Naturally, Ian had a reason for not revealing that information immediately.

“First, they need to learn how to deal with mamools without relying on a guide.”

Ian himself hadn’t started out as a walking strategy manual. He had fought mamools blindly, dying dozens upon dozens of times before developing proper tactics.

Of course, back then he had possessed infinite lives...

Even so, the current situation wasn’t all that different. They were learning how to hunt mamools without putting their real lives at risk.

And with Keith present, nobody was actually going to die anyway.

If this were still just a game, there wouldn’t have been any issue to begin with. Ian could directly control every character during combat.

But the age of convenient touch controls was long gone.

The voice-command system was useful, certainly—but it had one major flaw.

It lacked precision.

Results varied wildly depending on the listener’s understanding, judgment, and combat ability.

Keith could flawlessly interpret even Ian’s vaguest commands, but Ian knew very well that not everyone was Keith.

In situations like this, actual combat experience mattered.

People improved by thinking, adapting, and executing strategies with their own hands.

Most importantly, Keith and Nameita were members of the future assault team for the Demon King’s Castle. There would inevitably come moments when Ian couldn’t issue commands to them at all.

He needed to evaluate Nameita’s combat instincts and judgment for himself.

Keith, naturally, required no testing.

Nameita, however, was another matter.

And the results?

Good enough.

“Not bad.”

The target of the test had been the golden monkey mamools—an infamously troublesome enemy for beginners due to their group behavior and high individual attack power.

Defeating even a single one triggered their second phase.

They stopped throwing projectiles from fixed positions and began attacking while constantly moving, making them difficult to hit unless one possessed decent physical ability.

Their offensive power increased as well. The fur they ripped from their own bodies and hurled at enemies struck with the force of steel weapons.

And to make matters worse, the small mamools swarmed from every direction while shrieking incessantly.

It was the perfect setup to send inexperienced fighters into complete panic.

But Nameita did not panic.

FWOOSH!

One stunned mamool after another vanished after being sent back to the dungeon.

Like insects collapsing around an old mosquito coil, the remaining mamools hidden throughout the underbrush began dropping one after another.

Ian grinned broadly with the satisfaction of a farmer bringing in a plentiful harvest.

“Contact the dungeon. Tell them to shave the fur off the ones I just sent back.”

“...Wouldn’t that lower their combat capability?”

Sema instinctively voiced his doubts—and immediately startled himself afterward.

After all, it was only natural to assume that shaving a mamool that used its fur as a weapon would weaken it.

It would be like stripping armor off a miryam.

And yet...

No one in the dungeon dared openly question Ian’s decisions.

Which was why the miryams frequently ended up bald.

“...Giving advice to Lord Ian... Have I grown as a person?”

“What are you talking about? That fur is literally gold. Are you planning to forge weapons out of pure gold? Do you think we’re swimming in money?”

“....”

After reconsidering, Sema decided perhaps personal growth wasn’t such a wonderful thing after all.

Silence and obedience seemed safer.

Beside them, Nameita covered his mouth and muttered quietly,

“Master of worldly prophecies...?”

Ian ignored the suspicious gazes directed his way.

Building up his image as a divine emissary was Keith’s specialty. Ian saw no reason to waste energy doing the same with everyone else.

More importantly—

He had another goal in mind.

“Got the tank. Expanded the dungeon.”

The next step was obvious.

“Now it’s time to fill the empty rooms.”

The dungeon had expanded, leaving vacant chambers that needed to be stocked with mamools.

A list of highly efficient and synergistic mamools instantly surfaced in Ian’s mind.

But who said dungeon traps could only contain mamools?

At their current level of strength, shouldn’t they be aiming higher?

“Let’s level up and capture a demon.”

Capturing had always been harder than killing.

Before now, fighting demons had been little more than a desperate gamble between life and death.

But their strategy had already advanced well beyond the early phase.

Capturing demons?

Completely possible.

Maybe even something greater than that.

The title Reverse Dungeon referred to a world where humans and mamools had swapped places.

However, if one played skillfully enough, another reversal occurred midway through the game.

Ian was certain he had finally reached the point where capturing demons was realistic.

