The Aesthetics of Emptiness
I head straight to the site. Remodeling is different from creating a dungeon from scratch. No matter how much I study the dungeon's layout in reports, I need to see it with my own eyes on location to figure out what to change and how. Even if I draw up perfect plans, if they don't fit the site's atmosphere, they're trash.
"So this is the Tower of Despair."
The name sounded grandiose, but it was just a rundown, neglected tower. Inside the dungeon, the first floor held only a single snoring goblin guard.
Do they not clean here?
A musty mold smell hung thick in the air. Spiderwebs draped the walls, so old it was impossible to tell when they'd last been cleaned. And it differed greatly from the dungeon layout in the report.
Why's there just one goblin on the first floor?
The report clearly stated the tower should have goblins, orcs, and skeletons distributed throughout. But the actual site was something else entirely.
As I quietly surveyed the dungeon, the owner came rushing in, panting.
"Welcome! You're from Belial Enterprise, right?"
A lich.
A skeletal face draped in a robe. He looked dignified at first glance, but he was just a dungeon lord tearing his hair out over his crumbling domain.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Aiden."
"Aigoo, I've heard so much about you! They say you're killing it at Belial these days..."
"Nah, nothing like that."
"Please, save our dungeon."
The lich grabbed my hand with his bony fingers and shook it desperately. His voice dripped with urgency.
"As you can see, the situation's dire. We need adventurers coming in droves to kill them, loot their gear, and collect entrance fees—but these days, not even an ant shows up."
"What's the reason?"
"Well... we can't afford the maintenance."
The lich sighed deeply.
"No customers means no money, no money means we can't pay the monsters' salaries, so we fire them. Fewer monsters make the dungeon boring, so even fewer customers come... It's a vicious cycle."
He gestured to the empty lobby.
"All that's left is that snoring goblin and a few old skeletons posted per floor. No wonder adventurers take one look and bail."
Classic failing dungeon tech tree. No investment means low quality, low quality means no revenue.
"That's why we splurged on this remodel. With our emergency fund scraped from every soul we could muster."
The lich looked at me with pleading eyes.
"Please, make it maximally effective. Turn it into a place that scares the piss out of adventurers!"
I stroked my chin, eyeing the tower's structure. Narrow spiral staircase. Claustrophobic layout. If I played that up, I could instill plenty of horror without expensive monsters.
"Boss, have you heard of the aesthetics of emptiness?"
"Pardon? Emptiness?"
"Horror starts with emptying, not filling."
I made my pitch to the lich.
"Clear out all the existing monsters. Kill the lights too."
"What?! That'll leave a completely empty tower! We're already failing because of no monsters!"
"No. Not empty... filled with darkness."
I explained my plan.
"Fighting invisible horrors tires you out and scares you more than battling monsters. And maintenance is basically zero."
The lich's empty eye sockets lit up at my words.
"Ooh...! Brilliant! As expected of a pro! Do it right away! I grant you full authority, Mr. Aiden!"
The contract with the lich was sealed.
"We're here."
B-rank adventurer party leader Gauss muttered as he looked up at the tower.
Tower of Despair. The name was brutal, but it was just a mundane 10-story tower dungeon. Climb floor by floor, killing monsters—not too tough.
"Wait, are we really hunting here?"
Party member Rick yawned and grumbled. The dungeon looked like it was on the verge of collapse. Would monsters even greet them inside? Rick worried he'd wasted the trip.
The prejudice against old dungeons. Sure, exceptions existed, but nine times out of ten, they had weak monsters and crap rewards.
"Quit whining and follow. Adventurers hunt with safety guaranteed, not blind exploration."
"Still, this is extreme. No fresher spots?"
Party mage Sera swung her staff in agreement.
"Yeah, leader. There are hot dungeons these days. Like that Red Mask one."
"Shut it. You wanna risk your life there? Safety first."
Gauss cut them off firmly and headed to the entrance.
But the interior was nothing like they'd expected.
"Huh?"
Pitch-black darkness. The upward stairs blocked by massive iron bars. Instead, a gaping hole in the floor center. Below it, an endless spiral staircase yawned open.
"What? Can't go up?"
"Different structure from outside. They turn it into an underground dungeon?"
Rick lit a torch and peered into the hole. Light couldn't pierce the profound abyss. It felt like the void was staring back.
"Ha, should I post on Adventurer Gallery? See if this is normal?"
Sera rubbed her arms. Descending felt off for some reason. She wanted to check reactions first.
