Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Reclaiming the Mess Hall
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“Over here? We go this way, my lord?”
“Yeah.”
The Devil of Resurrection, Phenex, was immediately deployed to handle the task I had assigned her.
Those who don’t work, don’t eat.
‘The restaurant and food storage weren’t supposed to be top priority targets….’
The top priorities for reclamation were the most critical elements needed to keep the dungeon running, unlocked as quickly as possible for maximum gain.
For example, the Garden of Regeneration, which immediately begins restoring familiars knocked out of commission during dungeon defense battles.
If combat breaks out without this facility unlocked and a familiar is disabled, it dies for good.
‘Though that’s a one-in-a-million chance….’
Then there’s the Dispatch Office, which scouts the vicinity and occasionally gathers resources like magic stones.
Facilities like these—ones that must be unlocked early or provide huge advantages when done so early—are the core infrastructure.
So, did the restaurant and food storage qualify as core infrastructure?
‘No, absolutely not.’
In the game, they were just communication hubs, places to manage monster conditions, trigger events, and occasionally watch familiars eat while spacing out.
‘Still, there’s a lot going on there.’
The point is, they weren’t core.
However, now that the game had become reality, the restaurant absolutely was core infrastructure.
In the game, it didn’t matter what familiars ate, when they ate, or how much—but in reality, it was a huge deal.
‘My meals are on the line too.’
Eat or die… well… survive, basically.
‘Hunger… is setting in. Gotta solve the food issue before it’s too late.’
Survival naturally included quality meals.
“You have to give us food! It’s a promise!”
“Yeah, enough chatter. Move out.”
“Okay!”
Through the core in my heart chamber, I could observe her surroundings. It let me easily check if she was performing her task well and if there were any issues.
‘Handling it myself would be easiest….’
Unfortunately, Faust’s fragile body was exhausted from just the tutorial battles and couldn’t handle frequent combat.
That’s why good familiars were essential.
“Lord Faust.”
“Speak, Lucifer.”
Lucifer, who had been watching the screen beside me, spoke up.
“Phenex should reach the food storage soon.”
According to Lucifer, this Rotten Roots Dungeon had once been ruled by a demonkin.
That’s why reclaiming the infrastructure didn’t require building from scratch—just repairs.
‘I already knew that.’
Before I could relay Lucifer’s words to Phenex, a voice came from the other side.
“Whoa! I sense something!”
“Yeah, that’s the spot. You haven’t forgotten your task, right?”
- Squeak…
- Squeeeak…
The diseased bats I’d seen before came swarming out.
[Phenex’s basic ability: Blazing Flames activates.]
[Phenex continuously recovers life force until combat ends.]
[The effect scales with lost life force.]
The moment combat began, Phenex’s passive triggered.
Splash-!
A diseased bat twisted through the air, aiming to wound her.
Shing…
Of course.
Spluuurt-!
It was bisected by Phenex’s sword.
Twitch…
I couldn’t help clenching my fist at the sight. The power of a 6-star devil, far surpassing the Goblin Trio, had me captivated.
Did she use a skill?
No.
An amazing weapon?
Just a plain iron sword. No options, nothing special.
“One!”
Squeee-!
An incoming diseased bat.
Whoooosh-!
Her longsword swung horizontally in response.
“Twooo!”
And she called out the count first.
Spluuurt-!
A gruesome end.
For the opponent, of course.
“Hehe!”
Sensing my gaze, Phenex flashed a V-sign toward… somewhere.
…Not there.
All I saw was the back of her head.
‘Phenex without her restriction… is impressive.’
So why had I felt dissatisfied with such a powerful devil like Phenex? Because of her other passive.
This passive, a kind of personality trait unique to 6-star devils.
These personality passives were usually decent, but sometimes they were so shocking they flipped the devil’s entire evaluation.
‘The problem is… that’s my first devil, Phenex’s passive.’
A restriction tantamount to a curse.
Users had once trashed her skillset, saying the developers ruined the balance by overemphasizing character personality.
The devs didn’t even snort at that.
It kept her potential powerhouse status under wraps early on, leading to reevaluation later.
‘But… that horrific personality passive…’
Doesn’t apply to reclamation.
It only kicks in during defense duties, welcoming adventurers to the dungeon.
In other words, right now, I could wield Phenex’s full power.
Probably a safety net made because early-game performance gaps would’ve driven users away en masse.
The devs needed to sell magic stones, after all—no rough edges on the product.
‘If you don’t like it, quit. Simple as that. But….’
I can’t quit.
I won’t quit even if I hate it.
…Now I have to keep going.
That’s the biggest difference.
Spluuurt-!
“Yay! Caught something big! My lord! Did you see?”
“Huh.”
Lost in thought, I’d momentarily lost focus on Phenex’s battle.
‘…What?’
The screen was a blur.
In the blink of an eye, her surroundings were littered with severed corpses.
And among them, unlike the other diseased bats, there was a unique variant split into massive chunks.
‘No way, she cleared them all in that short time?’
Yes, a 6-star devil could manage that.
In the early parts of this tutorial-level episode.
Using pure physical class, without even leveling up, to reclaim infrastructure.
Yeah, totally doable.
‘But feeling it firsthand… is different.’
Greed stirred.
For more.
If I had even stronger devils…
‘…Survive first, no matter what.’
[All threats in Living Quarters Remnant 1 have been eliminated.]
[Reclaiming Living Quarters Remnant 1.]
[All spoils belong to the dungeon: Rotten Roots.]
[The restaurant and food storage can now be constructed.]
* * *
Rustle…
Iron filings.
Sticky…
Slime fragments.
‘And… bloodstone shards?’
I was checking the spoils that had been sent to my heart chamber. Successful dungeon reclamation usually yielded spoils from the area.
