"The Death Knight is the boss of a Mugan Palace? Hah, do you think I’d believe such nonsense?"

Well, isn't that a laugh?
At first, the wolf beastman looked startled, but his expression quickly shifted to one of disbelief.
And honestly, he had a point. How could a Death Knight possibly be the boss of the Mugan Seventh Palace, the pinnacle of the 72 Dungeon Conquest hierarchy?
Compared to the Lich King, another Mugan Seventh Palace boss, the disparity in undead status alone was enormous.
Sure, if I were some irregular Death Knight, that might be a different story—but clearly, that’s not how I looked to him.

"I’m under no obligation to prove anything to you. Where is your boss? I need to speak with him directly."
"...Are you serious?"

The wolf beastman’s arrogant tone softened, his suspicion faltering.
Make up your mind already! Either believe me or don’t—this back-and-forth is exhausting.

Charlotte, who hates pointless arguments, let out a deep sigh.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out something—a Dungeon Merchant Guild Summoning Ticket.

With a tear of the ticket, a portal opened, and a devil merchant appeared from within, moving with meticulous precision as though following a preordained script.

"My most esteemed greetings to you. Hmm? Oh my! Isn’t this one of the Lionheart King’s sentinels? And what brings the two of you together?"
"Let me be direct. Who do you think this person is?"

Charlotte respectfully gestured toward me with both hands.

The devil merchant blinked innocently as his gaze followed her gesture and landed on me.

"Why, he’s the master of the newly risen Mugan Palace, of course. Why do you ask?"

Instead of responding, Charlotte shifted her gaze to the wolf beastman, her expression saying, Well, what now?

The wolf beastman’s reaction was priceless. His eyes bulged beyond their limits, his eyebrows quivered, and his lips trembled. His entire body shook like a leaf.
When he finally turned that expression toward me, I felt a pang of secondhand embarrassment.
If this charade gets exposed later, karma is going to hit me like a truck.

"I—I have committed an unforgivable sin!"

The wolf beastman dropped to the ground, bowing so low that his forehead smacked against it. He raised his head and slammed it back down repeatedly, as if punishing himself.

"I failed to recognize your exalted status and acted with unforgivable disrespect! Please, grant me your mercy!"
"Mercy? You threatened to kill my boss after dismissing him outright. That’s hardly forgivable."
"E-excuse me?!"

The devil merchant, who had been quietly observing, spoke up in shock.

Even I had to admit, the gap between a dungeon boss ranked outside the top seven and a Mugan Palace boss was immense.
To use a metaphor, those ranked below seventh were like border lords or counts, while the Mugan bosses were kings, untouchable even by nobility.
There was a reason the top seven dungeons were called the Mugan Palaces.

The devil merchant rubbed his temples, clearly sensing the headache this situation was about to cause.

"Ah, what a predicament. This isn’t a mere 10th-rank dungeon we’re dealing with—this is the 14th rank. This could become a complete disaster..."
"And what happens in this kind of situation?"
"Could you provide a detailed account of what happened?"

Charlotte relayed the events exactly as they had occurred, leaving no detail out.
The wolf beastman couldn’t argue against her recounting, and the devil merchant’s expression grew darker with each passing word.

"Given the circumstances, an amicable resolution might have been possible, considering this is a newly risen Mugan Palace. But it seems the sentinel acted first with clear intent to kill. In this case... Well, let’s just say it’s far beyond a mere misunderstanding."

The merchant sighed deeply, clearly overwhelmed by the diplomatic disaster he now faced.
The Dungeon Merchant Guild often mediates conflicts and agreements between dungeons, but this was a situation he hadn’t signed up for.
I couldn’t blame him—I hadn’t expected things to spiral like this either. My goal was just to recruit Balutak, not stumble into a political minefield.

"If this were an ordinary monster, it might have been excusable. But as a sentinel, the responsibility falls squarely on the Lionheart King. The two of you will need to hold him accountable. Please, handle this matter with grace."

Handle this with grace? Not a chance. There’s no way I’m letting this opportunity slip through my fingers.
Depending on the Lionheart King’s attitude and the compensation he offers, we’ll see how “amicable” this resolution gets.

And the Lionheart King, huh...

He wasn’t a particularly important boss, only showing up briefly in the early-to-mid game.
Still, dredging up my memories, I recalled one key detail:
Lionheart King Ryanhart was a boss notorious for his obsession with wealth. He adorned himself head to toe with gold and jewels, to the point where players joked that his gold necklace was his true form.

