[Wrath] Gimmick

By the way, [Succubus Body Fluids] was also listed as a medicine in the DP catalog and it was quite expensive… If I mixed it with the [Gluttony] gimmick, the charm effect might increase its addictiveness… No, let's not do that. I just envisioned it becoming a simple energy booster.

"Oookay, next one's [Wrath] then."

I recall the conversation I had with Rei and Niku in the employee break room the other day, asking for their opinions on the [Wrath] gimmick.

 

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"I want a trap for [Wrath] that makes people angry and stops them in their tracks. Have any good ideas?"

"I'm not sure. What do you think, Rei?"

"Huh, you're passing it to me, Niku-senpai? … Hmm, rather, shouldn't we think about what would make people angry in the first place?"

I see, that's just like Rei—a solid suggestion. Not being able to make the opponent angry would be a problem before even considering stopping them in their tracks.

"In what situation would you get angry then, Rei? Just for an example."

"… If someone insulted Master, I'd get angry."

"I completely agree… but that can't be turned into a dungeon trap."

"Yeah…"

… Hmm, I might need to reconsider the concept from the ground up.

It would be a different story if there were some suspicious gas that, when inhaled, amplified one's anger… but what causes anger varies from person to person. What should I do?

"Master, what kind of things would make you angry?"

"Huh? I don't really tend to get angry…"

"You would get very angry if someone tried to hurt us or Rokuko-sama, right?"

Niku immediately replied and snorted proudly… Wait, have I gotten angry like that?

"You beat up those people in the dungeon badly. You even killed those ones who were hunting newbies."

"… Come to think of it, I did do that."

Hmm, I was impressed she remembered it that well. I'd sort of forgotten about it.

"So, to sum it up, we get angry when someone tries to harm something important to us, right? As for a plan to make that happen… I'm sorry, I can't think of anything."

"I can't think of anything right away either. But that was helpful. Thanks, Rei. Niku."

A trap that angers adventurers… Something important… Treasure?

So, disappearing treasure? Well, it's more about how to make it happen. How about an ice gem made with colored water? … Touching it would give it away immediately, though. It would be cold.

"Ah, I know about disappearing treasure."

"Really, Niku?"

"Yes. The other day, Ichika mentioned something like that. It was…"

 

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So I decided to use one of Ichika's favorite things for the [Wrath] gimmick.

"And this is it."

"A slot machine!"

Yes, a slot machine. Well, I'd originally said they were things I'd had drop in the dungeon, so it wasn't unnatural for them to be inside the dungeon.

"Am I gonna to be the one testin' it again?"

"You're the most suitable candidate… I might even ask you to test the [Lust] gimmick as well. It's a process of elimination."

"Ah…"

In fact, Ichika was the only decent human being among the dungeon's inhabitants.

I was both from another world and a Dungeon Master. Niku was, well, somewhat unique. The monster girls had different emotions and sensations from humans in various ways.

Thinking about it that way, Ichika, being [just an ordinary human], was a valuable ally. Like actually.

"Well, guess it makes sense… Okay. I'd forgotten about it lately, but I'm your slave after all. I gotta obey your orders, yah?"

"Close the door to the room and give the slot machine a spin."

"Roger that!"

Ichika sat down and closed the door. A coin slot opened in conjunction with the door.

She quickly inserted a copper coin (which I had prepared and handed to her) into the slot.

"Yeehaw! I got a win right away! Is the setting too easy?"

"Oh, oh, oh, it's winning… Alright!"

And then, when Ichika's earnings grew to a certain extent, the gimmick was activated.

"Huh? What's this? The symbols are lined up, but nothing's coming out. Is it broken?"

Having no choice, she inserted another copper coin into the slot, but there was no response.

"Huh? What's goin' on… Goshujin-sama—, the slot machine's broken—"

As Ichika turned around, she noticed that something was written in pictures and letters on the door behind her.

"Door locked. 214 copper coins left to unlock."

"… What?"

Ichika was taken aback for a moment. But if she ignored such a warning, it wouldn't be a problem. She tried to leave the room, but of course, she was trapped.

"Hey, what's goin' on!? Goshujin-sama!"

"Ah, yeah. When you hit a losing win, the amount you won turns into a fine."

"Don't mess with me! This is a scam, a scam!"

Ichika banged on the door. Well, we succeeded in making her [Angry], but it seemed that we'd need to make the door and slot machine both quite sturdy.

"Ah, but there's an issue… If someone leaves in the middle, it resets… If the amount carries over, there would be cases where people can't pay off the previous person's share and get stuck. What should I do?"

"Uwaaaa, let me out, let me out!"

"Ichika, you can get out if you put the copper coins in the slot properly!"

"No, noooo! Yer a demon, Goshujin-sama!"

If we confiscated all the earnings, it would just become a trap for first-timers. And that's assuming they'd be bold enough to put money into a suspicious slot machine deep inside the dungeon.

"… We went through the trouble of making it, but maybe we should scrap it!"

Well, it might be worth keeping it somewhere. Let's think of the next idea.