One-time rewards, but since dungeon defense phase gives its own rewards later, they don’t vanish.
‘Gotta stockpile these to strengthen familiars.’
Whether reinforcing the familiar’s body or their weapons.
Rustle…
‘But… this much?’
I’d have to calculate exactly, but it felt way more than in the game.
‘No way the in-game resource yields are different…?’
Just a hypothesis for now.
One I desperately hoped was true.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Phenex scurried off somewhere.
“What happened?”
“Something passed by! This way!”
“…Passed by?”
“Can I go look?”
A bad feeling hit me, so I refused.
“No, go yourself.”
Swoosh…
I rose from the throne, heading to Phenex’s location with the goblins and Lucifer.
‘…Feels odd.’
The dungeon wasn’t even properly shaped yet, and things weren’t going perfectly to plan, but it didn’t feel bad.
I sensed that from those around me.
Step…
Step…
Arriving where Phenex was, she greeted me.
“My lord! Here!”
“……”
She beamed.
“Did good, right? I did great!?”
Her fists clenched in front, just like a puppy with a frisbee.
Anyone could see she was desperate for praise.
‘But.’
What Phenex needed now wasn’t kindness.
So I deliberately didn’t react.
“The traces?”
“…Huh? Oh… traces! Here!”
Where Phenex led me, something’s remnants lingered.
“Something long went whoosh! Right through!”
In other words, something elongated had gouged the ground as it passed.
“How far do the traces go?”
“To the other side!”
I examined them.
Like a drill had scraped across the earth.
‘Sticky.’
White stuff clung to spots along the traces.
‘…Silk?’
Ah, got it.
…It’s her.
“Phenex.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“From now on, don’t approach the other side of this.”
“…Huh?”
Her gaze followed mine.
To the pitch-black void emitting no light.
“Ah… okay.”
This side could wait.
First, something to handle.
[Conditions for construction are met.]
[The restaurant and food storage can now be constructed.]
I couldn’t change major internal structures, but minor details could be tweaked surprisingly finely.
The scenery floated up around me, faint like an overlay on paper.
No need to drag it out—I started construction.
[Beginning construction of the restaurant and food storage.]
……
Whoooosh…
Empowered by the dungeon core’s mana, the surrounding structures shifted.
First came a small table.
Then larger ones for more people.
Chairs, cabinets, even a crude kitchen.
Plus zones classified by familiar traits.
Some didn’t need tables.
‘Eventually, even those who can’t reach the restaurant will join in.’
Construction times varied by facility. The restaurant, largely independent of the core’s mana, transformed the space instantly.
In a blink, the blood-soaked area became a restaurant.
Still basic level, so some lacks showed, but it had the form.
‘Well, just restoring what was already there, so it finished quick.’
Creak…
Creak…
Lucifer opened cabinets and storage one by one.
Click…
“Provisions are well-stocked. Oh, this is some fine tea…”
[Restaurant and food storage construction complete.]
[Assigning labor to the restaurant and food storage enables more efficient satisfaction generation.]
[Current facility satisfaction: Not bad.]
[Tip: Facilities where familiars gather, like the restaurant and food storage, often trigger intimacy-affecting events.]
Scrape…
Phenex was already at a table, drooling toward the kitchen.
Muttering “food… food…” nonstop.
The restaurant was done, but who’d cook?
The answer was set.
Swoosh…
I glanced at the Goblin Slinger of the trio, and he headed to the kitchen.
[A familiar talented in cooking provides labor to the facility.]
[Facility satisfaction rises by a set amount.]
The other two goblins handled cleanup.
Like dragging away diseased bat corpses spilling blood.
‘Amazing.’
Rare to reshape space itself with a gesture.
Felt like a creator god.
I looked around the restaurant.
With the housing system, I could place prepped furniture, tweak layouts, interact with monsters to build intimacy.
‘Speaking of… intimacy….’
It didn’t seem crucial short-term, but long-term, it needed constant attention.
‘Affects familiar performance.’
Rising intimacy boosts stats directly, influences later skill options.
Even unlocks major events.
‘Smart move—another cash sink.’
Easiest way to manage intimacy: gifts. In-game, I’d dumped massive gift hauls to buy favor.
‘Can’t do that anymore.’
If there’s an easy way, there’s a hard one.
Better to be grateful than complain.
At least there’s a way.
“Wooow! Tasty!”
“……”
Phenex was first to shove food in her mouth.
“This is good! My lord, eat some!”
“……”
Come to think of it, it’d been ages since I ate.
‘No, I never liked eating anyway.’
After my wife Seunga left, solo meals were tough to get used to.
Meals became mere survival chores.
Scrape…
An unidentified stew was served to me.
“……”
Truly unidentified.
Lumpy mystery ingredients.
Slurp…
I swallowed a spoonful without tasting.
…This isn’t a game.
No way it could be.
I realized it in that instant. The texture and flavor were so vivid, so real.
Yes.
…This is reality.
Now eat, sleep, live here.
Hunger vanished in a puff.
The stew filled my empty gut not with fullness, but emptiness.
“……”
Sipping more felt painful, so I stood.
Scrape…
“Doesn’t suit your taste?”
I brushed off Lucifer’s question.
“Not really. Not hungry.”
As I turned to leave, a voice stopped me.
“Thanks!”
“……”
Phenex.
Glancing back, she said it.
“Thanks, my lord!”
“……”
“Food! Love it! Phenex likes it here! Good food, love it!”
What was the right reply?
Not too kind to poison her, not too cold—best for her future.
Yeah, that.
“Fill your belly.”
“……”
“You’ve got more work after.”
“…Okay!”
As I left the restaurant, a message appeared.
[The Devil of Resurrection Phenex’s intimacy toward Faust rises.]
[Current intimacy: ♥♡♡♡♡♡]
……