Sword-Wielding Guests (2)

The expansion of the summoning facility was complete. I entrusted Eila’s surveillance to Ryun. While I focused on other tasks, Eila remained bound by vines, and I instructed Ryun to notify me immediately the moment she regained consciousness.

Simultaneously with the completion of the Summoning Facility Lv.1 expansion, I checked what had changed. The Magic Stone Summon and Bond Summon remained the same, but the status of the Normal Summon had shifted.

"No, what the fuck? The rates changed?"

The probability of pulling 1-star units had dropped significantly, and the probability of pulling a 3-star had jumped by a whopping 4 percentage points. If I keep expanding the facility, maybe...? Could it be that leveling up the facility unlocks the next tier of probabilities? Perhaps the chance of getting trash with no potential, like a 1-star, would eventually disappear entirely.

"This is a real headache..."

The summon count had reset. Since I’d already hit the limit, it would take at least two days to satisfy the summoning condition. On top of that, the requirement to "acquire 3 or more ★★ monsters" was quite annoying.

"Thankfully, it seems Lime and Harsus count toward that."

It didn't seem to demand strictly 2-star units. Since Lime was a 2-star capable of growing up to 4 stars, the system seemed to have at least that much flexibility. Ultimately, there were three ways for me to satisfy the conditions:

1. Make a Big Slime or a Slaine. But the condition for Slime cannibalism (50 individuals) was too harsh. I’d need to find a staggering 250 lowest-grade magic stones.

2. Create a ghoul and evolve it into a High Ghoul. I still didn't know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any of the conditions for that. Still, it seemed more realistic than evolving a slime, so once the summon count reset tomorrow, I’d try summoning a ghoul.

3. The long-awaited third option: Evolve Ryun into a 2-star. I carefully examined the conditions for Ryun's evolution.

"Hey, this is a corruption arc waiting to happen."

A Dark Elf. That was a very tempting race name. But I looked the terrified Ryun up and down. "I don't think she'd look good as a Dark Elf." It was a golden rule that a Dark Elf should be a busty, tall, older-sister type. For an elf with a petite build like Ryun, it was better to keep her original form.

"What are the conditions to evolve into a High Elf?"

"...I'm fucked."

I’d guessed as much from the name "High Elf," but I never imagined her bloodline would actually be noble. It was easy enough since it only required ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leveling up, but for some reason, the consequences of that "noble bloodline" started to feel terrifying. "Honestly, I thought the intruders today were elves too."

I couldn't just keep trembling in vague fear. I asked Ryun first. "Ryun. Say, aren't your villagers coming to save you?"

"Huh?! ...Probably not. I'm a half-wit, you see."

"A half-wit?"

"...Yes."

She was a High Elf, though? I couldn't understand it. "...I'm an idiot who can only use archery. Spirit magic... that's something you use with the help of spirits, I can't use it directly... I, I'll work hard! Please don't eat me!"

"If you say 'eat me' one more time, I'm actually going to do it."

"Hic!"

Ryun hiccuped and groveled. There was no updated information on Ryun, but it bothered me that a High Elf was called a half-wit. "Maybe they don't know she's a High Elf?" Since there were no other elves around, it was impossible to tell, but since I only knew because of the system, it was possible the elves didn't know either. The cliché of the village outcast actually being a hero was common enough.

"Then what about the evolution into a Dark Elf?"

"Whoa, that’s a proper fall from grace."

Evolving by murdering one's own kind. That seemed to be where the distinction between monsters and sentient beings lay. Slimes evolved to the next stage by eating their own kind. Elves followed the corruption route by killing their own kind. "The Dark Elf route seems harder." Ryun already had the bloodline, so that was one thing, but kin-slaying was a story for when there were other elves around. "I’d like to see Ryun turn black, but I should cherish her." Usually, in these cases, the former has a higher chance of a massive payoff. She might awaken as an Elf Queen and lead the entire elven race. I didn't know how far she could grow, though.

"Time to gather materials."

It was about time for Harsus to return. I scooped up Ryun, felt her body for a moment, and exited the cavern. Harsus was waiting there with a pile of lumber.

Kkeureureuk.

