Chapter 11: The Ant’s Nest: A New Beginning

I headed straight to the expedition office.

“You’re here.”

Garwin, the one-eyed overseer, spoke as soon as he saw me.

He was once a famous raider, but after losing sight in one eye, he retired and became an overseer.

Although his retirement was unlucky, he’s now made quite a name for himself in this role—an outcome that worked out well in the end.

“Did you rest well?”

The overseer pushed the documents he had been reading to one side of his desk, then addressed me by my nickname.

“The Necromancer Who Calls Death.”

He seemed to find it amusing.

“Oh, yes.”

I have no idea how upper management perceives and evaluates me.

If even the overseer is calling me by this odd nickname, it must mean someone’s been using that phrase in meetings.

The heads of the expedition sure are something…

“You survived again, I see.”

He immediately threw a harsh comment at me. Did he expect me to end up buried out there?

When I shot him a slightly cynical look, he did something surprising: he raised the corners of his mouth slightly and gestured for me to take a seat.

It was the first time I’d seen him smile.

As soon as I sat down, he handed me a document. Scrawled in cursive was a certificate of activity verification from the expedition’s investigation team.

“The investigation team returned this morning.”

At that, I felt a weight on my chest again. I’d tried to drown it in drinks, trying to forget. But what’s done can’t be undone.

Daro and his party, who had gone to clear out the Goblin Nest, were all wiped out—except for me.

And now, the investigation team sent by the overseer had confirmed that my account was true and had returned.

“There’s been a bit of a stir upstairs. Even I was a little surprised.”

It was what I expected, but it seemed the part that surprised the overseer differed from my assumptions.

“The bodies…”

“All three were found. Daro, Jian, Somi. Identities confirmed. There’s just one troublesome issue.”

“What is it?”

“Daro… you remember him, right?”

“Yes.”

“That guy. He’s a noble.”

“What?”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. But the overseer looked at me with an unwavering gaze.

This wasn’t a joke, nor was he testing me. He was simply asking if I’d known about Daro’s status.

“Seems you didn’t know.”

“I had no idea.”

Though, in hindsight, there were signs. He had an unusual politeness for a raider, was highly skilled in his work, and kept meticulous expedition records.

I’d just assumed he was an oddball raider.

As if he’d expected this reaction, the overseer explained calmly.

“Daro was an alias. His real name is Daim, son of the noble Doil.

He disappeared a year ago and was presumed missing, only to join the raider guild and become an explorer.”

“Did the raider guild know?”

The overseer scoffed.

“As if those folks know anything.”

That was expected, but I’d had to ask.

The raider guild, established by thieves, beggars, and murderers, was a place where criminals joined to wash away their identities in the dungeons.

No one with a sensible mind would willingly go down into the enclosed, monster-infested depths, even for good pay.

But the raiders were a different breed—half-mad souls who loved fighting and earning money.

With so many joining and so many dying, it’s an ideal place to conceal one’s identity.

Daro—no, Daim—would’ve easily become a member without arousing suspicion.

It makes sense, but a question remains: why would someone of noble blood choose to become an explorer?

It’s a mystery I can’t solve now. After all, he’s dead, and there’s no way to ask him.

But the truly important part was something else.

“Doil had actually put in a request with the expedition. Upon checking, we found that he’s paid over 400,000 ron in sponsorship so far.

Yesterday, he heard the news about Daim’s death and lost it.”

Hearing this, I could imagine what had happened.

The nobleman, Doil, had entrusted the search for his missing son to the expedition and had been paying a hefty amount in sponsorship fees.

Yet, there were no results.

He’d patiently continued supporting the expedition, only to find out that his son had been an explorer all along and had ended up as a corpse.

It would be strange if he didn’t lose his mind over it.

“The leaders convened for an emergency meeting. I just popped in for a quick look.”

The overseer’s voice lifted as if he were genuinely amused.

“Your name came up in that meeting.”

“Oh…”

So that’s when it happened. Damn it. One of the leaders must’ve called me ‘The Necromancer Who Calls Death.’

A necromancer who drags his entire party to their deaths whenever he goes out.

But it wasn’t fair. Even though I knew it was pointless, I still protested to the overseer.

“Why are they blaming me? The leaders were the ones who didn’t care about finding Daro from the start! What did I do wrong…”

The overseer couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Ha ha… Right, the leaders didn’t care at all. They just pretended to look while milking the money.

Figured it wouldn’t matter if they found him a little late.

Thought it was nothing but the usual noble family drama.

But in the end, it was the leaders who messed up. Do you think they’d admit that? Not a chance. They needed an excuse to tell Doil.”

