Chapter 165: An Encounter With the Dungeon Master

Chapter 165: An Encounter With the Dungeon Master

Urushi laid himself down at Fran’s feet, as if trying to appeal for something.

「Wooof!」

『Oh, right. Yup, you did level up, Urushi.』

Yeah I totally forgot that I was supposed to check Urushi’s stats too.

_______________________________________________________________

General Information

Name: Urushi

Species: Darkness Wolf (Magic Wolf / Magic Beast)

State: Normal

Status Level: 30/50Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

HP: 754

MP: 865

STR: 401

VIT: 341

AGI: 507

INT: 317

MGC: 541

DEX: 271

Skills

Darkness Resistance: Lv 8

Darkness Magic: Lv 4

Sharp Nose: MAX

Espionage: Lv 7

Fang Techniques: Lv 6

Fang Arts: Lv 6

Shadow Dive: MAX

Shadow Transport: Lv 6

Air Jump: Lv 8

Fear: Lv 4

Vigilance: Lv 7

Presence Concealment: Lv 6

Regeneration: Lv 5

Deadly Poison Magic: Lv 2

Evil Energy Detection: Lv 1

Evil Energy Resistance: Lv 1

Blink: Lv 5

Muffle: Lv 6

Spirit Magic: Lv 5

Life Force Detection: Lv 8

Resistance to Mental Abnormalities: Lv 6

Claw Arts: Lv 1

We looked around for about 10 minutes, but we weren’t able to find any sort of hidden area.

Er, actually that’s not right. I mean, we did technically find a spot that seemed like it had something on the other side, but we couldn’t figure out how we were supposed to get to it.

It wasn’t like the other areas in the sense that the Dungeon Master had restricted access to it. Forcing ourselves in probably wasn’t that great of an idea. We’d be putting not only the request, but also Fran’s life at risk.

『Hmmm... What do?』

「Hmm?」

Oh wait. You know, thinking about it, it wasn’t actually absolutely necessary for us to go to where the Dungeon Master was. We could just have her come out instead.

『Hey Fran, try showing off the pendant Aurel gave you.』

「Nn? Got it.」

Fran rummaged through her dimensional storage and pulled the pendant out from within it.

『Now try calling the Dungeon Master.』

「Got it. Dungeon Master. Delivery.」

She raised the pendant overhead as she spoke.

I was pretty sure that calling the Dungeon Master would work. We’d just beaten the boss, so chances were, the Dungeon Master probably had her eyes on us right about now.

And you know what, we can just try something else if it doesn’t work. It’s not like giving it a shot would cause any harm.

「Delivery here.」

「Woof woof!」

「Are you perhaps on one of Dias’ or Aurel’s errands?」

A young woman’s, presumably the Dungeon Master’s, voice resounded through the room after we tried calling out a few times.

「Nn. Aurel.」

「I see... Very well. I request you wait a brief moment.」

A hole appeared in one of the walls shortly after the woman voiced her agreement. It seemed to lead to the area that we’d suspected just a bit earlier.

「You may enter.」

The corridor didn’t have any traps in it. Still, I couldn’t help but worry that we’d be lead to a room full of magic beasts or traps. It wasn’t impossible for the Dungeon Master to choose to do precisely that, so we proceeded with caution. I made sure to have a bit of teleportation magic queued up just in case.

However, our concerns ended up appearing to be in excess. There weren’t any magic beasts anywhere to be found. The path was, well, just a normal path.

The passage’s only defining traits were its dimness and the softness of the light that seemed to shine through from where it lead.

A magnificent sight reached us once we finally arrived at the tunnel’s exit. The room it lead to looked like it’d come straight out of some noble’s mansion. It was incredibly wide, and filled to the brim with all sorts of gaudy furniture.

A beautiful woman of about 30 years stood in the room’s centre. The robe-like thing she wore made it look like she was in the midst of enjoying a sort of leisurely respite. Her body was rather slim, and her face charming, but I still couldn’t help but feel that she gave off the air of a warrior, a perfect balance of strength and beauty.

She was strong, incredibly so. I knew it from the moment I first laid eyes on her, but I couldn’t tell exactly how strong she was. Either way, she was at least stronger than we were. In fact, she was probably at least a match for Amanda.

I didn’t feel any bloodlust or malice from her, so I managed to avoid putting myself on guard. However, I surely would’ve immediately switched to battle mode if we came across her under any other set of circumstances, especially so if we were in a dungeon, seeing as how dungeon goers had the tendency to be more easily aggravated.

To be honest, I actually tried appraising her, but it seemed she had access to Appraisal Jamming, and thus, I wasn’t able to really get many details out of it. I only managed to learn her name, confirm the fact that she was the Dungeon Master, and figure out a few of her skills.

That said though, my attention had already been drawn elsewhere.

Her head sported a pair of black cat ears, and her rear a black tail. Both of these identifying features were ones that I was rather familiar with. They practically looked identical to Fran’s, after all.

『Is she a Black Catkin...?』

「You’ve done well to venture this far. I welcome you, fellow sister of the Black Cat Tribe.」

「Nn!」

Fran immediately took to her right knee with her left fist pressed against the ground the moment the woman welcomed her. She’d placed her right hand behind her back and placed it on her waist.

「Thank you for gracing me with your presence. I believe this to be our first meeting. I am Fran, of the Black Cat Tribe.」

Fran kicked her Court Etiquette skill into full swing and bowed whilst speaking in a manner that completely differed from her usual one. Her greeting was not like that of a retainer, but more so like that of someone acknowledging another’s superiority. I guess that’s just a beastkin thing?

「And I am Rumina, Warrior to the Black Cat Tribe and the master of this dungeon.」

I knew it, she was a Black Catkin, but that doesn’t really explain why Fran suddenly went all out with the etiquette. I was confused, but didn’t have to wait all that long to find out, as the pair’s next exchange provided the answer I’d been looking for.

「Might I presume you to be a Black Tigerkin?」

「Fuhahaha, that is correct. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Rumina, one of the Black Cat Tribe’s Black Tigerkin.」

Ah, so that’s it. Fran’s respect stemmed from the fact that the person that stood before her was one that’d achieved her goal.

「Again, I welcome you to my domain.」