How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

48 – The Ruins of Marsica (3)

Although the original text described it as a ghost village, for some reason, a considerable number of people lived in the village.

Rumor had it they were slated to leave the abandoned village en masse before long. Seemed the original tale unfolded after their departure.

Regardless, with that day, the full-fledged search for Yungcheon Ore began.

The chieftain provided a vacant house, sufficient enough to stay in until the exploration concluded.

Humble in many ways, riddled with problems, but adequate enough for sleep.

As the chieftain predicted, the search for Yungcheon Ore took a good amount of time.

Truthfully, Yungcheon Mine was, in essence, an ordinary abandoned mine. Structurally, there was no inherent reason for the search to drag on.

But what I sought was not the Demon Iron at the mine’s deepest recess, but a secret passage connected to ruins nearby.

The passages were classified into various sectors, and only one sector could be explored per day, leaving no choice but to laboriously push forward.

More than anything, the mine itself was severely tainted with malevolent energy, as the chieftain said. An ordinary human couldn’t endure more than ten hours within its depths.

Of course, it posed no issue for me, but I couldn’t ignore the condition of the boy guiding me. So, at most, the daily exploration time was five hours.

Even so, Ian, bless his heart, guided me with all his might.

The sector where the Cursed Sword was sealed was the last, Sector 14.

According to theory, the exploration should conclude in fourteen days, but I doubt it would have been possible to finish, not in months, without Ian.

Had he refused to guide me, I would have used any means to persuade him, but Ian, from our first encounter until now, was strangely devoid of suspicion towards people and was remarkably amicable.

“Luke-hyung!”

As I went to find Ian for the exploration, he came running towards me with his characteristic hurried steps.

He held something in his right hand, and as soon as he arrived, he showed me what he held.

“…?”

Wondering what it was, I stared at it. Ian grinned, extending his hand as if urging me to take it.

“Wild raspberries.”

“Wild raspberries?”

“Yes. Do you dislike them, hyung?”

Hardly.

I was merely bewildered by the rare kindness I encountered in this other world.

“Thank you.”

“Hehe. They’re tasty, right?”

I tossed the wild raspberries into my mouth; a sour yet sweet flavor danced on my tongue.

As I ruffled his hair, Ian giggled brightly.

I chuckled softly, muttering quietly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

The exploration continued thereafter.

Each day, a set time was dedicated to the search, and before long, a considerable amount of time had passed.

Consequently, the connection with the boy, Ian, also endured.

“Hyung! Care for some watermelon?”

“I’m alright.”

“Don’t be like that, let’s eat together.”

“I’m full.”

Having stuck to me for several days, he now sought me out outside of the labyrinth explorations, filling the air with chatter.

Truthfully, it was a little bothersome, but not altogether unpleasant, so I begrudgingly offered conversation.

And then one day, the Chieftain sought me out and asked with a placid tone.

“How fares the exploration?”

“It progresses smoothly.”

“That is heartening news.”

The Chieftain, too, had become quite amiable compared to our first encounter.

Perhaps it was the natural consequence of living in the same village, even for a mere few days.

“Would you care to partake in an evening meal together?”

He would often invite me to dinner, and each time, Ian would happily interject, hopping about with delight.

The few villagers who passed by would also join the dinner, albeit with a cautious air. Frankly, it was a peaceful routine bordering on tediousness.

‘…Not bad, eh?’

It was simply a strangely comforting sensation.

Thus, a slight curiosity began to brew regarding their well-being.

In the original work, this place was a ghost town devoid of inhabitants, with no particular description of the backstory.

But, that was fleeting. Rather than dwell on a problem whose precise cause remained elusive, I resolved to address the more pressing matters at hand.

“Luke hyung! Today is the final district.”

“I will go alone today, so you rest here.”

“Huh? Are you sure it’s alright?”

“Yes.”

“It is alright.”

The final sector didn’t exactly need exploring.

The confined, cubic rock chamber itself *was* the Marsica ruin.

All that remained was retrieving the demon sword, safely enshrined there, and everything would be finished.

Yes, resolving this alone was the cleanest path; company was entirely unnecessary.

“See you tonight!”

With a careless wave in response to the boy’s greeting, I headed for the abandoned mine.

Following the passage Ian had pre-opened, I moved slowly.

First gate, second gate, third gate… breathlessly passing a total of eleven gates, the final sector finally revealed itself.

A cubic space, roughly the size of a studio apartment, unfolded before my eyes.

How such a strange space existed within the abandoned mine was a question for later, I had no time for such trifles now.

I needed to focus solely on finding the demon sword.

A wooden chest placed at the center.

Affixed to the outside of the chest were papers covered in characters reminiscent of talismans, plastered haphazardly.

And seeping through the gaps, one could clearly see a dark, ominous miasma.

“…Found it.”

Opening the lid of the wooden chest, a sword, encased in a leather scabbard, revealed itself.

The moment I grasped the scabbard to get a better look, a torrent of dark miasma assailed me.

Of course, it had no impact on me, but it was undoubtedly an ill-omened object.

The demon sword, Devourer.

Certainly, it differed from an ordinary sword in appearance, and in many other ways.

The patterns etched along the blade’s surface writhed like blood vessels.

The blade itself was forged from a bluish kishuu iron, but the edge of the blade shone crimson, as if stained with blood.

The overall shape of the sword was similar to a straight-bladed Eastern sword.

However, the protrusions that ran along the spine resembled vertebrae, and a bizarrely shaped carving adorned the hilt.

