Published: January 22, 2026
"Alright then, let's get started with the lecture. Since it's the first day, we'll begin with the basics. You might already know some of this, but it's important, so think of this as a review. Today, I'll be talking about the demonic beasts that explorers have to fight."
In dungeon exploration, battles with demonic beasts are unavoidable.
Knowing the characteristics of these demonic beasts greatly affects your survival rate, so this is information you absolutely need to know.
"First and foremost, demonic beasts have the instinct to attack humans. The exact reason isn't clear, but the most widely accepted theory is that humans inhale mana from the air, accumulating dense mana inside their bodies, and the demonic beasts are targeting this concentrated mana."
Demonic beasts won't attack other types of demonic beasts.
However, since demonic beasts breathe too, it's assumed they have dense mana within their bodies.
Although this theory is the most accepted, there are many elements that contradict it, so no definitive conclusion has been reached.
"That's why demonic beasts tend to prioritize areas with many people. But that alone doesn't dictate their behavior. Demonic beasts don't attack other demonic beasts. — However, they do attack magic stones."
This behavior of attacking magic stones contradicts the earlier theory.
As soon as something becomes a magic stone, demonic beasts try to absorb it into their bodies.
Moreover, this behavior has a very high priority.
Taking in one or two magic stones doesn't make much difference, but the more magic stones a demonic beast absorbs, the stronger it becomes proportionally.
"If there is a small group of people and one person with magic stones standing apart, the demonic beasts often attack the person carrying the magic stones. It’s not absolute, though. They also attack humans who are actively fighting. Well, that's natural—it aligns with survival instincts."
That's why attackers have to be careful not to accumulate too much aggro from demonic beasts.
You can't just attack recklessly and expect to be in a good position.
"Defenders often equip magic stones on their gear, right? That's using this very instinct of demonic beasts to their advantage. By flashing the magic stones right in front of the beasts while attacking, they draw the beasts’ aggro and keep the attacks focused on themselves."
"Ah, I see."
Sophie murmured, sounding like she had understood something.
"What is it?"
"N-nothing... it’s nothing."
Sophie blushed and hesitated to answer.
I thought I understood her personality well enough that normally, that would be fine.
But here, that won’t do.
"Even if you're wrong, try to say it. If you're wrong, you'll memorize incorrect knowledge, and if you're right, it’s better for everyone else to share that knowledge, right?"
"Y-yes, you’re right. Um, the other day when Mr. Orun was fighting the black dragon, before the real fight started, he wore a necklace with magic stones around his neck, right? I was wondering if that was also to draw the black dragon’s aggro onto him."
"…………. Correct. You observed that well in that situation."
I gave Sophie sincere praise.
When the black dragon appeared, the newcomers must have panicked.
Yet, Sophie noticed my casual action and remembered it—that's not something most people could do.
Even when we were attacked by a group of Orcs, she managed to handle that many opponents barely, so maybe her perception is broader than I thought.
"Sophie, that’s amazing! To notice something like your master’s actions!"
"Th-thank you very much."
Sophie’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.
I want to keep giving her confidence little by little like this.
"Let's get back on track. The behavior principles of demonic beasts are as I explained earlier. Some explorers carry a lot of combat magical tools when going into dungeons. But that’s not a good idea."
"Is that because using magical tools requires magic stones?" Log asked.
"Exactly. Combat magical tools are convenient because they allow you to easily use offensive magic. But using magical tools requires magic stones. If you carry many magic stones, you become more likely to be targeted by demonic beasts. So even if you bring magical tools, it’s better to be very selective."