Let's Build an Inn

"If Goshujin-sama's a dungeon boss, it all makes sense. Not wantin' to stand out, havin' all them secrets, hidin' yer background…"

In truth, Ichika's guess was pretty close to the mark.

The Dungeon Master is the dungeon's ruler, which is to say, the boss.

Also, Dungeon Masters don't exist in [Dungeon Studies]. Instead, there's the concept of a dungeon boss: a strong monster summoned by the core, or the core itself serving as the boss. Rokuko's the human type, but there are dragon types and others too.

On top of that, I'm technically a monster (?) summoned by Rokuko. It really wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me a dungeon boss.

"So, what would you do if I were a demon king?"

"If ya feed me tasty stuff, I'll do anythin'! Ya gonna wipe out Tsuia? Ah, but that'd be a waste of food. Let's conquer it instead."

Standing right there was a woman who'd sell out humanity in a heartbeat for delicious food.

"Nah, I want to get along with that town. I don't want to die."

"That so～? But y'know, if ya conquer the world, ya'd get to eat all the best food ya want, right? Can't pass that up. Let's do it sometime, yeah?"

Correction: she wouldn't just betray humanity; she'd actively champion world conquest.

"World conquest… t-that does have a nice ring to it!"

"Right～? Eat whatever ya want, as much as ya want."

"Kehma! How about making world conquest our dungeon's goal!?"

And there was one pumped-up Dungeon Core.

"No, even if we conquered it, then what…? For now, the plan is to live safely. I don't intend to push for anything beyond that."

"So if ya had the spare capacity, ya'd do it?"

"Stand out and you get killed. Rejected."

Who knows when God's Vanguard (the hero) might show up.

They've probably received a cheat or two from Kami-sama, so hero = death.

"Well, I'm tired from traveling today, so let's rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll renovate the dungeon… or rather, build an inn… Oh, right. Let's eat."

"Ooh… Wait, we're indoors here, right? Is there a kitchen or somethin'?"

"Hmm, perfect opportunity… Let me show you my power."

I pretended to concentrate, then quickly produced a [Sweet Bread Assortment (5 DP)].

For this dungeon now earning 100 DP a day, this was pocket change, no, pocket DP…!

I held up the [Sweet Bread Assortment (5 DP)] and showed it off.

"What's this…? Bread?"

"Fufufu, Niku-san. Feed her."

"Yes!"

Niku tore open the plastic wrapper of a curry bread.

The distinctive spicy aroma of curry and the savory smell of fried oil wafted through the air, whetting the appetite.

"What the—!? M-my drool won't stop! That, that bread is… mmpf!?"

"This is 'curry bread.' It's a bit spicy, but delicious."

Niku pressed the curry bread into Ichika's mouth somewhat roughly.

"Nah, s-somethin' like… mm, nom… Hah, this, this smell is makin' my head go numb…!"

"Here, don't hold back, eat more. This is Goshujin-sama's kindness, you know?"

"Mm, nom, nom… mm, aah, sho good, this, this is the besht…～"

Ichika, whether because the curry was spicy or because it was delicious despite being spicy, showed a melting smile with slightly teary eyes.

I was starting to feel like I was doing something improper.

"I was born to encounter this…～"

"Good for you. If you follow Goshujin-sama, you can have much more, you know?"

"I-I, I'll do anythin' Goshujin-sama says… so, more…"

"Goshujin-sama, what shall we do?"

Apparently she'd already finished eating it all.

I'd expected her to be happy, sure, but I definitely didn't expect it to go this far. It's a bit off-putting, honestly.

"… There's all sorts of other things too, you know? It's not just bread."

"Aah… that's so unfair… after tastin' somethin' like this, I can't be satisfied with ordinary stuff anymore…"

"Ordinary bread, right!? You mean bread, right!?"

"Ichika, I'll share some of my favorite 'hamburger' with you too, okay?"

"Really～? Aah, I feel like I'm losin' it… ehehe."

Am I the only one who thinks she's already lost it?

When I glanced at Rokuko, she was ignoring us and munching on a melon bread.

"… I-I'm not sharing mine, okay!?"

Ah, yeah.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

The next day, at noon.

Hm? Get up in the morning? Of course not. I enjoyed a nice second sleep.

Anyway. Today we're building an inn.

The location is right next to the cave entrance. I'd had the work golems, including Testor, dig foundation holes overnight.

Since we're building an inn this time, I secured a fairly large plot of land… Oh, looking at my map, Ichika was being treated as an intruder, but since she was in the Core Room, expanding the dungeon's range went off without a problem.