In particular, the handle was studded with fang-like projections, making the sword itself appear to be a grotesque object.

Most peculiar of all was the faint vibration felt when holding the sword.

Like a hungry pulse, a resonance that seemed to yearn for something; the vibration told me that this sword was more than just a weapon.

“A demon sword, alright.”

I sheathed the sword again.

Having finished my business, I retraced my steps.

Exiting the mine, the sunlight pierced my eyes with sudden force.

I mumbled, my feet already moving,

“…I should at least share one last evening meal before departing.”

The return journey wasn’t long.

I descended into the village, the ominous 요검 (yogeom) strapped to my hip.

But there, far off in the distance, a hazy mass of figures filled the village.

Each possessed a vaguely human form, yet their bodies seemed to rot and fester… like, a ghastly vision conjuring the undead.

My pace quickened.

A considerable number of corpses lay strewn upon the ground in the distance, bleeding.

Examining them one by one, I recognized their faces – the village chief and the townsfolk with whom I’d shared supper the night before.

Among them was Ian, the boy who had guided me through the mine.

Ian lay limp, his eyes devoid of focus.

I stood frozen, watching the scene play out.

Blood pooled and formed puddles on the ground, the dense aroma of blood assaulted my senses.

Belatedly grasping the situation, Adina, Ludine, and Siron, who had gone to hunt monsters near the village, came rushing back.

And then, I locked eyes with the man standing at the heart of the throng surrounding the village.

He wore a black robe, and with fingers pale as bone, toyed with a mask that covered half his face, revealing a grin of startlingly white teeth.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

He regarded me, amused by the spectacle, a smirk playing on his lips.

Just then, Siron, who had dashed forward, assessed the situation and subtly approached me, bowing his head low.

“…Lord Sixth, it is the Second Lord.”

That was all it took to understand the man’s identity.

Second Lord, Myung-gak Blackhand. The continent’s foremost necromancer.

A necromancer through and through, he favored overwhelming his foes with sheer numbers, and sure enough, an endless horde of undead were arrayed behind him.

“So, you’re the human that the Grand Warlord personally appointed to a Lordship, eh?”

His voice held a playful taunt.

Hearing this, Siron whispered urgently to me.

“Lord Sixth, it would be best to withdraw. It is wise to avoid conflicts between Lords.”

It was as the theories spoke.

Those departed were regrettable, but could not be brought back to life, and in the first place, they were merely fleeting connections of a few days.

To cause friction with another lord for such a paltry reason went against my principles and would only make troubles for the future.

I knew not what brought the Second Lord to this place, but it was enough to pass by as if unseen.

Regardless, I obtained what I sought, and my companions were unharmed, were they not?

But.

“Judging by your expression, you knew the fellow? This has become quite interesting.”

“……”

“So, *you’re* the one who has been scouring the mine for days? Not only did you sneak into my territory like a rat, but you plundered the ruins? How brazen. It would be wise to abandon any thought of simply passing by. And what is that sword you wear at your hip? I think it warrants investigation.”

For some reason, enduring this felt more difficult than usual.

Irritating, exceedingly so.

I knew it was merely a passing, impulsive emotion.

If I simply pretended not to see, no harm would come to me.

In truth, it wasn’t even something to be particularly surprised by.

This godforsaken world was, after all, a world where death was commonplace.

I, too, had merely witnessed one of countless deaths in passing.

But why, then?

Reason screamed at me to flee, yet suddenly, I did not wish to.

Why, there are things, aren’t there?

Things that, upon seeing, one feels the need to sweep away from sight immediately to find satisfaction… things that are, for reasons unknown, exceptionally irritating.

Precisely so it was now.

The corpses sprawled upon the ground, and the face of the Second Lord as he spouted nonsense, truly, everything was grating upon my nerves.

If I were to simply let this situation pass, my sleep would be most uneasy.

If I let that damned b*stard go, my chest would feel constricted, I would feel regret, and I would be inexplicably irritated.

And that fellow, he was going to be killed by the protagonist later anyway.

Therefore.

“Acceleration(加速).”

I raised my right hand and murmured the activation word.

From the tattoo beneath my eye, dozens of strands of golden haze burst forth and enveloped all but the Second Lord in a spherical shield.

Inverse(逆).

Their time had ceased.

Phase.

As if a gargantuan hand had seized the very space around them, an unseen, swirling pressure crushed the air.

The ground beneath their feet cratered inward, pressure bearing down from all sides.

Centered on the shimmering, canary-yellow haze, space contracted, bodies warping into grotesque shapes.

Limbs folded inward, clavicles and pelvises the starting points for unnatural contortions across their frames.

Gravity compressed into a single point.

And then.

“Crush.”

Kwa-jijik!

With an ear-splitting roar that pierced the eardrums, all save the Second Lord exploded in an instant.

“!!!”

The Second Lord’s listless eyes, witnessing the instantaneous carnage, flickered with a strange light.

Shiron, too, stared at me, face a mask of stunned disbelief.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

Myung-gak emanated a palpable, murderous intent.

My actions were a blatant declaration of war.

His reaction, therefore, was not entirely unfathomable.

But.

“What use would you have knowing?”

The golden haze, swirling through the air, enveloped Myung-gak’s right arm.

Space itself sundered.

Dozens of blurred, thread-like lines wrapped around his arm in overlapping layers.

“Soon to be a corpse.”

Kwa-jijijik!!

Myung-gak’s right arm was severed, spurting blood as it fell.