Chapter 7

***[Translator – Kie]

***

Chapter 7

“Ah-hee-ehk-chwi!”

A coughing sound, so regal that one couldn’t find it even if they rubbed their eyes, echoed repeatedly.

Hair as long and dark as its main body.

Despite generously giving it a score of 70 out of 100, the quality did not surpass its appearance.

Devourer, wandering through the dungeon in the form of an unstable human male, sniffled.

It was already humid, and with the added dust, even breathing felt like a chore.

“What kind of body structure is this supposed to be?”

Even though it only imitated the human body, it couldn’t even withstand a single speck of dust.

Perhaps this is why humans have such a short lifespan. It’s not because of the poor dungeon environment; it’s the frail respiratory system of humans.

Devourer wrinkled his brow attributing it to biased excuses.

Sometimes, dealing with minor annoyances is more irritating than major wounds.

This was one of those times.

Devourer’s body, as uncomfortable as a human’s, was constantly restless. He should have been lying in his room, sprawled out.

The less movement, the better.

Observe without doing anything.

Only deal with the things that return when neglected.

Devourer, who usually took pride in his efficiency, thought deeply.

He would handle whatever task was assigned to him, even if it meant forcing himself.

Despite living up to the standards of life, Devourer—this time, it fell under the category of a ‘truly necessary task.’

After repelling the invasion of humans, it’s essential to quickly assess the damage and refine the formation to prepare for a counter-attack.

It’s the most basic common sense and rule of dungeon operation.

Normally, Renee, who took pride in Devourer’s exploits, would handle this task.

But whatever the reason, Renee was unusually late today.

Devourer, who went to find Patrick with the intention of delegating the task, only returned with a dissatisfied lecture.

Escaping without looking back, Devourer thought carefully. In situations where humans might attack again at any time, delaying patrols any further could lead to escalating problems.

It’s better to avoid becoming more troublesome.

He wanted to finish it quickly and enjoy some rest, but unfortunately, the central part of his swollen polymorphous body was too vast.

He might have to move as many steps as there are stalagmites protruding from the cave floor.

However, his original form couldn’t wander freely.

Devourer was a considerable central core even among the caves, but he was unnecessarily large, preventing him from moving around at will.

If he recklessly roamed in his original form, he might inadvertently conquer the dungeon with his own hands, causing an unprecedented crisis.

“Darn it.”

He should have learned a spell to summon a servant or something.

Devourer walked the path with the same regret repeated every time, thinking calmly.

After walking for about ten minutes in reverse from the core of the central, three paths branched out.

Patrick and Renee were doing well on their own, so there was no need to visit their rooms.

Devourer hesitated for a moment at the three-pronged path and then stepped again.

As he walked along the rightmost path, a familiar stench pierced his nose.

One of the three paths, the ‘Right Sewage Path.’ S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Stopping in the middle of the passage, Devourer removed the sewage covering the wall, revealing a hidden space.

A small secret place that one could find only because of the nauseating odor.

There, the creature known as the ‘116 black tentacles’ was present.

The creature, now so distorted that it was hard to recall its original form, tightly embraced a pulsating core, as if not wanting to miss it.

Part of the core seemed deformed, either rotting or melting.

To someone unfamiliar with the situation, it might appear as just a mushy lump of stench.

“Ugh.”

Disgusting as it was, there was nothing Devourer could do to help immediately.

Silently, Devourer moved on.

The next room Devourer arrived at had vines entwined intricately from the entrance.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the room was consumed by green.

The room was entirely covered with damaged stems and branches.

Though sporadic reddish stains from dried-up flowers were visible, the severed stems and vines overwhelmed them.

There was no room to step on without stepping on the plants.

As Devourer passed, a repulsive dark brown liquid flowed thickly from the withered flowers.

The manager of Room 5, the carnivorous plant ‘Antropopago.’

In a primitive sense, it’s a creature where the word “primitive” comes to mind first, with teeth like saw blades on the edges of its petals, devouring humans.

It lacks leaves, and its stem, with sharp thorns, is embedded in the ground for support─

‘What was it again?’

Thoughts were interrupted, and Devourer absentmindedly scratched the back of their head.

