[Arc 3] Chapter 4: Spoils of the Victor

"Damn, that was a living hell..." I said out loud when I fell onto the throne.

After the battle, I had everyone try to salvage as many Desert Skeleton corpses so I could convert them. That knocked Necromancer past the single-digit line, so I'm now Lv.11 with the class. Two levels from converting one "batch" of corpses, that's something.

There's only me, Mira, and Iron here at the moment. Revi and Alf are making some luxury food for the monsters, while I allowed Noire to borrow the Kigal-Note so she could teach the magic-users some new spells.

"Good work. Now what?" - Mira

"Probably increasing the Dungeon's stats." - Garami

"Eh? 'The Dungeon's stats'?" - Mira

I gave a quick review of what I knew of "Dungeon-management" to the two.

"Then, you're going to increase Facility then?" - Mira

"Not sure if I can reach rank D with the current amount," I said, showing them the Dungeon Menu to demonstrate. 

7 DP. It could be enough, but it could also be too little. Damn, if I could Identify the whole Dungeon System...

"Then why not improve Knowledge so you'll know how much you need?" - Mira

"...That's the only way, I guess, unless we manage to kidnap a much more experienced Dungeon Master." - Garami

Wait, what can Knowledge F do anyway? I was too busy during the battle, so I never got to check. 

Let's see... it tells me the DP-value needed to reach rank F and E, some elementary stuff about Dungeon management that I already know of thanks to testing every bit myself, and there's a function telling me about whenever there are intruders in the Dungeon or not. No details or even how many of them there are though.

Kinda low for being the stat of Knowledge, but if I improve the rank...

I decided to put 3 DP into Knowledge, and as the stat itself had told me just before, it reached rank E with that. 

I started to browse through the new information-!? There! 

"To increase one of the Dungeon's seven stats to rank D, one needs to offer 5 DPs to a stat that is currently on rank E. To have a rank D stat reach rank C, one needs to offer 10 DPs.", is what it says.

5 DP for D, and 10 for C. That's one and two Dungeon levels on its own! And just one great stat doesn't seem to mean much for a Dungeon... what a pain.

I can't do that at the moment, due to having 4 DP left now, so let's look for some good info about one of them... "Expansion"? Wasn't that the thing in the Special-tab?

"Expansion. A special effect that allows one to increase the floors of one's Dungeon. One obtains the right to perform this each time the Dungeon's level increases"... 

Wahoo!! Two more Dungeon Floors! Well, it's easier at the start, so it will only be more difficult from now on, but still-!

Ugh! It says I can't perform Expansion when there are intruders in the Dungeon. Thinking about it, I can't customize the Dungeon during that time either. W-what a pain...

Oh? The Mercenary-System? Not our ride, but a Dungeon-ability. Let's see: "You can invite outsiders to the Dungeon as Mercenaries, which will make the Dungeon treat them as part of its forces. No negative effects will befall on the Mercenaries in case of the Dungeon's destruction, or something similar"...

That's it! I sent an invitation to Mira and the rest. One must normally do this face-to-face, but since we all went back to the old Party after the battle, I could send the invitations through that.

Wait, wasn't I supposed to look for clues for the next stat to upgrade? Argh! I digressed again! 

Grr, think, Garami. Which of the F-rank stats would improve your Dungeon most at our current stage?

The Strength-stat will unlock more monsters like the Cave Scorpion and tougher undead and demons. If I wanna have a macho army-group, I should take this.

The Mystic-stat will unlock more ghosts, and probably magic-based demons. Not sure if we need more magic-stuff right now, but it won't be a loss in aiming for this.

The Movement-stat is more helpful for the arachnids. Unlocking more demons like the Reha Zera wouldn't hurt either. Knowledge also told me that this stat influence the traps I can create, so that's also a reason to take it.

The Treasure-stat will be damn helpful for consumables, something we will need in the long run. Thinking about it, won't most of the local wildlife flee from the area if there has been a mighty war against the Desert Skeletons...?

I glanced across the small encyclopedia of Dungeon-terms the Knowledge-stat had given me and stopped at one that caught my eye. Is this...

I wasted no time and added three DP to the Treasure-stat.

DUNGEON MESSAGE:

[Random Creation] has been added.

A special Creation-option called Random Creation. To put it bluntly, it's a gatcha. A gatcha that lets you win something you can make with Subordinate Creation or Treasure Creation. It's limited to the stuff you can make with your Subordinate-stat and Treasure-stat respectively, but other than that, the gatcha is ignoring all other needed stats and/or Dungeon-type requirements. Also, it appears to be a special jackpot-prize that ignores even the Subordinate- and Treasure-stats...

You need to pay 100 CP for one roll, so I hope I won't be getting a Small Lesser Sandstalker or something. Of course, if the result is something I can't create with my Dungeon, such as a Celestial, then it's worth the shot.

