Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: The Warrior Finishes Reorganization
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This puppet clearly has no intention of fighting us.
So we sincerely congratulated the two puppets on their marriage.
"Son, have a happy married life."
"Thank you for everything, Father."
Anima had only gained a sense of self two days ago.
Yet he'd managed to feminize another puppet with nothing but words!
I was so proud of my son for pulling off something that difficult.
Amid the ongoing celebrations, a question arose.
"Anima, what's your wife's name?"
"Well..."
"Darling, allow me. Father, this unit has no name."
My daughter-in-law was a super high-performance puppet, even in the eyes of Karian, an expert in puppetry.
And she had no name?
That left only one possibility.
"You must not have been loved by your creator."
"...Unable to deny. As Father predicts, this unit was a failure."
"I knew it."
"Your creator was a fool. It must have taken immense resources and time to craft a puppet like this from scratch."
"Skeleton Merchant, that's why the disappointment must have been even greater."
Expectations are a double-edged sword.
They bring passion and enjoyment to a task.
But if the results fall short, the disappointment scales accordingly.
"That's why they say expectations lead to betrayal."
"Balak, what kind of expectations do you think the creator had? The puppet's form is rather poor artistically, but the weapons—"
"Skeleton Merchant, consider that this is a creator who couldn't even give his own daughter a name. Is it worth dwelling on?"
"...You're right. Abandoning a puppet with a sense of self proves it. Why not name her yourself, Balak?"
Me, giving her a name.
My daughter-in-law welcomed the idea.
"This unit desires a name from Father."
"Brother Balak's good at naming, so it'll be perfect."
"Little brother, don't put it like that—it adds pressure. Tell me your preferences first."
"Femininity has taken root in me. A feminine name would be ideal."
A feminine name, huh?
I pondered it. My daughter-in-law was a puppet.
It reminded me of a brutal puppet from a famous AOS game in my past life that hurled metal orbs.
What was a name similar to that...
Oh, right—there was one.
"How about Ophelia?"
"This unit is deeply moved by Father's choice."
"Father, does it have a meaning, like mine?"
"No meaning, but it's from the heroine in a play I know."
The being also called Ophelia met a tragic fate at the hands of a writer who loved bleak stories.
But my daughter-in-law had married my son—an extreme doting husband, not some original story's dense male lead!
And with us around, she'd surely get her happy ending.
"So take good care from now on, Ophelia!"
"In my husband's stead as he ventures outside, I will serve Father well."
Sniff—never thought I'd get such a kind-hearted daughter-in-law inside a dungeon....
Life really is full of surprises!
*******************
Tomorrow, players would enter the dungeon.
Preparations for opening were mostly done.
All that remained was figuring out what Ophelia would do.
"Ophelia, what do you want to do here?"
"This unit has not decided."
"Hm...? Big brother is calling Ophelia by name?"
"Little one, should I call my daughter-in-law 'baby' or '媳婦'? I call Zephyr by name too."
Of course, in the past life, they used to call daughters-in-law that way.
But in my era, names were common.
I'm just following that.
"Balak has his shy side too."
"Think what you want. Anyway, where would suit you best..."
"Brother Balak, how about the shop?"
"The shop?"
It fit perfectly since she was a puppet, but her current appearance was a huge issue.
Her original dungeon theme was horror.
As a boss from that theme, her uncanny valley vibe was no joke.
"What if I use magic to change her form—excluding the internals?"
"Ooooo!! As expected of the Skeleton Merchant!"
"But it needs mass appeal, so gather everyone except Orek."
Most visitors to my dungeon were humanoid.
Couldn't help excluding the youngest's different aesthetic sense.
Soon everyone gathered to decide my daughter-in-law's form.
Poof!
"How's this?"
"Karian, isn't it too childish?"
"A cute girl is always right anywhere. But it'll spark rumors of exploiting minors in the dungeon."
Poof!
"Then this..."
"O."
"Strike for the lesbian dhampir."
"Kairel likes sharp-eyed looks, huh."
"Th-that's not it!"
"Skeleton Merchant, it's popular enough now, but if she looks intimidating or thuggish while running the shop, it'll hurt business."
"Then soften it a bit...."
Poof!
"Now?"
"""O."""
Ophelia had originally been an uncanny imitation of a human.
But now the rigid design was gone, replaced by delicate lines.
Even her blank expression evoked admiration, not unease.
The new Ophelia was a true beauty.
Karian finished the final touches and handed her a mirror.
Ophelia seemed startled by her reflection.
"This is this unit's form..."
"No one would guess she's a puppet."
"I covered most of her puppet joints with synthetic skin, just in case."
"But elbows and such are unavoidable."
"Magic can hide those—no issue."
Now dressed, my daughter-in-law had lost her puppetish traits—a bit of a shame.
But her doll-like blankness would fill that gap.
Afterward, the youngest called Zephyr and left to adapt to the new mini-dungeon.
The rest of us headed to the dungeon lounge.
The dhampir working there changed into the bartender outfit I'd commissioned earlier.
"Ta-da! How's it look!"
Oh ho, the base statue was handsome, so it's perfect.
Plus, unwrapping the compression bandages and grooming made her look totally different from first sight.
"Dhampir, it suits you great."
"The fit's pretty good too, right?"
"But Brother Balak, why is Kairel's outfit basic colors like mine, not plain black?"
"You're the shop owner—needs more flair."
The dhampir beamed, loving her outfit.
Then, as if struck by a thought, she approached me hesitantly.
"U-um, Balak... can I call you Boss?"
"Suddenly? Whatever, call me anything."
"Really?! Hehe...."
Why's she so thrilled over a title?
My daughter-in-law explained right away.
