Reverse Dungeon

At that moment, a cautious voice cut through the air.

“Uh... I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think something’s coming this way.”

It was the elf merchant.

Ian flinched. Whether from surprise that the elf was still alive or for an entirely different reason, even he couldn’t tell.

“!”

He hastily activated his skill and shoved Keith away. Under normal circumstances, Ian wouldn’t have been strong enough to move him even an inch, but Keith yielded without resistance and stepped back on his own.

Face burning red clear to the tips of his ears, Ian hurriedly straightened his robe.

“You... you’re alive?”

“Don’t kill me off so casually. I’ve survived hundreds of years and more deathtraps than I can count. Did you really think a mamool would finish me off?”

“Then why didn’t you show yourself earlier?”

“Because I was hiding somewhere safe where I wouldn’t die by accident.”

What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?

Then Ian suddenly froze.

If the elf had survived... 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He immediately checked his experience points—and rage surged through him.

The amount was lower than expected.

The system had split part of the reward with the elf due to his supposed “contribution.”

‘This damn parasite...!’

No. He absolutely could not let this go.

That elf belonged to him now, one way or another.

Ian had already lost part of the experience farming opportunity for reasons he still didn’t understand. He had no intention of tolerating even the slightest additional loss.

If this had been an actual game, he would’ve flooded the developers with bug reports demanding compensation.

Unfortunately, there was no support desk in this world.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” the elf asked nervously after noticing Ian’s stare.

Ian ignored him.

“Lord Ian.”

At Keith’s call, Ian lifted his head.

Following Keith’s gaze, he saw armored merman soldiers approaching from afar. Their leader—a knight by the look of him—was scanning the surroundings with extreme caution, searching for any signs of life.

The ash and dust from the volcanic eruption had begun to settle.

The knight suddenly spotted Ian’s group.

The soldiers immediately erupted into commotion before abruptly halting in place.

“You there!” the knight shouted, his voice trembling. “Are you... living humans?”

Keith glanced at Ian with an expression that plainly said, What kind of absurd question is that?

Ian, however, wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

The mermen ruled by the mermaid princess were timid by nature. The courageous ones had long since died alongside their king in the ancient tomb.

After Kyarakus’ defeat, this was normally the point where they came to confirm whether the player character had survived.

“Yes,” Ian answered calmly. “We survived. And the monster is dead.”

“What?! Impossible!”

“How could you possibly defeat something like that?!”

Only after confirming there were no other survivors besides Ian’s group did the knight cautiously approach with the rest of the soldiers following behind him.

“This... this is unbelievable. The monster is truly dead.”

“How could outsiders accomplish such a thing...?”

The mermen finally accepted reality after examining Kyarakus’ enormous corpse.

The same people who had sealed Ian and the others inside the ancient tomb were now spreading their arms wide in celebration, welcoming them as heroes.

“Glory to the human knight!”

“Glory to the elven mage!”

“The heroes from afar have slain the beast!”

Their cheers echoed endlessly as Ian’s group was escorted back to the underwater city.

The mermen who had spent sleepless nights trembling at the sounds of volcanic tremors and monstrous roars flooded the streets the moment they heard the soldiers’ tale.

Too exhausted to care anymore, Ian simply climbed onto one of the soldiers’ shoulders and waved lazily at the cheering crowds.

If someone offered him a ride, why refuse?

Keith, meanwhile, quietly declined a soldier’s offer and followed behind Ian on foot.

Something felt wrong.

The urge to pull Ian back into his arms still hadn’t faded.

When Ian had been there against him, Keith had felt strangely complete.

Now there was only a hollow ache, as though something essential had been torn away.

‘Because the purification was interrupted.’

That had to be it.

Keith disliked this emptiness.

He couldn’t understand why his gaze kept drifting back to Ian over and over again, despite knowing perfectly well that Ian wouldn’t suddenly disappear.

Perhaps it was merely the aftermath of battle.

For a brief moment, he had experienced despair so profound it felt as though his faith itself had collapsed.

Ian had dragged him back toward the light.

Lingering unease after something like that was only natural.

Still, this much he could endure on his own.

Ian had promised to purify him every night.

Circumstances had prevented that promise from being kept consistently, but tonight would be different.

The underwater city’s troubles had been resolved.

