The Way to Absolute Dungeon Administration – There Is No Reason To Meet With the Opponent!

Volume 02 Chapter 18: The Four Heavenly Kings and the Pill Bug Kai

Side: Kovil

Right now, in front of me, there’s a demon claiming to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a minion of the Demon King.

“Gah… Don’t get cocky just because you beat me… I’m the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings…”

“I’m not letting you finish.”

Yuki cuts him off, hurling an Anti-Magic Caterpillar—ugh, too much hassle, a Pill Bug Kai—at him.

“Guh!? You bastard, are you sure? I’m giving you information… Vital for you…”

“I said, I’m not letting you finish.”

Yuki tosses another Pill Bug Kai.

What’s with this? Not letting someone finish talking hurts their dignity this much?

“Jeez. A so-called Four Heavenly Kings (lol) spouting clichés—shut up already. If we ask the Pill Bug Kai, it’s not some grand purpose. They got modified, were hungry, escaped, and wandered to a place with high magic. That’s it.”

Yeah, our village was destroyed, but almost everyone’s unharmed.

When we got close to the village, we ran into these Pill Bug Kais, but for some reason, they didn’t attack.

Yuki, claiming to have a Monster Tamer skill, talked to them…

And they said, “I was hungry, so I went to a place with lots of magic. Teehee.”

Talk about deflating.

In the end, Yuki negotiated with the Pill Bug Kais, got them to gather in one corner of the village… and then this self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings showed up.

“You’re here!? Get back now!! If this keeps up, I’ll get chewed out!! Damn it, I climbed to the Four Heavenly Kings, and now I’m facing demotion!?”

He spouted some harsh words when he appeared.

But Yuki instantly—

“Gotcha.”

Captured him.

It looked like a pitfall trap.

But it wasn’t.

The pit was a weird cage, with a lid slamming shut above, trapping the Four Heavenly Kings before he could do anything.

According to Yuki, the cage has “skill suppression, magic suppression, strength reduction, agility reduction” enchantments.

Wait, how can he enchant stuff?

And “suppression” enchantments are, like, legendary level!?

The iron cage holding the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings is cleverly designed to let Pill Bug Kais through. When Yuki throws a massive Pill Bug Kai, the bars curve just enough to let it pass at the moment of impact.

Seeing this, the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings thought he could escape through the opening when a Pill Bug Kai passed…

“Fweh!”

“Idiot. With a Pill Bug Kai coming in at split-second timing, how’re you gonna slip through? Here, take this.”

“Ow!? Why!? Why does it hurt!?”

“Probably the Pill Bug Kai’s grudge. Modifying them without care, ignoring their rights… bug rights, I mean? At least feed your pets… bugs, I mean.”

Right now, the Pill Bug Kais are full, thanks to Yuki’s magic.

Because of that, they’ve decided to follow him.

Talk about flimsy loyalty. Or maybe they never had any to begin with.

If someone didn’t feed me, I’d ditch them too.

Now, the Pill Bug Kais are loyalty incarnate. When Yuki holds out his hand, they roll into a ball and hop right in.

Yuki says they’re about the size of a basketball (?).

They look carnivorous with sharp fangs, but those are for clearing obstacles, apparently.

Their main diet is magic. Their shells aren’t anti-magic but “recovery magic,” designed to absorb magic.

All the magic we blasted at them was just food to them.

So they got more excited, like, “Gimme more food!”

Sigh…

And now, every time the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings tries to say something, Yuki throws a Pill Bug Kai to shut him up.

But sometimes, the thrown Pill Bug Kai curves weirdly or drops.

Magic, maybe?

“Huh. Even at basketball size, I can throw a curveball. Next, slider.”

“Enough!! Using bizarre magic—guh!”

Ouch, that looked painful.

“So, Nee-chan, Elder. What do we do with this guy? Next, knuckleball.”

“…Right. There were no human casualties, correct, Elder?”

“…Yes. No deaths or serious injuries. At most, minor wounds. But the village, as you can see…”

Yeah. The village is in ruins. Even I can tell it’ll take months to rebuild…

The Pill Bug Kais, made by this self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings demon, were ridiculously strong.

But they’re like kids inside.

They didn’t harm the Fairy Tribe blasting magic—their food. The little fairy kids? They’re riding on their backs, playing.

Be a bit more cautious, you tiny brats.

The Elder continues.

“The issue isn’t just that. We need to know what this self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings, a high-ranking demon under the Demon King, planned to do here.”

“Huh? Didn’t he just stumble here by chance?”

“Kovil, chance or not, he found this place. He’d take some action. Right now, Yuki-san… was it? His unique magic has completely sealed him, but if we faced him normally, the damage would’ve been catastrophic. You felt it, right? Not as much as Yuki-san, but overwhelming magic.”

