Reverse Dungeon

There were several ways to uncover clues about the “Desert Tower” in this village.

One option was intimidation.

Threaten the villagers hard enough, corner them properly, and eventually someone’s mouth would loosen.

Naturally, that route required the player to remain completely sober. Which meant not touching a single thing the villagers offered.

Despite being called “Oasis Village,” the place would have been more accurately named “Bandit Village.”

Whenever travelers stopped here, the villagers drugged them, stole every possession they had, then dumped them unconscious in the middle of the desert.

Ian knew this from experience.

Back in his hopelessly naive beginner days, he had completed the firewood quest expecting a proper reward. What he hadn’t realized was that “letting you rest” meant drugging you unconscious and robbing you blind.

He only figured it out after waking up penniless in the desert.

If these bastards got hold of you, they even stripped the inventory clean.

It was vicious.

‘Still, the kid’s innocent.’

The table had gone strangely quiet.

From upstairs, Lily leaned farther over the railing, watching them openly now. Ian beckoned to her.

“That’s dangerous. Don’t lean over like that. Just come downstairs.”

“But Dad said not to bother the guests....”

“I’ll tell him I allowed it.”

“Really?”

Lily brightened instantly and hurried down the stairs.

“Where are you from? We almost never get visitors here. There’s nothing to see anyway. Just sandstorms all the time. You shouldn’t go outside when the wind gets bad. You came because of the oasis, right? Where are you going next?”

“One question at a time.”

Ian answered while chewing on a strip of jerky he had taken from his inventory.

“Where are you from?”

“Outside the desert.”

“Wow! What’s it like there? Is it really far away? I heard it’s not hot, there’s no sand, and no mamools either. If it’s such a nice place, why would anyone come to the desert?”

Ian snorted lightly.

“You think places like paradise actually exist? Everywhere’s just somewhere people live.”

“You sound exactly like my dad!”

Lily burst into laughter.

Ian already felt exhausted trying to match a child’s energy.

‘Wonder how Momisia’s doing.’

Contacca was probably taking good care of her.

Under Contacca’s guidance, Momisia had grown into an excellent four-star character from an early age. Children needed reliable guardians.

Which was exactly why Ian couldn’t bring himself to choose the “wipe out the village with dark magic” option, even knowing what kind of people lived here.

Even if Lily survived, killing the chief—the man effectively protecting and raising her—would leave her alone.

It was annoying.

Complicated too.

“This village seems decent enough, though,” Ian said casually. “You just seem short on workers.”

The moment the keyword appeared, Lily sighed dramatically like a weary adult.

“That’s because all the young people went to the tower.”

Hearing a child say “young people” so seriously was bizarre.

She was definitely imitating the chief.

Ian held back a laugh.

“The tower?”

“Yeah. You can’t really see it right now because it’s dark, but once the sun rises, you’ll spot it right away. It’s huge. You probably passed by it on your way here.”

Lily pointed toward the window.

Ian turned his head.

“I can see it.”

Against the darkness, the silhouette of the tower stood faintly visible.

Thanks to his archery stat, Ian’s eyesight had already surpassed normal human limits. At maximum level, he might honestly gain night vision.

The reason he hadn’t noticed the tower while crossing the desert earlier wasn’t because he’d been distracted.

The Desert Tower only appeared after accepting the relevant quest.

It was one of those intentionally game-like mechanics. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“Why did the young people go there?” Ian asked. “Is there treasure inside or something?”

“They say if you reach the top, your wish ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) comes true.”

Lily lowered her voice dramatically, as though revealing a great secret.

“Wow. And who grants the wish?” the elf asked.

Apparently shy around nonhumans, Lily instinctively edged closer to Ian before answering.

“I dunno.”

“Then how do you know wishes come true?”

“Because it’s a magical tower! One day it just appeared out of nowhere. That’s what the adults say. The oasis, the crops, everything in this village came from wishes made there!”

“Sounds convenient.”

“Of course it is!”

‘Kid’s a surprisingly good storyteller.’

Ian let the elf continue the conversation. He was handling it well enough, naturally steering things toward useful information.