According to the description, you can increase the payment by multiplying the original sum of 100 CP with 10, 100, and so on, to increase the chance of winning something good. When even 1,000 CP sounds like a dream...

"Hey, are you finished?" - Mira

"Hmm? Yeah, I upgraded Treasure." - Garami

"Oh? Then, who, or what, are the recruits?" - Mira

...I forgot about that. I'll look at the monsters before going gatcha.

Rank: E

Creation Cost: 30 CP

Creation Requirements: [Knowledge: E, Subordinates: E]

An elven species with a lineage rooted to the demon-species. Are capable of moving stealthy and are expert in sneak attacks. Have an inborn talent for daggers and bows. They are capable of cooperating with other species. They dislike "proper"-ones, like the non-demonic elves.

Rank: E

Creation Cost: 25 CP

Creation Requirements: [Mystic: F, Subordinates: F, Treasure: E]

A demon-type monster that takes the appearance of a treasure chest or treasures. They conceal themselves completely before attacking the greedy intruder that tries to take them, believing they are real treasures.

Oh? It shows the Creation Requirements without Identification now? That's handy.

A mimic should have been an obvious guess, considering it's the Treasure stat that's upgraded. Unlike the boss of Tir na Nog, this one's a proper, demonic mimic. However...

"Hey, what do you know about Dark Elves?" - Garami

"Hmm? Why're you... ah. Did you unlock some? Yeah, they were many of them back in Solomar..." - Mira

"Anyway, why can I summon them? Aren't elves humanoids?" - Garami

Dungeons weren't supposed to be capable of creating humanoids from what I've heard, demons and Celestials being an exception due to them lacking "humanoid"-traits.

"I think someone mentioned to me that Dark Elves was more than half-demon and the rest is elvish." - Mira

Ah, so they're at least 51% demon then. I summoned one of each to see what they could do.

The Lesser Mimic had the appearance of a red treasure chest. The chest is its mouth, like how mimics are usually described as back on Earth, and it has two eyes placed just above the keyhole. Is it its nose? Its tongue is damn long, so it will probably have use for skills like that [Poison Tongue] skill I looked at back when I was a Grey Demon.

The Dark Elf is also pretty much like what the general opinion of them is on Earth. An elf with dark skin and pale hair. She's wearing leather armor as if she was a hunter in the forest. We're in a cave though. She's got a slimmer body-line than compared to the two female Zerbreuses I created, but it's still enough to tempt the idiots you can find in the Union in Velantas.

"My Lady, it is an honor to pledge my life to you," said the Dark Elf as she kneeled in front of me. The Lesser Mimic only gave a lighthearted salute with its tongue to replace its non-existing hands and a wink.

"Mhm. Start by introducing yourself to the other monsters," I said, excusing them from the throne room. I don't have the stamina to entertain some newcomers.

The Dark Elf walked out of the throne room after making a deep bow, with the Lesser Mimic jumped after her.

"So that's how Dungeon Monsters are born... wait, that's it!?" - Mira

"For now. Planning on having a gathering with all the new monsters. Kinda like a tournament of mock battles." - Garami

"Oh, you're going deep into all this Dungeon Master-business. Then, is there an arena or something here?" - Mira

"...Not yet, but maybe I can make one." - Garami

I started operating the Dungeon Menu, first selecting the Expansion option... which lead to the ground starting to vibrate violently.

*Rumble, rumble, rumble...*

"W-w-w-what's going on!?" - Mira

The shaking ended as abruptly as it had started. When it did, I kicked-up the Dungeon Menu again and went to Dungeon Customization... bingo!

Two new Floors had been added to the Dungeon. When I pushed on the new Floor-entry, the list of facilities got divided into three different lists. The one on the main page must have been a collected list then...

"Garami! The Core is-!" - Mira

"I know. It's been relocated." - Garami

Seems like the Core has to be located at the depths of the Dungeon, so it had been removed from the wall in the throne room and placed on the third floor.

I explained this to Mira as I was browsing through what Facilities I could create and add to the two new Floors. This is gonna take a while...

---

And a while has passed! Wait, who am I saying this to?

I'm currently sitting on my seat at the table of the banquette, one that was for celebrating both the victory against the Desert Skeletons and for the completion of the Dungeon this time around. 

A great amount of work and time had to be done to reach this far. I could place one more Safe Area on each floor, along with four more Treasure Chests as well. That alone has increased my FP by 108 points! Still doesn't feel like enough after this...

We're currently on the third floor, which has been altered to a forest made of black trees with petals of purple, blue, and pale pink. I think some of the trees are of the same kind as the generic sakura-trees back on Earth, as there is a dance of petals in the air. Not enough to be annoying, but it's pretty nevertheless.

Please don't comment on why there's a night-sky deep under the ground, nor why it's night in here when it's still 11 a.m, okay?