And that necklace...

It’s an incredible item. Simply equipping it grants immunity to all debuffs below A+ rank.
While it’s useless against higher-ranked debuffs, for undead like me, sunlight is considered a B-rank debuff.
If I can get my hands on it, I’ll never have to worry about sunlight again—even without Charlotte’s help.

"I-I’ll guide you there," the wolf beastman stammered, trying to redeem himself.

I raised a hand to stop him. "Just tell us the location. The three of us will go alone."

As plans formed in my mind, I couldn’t help but smirk.
Something tells me this encounter with the Lionheart King is going to be very... profitable.

***

The 14th-ranked dungeon boss, Lionheart, had originally built his domain in the Demonic Realm.
Had he not been so greedy, he might still be living there peacefully.
The trouble began when Lionheart attempted an aggressive dungeon expansion.

By sheer bad luck, the tunnels he dug ended up connecting to the dungeon of the 12th-ranked boss. He hadn’t even bothered to properly survey the location.
The resulting situation was absurd—a direct connection between the two dungeons.
In theory, Lionheart could have just sealed the tunnel and resolved the issue.
However, the 12th-ranked boss, feeling insulted, issued a demand: relocate your dungeon immediately or face a declaration of war for unauthorized intrusion.

"Damn it. How was I supposed to know a dungeon was there?!"

Luck had never been on his side. The world seemed intent on making him miserable.

Lionheart was at a loss.
He needed a place where his Dungeon Core could draw ample nourishment, with advantageous terrain, an environment that wouldn’t degrade his dungeon’s prestige, and the ability to sustain itself naturally.
But whether due to a lack of effort or genuine scarcity, there seemed to be no such place left in the Demonic Realm.

"Your Majesty! How about this location?"

One of his lieutenants pointed to a spot within the human empire.
Lionheart initially roared in fury at the mere suggestion.

The dungeons humans prioritized for conquest were always those rooted within the empire’s lands.
Most empire dungeons were naturally occurring, and no boss in their right mind would willingly establish a dungeon there, unless it was an unusual case like the Mugan Seven Palaces.

"Your Majesty, hear me out. This area is in the southernmost part of the empire, a rainforest. I’ve gathered intelligence suggesting that humans have mostly abandoned it recently. And isn’t a forest the perfect home ground for us beastfolk?"

The idea gave Lionheart pause.
A tropical rainforest, untouched by human presence, with terrain favorable to beastfolk and a climate suited to their physiology.
The only remaining question was whether the location could support a Dungeon Core.
If the site met all the conditions, it was worth acting on immediately.

"What about the local ecosystem? There might be indigenous tribes—or worse, beasts," Lionheart asked warily.

Beasts referred to wild monsters. Any dungeon established in a forest had to account for beast invasions.
While they posed a threat, they could also be used as a resource—food, or even trained minions if their intelligence was high enough.

"The beasts can be useful. Most of them are Insectfolk, and they’re fairly intelligent. We could avoid relying on the Merchant Guild by using them as labor to complete the dungeon quickly."
"Useful, you say?"

The lieutenant explained further.
Insectfolk could carry weights ten times their body mass and, while not as skilled as kobolds, were highly adept at digging tunnels.
Their natural inclination was to build burrows like ant colonies.

"Of course, despite their intelligence, their instincts are overwhelmingly strong. They’re fiercely individualistic, aggressive, and inherently resistant to obedience. It’s in their nature. But I don’t see that as a problem."

No one would complain about overworking Insectfolk.
Used properly, they could become a labor force efficient enough to rival the Merchant Guild’s services.

Eventually, Lionheart settled on the rainforest as the site for his new dungeon.
When he saw it for himself, the location truly was ideal.
He felt immense pride in both his lieutenant’s work and his own decision.

"This time, no labyrinths. I’ll build a tower instead," he muttered.

The mere thought of a labyrinth brought back memories of his past trauma.
Thus, his new dungeon took the form of a towering spire.

At the top of the dungeon, Lionheart sipped tea while reflecting on recent events.
His gaze wandered out the window, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"This is perfect," he murmured.

Below, countless Insectfolk toiled under the beastfolk’s supervision, putting the finishing touches on the dungeon.
Lionheart had subdued the notoriously stubborn Insectfolk with minimal losses, turning them into useful slaves.

Although the relocation had caused his rank to drop from 14th to 16th, Lionheart remained optimistic.