"Kya, ak...?" Ryun screamed at the sight of Harsus, then tilted her head. "It's... not scary...?"

"That's because he's my subordinate too."

Both Harsus and Ryun were my subordinates.

"Simple enough."

If I wanted to see the details, it would probably expand into a summary, showing the breakdown of each slime. But I didn't need that much. The system read my mind and revealed exactly what I needed. "High Ghoul, from today on, you are 'Harsus'."

"Keureuk."

The amount of wood Harsus had piled up was substantial. I wanted to praise him, but I had no gift to give. "Good work."

"Keureuk."

Was it my imagination? Harsus seemed grateful for the praise, yet shy. But he still had more work to do. "Ryun, Harsus, carry as much as you can. We're taking it into the cavern now."

"Yes..."

"Keureuk."

Ryun looked at the cut trees with a complicated expression. Harsus ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't care at all and followed behind me, carrying two logs at a time. There were 22 logs in total. I had secured more wood than I expected, and I wondered if there were other facilities I could build with it.

It only took 5 to build it the first time, but it suddenly jumped to 11. Still, it was a facility that could be expanded, so I decided to go for it. After checking what other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠facilities I could build, I looked into my options.

"It's just a warehouse."

The reason I couldn't build a prisoner jail yet must be because I lacked iron. I examined the items I had looted from Richard's knights. "It's all just clothes." Mary’s clothes were still there since I’d stripped her myself, but Lime had eaten everything else belonging to the other three, except for Richard's clothes. In the end, all that remained were broken wooden swords and a fairly decent-looking staff.

"But they were using magic with the staff during the fight earlier." Usually, staffs had magic stones embedded in them. Was this one the same? I fell into deep thought while looking at the staff.

"Let's settle the accounts first."

I prioritized expanding the bedroom and building the storage. When I designated the location for the storage right next to the bedroom, the ground caved in, and the logs were turned into planks that lined the walls and floor. It would take 2 hours for the bedroom expansion and 1 hour for the storage construction. While the facilities were being built, I took Ryun and Harsus to check on the dungeon construction site where the slimes were hard at work.

The slimes had worked for quite a long time, and they had succeeded in carving out the roads in the dungeon just as I wanted. If I were to represent this in a rough grid map...

■■■▽■■■

■□□□■■■

■□■□■■■

■□□□□□■

■■■□■□■

■■■□□□■

■■■☆■■■

There had been some changes to the linear dungeon that started from the entrance (▽) and led straight to the cavern (☆). Lime, having been scolded once, was disciplined, and there was a handful of magic stones as well.

"Ryun, come here and sort these."

"Are these... magic stones?"

"You can tell the difference between lowest-grade and low-grade, right? If you do a good job, I'll let you drink some tonight."

"Yes!"

Ryun crouched in front of Lime, expecting a reward. Lime, on all fours, vomited up the magic stones that had been inside its body. The stones were covered in Lime's slime, and Ryun began picking them out with a disgusted expression.

"The slimes' levels have gone up a bit, too."

The ones that were only level 1 had all risen to around 4–6. In particular, the Slime Dragon (planned) had already risen by 8. I ordered the slimes to rest, and they stood around blankly before sticking themselves to the cave walls.

"Master, here are the magic stones..."

Ryun picked up the stones with trembling hands, her ears flushed red. There were 8 low-grade magic stones and 50 lowest-grade ones. It seemed the dungeon's supply of magic stones came from digging. I recalled the structure of Forneus's dungeon. It was a dungeon that went deep underground. If so, my dungeon would also gain magic stones as it went deeper.

"They said Solomon's dungeon was 9 floors underground."

Then I would build a 63-story skyscraper underground. "Alright, subordinates. Slimes, scatter to each area. If an intruder appears, run away and report to Lime. Harsus, wait at the entrance and lure the enemy in. Got it?"

In case the enemy invaded again, I gave my subordinates orders for scouting and luring. Since my subordinates were still weak, I had no choice but to intercept them myself. I had done everything I could for today. Now, I just had to wait for tomorrow.

"Now, Ryun."

"Yes, kyaak?!"

I scooped Ryun up, walked toward the bed, and drank her in.