What a crappy situation.

“And, conveniently enough, there happened to be a necromancer in the party.”

Seriously, what a mess.

To top it all off, I’d been marked by the expedition leaders.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I got fired tomorrow or ended up cleaning corpses in the guild. Am I really going to end up cleaning corpses next to Seoha?

But seeing the overseer’s amused expression, I didn’t feel anxious. Nobody laughs while telling you that you’ve been fired.

If they did, they’d be a psychopath.

“I know you’re not purposely screwing over your party members. You just have horribly bad luck.

People die in dungeons all the time—what’s so special about it?”

I had to ask just in case.

“So what’s going to happen to me?”

“Doil demanded that your explorer credentials be revoked.”

Thud.

The overseer tossed a small badge in front of me.

“This is…”

It was the rank badge that verified my credentials as an explorer.

The explorer rankings are divided into five levels.

From the lowest, 5th grade, to the highest, 1st grade.

I was at the lowest level, a 5th-grade copper badge explorer.

But the badge the overseer just handed me was bronze.

It signified a 4th-grade explorer.

A promotion.

“Do you know why I’m giving you this?”

Though surprised, I thought it over.

I’d failed the mission and lost all my teammates—what reason would there be to promote me?

But then, I recalled the leveling system of *Dungeon Overseer*.

In *Dungeon Overseer*, simply sending explorers into dungeons earns you experience points.

Even just being present earns experience points, and eventually, you level up.

This experience system exists specifically for speedruns.

In the end, *Dungeon Overseer* is a game where the goal is to retrieve the *Forgotten Crown*, and the faster you accomplish this, the more seasoned you’re considered.

Skipping mobs and only looting essential items to reach the ending—that’s the purpose of expedition experience points.

What was it called in the game?

“A promotion for tenure, right?”

When I muttered this, the overseer nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s right. You’ve managed to last two years. Consider it a reward for your endurance.”

No matter how many teammates die or how many missions fail, experience still accumulates.

Your rank increases.

Considering that rank determines the level of dungeons you can enter, it means I now have more options.

And there was something else.

Suddenly, I remembered a patch related to promotions.

“You know what this promotion means for you, don’t you?”

Of course I did.

“Three months with no contract termination… and a new mission.”

The overseer pulled out a new document and handed it to me.

It was a contract confirmation.

This forced contract extension upon promotion was also a result of a balance patch.

In *Dungeon Overseer*, explorers earn more wages as they build up achievements.

While initial hiring costs vary based on their stats, they’re still affordable.

Leveling up skilled characters makes the game easier.

But the real burden on players came from explorers who’d grown moderately strong, with wages to match.

Explorers hired on a whim in the early stages, who grew to demand large sums, became a headache.

So, players would fire mid-tier C to B-grade explorers right after promotion and hire new A-grade ones instead.

This playstyle focused entirely on farming and character growth, ignoring playtime.

But the balance patch closed this loophole.

It was done because grind-based farming didn’t suit a roguelike game.

It was criticized by overseers who couldn’t progress without grind, but veterans like me were pleased as the game sped up.

It was called the Forced Contract Extension Upon Promotion.

I never imagined that this would save me when I was backed into a corner.

I thought it was all over… but I still have a chance.

It’s only a single chance, but it’s a stroke of luck that came to me.

I must seize it no matter what.

“Hajun.”

The overseer called out to me as I stood there, dazed.

“I don’t dislike you. I’m not thrilled that you’re a necromancer, of all professions, but I figure you have your reasons.

You’re sharper than you seem. You’re not like other explorers, running into dungeons, killing monsters, and acting like thugs.

That alone makes you a decent explorer. And you work hard, too.”

I lowered my head at the overseer’s words.

Overseer…

You seem cold and indifferent to explorers on the surface, but you do care about me.

“Even if you’re just incredibly unlucky.”

…You really do care.

“Take the assignment.”

The overseer tossed me a recommendation letter.

“If Doyl hears about it now, he’ll come for your life. Just know that he was planning to send you to the snowy mountains to fetch yeti hides.”

The snowy mountains.

Is he insane?

That’s practically a death sentence.

“Well, I told him to shove it since mission assignments are under my authority.”

The overseer chuckled, recalling the memory.

He blocked that job and chose a mission he thought I could actually succeed in.

I felt nothing but gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re that grateful, then go out there and don’t get killed. And don’t lose any more teammates.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Hajun.”

“Yes.”

“This is your last chance.”

“…I know.”

Yeah, damn it, there really is no turning back now.

I don’t know what mission I’ll be given, but I have to complete it, no matter what.