At my table sits Mira and Iron, while the other three are being showered with praises from the monsters that were helped thanks to them. Including them in the Dungeon, even as Mercenaries, seems to have helped the monsters warm up to them faster than expected.

As for the explanation of the strange view around me, it's better to talk about the new facilities:

The third floor is the target for the Floor-transformation of the Dark Forest. Since a Dark Forest-type Dungeon, even if only a floor, doesn't have rooms, I had to replace them with the Caves. Both the stairway and the throne room are in one of these each. 

Other than that, the third floor has been designed as a residential district for the inhabitants, making it the ideal place for a party. The River and Lake, connected to a Water Source, is for everyone to get water from, the Field is so we could add the Houses and Huts here, and of course, the Treehouse is also placed down here.

The first floor is the same as ever, only with the throne room gone and the entrance room alone being transformed into Dark Forest. 

The second floor is pretty much the same as any old Cave-type out there... until you reach the Large Room I've placed in the later parts. That's the Graveyard, which is planned to be a monster house, better said, an undead house. Just need the time to fill it. Any intruders that enter here will be swarmed by the undead, along with ranged attack from the rear by arrows from Dark Elves, magic from demons, and whatever. The big torch is placed at the other entrance of the graveyard, just to make the invaders feel even more miserable. 

I placed one of the Mining Points before the undead house, so people can decide whenever to get some metal or to become undead-food. The other one is in the area past the Graveyard, which will be our main mining spot for now. All that's needed now is those Workshops that Knowledge talked about... but I lack FP to construct them! Nor do I have them unlocked either.

I'll have to kill time while waiting for intruders to show up and turn to the Dungeon's EXP then. Or better said, I need to wait. I'm too exhausted after the last round to go hunting for a while. Guess I'll have quite a few shots with the gatcha in the meanwhile...

"Ah, I've got enough for one round." - Garami

"For what?" - Mira

"Something called 'Random Creation'. It produces a product, be it a monster or an item, at random." - Garami

"Heh, there's something like that as well... hey, can-" - Mira

"No." - Garami

"But I haven't said anything yet!" - Mira

"You're not allowed to spin the gatcha. I've heard about your bad relationship with gambling." - Garami

"Grr... t-then, what if I fixed that tournament-thingy you talked about!" - Mira

The mock battles? Oh, right, there's still those...

"Get that done, then I'll let you have two spins." - Garami

"Yes!" - Mira

Maybe a casino should be added before a dedicated arena? It will get some affection points from this no-good sprite... 

I opened the Dungeon Menu and went straight for the Random Creation option. A magic circle appeared in front of us, like when I create monsters and items normally, and it grew... just a little, then it started to shrink down in size. After the light faded, what remained was...

"A slime?" - Garami

An emerald-colored slime, around the size of a volleyball, was standing there in front of us. It got these bead-like eyes, so its overall appearance is... pretty lovable. Not my kinda taste, but still...

"A... Clean Slime?" - Garami

"Wow, you serious? Those are damn useful. Some people would pay several thousand for a talented one." - Mira

"That much?" - Garami

"Sure. They are incredibly talented and you can teach it to do almost anything that's not combat-related." - Mira

So, we can't use it for combat... still, any large buildings need a janitor or three. Especially a place as big as this. 

"In that case, how about you have this guy help you around... Iron? Hello?" - Garami

I tried to catch Iron's attention, as his new Sub Class would probably make him want an assistant like this child, but...

"....Zzz..." - Iron

...Oh yeah, he's been going on for as long as I have... wait, he could sleep!? No way...

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Monsters/Slime: Clean Slime

Description:

A Soap Slime is a slime-creature that lacks almost any kind of acid one can find in its brethren slime-species. This makes it difficult for the slime not only to hunt for food, but the slime will also have problems in digesting the captured prey. 

As a means of survival, the Soap Slime has adapted itself to consume grime and dirt from people and objects, without harming the target in question. This characteristic this monster has developed has led to it becoming a popular pet within any type of business where dirt can lead to problems.

Appearance:

The Clean Slime looks like an emerald-colored ball of solidified slime, around the size of a ball kids use to play with, with two black, bead-like objects representing its eyes. This type of slime creates hands with their body-mass instead of tentacles as opposed to other slime-types. Its Slime Core is of the same color as its body and extremely small, making it difficult to spot.

Abilities:

As mentioned above, the Clean Slime lacks almost any kind of acid, especially so for the kind that can be used for offensive purposes. However, despite its small size, the Clean Slime is surprisingly durable. They can withstand more pain than one would believe, and with their instinctive regeneration powers added to the equation, they can escape relatively unharmed from any wild monsters.

Clean Slimes also have it easy in learning crafting techniques and gathering techniques along with their ability to be able to clean anything that may be presented to them. Crafters especially love having a Clean Slime at their back for both reasons.

Garami's comment: Okay, this one is a real jackpot.