“The treasure chest can also produce food, huh.”
“Y-You’re right, next time for sure…”
It seems that the unnecessarily large storage space of the treasure chest has finally become useful.
Lady Fiona is still pouring magic into the treasure chest today, aiming for the revival potion.
I had been wondering what would happen if we ran out of the food we had stocked in the dungeon, but at this rate, it seems I don’t need to worry about that anymore.
Rather, the issue might be how we consume it.
“Monsters don’t seem to need food, though…”
“Come to think of it, the monsters Rey created automatically regenerate. They don’t need anything except the magic used to create them, so they’re a wonderfully cost-free kind of monster.”
“That power, even though I thought it was a bad deal, was given by the goddess.”
I had written it off, that goddess!
…Well, considering she’s from the demon race and a dungeon wouldn’t make sense without one, I can understand it now.
“To help Rey’s power, I still have to revive at least one or two of the Four Heavenly Kings…”
“Please don’t get too obsessed.”
Or rather, please don’t fall into a swamp.
But thinking about how the treasure chest gacha from Lady Fiona is increasing our supplies, maybe staying as we are isn’t such a bad idea.
I just hope she doesn’t end up addicted to gambling like the Demon Lord.
“Speaking of monsters, we’re starting to run out of space in the first room for them.”
“You’re right. Then, shall we try remodeling the dungeon?”
As Lady Fiona said, that’s true.
I’ve been doing nothing but monster gacha, so my forces are growing steadily.
But, as a result, we’re starting to run out of space.
It’s cruel to pack them all into one room, and it’s about time for something new.
Actually, I’ve noticed that my stats have risen again.
Izumi Reikoi’s Stats:
Magic: 12
Strength: 6
Skill: 9
Endurance: 9
Agility: 7
These are my current stats, and my magic has now surpassed 10.
It seems like the increase in stats was faster this time, maybe because I’ve used the Dungeon Master skill repeatedly, or maybe because more intruders have been coming in since I opened the entrance.
It feels like my stats go up even when I repel intruders with monsters or traps.
I was just idly looking at my stats, and they increased on their own, so that’s the only clue I have.
“It seems like you have a plan. Shall we go to the entrance?”
“Don’t you need to be in the throne room?”
It looks like Lady Fiona will be accompanying me this time.
“Every now and then, I’d like to see how you’re doing. After all, you’re my last subordinate.”
“…I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”
I could only reply like that because Lady Fiona had put unconscious pressure on me.
It’s nerve-wracking for anyone to have the highest authority observe their work, even if the person isn’t a Demon Lord…
Lady Fiona seems to be in a good mood right now, but I should make sure I don’t do anything to ruin that.
“So, when you say remodeling, do you mean creating a new room?”
“That’s part of it, but I’m thinking of making a bigger room.”
Creation of a Great Hall: Magic Cost 10
This was unlocked quite early, but the magic cost was so high that I couldn’t use it before.
However, compared to back then, my magic has more than doubled.
…Well, it’s probably because my magic was so low to begin with, but anyway, now I can afford to select this menu.
“Hoh… Rey’s power is truly convenient. To think you can create such a large room so quickly.”
I start to feel a bit light-headed…
Perhaps when the magic cost is high or depending on how much magic I have left, I might lose consciousness more easily.
“No… It seems the goddess thought the skill was a failure.”
“That’s not true! Your power is wonderful. So, please don’t put yourself down.”
“Either way, it’s power I received from someone else…”
“You belong to me. Even if you’re Rey, you shouldn’t insult something that’s mine, understood?”
“…Yes…”
I guess I should be happy that, at the very least, I’m being kept nearby as a useful tool.
I won’t thank the goddess, but I will be grateful for this power.
“This is quite a large room, isn’t it? The last underground demon realm didn’t have such a vast hall.”
“It’s so big that even if we move half of the current monsters here, there’ll still be space left over.”
Well, that problem will solve itself as I keep creating more monsters.
Maybe traps would be a good idea too.
With a hall this large, I could set them up without risking any harm to our monsters.
“It seems there’s still a lot we can do. Once my magic recovers, I’ll keep upgrading this room.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you. But please, don’t overexert yourself…”
As always, I’m being warned not to push myself too hard.
I guess that’s because I collapsed from magic depletion multiple times early on.
“By the way, I’m about to finish pouring magic into this treasure chest, so if you could create the next one for me, I’d appreciate it…”
“Lady Fiona, you shouldn’t overdo it either…”
If I leave her alone, she’ll probably use up all her magic on this treasure chest gacha. This woman…
◇
“These reincarnated ones are such a pain…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s just another dungeon the Hero took down recently, right? All we have to do is check it out and report back—easy work.”
“Yeah, thanks to the whims of the reincarnated ones, we get to slack off.”
The wishes of the reincarnated are to be granted as long as they are reasonable.
The king had issued this command to the citizens in advance.
This outward cooperation with the reincarnated was to prevent them from being recruited by other nations.
Even the soldiers of the castle, despite inwardly cursing at the high-handed orders of the reincarnated, still agreed to their demands.
After all, the dungeon was a place where the Hero had cornered the Demon Lord.
Unlike the reincarnated, the true transcendent heroes of the nation had already cleared this dungeon.
There was no danger. Even a child would understand this, except for the ignorant reincarnated ones.
And as their comrade had said, if they could slack off their regular duties for this, then it was a fair trade.
The reincarnated would be pleased, and they would get some rest.
“Hey… I’ve never been in a dungeon before, but is this one really dead…?”
They trekked through the rugged mountain path. Though it was less taxing than their daily training as castle soldiers.
The monsters they encountered along the way were easy enough for the soldiers to handle, even if the reincarnated struggled.
But this dungeon was beyond their control. They shouldn’t enter.
These soldiers weren’t fools. As members of the castle guard, chosen for their roles, they had a heightened sense of crisis management despite their attitudes.
“There are so many monsters… What’s going on? Could it be that, now the dungeon is dead, wild monsters have made it their nest?”
“Give me a break. We came here to confirm that it’s safe. I’m not about to charge into a place teeming with so many monsters.”
“…Is this dungeon really dead?”
“Of course it is. The Hero said so. Unlike those reincarnated, the Hero fights for humanity. There’s no way someone as noble as them would lie.”
“Then it must have turned into a nest for stray monsters…”
They were fortunate enough to sense the overwhelming number of monsters gathered at the entrance.
Fortunate, too, that those monsters had not yet been moved into the large hall in the back.
And fortunate that their orders had come from a reincarnated one they didn’t respect.
This wasn’t worth risking their lives for.
That decision would make all the difference for their fate.
“Let’s head back. We can tell the reincarnated ones that the dungeon is dead, but infested with monsters.”
And so, they avoided becoming prey to the dungeon and reported what they had observed to the reincarnated ones.
