novelraw Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116. Dungeon (1)
Iris' question landed on Adel's ears.
“So. What do you want to do?”
Her red eyes, unlike usual, were not filled with mischief or sarcasm, but were seriously waiting for Adel's answer.
Adel was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘What… do I want to do?’
She had never once thought about such a thing.
Adel had always put others first.
She was a child of God, and at the same time, the daughter of the hero who defeated the Demon King.
And she had to be the reliable eldest of the three sisters.
To meet the expectations of those around her, to be acknowledged by her father, to protect her younger sisters.
She always whipped herself and relentlessly moved forward.
In that process, she didn't even have the chance to deeply contemplate what ‘I myself’ wanted and how I wanted to do it.
‘Is my heart the most important thing? Is that it?’
The moment she asked herself, a clear answer emerged from deep within her heart.
Of course, she needed greater power.
She wanted to become much stronger than she was now and be a reliable support for her father.
She didn't want to just watch helplessly again, like when Master Anonymous was kidnapped.
But the method was important.
The temptation of Anceps was sweet, but it was ultimately just ‘borrowed power’.
What Adel truly wanted was to become strong solely through her own effort and will, without the help of others or external sources.
Adel tightened her grip on Anceps.
The cold touch of the metal made her determination even firmer.
‘I want to become strong with only my own power, without anyone else's help.’
She lifted her head, looked at Iris, and calmly stated her conclusion.
At that, Iris smirked and nodded.
As if she had known the answer from the beginning.
“Well, the answer is already there.”
Iris, with her arms crossed, looked at Adel with her characteristic cool and piercing gaze and said.
“Don’t try to rely on anyone. If you want to become strong yourself, that is. Whether it’s the sword in your hand, or even me, Noemi, or Father.”
At that moment, Adel felt a deep realization, as if she had been hit hard on the head.
Iris' words were not just simple advice.
They pierced through the core of the truth that Adel had been ignoring, or perhaps had not yet realized.
‘That’s right. I shouldn't try to rely on anyone. True strength comes only from within myself.’
Until now, she might have tried to lean on her father’s approval, her master’s teachings, or a powerful weapon.
But those were ultimately external factors.
They could not become her true power.
Iris had pointed that out precisely.
At that moment.
Something hot welled up in her chest.
Adel, without realizing it, approached Iris and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you, Iris.”
At the sudden hug, Iris was flustered and struggled.
Her face turned unusually red.
“W-why are you suddenly doing this! It's gross. Let go!”
But Adel did not let her go; instead, she hugged her even tighter and whispered with sincerity.
“I’m so glad you’re my sister.”
At those words, Iris' struggling momentarily stopped.
While grumbling, she no longer pushed Adel away.
“So self-willed.”
“Huhu. I can’t help it. That’s who I am.”
An awkward yet warm feeling enveloped the two of them.
It was a moment when the bond of sisterhood, long forgotten or perhaps deliberately ignored, quietly bloomed.
***
A short while after that.
I finally returned to Lumen Fortis, leading a group of vampires.
Their numbers were in the thousands, so our appearance was a grand spectacle and at the same time caused a huge stir.
“Huh? Who are they?”
“Whoa. Sharp teeth and a sinister aura. No doubt about it. They’re vampires!”
“Why are they with the Margrave? Don’t tell me?”
The residents gathered in the Lumen Fortis square looked at us with eyes full of shock and wariness.
The long-standing distrust and hostility between the races could be felt tense in the air.
I stood proudly in front of the group of vampires and shouted.
“Everyone, calm down! These people are no longer our enemies!”
My voice echoed throughout the square.
I took out Venae Sigillum from my pocket and held it up high.
The bracelet was still emitting a soft platinum-colored light.
“With the power of this ancient magic device, Venae Sigillum, they no longer crave blood. They have come here to live a new life, breaking free from the shackles of the past. I hope you will warmly welcome them as our new neighbors and comrades!”
Despite my declaration, the residents’ wariness did not easily subside.
It was a natural reaction.
But right now, I had something more important to do than persuade them.
“Where is Mammon?”
At my call, Mammon hesitantly walked out from the crowd.
His face, having successfully completed the dungeon construction, was a mixture of pride and fatigue.
“You’re finally here. As you can see, the dungeon is perfectly completed.”
“Good work. I heard you’re still having a lot of trouble with personnel placement. Is that true?”
Mammon started to complain as if he had been waiting for it.
He grumbled that he was having a headache because Iris and the Unseen Ones, who were supposed to be in charge of the dungeon entrance from the 1st to the 10th floors, refused, saying it was ‘beneath their dignity’.
I smirked and patted his shoulder.
“You don't have to worry about that anymore.”
“What?”
“They will take on that role.”
My gesture pointed to the group of vampires who were still standing with bewildered expressions.
Mammon's eyes widened.
“You’re leaving that place to the vampires? What if they go for the adventurers’ necks……”
“That won’t happen.”
I once again held up Venae Sigillum.
“Because we have a magic device to perfectly control them. A vampire whose bloodlust has disappeared is not much different from a human with excellent magic abilities. Rather, they will be the best opponents to give adventurers an appropriate sense of tension.”
Mammon looked back and forth between my face, the vampires, and Venae Sigillum for a moment, then, “To think you saw that far ahead. Who on earth are you……”
He muttered to himself, looking at me with eyes filled with even a sense of awe.
I smiled with satisfaction and turned my gaze back to the residents of the square.
