Rewards

"Well then, it's reward time～"

Yeah, you just said that.

"First is the secondary prize. As a reward for your hard work, regarding your names: Haku Raverio, Rokuko Dungeon Core. I officially recognize these names to the extent of my authority."

"Oh my! Really, Otou-sama!?"

"Amazing, the name Kehma gave me is officially recognized!"

I don't really get what's so great about this secondary prize, but the two Dungeon Cores were overjoyed.

Wait, Rokuko's surname is Dungeon Core… oh right, now that I think about it, I did give her that name a long time ago.

"Rokuko, since you're Haku-san's younger sister, wouldn't Rokuko Raverio be better?"

"Eh, really?"

"Besides, if your name includes 'Dungeon Core,' your identity would be exposed when you introduce yourself… Could we adjust that?"

"Hmm, I was thinking of making 'Dungeon Core' a common surname for all my children, but… alright, as Kehma-kun wishes, let's adjust it. How about 695 takes Kehma-kun's surname and becomes Rokuko Masuda?"

Why my surname!?

When I looked at Rokuko, her face was flushed bright red. Was it hot? She was pressing both hands against her cheeks. Her face was loosening into a grin—oi.

[Father] continued speaking with a beaming smile.

"I'm not good at coming up with new names. In that regard, numbers are a wonderful invention. You just increase them systematically."

"Well, the same 'Raverio' as Haku-san should be fine…"

"Haku has Raverio because she married Lyon-kun, you know? Then wouldn't it be perfectly natural for Rokuko, who is Kehma-kun's partner, to take your surname?"

"Tou-sama, that, does that mean… m-marrying K-Kehma!?"

I glanced at Haku-san… Hm? What's that gesture? Thumb up, sliding across the throat, then stabbing downward… Ah, yes. That's "die," isn't it? I understand.

"Wait, Rokuko. I'd like our relationship to stay pure for now."

"? What's a pure relationship? Are there impure relationships? Well, even if it gets a little dirty, it's fine if it's with Kehma."

Rokuko smiled softly.

That sudden smile made my heart skip a beat.

"Right, Goshujin-sama's [Purify] is special."

"Exactly! Niku gets it. Kehma can clean even stubborn stains in one shot!"

Rokuko completely agreed with Niku's comment.

Ah, so that's what she meant. Somehow I feel relieved.

Ahh, arrhythmia. I must have super arrhythmia. I should sleep. The fatigue from being so busy with the Dungeon Battle must be catching up to me.

"Um, suddenly talking about marriage is a bit much, so how about we twist 'dungeon'… labyrinth, which means maze in my world's language, and twist that further into the surname 'Labyriheart'? Ah, 'heart' means heart."

"Heart of the labyrinth, I like it. Would you mind if I use that as a common surname for my children?"

"I don't mind."

"Alright then, Haku Raverio and Rokuko Labyriheart. I officially recognize these two names under my authority. And I permit my children to freely use the surname Labyriheart."

It seems this [Father] really was just too lazy to think up "new names." He approved it immediately. Crisis averted.

"… However, Kehma-kun. I heard that in your homeland, giving someone a ring has a certain meaning. Isn't calling it 'sudden' a bit off at this point?"

"More importantly, aren't the rewards still coming? That was just the secondary prize, right?"

"Oh, right. Well then, two each for Haku and Rokuko."

Good, I dodged that topic.

"For Haku, one magic sword that I made. And… oops, this other one is probably better kept secret from Kehma-kun and the others. I'll send you the second one privately later."

"Thank you for your consideration, Otou-sama. I gratefully accept."

… A magic sword made by [Father], wouldn't that be world-destroying level? And what's this secret reward? I'm really curious.

"For Rokuko… yes. I'll give you one piece of divine bedding: a Divine Comforter. Ah, this is for Rokuko, Kehma-kun."

Divine bedding actually exists!? And "one piece" means there are other items in the series?

This is incredible. I have to collect them all.

"Divine bedding has various precautions, so make sure to read the instructions before use. And the other one is for you, Kehma-kun. Take this."

Thunk. Something about the size of a basketball fell in front of me — a white sphere.

"A Dummy Core?"

"No. It has no number and is essentially empty inside, but it's a real Core. Go ahead, destroy it."

… Huh?

"You're a Hero as well as a Dungeon Master, right? Let's see what happens when you destroy a Core. Ah, do you need a weapon?"

… Ah, of course he'd know. Of course he would.

While I was thinking, a sword fell in front of me with another clatter.

A plain sword with no decoration, made entirely of metal—including the grip.

That is, it was a simple sword where that metal just happened to be orichalcum.

An orichalcum fire sale. How many ingots worth is this thing?

"That's a bonus. I'm in a good mood today, so consider it a treat. It's not a magic sword or anything, so don't worry — it's just orichalcum shaped into a sword. Feel free to use it however you like."

"Could I melt it down into wire?"

"Sure. Use it however you like."

He probably knows I can reshape it freely with [Create Golem] too.

I picked up the orichalcum sword… Yeah, it's lighter than it looks. A characteristic of orichalcum. With things set up this far, there's no way I could refuse to destroy the white Dungeon Core glowing before me.

I thrust the orichalcum sword into the nameless Dungeon Core.

The resistance was lighter than expected. Such sharpness. And they call this "just shaped into a sword"? Impressive.

The Dungeon Core was split cleanly in two with a single strike. A lukewarm wind seemed to spread from the cracked Core.

"So, how is it? Did you get a skill?"

"No, I don't feel any particular change — ah."

A chill ran down my spine like electricity. This is it. It's very similar to the feeling when you use a skill scroll. Information is being planted directly into my brain.

Ahh, yeah, here it comes. I'm learning something. Installation in progress—don't run other applications during installation, that kind of feeling.

I stopped moving and quietly waited for it to finish.

When the installation completed, a mechanical voice that sounded somehow familiar echoed in my head.

"[Super Transformation Lv 3] has been acquired."

… It suddenly jumped to Lv 3, what is this?