"Nah, what's the big deal? Just a dark dungeon."
"Still..."
"You aren't chickening out, are you?"
Gauss interrupted Sera and took the lead.
"It's fine. Let's go down. You wanted something fresh, right? Underground might have good stuff."
Gauss descended first.
"......"
Rick and Sera had no choice but to follow. Their footsteps echoed long into the darkness.
Clack-clack-
How far had they gone? 10 floors? 20? More? It felt deep, but nothing. No monsters, no traps. Just concrete walls, rusted railings, and endless stairs.
"Um, leader. Something's off, right?"
Sera's voice trembled.
No end in sight. They'd descended at least 30 minutes, but no floor, no landing. Like looping the same stretch.
"What is?"
"Too quiet. And... the scenery never changes. Illusion magic?"
Rick nodded at Sera's words.
"Yeah, it's creepy. No monsters at all? In a dungeon?"
"......"
Gauss felt uneasy too. But a leader couldn't show weakness.
"Just a bit farther. Underground dungeons get better deeper in."
He feigned calm and quickened his pace. Rick and Sera frowned at his sudden shift from "safety first."
"......"
But 10 minutes, 20, an hour passed—no change. Darkness thickened, air grew colder. Damp, fishy stench stung their noses.
Then.
"...Hic."
From the fathomless depths below, a faint sound. A tiny, muffled sob.
"You hear that?"
"Yeah, crying?"
"Survivor? Adventurer ahead of us!"
Gauss raised his sword tensely. The sobs kept calling. Drawn by the pitiful sound, they descended deeper.
Legs ached. Torch flickered. Darkness swirled like it would swallow them.
Sera suddenly collapsed.
"Hic... Can't go."
"What's wrong, Sera!"
"Scary. Someone's... watching us."
Tears streamed as she clutched Rick's clothes.
A B-rank mage crying over darkness? Gauss panicked. But he felt it too. From behind, wall cracks, below the stairs. Invisible gazes licking them.
"Rick, see anything?"
Rick raised the torch downward.
"Huh? Someone there!"
Beyond the railing, in the dark—a white something floated. A human face? Pale, smooth, no eyes nose mouth. It hovered, looking up at them.
"What... is that?"
As Gauss rubbed his eyes, it slipped away. Like a hallucination.
"Gone."
"Mis-saw?"
"No. It was staring right at me."
Rick's voice shook. Then sobs again—much closer. Right below their feet.
Help... me...
Chilling whisper. Gauss decided. Something was wrong. Keep going and they'd never return.
"Damn it, let's head back!"
They spun to climb up.
But.
"......!"
Above, on the stairs they'd come from—the white face stared down. Much closer now. And not alone. Dozens of pale faces floated in the dark, blocking the way.
"Eek!"
Sera screamed. The faces slid slowly toward them. Mouthless grins emitted eerie laughs.
Kihihihihihi-
"Run! Down!"
Gauss yelled. Up was blocked. Only way was down. They bolted madly downward.
But no end. Eternal spiral hell.
How long had they fled?
"Huff... huff..."
Exhausted. Legs buckled. Gauss gripped the railing and slumped.
Looking back, white faces were inches away.
"S-stay back!"
Rick swung his dagger—nothing but air. Faces circled mockingly.
Kihihihihi-
"Save us... please..."
Sera sobbed and begged. Then the nearest face slapped onto hers.
"Kyaaaak!"
Sera's scream tore the air. Gauss watched her face... melt. Eyes, nose, mouth. Her whole body liquefied.
"S-Sera?"
Gauss reached out—too late. Sera was gone.
"Ah... aaa..."
Despair. No escape. This was hell. Their turn now.
Dozens of white faces engulfed Rick and Gauss.
"Truly... amazing!"
The lich clattered his jawbones in awe.
"Using undead specters for this! Unimaginable."
He was genuinely impressed. Specters—ethereal monsters immune to physical attacks, usually treated as fodder due to weak offense.
But I'd elevated them into floating white faces.
"Specters crave human life force by nature. I just twisted that and placed them right."
Of course, I exploited a bug to expand the dungeon space itself—but that stayed my secret weapon.
I shrugged and added,
"Plus, as undead, specters don't eat and cost next to nothing in upkeep. Perfect for your budget, boss."
"Aigoo, exactly! That's the key!"
The lich clapped his bony hands. Top performance, minimal cost. No better solution for a dungeon lord.