“Then shouldn’t everyone climb the tower?” the elf asked. “If wishes really come true, wouldn’t life improve for everyone?”

Lily shook her head immediately, like he’d completely missed the point.

“That’s why all the young people disappeared. They got greedy.”

She puffed out her chest importantly.

“Dad says people should live within their means.”

“Hey now, calling it greed is harsh. People are allowed to have dreams.”

Unexpectedly, the elf sounded almost defensive.

“Wow, you really do sound exactly like the idiots Dad complains about.”

The elf blinked.

“Haven’t you noticed?” Lily continued. “None of the young people ever came back. The tower’s dangerous.”

“But somebody had to succeed at some point, right? Otherwise why would people keep trying?”

“That’s what my neighbor Peter said too. Then he disappeared.”

“And why exactly do you keep comparing me to Peter?”

“He was my friend. He left for the tower the moment he turned thirteen. I told him not to go.”

“Thirteen?!”

The elf looked genuinely horrified.

Sensing the conversation drifting away again, Ian redirected it smoothly.

“So that’s why there’s a labor shortage. Once kids grow old enough, they leave for the tower.”

It explained quite a few things.

The villagers probably exhausted travelers not only to make robbing them easier, but also because they genuinely lacked manpower.

Lily nodded.

“The only people who come back are the ones who gave up on climbing the tower. There’s too much work and not enough people. Dad’s always busy because of it.”

Then she added quickly,

“I honestly didn’t think he’d let you stay. Most people here hate outsiders. Travelers usually bring trouble.”

After a brief hesitation, she smiled shyly.

“But you all seem nice. Though... I think the adults only let you in because you had money.”

Very honest kid.

“I hope you stay for a while,” she added. “Just don’t go to the tower.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Ian scooped up some porridge.

“Want a bite?”

“What?! No, I can’t eat the guests’ food....”

“It’s fine. I said you could.”

“Lord Ian.”

Keith finally spoke.

Ever since learning the porridge was drugged, he had remained completely on edge. Even now, he was listening carefully to the sounds upstairs.

Cleaning.

Coughing.

Blankets rustling.

Nothing unusual.

Keith trusted Ian’s judgment completely. If Ian said the food was drugged, then it was.

Still... feeding it to a child?

Ian met Keith’s gaze calmly.

“She’s too skinny. Kids need to eat properly if they want to grow.”

“But... that was supposed to be tomorrow’s food....”

Lily’s quiet confession revealed more about the village’s poverty than anything else had.

Ian held the spoon out toward her.

Flustered, Lily hesitated before finally opening her mouth.

Once she started eating, she devoured the porridge quickly despite trying to act restrained.

She was obviously hungry.

Just then, the chief came downstairs and froze.

“Lily! Didn’t I tell you to stay upstairs?!”

“I asked her to come down,” Ian said before the girl could panic.

“S-Sorry, Dad! I was just curious....”

Even with Ian intervening, Lily still startled badly and hurried back upstairs.

“I told you already,” the chief snapped. “The guests are using the upstairs rooms tonight. You’ll sleep downstairs.”

“Okay....”

Lily glanced back several times before reluctantly disappearing into her room.

The chief sighed heavily.

“My apologies. My daughter is overly curious.”

“It’s fine,” Ian replied. “We’d like to rest soon. Which room are we using?”

Before the chief could notice anything suspicious, Ian casually emptied the untouched porridge bowls into empty potion bottles from his inventory.

Thanks to Lily finishing his portion, he only needed three bottles.

The chief glanced toward the table.

Seeing the bowls empty, the tension in his face eased slightly.

Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed Lily eating Ian’s share.

The chief then guided them upstairs.

He had even given up Lily’s room, leaving the group with two rooms to use.

The moment the door closed behind them, all three gathered silently in one room.

Ian spoke first.

“Dorian. You can control wind spirits, right?”

“Hm? Yeah. Obviously. It’s basic elf stuff.”

“Good. Send one after the chief without him noticing.”

Ian already knew what the man was planning.

Still, maintaining appearances mattered.

After all, Keith still wasn’t entirely convinced that Ian’s so-called divine foresight was real.