Although I really wished we could see a humanoid town, that for now was not possible in the slightest. The more realistic chance I had in seeing any sort of a settlement with a sign of civilization was probably a group of goblins living in a cave or tents. While these goblins would essentially be no different in race or physique from the goblins I could summon as a dungeon master, I was still ecstatic about the idea of being able to learn more about this world from monsters.

Well, Lilith of course was a native of this world. Regardless, I could not rely merely on a single person’s experiences. Furthermore, I still had my reasons to doubt her motives – she was simply there when I woke up as a dungeon master. Why was she there? This question kept bothering me for days. Yet, I am aware that I should be careful about triggering a possibly very dangerous chain of events. In the worst-case scenario where she has a sinister reason of sorts, showcasing my doubts like this would prove harmful. It is, however, all a speculation.

Either way, Lilith is a witch and looks pretty much like what a human would look like. To be exact, she looks exactly like a human does, unless humans in this new world look different than what I am used to. If it is identifiable that she is a witch and not a human, my best guess would be that one could make such differentiation based solely upon the lifespan of the individual. In fact, I never asked Lilith how old she is.

Walking in a deadly absence of words, the only sound that surrounded us was the sound of the forest, which one could say was beautiful. The flora was different than that which enveloped our huts before I was killed by the fog – what Lilith called the breath of Kalisto – and got reincarnated into this body. Despite the last remaining memories of it, seeing the clear sky and tasting the refreshing air was joyful. If only I could….

“Hey, Lilith” my voice broke the silence.

“Yes master?

“Can dungeons be outdoors?”

Lilith widened her eyes as if she was hit with an unexpected yet stupid question.

“I would assume so. Dungeons are basically areas that are under your miasma as a dungeon master. If you expand your miasma into, say, over here, from the entrance, all this forest could, theoretically, be a dungeon. But, master, this is not a very good idea. Spending resources on the outside of the dungeon make it more susceptible to attacks. One big difference between human settlements and dungeons is this: The narrow paths in the dungeon make it difficult to conquer. Of course, one can build a strong castle or a fortress above the ground and make it a part of their dungeon, it is entirety, but once it falls the attackers gain access to the underground passages.”

“Has this happened before?”

“No, not a single dungeon I know of was built above ground.”

“No, I mean… Has there ever been a… breach to the underground tunnels through a dungeon by humanoids?”

“Yes.”

“So, why do humanoids not have access to the underground tunnels now?”

“They…”

Did I… Was Lilith lying to me all this time? Did I accidentally caught her red handed? Is this going to infuriate her? Oh no! I do not want to die at her hands!

“Yours is the only dungeon with the access to the outer world at this age, master.”

Why did this sound so much like a confession and an apology at the same time? Was she not supposed to be angry?

“What does that mean?”

“Humanoids slowly started conquering all the dungeons about a hundred years ago. After 30 years of war against the armies from the outer world, not wanting to give them the access to the underworld, the dungeon masters collectively collapsed the entrances to their dungeons from the outer world at the expense of their own lives using origin magic. Now, after 70 years, you were born. And along with you, a new dungeon. The only dungeon to be born in all these years. After everyone started believing that this was no more a possibility. Dungeon infertility is what they called it in magic books. The miasma of the world did not support any more dungeons since the dungeons were at their limit after the war. The collapse made it even worse, the origin magic the dungeon masters used was designed to prevent the birth of any new dungeons. I was searching for a strong miasma and awaited a new dungeon to appear for all these years.”

I was in utter shock. This took a turn, didn’t it?

“I apologize, master, for not telling you the entire truth.” Lilith shook her shoulders, and her eyes were watery as if she was about to break down and cry. She is not an evil witch, I thought to myself.

Also, I was correct about her age, I guess… Well, more pressing matters are present, that is a conversation of later.

“I see…” I am at a lost of words. “Was that why you told me that there is not an underworld city?”

“Yes… There used to be underworld cities, but most of the citizens died after the death of dungeon masters. The underworld went crazy after the origin magic, and just like dungeons, infertility spread to the dungeon monsters.”