“I’ll say it again, these are our new neighbors! Let’s all work together to help them settle in here!”
The residents were hesitant at first.
But with my firm command and Mammon also stepping in to help, their wariness began to soften a little.
“Ahem. If you need a guide, talk to me.”
“This way, please. I will guide you to an empty barracks.”
“I don’t know if human food will suit your palate. But if you’re hungry, try some of this. It’s called mealworm, a food made of dried insects.”
“If you need any furniture, I can make it for you. The material is gold, a specialty of this place.”
The different races began to extend a hand to the vampires, albeit awkwardly.
I watched the scene with a pleased smile.
Humans, dragons, demons, vampires, and even the Unseen Ones.
A place where various forces lived together in harmony.
‘This is just the beginning.’
My utopia, Lumen Fortis, had just taken its first step.
A true ‘fantasy’ was about to unfold here.
***
Meanwhile, in a corner of the training ground, Iris, who had been waiting for Adel and Alvarez’s intense swordsmanship training to end, shook her head.
Her gaze briefly left the training ground and turned to the group of vampires who were starting to settle in, the existing residents who were awkwardly welcoming them, and the one man who had made all of this possible.
‘What on earth is he planning to do with this place?’
She found it hard to accept the reality of this place called Lumen Fortis.
It wasn't enough that humans, dragons, and demons were mixed together; now he was bringing in vampires to live with them.
His head seemed to be filled with something that couldn't be understood by a normal human's way of thinking.
‘Anyway, I’m glad he came back safely.’
Iris had heard from Noemi that he had met the vampire progenitor and had been in great danger while trying to obtain the magic device to control the vampires.
It would have been troublesome if something had happened to him.
It was a problem on a different level from her desire for revenge or resentment towards him.
‘I can never allow him to suddenly disappear somewhere I don’t know, without my permission.’
That was all.
She turned her gaze again and looked at the entrance of the massive dungeon, which was now nearing completion.
‘I heard the vampires, not the Unseen Ones, are in charge of managing the upper floors of the dungeon.’
Originally, that role was supposed to be taken by low-level monsters like slimes amidst the conflict with Mammon.
But Father had entrusted that role to the vampires, who could now control their bloodlust with Venae Sigillum.
It was a judgment that it would be more helpful for adventurers to gain experience against ‘humanoid enemies’.
‘Vampires. I wonder if it will be okay.’
Iris frowned slightly.
No matter how much their bloodlust was suppressed, their nature wouldn't change easily.
There was no telling what kind of unexpected actions they might take against rookie adventurers.
She had doubts about whether her father’s decision was the right one.
Then, a new desire suddenly raised its head in her heart.
‘I want to try it myself.’
A strong impulse to step into that unknown space, designed by Mammon and built with the combined strength of all sorts of races, and test her own power.
While training in assassination with the ‘Unseen Ones’ in the Durani Empire and going through numerous real battles, she had become incomparably stronger than before.
But she had never had a chance to objectively gauge the level of that strength.
‘How far can I reach now?’
The Lich King Nox, the former hero Frank, and the queen of dragons Anonymous.
The feeling of powerlessness she felt in front of their overwhelming strength still remained in a corner of her heart.
She longed to be able to stand proudly on her own, not as someone who relied on or was protected by others.
‘I’m not in a position to advise others.’
A cold resolve formed in Iris' red eyes.
She briefly looked at Adel and Alvarez finishing their training in the training ground, then turned her steps towards the massive dungeon entrance.
Because she wanted to test her own limits and advance to a higher place.
***
Several more days had passed since I arrived here.
In the meantime, the underground dungeon of Lumen Fortis had finally taken on its perfect form and was waiting for its grand opening.
I didn't miss this opportunity and immediately contacted the whole world.
Of course, I didn't forget to promote safety.
These groundbreaking conditions and the reputation of a ‘dungeon made by a hero’ spread across the entire continent in an instant.
Those who were at first skeptical began to gather in Lumen Fortis one by one after hearing the rumors.
And the result far exceeded my expectations.
‘To think I would see that guy in person.’
I looked at the procession of strong individuals flocking in and smiled with satisfaction.
Among them were a considerable number of powerful named NPCs I had often seen while playing the game, or hero-class characters that other users had admired.
Renowned knight commanders from various countries, famous wizards, and even legendary mercenaries.
It was truly like a war of stars.
Of course, conquering the dungeon would not be their only purpose.
There would be many who came to make an impression on me, the Margrave and the representative of the Continental Alliance, or to seek new opportunities.
But it didn't matter.
‘If I can skillfully persuade and scout them, our power will become much stronger than it is now.’
In the face of the great threats of Primus and Nox, the more allies, the better.
After spending a few hectic days preparing for the dungeon’s opening and welcoming guests, I finally headed to the deepest part of the dungeon, the lowest floor, the 100th.
Mammon, the self-proclaimed final boss and designer of this dungeon, was waiting for me with a triumphant face.
He was sitting arrogantly on a magnificent chair that looked like a throne.
“Huhu, you seem excited too. All preparations are complete. Now all that’s left is to wait for the brave ones who will overcome the final trial that is me……”
I lightly ignored his words and said firmly.
“Move.”
A single cold word.
Mammon, as if he hadn't expected it at all, looked at me with his eyes wide open in bewilderment.
“What? What did you just say?”
I felt like laughing at his flustered expression, but now was not the time.
Because this place was not for someone like Mammon, but for a much greater being.