Reverse Dungeon

“Mamool attack! Everyone, stay alert!”

The deputy commander of the elf rangers shouted sharply.

Every ranger here was an elite warrior, famed for keen judgment and exceptional skill with the bow. They reacted instantly.

“Leader!”

“Protect the leader!”

Moiken, unconscious after the impact, was snatched away by two sheep and carried off between their bodies.

“What kind of mamool are these...?!”

The rangers immediately loosed their arrows.

But there were far too many sheep.

Worse, they moved with perfect coordination.

It was absurd. Sheep mamool were never supposed to possess this level of intelligence. Yet the two that had abducted Moiken shoved him into a side tunnel and deliberately blocked the entrance with their own bodies.

Baa!

Baaaaa!

Amid the deafening noise, arrows tore through the air. They pierced thick clumps of wool, but the sheep barely suffered any damage.

The rangers immediately switched tactics.

Elemental magic erupted around them.

The ground turned to mud. Wind blades sliced through the flock. Arrows avoided the thick wool and targeted exposed weak points instead. Several sheep collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

But the ones carrying Moiken never once looked back.

Baaaaaa!

Watching them flee, one ranger stood frozen in disbelief.

“What are you doing?!” the deputy commander barked. “Why aren’t you chasing them?!”

“Yes, sir!”

Startled back to their senses, the rangers rushed after the escaping sheep.

Pursuing fleeing mamool was far easier than fighting them head-on, yet Moiken had already vanished from sight.

The entire situation felt ridiculous.

And why was this cave so endlessly long?

Then the tunnel split into three separate paths.

The sheep scattered instantly, each flock disappearing down a different passage while their cloudy wool bounced wildly.

“Spirit!”

“This way... I think!”

One ranger closed his eyes briefly as he called upon a wind spirit.

The current carried the faint scent unique to elves. There was no better tracker than the wind itself.

The rangers sprinted ahead at full speed.

“No need to kill them! Just run them over!”

“Yes!”

Baaaaaa!

The sheep were trampled beneath their feet as the rangers charged deeper into the cavern.

Then suddenly, the tunnel opened into an enormous underground chamber.

A fire spirit rose into the air, casting flickering light across the darkness.

And what the light revealed left everyone speechless.

“A... rabbit?”

The deputy commander stared blankly.

A vast lake stretched across the cavern, and standing in the middle of it was a gigantic rabbit.

Baaaaaa!

Splash!

Splash!

The sheep dove into the water and swam across the lake.

The giant rabbit mamool ignored them completely.

That alone made no sense.

Mamool were creatures fiercely territorial by nature. A rabbit mamool tolerating an entire flock of sheep inside its territory was already unimaginable.

But herding them?

Protecting them?

The deputy commander could barely process the sight before him.

Then the rabbit slowly turned its head toward the elf rangers.

Almost as if it were shielding the sheep behind it.

Screeeee!

The cry echoed through the cavern.

The deputy commander had never heard a rabbit make such a sound before.

“Do rabbits even sound like that...?”

No.

That wasn’t a rabbit’s cry.

It was the scream of ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a monster.

And a powerful one at that.

The mere sound sent prickling fear crawling across his skin.

Then the rabbit leaped.

The fire spirit’s light vanished beneath the massive shadow falling over the rangers.

“Scatter!”

BOOM!

The cavern shook violently as the creature landed.

One ranger ignored the order, charging straight for the rabbit’s weak point.

The giant mamool caught him effortlessly.

An elf’s sturdy waist fit entirely within one massive paw.

Crunch.

The ranger felt his spine nearly snap.

He couldn’t even scream.

Up close, the rabbit’s face no longer resembled anything harmless.

Its red eyes looked swollen with burst blood vessels. Its stiff whiskers resembled sharpened steel wires.

And when its mouth opened—

The two front teeth, absurdly cute from afar, were each as large as an elf’s head.

The ranger saw his death clearly.

Those teeth tearing through his neck.

His head swallowed whole.

And at that moment, the deputy commander finally understood.

This was not some ordinary mamool nest.

If it had been, Genea would never have willingly hidden herself here.

