CH 25

New monsters are appearing one after another.

“Now, before creating the third level, I have a question for you, Help-kun.”

“What is it?”

“What will be the consequences of a dungeon that loses its master?”

To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought during the briefing, but subsequently, I was interested to ascertain what had occurred to the “Demon’s Fortress,” so I dispatched a Fog to the labyrinth, only to be faced by the apparent fact that nothing had changed. There is a saying, to ask may be a moment’s shame, but not to ask and to remain ignorant is an everlasting shame. That is why I called Help-kun.

“Well, let’s see.”

And here is a summary of what I have learned:

・When a labyrinth’s master dies, it loses its indestructibility.

・The labyrinth after losing its master randomly generates demons and traps based on the multiplication[i] of the former Demon King’s level for a certain amount of time[ii].

・The demons that spawned following their master’s demise will not leave the dungeon voluntarily.

“What a hassle…”

“That’s the way it works.”

Whether they are alive or dead, they are still a nuisance. As one would expect from a Demon King.

“Oh well, let’s create the third level. ≪Dungeon Creation≫.”

Thus, the creation of the third level has begun.

However, the third level that I am working on this time is deliberately designed to be less challenging. The reason why? This is done for the purpose of attracting more people to my labyrinth and intentionally developing the humans. To be more precise, once a person has reached around the third level, I plan to dispatch monsters that are evidently out of their appropriate level to turn the tables on them.

Furthermore, in constructing the third level, the entire “White Fog and Black Swamp Forest” will be renovated. Specifically, the existing main entrance will be modified to a one-way door from the inside to the outside, and the first level will be centered on the stronger demons amongst my own subordinates. On the second level, there will be no particular change, but the fog and muddy environment will be added. Also, on the third level, an airlock will be set up with a limit of 20 people at a time, which will serve as the main entrance.

In other words, the third level will be the first floor of my dungeon, followed by the second level and the first level, and so on in reverse order.

Now, the basic concept of the third level is a clear stream with an average depth of 10 cm and a moderate current flowing from the entrance to the depths. And naturally, since this is my dungeon, I set up a fog (but with a visibility limit of about 15 meters). As for objects, reeds and rocks are situated here and there, and the devouring black swamp is installed in places where the flow is sluggish.

Its connection with the second level is directly opposite the first and second connecting points where the black swamp waterfall is located, and the dungeon as a whole is constructed in such a way as to extend horizontally by any means. The entrance is in the middle of a paddy field.

Eh? You think it’s a nuisance? I don’t hear you.

For the monsters that will emerge, I intend to set up the new Bullet Tadpole and Rifle Frog in addition to Fog, Thin Mist Wolf, etc., and will deploy the Disarray Devil’s Darning Needle to deal with overleveled opponents. Well, it will more than likely be a genocide party since it still won’t obey my commands.

・Bullet Tadpole

Amphibian-type tadpole-shaped demons measuring roughly 10 cm in length.

While each unit is feeble in strength, they plunge into the adversary’s body with great vigor like rifle bullets, burrowing into the body and subsequently devouring the opponent’s body from the inside. As they grow, they evolve into Rifle Frog.

Summoning cost: 5 HP and SP each per unit.

Prerequisite for creation: existence of a watering place or a similar environment.

・Rifle Frog

Amphibian-type frog-shaped demons, approximately 1.5 m in length. A higher species of Bullet Tadpole.

Their tongues are like rifles, and they utilize water pressure to send Bullet Tadpole and pebbles flying like rifle bullets. When members of the same species are in close proximity, it has the property of timing its attacks.

Summoning cost: 300 HP and SP each per unit.

Prerequisite for creation: Bullet Tadpole presence is required.

And now, continuing on to the second level, I would like to introduce some monsters that have not been introduced until now.

・Minotamist

About 4m tall, spirit-based, bull-headed demon.

A cloud of smoke in the form of a minotaur. This is the demon that most represents its visage. Although it is stronger than Smoke in terms of physical attack power, it is less intelligent. When you think of a labyrinth, the minotaur is what counts! For this reason, Kurokiri summoned it.

Summoning cost: 500 each for HP, MP, and SP per unit.

・Mud Puppet

A 1.7m height magical creature of humanoid type.

A puppet demon created from mud. It is a stereotypical golem that dutifully complies with the orders it is issued, but will not commit to anything beyond the assigned commands. Unless its core is destroyed, it can spontaneously recover from an out-of-combat state with its minor self-regeneration ability. It does not perform any dance like the mysterious dance[iii].

Summoning cost: 100 MP per unit.

So, on the first level, a new monster like this shall be produced.

・Cuelebre

Roughly 10m long, dragon-like serpent-type demon.

This dragon is distinguished by its scales, which harden with each attack, and its venomous breath. Despite belonging to the lower class of dragons, its potency is still terrific.

Summoning cost: 1800 each for HP, MP, and SP per unit.

・Mud Soldier

A 1.7m tall magical creature of humanoid form. A higher species of Mud Puppet.

Mud Puppets[iv] are equipped with weapons and armor. Apart from faithfully abiding by the commands issued to them, they may also act on their own initiative to some extent. As long as the core is not destroyed, they will automatically recover, including their weapons and armor.

Weapons and armor can be customized.

Summoning cost: MP250 per unit.

Yup. It was a challenge to summon Cuelebre. After all, with my current status, things are fairly rough. For your information, although its ability is comparable to that of Devil’s Darning Needle, it obeys my commands perhaps because it can be summoned as often as I desire.

Well, I guess the introduction of monsters ends here.

So, it has cost me about a month to prepare the dungeon and to summon the monsters. During this period, there was barely any contact from Ryo, but it seemed that things were heating up in the world.

Ah, I’m reverting back to being a poorly informed guy again… I’ll have to inquire about these with those fellows…

T/N:

[i] The author omitted the details of the multiplication but let’s just assume that 2x is the correct one for the time being

[ii] The time is omitted as well

[iii] The dance is the scene you see in games after a match is over with the player being the winner. You know like in RPG games where there is a BGM and the hero’s party grabbing their swords up and down, something like that. Press on the link to view the image

[iv] I think the author mistyped that. It should be Mud Soldier… or maybe not?