Chapter 182: Dungeon Master
After defeating the Giant Beast, the group made their way toward the pyramid deep within the desert. However, before they could properly explore it, they were suddenly warped into a maze inside the pyramid by some mysterious black silhouette.
Ryu stood alone, knocking lightly against the walls of the labyrinth.
“………………”
(This isn’t an ordinary stone wall. It’s been constructed using spatial magic… and not the kind I can break through easily. Even for me, this won’t budge. Damn dungeon master—what a troublesome setup.)
If it were normal spatial magic, brute force might have worked. But the kind used by a dungeon master within their own domain was different. Only the master themselves—or those granted permission—could destroy it. Like dragons, heroes, and demon kings, this too was governed by the laws of the world.
“…Haa. Guess I’ll move forward.”
(Still… this mana feels unpleasant. It’s making my skin crawl. Well, whatever.)
Worried about Estelle, Lena, and the others, Ryu resolved to clear the maze.
—As quickly as possible.
Black lightning wrapped around his legs as he launched forward at full speed.
“Kachikachikachi!!” Bzzzzzz!
“Out of my way, idiot.”
Storm Bees and other desert monsters appeared along the path, accompanied by a variety of malicious traps—but Ryu paid them no mind, smashing through everything in his path without slowing down.
In less than ten minutes, a door appeared ahead—clearly the exit.
It was already open, and beyond it shone a blinding white light.
(No time to hesitate. I’m going in.)
Ryu stepped through.
And then—
(Hey… not again…)
His vision turned white once more.
◇◇◇
Ryu found himself in a blank, white world.
There was nothing there—nothing except himself… and the small, black silhouette.
“Hello there!!”
“…………”
“Hello!!”
“…………”
“Hey, could you not ignore me?!”
“Send me and my companions out of the pyramid. Now. Or else…”
The small figure grinned widely.
“You can’t kill me, can you? You should understand that better than anyone.”
“Tch. Dungeon masters really are a pain.”
(This thing doesn’t even have a real body. Just a projection. The real one is hiding somewhere in this massive dungeon.)
“Haha! I’m a bit special, you know. Depending on how you look at it, I might even be more unusual than a dragon like you.”
“…You figured out I’m a dragon, huh.”
“Well, I’ve lived a long time. Longer than even the Dragon King Bahamut, in fact. So don’t bother trying to hide anything from me~. Oh, and I know that samurai friend of yours is a dragon too!”
“………………”
(So at least ten thousand years old. Great… just my luck to attract something like this.)
“By the way, you were really fast! I didn’t expect you to clear the maze before my mental interference magic was complete. As expected of a dragon.”
“So that creepy mana was your doing.”
“Yep! Since two dragons showed up, I put a lot of thought into preparing for this. First, I separated you two to make you feel isolated and anxious. You were worried about your friends, weren’t you~?”
“………………”
“Then, while you were in that state, I planned to slowly apply mental interference from a distance. After that, I’d make you fight—dragon versus dragon versus heroes. By the end of it, your bodies and minds would be completely exhausted… and that’s when my forced taming would activate! Ahahaha! I’m a genius, right? Well… unfortunately, it didn’t work on you. Your mental strength is amazing. It just makes me want you even more!”
“…‘You,’ huh?”
“Ah! You noticed? Not only are you strong-willed, you’re smart too. If only your combat ability were a bit higher… though I guess being able to manifest things puts you at a passing level. You’re probably stronger than my Behemoth at least~.”
As the dungeon master spoke, he raised his hand.
Two images appeared in the air.
One showed Estelle and the others working together to navigate the maze.
The other—
Ryoma, his eyes glowing red, black mana spilling from his body.
“…What did you do to Ryoma?”
“I told you—mental interference. You resisted it, but he didn’t. That’s all there is to it! Ahahaha!”
The dungeon master paused, then continued.
