15 minutes after we took Miller upstairs, Emily and Ronan joined us for dinner on the Rest Area"s 2nd floor. Even though we initially used it for deception, good food was actually cooking over the campfire. As you would expect, Orai was seasoning it while it cooked."This place is pretty comfy for a dungeon! I can feel the lord replenishing my strength!", Emily said casually.
Emily laid her back on the ground and placed her hands behind her head. She closed her eyes and sat on the lukewarm dungeon floor. Meanwhile, Ronan was drawing the map of the dungeon and writing down notes.
"Usually, we would immediately be attacked by mobs for entering a C-rank Dungeon. Isn"t it strange that the Dungeon already has a Rest Area installed? If the book on Dungeon types is accurate, this has to be a Dungeon Room of the Giant configuration! This doesn"t make sense but the evidence in front of me is so clear", Ronan proclaimed.
"Oh. That"s because the dungeon isn"t a C-rank, Ronan. We opened the Corridor to see what was in there and it seemed like it"s at least a C+", I stated.
"Guess that would make sense. To have a Griffin prominently displayed on a Dungeon Door, it has to at least be higher than an entry-level dungeon. A C+ is the most realistic rank after all", Emily yawned.
Of course, this dungeon was already a B+ overall thanks to Bose, Briggs, Obsidian, and Krotos. I figured that making them believe the dungeon was still beginner-friendly was the way to go since I can start building the notoriety of the dungeon gradually. I can"t attract too many high-level adventurers at the beginning since I"m not armed for it. I have to gradually increase the rank of my intruders so I can have the mobs that are needed to kill them. Judging from what Hidarus wrote about an adventurer"s strength, it would only take 3 great rank adventurers to decimate all of my current mobs. That would leave Krotos, Briggs, and Bose to fight on the front lines since Obsidian is only a B+. We don"t have the firepower needed to deal with a threat like that so soon. If I can get them to tell the guild that this dungeon is gradually trending upwards in difficulty, I could lure more of the B-ranks and C-ranks over here while having the higher ranks ignore it.
"We overheard you telling Krotos you were a.s.signed to this dungeon by Ravenscar. Is that a person of influence?", I asked curiously.
"You don"t know the town of Ravenscar? Have you been living under a rock?", Emily asked.
Miraculously, a decent-sized piece of the dungeon conveniently fell on Emily"s head, putting her in a dazed state. I wonder how that happened in a Rest Area. Guess we"ll never know.
"Great! Now they are both knocked out! What a bunch of idiots! Imagine someone of my intelligence having to party with a lazy healer and an a.s.shole warrior. They don"t even know how to draw a Dungeon"s layout for the guild! They knew I was going to do all the work from the beginning!", Ronan fumed.
"Relax, Ronan! The Chicken and Beef Kebabs are almost done! We also have some Rabbit soup cooking with Orai"s special ingredients!", I stated.
"Well, it does smell good. I guess I have something to forward to at least. I"ll go downstairs to draw the layout of the first floor and the outside entrance. Just call for me when the food is done", Ronan said.
As Ronan began to walk down the stairs, Krotos came from the shadows behind us. As Orai and I discreetly gave the last two sleeping potions to Emily and Miller, Krotos felt it was safe to speak.
"What"s the plan, Jordan? I don"t know how much longer I can stand the stench of C-ranks near me. Those disgusting beings always attempt to hunt a griffin but never want the consequences! I feel like I"m suffocating without a drop of human blood. Are you sure you need them alive?", Krotos said.
"Although they appear useless, they are the key to the dungeon increasing its notoriety. We need a steady stream of adventurers and inhabitants if we are going to reach S-rank. Hidarus said that killing adventurers as soon as they arrive will stunt my growth but I"m willing to make an exception for a certain a.s.shole", I said nonchalantly.
As we looked over to a sleeping Miller, I came up with a clever idea that we all agreed to. After telling Orai and Krotos my plan, Orai grabbed Miller and teleported deeper into a different part of the dungeon. Krotos took a Kebab and teleported to the middle of Constrictor, meeting up with obsidian. Meanwhile, I took a sip of the rabbit soup that she was making.
Sometimes it was sweet but the aftertaste increasingly became sour. Guess we ran out of sugar.
It"s better to balance your sweetness with your sourness. That"s how you make good soup.
---------------------------------------------
"Hey, guys! Are you playing cards? Can I play?", Ronan lightly shouted.
Ronan came from outside of the dungeon with a new sketch of the door and mountain. As he was beginning to walk over to the stairs, he noticed that the Corridor door wasn"t closed. Upon looking through the opening, he immediately swung open the door.
"MILLER! WHERE THE h.e.l.l ARE YOU SLEEPING!", Ronan shouted.
"Shut up, b.i.t.c.h! I"m trying to sleep! My body is aching me for some reason. I think I landed weird when I fell on my face. You know my back is aching me right now?", Miller said.
"WHY ARE YOU IN THE CORRIDOR! GET THE h.e.l.l OUT OF THERE, YOU DUMBa.s.s", Ronan shouted.
"Eh? What the h.e.l.l are you yelling about? I"m upstai-"
As Miller woke up from his slumber, he awoke to find himself 50 feet into the beginning of Constrictor. He was currently surrounded by the Dungeon"s C-rank mobs!
"Oi! What the h.e.l.l is this? Did Emily trick me again? That b.i.t.c.h!", Miller shouted.
After hearing Ronan"s shouts; Emily, Orai, and I ran downstairs to the Corridor"s entrance. 3 feet inside of the corridor was a white line with a variety of skull types painted. Ronan and Emily were smart enough to stay behind the line since we told them the Dungeon"s minimum rank. Miller was the only one who didn"t know about the ranking.
"Man, screw you guys! I"m taking the treasure for myself! I never liked you two anyway! Too soft for a warrior like me! First, I"ll start by killing these ugly a.s.s C-ranks! Then I"ll go ahead and kill everything else in this Dungeon!", Miller shouted.
As Miller took out his wide, brutal sword to defend himself, I was interested to see how he performed. He may have been an a.s.shole but he was apparently good at what he did. That"s the only explanation for Emily and Ronan to accept this a.s.shole into their questing party. I know Ronan is smart so Miller must be decent at what he does. However, the Dungeon told me why he was seen as a good warrior.
Even though his skill was projected to be C+, his custom sword was apparently a B+ weapon.
Take away his sword and you take away his pride. I think I"ll take that from him first.
Among other things.