โWow, things have gotten pretty interesting down here in the Netherworld.โ
โThatโs because Rey worked so hard. Letโs give him a head pat.โ
โฆFiona-sama seems unusually sweet to me.
Apparently, my human consciousness and demon instincts got tangled up, making me act a bit unstable.
But Iโm fine now. I am a demon. Trying to reconcile with humansโor any other raceโwas a mistake from the start.
โFiona-sama, are you trying to start a fire on my head?โ
โIf itโs me, I could do it in one go.โ
The way sheโs patting my head feels more like sheโs trying to use me as kindling with all that friction heat.
And Pilkaya really could light a fire in one go, but Iโd rather not die, thank you.
โI thought you were thinking weird things, so I increased the strength of my pats.โ
โSoโฆthis is punishment?โ
โEhโฆ It was supposed to be a reward. Did you not like it?โ
What a tricky situation.
Anyway, I should avoid letting my mind wander from now on.
โSetting traps mercilessly with magic aloneโฆ If you can do all this with just magic, itโs no wonder the Demon Lord values you so highly.โ
I guess thatโs my strength.
Sure, other demons can make rooms, set traps, and tame monsters to deploy them.
But all that takes time and effort. My ability to do it instantly makes me invaluable for dungeon construction.
โAre the intruders Pilkaya-sama reported all dealt with?โ
โYeah. Didnโt I say? They were nothing but weaklings.โ
โThen shall we move on to creating a small-scale, simplified dungeon?โ
Primillaโs reminder jogged my memory.
Right, we originally discussed remodeling the dungeon to attract more intruders.
Huh. Seems like Iโd already committed to being an enemy of humanity a long time ago.
โIโll leave it to you, Rey. Iโm feeling idle, so Iโll prepare to revive some other subordinates.โ
โYouโre putting it nicely, but really, youโre just asking Rey-sama to create treasure chests for you, arenโt you?โ
โโฆI think my next attempt will hit the mark.โ
Well, since Iโll be doing it with my own magic, thereโs no reason to refuse.
As I created a new treasure chest, Fiona-sama seemed oddly sparkly-eyed.
Meanwhile, Primilla gave me a flat stare, saying, โPlease donโt spoil him.โ
โUh, soโฆ We start by deciding the entrance?โ
โRight. Like I said earlier, this spot looks good. Nearby, youโve got villages of humans, beastfolk, and elves.โ
Hmmโฆ I thought the locations were scattered, but even the nearby residents are a mix of different races.
โThen maybe here is the best choice?โ
โElves, huh? Why them?โ
โThe point of creating a new entrance is to secure magical energy for the dungeon, so I thought elves, with their high magic, would be a good choice.โ
โRey-sama, what the dungeon absorbs isnโt so much magic as it is energy. The intrudersโ magical power doesnโt matter.โ
โPlus, elves tend to be cautious. Theyโre old, after all. Unlike other races, they donโt greedily rush in.โ
So thatโs how it isโฆ
In that case, thereโs no real need to target elves specifically.
In fact, elves might be the worst candidates for a first dungeon setup.
โSo, maybe the human village would be better?โ
โThatโs right. Humans arenโt as lacking in ambition as elves, nor are they as cautious as beastfolk. A reasonable number of them should invade.โ
With Primillaโs approval and Pilkayaโs nod, the decision was made to place the entrance near the human village.
Of course, the entrance wonโt be built until the dungeon is fully completed.
First, I need to design a simple, appropriate dungeon.
Letโs review the menu again.
- Create Walls: Magic cost 1
- Create Floors: Magic cost 1
- Create Ceilings: Magic cost 1
- Create Doors: Magic cost 1
- Create Room: Magic cost 5
- Create Hall: Magic cost 10
- Create Maze: Magic cost 20
- Create Signs: Magic cost 1
- Create Torches: Magic cost 1
- Create Straight Path: Magic cost 3
- Create Forked Path: Magic cost 5
- Oil-covered Path: Magic cost 5
- Create Treasure Chest: Magic cost 5
- Create Trap: Magic cost 5
- Rolling Boulder: Magic cost 5
- Spear Barrage: Magic cost 5
- Fireball: Magic cost 5
- Create Monster: Magic cost 5
- Create Mid-tier Monster: Magic cost 10
โTorches aside, I donโt see the point of making signsโฆโ
โWait, you can make torches? Thatโs great. If you fill the dungeon with torches, I can use my eyes to watch everything!โ
โMaybe someday, but this dungeon is too big for that right now. Lighting every path and room would drain my magic.โ
Still, Pilkayaโs ability to monitor things is highly compatible with this.
Having him act as a one-man surveillance system is a big advantage for us.
