Bad Premonitions Are Never Wrong

Why is it that bad premonitions are never wrong? Charlotte's level indicator, which had briefly flashed pink, shifted back to a deep green. The reason for the sudden shift was simple. Knowing her personality, she was probably thinking something like, A mere human like me has no right to adore my Lord.

Good call. Bone-rattling is a bit much, anyway. No matter how crazy and mentally unstable Charlotte was, necrophilia was crossing a line.

Until the Chamber of Commerce arrived, Charlotte discussed with me the direction we should take in constructing the dungeon. Isabella tagged along like an unwanted third wheel, acting as little more than a folding screen that did nothing but nod. If she had shaken her head instead, she might have at least functioned as a fan. Then again, who was I to talk? I was just standing there with my arms crossed, letting out occasional hums of agreement.

"Addressing the demands and grievances of our subordinates is of the utmost importance," Charlotte said. "The efficiency of a dungeon is directly tied to the morale of its workforce."

Our 'workforce' consists of literally just you and a pack of vampires, though?

Just then, Charlotte whipped her head around. Isabella, who had been spacing out, flinched under her sudden, sharp gaze.

"Do you have a grievance?"

"Huh? Ah! M-me?"

With her stiff tone and expressionless glare, she looked like a delinquent high school girl smoking on the street, barking at a passerby: "I'll do what I want, you got a problem with that?" No wonder the poor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠girl was terrified. Charlotte was perfect in every other way, but she was utterly hopeless when it came to people skills. Well, well. It looked like I, the boss, would have to show her how it's done.

I locked eyes with Isabella and spoke. "What Charlotte means is, if you have any—"

"Eek!"

...Curse this damn skull face. Is there no Polymorph magic for the undead? At this point, even I was starting to feel a little hurt. Ahem.

Charlotte cleared her throat and resumed. "I shall assume there are no grievances. To return to our topic: now that we have repelled the intruders, it is time to solidify our internal foundations rather than focusing on reinforcing our military strength. For the expansion, I believe it would be best to dig deeper underground, shaping it into a labyrinth rather than a simple cave system."

Mhm, mhm. I see.

"The most critical factor for a dungeon's survival is drinking water. Sourcing it from the outside presents too many vulnerabilities, so we must expand the labyrinth to secure an underground water source and achieve self-sufficiency."

"Veins of ore are also frequently discovered near underground water sources. If we can establish both a water supply and a mining base in a single location, it will significantly reduce the labor required."

In any case, there was nothing for the boss to do. I just let her words go in one ear and out the other.

"We must also procure seeds for labyrinth flora that can be used as medicinal herbs in the near future. This will help minimize our expenditures with the Dungeon Chamber of Commerce."

"Furthermore, I intend to recruit external monsters without relying solely on the Chamber. It would be wise to carefully select monsters that, while individually weak, excel in groups or can utilize the terrain to their advantage."

"And for the time being, we shall use the carcass of the Minotaur as our food supply. I have already frozen it with ice magic to prevent decay, so there is no need to worry. A beast of that size should easily last us a week."

"U-um, excuse me?" Isabella cut in, her voice trembling.

"Even so, eating a corpse is a bit... don't you think? Oh! Come to think of it, we can't consume dead blood!"

"It merely tastes unpleasant, but it is entirely possible. I have witnessed it myself," Charlotte replied flatly.

"Uh... actually, we're really fine. We're fine, but... how is the Boss going to handle the monster's corpse...?"

"The Boss is undead. He does not eat."

"T-then, what about resurrecting the Minotaur as an undead?"

"Reanimating a creature of that scale is practically impossible for us. Unless one is the Lich King, of course."

"Ah..." With a defeated sigh, Isabella fell silent. You can never defeat Charlotte in a battle of words, kid. Just accept it.

Vrooom!

It was then that a pitch-black portal materialized. Stepping gracefully out of it, the Demon Merchant landed and bowed with impeccable posture.

"It is an absolute honor to gaze upon your majestic countenance once more, Lord of the Dungeon."

Behind him, a steady stream of monsters poured out of the portal. They marched out like toy soldiers, all sharing the exact same shape and posture. Soon, a crowd of about a hundred stood in neat rows before me—a truly magnificent sight. They were roughly human-sized, looking like a bizarre cross between a mole and a rat.

As expected, Kobolds. I had anticipated this the moment we discussed expanding the dungeon. A Kobold's claws and incisors are as hard as steel. Their specialty is using them like pickaxes to excavate tunnels. To transform a simple cave into a proper labyrinth, Kobold labor was absolutely essential.

