The Screaming Neighbor and Dungeon Master Rumors
The neighbor girl in room 201 was going absolutely berserk, screaming her lungs out.
"Her name was... Elise, right?"
According to my landlord Aisha, she usually came back late at night from dungeons.
Honestly, my first impression of her wasn't great.
- Hey, you fucking asshole! Let me sleep, please!!
- Oh, hey, Soo-chan. Nice to meet you. See ya.
- SLAM-
Hmm... But I woke her up from an exhausted sleep, so I figured she was just in a bad mood that time.
- Argh!!!! You fucking Dungeon Master!!!!! Drop more tickets, damn it!!!!!!!!
"Her foul mouth doesn't seem tied to being tired at all..."
Hmm... Anyway, I never expected to run into a ticket user in real life. And right next door, of all places...
- Why do they sell out so damn fast!!!!!!!!!
"Uh...;;; I could've sworn I posted the tickets a while ago."
- Aaaargh!! This is so fucking annoying!!!!! What the hell is the Dungeon Master doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...Better to just play dumb.
I ignored Elise's wails from next door as best I could and kept monitoring the explorers hunting in the new dungeons.
"Hmm... Just as I thought."
In the newly opened dungeons, explorers were happily hunting away. However...
Compared to Slime Hill, the monster density is lower, and respawn rates are slower too.
Of course, that's only in comparison to Slime Hill. If Slime Hill was a 100, the other dungeons felt like they had about 50 in terms of monster count and respawn speed.
The reason for this was probably
"Different monsters have different costs, huh..."
If slimes cost 1, then rock lizards and mud crabs were around 2.
...Compared to Slime Hill, the new dungeons had fewer monsters—like population caps in an RTS game? Higher-cost monsters meant slower respawns.
But this wasn't something to worry about much. Higher-cost monsters would take longer to kill anyway.
"Better than having too many monsters, at least."
As monster combat power increased, overcrowding could lead to dangerous situations. The dungeons were expanding in size, so monster density wasn't that high...
"Still, they sometimes group up in twos or threes."
Unlike now, people used to form parties of 4-5 to clear dungeons back in the day. These days, solo play was the norm because monster numbers were so low.
"Eventually, there'll be monsters that require party play..."
My dungeons would grow larger and feature stronger monsters. Soloing would hit its limits eventually.
In fact, upper-layer and deepest-layer explorers always partied up.
"Gotta consult with Joodak later..."
I'd skipped breakfast posting tickets first thing, checking community reactions, and monitoring dungeons.
"Kkomangi, time for chow."
"Hek hek...!"
I grabbed Kkomangi and stepped out the front door of my one-room. At the same moment, the neighbor's door creaked open.
Screee-
"Oh..." "Ah."
We bumped into the neighbor, but the vibe was super awkward.
Aside from that first greeting, I'd never run into Elise while living here.
We'd basically forgotten each other existed. Until her screams earlier, I'd all but forgotten there was someone next door.
But you can't stand there awkwardly forever. I mustered some social skills and greeted her first.
"Uh... Hi?"
Even after my greeting, Elise stared at my face like she was trying to remember something.
"...Oh, right. You're the new tenant."
Crystal clear... She'd forgotten I existed until now. That first meeting, she was half-asleep too...
Maybe she doesn't even remember me...?
But Elise's face was starting to turn red.
Huh? What's up with that?
"Did you... hear that?"
Ah, that explains it.
From her reaction, she'd probably forgotten I lived next door and let loose like that.
I could say "Didn't hear a thing?" to shut down any blanket-kicking guilt, but...
"If you're talking about the ticket rant, yeah, I heard it."
...We're neighbors going forward, so better to clear the air on noise issues. Y'know, like those interlayer noise murders in modern society?
I just hoped she wouldn't flip the script with her foul mouth.
"...!!!! S-Sorry..."
Contrary to my worries... she wasn't that shameless.
"Morning dungeon ticket batches usually drop around 10 AM, so waiting then boosts your chances."
As a neighbor, I shared my official? pro tip. ...To avoid more screaming fits.
"Ah... Y-Yeah..."
Her head was bowed so low I couldn't see her face, but her ears were beet red. Looked like noise complaints were off the table.
First impression was potty-mouthed girl... but maybe she's more normal than she seems?
But something... something...
I wanna bully her more.
No, no, what am I thinking? Don't mess with neighbors. Time for food.
"See ya then. C'mon, Kkomangi."
"Woof-!"
*
"...He's gone."
Only after Soo-chan's figure vanished down the stairs did Elise finally lift her head.
"Ugh... so embarrassing..."
She'd totally forgotten there was a new tenant next door. And screamed her head off without knowing.
"Ugh... he heard everything..."
She'd gone nuts alone, but someone overheard. She had no plans to get chummy with neighbors, so they wouldn't bump into each other much, but embarrassment was embarrassment.
Truth be told, this was her first screaming fit. The dungeon tickets had hyped her up too much amid a frustrating rut. Finally, a breakthrough for her stalled growth.
Getting stronger was top priority for her goal.
"What an idiot I am..."
She knew her goal was impossible from the start, but giving it up was out of the question.
Elise. Elise Rieses von Adelheit. The former noble lady gave a bitter smile at her changed self.
*
I left the one-room building and walked on. As always, the shelter's sky was a sealed lid, with massive minerals lighting the interior in place of the sun.
That neighbor girl really wants those tickets... Maybe slip one through her door crack after lunch?
I pondered seriously as I headed to my usual spot, Luna's noodle stand.
"Hmm... I wonder if Luna's okay?"
I'd made her cry yesterday then bailed, so it bugged me. A lot.
She already had tons of worries and scars from people's stares. What if my comfort backfired and hurt her more?
-Schlop slop-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe roaring like a lion and drawing massive aggro right there was what set her off...
"Tricky..."
Human relationships are a minefield. Your actions can land wrong despite good intentions. What seems helpful to you might traumatize them.
That's why I was scared. Scared my few bonds here might twist again.
But
"Ah! Oppa, you're here?"
Whew, false alarm. Her face was veiled as usual, but that bushy fox tail wagging meant she was happy to see me.
"Lu-slop... I mean, good morning, Luna!"
"Oppa, it's almost lunch already. Overslept again?"
"The dawn of creation always follows the deepest night of anguish..."
"...?"
Normally, she'd puzzle over my nonsense with an awkward "Ahaha..."
"What's that? Pffft!"
She played along with my bullshit. Good mood today?
Maybe my pep talk yesterday helped.
"What'll it be, oppa?"
Her voice was a tone brighter than usual.
Hmm... Normally I'd just grab slime noodles to go.
"One slime noodles and one giant spider leg roast. Eating here."
"Coming right up~ Just a sec."
I grabbed a table while Luna wagged her tail and started cooking.
Near my table, some explorers sat at another.
The reason I sat at a table today...
"Hey, heard about those tickets the Dungeon Master's been handing out lately?"
Perk-
"Don't get me started. Leon's been bragging nonstop. With the community buzzing, how could I not?"
"Saw it on the community? New tickets dropped! Not just slimes—you can hunt other monsters too."
"Yeah. Maybe the Dungeon Master keeps pumping out new ones. Could ease the overcrowding at shelter dungeons."
Ahem... ahem... Technically eavesdropping, but... y'know, community posts don't capture everything. Ahem...
Thud- Another explorer plopped down at their table.
"Oh, Leon's here?"
"Talking dungeon tickets?"
"Yeah, deep in it about the new ones."
The guy called Leon leaned forward, arm on the table.
"Heard the big one? They might catch the Dungeon Master soon."
...What?