I get it. Like the Elder says, he’s not on Yuki’s level, but even if we all fought together, we’d be lucky to take him down with us.

“See, self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings? If you escaped, what were you gonna do here?”

“Obvious! Report to the Demon King, take all the items here, use them for our—fweh!?”

“No strike there. Low blow, huh. Dead ball? Or dodgeball rules? Hmm, face shots are safe in some rules…”

Yuki starts throwing Pill Bug Kais again.

He really won’t let him finish…

“We can’t let him escape. He’s saying he’d attack again. And rebuilding here would be foolish. If he’s really a Four Heavenly Kings, others will follow his trail. Even if we don’t let him go, this place will be found eventually. …We should discuss with everyone and move to a new land.”

“I agree, Elder.”

Lulua nods in agreement.

…Right. Everyone’s safe, but we can’t live here anymore…

That’s frustrating.

To vent, I grab a Pill Bug Kai at my feet and hurl it at the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King.

“Guh!?”

“Whoa, I told you to aim away from the back of the head.”

Yuki warns me, but my anger’s not subsiding. As I grab another Pill Bug Kai to throw…

Flames shoot past me, engulfing the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings in the cage.

“Gaaaah!!”

His dying scream echoes.

…Oh, I don’t even know his name.

But where’d those flames come from?

“Hahaha!! Zaagis, serves you right!! Flirting with the Demon King got you this!! Too bad, I’ll slaughter everyone here!! You get an honorable death. Be happy!!”

A white-haired, dark-skinned demon (?) steps out from the forest depths.

Incredible magic. Not Yuki’s level, but still.

“Rejoice, you lot!! No need to find a new home!! I’ll burn everything to ashes here—”

“Gotcha & I’m not letting you finish. Also, self-proclaimed Four Heavenly King, you’re too damn loud.”

“Guh!? You!! I’m burning in flames!! …It’s not hot?”

“Nah, it’s hot. The outside’s burning fine. Getting hard to breathe, isn’t it?”

On closer look, the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings wasn’t burning.

Oh, right. The cage has skill and magic suppression, so the magical flames couldn’t reach inside.

…Wait, if he’s not burning, why was he screaming? Idiot?

“Guh!! Come to think of it, it’s hard to breathe!? Why!?”

“Well, the flames are burning around the cage. Must be smoky.”

“Put it out!! I’ll die!!”

“…Eh, you’re a demon, right? Handle it yourself. Plus, if you die… well, it’d make things easier later.”

“Put it out, please!! I’m begging you!!”

Ugh, he turned all pathetic suddenly. Adults are the worst.

As Yuki uses magic to douse the flames with water, the female demon (?) caught earlier starts shouting from behind.

“What’s with this cage!? Let me out!! Don’t you know I’m Mahaku, the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings, master of flames!? You think you’ll get away with this!?”

Another self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings? …This is getting annoying.

“Pill Bug Kai, rapid-fire toss!!”

Yuki, probably fed up too, hurls a bunch of Pill Bug Kais at once.

I join in, throwing two or three myself.

“Kyaa!? You’re throwing at a woman’s face!! Stop, it’ll bruise!?”

“Shut it, self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings Number Two. Stop shielding your stupidly huge chest and protect your face. Your chest’ll probably bounce the Pill Bugs off anyway.”

“No way, I refuse!! The Demon King said my unnaturally large chest is beautiful!!”

Ugh, yeah. I didn’t notice since she’s so tall, but…

That size might be a complex for her.

Protecting her chest for the one who praised her? Kinda cute, actually.

“Nee-chan, suggestion. This place has two self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings, and the Fairy Tribe’s a big group. Why not have them live in the dungeon?”

“What!? But we don’t have time for that!? You know our goal!!”

Dungeon? What’s that about? I know Lulua’s in a hurry, but…

“I’m sorry. We’re grateful for your help, but we’d rather decide where to live ourselves…”

The Elder cuts in, naturally.

Even if we can’t stay here, we’ll find our own place.

“No, no, just temporary. Once you find somewhere else, you can move right away. Offering it for free might seem sketchy, so here’s the deal: we’re building a place for people to live, and if you help out, we’ll protect you. As you’ve seen, we can handle self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings easily.”

“…True, a place protected by Yuki-san’s power would be ideal for us. …May we discuss this with everyone?”

“Sure, I’d say go for it, but this isn’t the place. I’ll set up a spot, so hang on.”

Yuki pushes forward, ignoring Lulua.

“Yuki-san!! What’s the idea!? Don’t I have the final say!?”

“Chill, chill. Relocating the fairies will take, like, a day. Maybe faster.”

“Huh? Cramming over 50 fairies into the Marauder? Even then, it’s two days round-trip!!”

“Yeah, if you’re judging by what I’ve shown so far, that makes sense. So, what’s this?”

Yuki pulls out a big, red orb.