Besides, if he was going to suffer from the penalties attached to the “Hero” title anyway, wasn’t it a gamer’s duty to turn disaster into opportunity?

After that, the days became a continuous chain of battles.

SCREEECH!

Ding!

[Management Panel: Monster Placement]

[Spinning Snail]

Height: 6 meters

Weight: 10 tons

Leaves behind trails of toxic mucus.

Ding!

[Management Panel: Monster Placement]

[Ghoul]

An undead creature that dwells in graveyards.

Emits a foul stench and spreads an aura of decay, transforming the surrounding area into a breeding ground for the undead.

Ding!

[Management Panel: Monster Placement]

[Graveyard Pigeon]

Bird-type monster that guards cemeteries.

Undead creatures within its territory receive regeneration and attack buffs.

Undead Regeneration: +200%

Undead Attack Power: +100%

“Good.”

Ian clenched his fist triumphantly.

After endless grinding, even Sema’s pathetic Water Ball skill had finally leveled up.

Granted, against stronger mamools, Water Ball was still practically useless in actual combat.

But who cared?

Ian had never expected much from a three-star character to begin with.

Back inside the dungeon, Ian opened the management panel and assigned mamools to the newly emptied rooms.

With that, the defensive formation necessary for capturing demons was complete.

“Hahaha!”

He felt so satisfied he almost seemed full without needing to eat.

Ian chuckled quietly to himself just as Louise approached to deliver a report.

“Lord Ian, as instructed, we have successfully tamed the mamools for riding. Thanks to your blessing, they no longer view us as enemies.”

“Oh? Really?”

This actually worked?

The moment Louise finished speaking, a NEW icon appeared within the management panel, signaling the addition of a new deployable unit.

Ding!

[Monster]

[Mounted Archer]

Mobile archers mounted on miryams instead of horses.

Attack Speed: +200%

Accuracy: -30%

“This reality patch is insane.”

Ian shivered with excitement.

At that exact moment, the weapon panel began glowing brightly.

Ding!

[Item]

[Silver Arrow – Modified (Crafted by Momisia)]

• Arrows coated in silver, imbued with holy attributes.

• Damage against mamools: +200%

• Holy Damage: +100%

• Status ailment resistance: ‘Curse’

The silver ingots acquired in exchange for golden monkey fur had been reforged by Momisia into deadly arrows.

Ian immediately equipped them onto the mounted archers.

CLINK!

The sound of equipment locking into place was pure music to his ears.

Just then, a commotion erupted near the entrance to the plaza as an elf came rushing in, panic written across his face.

“Excuse me! Lord Ian, urgent news!”

“What is it?”

“Demons are approaching!”

“Good.”

“...Pardon?”

The elf blinked blankly, drenched in sweat.

“No—I mean demons are approaching. Here.”

“Yes. A spirit scouting the area discovered them. However... this demon is...”

“What, someone I know?”

“Yes.”

The elf bit his lip, his face turning pale.

“The demon approaching us is the Demon of Arrogance.”

“Oh. Really.”

Ian immediately recalled the incident with the Desert Tower trap.

“Why does this bastard always hit the worst possible odds?”

The answer was obvious.

His character was cursed.

“Whatever. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) No point dwelling on it.”

“Louise.”

“Yes, Lord Ian. Your orders?”

“Prepare the mounted archers. We’re capturing a demon.”

“Understood.”

“And what should I do?” Keith asked.

Ian turned toward the most reliable combat force at his disposal.

“Can you capture the demon alive?”

“If that is your command.”

Keith answered calmly, then smiled.

For perhaps the first time in a while, Ian felt genuinely at ease.

Keith always kept his promises.

[Sema’s Staff] Basic Item

Talent may be supplemented with equipment, but even the finest equipment cannot always compensate for a caster’s shortcomings. (Usually.)

[Cloth Mage Armor]

[Water]

[Cloth Mage Robe]

[Fruit]

Ian had long since thrown away the [Kingdom Beauty Guide], the book containing portraits and profiles of every beauty in the Ferentz Kingdom.

It had become slightly worn after being passed around throughout the dungeon countless times.

Why he had continued keeping it until now remained a mystery even to himself.