Reverse Dungeon

The elf village was in uproar.

“The Guardian of the World Tree has betrayed us... What exactly do you mean by that?” asked one of the elder elves, his wrinkled eyelids fluttering. Eyes that had once shone brilliantly were now clouded over, as though hidden behind a thin veil.

The deputy commander of the elf rangers struck his chest in frustration.

“It was a trap. While pursuing Genea under the captain’s command, we ended up at the lair of that human hero who’s been making a name for himself recently!”

“You should address her as ‘Lady Genea’ now that she has become the Guardian of the World Tree. How many times must I remind you not to speak so disrespectfully?” another elder reprimanded sharply.

“That’s not the issue, Elder! Didn’t you hear what I said? Genea betrayed us! She’s trying to hand the elves over to humans!”

The elder slowly waved a hand. To the agitated deputy commander, the gesture felt unbearably leisurely.

“Explain it calmly. How exactly is she handing us over to humans? Not demons, but humans? I fail to understand.”

“That human possesses some kind of mind-control ability! Or something close to it. No—it has to be. If it isn’t mind control, then it’s some sort of taming power... I saw it myself! He commands dozens—hundreds—of ferocious mamool. Some of them were powerful enough to be mistaken for demons themselves. It was...”

The deputy commander shuddered as the memory resurfaced.

The crimson-eyed beast lurking within the dark lake.

Was it a rabbit?

It resembled one, but its size was monstrous beyond comparison. More terrifying than its appearance, however, were the unnaturally swift, sinister movements of its forepaws as it snatched away a ranger.

Even after witnessing one of his men dragged off in the creature’s jaws, the deputy commander had ordered a retreat. He knew that monster was not alone.

He could not sacrifice everyone for the sake of saving one ranger.

Deputy Commander Hiikan was known throughout the village for his moderate views.

Protect the elves of the village first.

That was the principle he lived by.

Needlessly pushing his rangers into danger went against everything he believed in, and it was precisely why he so often clashed with Captain Moiken.

“Where is Moiken?”

“The captain... was captured.”

“Captured by what?”

“By that human! By the mamool under his control...”

“Are you certain it was a human? Not a demon?”

The elder blinked again, disbelief plain in his voice. The idea of a human commanding mamool sounded absurd.

“He was human. Though the rumors say... his origins are uncertain.”

The king’s son.

Though branded a bastard, he might have become king had there been no legitimate heirs. His lineage was undeniable.

He was human.

And he wielded power beyond imagination.

Behind Hiikan, the surviving rangers bowed their heads as they delivered their reports. Every face carried the same lingering shock. The elder glanced over them before absently stroking the rounded top of his staff, a habit that surfaced whenever he was deep in thought.

“Why would a human target the elves?”

The elder’s quiet question hung in the air.

Hiikan had asked himself the same thing countless times during the journey back to the village. In the end, he had come to one conclusion:

Anyone capable of creating such a grotesque lair could only be a man consumed by ambition and schemes.

“We had heard rumors of a human hero battling demons. But that wasn’t the truth.”

“Then what is?”

Hiikan bit down hard on his lip.

“He isn’t a hero. In my opinion... he intends to seize the position of Demon King.”

“What?”

The elder’s eyes widened in shock, mirrored by the surrounding village leaders listening to the report.

A human aspiring to become the Demon King?

The very notion sounded insane.

“But demons are notoriously greedy, are they not?” Hiikan continued grimly. “They slaughter one another over territory. Lesser mamool are no different... and humans are the same.”

“Even so...”

“Throughout history, humans have driven elves into the forests, dwarves into the mountains and seas, and mermen into the depths of the ocean. Among creatures that greedy, do you truly believe there exists some sacred law demanding that a hero treat elves as equals? The mamool I saw in that lair... they were utterly enslaved to him.”

“So his mind-control abilities are truly that powerful...?”

The elder’s voice trembled slightly. He rubbed at his chest as though a sudden chill had settled into his bones.

“Yes. What other explanation could there be for him accepting Genea?”

“To lure us in... and enslave us?”

“What else could it possibly be? I trusted Genea. But I never should have.”

Hiikan clenched his jaw again.

“Her actions made it obvious. She destroyed the World Tree, allied herself with humans, and hunted the elf rangers. Had I not escaped quickly enough, I would have been dragged into that antlion’s nest and never emerged alive.”

“Was his lair truly that dangerous?”

“We stood no chance against it.”

Hiikan answered without hesitation.

The elder looked toward the rangers, searching for disagreement, but none came. Every one of them nodded grimly.

