Chapter 10

"Au, can't you bring the hot water back? Are you telling me to go all the way to the dark depths of the dungeon? The hot water from the first floor is now even sold to commoners, right?"

Auff, the third daughter of the Nausa Duke's family in the Sepans Kingdom, said this with a dissatisfied look.

"Yes... Miss... Even if we bring back the hot water from the underground, the magic of the dungeon will dissipate on the surface, and its effects will be lost. The current theory is that only the hot water from the first floor, which is closer to the surface, can retain its magic and be brought back. Therefore, for the second floor and beyond, the only way is to go directly to the site and use it there."

"Che... Once someone uses the hot water from the first floor, they are enchanted... and everyone starts aiming for the deeper levels... What a cunning and nasty dungeon..."

She spat out these words after hearing the old man's explanation.

Born as the third daughter of the Duke, Auff was a beautiful girl in her childhood. However, she contracted a disease that caused numerous blisters all over her body. Although she survived, she was left with severe scars all over her body.

Due to her high status as a Duke's daughter, she was never bullied. However, the pitying looks from those around her and the constant fussing over her condition made her close her heart. For over ten years, she remained confined to her room, never appearing in public or in society.

Despite being confined to her room, she continued to study so that she could contribute to the country and her family. Her main focus was on the dungeon.

Studying the dungeon, which could become a major industry for the country, was not unnatural. She also hoped that the supernatural benefits produced by the dungeon could heal her skin.

And now, by some twist of fate, a dungeon that could bring about the miracle she had been waiting for was born in this country.

Her father ordered the knights to bring back a large amount of the hot water from the first floor for her. Whenever she heard rumors of a medicine that might heal her skin, her father would always obtain it for her. She had even heard rumors that he paid exorbitant amounts of money for these medicines. However, the results were always the same—nothing changed. It only brought despair and disappointment, making her feel even more miserable and causing more trouble for those around her. This time would be no different...

Thinking this, she was not really motivated. But she couldn't ignore her father's kindness... So she immersed herself in the bathtub prepared for her.

The effects were felt from the first day. I opened my eyes in surprise at the clearly different state of my skin compared to the previous day.

After repeating this process for a week, the condition of my hands and feet improved to a state that could be considered normal. I was so afraid that I stood in front of the mirror, which I had avoided for years, and looked at my face.

I cried.

Something inside me that had been pent up for years burst out. I cried loudly in front of the mirror for a long time.

"Miss... I'm so glad. This time it's real... I'm so glad. Father... Thank you so much. Auff! It really worked! Congratulations! Thank you, big sister."

Such tearful scenes of family love and emotion continued. Of course, after a few days, everything calmed down.

The current Miss Auff, though still not as smooth as her big sister, still had some complaints. She asked the old man, "Can't the hot water from the second floor be brought back?"

Knowing that it couldn't be brought back, she immediately thought about going to the deeper levels of the dungeon right away. However, for a young lady who had been confined to her room for nearly ten years, it was a bit too much.

Even though the second floor of the dungeon is said to be relatively safe, it's like being told to climb a 200-meter mountain where you are attacked by aggressive raccoons and weasels, and the path is poorly maintained. It's a task with a high level of difficulty and danger. You would need to bring several armed guards to avoid dying.

The servants watched her with genuinely happy eyes. A young lady who had been closed off and depressed for nearly ten years, now appeared in public, conversed with the servants outside her room, and was considering whether to go deeper into the dungeon for her skin. It was a heartwarming scene.

However, at this moment, Auff was thinking deeply about the hot spring dungeon.

Dungeons are entities that stimulate human desires, lure people into the depths, and kill them. This hot spring dungeon, like others, is no exception. However, it seemed to manipulate human desires far too skillfully.

It spreads obvious beauty, and to seek more beauty, one must go deeper into the dungeon. The beauty obtained in the depths is then flaunted in society, enticing more nobles to venture deeper into the dungeon.

This kind of consciousness manipulation is similar to the fashion and decoration industries. However, the nasty part of this dungeon is that it cannot be resolved with money or power alone. If it were a dungeon that produced wonderful clothes or jewels, you could just buy them with money and leave the danger to the adventurers. But this dungeon lures even the ladies who are safely hidden away... even the queen of this country, into the dangerous depths of the dungeon.

It's like the skilled and unscrupulous merchants who sell fake medicine to her father. They go beyond just making you want something. They make you feel that you can't do without it. "It's terrible not to get this for your daughter." They manipulate your mind with the compulsion of social norms, making you spend large sums of money.

While it's not that bad now, the future is clear. Eventually, people will not go deeper to become beautiful, but to avoid the shame of not being beautiful as a noble lady. This is the exact method of unscrupulous merchants.

Most dungeons scattered around the world are simple. "My dungeon produces gold and jewels, so come!" They only have a basic level of intent.

"Look, there are shiny stones! You'll be happy to get them, right?" They produce only transparent junk stones, and occasionally, some good jewels. This is the kind of reward content that a fool would come up with.

The "no-hunger" dungeon that has existed in this country for a long time is also just a simple addition to a typical dungeon. "My dungeon also has food, so come!" It's a childish improvement.

However, some of the new dungeons that have appeared in the last fifty years are clearly different.

The gems produced from the gem dungeon that recently appeared in the Kenma Kingdom are not just random pretty stones. It seems that an entity that understands the value of gems has set the content of the gems dropped by the monsters.

Like the thread dungeon that appeared in the Dolphins Kingdom, it produces threads and fabrics of a quality that cannot be made on the surface.

The clothes made from the fabric of this country have become a status symbol for nobles, and the sails made from the fabric produced by this dungeon have greatly improved the quality and strength, boosting the trading capabilities of the Dolphins Kingdom. The arrows shot from bows made with the strong and flexible threads from this dungeon have nearly twice the range of traditional bows.

The thread dungeon is now bringing tremendous benefits and results in culture, trade, and even war. Merchants now visit daily, and high-value transactions are constant.

This is how many dungeons that seem to have a "will" inside, understanding human habits and culture, and setting the rewards accordingly, have started to appear recently.

This hot spring dungeon is probably one of those dungeons with the knowledge and intelligence to understand human culture. ...And such dungeons inevitably bring great benefits to the country.

And... in exchange for bringing great benefits, they also cause people to lose control due to their desires, creating significant distortions...

Auff shuddered slightly at the unsettling vision of the future.

...That said, should I go to the second floor before it becomes a major issue? Or should I wait until the second floor is fully developed and anyone can easily go there?

"...At the very least, I need to start training my body."

This dungeon will eventually bring disaster. But she couldn't stop her desire for beauty.