Major Renovations

"By the way, this is a service."

Saying that, Haku-san passed an [Introduction to the Study of Dungeons] to me.

The author written on it was 'Haku Raviero'. I get it now. Since a Dungeon Core was the one to write about dungeons, there probably wasn't a need for a primer after it.

"Humans should have lot of gaps in what they know, so pay attention. If I recall… this is popular among other Dungeon Cores I think?"

Haku-san indicated an entry labeled [Safety Zone] with her white finger.

Quickly scanning over it, it read as [Monsters cannot enter, a safe place to rest].

"This is what dungeons call [Production]. Preparing what looks like a magic tool, they tell their monsters to not enter the area. Doing that, humans would go ahead and think at their own convenience that they'd entered a safety zone and let down their guard."

I see, that's pretty clever. You'd even get DP from the adventurers while they waited in the safety zone. Above all, the [Safety Zone] really wasn't that at all. With no witnesses, if the adventurers were completely off guard… they could cover up all evidence. Of course, since adventurers didn't leave evidence that they'd entered safety zones, people would think they just died in the dungeon normally.

… Since information media is scarce in this world, a 'book from a big shot in the Imperial Capital' would be given a high level of confidence. Like mass media.

"Sooometimes, when a monster is arranged to enter the [Safety Zone], they would clamor about with 'A variant species appeared!'. I would just dye their fur a different color to keep it interesting you know? When I pretend to be a diviner and teach them their traits and they give me their thanks, it's hilarious you know?"

Wow, I know what that's called. It's called swindling.

But definitely, 'something like that' is convenient. I can also see that it has plenty of uses. I gratefully accepted the book.

By the way, the contents felt more like a way to tell dungeons apart than a primer. Things like famous dungeon capture guides… didn't really pop up.

"Since you'll be studying and preparing, how about we start in three days? Good luck, alright?"

"Is that enough time to return to the Imperial Capital?"

"Although I don't go out of my way to learn things from humans that are at best [Crops], since I'm an adventurer… I learned [Teleport]. Ah, the scroll of teleport is 50,000,000 DP you know? Though even if I used it, I don't use it casually since it uses a quite a bit of magical power. Since it's normally used by the mage division, I don't use it alone."

"… But you just said you'd use space-time magic to connect the entrances for the Dungeon Battle."

"There's a dungeon function in the [Menu] that does that. When I let scholars examine it they said it was some kind of space-time magic, but even though I understand it somewhat… despite understanding if I look at it like connecting spaces, I don't really get it? Mysterious."

Looking at it from my side, isn't it a bit late to call space-time magic mysterious?

"Well, I'm looking forward to three days from now… Follow my memory, fasten my path to the far-off distance. Dash through the sky, dash through time. That place is this place, over there is right here. Intersect, overlap, connect together—[Teleport]."

When Haku-san recited the aria, both she and Chloe-san floated upwards… and in an instant, disappeared in an intense light.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Rokuko, who had grown slightly giddy from Haku-san's appearance, came back here after a moment. Sobering up, she looked at the DP and was astonished when she saw the 110,000 DP.

"So, is there a chance to win?"

"There is. There are some rules… but for the most part, they are beneficial to us."

When I said that, she stared in puzzlement.

"Really? Are you talking about using the 10000 DP from the service?"

"… There were no rules against using resources we already had, so… to give an extreme example, the rules have no problem even if we put a Dragon in the dungeon, so long as [it doesn't use DP]. Though I won't go that far, giving monsters magic weapons wouldn't be odd."

Putting her hands up, Rokuko sighed.

"Haaah. Kehma, leave it to you to make a loophole like that… what should I call you, sly?"

"Your beloved Onee-sama was the one to make the rule. It was amazing."

"As expected of Number 89 Ane-sama!"

"Seriously. She's a considerably amazing person alright. In a good way."

Though I probably wouldn't poke through loopholes in the rules if my opponent were Rokuko, I won't go easy on others. If my opponent was essentially me… yep, I wouldn't go all out… ah, I want to sleep. I want to give everything up and sleep already. It'd be hard to sleep after losing though. The [Bed] is already unpleasant enough.

"So, Rokuko, Niku. Your job."

The first thing I took out by using some of the 110,000 DP.

… Was a shovel and pickaxe.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

First of all was expansion. Dig the hole. Dig is with a bang. I can get golem materials as well as being economical by excavating from the dungeon.

I steadily added golems to the materials gathering operation. I had Rokuko and Niku on site to give the detailed instructions while I produced the golems… My natural recovery couldn't keep up, so I drank a [Mana Potion (150 DP)]. Yep, bitter. It gets absorbed into my body when I drink it, and keeps working without filling my stomach no matter how much I drink. Preferably, I want a barrel. A mana potion… barrel.

