"Well what do you think?" Frost asked while tapping the layout drawing before him with his index finger.
Findlay and Khuno who the question was directed to looked at one another before Khuno replied.
"Isn't it a bit early milord?" Khuno replied while frowning.
The drawing before the three of them was the layout plan for the external camp. Frost wanted to begin construction of the outer walls and internal buildings within the next 12 hours or so despite the late stages still being fully underway.
"Really? I don't think so." Frost replied with a disagreeing opinion causing Findlay and Khuno to once again look at one another.
"Please elaborate master." Findlay spoke this time.
"The last wave was what roughly 18 hours ago correct?"
"Correct."
"And that said wave was smaller than the last ones, containing less than 55 monsters right."
"....That's true.
"Ok then from that and what we know about the monster stampede as a whole we can surmise that the B-rank monsters the ones with the ability to retain their intelligence and control the lower ranked monsters under the stampede's influence have likely started moving in earnest." Frost stopped tapping the table and leaned forward as he began explaining his reasons.
"The 2nd last wave though on time was also slightly smaller than the previous ones holding around 70 monsters instead of 80 thus there's a definitive pattern. The number of monsters being attracted to the dungeon over the urging to head south is dwindling, supporting the idea of either the south being more tantalising and or the presence of something actively encouraging their direction."
"Couldn't it just be that the monsters themselves are less populous. We have killed an awful lot after all and I'm sure Furano and the other bastion towns have had similar if not even greater effects on their numbers." Khuno spoke of another possibility.
"Not likely, the number of monsters present in the glacial mountains exterior regions alone likely number in the millions let alone the inner regions. No matter how many we kill there will always be more to replace them while the monster stampede is in effect." Frost instantly shot down Khuno's argument. He'd done a lot of research on the monster stampede during the days leading up to it.
Ending the monster stampede early was an impossibility. Only when the corruption in the mana vein had been completely expunged would things return to normal.
Khuno was silent in response.
This job involved a lot of forest clearing given that the majority of the 1km would be within the Northrend forest. The harvested lumber would thus be used to construct buildings within the 1km wall, hoping to not waste a single piece of free material.
The wall came first so as to serve as protection against the natural fauna and to cement the idea of territory, next would be the integral buildings that would be needed to support people.
Shelter in the from of inns, cabins and dorms focusing mainly on quantity rather than quality given that the primary dwellers would be adventurers.
Food resources such as restaurants and butchers (farming areas to be built in the future likely within the dungeon).
Shops ranging from everyday items to weapon and armour vendors focusing mainly on the needs of adventurers.
After that was the idea of permanent residences, bars as well as empty dwellings to be used by approved businesses such as foreign merchants and hopefully the adventurers guild.
Frost had quite a thorough plan for the external camp over the next 12 months. There was also the restructuring of the dungeon itself and assigned safety areas that could form internal camps and or be used for recreational activities. But all these things would be gradual, the first thing to do was to build the external camp's wall and cement his territory before the sharp eyed vultures moved in.
Unfortunately when everyone was getting on board with this construction plan, forming teams and preparing their assignments an unexpected situation arose.
It started with Frost and Findlay suddenly feeling a strong sense of unease and nervousness before Maya spoke through the dungeon menu.
"Looks like your luck isn't that great young master, you better take a look outside." She spoke with a tone that desperately hinted that she wished to say, 'see I told you this would happen'. Frost's heart lurched as he heard what she said before he brought up the dungeon menu and scanned the vicinity near the dungeon.
"Fuck!" He couldn't help but curse when the screen showed a certain object quickly making its way towards the dungeon, emitting a heavy pressure as it did.
"Findlay! Khuno! With me!" He urgently shouted as goosebumps grew on his arms, the three swiftly teleported to the winter highlands section, near the dungeon's entrance.
Outside of the dungeon.
"Hoh so this is what's been drawing away multiple hordes over the past few days. It certainly does have an interesting feel about it. What do you think Dulan?" The speaker asked the beast that he was riding upon.
The beast was easily 8 metres tall while on all fours, covered in dense brown hair that skilfully hid its powerful body and was armed with deadly looking tusks. A warrior mammoth, an upper C-rank monster that unlike its more passive kin was a territorial bull that served to protect the other mammoths from predators.
This Dulan grunted in response, but it couldn't help but feel a strange attraction to the dungeon that was before it.
"Interesting, very interesting."