end.

Of course, I got blocked by authors left and right for constantly pointing out setting errors in the comment sections, but it was one of the few simple pleasures I had in my life, worn down as it was.

‘Was there any special information in particular?’

The problem was that even I didn’t know much about the Spire of Arkasia.

The compendium only skimmed over it with a few lines of fragmentary explanation, so even if I wanted to know more, I couldn’t.

All I knew was that it was a very, very dangerous labyrinth located in a terrifyingly deep place.

‘Is this a good idea?’

Kalmaash was, literally, the cradle of monstrosities.

A hellscape of hellscapes, saturated with evil and chaos, a concentrated point of the world’s malice.

When I looked for Elfriede, I at least knew her location, and because she was at the entrance, I was able to find her quickly, but deeper inside, there was no telling what kind of horrors I might encounter.

Alone, it would be impossible.

Even with Ludine, Adina, and Elfriede in tow, I couldn’t guarantee our safety.

Managing my expression, I asked Arkan,

“…Will you be accompanying me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The one mercy was Arkan’s accompaniment.

With her at my side, at least I wouldn’t die like some dog.

“How far beyond the Boundary have you ventured?”

“Hmm? I’ve gone in a time or two when boredom struck, but you know how it is? It’s not exactly a space where you can tell ‘how far’ you’ve gone.”

“A fair point.”

Arkan turned a questioning gaze my way.

“And you, Sixth Overlord? How far have *you* gone?”

“…”

“No, the other day, it didn’t seem like your first time. On the contrary, you acted as though you knew the Boundary like the back of your hand, didn’t you?”

“…I do know it well.”

I answered plainly.

Lies were useless against her Insight, anyway.

“That’s the odd part. How do you know the things of a forgotten age so intimately? Ah, well, if you’d rather not say, Sixth Overlord, I won’t pry…”

“I saw them.”

“…Huh?”

Arkan’s head swiveled, her arms still crossed.

“Saw them? Where?”

“Just as I said. Think of it as you will.”

“Ugh, you’re so frigid.”

Arkan chuckled and turned away.

“So, what now? Straight to Kalmash?”

She pinched a scroll between her thumb and forefinger, waving it in front of my eyes.

“If there’s nothing to prepare, we can depart right away. Truthfully, if we’re just going to cross over to the Main Circuit, there’s no need to travel by carriage.”

“No, I’ll stop by the office first.”

“And what for, might I ask?”

“I have company.”

“Ah, the little brats…”

Arkan nodded, finally understanding.

“Well, fine. It’s your prerogative, Sixth Overlord.”

“…”

“Ah! I heard you met the Third Lord before leaving for the Imperial Palace?”

“It happened.”

“They say he tried to assert authority, but couldn’t move you at all? Seems the Third Lord took quite a liking to you.”

“Couldn’t care less.”

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be friendly with the other Lords, so try to remember their faces at least. There’s a Lord’s Conference coming up soon anyway.”

As if this damn lifelong tenure wasn’t annoying enough, now I have to be summoned to some Lord’s conference?

I wanted to punch him, but I held back.

The carriage, which had been gliding over a well-paved road, suddenly began to rattle once more.

It meant we were leaving the city and entering the desolate hinterlands.

Blackmoor’s entrance came into view.

After rattling for quite some time, the carriage slowed down and began to creep through a narrow path.

A faint, stinging stench filled the air.

Dead, withered trees stood packed together, row upon row.

Ominous and bleak, much like my own future.

It was then.

Screech—!

With a sensation of my body lurching forward, the carriage stopped abruptly.

I hastily turned and peered out the window.

What is it?

I could see the office in the distance, but there was no reason to get out here instead of in front of it, was there?

A strange sense of unease crawled up the back of my neck.

And then, the carriage door creaked open.

“P-please, step out for a moment!”

The coachman’s face was ashen as he urged me to exit.

I shifted my body towards the open door and climbed out of the carriage.

“…What’s that?”

In the distance, a group of what must have been dozens of people were blocking the path in front of the office.

I slowly scrutinized them.

Swishing silver tails, perked-up triangular ears, and a strangely familiar aura.

Those visages… so terribly familiar.

“The White Fur Clan?”

What are the White Fur Clan, who should be clustered somewhere far off in the Eastern Territories, doing in the demonic domain of Blackmore?

And the aura emanating from each and every one of them was ominous.

Even Arkan, sitting beside me, regarded them with what seemed like… interest.

It was then.

“Luke Richter!”

Adina, who had been facing them off, came running toward us, her tail wagging frantically.

Her eyes were reddened, as if she were utterly terrified.

As Adina rushed toward us, the gaze of the White Fur Clan group who had been confronting her turned to me in unison.

“???”

I stood there for a long moment, exchanging gazes with them.

After a short while, a female fox, presumably the leader, strode toward us.

Her presence was so savage that with each step, a strange pressure shook the earth.

“Adina.”

The woman, drawing up her mana, walked forward, leaking a dreadful killing intent.

“Hiding won’t solve anything.”

Judging from her manner of speaking, her appearance, her actions… she was likely the leader of the White Fur Clan.

The reason she came searching was probably…

“The heirloom of our clan that you stole.”

There was only one item that the White Fur Clan would refer to as an heirloom.

The Rune… of Time.

Though they didn’t know how to use it, and had merely kept it buried inside for thousands of years, they had preserved it for countless ages, honoring the will of their ancestors.

And the whereabouts of that item were currently…

“If you value your life, hand it over now.”

…That thing? I already swallowed it.