I’m Telling You, I’m Not the Boss Monster!

In the stifling silence, my gaze locked with Roxanne's in the void.

If looks could kill, I’d already be dead a hundred times over.

Roxanne merely stared at me without moving an inch.

Honestly, I didn’t expect her to back down first. Even if she was slightly intimidated, her insufferable arrogance wouldn’t allow her to lower her tail. Especially not in front of the 72 Lords.@@novelbin@@

That said, she wouldn’t be quick to act either. If I had to guess, she was probably thinking the same thing as me:
Someone, please, stop this.

"Enough. Both of you, let’s end it here."

As expected, Dalron was the first to intervene.

"A life-and-death duel? How can the Lords of the Abyss even consider killing each other? You’ve both let your emotions get the better of you. Maintain your dignity. What kind of disgrace is this at the round table where the 72 Lords are seated?"

"I agree! I hate when people die!"
"So do I! I second that!"
"Let’s all calm down, including you, Roxanne, okay?"

I had anticipated this almost without fail. A duel within the Abyss would’ve worried them enough, but a life-and-death match? Of course, they had to step in.

Despite the surrounding pleas, Roxanne continued glaring at me.

"Tch."

She clicked her tongue and sharply turned her head away. Not stopping there, she stood up abruptly, pushed her chair aside, and turned her back on the table.

Click, clack. Click, clack.

The sound of her heels echoed as she walked away, drawing everyone’s gaze.

At the door, Roxanne paused, tilting her head slightly to glance sideways at the gathering. After one sweeping glare, she faced forward again.

"There’s nothing more for me here."

Bang!

With those final words, Roxanne slammed the door and left the chamber. She had stormed off in a huff. Honestly, her pettiness knew no bounds.

With the highest-ranking Lord gone, an awkward silence enveloped the round table. The 72 Lords exchanged uneasy glances, clearly waiting for someone from the Seventh Abyss to speak first.

Dalron surveyed the room and let out a heavy sigh.

"There’s no point continuing this meeting."

"Agreed! What do we do now?"
"I’m with Rin on this one!"

After about ten minutes of deliberation, the Seventh Abyss and Bliz unanimously decided to adjourn the meeting. The other 72 Lords seemed to share the sentiment, bringing the gathering to a conclusion—not as a failure, but certainly not a success.

As we exited the meeting hall, staff members from the upper trade association entered one by one.

"We bid farewell to the esteemed Lords. Please use the association’s portal for your return."

The lower-ranking Lords scurried out of the chamber. Frankly, I wanted to leave immediately too, but the rest of the Seventh Abyss remained seated, unbothered. It seemed like a tradition for the Seventh Abyss to leave last, so I stayed put, following their lead.

"It’s been a while since I had this much fun," said Kalandas, the first to depart.

He glanced at me briefly, and our eyes met naturally. His level—a faint black with hints of orange—showed a mix of wariness and fear. Unless his level shifted, I knew he wouldn’t make the first aggressive move.

Rozsha, Dalron, and the twins, Ren and Rin, remained seated, their eyes fixed on me as if orchestrated. It was unnerving, but I maintained my silence, exuding as much weight as possible.

"It’s fortunate things ended smoothly," Dalron said in a deep, rumbling voice.

The sheer size of his face leaning toward me was intimidating enough to make me break out in a cold sweat. If I weren’t undead, I might have foamed at the mouth and passed out.

"Barugore. We may be meeting for the first time, but I’ve taken a liking to you."

He didn’t need to say it; I already knew. His level—a rich green—indicated goodwill.

The Lords of the Seventh Abyss, strong as they were, respected other powerful beings. Unless there were specific conflicts, they were likely to approach me favorably. Of course, exceptions like Roxanne existed—a lizard who wouldn’t acknowledge anyone stronger than herself and only sought fights.

"You may be small, but you’re not insignificant. It’s been a long time since someone piqued my interest this much on a first meeting," Dalron said with a low chuckle.

