Making the Dungeon
First off, I excavated the dungeon.
I had our golems dig out holes with shovels and pickaxes to save on even a small bit of DP.
I’m in the dummy core’s temporary Master Room. For this Dungeon Battle, [Father] provided special dummy cores that allowed for a place for the seniors and juniors to relax in. (I don’t get how it’s different from the non-temporary Master Room, but Rokuko and Haku-san said, [It just has that feeling], so yeah.)
Well, I shut myself up in here and started issuing commands to the golems to dig holes.
At any rate, I dug holes. Nothing but dig holes with a bang.
“How stingy.”
“I don’t mind if it’s stingy. It’s not as though we don’t have the time.”
Haku-san said that as I was making the dungeon.
We gradually collected the excavated earth, spreading the area bit by bit. Occasionally tossing magic stones onto the ground, I increased the number of workers through [Create Golem].
“What will you be doing with this soil?”
“I’ll be using it to make walls later on and reuse it. I could even use it by turning it into golems, as you see here.”
“Hmm. Well, using what you are able to is fundamental… However, you were using this way to economize? Using [Create Golem] to make use of the materials after you have dug it up is quite useful.”
“Yeah, well.”
It’s a bit difficult exposing my saving techniques, but this much should be fine. It’s just standard economizing, so exposing it to Haku-san shouldn’t help her any. It’s like talking to someone that manages the national budget about how to save on some loose change.
Well, it’s fine as long as my magic altering cheat that I mostly use on [Create Golem] isn’t exposed.
“Haku-san probably doesn’t need to worry about stuff like that now, you have an abundance of DP even if you don’t economize.”
“Right… It is useful for using with rules that limit DP like this time and the one I had with Kehma-san before, but I rarely do Dungeon Battles like this. They are usually unrestricted.”
Well for me, two of the three rounds including this time have had DP restricted rules.
“Fufun, Kehma’s strong point is being stingy with DP!”
“Don’t say it so pointedly.”
“It is a fact that I cannot help but recognize how skilled you are at it though.”
“Yeah, Kehma is a coward that’ll even win against Haku Ane-sama if he has the same DP!”
“Hey, are you trying to praise me or beat me down here?”
“Eh? I’m praising you! Coward.”
… That’s a compliment? Dungeon Core culture is amazing.
Ah, incidentally, Haku-san finally started using the technique of being with Rokuko outside while working on her paperwork. So now she’s filling out doc.u.ments and letters while sitting next to Rokuko, who was supervising the golems’ work.
“… Chloe-san. Is it alright for Haku-san to be taking those official doc.u.ments outside like this?”
“It isn’t alright exactly, but something of this degree is no problem so long as Haku-sama is able to work in comfort. If something happens, Haku-sama will just have to accept the responsibility for it.”
Ah, that so? The person in charge said they’d be taking responsibility if anything happened, so she took them out and disregarded anything good or bad about doing so huh.
“Kehma, don’t you have to work as the village chief?”
“Huh? I left everything to all of my subordinates. Well, I’ll show up if there’s any problem to take care of, but it’s going well right now.”
Honestly, it’s probably going so well because I’m not there.
“Enviable. Right, Kehma-san, help me out a bit with these doc.u.ments. My income and expenses aren’t matching, can you see where?”
“Isn’t it just a n.o.ble or something lining their pockets on the side? Rather, please don’t show me the empire’s confidential doc.u.ments. Are you trying to get me killed?”
“Oh? Doesn’t Kehma-san already know the empire’s most well kept secret of me being a Dungeon Core? What are you saying so late into the game.”
Come to think of it… she’s right!?
“Eh, then Haku Ane-sama’s been aiming at Kehma’s life the whole time!? That’s a no no Ane-sama! Kehma is my partner!”
“My my. It’s alright, I’m not aiming for his life at least.”
“Ah, good. That’s alright then.”
At least… eh, doesn’t that mean you’re intending to do something to the point that I won’t die?
I handed back the doc.u.ments she gave me so that I wouldn’t see inside.
Let’s just concentrate on making the dungeon for now…
I say that, but it’s just the golems digging holes and expanding the area bit by bit as we decided before, so I’m free for a while. I’ve made plenty of hole digging golems. This is a dungeon so they can get mana from it and won’t stop moving either.
… Ah, come to think of it, Rokuko knows [Create Golem] too huh. When did that happen again…?
Couldn’t I just leave completing the dungeon to Rokuko and have some leisure time? Rather, her [Create Golem] should look more natural than mine.
“Rokuko, can I head out for a bit?”
“It’s alright with me, but what are you going to do? Sleep?”
“I’m going to think about what kind of traps to use.”
I’d love to say that I’m going to go sleep like usual, but I can’t leave Rokuko to work while I go sleep since Haku-san’s here. Grah, doesn’t it feel like I’ve been awake too much recently!?
Well, putting that aside, I’ll think about what kind of traps we’ll use.
… We’ll be putting them underwater, so I want some electricity. Maybe some poison sprayers?
But what should I do against inanimate-type opponents… Maybe I should go along with what Haku-san recommended and crush them with heavy stuff. Aah, I could use various things as much as normally do if I used [Create Golem], but do I have to make each one of these with DP?
“Maybe I should put some skewers near a falling boulder?”
By the way, the main troops I’m planning on using are [Sardine School], [Shark], and [Merman]. The mermen should be able to fight on land even if we fail to flood the opponent’s dungeon with water.
As expected of Haku-san’s choice… Right, maybe we could use some octopuses too. Octopuses are the ninjas of the sea. They can camouflage in a ‘smokescreen’ and are excellent at invading areas to scout.
I have to think about the traps we set up as much as possible so that it doesn’t affect us.
“Excuse me, Kehma-sama? What is this dagon thing? I have never seen it in the DP Catalog…” [1]
When I was looking through the catalog, Chloe walked over and took a peek.
I wasn’t particularly trying to hide it though… ah, she smells good. Come to think of it, she’s always in male clothing despite being a succubus huh.
But… huh. So it’s not in Haku-san’s DP Catalog?
“… Ah, this is a creature of myth from another world. If you could, please avoid saying it’s name. Do not look at the catalog either. It’ll chip away at your SAN value.” [2]
“To lose one’s sanity just by looking…? Frightening.”
“Yeah. It’s not something to get involved with.”
I quietly hid the dagon from showing up. If it’s not in Haku-san’s catalog, it might be that that’s part of me being someone from another world. It’s also a monster, so I guess it’s that kind of thing. Maybe I should pay some more attention to the monsters I’m using?
For now, let’s just go with the safe monsters that Haku-san recommended. Yep.
Footnotes:
Mentioned in Chapter 163, here’s the footnote once again: A lovecraftian monster. Dagon is a deity who presides over the Deep Ones, an amphibious humanoid race. Also known as Father Dagon, he is a Great Old One and the consort of Mother Hydra. Return
Reference to lovecraftian tabletop games and their derivations. SAN = Sanity. Reach 0 and you go insane.