"This unit pities Kairel, who feels mentally lonely and insecure, trying to bond with Father quickly."
"Hey!"
Right on the mark.
Truth be told, my daughter-in-law had blended into the dungeon instantly compared to the dhampir.
Feeling left out, she was pulling this desperate move....
We all gave her sympathetic looks, and the dhampir's face turned beet red.
"Th-this isn't what Ophelia means—!!"
"Easy, Dhampir. So what'll you call Ferguson here?"
"Hoo.... Definitely Shop Manager!"
"Ahem. Nice ring to it."
"Call me casually too, Manager. And me calling Balak Boss is—!!"
"I get it, Kairel."
"No! That's not it!"
We calmed the mortified dhampir and continued.
Ophelia approached her, apparently deciding on titles.
"This unit has wronged Kairel greatly until now, so henceforth, I will call her 'sister'."
"Uh...?"
She froze.
"Brother Balak, Ophelia's kinda scary."
"A cool beauty with a blank face approaching a lesbian and calling her 'sister.' Ultimate攻略 move."
"Her mental defenses crumbled instantly from one word."
"What are you all talking about!"
As expected of a puppet optimizing solutions.
Peak social skills.
"So, Dhampir, what about the youngest?"
"Haha.... J-just by name, I guess."
They'd met first.
But maybe clashing personalities.
Time would sort it—wait patiently.
Ferguson trained the dhampir on various tasks; we sampled the results.
"You can eat with a helmet on...? A-and Karian's a skeleton, right?!"
"Hm? Dhampir, isn't it normal for skeletons to eat?"
"Why would it be normal... Ah, n-never mind. Anyway, Boss, mind if I ask something?"
"Of course."
"You keep calling me Dhampir—what does it mean?"
The brothers had the same reaction when explaining it.
No choice but to tell her.
"It's one way to refer to a half-vampire, half-human like you."
"Dhampir's the race name?!"
"Kairel, just accept it. Back in the day, I was called a furry."
"And I've been Skeleton Merchant from old times to now. Come to think of it, Balak, can't we just call Kairel 'half-vampire'?"
"Too long, and too broad in scope."
"Means unknown mix. Plus Kairel's such a unique case, Dhampir works fine as a name."
Exactly!
How many vampire-human mixes are there anyway!
Including the one before me, worldwide dhampirs probably don't exceed ten.
Then—
"Hm?"
"Brother Balak, what's up?"
"Just a sudden curiosity. Aren't vampires classified as undead like the Skeleton Merchant?"
"Yeah...?"
"So how'd they have kids?"
"""Huh?"""
Everyone's faces went blank, minds blown.
But one shared my thought!
"Father, that's the greatness of life, right? And with 'effort' anything's possible."
"Ahh... is that it?"
"Exactly."
"Balak, what are you even thinking...."
Oops, spouted a line like that green midget from some game.
Gotta soften our theory.
"Uncle Skeleton, we call this 'hitting the ceiling'."
"C-ceiling?"
"Yes. It's simple!!!"
"Just do it a ton of times!!!"
Why do rain dances exist!
Keep going, and rain falls eventually.
Pure truth.
"Anyway, Dhampir's dad was impressive. How many times did it take.... Hm?"
"""………???"""
Oh dear, they've all grasped the cosmic truth.
Even Dhampir realized her origins—face flaming red.
Ahh... sometimes ignorance is bliss?
But she'll learn eventually—hang in there, Dhampir!
***************
Dungeon opening time.
Daughter-in-law's the shop clerk.
Second brother's teaching Dhampir bartending.
Youngest's playing with spirits in the mini-dungeon—prep complete!
But that's not all!
"Son, ready?"
"Of course."
Anima and I stood at the dungeon entrance.
Karian—who'd left—had taught Anima how to exit.
'Hit the entrance barrier with your strongest attack first, Balak.'
'Safe?'
'Your training room power could shatter dimensions, wrecking inside and out—but entrance is fine now. The barrier will destabilize from clashing with your power.'
'Then use this magic tool?'
'Sole consumable—one shot only.'
He gave Anima a mysteriously glowing orb.
'Second, Anima uses it to break through.'
'Oh, easy.'
'No. Breakthrough moment brings crushing pressure that flattens your body. Luckily, Balak has the solution.'
'My secret art "Martial Battle Armor", right.'
As Karian advised, immense power surged through my son, coating his body.
'Finally...'
'Obvious: survive after breakthrough.'
'Yes. Everyone knows Anima exists post-Iron Labyrinth, so the world will be hostile.'
'Heh, sounds fun.'
'Why fun... Anyway, separate dimensions mean connection fades with distance.'
'Hence these relays?'
'Hundreds in the subspace bracelet, blueprints too—no issue... but bury deep underground to avoid damage. Also—'
All prep for Anima's exit was done.
The three-day defense buff faded.
A red star descended to my fist as I took stance.
Boom!
Lower body rooted, energy rose, flowing per my intent into my body.
"Now your story begins!! Son!"
"Father! Thank you for everything!!"
Yes—unfurl your dreams!
"True Heart Punch!!"
KABOOOOOM!!
Barrier vanished; unknown wall shook from my fist's power.
Before aftershocks faded, Anima hurled the orb at the wall.
Roaring sparks erupted wildly.
Kiiiiiiiiing!!
Whiiiiiir!
"Whoa, insane repulsion!"
Even my son—less bound to the dungeon—faced this?!
A storm raged!
Dungeon merchants prepared that tool for this!
Their plan was flawless!
As entrance storm calmed, text appeared on my magic tool.
[Father. Success.]
"Hahaha! Success!"
Thus, I gained an outside intel source.
Episode 7: Reorganization END.