Dungeon Core.
“…It’s quite different from what I imagined.”
It’s something you often see in novels and manga.
The shape of these things varies by work.
Sometimes it’s like a jewel, sometimes humanoid, and sometimes like a doll; the variety in the world of fiction is abundant.
I knew of their existence, but I never thought I’d see one.
I myself had imagined its form through various fantasies.
“What? What kind of thing were you imagining?”
Such a rare sight.
However, it was different from what I had imagined.
It was larger than I thought, and while I was a little disappointed by its functional appearance, I couldn’t look away.
As I was observing it carefully, my instructor overheard the words that slipped out.
When he asked me what I had imagined, I replied:
“No, I thought it would be something more compact. Like a crystal ball on a pedestal of this size.”
There was no need to hide it, so I answered honestly, conveying the shape I had imagined with hand gestures.
“Don’t be an idiot. It has to maintain a vast world like a Dungeon. Do you think a low-output Magic Stone could sustain it?”
“You have a point.”
In my mind, I had imagined a stylish, terminal-like shape, not a bulky, power-plant-like appearance.
I imagined that if I held my hand over it, a menu would appear, and I could operate various things like in a game.
When I vaguely conveyed this with hand movements, my instructor scoffed and dismissed it.
Well, I understood his reasoning, but it felt sad, as if I had been shown that romance and sentimentality are meaningless in the face of practicality.
Does it mean that to do anything significant in any world, a large facility is required?
“Hm? I thought I saw something move inside just now.”
Just as I resigned myself to the reality of it, something stirred deep within the crimson Dungeon Core.
I thought I was mistaken.
But as I looked closely into the depths, I knew I wasn’t.
It was too intensely red, and only its outline was visible, but there was definitely something there.
“You noticed. That’s the core of the Dungeon Core.”
“The core? That dragon-like creature? So this large stone itself isn’t the Dungeon Core?”
When I channeled Magic Power into my eyes to observe the faintly visible shadow, its full form became apparent.
It’s a dragon.
There’s a dragon with its wings folded.
Witnessing the strange sight of a living creature being housed, questions spilled out of me.
My instructor didn’t seem offended and nodded in response.
Rather, he nodded with satisfaction, as if impressed that I had noticed.
“Ah, the Magic Stone is just the outer shell, the container. The real one is the Divine Beast inside. The Divine Beast created by our God Luina. The Divine Beast Gark, which I was given. That’s what maintains this Dungeon.”
“Divine Beast Gark.”
Perhaps due to the color of the Dungeon Core, its body was crimson.
It was a crimson creature sitting like it was asleep, with its four characteristic arms folded.
When I heard the term “Divine Beast,” I wondered if it was the same kind of creature as the Moon Fox Mimamori-sama used to have? I compared it to creatures I had recently encountered.
However, compared to his fox, this one appeared incomparably larger and seemed more specialized for combat.
“By the way, just out of curiosity, how strong is it?”
“Who knows.”
“You don’t know?”
So I wanted to ask about that as well, but unfortunately, my instructor seemed to be unaware and just shrugged his shoulders.
“It only wakes up when this Dungeon is on the verge of collapse. When all the monsters within the Dungeon, the soldiers, and even I are defeated, that thing activates. It’s like a last resort.”
The reason he gave was entirely logical.
When this Divine Beast awakens, it means the situation is dire.
Perhaps it’s better not to know the combat power of such a being.
“That’s why it’s usually asleep like that, maintaining the Dungeon.”
So, is the role of this Divine Beast akin to that of a CPU or AI?
A Divine Beast that exists to maintain the space of the Dungeon.
In other words, are all the monsters, such as those with Souls and Blood within the Dungeon, born from this Divine Beast?
“At least it doesn’t seem weak.”
I’ve fought numerous monsters, but it’s unlikely to be weaker than those monsters.
If anything, it might possess the combined specs of all the monsters within the Dungeon.
