Reincarnated as a Dungeon Master, I Became Unstoppable by Doting on My Monsters—My Gorgeous Monsters Have Started to Conquer the World on Their Own! - Chapter 27: The Truth

“Is there any creature in your world that humans can’t kill no matter how hard they try?”

Stunned by the revelation that Goddess Nanaya is the creator of the Dungeon System, I fell silent. She then asked me this question.

“…There isn’t.”

I answer, not fully understanding the intent behind her question. As far as I know, there should be no creature humans can’t hunt down if they bring out their weapons.

Hearing my concise answer, she muttered, “I thought so.”

“Ultimately, ‘evolution driven by natural selection’ can’t compete with ‘advancing human science.’ That’s why we make monsters evolve through dungeons. That’s the concept design of the dungeon monsters.”

Saying this, she conjured a window in the air, similar to what I usually see in dungeons, and displayed some text-like characters.

…I had thought of dungeons as ‘facilities to kill people,’ but it seems more accurate to consider them ‘facilities for monsters to not lose to humans.’

“Um… why did you create the Dungeon System?”

Still not understanding what benefit Goddess Nanaya gains from all this, I ask again.

“Is that your second question?”

However, she asked me back with a face like a naughty child.

“No, my apologies.”

Being told that, I couldn’t press the matter further…

“…Well, consider yourself a pawn in a territorial battle between gods. You don’t have to worry about divine intervention. Just kill the other Dungeon Masters and rise to the top.”

With that, she issued her command as a closing remark without allowing for any objections. That must answer my first question, ‘Why do I have to rule over humans?’

“Then, my second question is, why me?”

…There might have been more I should have asked, but that was the only thing I wanted to clarify after hearing everything.

I had initially thought that Goddess Navalbi had given me the role of Dungeon Master as a new way of life after rejecting me.

Even if it was my wish to make the monsters into goddesses, I thought they were expecting me to find some purpose in life within the dungeon. However, after hearing everything so far, it felt like the goddesses were desperate and had called upon me out of necessity.

Not that I can do much about it, having already pledged myself entirely to Goddess Navalbi. Perhaps I wanted to hear from Goddess Navalbi or Goddess Nanaya that I was needed. “We’re counting on you,” they could’ve said, and I would’ve worked with all my might.

However, her words were rather roundabout and far from such a confession.

“Why do you think gods don’t grant humans powerful blessings when they use them as pawns in their proxy wars?”

Her response to my question was another question.

“…I don’t know.”

Indeed, it seems better to intervene more than just making someone a Dungeon Master and leaving them be.

“Gods shouldn’t give humans more blessings than necessary. After all, no matter how much they say they love humans, it’s pointless to take care of the beings they created to serve them.”

“That makes sense.”

I nodded, but I didn’t quite understand the gods’ values. Lives are at stake here; this isn’t the time for such talk.

“Recently, gods have formed something like a council. Anything that the majority finds wrong is now prohibited. In that council, a contract was made that ‘what is given to humans and what is received must be equal.'”

“Is that so?”

“It’s strange. We’re bound by rules now. We, who possess the power to overcome all hardships and are immortal gods, are afraid of betrayal from within. Among those numerous restrictions, the most beneficial strategy to maximize one’s power was to raise a Dungeon Master and make him the king of humans.”

She laughed resignedly as if she had a lot on her mind.

“So that’s the answer to your question. Within those restrictions, your mother thought you were the strongest.”

She looked at me, her mouth relaxed but her eyes carrying a certain sharpness, as if accusing me. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“I have to admit, I was foolish at that time too. I was so focused on numerical values and trusting your mother that I forgot how foolish humans like you can be.”

Her gaze, which had been accusing me, seemed to turn inward.

“To grant strong blessings in exchange, you must offer something equally valuable. That’s why most gods offer their followers from other worlds their lives to grant them powerful blessings and use them as Dungeon Masters.”

Indeed, most humans don’t have anything more valuable than their lives. So, does that mean the blessings that many Dungeon Masters have are equivalent to the value of a life?

“But you were seeking love more than life. You genuinely thought that if you could fall in love, life didn’t matter. That’s why the blessing you received by offering your first love to your mother should have been more powerful than others. That’s the reason she chose you as her pawn.”

She spoke seriously up to that point; her expression relaxed into a smile.

“Well, you were too kind-hearted to be a Dungeon Master. The past ten years have been frustrating. Dungeon Masters weaker than you have infiltrated the upper echelons of various countries.”

I had thought that dungeons were just gods’ whims or good intentions. But Goddess Navalbi and Goddess Nanaya had entrusted me with a part of their fate.

“I’m truly sorry.”

A pitiful voice came out, surprising even me.