Maybe it's because she's on a different floor? Needs more testing.

"Alright then… let's start with the foundation."

Can't sleep soundly without a solid foundation. Since this'll be my sleeping quarters too, I'm putting my all into it.

I pulled stone from [Storage] with a clatter.

"Stone, change your form, become my servant and obey me. [Create Golem]."

I channeled magic power into the stone while reciting the incantation I'd used many times during the Dungeon Battle.

I could do it without the incantation using just the keyword, but properly reciting the incantation uses less magic power, making it more efficient overall.

The amazing thing about [Create Golem] is that you can freely shape any material however you want. Human form, boards, anything goes. Once you've channeled magic power into the material, it becomes moldable like clay, and you can shape it however you want without even touching it. You could even gather a bunch of copper coins, knead them together, and form a single copper ingot… though I wouldn't, since buying the ingot normally is cheaper.

The result is technically a golem, but without orders, it's no different from an ordinary object.

This time, I kneaded the stone into a single large slab and poured it into the hole to fill it in.

I don't really know how actual construction works, but this'll serve as a substitute for concrete. Then I jabbed rod-shaped Iron Golems into it, mixing them in so they wouldn't come loose as a substitute for rebar, creating the support pillars.

… Since I'm planning to build a bath too, I'll need drainage pipes… Well, since they're golems, I can just run a hole through later. Or I could just make a separate space for the bath. For now, I'll build it roughly but sturdily.

After that, I had ordinary Clay Golems help while I laid down board-shaped Wood Golems and attached them together. Building the inn piece by piece, like assembling blocks… Since I used [Create Golem] to fuse the materials at the joints, no nails were needed. The bonded surfaces became completely unified, making it very sturdy.

I did hammer some nail-shaped golems into the visible exterior to make it look authentic, though.

After working for a while, once the outer walls were mostly done, Ichika and Niku came out from the cave. Looks like Niku had been teaching her the locations of pitfalls and other traps.

"Oh, whatcha doin', Goshujin-sam—wait, seriously what're ya doin'!?"

"Hm? Building an inn."

"No no no, what is this, that's ridiculous, totally ridiculous. Golems helpin' out is one thing, but none of this was here when we arrived yesterday… Dungeon Master, was it? Ya can even do stuff like this…?"

No, Dungeon Master functions don't include construction like this… Looking at the DP Catalog, there is a [House (200,000 DP～)] option. There's probably an inn too, but either we don't meet the requirements or it's just not available right now.

Oh, I gave Ichika a simple explanation about Dungeon Masters.

That said, it was only about as much as "It's a job where you can do various things with your dungeon using something called DP." As for the details… well, I'd actually planned to explain while we ate, but she was like that yesterday. I could only get a little talking done after she calmed down, and I was sleepy from all the exertion too.

"Oh right, Niku. We're running low on lumber, so go cut down some trees over there and bring them back."

"Understood."

"Wait, Goshujin-sama, what about tools for cuttin' trees? Ya don't have an axe or a saw?"

I silently pointed behind Ichika.

When Ichika turned around, there was Niku, Golem Blade held horizontally against a tree that must have been thirty centimeters in diameter.

She slowly pressed the blade in and started cutting. "KIIIIIIIIIN!" It made a high-pitched sound more like a dentist's drill than a chainsaw as the tree was sliced through.

One cut, two cuts, and on the third cut from the opposite side, the tree fell with a cracking groan.

All that was left was having a golem collect the fallen tree.

"Whoa, what is that… Never heard of usin' a magic sword to cut down trees."

"Convenient, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but t-that's wrong. Usin' a magic sword like that… don't blame me if it breaks, y'know?"

"Ah, it's actually broken a few times before. But we've figured out the right technique by now, so it's fine."

"Seriously!? … Urgh, what a waste!"

That said, the Golem Blade is a magic sword (self-proclaimed); it's not a real magic sword.

Its only function is vibrating to increase sharpness. It can't compare to a real magic sword (well, spear) like the one Chloe used in the Dungeon Battle, which can cast magic with keywords.

In reality, the only cost is materials, so it's incredibly cheap. Even if it breaks, I can fix it for free on the spot. The material doesn't vanish or anything. Fixing a dulled blade takes ten seconds at most.

"So like, how many magic swords does Niku-senpai have?"

"Ah, the complete all-iron versions, there's two: mine and Niku's. Include the inferior versions and it's probably around ten?"

"That many!? Could I maybe get one too?"

… Oh right, I still need to make Ichika a weapon, don't I.