… Oh, mana potions appeared in the drink(barrel) selection. Seriously, that 1000 DP price is obviously economical. I wonder if those containers were expensive? They were crystal glass-like containers after all.

Then, I used [Additional Floor (5,000 DP)], adding two floors above and below for now.

The mountain cave can extend both up and down so that's a benefit. It's assumed that dungeons don't go both up and down as you go inside. With that sort of feeling, I directed the two.

More and more digging! Stone, dirt, everything is good, since it's the gathering of golem materials!

"Well, we dug the first underground floor… hey, do we reaaally need to dig? It's troublesome so… can't we just use DP to do it in one go?"

"No good. I want more golem materials, even if it's just a bit."

I intend for the first underground floor to become the second floor of the labyrinth. There will be fairly convoluted passages.

By the way, it takes more than 10,000 DP when done by DP, but just around a rough estimate of 5,000 DP if we handle excavating the passages ourselves. Furthermore, I also get a lot of golem materials, too.

"I have no choice but to have Rokuko, who can use the map like me, dig and give fine commands… I'm counting on you."

"Ugu—… g-got it…"

Ah, I'd forgotten about it, but was that just now part of the absolute command?

"Rokuko… Though I have order rights, it's only valid when I say 'it's an order'. Otherwise, act on your own judgement… Well, I'm planning on annulling the absolute command rights when this Dungeon Battle is over anyways."

I'm using my order rights this time to make sure there's no errors in the detailed instructions. I'll annul them after the Dungeon Battle.

"Fueh? … Ah, un… Is that okay?"

"Partners are of one body and mind. I want us to be equals as much as possible."

"Partner… U-un, right! Dungeon Core and their master are of one body and mind after all!"

"Yeah, I'll leave it to you then… That's not an order, yeah?"

"Leave it to me, I'll to my best!"

Rokuko smiled pleasantly, once again heading off to give the golems orders for the excavation.

… Well, Niku is… digging several pitfall traps near the entrance.

Furthermore, I'll be installing a [Dummy Core (5000 DP)] in one of the passages that are being excavated.

Pitfalls and dead-ends, the classics. Well, I'm just placing a dummy core there.

The dummy core has a castling function, it could be used to swap it and the real Dungeon Core's positions. In other words, the Dungeon Core can take refuge only if there's a dummy core placed.

Though Haku-san won't use the castling function due to the rules for losing being touching the dummy core, I will use it here. I'll hide what I can hide.

… The number of dummy cores that haven't been found are like the dungeon's remaining HP.

"The pitfalls… are all dug. Floorboards, placed tightly."

"Alright, good depth. Add spikes when you're done… take care to not fall in okay? Make sure to put the covers over the pits."

"Yes."

By the way, the pitfalls' covers were re~ally thin floorboard golems.

Golems are great for things even outside of the workforce, like building materials. Making a golem into a floorboard was the most troublesome so far though. Saving DP is important.

Ah, for the wall golems installed into the labyrinth, they sometimes move quietly and change the route. Amusing things like that. Like a mysterious labyrinth. I'll get in contact with Rokuko in a bit.

Now for the labyrinth Puzzle Area.

There, I placed a [Switch-Style Sturdy Door (1000 DP)]. The switch was hidden by a decoration golem, which would open the door if the riddle is solved.

By the way, if it was closed and couldn't be opened at all it would be a breach of etiquette… meaning if it couldn't be opened, its strength would fall to that of an average door's and would turn into a breakable object. I don't really get why it wouldn't work anymore and lose its strength from the dungeon if it couldn't be opened. However, looking at it the other direction, the strength from the dungeon turns it into an incredibly sturdy door.

The switch is it's 'opened easily'. It's fine even if the solution to the riddle is something 'anyone can do'.

Though I say that, I just mean that it's a door.

Hidden by the golem, the door itself is 'opened if the switch is pressed', a very simple riddle solution with ridiculously high strength compared to its DP consumption.

The weakness of it is that the golem could be destroyed, but… wouldn't you think that 'it won't open if the solution isn't solved' when you saw something like it? I hope so.

… Honestly, it looks like it won't be solved with a glance, because it's just… well, the pitfall traps in the room will open with a wrong answer with the golems, so it'll be interesting.

Now then, there are still a lot of traps I haven't started on yet.

I'll be sure to mix in plenty of handmade traps with premade DP traps. No premade traps at all if possible, I want to alter them all in some way. If I can think of something.

… … Ah, my time for sleeping is getting reduced.

I'd like to sleep like a log after all this…