Mare's Villainous Dungeon (マーレの極悪ダンジョン) is the seventy-fourth chapter of the Overlord: The Undead Oh! series.
Summary[]
Ainz Ooal Gown receives a visit from Aura Bella Fiora in his office who wanted to see him as she had nothing to do. Though her purpose is apparent, she wants to talk about her brother Mare Bello Fiore, reflecting her creator's Bukubukuchagama's personality on troublesome siblings. The dark elf's topic turns to the Underground Tomb near E-Rantel, being built by Mare. Ainz confirms that the facility will be used as a training center for the Sorcerer Kingdom's Adventurer's Guild.
Aura informs her master that the tomb is being renovated, had she even visited it. During the visit, Aura looking for her brother, activated a trap that shot projectiles at her. The trap had little effect on her due to her defense against projectile weapons. Apparently there was a launch port for the trap right at the entrance, which would effectively kill anyone who enters. That wasn't just the only trap, there was deep pitfall containing piercing needles, a room that traps people and slowly fills with strong acid, etc.
Ainz nervous at hearing this, asks about the arrangement of the undead. Aura replies that the undead are currently helping with the renovations so there are many places where they are not stationed. Though she did see a room containing a pack of undead wolves and undead snakes coming out of the walls. Overall Aura complains the dungeon her sweet brother made, reeks of murderous intent. Even Ainz admits that from the sound of the dungeon it would be difficult for new adventurers to survive. In the beginning Ainz asked for a recreational dungeon where adventurers could gain experience, and never imagined that such a dread place would be created. Aura tried even tell her brother the lethal problems with his dungeon, only for the dark elf boy to innocently say that there needs to be pain for the adventurers to get serious.
Ainz takes a moment to consider this. For training Ainz knows that he wants to include support that involves revival and recovery to prepare the adventurers, but course it would be a pain due those revived would losing their levels. If one's level is too low there is a risk that revival will fail and that person will end up as ashes. This is what he had learned from Evileye when she explained the loss of vitality upon using resurrection magic. However eve if a person recovers quickly they will still be temporarily weakened. Trying to strengthen and the later be weaken would be like pushing the cart before the horse as it were. Plus if rumors were to spread that the Sorcerer Kingdom was slaughtering its adventurer it would look very bad on his nation's image.
Ainz allows Aura to voice her opinion on this matter, for which the dark elf believing that Ainz's direct reprimand to Mare would be a real shocker for her brother, so she recommends that she will claim it's her opinion and not Ainz's opinion to cover for her master. And even adds that she will "encourage" her brother in a painful way to memorize said opinion of the dungeon.
In any case the lethality of the traps need to be brought down a bit so that they are manageable. For the dungeon to be rearranged, Aura asks her master's wisdom on what he expects to teach the adventurers at his facility. Ainz believes that he first lessons he would instruct would be "fishing ahead", a subject where tank players take the role to act as shields to increase the enemy's focus and attacks on them. This brings back memories of how Peroroncino drew the attention of a rampaging monster and was chased by it, whilst pleading with his sister to take it down only for her to decline.
So he thinks maybe focusing on the roles assigned in a team would be a good lesson. For example when being wary of traps, both the skills of a rogue and magic catster need to be handy for optimal results. Another thing would be to prevent habitual carelessness, as he knew from experience even losing a healer could be a disaster. In one instance Ainz recalls when his team's healer Yamaiko was even burned just by opening a random door.
Another things would be not get caught up in preconceptions, as when in a dungeon, there is always some nasty trick involved. An example of this is when Nishikienrai found a geyser that gushes at regular intervals. The sight of the phenomena is a common game gimmick. Bukubukuchagama wonders if that geyser can be used to jump upwards using the water pressure, and even Warrior Takemikazuchi thinks that there must be a scaffolding atop the geyser spout. Nishikienrai thinking that they are right, tries to ride the geyser only for him to take damage from the hot water.
Additionally when it comes to battles, if people learn how to fight as a team, they will become a formidable foe and never lose. So long as team members act accordingly and identify thing instantly. Case in point, there was a time Ulbert Alain Odle had a range attack locked on him, causing Touch Me to laugh and tell his teammate to get away. Instead Ulbert rushed towards Touch Me with the target locked on him still. Ulbert and Touch Me survived the range attack, taking damage much to each other's annoyance.
After all that the most important thing would be to gain experience, by applying knowledge to increase their survival rate. This brings back memories of how Ainz fought his first boss, a dragon, with Touch Me who gave him pointers on how to fight it having did so himself and learned its attack patterns. All there was to it was to apply the same tactics when fighting the Desert Ruin Boss, which Momonga had not done due to his inexperience, resulting him taking a lot of damage. Apparently fighting that boss was a prerequisite to understand how to fight the dragon boss fought. However Touch Me, explosively defeats the boss after it had finished its attack pattern on Momonga. That moment impressed Momonga that someone with experience can help an ignorant player like him survive.
