I opened the door to the Dungeon Lord’s chamber.
“The Dungeon Lord is said to be the strongest monster in this labyrinth, so be careful!”
Well, it should be fine. The door creaked heavily as it swung open. Inside was a spacious hall with stone-paved flooring.
I wonder if Grandpa Ushika is alright… We’re about to face a monster after all. But I guess as long as I protect him, everything will be okay.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
“!? The moment we entered, the door closed behind us!?”
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Mechanism of the Dungeon Lord’s Room
→ Those who enter this room cannot leave until the Dungeon Lord is defeated or the challenger dies. Teleportation is also disabled in this room.
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So, if I don’t defeat the Dungeon Lord, I won’t be able to get out either. Well, this should be a piece of cake.
At the far end of the hall, a crystal the size of a person floated in the air.
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Dungeon Core
→ The heart of the dungeon. Destroying it will clear the dungeon and cause it to vanish.
～～～～～～
I see. So I just need to break that. Just as I was about to approach it, a massive magic circle appeared on the floor.
It glimmered brightly, and from below, something large began to crawl out.
“Th-th-that’s… no way…!”
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・Manticore (SSS)
→ A chimera with the face and body of a lion, bat-like wings, and a scorpion tail.
～～～～～～
A Manticore, about ten meters tall, emerged.
“Gyaoooooohhh!”
As the Manticore let out its roar, the air vibrated with a thunderous sound. Grandpa Ushika fell back onto his rear.
“W-we’re done for… There’s no way we can defeat such a monster…”
“Grandpa, stay back!”
I strode confidently toward the Manticore.
I reached the Manticore’s feet. Up close, I realized that a ten-meter monster is indeed quite large.
“Gyaoooooohhh!”
“…………” sigh.
“Gyaoooooohhh!”
“…………” sigh.
“Gya… Gyao…”
“…………” sigh.
“Um… excuse me?”
Huh? Did it just start talking?
“What’s wrong?”
The Manticore, sweating profusely, spoke.
“Are you… not afraid…?”
“Uh, no. I’ve met much stronger monsters before.”
“Stronger monsters than me? Are there such creatures?”
“Yep. Fenrir, nine-tailed foxes, the Four Divine Beasts, Kirin, and Kyuuki.”
The Manticore stared at me, mouth agape in disbelief.
“Y-you’re lying… You’ve fought such monsters?”
“Uh, no. They’re all my friends.”
“F-friends!?”
The Manticore looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“N-no! That’s a lie! It must be a lie!”
“Box. Come forth, Felmaa!”
From the Box emerged a gigantic, fluffy Fenrir.
“F-Fenrir!?”
The Manticore gasped in shock. Felmaa glared at the Manticore.
“What do you want?”
“Grrrrrrrr!”
The Manticore, intimidated by Felmaa’s glare, began to tremble and retch.
“Are you alright…?”
“Eep! Eep! A real Fenrir… so scary…”
It looked so pitiful, trembling in fear.
“Hmph. To be frightened by someone like me. If you saw the true power of Mika-sama, you would faint from shock!”
“W-what!? That woman over there is stronger than Fenrir!?”
Well, it seems like it won’t attack us anymore, so I’ll let it be for now. Human lives come first.
“Grandpa Ushika, let’s look for your grandson.”
While Felmaa was asserting dominance over the Manticore, we began to search the room.
“Muzika!”
In a corner of the room, Muzika lay unconscious. A boy with fluffy hair and sun-kissed skin… right?
But he has such a cute face. Grandpa Ushika pressed his ear against Muzika’s chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“He’s alive…”
“Thank goodness.”
“Ah! Thank you, Mika-chan!”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re okay.”
But considering we’re in the Dungeon Lord’s chamber, how did Muzika manage to stay safe?
“Um…”
“Why are you here!?”
“Why…?”
The Manticore was still trembling in a submissive pose.
“Felmaa… you might have scared him a bit too much.”
“I was merely conveying Mika-sama’s greatness!”
This kid tends to exaggerate.
