What if an invader appeared while the dungeon was empty?

The gargoyle I'd temporarily stationed at the entrance had become gar/goyle. The death of the gargoyle that was supposed to become 4-star was critical, but the problem wasn't just that the gargoyle died.

"Lune, any traces?"

"...Nothing at all."

The invader left no trace of even entering the dungeon. Without the system notification, I probably wouldn't have known where the invader was.

"Phew."

My head hurts. And more than anything, the invader's info is what's really giving me a headache.

[Intercept: Initiate interception of the invader.]

[Invader: 1 person (★★★★☆)]

[Intercept Reward: Monster Summoning Ticket, ????]

'Don't really need monster summoning tickets anymore.'

It was kinda ridiculous how a person's eyes go to the reward rather than the difficulty, but still, the invader's rank was high enough to make my boner go down.

'But flip side, it's good if I catch them.'

Based on experience so far, the max level for 4-star is 90. Even Eila right now is a weakling at level 25, but she's an existence that can grow up to level 90.

'And Eila's in the prisoner cell right now.'

Gotta save her. This is my nest, and I can't just take these monsters and leave for somewhere else.

"Master...?"

"Lune."

I snatched the staff from Meri and stood at the dungeon entrance.

"If I don't come out after 3 hours, take Meri and run. Assume I'm dead."

"What? Master!"

I punched the ceiling. It was a full-power punch, and the entrance I'd just repaired collapsed again.

"Phew."

I was left alone in the dungeon. Just me with a staff and my body.

'If they touched even one thing, I'll smash their head in.'

They won't die peacefully. And fortunately, the enemy was 'as expected' unable to escape from inside the dungeon and was hiding somewhere.

'Excluding the barracks area, it's all one-way passages.'

Assuming I could break through blocked paths using slimes, I'd locked various paths with dirt doors before going on the night raid.

'I collapsed the ceiling.'

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I'd blocked the path to the cavity too, and I blocked the entrance again—the only way in or out. Maybe they already swept through the dungeon once and got out, but the system doesn't lie.

[Notice: Invader: 1 person.]

"Phew."

Even if they're really level 90, I have to fight.

'Please just let them be low level!'

I don't wanna die when I'm right on the verge of evolving. But I have absolutely no intention of losing this nest.

'More importantly, Eila's supposed to lay an egg today!'

[Harvest: The seed planted in (Eila) is ripening into fruit.]

[Harvest Target: Eila]

[Estimated Time: 12 hours later (3 days)]

Even if I die, I'll at least see what kind of egg Eila lays before I go. I gripped the staff like a bat and took a deep breath.

'If I assume the invader is stronger than me.'

All I can do is disrupt their composure. It'd be great if I could attack first, but the enemy might understand the dungeon's layout and ambush me instead.

'Two places they could be hiding.'

Either in the barracks, or at a dead end.

Step, step.

I deliberately made noise as I lightly stepped forward, and—

"BRUUUUUEEEEK!!"

With a pig-squealing sound, I ran through the dungeon.

***

With the sound of the cave collapsing, someone's footsteps could be heard.

"..."

The forest guardian, Luna, held her bow without even breathing. Her aim was toward the entrance made of wooden boards.

'An orc.'

The foul smell flowing into the cave was definitely an orc's. Luna held her bowstring taut, waiting for the orc to come.

Step, step.

The orc's footsteps echoed in her sensitive ears. The orc began walking through the dungeon very carefully.

'The moment it enters, I'll turn it into a beehive.'

No matter how long she waits, she doesn't get anxious. Luna took a very short breath.

And at that moment.

BRUUUUAAAAA—!!

The orc's characteristic war cry rang out. Luna quickly protected her ears with mana, but the surprise shout shook her magic power for a moment.

'What the hell?'

Why suddenly yell? Does it know the invader is an elf and is trying to commit auditory terrorism?

'Either way, just try coming in...!'

The distance from the back of the room to the entrance was less than ten steps. The moment the tightly closed door opened, an arrow would cut the enemy's throat.

Thump, thump thump!

Pounding footsteps that seemed to shake the earth could be heard beyond the door. Luna gulped.

'It's coming!'

And when the sound reached right in front of the door.

Step. Step.

"...?"

Suddenly the orc started walking. And stopped right in front of the door.

Rattle.

The orc turned the door handle. The wooden door's handle moved, and the wooden latch released, opening the door.

"..."

Creeak.

The door opened very slowly. Power entered Luna's finger pulling the bowstring.