"The rankings will correct themselves in time."

This location was perfect for a dungeon.
The Dungeon Core fed off the rainforest’s natural environment, while the beastfolk thrived in their forested home.
Even without the Merchant Guild, the Insectfolk had proven invaluable in constructing and reinforcing the dungeon.

The memories of his old Demonic Realm dungeon were now long gone.

"Rankings, huh," he mused.

Every boss was haunted by the number etched into their mind—a symbol of both humiliation and pride.
16th place was a stain on Lionheart’s honor, but he viewed it as merely a trial to overcome.
Once the dungeon was complete, his ambitions would expand to the entire rainforest.
What if he turned the forest into his kingdom?

A kingdom. And beyond that...

"The Mugan Seven Palaces won’t be out of reach."

The Mugan Palaces—legendary dungeons that had stood unchallenged for a thousand years—were Lionheart’s ultimate goal.
If all went well, he could aim for the throne of the Mugan Seven Palaces.
The thought alone brought a smirk to his face.

And perhaps, if he dared to dream further, he could surpass the Mugan Palaces and reach the mythical Lord of the Abyss.

Of course, conquering the Mugan Seven Palaces alone was already an unimaginable ambition. But dreams knew no bounds.

A knock at the door interrupted his reverie.

"Come in," Lionheart called.

The door opened, but the visitor wasn’t one of his beastfolk.
Lionheart’s eyes widened.

"...A devil merchant?"
"Your Majesty, I hope this message finds you well," the merchant said, bowing deeply.

The unexpected visit made Lionheart suspicious. He quickly surmised the merchant’s purpose before even asking.

Have those gold-loving pests set their sights on my dungeon?

Lionheart had recently heard rumors about the newly risen Mugan Palace.
It seemed the Merchant Guild was desperate to strengthen its ties with the Mugan Seven Palaces, and now, they were reaching out.

"Very well. Let’s hear your reason for coming."
"My business is not with you, Your Majesty. Someone else wishes to speak with you."

Just as expected—this wasn’t a trivial matter. The one requesting an audience had to be a high-ranking guild official.

Still, Lionheart’s disgust for the guild bubbled to the surface.
When he’d clashed with the 12th-ranked boss, they had ignored him entirely. Now that he was on the rise, they were falling over themselves to make contact.

"Cowards, the lot of you. Self-serving parasites, every one of you," he spat.
"Your Majesty, I don’t understand—"
"Silence! Tell your superior this: no matter what you attempt, the Lionheart King will not falter."

The merchant froze, his face a mask of shock. Lionheart took great satisfaction in his reaction and burst into laughter.

"Your Majesty, please calm down and hear me out."
"I said, silence. Do I need to tear your mouth apart myself?"

The merchant, thoroughly intimidated, backed out of the room.

When he returned, he was accompanied by two figures—a Death Knight and a human woman.

Lionheart blinked, certain his eyes were deceiving him.

"What is this? Why is there a human here?!"
"We’re not from the Merchant Guild," the woman replied calmly.

Her composure infuriated Lionheart. A mere human, unshaken before the King of Beastfolk? The insult was unbearable.

"...So, you’re the one who requested an audience?"
"Not me," the woman said, gesturing to the Death Knight beside her.

"Allow me to introduce—"

"Ha!" Lionheart’s laughter cut her off.

"A Death Knight? You dare bring such a lowly undead before me? What a pathetic joke. Even if you wish to flatter your master, you should consider the difference in status between us."

The woman said nothing, only muttered under her breath, "Why does everyone insist on talking so much?"

Before Lionheart could respond, she spoke again.

"You seem unaware of the newly risen Mugan Palace. I’d expect the 14th-ranked boss to be more informed."

"...Mugan Palace?"

Lionheart’s interest was piqued. He had heard rumors of the new Mugan Palace—a dungeon that had already drawn the Merchant Guild’s attention, defeated the legendary Valmonk, and caught the eye of Valencia Roseshar.
And the boss was undead.

Surely, that boss had to be a high-level lich.

But now, seeing the merchant’s nervous glances not at him, but at the Death Knight, Lionheart began to piece things together.

"Surely not..."

A chill ran down his spine.

"Hmph. A lowly undead, you said."

The Death Knight pulled a chair out and sat across from him, his glowing blue eyes piercing into Lionheart’s.

"In your eyes, is this all the Mugan Seven Palace’s boss

amounts to?"