The only thing that vaguely came to mind was that beneath the dungeon’s stone floor, there existed the main body of Antropopago.

If memory serves, Antropopago, as long as there’s a main body and nutrients, can regenerate even if the plants die.

From Devourer’s perspective, they were relatively simple beings, so Room 5 was completely set up as Antropopago’s domain.

As Devourer stepped on the tall stems and looked up, the cross-section of a well-cut stem caught their eye.

Some were burned by fire, and others were sharply cut by sharp edges.

It must have been a battle.

A brief observation concluded, and Devourer kicked a short stem with their foot.

Thud!

A quite hefty sound resonated as the stem fell far away.

At the same time, a subtle trembling sound emanated from beneath the thick floor.

It was the sound of the main body reacting, hiding beneath the floor.

“Fortunately, the main body is alive.”

If the main body is alive, this place will recover on its own without interference.

Therefore, there’s no need to pay any more attention to this room.

Having made that judgement, Devourer glanced at the corridor leading to Room 4.

Even without thoroughly investigating, they could roughly sense the situation.

Certainly, it must have been annihilated.

Considering the state of Room 5, it’s unlikely that monsters survived in other rooms.

“Indeed, it seems we need to reinforce the defense within the dungeon.”

“Boss, it seems necessary to renovate all rooms from Room 1 to Room 5.”

“While the monsters up to Room 5 may not be weak, shouldn’t we consider the level of humans coming to our dungeon?”

Patrick’s words suddenly came to mind.

Come to think of it, it has been a long-standing issue.

─Most of the raiding forces that set foot into the heart of the primordial lose their lives to Renee on the Red Path.

While it signifies Renee’s strength, interpreting it inversely implies that most punitive forces pass through relatively unscathed until just before the Red Path.

Whether it was unscathed or not is uncertain.

“I guess I should talk to Patrick this time.”

Having reached a vague conclusion, Devourer turned their head left and right.

After several rumbling sounds, as if feeling refreshed, they yawned repeatedly while muttering.

Ah, it’s a bit bothersome, but should I go in and rest?

After a long time of working, the body feels stiff.

This should be enough effort, even if I only explored Room 5. I’ve worked hard enough to admire myself. Anyway, there’s no need to see the rest.

Yeah, let’s do the rest later.

Whether it’s tomorrow or next year, who knows, but for now, let’s take a break today.

Of course, if Renee takes care of the work in my absence, well, nothing can be done about it.

“Um, then. Patrick will surely understand.”

Well, let’s end the patrol here today.

Thinking like that, at the moment they were about to return to their room,

Something flashed in the direction they were facing.

In an instant, Devourer turned their head to the left.

At the same time, a metallic something quickly passed by Devourer’s face.

Subsequently, a sharp scream, as if tearing through the air, reached their ears.

Although it was too fast to see accurately, it was definitely something flying.

In a situation where a normal creature, without even knowing what hit it, would have died instantly.

Devourer’s eyes, returning to their original position, stared at the point where the projectile flew.

In the darkness, a presence that looked like a dot slowly revealed its shape and approached Devourer.

Staring at it with narrow eyes, Devourer observed the presence.

While both hands were still grabbing the back of their head as they yawned, the black things flowing below the waist swayed like a tail, sharpened to the end.

“…Ah, it’s Mr. Devourer! I’m sorry!”

“…Ah!! It was you.”

Soon, with a familiar voice, the identity was revealed to be Renee.

“Ah, Renee, it’s no big deal. Just a bit surprised. By the way, as soon as I saw you up close, I recognized you easily.”

“Well, Mr. Devourer. Right now, your tail is sticking out. Renee has never seen such a sight. Even when you make mistakes, your tail has never stuck out…”

“…No, well. Haha.”

Pointed by Renee’s finger, the black tail sticking out behind Devourer’s back moved busily.

Trying to cover the tail with a mechanical laugh, Devourer, who was about to put the tail away, was stared at by Renee with a subtle expression.

Renee asked first.

“By the way, Mr. Devourer, what were you doing here?”

“I was patrolling since you weren’t around… We suffered quite a bit this time too.”

“Oh! I see. Thank you, Mr. Devourer. Since Renee has checked the path ahead while coming, you can rest now.”

