“So treasure chests can produce food too.”
“N-next time for sure…”
Finally, that absurdly oversized interior of the treasure chest is proving its worth.
Lady Fiona is at it again today — pouring mana into a chest, convinced this will be the one that yields a resurrection elixir.
I’d been vaguely worried about what would happen when the dungeon’s food supplies ran out, but at this rate that doesn’t seem to be a problem.
If anything, the question is going to be how to work through all of it.
“The monsters don’t need to eat, do they…”
“Come to think of it, the monsters Rei creates recover automatically. No upkeep beyond the initial mana — remarkably efficient.”
“Well, it is a skill from a goddess, whatever else you might say about her.”
Even if she called me a dud.
…Then again, as a demon on the enemy side, and with the skill being useless outside a dungeon, I can see her logic. Somewhat.
“To help Rei’s efforts, I really do need to revive at least one or two of the Four Heavenly Kings…”
“Please don’t let it get to you.”
Please don’t let it become a full-blown compulsion.
Though, given that Lady Fiona’s treasure chest gacha has been steadily building up supplies, maybe the current situation isn’t so bad.
As long as she doesn’t become a gambling-addicted Demon Lord.
“On the subject of monsters — the first room is starting to get too crowded.”
“So it is. Shall we try some renovation, then?”
She’s right.
With me running monster creation on repeat, the fighting force keeps growing — and the space to fit them is starting to fall behind.
Packing all of them into a single room seems cruel, and this is a convenient excuse to try something new.
As it turns out, my stats had gone up again at some point.
Izumi Rei — Mana: 12 / Strength: 6 / Technique: 9 / Fortitude: 9 / Agility: 7
Mana has broken past 10.
It rose faster than the previous time — either from repeated use of the Dungeon Master skill, or from opening the entrance and drawing more intruders.
I have a feeling that stat growth happens when intruders are repelled by the monsters and traps too.
There were moments when my stats went up while I was just sitting and watching the screen, and that’s the only thing I can think of to explain it.
“You look like you have something in mind. Shall we head toward the entrance?”
“Don’t you need to be at the throne?”
So Lady Fiona is coming along this time.
“I want to see Rei’s work for myself occasionally. You are my last subordinate, after all.”
“…I’ll do my best to live up to expectations.”
The unintentional pressure she puts on me left no other response possible.
Having the head of an organization come watch you work in person is nerve-wracking enough under any circumstances, Demon Lord or otherwise.
Her mood seems quite good right now — I’d like to keep it that way. No blunders.
◇
“Renovation — are you going to build a new room?”
“That’s one option, but I was thinking of trying something bigger.”
Create Hall: Mana Cost 10
This option unlocked fairly early, but the cost was too high to touch at the time.
Since then, my mana has more than doubled.
Well — the baseline was low to begin with, but either way, this is within reach now.
“My… Rei’s abilities really are convenient. An entire hall, built in an instant.”
My head feels a little foggy…
The larger the mana expenditure, or the lower my remaining reserves, the closer I seem to get to losing consciousness.
“The goddess did call it a dud skill…”
“No such thing! Your power is remarkable. Please don’t belittle it.”
“It’s borrowed power either way…”
“You belong to me. And that means even you are not permitted to insult what is mine.”
“…Yes.”
I suppose I’m allowed to be glad about being kept close as a useful tool.
No gratitude to the goddess, but I can be grateful for the ability itself.
“That said, what a large room. The previous underground demon realm had nothing like this.”
“It might be a bit big — even moving half the monsters in here would still leave room to spare.”
That’ll sort itself out as I keep producing monsters.
Traps might be worth adding too.
A room this size should have enough space to trigger them without catching our own side in the blast.
“There’s still a lot I can do here, so once my mana recovers I’ll start working on this room.”
“Yes — I’m counting on you. Just please, please don’t push yourself…”
Same warning as always. The memory of me passing out repeatedly in those early days is clearly leaving its mark.
“By the way — I’m nearly done channeling mana into this chest, so if you could prepare another one…”
“Lady Fiona, please take care of yourself as well…”
Left to her own devices, this person would pour every last drop of mana straight into the treasure chest gacha.
◇
“Reincarnates are a handful…”
“Ah, who cares. The dungeon’s basically already dead, right? The Heroes finished it off. We go in, take a look around, file the report — easy work.”
“Yeah, at least the reincarnates’ little demands mean we get to skip regular duties for a bit.”
Fulfilling reincarnates’ requests within reasonable limits.
That was the king’s standing order to his subjects.
On the surface it kept the reincarnates feeling supported — and kept them from being poached by other nations.
The castle soldiers, inwardly clicking their tongues at the haughty orders from these reincarnates, accepted the assignment anyway.
Because the dungeon in question was the place where the Heroes had cornered the Demon Lord.
A dungeon that the kingdom’s true champions — transcendent warriors, unlike these reincarnates — had already cleared.
There was no danger. It was just going to confirm something any child would already know, except for reincarnates with no common sense.
And as their friend said, if skipping regular duties was the trade-off, that was fine by them.
The reincarnates got what they wanted; they got to take it easy.
“H-hey… I’ve never actually been in a dungeon before, so I can’t say for sure, but… is this place really dead?”
The mountain path had been rough going — though compared to daily training, not particularly so for castle soldiers.
The monsters that appeared along the way were nothing they couldn’t handle with room to spare, unlike the reincarnates.
But this dungeon was something else entirely. Something none of them were equipped to handle. Something they should not enter.
They were not fools. They had been chosen to defend the castle, and whatever their work ethic, their instincts for danger ran sharper than most.
“There are monsters everywhere… what is going on? Maybe when the dungeon died, wild monsters moved in and nested?”
“Give me a break. We came here to confirm it was safe. I’m not walking into a place radiating this many monsters.”
“…Is this dungeon actually dead?”
“It has to be. The Heroes said so. Unlike those reincarnates, the Heroes are honorable people fighting for humanity — I can’t imagine them lying.”
“So… wild monsters really did nest here, then.”
Their luck was threefold.
They had sensed the mass of monsters crowded into the entrance room before those monsters were moved to the new hall further back.
The ones who gave them the order were reincarnates they didn’t respect.
Not worth risking their lives for.
That last point was what saved them.
“Let’s head back. We’ll tell the reincarnates the dungeon is dead but monsters have nested inside. That’ll be enough.”
And so they left without becoming the dungeon’s next meal — and reported back exactly what they had felt.