Chapter 169

Making the Dungeon

First off, I excavated the dungeon .

I had our golems dig out holes with shovels and pickaxes to save on even a small bit of DP .

I’m in the dummy core’s temporary Master Room . For this Dungeon Battle, [Father] provided special dummy cores that allowed for a place for the seniors and juniors to relax in . (I don’t get how it’s different from the non-temporary Master Room, but Rokuko and Haku-san said, [It just has that feeling], so yeah . )

Well, I shut myself up in here and started issuing commands to the golems to dig holes .

At any rate, I dug holes . Nothing but dig holes with a bang .

“How stingy . ”

“I don’t mind if it’s stingy . It’s not as though we don’t have the time . ”

Haku-san said that as I was making the dungeon .

We gradually collected the excavated earth, spreading the area bit by bit . Occasionally tossing magic stones onto the ground, I increased the number of workers through [Create Golem] .

“What will you be doing with this soil?”

“I’ll be using it to make walls later on and reuse it . I could even use it by turning it into golems, as you see here . ”

“Hmm . Well, using what you are able to is fundamental… However, you were using this way to economize? Using [Create Golem] to make use of the materials after you have dug it up is quite useful . ”

“Yeah, well . ”

It’s a bit difficult exposing my saving techniques, but this much should be fine . It’s just standard economizing, so exposing it to Haku-san shouldn’t help her any . It’s like talking to someone that manages the national budget about how to save on some loose change .

Well, it’s fine as long as my magic altering cheat that I mostly use on [Create Golem] isn’t exposed .

“Haku-san probably doesn’t need to worry about stuff like that now, you have an abundance of DP even if you don’t economize . ”

“Right… It is useful for using with rules that limit DP like this time and the one I had with Kehma-san before, but I rarely do Dungeon Battles like this . They are usually unrestricted . ”

Well for me, two of the three rounds including this time have had DP restricted rules .

“Fufun, Kehma’s strong point is being stingy with DP!”

“Don’t say it so pointedly . ”

“It is a fact that I cannot help but recognize how skilled you are at it though . ”

“Yeah, Kehma is a coward that’ll even win against Haku Ane-sama if he has the same DP!”

“Hey, are you trying to praise me or beat me down here?”

“Eh? I’m praising you! Coward . ”

… That’s a compliment? Dungeon Core culture is amazing .

Ah, incidentally, Haku-san finally started using the technique of being with Rokuko outside while working on her paperwork . So now she’s filling out documents and letters while sitting next to Rokuko, who was supervising the golems’ work .

“… Chloe-san . Is it alright for Haku-san to be taking those official documents outside like this?”

“It isn’t alright exactly, but something of this degree is no problem so long as Haku-sama is able to work in comfort . If something happens, Haku-sama will just have to accept the responsibility for it . ”

Ah, that so? The person in charge said they’d be taking responsibility if anything happened, so she took them out and disregarded anything good or bad about doing so huh .

“Kehma, don’t you have to work as the village chief?”

“Huh? I left everything to all of my subordinates . Well, I’ll show up if there’s any problem to take care of, but it’s going well right now . ”

Honestly, it’s probably going so well because I’m not there .

“Enviable . Right, Kehma-san, help me out a bit with these documents . My income and expenses aren’t matching, can you see where?”

“Isn’t it just a noble or something lining their pockets on the side? Rather, please don’t show me the empire’s confidential documents . Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Oh? Doesn’t Kehma-san already know the empire’s most well kept secret of me being a Dungeon Core? What are you saying so late into the game . ”

Come to think of it… she’s right!?

“Eh, then Haku Ane-sama’s been aiming at Kehma’s life the whole time!? That’s a no no Ane-sama! Kehma is my partner!”

“My my . It’s alright, I’m not aiming for his life at least . ”

“Ah, good . That’s alright then . ”

At least… eh, doesn’t that mean you’re intending to do something to the point that I won’t die?

I handed back the documents she gave me so that I wouldn’t see inside .

Let’s just concentrate on making the dungeon for now…

I say that, but it’s just the golems digging holes and expanding the area bit by bit as we decided before, so I’m free for a while . I’ve made plenty of hole digging golems . This is a dungeon so they can get mana from it and won’t stop moving either .

… Ah, come to think of it, Rokuko knows [Create Golem] too huh . When did that happen again…?

Couldn’t I just leave completing the dungeon to Rokuko and have some leisure time? Rather, her [Create Golem] should look more natural than mine .

“Rokuko, can I head out for a bit?”

“It’s alright with me, but what are you going to do? Sleep?”

“I’m going to think about what kind of traps to use . ”

I’d love to say that I’m going to go sleep like usual, but I can’t leave Rokuko to work while I go sleep since Haku-san’s here . Grah, doesn’t it feel like I’ve been awake too much recently!?

Well, putting that aside, I’ll think about what kind of traps we’ll use .

… We’ll be putting them underwater, so I want some electricity . Maybe some poison sprayers?

But what should I do against inanimate-type opponents… Maybe I should go along with what Haku-san recommended and crush them with heavy stuff . Aah, I could use various things as much as normally do if I used [Create Golem], but do I have to make each one of these with DP?

“Maybe I should put some skewers near a falling boulder?”

By the way, the main troops I’m planning on using are [Sardine School], [Shark], and [Merman] . The mermen should be able to fight on land even if we fail to flood the opponent’s dungeon with water .

As expected of Haku-san’s choice… Right, maybe we could use some octopuses too . Octopuses are the ninjas of the sea . They can camouflage in a ‘smokescreen’ and are excellent at invading areas to scout .

I have to think about the traps we set up as much as possible so that it doesn’t affect us .

“Excuse me, Kehma-sama? What is this dagon thing? I have never seen it in the DP Catalog…” [1]

When I was looking through the catalog, Chloe walked over and took a peek .

I wasn’t particularly trying to hide it though… ah, she smells good . Come to think of it, she’s always in male clothing despite being a succubus huh .

But… huh . So it’s not in Haku-san’s DP Catalog?

“… Ah, this is a creature of myth from another world . If you could, please avoid saying it’s name . Do not look at the catalog either . It’ll chip away at your SAN value . ” [2]

“To lose one’s sanity just by looking…? Frightening . ”

“Yeah . It’s not something to get involved with . ”

I quietly hid the dagon from showing up . If it’s not in Haku-san’s catalog, it might be that that’s part of me being someone from another world . It’s also a monster, so I guess it’s that kind of thing . Maybe I should pay some more attention to the monsters I’m using?

For now, let’s just go with the safe monsters that Haku-san recommended . Yep .

Footnotes:

Mentioned in Chapter 163, here’s the footnote once again: A lovecraftian monster . Dagon is a deity who presides over the Deep Ones, an amphibious humanoid race . Also known as Father Dagon, he is a Great Old One and the consort of Mother Hydra . Reference to lovecraftian tabletop games and their derivations . SAN = Sanity . Reach 0 and you go insane .