Just a little more open and I'll shoot—

Click.

The door closed. Luna's elegant eyebrows furrowed briefly.

'What? Can it tell what's inside just by opening the door? I erased my presence though? Or does it not know I'm here?'

The moment Luna's head got complicated.

CRACK!!

With the sound of wood breaking, the door shattered. Luna reflexively shot an arrow. The wind arrow created from mana crossed through the center of the barracks—

Thunk!

—and pierced through the upper part of what used to be the door. There was nothing in the wind hole where the arrow shot through.

'What.'

Luna calmly gripped her bow tight. No matter who the opponent is, if she responds calmly—

"!!"

The wooden board was rushing forward, standing upright at incredible speed. Luna hurriedly threw her body toward the cot.

CRASH!

The wide door slammed into the wall. Luna, rolling with a breakfall technique, clearly saw with both eyes the green orc charging forward with its waist bent under the board.

Grin.

The orc bared its teeth and smiled viciously.

***

"What do we do? If something happens to Master..."

"Calm down. It hasn't even been 10 minutes since he went in."

Lune was anxious at the entrance, while Meri stood with crossed arms, looking over the broken gargoyle from various angles.

"Hmm..."

"What is it?"

"I can feel faint magic power. Ah, maybe it's not magic power?"

Meri ran her finger along the cut surface of the gargoyle. Though invisible to the eye, something like a very small air current was flowing there.

"...Spirit?"

Lune felt a sense of déjà vu and quickly realized what it was. Meri licked her finger and mumbled.

"So this is spirit power. First time I knew."

"W-wait. Spirit power, what are you talking about?"

"Don't all elves use spirits?"

When Meri asked back, Lune grabbed the hem of her robe and hung her head.

"...I can't use them."

"Why?"

"I just can't! No matter how much I ask, it's useless, so what can I do?!"

"Spirits won't listen to an elf's request?"

Meri tilted her head while tracing through May's memories that had been passed to her.

"There's only two reasons they won't listen to requests..."

Meri looked Luna up and down. Her skin wasn't tanned brown at all, so the only other option was that Lune was that legendary...

'No way.'

There's no way a perverted, horny elf who's already fallen for an orc so hard she can't escape would be that kind of existence. Meri carefully folded away the knowledge that came to mind and gave orders to the surrounding monsters.

"Um... Can I give orders since Dad's not here?"

Grrr.

Hases nodded, and Lime reluctantly nodded her chest as if she had no choice.

"First gather the prisoners in one place, and half the slimes wait here. Harpies, sorry but take Lime and go over the cliff."

"What for?"

"Gotta dig a path."

"What? Master ordered us to run away."

"So you gonna run?"

Meri asked provocatively, and Lune gulped and shook her head.

"Right. And that order wasn't for me anyway."

"...What should I do?"

Lune was passive, and Meri was proactive. But both moved with one heart and mind. Even if they had to die, they'd die in the dungeon.

20 minutes since Rok Grimfang entered the dungeon.

160 minutes left until dungeon excavation standby.

***

CRASH!

The door smashed into the wall and shattered. I swung the staff horizontally toward the invader—the elf.

CLANG!

The elf swung her ebony bow to block my staff. I swung with pure strength, and the elf blocked by infusing mana into the bow shaft to reinforce it.

Evenly matched.

Though I didn't use all my strength perfectly, the elf blocked my attack very easily. Her expression hardened momentarily, but we both realized each other's power the same way.

This is doable.

I felt that way, and paradoxically, the elf seemed to feel the same. So we actually had some breathing room.

"What's your business trespassing in someone's home?"

"One of the elves from our forest seems to have been kidnapped."

The sharp-featured elf twisted the corner of her mouth, her pale golden hair fluttering.

"Seemed like it was here, so I came, and the whole cave reeks of elf traces."

"Well yeah, obviously."

I'd been drinking Lune while walking around, so of course there'd be traces.

"...You bastard, what did you do to Lune?"

"Ate her up."

I answered honestly. The elf's expression gradually started twisting.

"From the start she begged for her life. Hehe, when I pointed my spear at her, she got so scared she cried."

I deliberately licked my lips with my tongue and grimaced.

"She was so scared she pissed herself. Kuhehe. When my spear dug into that tiny thing—"

"You monster!"

"Hahaha!"

The elf kicked up her bow. Probably trying to create distance and run, but she can't escape this cramped space.

"Tch!"