Surely tonight they would finally have a proper bed and uninterrupted time alone.

He could wait until then.

The soldiers carried not ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) only Ian, but also Kyarakus’ enormous severed head as a trophy.

Humans were not the only ones who treated an enemy’s head as proof of victory.

The mermen, too, took pride in displaying the head of the monster that had tormented them for so long.

Thud.

The massive head crashed down in the center of the royal hall.

The soldiers who had carried it stepped back, wiping sweat from their brows.

At the grotesque sight of Kyarakus’ severed head, the nobles and officials of the underwater city visibly recoiled.

Their gazes turned toward Ian’s group with newfound awe.

Even dead, the creature radiated overwhelming pressure.

The idea that only three outsiders had managed to kill it felt almost impossible to believe.

“The princess approaches!”

The attendant’s voice rang throughout the hall.

The bustling chamber instantly fell silent.

The mermaid princess entered with hurried movements, her long hair trailing behind her.

She looked as though she had rushed here moments after waking.

Ian used the moment to satisfy a minor curiosity.

He had always wondered how merfolk moved on land without water.

Apparently, they slithered like snakes.

Not particularly elegant, but effective enough.

Then again, what was about to happen probably wouldn’t be graceful either.

Outside the Fairy Queen’s forest, gratitude for solving problems rarely lasted long.

Blame usually came first.

And right on cue—

“Oh my...! That monster... the creature that tormented us for so long... it’s truly dead!”

The princess covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

“The fear of the eruptions... the warriors lost to the tomb... it’s finally over. Truly... thank you. You’ve done it.”

The mermen throughout the hall wept along with her.

“Oh dear, no... I shouldn’t cry on such a happy day. Everyone, stop crying.”

She wiped away her tears and forced herself to smile.

Then her trembling gaze turned toward Ian.

“But... where is my father? My brothers? Where is everyone else...?”

‘And here comes the blame.’

Ian had expected this.

Keeping his expression solemn, he answered quietly.

“After defeating the monster, we searched the tomb thoroughly. But... we found no survivors.”

“How can that be...?” Her voice shook violently. “You promised you would save my father. You said my brothers and the soldiers were only trapped. You promised you would bring them back!”

Did I ever promise that?

The princess herself seemed uncertain, but Ian had no intention of correcting her.

“I’m sorry.”

“Princess,” the attendant beside her said gravely, “it is time to accept reality. Deep down, surely you already knew you alone remained to inherit the throne.”

He lowered his head respectfully.

“The kingdom’s long suffering has finally ended. This must be the will of the heavens. Please ascend the throne, honor these heroes, and lead your people. You can no longer hide within comforting dreams.”

“No... no!”

The princess violently shook her head before suddenly pointing at Ian.

“Why didn’t you save them? You were strong enough to kill that monster, so why—”

“Ungrateful little wretches...”

Keith’s hand dropped to the hilt of his sword.

Ian nearly had a heart attack.

‘No, no, no. This is a scripted event.’

He quickly covered Keith’s hand with his own, silently warning him not to move.

Keith pressed his lips into a thin line but left his hand resting on the sword.

“...I’m sorry,” Ian said softly. “I simply wasn’t strong enough.”

“Yes. Because you weren’t strong enough, my father is dead.” Tears streamed down the princess’s face. “My family is gone. My soldiers are gone. Everyone left me alone in this cold, lonely place...”

She continued sobbing through her accusations.

Ian barely listened.

Most of his attention was focused on calming Keith before the man caused a diplomatic disaster.

“Princess,” the merman knight interjected carefully, “there was no one alive by the time they arrived. This is not their fault—”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

The princess burst into tears again.

Heavy silence settled across the hall.

The attendant approached Ian quietly.

“I sincerely apologize. It seems the princess is too distressed by your presence at the moment. Please allow us to escort you to your chambers so you may rest.”

They were ushered out so quickly it was practically an exile.

The doors slammed shut behind them.

Silence followed.

Ian cautiously glanced toward Keith.

What is this lunatic thinking now?

Keith, who had remained silent the entire time, slowly raised his icy blue eyes toward Ian.

The fury burning within them was cold enough to cut.

“Lord Ian.”

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

“Please permit me to punish those shameless, ungrateful creatures.”