#1193 Bombarding Elites 

That day… 
Something was buzzing in my gut. 

“Did something go down at the settlement?” 

I was busy tossing pots in the kiln when the urge hit. I jumped on Sakamoto, took to the sky, and several minutes later, we were there. 

And yeah, the view below looked serious. 

“This atmosphere… what happened?! Ultimate move, Saint Descent!” 
“Ah! Lord Saint!” 

I did a six‑spin landing and spotted the usual pioneer crew plus a pack of total strangers. 

The people I know are fine, but what about the others? 

“They’re… adventurers!” 

Turns out these randos had barged in unannounced. 
Adventurers, huh. 

“Adventurers?” 

You mean...those guys? 
The famous squad? 

“Licensed adventurers from the Human Kingdom, upper C‑rank to A‑rank. They showed up this morning with no warning.” 

Again? 
Why would a whole herd of adventurers crawl out to our boondocks? 
Did they get lost? I could show them the way back...or just warp them home. 

One of the gate‑crashers spoke... 

“No. We came here for a specific reason, even to a dump like this.” 

Uh‑huh... 
Let’s hear it, then. 

“We heard a brand‑new dungeon spawned here. Adventurers explore dungeons. Where there’s a dungeon, there are adventurers!!!” 

A dungeon…? 
Oh, the one Typhon’s managing. 

So much for demo version of Alexander’s dungeon.  
Typhon’s lair has fully transformed into the ideal hole-in-the-ground tailored for the locals. And somehow, word of it has gotten out. 

That means these folks have come here to conquer Typhon’s dungeon, huh? 

Huh. Well, that’s fine by me. 
Dungeons don’t really belong to anyone, and as long as they’re willing to take responsibility and not bother anyone else, more power to them. 

…Ah, but does that dungeon actually belong to Typhon?  
Saying it “belongs to nobody” might be a bit misleading. 

Just as I’m about to settle on that thought, one of the settlers leans in to whisper. 

“Running the dungeon’s fine... After that’s the hitch…” 

What? A hitch? 

“They want us to handle their backup...” 

Huh? 

“They want us to feed them, put them up for free… and on top of that, they expect us to cover the cost.”  
 

Are you trying to pick a fight with us?  
Why should our settlers have to do any of that?  
We’re scraping by ourselves here! 

“Dungeon runs need solid logistics to succeed.” 

Well handle your own logistics.  
Your business isn’t ours.  

“I’ve heard these settlers here were adventurers themselves once, just like us. Doesn’t it make sense for them to lend a hand?” 
“Exactly! They’re the cast-offs who couldn’t make it as adventurers and drifted here, right?” 
“And yet, these so-called losers can still be of use to the pros charging down Victory Road!” 
“They should be thrilled to work with us!” 

 The circle of adventurers cheers, all full of hot air. 

Who are these guys? 
They’re barging in uninvited and backing themselves into our business? 

My settlers glare at the intruders, and a heated argument breaks out. 

“These people are working hard every day as pioneers. Show some respect.” 
“Hmph. They fell off the adventurer path because they couldn’t cut it. They’re losers and we’re the winners, still adventuring strong! That’s the real difference!” 

Since when did being an adventurer become such a badge of honor?  
Adventurers are supposed to be lone wolves, independent and free. 
So much for elite talk. 

Enough. This is getting nowhere. 
I’m the kind of guy who’s already decided: when it comes to protecting what matters most, I won’t hesitate to throw down.  

Time to bring out the roar of my holy blade, Dreischwarz, once more… 

“Hold up.” 

Hm? Who’s that?  

I turn, and there’s Typhon. 
She's in her human form, of course. 

“Well, this is amusing. You want a crack at my dungeon? I’ll take you on. As you humans say, ‘Bring it on, Kobayashi!’” 

What are you talking about, Typhon?  
These freeloaders want to muscle in, and you’re encouraging them? 

“Doesn’t matter. Heard you asked for support—fine. I’ll back you up with supplies, maps, the works. Now dive in and conquer that dungeon, no fear!” 
“OHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” 

Typhon announces it with gusto, and the whole place lights up. 

Hey, wait a sec! You can’t just say that so lightly! 

“Sure I can. I’ve been dying to see what happens if they really try to clear my dungeon. They're the perfect lab rats.” 

She’s really manipulating the dungeon exactly how she wants, isn’t she? 

“But… I’m worried...” says one of the settlers. “By now, Lady Typhon’s dungeon is woven into our daily lives. I’m afraid those adventurers will trash it...” 
“And if they bump into us down there, they might attack, claiming we’re ‘interfering with their conquest.’ It’s actually happened in other dungeons…” 

Turns out parts of the adventuring world can be pretty rough. 

Sure enough, dungeon runs aren’t quick. If those pros set up camp for days or months, they’ll seriously disrupt the local settlers. 

Frankly, I can’t recommend just letting them loose here. So… what do you plan to do, Typhon? 

"Kukuku... Just sit back and watch. Those jokers mocking my dungeon and my neighbors will get what they deserve in a way only they’ve earned. Kukukuku...!” 

She laughs with pure villainy. 

“But honestly, Lady Typhon’s dungeon is pretty tame. It’s built to be friendly to locals.” 

One of the pioneers says, still looking uneasy. 

“Yeah, it’s built to cater to us locals, so to a working adventurer, it must feel like a plush spa.” 
“If they start treating it like an easy-money hotspot and just squat here, we’ll be in a world of trouble… neighborhood disputes, maybe worse...!” 

The settlers are visibly strung tight with anxiety. 

“Ha! Quit your whining and wise up!” 

Typhon snaps.  

“Don’t you trust my call? Watch and learn. Those cocky hotshots will have their pride shredded and their bodies beaten to rags before you can count past ten,” she says with pride. 

Meanwhile, the invading adventurers burst into the dungeon, brimming with bravado... 

“What a laughable entrance. Any veteran like me can size up a dungeon’s challenge just by its doorway!” 
“This place is for has-beens! Let’s breeze through and take the tale back to headquarters.” 
 “We’ll tell ’em that it was too easy for future S-rankers like us!!!” 

Their high-pitched guffaws grate on everyone’s nerves.  
You’d think karma might strike them down; if you blink, you’ll miss it... 

“SHUBIDARA GOZEWAAAA!!!” 

In a heartbeat, the dungeon spits them out—every last one dragging themselves free, utterly wrecked and life-zeroed. 

Seeing this, Typhon roars with laughter. 

“Haaaahahaha! Idiots! Didn’t they notice the layout shifts between locals and first-timers? Seasoned pros, my arse!” 

Layout shifts? 
Sure enough, they didn’t enter the familiar, always-friendly version the pioneers use… they walked into the devilishly brutal variant. 

“I built this dungeon to repel intruders—no mercy, no second chances! Forget ‘first-look kills’; this place is all ‘thousand-look kills’—you can study it a thousand times and still never conquer it. Zero compassion, one-hundred-percent death trap!!!” 

Typhon’s incredible. 
She really set out to meet adventurers head-on. 

Still, this only drives them further from Alexander’s original dungeon.