“Since you resisted, I sent you here on purpose after you cleared the maze. But for the others, I set it so they’d all end up in the same place. Which means…”
“A corrupted Ryoma versus the heroes. That’s your game?”
“Exactly!! Ahh, I can’t wait—I really want to see that wind dragon go all out~!”
“You little bastard… I’m going to kill you.”
“Whoa, that’s some intense mana… Are you actually stronger than you look?”
But Ryu suppressed his aura.
“Oh? Not going to get angrier? You could even manifest that black dragon again, you know~.”
“You’re trying to provoke me so you can interfere with my mind. I’m not falling for that.”
“Haaah… this is why smart ones are such a pain. Fine. Just sit here and watch the wind dragon fight. Your precious friends might die, though~!”
“………………”
As the dungeon master said, Ryu currently had no way to escape.
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch Ryoma slaughter his companions.
Suppressing his anger took everything he had—but for now, he had to think.
(This idiot is making one critical mistake—he thinks I’m just a lower-tier dragon who can use manifestation. That’s my only opening. Don’t think manipulating minds is your exclusive privilege.)
“Hey, you piece of trash.”
“What? Also, could you stop calling me trash? I’m not trash—I’m a master!”
“When are you planning to force-tame me? I’ll say this myself—my mental strength won’t lose to anyone. Even if my friends die, even if I’m trapped here for thousands of years, you won’t be able to interfere with my mind.”
“Uh… well…”
“And can you even maintain a space capable of containing a dragon for that long? Eventually, you’ll only manage to tame the wind dragon, and I’ll escape. When that happens, do you think I’ll just quietly leave?”
“…………ah.”
“After enduring everything, I’ll destroy this entire dungeon—with you in it. I’ll annihilate the desert, kill every monster, destroy the pyramid, and then obliterate the entrance. I’ll wipe out the city outside too. What happens to you then? Won’t you disappear along with the dungeon? Are you really willing to throw away tens of thousands of years of effort just to tame one dragon?”
“W-Wait… that’s… you’re kind of cruel…”
“Right now, we’re on equal footing. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“It’ll take the heroes about an hour to escape anyway. Tell me your story. Judging by your obsession with dragons, part of this is because you just want someone to talk to, isn’t it?”
“W-How did you know?!”
“Just talk. I’ll listen—as a friend, just for now.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I may be twisted, but I keep my promises.”
“Then…”
The dungeon master began to talk.
And talk.
And talk—about more things than Ryu had expected.
“I see. So in the end, you set all this up because you wanted a friend.”
“Yeah… because humans can’t be tamed, so I can’t make them my friends. The only option is monsters. But the only monsters that can talk are dragons… and dragons never come down from the sky. So I’ve been alone in this dungeon for tens of thousands of years… And then suddenly, dragons in human form showed up. If I missed this chance, I’d be alone forever again… so I tried my best to come up with a plan… I’m sorryyyyy…!”
At last, the dungeon master broke down into tears.
“I get it. Then you don’t need to tame me. I’ll be your friend. And not just that—I’ll do everything I can to fulfill your wishes as a friend.”
“R-Really…?”
“Yeah. In return, let me out of here. You can’t stop the rampaging wind dragon anymore, can you?”
“…No. I can’t undo the mental interference… But you…”
“Call me Ryu.”
“Ryu… can you really do it? That wind dragon looks like it’s at least at the level of the Five Heavenly Dragons under the Dragon King…”
“Don’t worry.”
Ryu smiled faintly.
“I’m stronger than anyone in this world.”
At that moment, he returned to his true form—the silver dragon—and released his full power.
“!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The dungeon master froze, utterly captivated by the overwhelming presence—more beautiful and more powerful than even the Dragon King.
“H-Hey… are you… above even the Dragon King…?”
“I’m nothing special. Just Ryu—your friend. Remember that.”
“O-Okay!! I will!!”
The dungeon master’s face lit up brightly.
(Heh… just as planned.)
For now, setting aside what to do with the dungeon master later—
Ryu had secured his way out.