Listen up, Clay.
When you head into a dungeon all on your own, a single mistake can spell your death.
Never let your guard down.
Right
As an example...
Relaxing long enough to blink could have cost your everything just now.
Relaxing...
Do you understand?
Yes
Don't rely on your eyes. You've got to feel their presence.
In many a dungeon, by the time you can see them, it's too late.
Right...
There are also many monsters in dungeons with scales tougher than steel.
This much should be easy to manage.
Right
If you want to dodge traps in a dungeon, you should be able to make it this far in a single leap.
Right
We thieves don't have a warrior's strength, and can't use magic like a wizard. And yet...
Monsters don't show any mercy
You've got to dodge till you taken them down.
Keep on attacking until you win.
Don't break concentration, and keep on moving.
Right...
You need to be able to fight for ten hours straight at minimum. Ideally over twenty.
R-right...
My father was abnormally strong. And yet...
That's the way Just twelve more hours
R-right...
I'm pretty sure he was an awful teacher.
That father of mine...
Three years have passed now since he vanished in the dungeon.
A Person in the Dungeon
According to the thieves' guild I belong to,
the deepest the adventurers' guild has officially reached in this dungeon of Antomurg is the seventh floor down.
In other words, even the highest grade adventurers who made it back alive didn't clear the seventh floor.
Just now, I took down the eight floor's floor guardian solo.
And I'm preparing to challenge the ninth floor...
No getting tired
R-right...
Climb up here in ten seconds
Right...
If someone catches you from behind, you're as good as dead
Right...
Thanks to what my father taught me.
I've continued training diligently in the three years my father has been gone.
And yet, I still don't feel like I've caught up to him.
Just how far down did my father go?
Basement Ninth Floor
Dungeons follow their own unique set of rules.
For underground dungeons, the monsters known as floor guardians that protect the stairs down
are roughly equal in strength to the monsters wandering the following floor.
However, that only applies when they're on their own.
There they are...
After passing the fifth floor, the monsters began forming parties and working together.
They possess intelligence.
Goblins. Buff goblins...?
I've never seen goblins with muscles like that before.
Okay, so we've got some buff goblins. And behind them...
That one's skinny, so I'll call it a lanky goblin.
I'll start with the lanky one in the rear...
You can form parties, sure, but you can also tear them apart.
Take them out from the rear
All according to theory.
Nice The paralysis is working.
Once you get this deep, pretty much all of them start dropping gems. Nice
In this dungeon, monsters can turn into gems when they die.
That trend grows stronger the deeper you go,
so a lot more adventurers aim for those than packed treasure chests.
If they were placed there as a party...
There's a strong one on the other side of that door.
I can't sense anything else in the area.
My healing items aren't running low, and I've got stamina to spare.
Would it be best to tackle it now, rather than putting it off for later and risking additional hindrances then?
Doesn't look like paralysis will work on this one...
I see... It's not just big and powerful. It's surprisingly fast, too.
How strong. What was the deal with those goblins before, then...?
It's tough...
It probably has plenty of stamina too, so this may take a while. I'm glad it's on its own.
I'll start with the legs...
Or at least, I'd like to
So tough
I hit that hard enough to open up a hole in steel armor, and yet...
So the legs won't work? Then I'll start with its dominant arm.
I see, so it's even faster barehanded.
So it's a match for me in terms of strength, huh...?
The dungeon wall collapsed? Such a thing can happen...?
Gah, seriously?
I've never heard of a wall collapsing before. No way...
That monster's speaking...
Ah, hold on... Let's call it quits.
This is no time for that. Time out?
Time out...?
Do you just think this is just a case of a crumbled wall? Because it's not.
This right here is a serious issue.
The administrator's gonna be here soon
It's true that his bloodlust is gone...
Is he seriously asking me to stop...?
Take a look at that room there.
Still, he sure is an elequent talker...
What does it look like to you?
An inn room...? In a dungeon?
Close It's a private room
A private room? But whose...?
What is that...? I sense an abnormally massive power there...
Something's coming...
It really did collapse
One of the daggers Clay uses frequently. It has a magical paralysis effect applied to it. It immediately paralyzes the area around where it cuts, so it's effective to use it to cut the arm an opponent is holding a weapon with and the like. It only works on those with low resistence.
Dagger: Paralysis Attribute
Dungeon People.
An item that appears after defeating monsters in the dungeon of Antomurg. Depending on the monster defeated, they sometimes won't appear at all, and they can vary notably in color and size. Their value also varies in turn.
Gems
Dungeon People.
It really did collapse
My apologies. Please hold on a moment.
R-right...
Sorry for the trouble.
I'll handle the rest, so you can return to your post.
You were talking with this person here, correct?
Moo...
He's trying to play it off by acting all cow-like
I mean, it didn't seem like you were fighting at all.
And an explorer would never let their guard down with
a monster right in front of them just because a wall collapsed.
I'm so sorry...
I mean, this girl's such a quick one that I figured it'd be big trouble if she ran off into that room.
It's fine.
The wall is my fault.
You're normally so careful after all, right?
Of course
That was a long pause.
Sorry for the wait
She just looks like an ordinary girl...
That intensity I felt... it came from her?
I'd like to explain in detail, so could you accompany me?
O-okay.
This way, please.
Don't let your guard down. Think this through...
Is there a chance this girl is another of this dungeon's monsters, trying to lure me into a trap...?
There aren't any monsters deployed in the residential quarters, so you don't need to be all on edge.
It's a safe zone
Safe...?