Judging by the state in which they had returned, the elder had already suspected as much.

A heavy sigh escaped him.

“Yes... Humans have always been a greedy race. Had the demons not overrun the continent, perhaps we would already have become human slaves.”

Humanity’s exclusionary nature could be seen even in the treatment of the nomadic tribes they branded the ‘traitor race.’

Rejected by every nation and denied land of their own, they wandered the continent in endless hunger and cold.

When the elder first heard they had opened a gate to the demon realm in pursuit of a wish, he had thought:

So their end has finally come.

For the oppressed, the final refuge always lay in the embrace of gods... or demons.

Not that he forgave the traitor race.

“The Guardian of the World Tree has sold us out... Genea has abandoned the elves...”

The elder murmured bitterly.

“It’s possible,” someone answered quietly.

With every generation, the once-luxuriant branches of the World Tree had withered thinner and weaker. By the time of Genea’s generation, calling it the World Tree at all had become almost embarrassing.

There were even those who openly claimed the guardians lacked virtue.

If poison had truly taken root within the heart of that young, inscrutable elf, then perhaps she really had made such a foolish choice.

Hiikan’s expression hardened.

“We must prepare for a human assault.”

“Yes.”

The elder nodded slowly.

Fear spread among the gathered elves, mingling with grim determination. One swift-footed elf sprinted toward the temple bell.

“Attack! We’re under attack! All able-bodied elves, report immediately! The elderly and infirm are to evacuate to the shelters!”

“The humans are coming! The enemy is ‘Tyrant’ Ian!”

“‘Tyrant’ Ian commands demons! Don’t let him capture you—he possesses mind-control abilities!”

“The tyrant has come to enslave the proud elven race!”

Whether they fully understood the situation or not, elves poured out from their homes in chaos.

The mature elves armed themselves, while the elderly hurried the children toward the shelters. Ever since the World Tree’s protection vanished, the younger elves had been plagued by fevers and stomach sickness. The weak needed to be protected at all costs.

The elite rangers scattered to their assigned defensive positions.

If the line broke, the village would fall.

If only the captain were here.

Moiken would have bellowed at them, rallying their courage.

But he was gone—likely devoured by one of the human’s monstrous mamool.

The youngest ranger felt his heart {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} hammering violently in his chest. The world around him looked strangely yellow, and nausea churned in his stomach.

He had witnessed the mighty captain swept away helplessly beneath a tide of mamool.

How many more creatures might emerge from underground?

The thought alone was enough to terrify him.

Then he noticed something strange.

“Huh?”

The forest was moving.

No... not the forest.

The undergrowth.

He immediately sent out a spirit. Through the wind spirit’s senses, the youngest ranger saw the truth.

The swamp itself was moving.

Advancing toward them.

Trying to swallow the village whole.

The youngest ranger screamed.

“Swamp mamool incoming! Everyone, get to higher ground!”

A swamp mamool was not simply a monster.

It was a natural disaster given life—a living swamp born from the demon realm.

Could a human possibly command such a creature?

No.

This wasn’t human handiwork.

The youngest ranger’s face drained of color.

Then Hiikan roared:

“Get everyone out of the shelters! The swamp mamool is here!”

The swamp surged over the village like a tidal wave.

“Let’s go,” Ian said.

The members of his party were Keith, Genea, Sema, Louise, and Actus.

“Will I actually be any help here?” Sema asked uncertainly, glancing around at the others.

An elf village?

How exactly was he supposed to face elf rangers?

Ian had claimed they weren’t going there to fight, but Sema only half-believed him. Ian’s plans had a habit of changing without warning.

“You’re the mascot.”

“Me?”

“Don’t be modest. ‘Master of Water’ Sema. Your reputation is apparently famous even among the elves.”

“What?!”

Genea’s praise frightened Sema far more than Ian’s reassurance ever could. Learning that he possessed a reputation he himself knew nothing about left him utterly shaken.

Honestly, Ian was surprised too.

Sema had somehow gained a nickname impressive enough to spread around? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A master of water magic?

Ding!

[Character]

‘Master of Water’ Sema (★★★☆☆)

Reputation

Master of Water, Grand Wizard, Accident-Prone, Soft-Hearted

Skills

Water Ball: LV.2

Liquid Property Manipulation: LV.5

Water Mirror: LV.4

“......”

No, seriously...

What exactly had he been doing while everyone else was leveling up?

His Water Ball skill was still only Level 2.

And yet he’d somehow earned titles like ‘Master of Water’ and ‘Grand Wizard’ with stats like those?

At that point, wasn’t he basically famous just for being famous?