The thought of having to fight such an opponent made me tremble as a Dungeon Tester.
It’s truly the final boss.
Well, it’s not the final boss since the President is here, but it’s probably in a boss-like position.
“Ah, it’s such a shame I can’t fight it.”
“Those are your words, instructor.”
I let out a wry smile at the Ogre, who didn’t hide his dissatisfaction with the fact that he couldn’t fight such a formidable enemy.
I described it thus, but in truth, there were no other words to choose.
It was the instructor’s words, which could only be interpreted as a love for battle.
“By the way, because this Divine Beast is so precious, Dungeons can’t just be made easily, right?”
As someone who was told by the instructor to come fully equipped, I tried to steer the conversation away, as it seemed like a fight could start here.
“That’s right. Of course, you can prepare a large Magic Stone. But if there’s no Divine Beast sealed inside, it won’t activate as a Dungeon Core. Well, there are also other troublesome spells and preparations required.”
“…By the way, how important is the information I’m hearing right now within our organization?”
When I succeeded in diverting the conversation, the instructor, though seemingly annoyed, began to explain. As he explained the basics of how to create a Dungeon Core, I suddenly wondered if it was okay for me to hear such things, even though he was explaining it so casually.
“General-rank individuals and Evia would know. Even among those directly under me, only a handful would know.”
So, when I asked for confirmation, it was indeed classified information.
“…As always, please stop giving me such incredible classified information out of the blue! I need some mental preparation, you know?”
Pressing my head as if enduring a headache, I couldn’t determine whether the instructor’s action of carelessly throwing valuable information at me was due to expectation or some other ulterior motive.
I wanted to believe it was expectation, but I had a feeling he found enjoyment in telling me these things.
Or perhaps it was both.
“Don’t say that! We’re friends, aren’t we!”
If it meant a master-disciple relationship, I felt he should have more discretion, but with my instructor, the sense of closeness felt more pronounced.
As proof of this, an arm shot out and wrapped around my neck, naturally forming a shoulder-to-shoulder pose.
“Besides, my intuition tells me a big battle is about to happen soon.”
“…More than the previous incident with the angels?”
The lighthearted atmosphere from moments ago vanished.
His tone of voice turned serious.
The instructor’s warning eyes were earnest.
“Yeah. It might be an all-out war. I can smell it. A battle.”
These were not lies or jokes, but serious words.
His words, like a dying testament, sent shivers down my spine.
“I’m also concerned about what those Nōraifu are investigating. You be careful too.”
With that, he gave my back a pat and moved away. The instructor’s words about the calmness before the storm lingered in my mind. However, I couldn’t afford to just worry about a battle that might come at any time.
“Hey! Girl, how’s the Dungeon Core doing over at my place!”
“It’ll be soon, just wait a bit!! More importantly, I’m incredibly drained!! What happened? The magic circles and various other things are malfunctioning! It wasn’t this exhausted last time you were here!”
“If you have complaints, take them to that guy! He’s the foremost among those who raid my Dungeon!”
How I use this warning is up to me.
I pondered the meaning of him bringing me all the way here to tell me this.
However, shaking my head, I pushed the matter aside for the moment.
As if unconcerned by my reaction, the instructor, who had moved away from me, put both hands into his usual suit pockets and spoke like a Yakuza.
It was an outrageous sight, an Ogre Yakuza talking to a young girl, yet they were having a conversation.
And then he drew me into the conclusion of their conversation.
“Unfortunately, that’s my job.”
“That might be true! But Dungeon Cores are a lot more delicate than you think!! At least consider my feelings as the one who has to fix it!!”
So, I roughly and unceremoniously responded to Saml’s glare, and he reacted with a漫画-like huff.
Well, it’s true that from a maintenance perspective, less trouble is always better.
However, the maintenance of a Dungeon Core.
I was indeed curious about how it was done.