"Kerrk! It is an honor to meet the supreme Master, yes-dat!"

"We shall serve with absolute loyalty, yes-dat!"

Wait, Kobolds can speak? Just as the question crossed my mind, the Demon Merchant chimed in.

"I have handpicked only the most highly intelligent Kobolds. They all consider it a supreme honor to shape the new Abyss Palace."

"Leave it to us-dat! We will do our best-dat!"

Aside from their slightly grating speech pattern, they seemed quite reliable.

"Ah, the Iron Teeth Tribe," Charlotte observed. "I believe they will be of immense help to us."

"Kerrk! Human! A human, yes-dat! Human intruder!"

"I am the Deputy. Mind your tongue," Charlotte said coldly.

Charlotte didn't just recognize them as Kobolds; she even knew their tribe's name. They must be quite famous. Following the Kobolds, three demi-humans finally revealed themselves. All three were built like brick outhouses, yet they barely stood over a meter tall. Combined with their rugged, fierce faces and bushy beards covering half their countenances, it would have been impossible not to recognize them.

The dwarf who appeared to be the eldest of the three stepped forward.

"Greetings to the master of the new Abyss Palace. This old-timer is called Belaum, sir. Though I say so myself, I'm one of the finest dungeon artisans the Chamber has to offer, yes. And these here are the lads I'll be bossing around."

The other two bowed so deeply their backs nearly snapped. For a dwarf to confidently introduce himself as a master artisan meant he was of the absolute highest caliber. I suppose even a newly established dungeon commanded respect when it was one of the 7 Abyssal Palaces. I hadn't even asked, yet they had brought such high-end talent. Well, they weren't human, so perhaps "monster-power" was a better term than "manpower."

"The Kobolds'll do the heavy lifting, and we'll act as the overseers. Who'll be taking overall command, if I may ask? We don't mind if you do it yourself, Boss."

Why on earth would I do something so tedious? I subtly glanced at Charlotte and placed a hand on her shoulder. Charlotte flinched. Her shoulder trembled slightly, and she looked up at me with a gaze that seemed, for some reason, a little startled.

"My Deputy shall oversee it."

"...Boss?" Charlotte's eyes widened. Her pupils shook with a flurry of questions. Well, who else would do it? Me? A dungeon boss is supposed to be a figurehead, you know.

"To entrust me with such a responsibility once again... Thank you. This time, I will pour my heart and soul into meeting your expectations."

Ah, I had misread her reaction. From her perspective, she probably thought I was showing absolute faith in her despite her previous failures. I didn't bother correcting her. All's well that ends well; if her misunderstanding boosted her efficiency, I was all for it.

"Right then. We'll get straight to work, sir."

Two days passed. To put it simply, they were incredibly busy days. It was so hectic that I half-wondered if the sheer stress of the construction would drive everyone mad. Well, everyone except me.

"How did I end up doing such grueling labor..."

"Hey, you vampire over there! Pull your weight!"

"I'm not just a regular vampire! Can't you see these horns and fangs?!"

"Don't care! Just carry those bricks!"

"Ugh... I'm a True Ancestor..."

I ignored Isabella, who was completely exhausted from the continuous labor. I had put her to work because it felt wrong to let only the vampires rest while everyone else was sweating, but as expected, she was utterly useless when it came to hard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠labor.

It really has changed a lot. The internal structure and scale had transformed so much that anyone looking at it would instantly recognize it as a proper dungeon rather than a pathetic cave. Of course, since it was a dungeon, aesthetic beauty wasn't the goal. They said a labyrinthine maze should look as baffling as possible at first glance. From that perspective, it was flawless. No matter how much I stared at it, I couldn't make heads or tails of the layout.

My only duty was to watch. Ah, this was what a true boss looked like. This was how a proper dungeon should be run. Being undead meant I didn't feel physical fatigue, but that didn't mean I actually wanted to do any work.

Status Window. When you have nothing to do, checking your status is the best way to kill time.

My level was still 44. Even though Valmonk had died, the number remained unchanged. Was it because he had died due to a bug? Was my level a completely fixed value?

Or perhaps I have to land the killing blow myself. I couldn't be sure since I had never personally killed anyone with my own hands. Still, I figured taking a life directly would raise it. Now that game bugs were manifesting in reality, it made no sense for my level to be permanently locked.

"Do you have a moment, Master Artisan? I have a few questions," Charlotte said.

"Speak away, Deputy."