"You’re ranked seventh individually, yet you’ve managed to contend with the second rank. My curiosity is satisfied. Clearly, we’ve become too reliant on the power of our dungeons. Perhaps it’s time for me to focus on honing my strength again."

Dalron extended a massive hand toward me. At first, I thought he was going to crush me with it, but then I realized he was offering a fist bump.

Without hesitation, I matched his gesture with my own fist.

"Thank you, Barugore. You’ve cleared my mind. If you ever consider visiting the Eternal Frost, you’re welcome anytime. You’ll receive the warmest hospitality I can offer. And... you, little one."

Before I could respond, one of Dalron’s dwarven subordinates approached me. The dwarf, though small in stature, had a staggering level of 85. Clearly, this wasn’t someone to underestimate.

Dalron’s moniker, “Great King of Small Things,” was well-earned. Despite being a giant, he surrounded himself exclusively with diminutive subordinates like dwarves and pixies, driven by his innate desire to nurture and protect them—much like humans feel toward chicks.

The dwarf reached into his pocket and retrieved a flask.

[Blessing of Mana (S+)]
[Enhancement Probability: 2%]
[Warning! Failure to enhance will result in automatic destruction.]
[Upon failure, cooldown will reset.]
[Do you wish to enhance the Blessing of Mana (S+)? YES/NO]

A top-tier S+ item. The Blessing of Mana wasn’t just a magical elixir—it was the superior version of the Celestial Elixir, ideal for mages.

"This is a gift to strengthen our bond. If it’s not useful to you, feel free to pass it to your lieutenant," Dalron said.

"...Thank you."

If necessary, I could give it to Charlotte. It would be an incredible boost for her. That Dalron would offer such a gift on a first meeting spoke volumes about his generosity—unlike a certain someone whose pettiness matched their size.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

As Dalron moved, the ground trembled. His magical dwarves and pixies trailed after him, his loyal subordinates guarding him as he walked toward the portal.

"Until the next meeting," Dalron said as he entered the shimmering portal.

The massive figure disappeared, and the space suddenly felt vast and open. The oppressive tension of being in the presence of a cosmic horror dissipated.

Da-da-da!

The unusually light footsteps pricked at my ears.

Soon, the twin homunculi appeared, their sparkling eyes fixed on me.

“Hey!” Ren pointed at me rudely, her finger stabbing the air.

Despite being over a thousand years old, they looked like innocent children.

“Seventh rank! I like you!”
“Me too! I like seventh rank!”

The twins’ levels were an even darker green than Dalron’s—comparable to Valutak’s level of goodwill.

They giggled and skipped in circles around me like they were playing ring-around-the-rosy.

“Play with us later! Rin says she wants to!”
“Yeah! Rin! Rin likes seventh rank! Berogore? Barugore?”
“Right, it’s Barugore.”
“Hehe. Barugore! Let’s play sometime! Visit our dungeon whenever!”
“Same here. Stop by Twin Spire sometime! We’ll be waiting!”

Their chatter was dizzying, but I nodded without letting my annoyance show.

Immediately, they held out their pinkies.

“Promise!”
“Proooomise~!”

Caught off guard, I ended up making pinky promises with both hands. Only then did the twins release their grip.

Still giggling, they walked to the door and waved enthusiastically before leaving, their carefree energy lingering behind.

“That was impressive.”

The last remaining Lord of the Seventh Abyss was Rozsha.

She was already standing behind me, running a sultry hand along the back of my neck.

Ugh. Creepy.

“What should I do? The more I learn about you, the more fascinated I become.”
“...”
“You know, I’m always available. Anytime, really. It doesn’t even have to be for a night—just visit whenever you feel like it.”

Rozsha gave me her signature sly smile, the kind that reminded me of a fox.

“Or we could even do it here, at the round table. That would be... unique.”
“I’ll visit someday.”
“Hehe, alright. Oh, and about the Ninth Legion—I’ll send them over as soon as they’re ready. They still need some preparations, but I want to ensure they’re at their best.”

Rozsha withdrew her hand and stepped back.