Absolutely.

The overseer, sorting through papers he had put aside, said casually.

“Go on. Your party should be waiting in the explorers’ lounge.”

It’s time to return to the dungeon.

The explorers’ lounge is filled with explorers drinking in the middle of the day.

They’re all people with nothing to do.

Here, people gather information on adventures and make connections.

That’s why it’s always bustling with energy.

In one corner, three people are huddled over a map, murmuring.

Those must be the ones.

As I approached, a balding man was the first to notice.

“Oh, did Overseer Garwyn send you?”

Then the other two looked at me.

One was a guy who seemed about my age.

The other was a girl who looked quite a bit younger.

It never hurts to start with a friendly greeting, so I introduced myself first.

“Hello, I’m Hajun, sent by Overseer Garwyn.”

The man was cautious, while the girl looked interested.

The older man extended his hand for a handshake.

“I’m Jangcheok. I’m with the Raider Guild. What guild are you with?”

“Necromancer Guild.”

“Oh, a necromancer?”

As soon as I said it, the girl also grew wary of me.

I’d almost be disappointed if she hadn’t. It’s only natural. Damn it.

Jangcheok was the leader of this party.

He introduced the other members on behalf of the group.

“This here is Zion from the Brotherhood of Iron.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“And this is Roa from the Guardian Corps.”

The Brotherhood of Iron and Guardian Corps are guild names, like Ironclad and Guardian in Dungeon Overseer.

The organization names in Dungeon Overseer follow a similar pattern, like how the official name of the Raider Guild, commonly called the ‘Raider Guild,’ is actually ‘Street Raiders.’

Ironclad and Guardian, huh.

Not a bad combination.

Ironclad is a classic tank class.

They fight at the front lines with a shield, a crucial position in early battles and boss fights.

Their weakness is that they start to lose strength in the later stages.

But that’s not an issue at this point.

Guardian is a DPS class that fights with a crossbow and daggers.

Their single-target damage is strong, making them powerful in early game and boss fights, but they’re weak in mob battles.

Their lack of AoE skills forces them to avoid combat in later stages and rely on stealth tactics.

They’re useful in speedruns but less effective in standard dungeon progression.

Jangcheok chuckled and offered me a seat.

“Sit down. We’ve just started.”

As soon as I sat down, I checked the map.

Thankfully, it’s not another goblin-hunting mission.

Goblins have become the job of mid-tier explorers since an orc warrior showed up.

The enemies we’ll face on this mission are insects.

Big, numerous, and downright creepy.

“It’s an ant nest.”

The dungeon we’re about to tackle is an ant nest.

Its difficulty is still low, and the enemy specs aren’t too high, but the ant nest is known for its vast dungeon size and the overwhelming number of enemies.

From here on out, the real game begins.

The ant nest is far more challenging than the goblin den.

The biggest difference between these two dungeons is whether there’s a clear strategy or not.

The goblin den only has about ten rooms at most.

With enough grinding, it’s cleared quickly. You can collect your loot and get out in no time.

Plus, the enemies are few.

But the ant nest has dozens of rooms.

In a smaller nest, there are thirty rooms, and in a larger one, it exceeds forty.

You can’t search through all forty rooms in one dive.

Your mental state will break down, and you’ll run out of supplies.

From here, every decision counts.

Which direction should we take to find the mission objective?

A swarm of ants is waiting in the next room—should we fight them or avoid them?

Where is the ants’ treasure hoard? Should we raid it or leave it?

Is this room the treasure room, or is it a larvae room?

It’s about to get a lot harder, so we need to stay on alert.

From here on, it’s not just the overseer giving orders—it’s us, as characters, tackling the dungeon.

Jangcheok began the briefing.

“The mission is to retrieve a gem pouch.

A week ago, a merchant group from the Kolodo Jewelers Guild was heading to the capital to sell raw gems.

But somewhere near this area, while traveling down a narrow hill path, the carriage completely sank into the ground.

It happened because the ants were digging tunnels and expanding their nest, causing the collapse.”

“What happened to the people?” Roa asked quietly.

“Two explorers were severely injured. Two others are missing.

The leader who was escorting the carriage tried to get the rest of the team out, but only two made it out alive.”

The two who returned saved their lives, but the other two…

Shion, who had been listening indifferently, spoke casually.

“They’re probably dead.”

I thought the same.

Sometimes missing people come back if an event triggers it, but most of the time, they’re just considered dead.

If they went missing in the ant nest, they’re either prisoners or, worse, just larvae food.

By now, they’ve probably become bug chow.

As I was thinking this, Shion tapped the table, making a sound.