“What!? Is that a Dungeon Core!?”

Lulua’s shocked. Wow, that’s a Dungeon Core?

Yuki’s seriously something else.

Getting a Dungeon Core means he’s a real powerhouse, right?

“No way…”

“Yup. This is my call as the operator. We’re protecting the Fairy Tribe. My decision, Lulua’s opinion doesn’t matter. But I won’t waste your time. Ever heard of a Transfer Gate?”

“…The lost art of connecting specific locations, right? …Can a Dungeon Master’s skill recreate it?”

“The DP cost was steep, but I made it work. One gate costs 10,000 DP. I’ll buy up this land, set up a Dungeon Core, and make a gate big enough to move Fairy Tribe furniture.”

…Huh? Did I hear some weird terms?

Dungeon Master? No way. That’s a legendary, disaster-level being.

Stronger than heroes or the Demon King, and he’s just a human?

“You can use a Dungeon Master’s skills in that body!?”

“Nah, I’m just delegating. You know, Lulua, some authority can be passed on. This body’s almost identical to me, so it can do a lot. Not everything, but plenty. Turns out, you can make a dungeon underground even where there’s a building. That’ll be handy later.”

“…Don’t turn Litea’s underground into a sieve.”

“Depends on the situation.”

I thought dungeon-building was a joke, but… after a flash of light, a dungeon entrance appeared before us.

“Wha… what…”

I can’t help but gape.

“…I see. That power to handle self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings so easily. Yuki-san… no, you are a Dungeon Master, aren’t you?”

The Elder’s shaken but handles it better than me.

“Elder-san, no need to be so formal. I’m apparently quite different from past Dungeon Masters. For now, I’ve got no plans to harm you. As you can guess, this dungeon has a Transfer Gate. Use it to get to my base. It’s way safer than here. I know, hard to trust, right? How do I convince you…”

“…No, someone with your power could force us to move. Yet you’re considering our feelings. I trust your sincerity. Everyone, agreed?”

At the Elder’s words, I nod along with everyone else.

“Elder, Fairy Tribe, thanks for trusting a shady guy like me. The gate works both ways, so take as much stuff as you want. I’ll head over first to prepare. Mauve and crew, guard everyone.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, Yuki, what about the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings? They got quiet once they heard you’re a Dungeon Master.”

“Yeah, leave ‘em. They can’t do anything in that cage. We’ll deal with them later.”

“Fair enough.”

After answering my question, Yuki’s head suddenly droops, like he passed out.

“Huh? Yuki, you okay!?”

“He’s fine. Anii-san’s gone back to the dungeon.”

Yuki, who was out for a second, snaps back to normal and speaks.

“Huh? Anii-san? What’s that mean? Why’re you talking so politely!? It’s way different from before!”

“Haha, Anii-san doesn’t like stiff talk. My apologies for not introducing myself. I’m Kiyu, the younger brother of the Dungeon Master, a doppelgänger serving as his body double. Usually, Anii-san controls this body, but now he’s back at the dungeon preparing for you, Kovil-san.”

“Whoa, so… a doppelgänger? You look the same as the real Yuki?”

“No. To protect himself, Anii-san made a doppelgänger with a different appearance. I’m that example.”

“…Making a doppelgänger look different on purpose? Dungeon Masters are crazy.”

“Anyway, Kovil-san, shouldn’t you go pack with the others?”

“Oh, right! See ya, not Yuki, but Kiyu!”

I part with Kiyu for now.

Back at the village, I quickly pack essentials and return to Kiyu’s group. The gate works both ways, so I stick to the basics for now.

Entering the dungeon, it’s just a single floor, simple setup.

Still, Yuki’s really a Dungeon Master, huh?

“Everyone, pass through this gate to reach our base. I’m sorry, but for safety, the gate’s exit has skill and magic suppression. It’ll be inconvenient since you Fairy Tribe folks can’t fly, so please walk.”

Yeah, makes sense. They don’t want us causing trouble on the other side.

Everyone nods at Kiyu’s words, lands, and passes through the gate.

When my turn comes, I step through… and end up in a weirdly nice place.

It’s surrounded by white walls. There’s a desk in the back with someone sitting there.

Who’s that? A resident here?

“Hey, Fairy Tribe folks! First, please register your names at the desk in the back. Any injuries? Everyone okay?”

“Once you’ve registered, head to the next desk for temporary IDs. After getting your ID, go back for more stuff or relax in those chairs.”

“Anyone want drinks? Put a cup here, press this button, and a drink comes out.”

Uh, Elf Tribe, Rabbitman Tribe, Human Tribe? Why so many different races guiding us?

Wouldn’t one race make things easier?

Looking elsewhere, I see a small kid—no, bigger than me, probably a human child—handing out white grainy clumps.

“It’s called an onigiri. It’s delicious. Hungry folks, dig in!”