In the distance, Drabule had already opened a portal to her dungeon. Rozsha turned and waved her fingers coyly at me from afar.

“See you later, sweetheart.”

Even as she stepped backward into the portal, her gaze remained fixed on me, brimming with flirtation.

Once everyone had left, I finally exhaled in relief—a chilly sigh escaping like I’d been chain-smoking nonstop.

I’d never been this on edge in my entire life. Bluffing my way through a room full of the world’s strongest beings... It was a miracle I hadn’t died instantly. Honestly, even I wasn’t sure how I’d managed it.

"Why did you spare me?"

Charlotte’s question interrupted my thoughts.

...Spare her?

I turned to her with a puzzled look.

"You could easily replace me with a more capable lieutenant. But your relationship with Lord Roxanne... It would’ve been better to execute me."

I understood her point. Our feud with Roxanne was a serious liability. Pragmatically speaking, killing Charlotte and mending that relationship would have been the smarter move.

But how could I?

My heart may belong to the undead, but my attachment to Charlotte was undeniably human.

“Don’t say that. No one could replace you as my lieutenant.”
“...”

It hit me again—Charlotte was originally meant to be one of Roxanne’s sentinels. In a way, I’d stolen her from Roxanne.

She might not yet match the caliber of the other Seventh Abyss lieutenants, but Charlotte’s value was only going up. I just needed to hold out and wait.

“I’ll dedicate my entire life to serving you, Boss. So, I need to ask...”

Charlotte hesitated, her words faltering.

“Should I become a lich to better assist you? Or a vampire to serve you for eternity?”

I was caught off guard, momentarily stunned by the unexpected question.

Why was she even asking that?

Her serious expression made it impossible to dismiss her.

“...Become a vampire.”
“Yes, as you wish.”

Even as a death knight, having an undead lieutenant felt... off. Vampires were far better suited for close service.

“You’ve worked hard, Boss.”
“You too.”
“Kirik. My chief is the best! You crushed those other Lords’ pride!”

I stood up last, heading toward the door. Before I could reach it, Charlotte rushed ahead and swung it open, gesturing like a personal attendant.

It was... overwhelming, to say the least.

Hiding my discomfort, I stepped out. A small figure darted toward me from the new scenery. What’s that?

“H-Hello...?”

Ah.

I’d forgotten about her.

Estizel approached hesitantly, her wide eyes flicking up at me. It didn’t take much thought to guess why she was waiting.

“Have you decided?”
“...Yes.”

Gulp.

Estizel’s throat bobbed nervously.

Her level glowed a deep green. I could already guess her next words.

“I... I want to join you at the Shrine of Faith, Lord.”

I’d expected her to be scared off by the round table incident, but instead, it seemed to have solidified her trust. She must’ve been convinced I harbored no hostility toward her.

When someone strong backs you up, admiration and loyalty often follow.

Silently, I extended my hand. Estizel glanced between my hand and my face.

“W-What is this for...?”
“To break your wrist.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Kidding.”

Phew. Estizel let out a relieved sigh and clasped my hand. As we shook, her lack of resistance made her entire arm jiggle.

“The Boss has a sense of humor now...”
“Kirik! Not funny!”

Slap!

A sharp sound echoed behind me. A quick glance revealed Valutak rubbing the back of his head while Charlotte stood with her palm outstretched. I chose to ignore them.

“We’ve gained another member. You two, help Estizel settle in.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Kirik. Helping newcomers is my specialty. Leave it to me. But, Estizel, you remind me of Isabella. I suddenly miss Isabella...”
“Wasn’t Valutak your lover?”
“Kirik! Valutak is my mate! Isabella is my best friend!”
“Still a female companion either way.”
“Kirik. Then by that logic, even the lieutenant is a female companion—”

Slap!

Another resounding hit. Valutak crouched down, rubbing his head with teary eyes.

Yeah. He definitely deserved that.

‘Now that I think about it, Isabella...’

Even I found myself curious.

What was she up to these days? Hopefully, she was doing well.