The undead are a type of monster.

However, they seem to be in a special category that is different from other monsters.

Well, even if you think about it normally, they're the dead that have been resurrected.

They are probably even more contrary to the laws of nature than other monsters.

Apparently the undead in this world have a distinctly different emergence condition than other monsters.

According to the explanation from Prathi, the monster is the mana (magic power?) that has accumulated in the dungeon. The undead are generated when the mana puddle condenses.

Undead generation is basically the same, but when the mana puddle condenses, it relies on a certain object to create the undead.

A corpse.

Most of the time, adventurers and other adventurers who have gone into a dungeon and never returned home become the source of undead.

The undead are the shells of souls that have left, and the mana that stagnated in the dungeon, and reincarnated as unreasonable creatures.

The living dead, skeletons, ghosts, and specters.

There are various types of undead, but the No-Life King, which stands at the top of the list, is also a different kind of being.

After all, all other undead have died unexpectedly and become undead, but the No-Life King willingly gave up his humanity and became an immortal while alive.

* * * *

"It's been a thousand years since I had this body.

We were having tea in the bottom level of the dungeon, the home of the No-Life King, and we were completely relaxed.

It's no longer a dungeon capture atmosphere.

He was an archbishop of a church when he was alive. But he ran away from home. The reason why........well, what was the reason?

Apparently, we were the first guests for them in decades.

They were surprisingly generous with us.

''It wasn't enough for us to just get embittered, they released us from our pursuers, and after running from place to place, we ended up in this dungeon. There, I used a forbidden curse and absorbed the mana that was stagnant in this dungeon and became undead while still alive.''

The Great Undead Curse. It's ethically forbidden, but the level of mastery itself is so crazy high that only a few people in the world should be able to use it, right?

Prathi was surprised.

'But why the undead? Do you want revenge on the church that turned you into a monster and kicked you out?

"That is not what I meant. I had a mission to accomplish, even if I had to transform into a deformed being.

The mission?

"I forgot what it was all about.

Hey, hey, hey.

Then what's the point of going to the trouble of becoming undead?

''This is what it means to have existed for a thousand years. You can forget things that should never be forgotten. What kind of an important mission it was is beyond our memories, but now that a thousand years have passed, it's too late for it to mean anything.''

It was kind of a shabby story.

That's why I'm just an old man who has lost the meaning of life. On the other hand, what do you guys want to do in the backcountry?

No, we don't have much of a need either...

For now, I tried to explain.

That I recently bought this land and started a pioneer life here.

I want to be self-sufficient in this place and live a carefree life.

I wanted to investigate the dungeon to see if any of the monsters in the dungeon would do me any harm, so I decided to go on a monster extermination mission.

Then I met Mr. No Life King.

Well, if that's the case, don't worry. This dungeon is managed by me, and no monster will go out of it's own accord.

That's what makes a dungeon with the Lord so helpful. It's very orderly and organized.

Prathi says admiringly.

''If the Lord is mild-mannered, he won't cause any harm to those around him at all. On the other hand, if he's violent or vicious, it will be a terrible thing...!

''That kind of dungeon lord will be defeated by a brave man. The reason I've been able to survive for a thousand years is because I didn't do anything bad.

Hahahaha, Prathi and Mr. No Life King laughing at each other.

Is that the place to laugh?

I'm still a little unable to grasp the point of the fantasy world joke.

'If that's the case, Lord, can I go into this dungeon from time to time and run amok? I had my eye on it, thinking it would be a prime material gathering place to begin with.

Yeah, I don't mind. The only thing I had to do originally was to take care of the monsters that were growing too much by myself to keep them out. If you guys take care of them, it will save us a lot of trouble.

?

What do you mean?

''The purpose of entering the dungeon is partly to get rid of monsters that might cause damage to the living quarters as soon as possible, but it's just as important to get the materials for the monsters!

''What?''

'Depending on the species, the meat is very good, and the fur and bones make for great tools! It's a great deal to have a reasonably sized dungeon in your neighborhood!

Seriously?

I didn't hear anything about that at all.

I thought dungeons were just an annoying existence that only sprinkled the harmfulness of monsters around them.

'As an added bonus, isn't a dungeon that the Lord manages well and has zero disadvantages the best dungeon imaginable? It's going to make our homes even better!

Even in my day, large cities were built around dungeons. A dungeon that regularly discharges high quality materials is a treasure trove.

Oh, I see.

I'm not going to destroy the dungeon? Is that why Prati seemed reluctant to ask?

We can't get furs and meat from the fields, so that would certainly be a big help.

We were making great strides in the frontier.

And so, from now on, we look forward to being neighbors.

"Why don't you come over every now and then and keep me company so I don't have to suffer the torment of boredom?

And we've got neighbors!

The last of the deadliest of our neighbors!

* * *

'Speaking of which, what should I call you, No Life King? I hadn't gotten your name yet.

"Hmm.... but I've been cooped up in this dungeon for hundreds of years and never told anyone who I was, so I've forgotten my name...

It's scary living alone and forgetting your own name.

I remember it too. It could have been seriously helpful if Prathi had rolled in early.

But it's somewhat annoying not having a name to call you by....

Do we have to come up with a name for ourselves?

'You were a great clergyman when you were alive, weren't you? How about we take that and call it 'sir'?

Well, that's good!

No life king teacher.

Looks like we've got some good neighbors.

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