I’m Telling You, I’m Not the Boss Monster!

After the unification war led by the First Emperor, the Tumanist Empire was established, consolidating the fractured nations of the continent under a single banner.
With the Emperor’s noble vision, humanity saw the end of internal wars, marking the dawn of a peaceful era.
This era of tranquility brought significant advancements.
The black soil was cultivated, stabilizing agrarian societies and boosting food production.
The invention of paper and the spread of literacy turned newspapers into a common good rather than a privilege of the aristocracy.
Children attended schools for basic education and were offered training in magic or swordsmanship if they showed potential.
Hospitals treated the sick, and urbanization, spearheaded by the royal family, elevated human civilization to unprecedented heights.
However, rapid progress inevitably brought complications.
The agricultural surplus led to a population explosion, which coincided disastrously with an unforeseen famine.
Rapid urbanization introduced rampant crime across the Empire.
The Rise of Dungeon Conquest
As cities declared independence as "Free Cities," serfs fled their lords' lands in search of freedom.
Cities became breeding grounds for crime, and the unsanitary slums were literal cesspools, harboring the rats responsible for the Black Death.
While the Empire struggled to resolve these internal crises, its military was stretched thin combating monstrous invaders from the Abyss.
The chaotic state of affairs threatened to bring the Empire, barely a century old, to its knees.
But in every crisis lies a solution, and for the Empire, the answer was the
.
The cure for the Black Death, thought incurable, was found in the flora of a dungeon.
This discovery turned dungeons into a beacon of hope, providing both solutions to humanity’s problems and employment for the desperate.
The bounty of the dungeons—resources and technology—became central to human progress.
Having resolved internal conflicts, the Empire shifted its focus to dungeon conquest.
A United Enemy: The 72 Dungeons
The Empire needed a common adversary to maintain unity.
Thus, the royal family declared the
the ultimate enemy of humanity.
Dungeons were deemed the root of all evil, spawning both the Abyss and its monstrous inhabitants.
This declaration not only rallied humanity under a shared cause but also promised tangible rewards:
Conquering a dungeon would yield resources, wealth, and influence.
Unyielding Challenges: The Seven Abyssal Palaces
While many dungeons fell to the Empire’s relentless campaigns, seven remained unconquerable.
Known as the
, they were humanity’s greatest challenge, boasting unimaginable defenses.
Recognizing the need for a focused effort, the Empire’s military formed the Dungeon Subjugation Command.
This new branch specialized in counter-dungeon operations, adapting weaponry and strategy to eliminate monsters.
Among the Palaces, the first breakthrough came with the fall of Bango’s Dark Abyss, one of the Seven.
The feat was achieved by deploying the legendary
.
The conquest of the Dark Abyss was hailed as a triumph, fueling hope for further victories.
The Unexpected Death of a Hero
However, the celebration was short-lived.
Soon after returning victorious, one of the Four Heroes, Valmonk the Faithful, died mysteriously in the newly reborn Abyssal Palace.
The news shook the Empire to its core.
The Dungeon Subjugation Command convened an emergency council.
Commander McDmill slammed the round table in frustration, his face red with anger.
“Damn it! Why did he have to die?!”
The room fell silent under the weight of his fury.
A Call for Vengeance
“Ladies and gentlemen, we must act! A hero—an icon of this Empire—has perished in the Abyssal Palace.
The people demand justice, and we cannot allow chaos to spread!”
One of the generals spoke up.
“The answer is clear: we must launch an immediate assault on the Abyssal Palace.”
Another general interjected, cautioning against rash decisions.
“Sir, this is no ordinary dungeon. It’s one of the Seven Abyssal Palaces.
We succeeded with Bango’s Abyss because of our detailed knowledge of its layout and traps.
The new Abyssal Palace, however, is an enigma.”
“But we do know one thing: the Boss of this Palace is an undead Death Knight,” said the younger general.
“Who better to send than Wilhelm, the Hero of Solari? His Holy Sword has recently awakened, making him the perfect countermeasure.”
The Awakening of the Holy Sword
Wilhelm, a knight blessed by the Sun God Solari, had long wielded the Holy Sword.
However, only two days prior, the sword fully awakened, imbuing him with divine power capable of obliterating even an Abyssal Palace.
A Personal Vendetta
Moreover, Wilhelm and Valmonk had shared an unbreakable bond.
Despite their differences in faith and philosophy, the two heroes had become inseparable after saving each other’s lives during the conquest of Bango’s Abyss.
“If Wilhelm leads the charge, the people will see justice served.
The Sun God’s blessing on the Holy Sword is a sign that Valmonk’s death must be avenged!”
The Council’s Decision
The room grew silent as Commander McDmill considered the arguments.
The Empire believed the Palace’s fall was inevitable.
But in the shadows of the Abyss, a new, unpredictable force awaited them.
***
The bone throne in the boss room never failed to unsettle me. Sure, Charlotte designed it for me, but my mind was still very much human.
“This thing just doesn’t sit right with me, no matter how many times I see it.”
I was only putting up with it because replacing it would render Charlotte’s hard work pointless.
I let out a sigh that sounded more like a frosty exhale and unfolded the newspaper. With no internet here, I had to settle for the papers Charlotte brought from the outside to pass the time. Going out would mean dealing with the endless racket of the Insectfolk and vampires. As much as I felt bad for Charlotte, I wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet.
“
”
“They sure found out fast.”
Or was it just that, for a medieval world, their information networks were surprisingly efficient? I flipped to the next page without much interest—until something big caught my attention.
“...The Awakening of the Holy Sword.”
The Solar Knight, Wilhelm, had awakened the Holy Sword.
Looking back, this was around the time that Wilhelm, one of the named NPCs, had awakened the sword in the game. It was just a passing line of dialogue, but I remembered every single one of them. That’s what happens when you pour 30,000 hours into something.
“What was it he said again?”
That line was from the chapter when Callandas launched his invasion.
The awakening of the Holy Sword was tied to a divine revelation from the Sun God. It was directly connected to Callandas ramping up his plans to wipe out humanity.
“Callandas, you undead bastard. You’re really making yourself known.”
In the game, the “Rotting Gorge of Death and Rebirth” dungeon was impossible for players to clear solo. It was designed so that Wilhelm had to survive and assist you for any hope of success.
If you thought you were dead before, you’re double dead now, you walking corpse.
Even as a dungeon boss, humanity’s collapse would be a massive problem for me. If Callandas’s forces grew stronger, it would only spell disaster for me down the line.
Wilhelm probably had no idea what the divine revelation meant yet. But what if I leaked information about Callandas’s wicked plans?
“This could be my chance to take out the Rank 5 boss.”
And if I could snatch the
in the process? Perfect. That would be exactly what Charlotte needs for her development.