“Did everything perish?”

“Don’t worry about it. They were some lowly monsters that couldn’t even stop mere humans.”

“Well, I didn’t particularly mind what you said. I just asked out of curiosity.”

Saying that, Devourer grinned. Renee also smiled as if following that smile.

“Yeah, so, by the way, Renee.”

“Yes, Mr Devourer!”

─What’s up with your current state?

At the same time, Devourer heard the sound of their lips tightly clicking.

If they hadn’t bitten, that thought would have come out as it was.

Swiftly turning their head, Devourer, who avoided making a face, pondered what to ask.

What should I ask? What should I ask? What should I ask to make it look as natural as possible?

“Um… so… your clothes… changed?”

The best question was decided after several considerations.

Ah, I don’t know where to start.

Devourer inwardly exclaimed for a tackle specialist like Patrick!

Devourer turned to look at Renee, who was in front of them, with the sound of Devourer’s lips tightly clicking.

Renee standing in front of Devourer was not the Renee that Devourer knew.

She had become strange and returned.

First of all, it wasn’t the maid outfit she usually wore.

She had come wearing a sky-blue dress with a light, airy feel, and the fabric was somewhat see-through, although it wasn’t layered with frills that could reveal the inside.

The exposed fair skin on the arms and shoulders, where there was only one layer, was enough to make viewers uneasy.

The head dress, however, was nowhere to be seen.

In the situation where Devourer had given Renee a few maid outfits as the entirety of what she had done for him, it was obvious that Devourer had no right to interfere with whether Renee bought new clothes or did anything else.

However, from the perspective of Devourer, the ‘boss monster of the dungeon,’ checking the status of Renee, the ‘gatekeeper of the dungeon,’ it was not a situation to overlook with a smile.

Firstly, the pockets on the clothes were too small.

Moreover, there was no sheath, and there was no place to hide a weapon even if one looked everywhere.

Somehow, Renee seemed to look a bit taller, and she was wearing strange shoes.

If she leaped with those shoes, her ankles would be shattered upon landing.

Even when Renee looked at the bracelet on her left hand with force, no magic could be felt.

The same went for the necklace. It wasn’t a magical item.

Yeah.

This is not attire for combat.

This is not a guess but an objective fact.

Following a series of thoughts, Devourer derived a second objective fact.

It seems to fit human aesthetic standards, but anyway.

“You dressed up.”

─Here ends Devourer’s commentary.

“You recognized it. I’m happy. Renee also took care of herself after a long time. How about it, Mr Devourer? Does it suit me?”

Devourer’s face, full of embarrassment, seemed not to be noticed at all, or Renee’s voice was filled with shyness.

The blush on his cheeks stood out particularly.

It wasn’t because of the mood.

The skin, which was already a peach color, was even paler, and there was a faint smell of something unpleasant. Renee’s lips were even redder.

“Well… What’s up?”

In response to Renee’s question full of concern, Devourer hesitated.

If judged based on the content of the conversation, he wanted to say no, but once he saw those clear pupils, he couldn’t bring themselves to say that.

However, if he said, ‘It suits you well,’ there was an inexplicable anxiety that Renee might continue to go around like that in the future.

“Is… there some special occasion?”

After running countless simulations in his head, Devourer smoothly presented the most neutral response.

“Something special, yes.”

The girl with flushed cheeks lowered her head.

As if feeling shy, she fidgeted and shifted her body.

With that gesture, a silence that Devourer had hoped wouldn’t come enveloped them.

At the same time, various thoughts occupied Devourer’s mind.

This isn’t good.

If I say, ‘I’ll go to sleep now,’ it would be like abandoning Renee.

However, it was too late to point it out at an appropriate time.

It’s quite awkward.

The initiative has been taken away.

Until Renee says something, there’s nothing I can do…

“Mr Devourer.”

Before Devourer could organize his thoughts, Renee’s tightly closed upper lip fell.

Startled as if unexpectedly slapped, Devourer raised their shoulders.

“Can you… spare some time for Renee…?”

Suddenly, a trembling voice appealed to Devourer.

It was an atmosphere where Devourer could do nothing but nod his head.

***

[Translator – Kie]

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