“I told you, it was my fault for expecting too much from humans… Do you even realize that you’ve been deceived and manipulated? The first love you offered to your mother was a false one. Making a human fall in love with a mural is absurd.”

She said this, looking like a young girl angry at her overly meddlesome mother.

Indeed, looking at the results, I’ve been deceived. And Goddess Nanaya, who conveyed this to me, seemed like an honest person.

“…Indeed, hearing that story brings back the feelings I had when I wanted to fall in love. However, it’s a fact that I was able to live my previous life thanks to Goddess Navalbi, and the enjoyable days I’ve spent as a Dungeon Master with the monsters are also due to my love for Goddess Navalbi.”

This was my true feeling, and my heart was evident as I spoke. However, Goddess Nanaya muttered one word after hearing my words, “Cringey.”

I thought that was harsh, but Goddess Navalbi is her mother, so maybe it is cringe.

“May I ask a question as well? Dungeon Masters are supposed to be cursed, not accepted in human society. How, then, do you become a human king?”

Jacqueline asked a question at a break in the conversation.

I didn’t even know that Dungeon Masters were not accepted in human society in the first place.

“That’s because the curse was originally placed to prevent the human chosen as the Dungeon Master from abandoning the dungeon and pandering to people…”

Goddess Nanaya acted as if she was troubled, with the same casualness as if she couldn’t find her hand cream.

“But curses usually have a way to be lifted. If you gain divine blessings, you can even lift my curse… Of course, I can place a stronger curse too. But overdoing it might lead to failure. Your Dungeon Master was automatically summoned, not for proxy wars. So, without divine blessings, that’s all you get.”

Goddess Nanaya spoke confidently, probably because it was her area of expertise.

“I see. Thank you.”

Jacqueline thanked her, seemingly lost in thought.

Speaking of which, Jacqueline had said that her Dungeon Master had gone mad. I wonder if she still has lingering feelings about that.

“I have no more questions.”

Jacqueline probably had a lot she wanted to say and ask. However, she stopped asking questions, perhaps thinking it would be too personal to ask in this setting where my story is still unfolding.

“Ah, I see.”

Goddess Nanaya ignored or overlooked Jacqueline’s consideration; she didn’t even look her way.

“Well, the questioning is over. Now that we’ve compared notes, shall we proceed with the contract transfer?”

Her words lacked any sense of accomplishment or joy; they were purely business-like.

“It seems we can proceed with the contract transfer without any issues based on the earlier questions.”

And with that, she said.

It was then that I finally remembered that the person who wrote the instruction manual for the Dungeon Core that I read right after reincarnating was Goddess Nanaya.

A lengthy 30-page manual filled with complex proper nouns. Fair to the rules but equally unkind to everyone—that’s the essence of Goddess Nanaya.

As her words resonated, a glow began to emanate from my chest.

“You remember, don’t you? Your life is pledged to my mother. The vow of absolute obedience you made at the end of your false love affair with Goddess Navalbi is now being transferred to me… on behalf of my mother, who is hiding to avoid being killed.”

The pendant embedded in my chest turned into light and vanished into thin air, and in its place, a door emblem began to form on my chest. The door was adorned with a bat, a scorpion, and… is that a fly?

This must be the symbol of Goddess Nanaya, replacing that of Goddess Navalbi.

And then, the emblem emitted light once again.

+++

The contract has been transferred.

You are no longer a follower of Goddess Navalbi.

You have become a follower of Goddess Nanaya.

You have lost the blessings of Goddess Navalbi.

You have gained the blessings of Goddess Nanaya.

+++

I’ll never forget it. I saw the popup window again, the one I saw on the day of my first battle.

“Normally, the recipient gets to choose the nature of the blessing. But in your case, I’ll choose the blessing for you… Don’t complain. You willingly entered into this contract on your own.” 

At that moment, all strength was drained from my body. My muscles failed to support my head, and as I thought I had slammed hard into the ground, I heard Goddess Nanaya’s voice from above.

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I particularly disliked you among humans… but I’ll take the measures that allow me to win the fastest.”

However, my pain was quickly forgotten. A door next to Goddess Nanaya opened, and my 13 monsters were brought in, bound in chains.

They seemed unharmed but were robbed even of the freedom to speak.

Seeing them motionless, I felt the blood drain from my body, and I could feel my fingertips rapidly cooling.

“What have you done!”

I screamed, forgetting even the lessons from my previous life that told me to stay calm in situations like this.

However, my voiceless scream never reached Nanaya, and I ended up licking the golden floor.

“So that you know, this is divine punishment. You easily said you’d give everything to a god. You made the mistake of thinking the goddess was working for you. Humans like that will eventually meet this fate… I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”