Reverse Dungeon

When Ian checked Fobo’s status window, this was what appeared:

Ding!

[Character]

‘Cunning’ Fobo (★★★☆☆)

Reputation

Cunning, quick-witted

Skills

Rock Hammer: LV.2

Rock Fist: LV.2

Intimidation: LV.3

Dwarves were a race known for both strength and dexterity. Depending on the situation, they could just as easily become craftsmen as warriors. Skills like Rock Hammer and ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Rock Fist temporarily amplified their strength and toughness—basic dwarf abilities, but also some of the most efficient starter skills in the game.

‘Dwarves aren’t a bad race.’

The problem was that they weren’t very popular, mostly because of their rough appearances...

There also weren’t many strategy guides about them besides Ian’s own posts, though his had managed to make it onto the [Best Strategies] board.

‘Who the hell plays games for the character designs? Stats are what matter.’

What really caught Ian’s attention, however, was Fobo’s reputation.

This bastard was sharp.

With the other two already taken down and Ian’s party completely intact, someone described as cunning and quick-witted would immediately start calculating how to survive.

And that alone made him useful.

Ian already had enough problems to deal with without wasting energy worrying about one dwarf.

‘The plotline’s gotten completely tangled.’

Let’s organize this.

There was the quest route tied to Genea—the one involving the pursuit of the ‘Devil Worshippers’ responsible for killing the Guardian of the World Tree.

And their hideout was somewhere nearby.

At the same time, this area was also the starting point for Nameita’s dwarf route, where two dwarf villages existed.

Originally, only one faction was supposed to appear here.

But because the routes had become entangled, the two sides had inevitably become connected. Ian already had a rough idea of what that connection was.

Nameita’s route began with the story of dwarves adapting to a world ruled by demons.

Dwarves had originally been a race uninterested in outside affairs, obsessed only with forging and craftsmanship. To them, it hardly mattered whether humans or demons ruled the world.

Naturally, the majority had stayed out of the Great War against the demons.

They had simply changed their customers from humans to demons.

Demons were wasteful and cruel, but human nobles weren’t much different.

In the end, only the ones doing the exploiting had changed.

The world itself had grown far more dangerous. Mamools multiplied in number, and the thickening magical energy in the atmosphere made breathing increasingly difficult.

But under the demons’ ‘protection,’ life remained manageable.

Demons stood at the very top of the hierarchy, far above mamools, and any territory declared off-limits by demons was spared from mamool invasions. The dwarf settlements remained safe.

And the purification stones given in exchange for supplies could cure dwarves suffering from ‘magic poisoning.’

Life wasn’t good.

But it was livable.

That was the prevailing mindset among the dwarves.

Still, merely surviving wasn’t enough for them. Before long, they began searching for ways to live better.

For example—selling so-called ‘inferior races’ like humans and elves as slaves in the demon-ruled world.

The dwarves had grown tired of being pushed around by demons.

‘Why should we be the ones taking orders?’

After all, it wasn’t the dwarves who had opposed the demons.

A young warrior from ‘White Rock Village’ spread this line of thinking throughout the settlement. He argued that the way demons treated dwarves—as servants or slaves—was unacceptable.

The dwarves had done nothing deserving of enslavement.

The children of slaves became slaves. Prisoners of war became slaves. Criminals, traitors, debtors—they became slaves.

But dwarves were none of those things.

If anyone deserved slavery, it should’ve been the humans and the other races who had lost to the demons—not neutral dwarves.

The young warrior’s arguments resonated with the villagers. The dwarves, weary of living as underlings, rallied behind him and eventually made him the next village chief.

And so ‘White Rock Village’ transformed into a ‘Slave Trader Village.’

Nameita opposed it.

“A slave trader?! Our own people are committing the vilest thing one person can do to another!”

He was an elderly dwarf—considered eccentric even before this—and even more so because he had once participated in the anti-demon war.

But the chief couldn’t simply kill him.

Dwarves revered age. To them, longevity itself was proof of wisdom. Even if he had lost the war, the mere fact that the old eccentric had survived earned him a certain level of respect.

If the chief killed him outright, even loyal followers would begin whispering that he had gone too far.

In the end, Nameita was expelled instead.

He and the few dwarves who agreed with him were driven into the Dark Forest overnight.