The elf clicked her tongue and did a backflip while shooting an arrow. When it pierced the door, if I hadn't bent down beforehand, it definitely would've gone through me.

Just dodge it.

I jumped off the cot toward the entrance.

"What—?!"

The elf was surprised by my movement—not attacking her but running to the entrance. She hastily drew her bow, but I rolled on the ground and escaped outside the barracks.

FWOOM!!

A sharp sound of cutting wind rang out and a burning sensation grazed my calf. The wind arrow sliced my skin, and my blood splattered in the cave.

"Tsk."

It hurts. Not just hurts but feels like flesh got carved off. But thanks to that, I managed to escape outside the barracks.

"Hehehe."

Now the elf's a rat in a jar.

"...Are you stupid?"

The elf mocked me from inside with a pathetic voice.

"You're definitely stronger than me, but you're weaker than me. And instead of running away, you're standing outside the door? Are you mocking me?"

"Yeah. Obviously. Coming in here alone like an idiot. Not even knowing it's a trap."

"...Pft. Of course I came in alone because I'm confident."

"Really? Man, we're a great match. I came in because I'm confident too. Maybe we're sexually compatible too? Keke."

The elf couldn't say anything. Is she weak to sex jokes?

"...Sh-shut up, you old man!"

She understood after a slight delay. Meanwhile, I stabbed the staff toward the ceiling.

"But right now I'm kinda busy. I'm tired from being out, so I don't have time to deal with you right now, y'know?"

Coming into the dungeon and hiding was the first mistake.

"So I'll deal with you a little later."

"Hmph, cocky bastard."

The elf mocked me but didn't rashly come outside. Both the elf and I were certain that whoever moved first would take a big hit.

"Hey. Did you kill the gargoyle?"

"Hmph, of course. A hundred of those stone golems wouldn't make a difference."

The elf was fully displaying the leisure of the strong. Having a conversation with me after I ate a young elf was leisure and carelessness to begin with.

"Then I'll ask. How did you figure out where I was?"

"Ah, that?"

Seems the elf was most curious about that. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, I smelled melons so I went in and there were two melon chunks. Ah, done."

"...?"

I pulled the staff out of the ceiling. Plop, plop.

Dirt fell from the ceiling. The elf still hadn't caught on.

"One last question then. Aren't elves sensitive to smells and air currents and stuff? Can't you feel that kind of thing?"

"...The whole cave reeks with a foul stench."

"Can't help that then. But now you're gonna join the ranks of those who stink. Because."

I clenched my fist tight.

"This barracks is gonna become a special prison just for you."

CRAAAAASH!!

I threw my punch toward the ceiling.

"Our slimes are pretty smart, so they set up this kind of mechanism in the ceiling too, y'know?"

The entire dungeon shook like there was an earthquake, and the elf seemed to finally realize my intention.

"Barrier gimmick, how's that?"

"You crazy—"

THWACK!

The one who moves first loses. I thrust forward with the staff I'd retrieved earlier, and the tip of the staff hit the elf's two melon chunks.

[Luna: ★★★★☆ Lv. 80 / 90]

"Ah."

This works?

"Ugh...!"

Luna, who'd been rolling on the ground, stopped while clutching her chest. I waved at Luna.

"See you in a bit then."

Rumble rumble.

The ventilation duct passage leading up above the barracks collapsed. Now the collapsing passage from above would become a kind of barrier wall blocking the barracks entrance...

"..."

"..."

It only halfway worked. The ventilation duct passage stopped collapsing partway.

"Pft."

The elf mocked me. My face turned beet red for no reason.

'Lime, that bastard...!'

Doing shoddy construction because I couldn't check. I'll properly fuck him up later.

"It's fine. Can cover about 5 levels with technique."

I brainwashed myself and climbed over the collapsed dirt wall. The elf didn't shoot an arrow, like she wanted to face me directly.

"Confident in close combat?"

"Well, avenging Lune with just one arrow would be too frustrating."

The elf, Luna, cut the bowstring. The curved ebony became a straight long staff.

"Come on, raise your spear!"

"I already raised it."

I ran my hand once over my spear standing stiff toward the sky. Luna's expression properly hardened.

"Well then... Time to eat."

"You crazy perverted monster bastard—!"

The highest compliment. I spread both arms wide toward Luna as she tried to swing her staff.

"Today's breakfast is two melon chunks!"

Looks like I'll have to work up a bit of a sweat to eat. I leaped high toward Luna.

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