The Trap

The day after the Dungeon Battle, Ittetsu and I met again.

It was to discuss the post-war arrangements. We couldn't talk yesterday since he said he needed to calm Redra down first.

"Hahaha, that's Kehma for ya! Was that a golem? Ya really got me there. A crystal golem, and such a tiny one at that, first time I've ever seen anything like it. Completely fooled me."

Ittetsu laughed, not seeming bothered by the defeat at all.

"Well, yeah… Think it was underhanded?"

"Nah, this kinda thing's your own fault for not noticing, right, Kehma?"

"… Well, that's true. Especially since on our end, I couldn't come up with any way to actually beat a dragon, so a sneak attack like that was all we could manage."

"Kukuku, you coulda killed Redra if you'd wanted to, y'know, so thanks for holding back, Kehma. You might be connected to that traitor Number 89, but I wouldn't mind being your ally. Number 695's too, while we're at it."

Though it was hard to tell with his lizard face, Ittetsu grinned.

"So then, time for the transfer… As promised, I'll give ya the path through the cave."

… Hm?

"Wait, wasn't the deal for half of Tsuia Mountain?"

"Haah? That was only if you touched the Dungeon Core on the lowest floor, y'know?"

"Right, and I touched it with the crystal golem, didn't I?"

When I said that, Ittetsu replied:

"What're ya talking about? Our lowest floor is the fifty-first, y'know?"

—I'd been had.

What we touched was the Dungeon Core on the fiftieth floor, beyond the boss room.

And the lowest floor, the fifty-first… there was only a treasure vault there. No Dungeon Core.

… In other words, the winning condition had never existed from the start.

"… Oi, Ittetsu."

"Hahaha! This kinda thing's your own fault for not noticing, right, Kehma?"

And Ittetsu deliberately repeated the exact words I'd just agreed with moments ago.

… I see. So that's why he pushed these negotiations to today instead of yesterday?

Even if I came up with a way to fulfill the victory condition now, the Dungeon Battle had already ended when the time ran out. It ran out while I was sleeping soundly, relieved it was over early.

"Well, we're even now. Kukuku."

And here I thought he was just a pushover salamander… turns out he's actually pretty capable.

I'll concede this round was a draw… Yeah, looks like we'll have a fine relationship going forward.

"… By the way, why does it cost 500,000 DP to open the dungeon's path? You're just clearing it out, right? In an extreme case, wouldn't it cost basically nothing?"

"Ahh. See, in the center of Tsuia Mountain, there's like, a core? And if we destroy it, it won't be a volcano anymore. So rebuilding it somewhere else costs 450,000 DP. The rest is for redoing the passages and stuff… Hah, wish it could be cheaper."

"… Can't you just move it? Shift it up, down, left, or right."

When I said that, Ittetsu's eyes went wide.

"… … Ohh?! I never thought of moving it!!"

Oi, is this guy capable or an idiot? Make up your mind, you Easymander.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

And so, just like that, the tunnel through Tsuia Mountain was opened.

I dubbed it the Tsuia Mountain Tunnel… which is just what it sounds like. It's a straight tunnel, but since it's deceptively long, it takes several hours on foot. Still, several hours is incredibly fast considering it would take several days without the tunnel.

What's more, it would work out perfectly if you left in the morning and stayed overnight at the Tsuia Mountain inn.

Since it ended up costing so little, I also got him to promise to help hatch the phoenix egg. Having good relations with your neighbors is truly a wonderful thing.

A phoenix hatched by a Red Dragon's breath… I'm really looking forward to it. During the Dungeon Battle, the breath only hit it a little, after all. It didn't hatch. Though it does feel like it's close.

Well, I'll set that aside for now.

Having passed through the tunnel to the other side of Tsuia Mountain, I could see the ocean, and I could even swear there was a faint scent of salt drifting on the breeze. This must be what they mean by "different air."

There was a hill forming a high point nearby, so I looked down from there. I could make out a port town spread below.

If I recall correctly, it's called Pavera. Apparently it's Ichika's hometown.

… I wonder if fish in this world are the same as back home. Right, let's celebrate the tunnel opening by having a sashimi set meal for tonight's dinner.

Maybe I should let Ichika visit her hometown for a bit. Though people might have something to say since she's a slave now.

"Ahhh… what a nice view."

Rokuko, who had appeared beside me at some point, said that as the rising wind blew through her golden hair.

"Yeah… Is this your first time seeing the ocean, Rokuko?"

"Mm-hm. I'd heard about it, but… the Dungeon Core assemblies are held in a place that has nothing to do with scenery like this."

I still don't really understand what those Dungeon Core assemblies are about, but aside from those, she'd been holed up in that little cave the whole time. All alone… Well, she has us now.

Maybe it's time to help her broaden her world a little… Once the dungeon is running more smoothly and I don't have to do anything, it might be nice to take Rokuko to visit a human settlement.

"You got outplayed this time, huh."

"Ugh… yeah, you're right… I never thought Ittetsu would pull something like that."

"That's what you get for completely underestimating him. I was surprised too, I was sure you'd won, Kehma."

Not only did I fail to achieve total victory, our trump card was exposed too. We won on the rules since we broke through five floors, but to me, it felt like we'd basically lost.

"But even though we missed out on half of Tsuia Mountain, this alone is plenty. You'll figure something out, right, Kehma?"

"Yeah. There's no need to fixate on the mountain."

As I've said before, if the mountain's no good, we just expand into the plains.

There are plenty of paths forward.

Paths, yeah… I should seriously think about setting up a toll system for the tunnel. Charge based on weight when entering, maybe?

I could make a spring scale out of a golem… actually, that can wait for now.

"And this tunnel is going to make our dungeon even more amazing, right?"

"That's right, because we're getting passive income out of this!"

In any case, the tunnel is open. Our dungeon has finally obtained a source of passive income.

Passive income. Ahh, what beautiful words. Up until now, I've been working on dungeon operations one way or another: building the inn, working there, designing the dungeon layout, placing items and monsters, and so on.

Meanwhile, with this tunnel, once it's open, I can just sleep without doing any work. Just count the tolls once in a while. That's it.

"I don't really get what 'passive income' is, but it must be amazing!"

"Oh, it's amazing. Very much so!"

Viva passive income. Goodbye, labor. Hello, making money without lifting a finger.

From now on, I'm going to spend all day, every single day, sleeping.

—I can't wait!