Putting aside the unsettling conversation for later, I approached Saml and the others who had descended near the Dungeon Core.
Looking at them, they had deployed unique magic circles and were connecting to the Dungeon Core through those magic circles.
I went to watch Saml’s Dungeon Core maintenance, wondering if what they were doing was similar to programming.
Another side.
My pen moves with a scratch.
For Dazzlo, the time spent penning and giving birth to new knowledge is a moment of bliss.
After returning to this land, where only a bright sky exists, from that space with only a dark night sky, I have spent several days compiling the knowledge gained on that continent.
Recently, I’ve been busy taking care of my employer, the Princess, so this added to my joy.
In the basement, beyond the reach of the Sun God, Dazzlo moves his pen by the light of a magic lamp.
“…”
The time spent silently transcribing knowledge onto paper, how indescribably blissful it is, Dazzlo’s cheeks naturally curve into a smile.
However, happy times pass by in an instant and are dispelled as easily as they arrive.
The sound of a knock echoes, and my pen, which had been moving along smoothly, stops as if suddenly blocked.
The number of people who come to this laboratory is limited.
Understanding this, Dazzlo, after a heavy sigh, reluctantly rises from his chair and opens the door to meet the person who knocked.
“Yes, yes, old man is busy~”
“Oh my, then it seems you’re not in a position to entertain me?”
“Indeed~ I’d rather face spellbooks than entertain you, my dear.”
As Dazzlo imagined, standing at the door was an Elf princess with an elegant smile.
Dazzlo glances at the person behind the princess and sighs at the silent knight in armor, then quietly opens the door wider to invite his employer in.
“I’ve come to check on the progress.”
And as if it were her own home, Princess Anri H, the Third Princess of the Empire, sits down in a readily prepared luxurious chair.
Behind her stands her bodyguard, the black knight Thor.
“Progress or nothing, I sent the report yesterday. There’s no way new information would come in this quickly. Rather, I’m the one who should be asking you.”
There’s no need to ask what.
Dazzlo, to whom the princess directly demands, finds it troublesome. He says this while holding the documents he had just finished writing.
“Tris and Eclair will accept the ceasefire very soon. After that, it’s just until we create peace by defeating a common enemy, according to the plan.”
“You say it so easily, but that’s something that’s normally impossible, isn’t it?”
When he presents it, she smiles and says “Well done,” and Princess Anri quickly begins to read the documents.
As if in passing, without looking up from the documents, she answers Dazzlo’s question.
“You say ‘normally,’ but ‘normal’ is just a standard that defines limits. ‘Normal’ exists to be broken. Aren’t you one of those who break it, Dazzlo?”
“Oh my, I’m just a Mage who wants to do research.”
“And you think just any Mage can create these documents?”
Within a few minutes of reading, Princess Anri shakes the stack of papers playfully.
“I had a collaborator who could see the actual thing and explain it to me. Anyone can do it up to that point.”
“That’s just like you.”
The smile she wore proved how much value the content held for her.
And she understood better than anyone that proving that content was the most difficult part.
“Where is he?”
“Who knows? He’s probably training in that room we experimentally created. From my perspective, having more experimental samples is helpful.”
“Hehehe, it’s his long-cherished wish. He probably has no time to rest.”
“From my perspective, the angels have imposed a troublesome person upon me.”
“Oh my? Isn’t that the best material for you?”
Dazzlo, the key figure.
The collaborator.
And the Princess of the Empire, who is at the center of secret operations in Isal.
What kind of ripples the three of them will create is not yet time to say.
“After all, he has the bloodline of a Hero.”
Word of the day:
Experience is always beneficial.
Thank you for your continued feedback and error reporting.
If you found this interesting, please leave your thoughts, ratings, and bookmarks.
*The first volume of the novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume two was released on December 19.
Volume three was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original contributions posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with additional unreleased interlude chapters included.
Please do check out the new releases as well!!
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