The Dark Forest truly was a land of terror. Nameita lost half his companions to mamool attacks before somehow managing to settle down and establish a village.

That was the prologue.

That was why there were two dwarf villages.

Later, Nameita would oppose his fellow dwarves—the ‘slave traders’—and dedicate himself to freeing slaves. His life’s work, the so-called ‘Dwarf Heaven’... or more accurately, the ‘Mining Dungeon’ he was building—

‘The Mining Dungeon’s fun too.’

Especially the exclusive trap mechanics you could create there, things like the ‘Dynamite Area.’

Anyway.

Ian wet his lips slightly.

Originally, the slave traders had no direct connection to the demons. They simply lived lavishly by selling slaves to them, even keeping slaves of their own.

It was business.

Nothing more.

They weren’t demon subordinates.

But now, it seemed they had become connected—not to demons directly, but to demon worshippers.

‘Subordinates? Or allies?’

Fobo’s reaction had confirmed Ian’s suspicions.

If you’re going to pretend not to know something, then commit to the act. Don’t start coughing and biting your tongue halfway through it.

“Can we really trust this guy?”

Louise whispered quietly.

“His eyes look shifty. Feels like he’d betray you at any moment, Lord Ian.”

“It’s fine. I’m not trusting him anyway. Worst case, we wipe out the entire village. But it’d be the same even if we barged in openly. We might as well try.”

Ding!

[Louise respects you!]

Ding!

[Louise’s Loyalty: 100%]

‘Yeah, yeah. Enough with the pop-ups already.’

Was that really something worthy of respect? Ian genuinely thought Louise had a strange personality.

They moved in single file with Fobo at the front, his hands tied as though threaded through a leash.

From a distance, it looked exactly like a slave trader dragging along freshly captured slaves.

Fobo himself, meanwhile, was stiff with terror because the Holy Knight was walking directly behind him.

They passed through the path leading into the Slave Trader Village.

The place was eerily quiet. Most of the dwarves seemed to be out somewhere.

“A trap?”

Keith asked.

Terrified that Keith might snap his neck on the spot, Fobo hurriedly shook his head.

“No! No, it’s not! It’s always like this!”

“Keep your voice down.”

“Yes! Yesss...!”

Fobo looked ready to foam at the mouth when someone suddenly approached from the opposite side of the road. Keith immediately kicked the back of Fobo’s foot, forcing him to face forward.

“Ow!”

A red-faced dwarf recognized Fobo and casually nudged him.

“What’s this, Fobo? Who’re they?”

“Oh?! Ah—it’s you. These guys... I mean, these idiots wandered into the Dark Forest. I got lucky and caught them.”

“What? Weren’t you supposed to be on watch duty? No matter how good the money is, you know what happens if the boss stops liking you.”

“H-Heh, hehe...”

Fobo laughed awkwardly.

‘This idiot’s terrible at acting.’

Ian was already prepared to put an arrow through the red-faced dwarf’s throat the moment Fobo ruined the disguise.

The leash loosened slightly.

The red-faced dwarf walked closer.

Tension spread through Ian’s group. Aside from Sema, every single one of them was fully capable of killing him before he could react.

The dwarf had already stepped into lethal range.

And yet, he seemed completely oblivious—not only to Fobo’s awkward behavior, but also to the killing intent radiating from Ian’s party.

He inspected Ian and the others one by one, starting with Keith, then smacked Fobo on the rear with a grin.

“You really hit the jackpot this time, huh? These are all premium goods! The last one’s a bit questionable, but the skin’s decent enough—might still pass. If that’s the case, the boss probably won’t care that you skipped out on your post. So this wasn’t just about money—you were trying to win favor with the boss too, huh? Why didn’t you say so?”

“Of course. It’s not like I’m only obsessed with money. Why would I go against the boss? I caught them because they looked perfect for sacrifices.”

“Brother. Don’t forget me when you make it big. You can’t become a demon all by yourself.”

“Of course.”

Fobo swallowed hard.

[Sacrifice.]

[Become a demon.]

Ian quietly memorized the keywords.

‘Should I move now?’

Keeping his head lowered like a powerless slave, Ian carefully tracked the red-faced dwarf’s movements.

Then suddenly—

The red-faced dwarf leaned closer to Ian.

“Hm? This face looks familiar...”