โSigns, huhโฆ If you write a warning about danger at the entrance, you might be able to scare off certain intruders.โ
โScare them off? Isnโt it better to let them invade for the sake of the dungeon?โ
โTrue for now, but when intruders increase, it might become necessary. If too many curious intruders come in and get hurt, it could lead to troubleโlike the kingdom sending soldiers.โ
That makes senseโฆ Too many casualties might attract the kingdomโs forces.
Sometimes itโs better to let people leave unscathed.
โIโll make a few rooms, some branching paths, and put two or three traps or monsters in each room.โ
โYes, for a small-scale dungeon like that, even if kingdom soldiers are dispatched, it wouldnโt cause too much commotion.โ
โAnd donโt forget the treasure and a boss~.โ
โTreasure and a boss, huhโฆ Do we really need those?โ
โOf course! People risk entering dangerous dungeons because of treasure. If they make it to the end and find nothing, theyโll never come back.โ
Good pointโฆ In that case, Iโll make some treasure chests as usual.
I wonโt infuse them with magic, though. The dungeon will absorb a bit of ambient magic over time, which should improve the contents naturally.
The magic I can freely use and the magic the dungeon uses for repairs or ambient effects are apparently separate.
Thankfully, treasure chests draw from the latter. If they didnโt, I might have created a dungeon without any treasure as Pilkaya suggested.
โAs for the bossโฆ Letโs see. Since I can create a lot of goblin-type monsters, why not make a goblin-themed dungeon?โ
โConcepts are important~. For now, there arenโt any overly strong goblins, so that sounds perfect.โ
โSo, there are strong goblins too?โ
โOh, definitely. The more they swarm, the stronger they get, and higher-ranked goblins can empower their allies. They can become unstoppable.โ
I had a feelingโฆ Monsters that travel in groups tend to have that kind of synergy.
A Goblin King alone can significantly boost the strength of nearby goblins.
โAlright, itโs decided. Iโll start crafting while recovering magic as needed.โ
Even for a small dungeon, I donโt have enough magic to make it all at once.
Iโll take breaksโbuilding paths, then rooms, step by step.
โWowโฆ You really have some insane power, donโt you?โ
โImpressive work, Rey-sama.โ
โI canโt fight like you two, so I have to be useful in my own way.โ
โDonโt forget to add torches. Theyโll help me do my part too.โ
Paths and rooms automatically generate minimal torch lighting, so that should be enough for now.
โThose boulder and spear trapsโฆ Donโt they seem a bit too lethal? Maybe use fewer of them.โ
โAre they really that dangerous? I havenโt seen them in action, so I wasnโt sure.โ
โDangerous? More like brutal. As Primilla said, theyโre overkill for a rural village.โ
I seeโฆ Traps are more effective than I thought.
Maybe they helped take down those reincarnators too. I should think about adding more trap varieties in the future.
After taking advice from Primilla and Pilkaya, the dungeon was finally complete.
It has fewer than 10 rooms, connected by simple paths.
There are some forks in the paths, but no dead endsโevery route eventually leads to the boss room.
The boss is a Goblin King, accompanied by various types of goblins.
The boss room contains a treasure chest, and a few other rooms also have basic treasure chests with minimal items, which Iโll restock as needed.
Yeah, it turned out to be a decent dungeon.
Of course, thereโs no hidden passage connecting it to the Netherworldโitโs a fully independent structure.
โOh, itโs finished? As expected of Rey.โ
โFiona-sama.โ
โYour Majesty~. We helped with advice too!โ
โYes, Pilkaya and Primilla did well too.โ
Fiona-sama came to personally acknowledge our efforts. Sheโs as thoughtful toward her subordinates as ever.
โโฆYour Majesty, do you plan to leave all future dungeons to Rey-sama as well?โ
โEh? Wellโฆ I mean, if we put so much effort into them only for heroes to destroy themโฆโ
Fiona-samaโs response to Primillaโs question was hesitant.
โโฆI understand your feelings, and itโs our fault for leaving you alone after we died, but weโll need you to step up eventually.โ
โI-Iโll do my bestโฆ Maybe in a thousand yearsโฆโ
Primilla didnโt seem angry, just nodding at those words.
The way demons perceive time is hard to graspโฆ
โBy the way, isnโt it wasteful to place so many treasure chests in this simple dungeon?โ
โBut Pilkaya said we need them to attract intruders.โ
โWellโฆ Could you spare a few for me? I think Iโll finally succeed in reviving the third member of the Four Heavenly Kings.โ
Sheโs still working on that, huh? Reviving the entire Demon Lordโs army will probably take much longer.
Itโs worrisome that the Demon Lord seems addicted to treasure chest gacha.
If anyone found out I caused it, Iโd probably get scolded by the entire Demon Lordโs armyโฆ