Standing idly nearby, I quietly watched them. In human society, witches were classified as demi-humans, much like dwarves. Perhaps because of that shared classification, Belaum and Charlotte got along surprisingly well.

"From your perspective, when do you estimate we can begin constructing the underground aqueduct and the mining base?"

"Just laying down the basic framework'll take at least a day, ma'am. The real issue is finding the right spot—I reckon that'll take about three days. And that's if we're lucky. If we hit a snag, we'll have to expand our search area, which'll take even longer."

For the past two days, Charlotte had been constantly asking about the mining base. Naturally, a question arose in my mind.

"Is the mining of ore so urgent?"

It was practically a mutter to myself, but Charlotte somehow caught it and bowed her head toward me.

"Yes, Lord. We must secure it as quickly as possible."

"And the reason?"

"I wish to repay our debt as soon as possible, before the interest accumulates further."

Interest? What interest? As I stood there in silence, Charlotte continued.

"The Chamber values raw ore highly. Since ore veins are relatively easy to locate within a dungeon, using them to settle our debt is the most efficient path."

"...And this debt is?"

"The monster hiring fees, Lord. I borrowed a total of thirty million cells to secure the services of the Minotaur and the Basilisk."

This crazy bitch did what?!

She had undoubtedly borrowed it under the dungeon's name, and the Boss of this dungeon was me. In other words, she had taken out a massive loan using my identity as collateral.

Deep breaths. Let's look on the bright side. We survived because of it. If those monsters hadn't been here, we would have been the ones dead.

"Because we are one of the 7 Abyssal Palaces, they granted us an indefinite repayment period. The annual interest rate is five percent, which amounts to 1.5 million cells. As of today, three days later, the accumulated interest has risen to 12,200 cells."

Damn, her math is fast. Is she really a medieval fantasy character?

Part of me wondered if it was really something to be so obsessed over. Sensing my unspoken thoughts, Charlotte spoke.

"The Chamber evaluates a dungeon's credit rating based on its repayment history. A dungeon is synonymous with its Boss. A delay in repayment would reflect poorly on your personal credit, Lord. As your Deputy, I cannot tolerate even the slightest blemish on your prestigious reputation."

I had no idea she was this meticulous. I knew she was highly capable, but I never expected her to be so deeply devoted to my reputation. Go ahead, Charlotte. Do whatever you want. I take back calling her a crazy, mentally unstable bitch—provided she doesn't start flaying humans alive right in front of me.

Another week went by. Fortunately, there were no outside intrusions during the construction. I had been deeply worried after Valmonk's death, but it turned out to be a needless anxiety. Well, information in a medieval setting didn't travel very fast, after all. There was no established communication network. For all I knew, the Imperial Subjugation Headquarters might still be completely oblivious to Valmonk's demise.

"Good work, you little rats! Let's clean up the mess and pack it in!" Belaum bellowed.

"Kerrk! Pack it in! Pack it in!"

"Rest! Rest!"

In less than ten days, the dungeon's construction was complete. A project that would have taken humans over a year was finished in a mere nine days through the joint efforts of the Kobolds and Dwarves. The dungeon had now established itself as a true, formidable fortress. The sweat-drenched Dwarves and Kobolds let out a thunderous cheer. Meanwhile, Charlotte approached my side.

"You have worked hard," I said.

"Compared to the burdens you bear, Lord, my efforts are nothing," she replied.

Her loyalty was so excessive that her praise made me feel incredibly embarrassed, considering I had done absolutely nothing. Was she mocking me? Her deep green level indicator proved she was entirely sincere, but it still made me feel deeply uncomfortable.

"Haaah... Haaah... Blood... Give me blood..."

Isabella was sprawled out spread-eagle in the distance. For some reason, she looked incredibly pitiful.

"It seems she requires blood to drink."

"However, she does not deserve it. Isabella's contribution did not even amount to a tenth of Valmonk's," Charlotte said coldly.

How can you compare her to Valmonk? He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a Level 74 Ghoul who didn't need sleep or rest, making him perfectly suited for heavy labor.

"As the Deputy, would it not be wise to show benevolence to your subordinate?"

"I shall obey your command."

Only then did Charlotte roll up her loose robe sleeve and walk over to Isabella. Watching Isabella leap up shouting, "Blood! Blood!" while Charlotte stood expressionless as her blood was drained felt like watching a bizarre comedy. It was a bit of a cliché, but in the 72 Dungeon Strategy Record, vampires were absolutely obsessed with human blood. In the future, I could just use Charlotte's blood to keep Isabella in line.