Aura brings up a question on how to help the adventurers acquire such a wide range of knowledge and thinks maybe a teacher is necessary. Ainz who can be considered an experience person, admits that ere are limits to what he can teach people through practical skill, then offers her to provide any informative stories for this matter. Aura then gives her take on the situation, in that Mare's dungeon is essentially a murder trap musuem, and would be a poor teacher. However since they as the Sorcerer Kingdom made it their motto to have adventurers undertake "a jounrey into the unknown" the best person for the job would be Zaryusu Shasha who was a traveler. when exploring the unknonw, when it comes to traveling there are more dangers from nature than man-made traps. Topics like water, food supply, a campsite and dangerous creatures are high on the list.
Ainz hearing this thinks Zaryusu's nomination is a wonderful idea as he could teach the adventurers on how to survive. Noting that he taught Hamsuke must mean that the lizardman is used to teaching. Though at the same time feels bad, as it would require the lizardman to move to the affiliated facility, outside Nazarick and look like a demotion. To Ainz's experience as an office worker, this is a disgrace, however there is no one more suitable than the demi-human. So he decides to have Aura approach Zaryusu to have the demi-human teach the adventurers either full-time of part-time regardless.
Aura is instructed by Ainz to take Zaryusu on a our of the facility and suggest to Mare to take him on as an instructor. Aura quickly goes to fetch Zaryusu who respectful greets her, though Aura cuts the greets short, preferring to explain on the go so they can head over to the Murder Dungeon, the name causing the demi-human apprehensive fear.
Inside the dungeon, Zaryusu understand that Ainz Ooal Gown wants him to be an instructor. While touring the dungeon, Aura stays close to Zaryusu just to be safe as even though she scolded Mare about the amount of lethal force in his traps, there might still be one or two that he may have missed. Thankfully the arrow trap at the entrance was removed, But to her dismay the traps only got worse as Mare has installed a spinning blade pillar.
Behind the trap Mare appears to welcome the two to his dungeon, though Aura cannot hear him due to the spinning blades and demands he shut it down. Once it is shut down, Mare tries to reason that the trap is meant to teach adventurers on how to deal with situations in a pinch and remind them that they need someone by their side. Aura though is doubtful on his teaching methods. She then decides to introduce Zaryusu as the needed human resources the dungeon needs.
At first Mare is confused as Zaryusu is not a healer. Both Aura and Zaryusu are left dumbstruck of the male dark elf's belief that as long as a team has a healer they won't die no matter what. When Mare offers to show his sister and the lizardman how he improved the traps, Zaryusu asks his mistress on what they should do. Aura decides to hold her scolding until after Mare demonstrate his "improvements".
One trap involves a narrow passage that has a trigger that will release a iron ball from behind that will roll and crush any adventurer. The passageway is tapered so eventually the rolling ball will stop, and the adventurer will be forced to crawl through the narrower passage to the point of creeping on the ground to move forward. But that section of the passage contains a lot of highly flammable liquid that will cover them. When they reach the next chamber it will be dark, so when they use fire to illuminate the room, the liquid will ignite them into flames. And even if they use magical light, there are skeletons that will shoot fire arrows at them from behind iron bars lining the walls.
The only way to unlock the iron bars is a switch located inside a hole in the wall. But as soon as anyone presses the switch, that person will lose an arm by a guillotine. In the next passage has skeletons armed with bows an arrows at the top that shoot. And a large rotary blade that protrudes from the wall to cut the tendons of the leg. There is even a needle ceiling in one room, and the exit is an underwater passage, but has many zombies within.
All these features leave Zaryusu in a panic after the tour is over. Even Aura admits that most of these traps will cause trauma. She berates Mare for the lethality and reminds him that they are building a training center and orders him to make it more lukewarm for the adventurers. Mare is distraught and believes his hard work will go to waste, causing Aura to ask the lizardman if it truly is?
Later when the training facility is completed, Zaryusu is overseeing a batch of adventurers, citing their poor performance. Though he receives many complaints on the switch that cuts their arms, etc. Regardless Zaryusu insist that these obstacles will help them survive and train them up.
Afterwards the training facility goes on to be known as the Legendary Villainous Dungeon, that makes adventurers tremble and fully engaged in training.
Character Appearance[]
In Order of Appearance[]
- Mare Bello Fiore
- Aura Bella Fiora
- Ainz Ooal Gown
- Bukubukuchagama (Flashback)
- Evileye (Flashback)
- Peroroncino (Flashback)
- Yamaiko (Flashback)
- Nishikienrai (Flashback)
- Warrior Takemikazuchi (Flashback)
- Ulbert Alain Odle (Flashback)
- Touch Me (Flashback)
- Zaryusu Shasha
- Rororo (Cameo)
Locations[]
Chapter Notes[]
- This chapter first appears in Monthly Comp Ace February 2024 Issue.
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| Overlord: The Undead Oh! Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Volume 1 | |
| Volume 2 | |
| Volume 3 | |
| Volume 4 | |
| Volume 5 | |
| Volume 6 | |
| Volume 7 | |
| Volume 8 | |
| Volume 9 | |
| Volume 10 | |
| Volume 11 | |
| Volume 12 | |
| Volume 13 | |
| Not in a Volume | |