She was not a foolish elf.

The unnatural structure of the cave.

The bizarre cooperation between the mamool.

These creatures were obeying commands.

They had been trained.

“...Who could possibly do something like this?”

Then realization struck him.

He remembered hearing rumors.

“A human clan dungeon...”

There were stories of extraordinary human rulers establishing territories known as Dungeons.

Why humans insisted on calling them that remained beyond him.

And only now did he remember—

The rumored dungeon was located somewhere within the southern Dark Forest.

When he had first heard the story, he had dismissed it entirely.

“How could humans possibly survive in a forest full of mamool?”

But now he understood.

So this was how.

Ian.

A human.

Though rumored to be the illegitimate child of some human kingdom, he was far more famous for another title—

“The adversary of the demon tribe.”

Ask anyone in the elf village about Ian, and they would immediately speak of his greatest achievement:

The slaying of the Demon Archduke.

The elves knew the feat was real.

Spirit intelligence never lied.

Whether through whispers carried by spirits or stories from wandering kin who had traveled beyond the village, Ian’s name had spread widely as a hero who hunted evil mamool wherever they appeared.

Did he possess the power to brainwash mamool?

Or perhaps tame those he defeated?

Moiken, leader of the elf rangers, was notorious for his violent temper.

But the deputy commander was different.

He was calm.

Sharp-minded.

Rational.

“A human hero... protecting an elf prisoner.”

Why?

Then a horrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.

“...He mistook us for servants of the demon tribe.”

Among the elves, there truly were those unfortunate enough to have fallen into slavery beneath the demon tribe.

The rangers had long gathered information in hopes of rescuing them, but the village remained deeply divided on the issue.

Until now, their people had survived by remaining hidden from the demon tribe.

But the moment they openly moved to rescue their captured kin, the demon tribe would inevitably begin watching them.

Could their peaceful isolation continue after that?

Could they still protect the World Tree while avoiding the horrors of war?

“Forget caution. We save them now.”

That had been Moiken’s stance.

The hardliners had suppressed the moderates who argued:

“Remain hidden. Build strength first.”

A chill ran down Deputy Commander Hiikan’s spine.

“If the human hero believes we are servants of the demon tribe...”

His face paled.

“...then what if he intends to ‘free’ us through death?”

Or worse—

What if Ian believed they had entered human territory under the demon tribe’s orders?

Hiikan fell into the trap common to intelligent people.

He considered too many possibilities at once.

Still, a decision had to be made.

Continue deeper into the fortress of a human hero—

Or retreat.

“We can’t abandon the leader!”

“But the village must be warned that the human hero may have become our enemy!”

Ian’s reputation carried immense weight.

And he was not alone.

He commanded powerful subordinates like “Agent of God” Keith and “Master of Water” Sema, heroes renowned for their achievements against the demon tribe.

Hiikan’s hesitation lasted only a moment.

“Retreat! Everyone, fall back!”

“But the leader—”

“That’s an order!” Hiikan shouted. “At this moment, I am acting commander!”

“...Yes, sir!”

The rangers already felt the suffocating fear hanging over this bizarre place.

The unknown naturally inspired terror.

It wasn’t that they lacked courage.

They were simply cautious.

Elite warriors trained to survive.

And trained to obey.

Following Hiikan’s command, the elf rangers withdrew immediately.

Which was absolutely not what Ian had expected.

“A-Are they running away?!”

“I can see that too!” Sema stared at the Water Mirror in disbelief.

‘Why are you running?!’

Ian’s jaw practically dropped open.

Genea... I trusted you.

Did you betray your own people?

The elf reflected in the Water Mirror looked utterly panicked.

Ian didn’t even need to hear the muttering escaping Hiikan’s lips as he fled.

Ding!

[‘Deputy Commander’ Hiikan now considers you an enemy.]

Ding!

[‘Deputy Commander’ Hiikan feels intense fear toward you!]

‘...Wait.’

Ian’s expression stiffened.

‘Is the fear effect from the “Tyrant” title activating here?’

One of the title’s passive effects was the ability to inspire intimidation and fear in enemies.