Well, I'm undead, so I can't give her mine anyway. It definitely wasn't because I wanted to avoid having my blood sucked. I was a skeleton; my body produced bone marrow instead of blood, so what could I do?

"Lord of the Dungeon. Though it's still a work in progress, I've brought a copy of the dungeon map, sir," Belaum said.

I reached out, and he handed me several parchment scrolls. It wasn't just a single map.

"The first scroll is the map of the dungeon itself, sir. The red 'X' marks represent the placed traps, the green triangles are the Deputy's quarters, and the gold star is your Boss Room, yes. I've also marked the chambers best suited for cultivating labyrinth flora."

I examined the map as I listened to Belaum's explanation. He pointed with his thick finger, explaining each detail with great enthusiasm.

"If you look here, we've cleared out the stalactite cavern to build the mining base, sir. There's an underground aqueduct right next to it, making it easy to supply drinking water to the miners."

"I see."

"And this here is the final sector of the labyrinth. The structure is highly defensible and close to the water supply. There are no alternative routes, and the walls are incredibly thick, meaning any subjugation force won't be able to bypass it. It's the perfect stronghold, yes. If we're ever pushed to our absolute limit, holding out here before you personally step in would be an excellent strategy, sir."

"Indeed."

"Since it's still a draft, I haven't been able to detail the resource ecology or the durability of the various walls yet, sir."

"I see." Honestly, I didn't understand a single word, so I just kept nodding and grunting in agreement.

"What are the other maps?"

"The second scroll is a map of the mountain where the dungeon is located and the neighboring villages, sir. It includes the elevation, terrain features, average climbing time, flora and fauna ecology, defensive measures utilizing the mountain terrain, and even the scale of the nearby settlements."

It was indeed crucial information for the defense of the dungeon.

"And the last one?"

"This here is a complete map of the Empire, sir. Since we're one of the 7 Abyssal Palaces, a simple dungeon raid could easily escalate into a full-scale war. I've prepared this just in case, yes."

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that is absolutely never going to happen.

"The imperial map is already complete since it's an existing record, and I'll bring the finalized versions of the other two as soon as they're ready, sir."

"Very well."

"If you spot any errors or have any revisions to make, please let me know, sir."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

They had worked tirelessly on the dungeon expansion, yet their cartography was incredibly thorough as well. I suppose that was what made him a master dwarven artisan.

"It looks excellent. Explain the details to my Deputy as well."

"I shall do so, sir."

Belaum waddled over to Charlotte on his short legs. Watching from afar, Charlotte nodded as if she genuinely understood everything, occasionally chiming in with sharp questions. She truly was a highly capable deputy, unlike a pretender like me. Once they finished their business, Charlotte walked back over to me.

"Excuse me, Boss. May I authorize the Kobolds to mine a designated quota of ore before they withdraw?"

"Is this for the repayment?"

"Yes. Combining our existing debt with the dungeon expansion costs, the total comes to exactly 100,036,600 cells. I will have a small group of Kobolds remain stationed here and oversee them to ensure they only mine enough to cover that amount."

"Do as you wish."

I couldn't help but click my tongue in admiration at her flawless efficiency—metaphorically speaking, since I didn't actually have a tongue.

Now that the dungeon construction was complete, it was finally time to get some proper rest. Even if a subjugation force invaded, we had plenty of traps, not to mention Charlotte and Valmonk. If things got truly desperate, we could always call upon the Chamber of Commerce for aid. Unless a party of legendary Heroes showed up, this dungeon was practically impregnable.

"It seems the merchant has arrived," Charlotte noted.

Following her gaze, I saw a pitch-black portal tearing open in the distance. As expected, the familiar face of the Demon Merchant emerged. He must have known exactly when the work would finish, arriving like clockwork to escort his workers back.

"I-I gaze upon your magnificent, glorious countenance, Lord!"

Unlike his usual composed self, the demon rushed forward in a frantic hurry. Even after stopping, he kept shifting restlessly, stealing anxious glances at me. What's wrong with him?

"My Lord! I have... I have something to tell you!"

"What is it?"

"A guest is scheduled to arrive! Ah, no, no! A VIP! A highly esteemed VIP!"

A terrible premonition suddenly washed over me. Just as I was about to ask who it was—

Whoosh!

An even larger portal tore open right next to the first one. My brief surprise instantly ballooned into sheer, unadulterated horror.

Because right before whoever it was stepped out, their level indicator caught my eye.

Oh.

"Everyone, show your respect! The Rank 5 Lord has arrived!"

Why is it that bad premonitions are never wrong?