This isn't part of the dungeon...?
Well, dungeon functions aren't allocated to the residential quarters, so in that meaning, they're different.
Residential quarters...? So she lives in this dungeon? But why?
After you.
Well then, allow me to introduce myself once more.
My name is Beilleheila Langdass, and I manage this dungeon.
You're Ms. Clay, correct?
How do you know my name?
Because I'm the administrator. I can sense skilled explorers.
Sense...? But how...?
Well, before getting into the details about the residential quarters and management and all that,
I'd like to get to the main topic at hand.
The main topic?
Ms. Clay, will you work here with me?
Work...?
Yes, here in this dungeon.
I've been wanting more help for a while now,
but being in a dungeon means a lot of encounters with monsters.
And I just couldn't find anyone the monsters didn't look down upon...
That sounds like a tough one.
If those were your conditions, why not turn to the explorer's guild?
It wouldn't be possible for anybody who gets stuck at floor seven
So harsh
So that's what brought you to me, huh?
Yes You made it to the eighth floor all on your own.
You're plenty skilled enough to qualify.
What do you say?
If this place behind the wall is next door to a floor that deep, then it's undoubtedly a part of the dungeon.
Beilleheila Langdass, was it...?
This girl is the dungeon's administrator...
If you're the administrator, does that mean that you're the boss of this dungeon?
That's right. There are currently ten floors, and those who reach the end come face me.
Then will you face me?
A practical test won't be necessary...
I'm the one asking for it. If I win, let me leave. If I lose, I'll work here.
Does that sound acceptable?
I don't especially mind... But I'm not sure I'll be able to hold back.
That's fine.
Holding back...?
My father disappeared into the dungeon... I'm weaker than him, and I made it to the ninth floor.
I believe he made it to the tenth basement floor.
If this girl was waiting for him there, then...
That would mean my father lost to her.
It's possible that she would tell me if I asked.
But... I'm sure I wouldn't be satisfied if she just told me, "That's right."
Understood.
Please give me your hand.
Welcome to the end of the tenth basement floor, the final room
There aren't any walls...
This is a closed space, so you normally can't enter it without going through specific steps.
Normally I ask two demons to accompany me, but you don't mind if we skip that for today, right?
You're taking on a handicap...?
No. This way I can fight unencumbered.
That's fine, then.
It's no surprise that my father would die in a dungeon.
He kept on challenging them, so it's only natural that one would eventually do him in.
My father accepted that.
And so, I just want to know...
Are you ready?
Yes, whenever.
Just how far did my father make it...?
Can I catch up to him...?
Is this girl...?
She threw it?
Worthy of having taken him down?
She can parry all that with her staff...?
I should distance myself...
No, wait, I should keep close.
If I back off, I'd fall in range of magic, and that'd be even worse.
I've got to keep going and take her down...
You're even better than I expected.
I'm shocked.
I really am.
Rain down, rolling clouds
A spell This is bad
Twinkling light, crucify with a thousand thunderbolts...
Come forth
No way...
Even my father couldn't handle this...
Good morning
Morning...? Where am I?
This is my room.
Ah, I fixed the wall, and I shifted the floor coordinates so it was no longer right up against the dungeon.
We're now on the eleventh basement floor.
I-I see.
The eleventh floor...?
So, you're going to work here now, right?
I suppose... I did promise that.
Managing a dungeon, huh...?
I never expected to end up doing any job besides exploring dungeons.
Management
Boss
So does managing a dungeon mean serving as its boss?
That's not it.
Managing a dungeon... Hm, it's like handling operations?
Handling operations...?
Right
Operations
Operations... A dungeon's... operations...?
Isn't a dungeon just a dungeon?
Er...
Well, there are all sorts of different ones out there, but I manage our dungeon.
Our dungeon...
I'll provide specifics later for you to remember,
but it involves stuff like restocking low-level slimes and undead,
repairing traps,
and interviewing monsters to hire.
It's a very busy job.
Hiring monsters...?
We hire monsters from the demon world.
Unlike a living dungeon, we don't get monsters growing here, after all.
Monsters growing...? I don't get it.
Well, I at least get that there's a lot of work to do.
Still, I'm registered to the thieves' guild.
I can't just start working here without any notice.
I'll have to head back and...
Ah, if you're worried about the thieves' guild, I can handle that here.
Hmm?
The previous administrator started up the thieves' guild, so I have connections.
I see... If you manage a dungeon, then the thieves' guild is no big deal.
Understood.
I now see that this is a matter beyond my powers of understanding.
In other words, I'm going to start working here, huh?
It would be a huge help if you could do so
That way, I won't have to surpress your memories to conceal information, either
What, with a curse...?
Okay, now that that's decided, we'll have to prepare a room for you, Ms. Clay
A room?
The hall would be fine, though.
Visibility is good, and it would make it easy to respond if anything happened...
Ah, no, that would bother me
Allow me to go ahead and hand you your contract.
Right...
F-five gold coins a day?
I've got plenty of money.
What are you, a noble?
Ten years after I first started heading into dungeons,
that all came to a close, and I ended up working in one.
The job gained beyond the wall pays an enormous sum,
but shatters my shallow confidence and lacking knowledge.
Rocks walk all about, and a girl laughs amidst the chaos.
All of this was plotted out...
Er, Ms. Clay...
That's too heavy of a tone. Can't you have more fun with it?
Fun, you say...?
Next time on Dungeon People, Episode 2,
Starting Work in the Dungeon
"Starting Work in the Dungeon."
So heavy...