“The boy in the corner is unharmed. Why is that? Isn’t the Dungeon Lord supposed to kill any intruders unconditionally?”
I read somewhere on the Omniscient and Omnipotent Internet that such programming is embedded in the Dungeon Lord.
“Actually… I’m not the Dungeon Lord.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“To be precise, I am the very will of the dungeon.”
The will of the dungeon… itself…?
“I don’t quite understand…”
I searched for more information on the Omniscient and Omnipotent Internet.
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Will of the Dungeon
→ As a result of Nagano Mika using the Divine Hammer Mjolnir to infuse the dungeon with Divine Power, the dungeon developed a consciousness.
～～～～～～
“Wait…? No way… I did that?”
“I was born because you infused your magic… in a sense, I am your child! So please don’t kill me!”
The Manticore prostrated itself before me.
“I-I can’t believe it…! I’ve never heard of a Dungeon Lord bowing to a human!”
“Of course! Only Mika-sama can do such a thing!”
So, it means that due to the infusion of Divine Power, an unexpected situation occurred?
“So, Mika-sama, what shall we do now?”
To exit the dungeon, either the intruder must die, or the Dungeon Core must be destroyed.
“What happens to the Manticore if I destroy the Dungeon Core?”
“It will die!”
Well, that’s how it goes.
“Please! I don’t want to die!”
“Then open the exit for me.”
“I can’t do that…”
“Why not?”
“The dungeon cannot create an exit unless the core is destroyed…”
Hmm… what should I do?
“Mika-sama, it wouldn’t be a problem to kill it, would it?”
“Wait. That would be cruel, wouldn’t it?”
After all, it doesn’t seem like a bad creature.
“Hey, you didn’t hurt Muzika, did you?”
“N-no… he was just a child…”
See? It’s not a bad creature. So I can’t kill it. I searched for a better way on the Omniscient and Omnipotent Internet. Got it.
“Then, you. Become my Familiar.”
“F-Familiar…?”
I explained what a Familiar is.
“I see… but… I’m not a monster; I am the dungeon itself! Can I even do that?”
“Well, dungeons can be likened to living beings, right? You can do it.”
If I make it my Familiar, I can control this dungeon. That way, an exit can be created.
And I won’t have to kill this creature.
“I understand… Please!”
I decided to give this Manticore, or rather, this dungeon, a name.
This child is the Dungeon Core… Core… Manticore… Ah.
“Core. From today onward, you shall be known as ‘Core-chan’.”
In that instant, the Dungeon Core began to shine brightly.
The core shrank rapidly, and when it reached the size of my palm, it flew towards me.
With a brilliant flash, the Dungeon Core transformed into a tiny Manticore floating in the air, with the Dungeon Core hanging from its neck.
“Core-chan, you’ve gotten smaller!”
“R-really…?”
I took a picture with my smartphone and showed it to Core-chan.
“Why is this adorable creature…?”
“It’s you.”
“I-I’m cute… I’m cute~♡”
It seems like Core-chan is quite pleased.
“Core-chan, can you create an exit?”
“I think I can! But I need you to command me. Then I can do it!”
“Hmm. Then, create an exit.”
With a flash, a magic circle appeared at the far end of the room. I took Grandpa Ushika and stepped onto the magic circle.
In an instant, the scenery before me changed. We were back at the entrance of the cave.
“Woooooah! We made it out!”
Grandpa Ushika carried Muzika on his back. Phew… we made it out safely.
“And the dungeon… is safe?”
“Yes! Thank you, my master! I’m glad I didn’t die!”
Then, Grandpa Ushika bowed deeply to me.
“Thank you, young lady! For saving my grandson!”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
Next, Felmaa came out and leaped onto me.
“It’s heavy…”
“Impressive, Mika-sama! To have taken control of the dungeon!”
Ah, right. Since I became Core-chan’s master, that means I’ve acquired the dungeon…
“To think you could even make a dungeon your subordinate, Mika-chan is amazing!”
Mika is kind to those who are good-hearted. However, she shows no mercy to fools, like the crown prince.
【★☆ A Special Request ☆★】
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