Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Dungeons Get Stronger with Whaling
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Haa... haa..."
Someone was dashing through a dark forest.
A massive robe that didn't fit their frame draped over them, hiding their face. Only strands of silver hair peeked out from beneath the hood, swaying as they ran.
Even while sprinting, they clutched the item in their arms tightly, refusing to let it slip.
They looked on the verge of collapse, gasping for air, but they never slowed down.
'Just over this mountain...!'
Beyond the towering peak lay the Demon Realm, a land of death.
If they could just reach it.
'A little more... come on.'
The mysterious figure glanced back over their shoulder.
In the distance, between the trees, a group pursued them.
"You wicked being, stop right there! In the name of the Church, we will judge you!"
Holy Knights shouted as they gave chase on horseback.
'Just a bit further...'
Once they reached the Demon Realm, even those guys would have to stop pursuing.
They just had to hold out until then.
But their breath was already ragged.
And so the midnight chase continued.
His thoughts drifted back to the day he first awakened.
The joy hadn't lasted long.
'No, it was more like despair.'
The reason? He didn't get a status window.
A day that should have been joyous had plunged him into despair instead.
He'd even resented it—why awaken him at all?
Still, he'd mustered his strength.
At first, he'd held onto hope that hard work would pay off.
Yeah, maybe if he tried hard enough, something would give.
But that was arrogant thinking.
No matter how much he swung a sword, he was a hunter without a status window.
To close that gap, he'd made one choice.
Enrolling in Hunter Academy, open only to the awakened.
No status window or not, he was still awakened.
Getting in wasn't hard.
The problem came after.
Those four years there were hell.
Classmates and even juniors looked down on him.
Professors shunned him and treated him unfairly, but he endured it.
Yeah, if he worked harder, someone would recognize his effort.
But the efforts of the talentless were just illusions.
Still, he endured.
He pushed through for that one graduation certificate.
Last place, but he'd graduated from the academy.
That was it, though.
Even as a graduate, he was still a half-baked hunter without a status window.
'That was when I realized it.'
Effort wouldn't fix the root problem. He'd stay stuck forever.
It wasn't about talent.
Without a status window from the start, growth was impossible, period.
Once he accepted that, he turned from reality to games as an escape.
At least in games, time and money could propel him to the top ranks easily.
"Well, things are different now."
He had a status window.
Potential had opened up.
Naturally, he'd started trying again.
"Of course, I still play games."
Not as escapism anymore, but purely for mental relaxation.
In other words, to relieve stress.
Playing games to de-stress, only to get more stress? That was nonsense.
Unacceptable.
So he had to make up for his dungeon's dropped rank.
"Goal: dungeon growth and decoration."
Until now, he'd been playing too haphazardly.
With a dungeon-defense concept, it was time for a proper overhaul.
He clicked the screen to check the dungeon.
New features had appeared: facility construction and dungeon expansion extras.
Facilities were limited to what he could afford right now.
"Lieutenant's Quarters are a must... Oh, and a Prison would be nice."
He'd seen goblins capturing an adventurer earlier.
More would come. Better prepare gradually.
The issue: no gold.
The initial gold from the lieutenant synthesis pack had all gone into expanding the dungeon size.
"Can I afford it with my gems?"
In most games, premium currency like gems bought in-game currency.
"Not bad."
He had 9,800 gems.
Equivalent to 980,000 gold.
Blowing them all would be stupid, though.
He converted 800 gems to gold first.
With 80,000 gold, he bought the Prison first.
Not yet. Placement came last, after all prep. That was the proper way.
He eyed other facilities next.
Celia roamed everywhere. He'd been meaning to fix that.
He bought the Lieutenant's Quarters for her to live and work in.
He checked the Hut too—a living space for monsters.
"Hmm..."
Did he need it right now?
Skeletons didn't seem to care.
Look at them now, just standing there like they'd crawled straight from the grave.
Even in a game, they looked kinda spooky.
They'd be fine without it.
Only three goblins left, too few anyway.
"I'll save the Hut for later."
Not much else affordable.
Time to decorate the dungeon itself. Placement after.
He tapped [Dungeon Expansion].
"Whoa..."
Way more options than before.
Early on, 100,000 gold just enlarged it.
Now, paths, monster habitats, terrain choices.
"Even waterways?"
Tons of strategic possibilities.
Water meant aquatic monsters, or traps to stall invaders.
Nothing free, though—gems or gold.
His wallet was thick.
He whaled without hesitation.
Before he knew it, three hours had flown by decorating.
His eyes were bloodshot from staring at the screen.
"But it's done!"
He'd reshaped the interior to his vision.
Then summoned more monsters, synthesized, and placed them.
Pride-worthy, even to him.
Originally, a single straight path from entrance to end.
Invaders just marched forward.
They only watched ahead—no rear worries. Tough for late-game defense.
Now? Different.
The entrance has split into two paths.
He'd moved Zone 2 forward.
Left: Undead Zone 1.
Right: Goblin Zone 2.
"Perfect."
Split their forces.
If they all took one path? Flank with the other side.
Also for racial needs.
Non-undead needed food.
Skeletons didn't, but goblins did.
Celia had been scavenging meat so far—for three goblins.
But now? He had whaled hard.
There are over thirty Goblins now.
I Couldn't rely on Celia forever.
Idea: Move goblin zone forward, let them roam outside for food and hunts.
Monsters couldn't leave yet.
But eventually, this constraint would be lifted.
Then, monsters would be able to freely come and go outside the dungeon.
From then on, my goal was to establish an ecosystem by hunting directly.
As the number of goblins in the Zone 2 increased, I purchased and installed the postponed fence.
At the same time, a mid-boss appeared in the 2nd area.
Made him proud just looking.
"Zones 1 and 2 are set for a while."
True. He'd gone ham on spending.
Just looking made him full.
That satisfying fullness—like nothing could breach it for a while.
Variety was limited from pulls, sure.
To outsiders, it'd look like a mishmash mongrel dungeon.
Diverse monsters made it tricky.
Kim Suho soloed C-ranks on TV, but B-ranks? Tough due to matchups.
He'd borrowed that idea: varied counters.
"That's why split zones."
First path: Zones 1 and 2.
Further back: 3 and 4.
Those got basic setups too.
Zone 3, after Zone 1: Blue fields instead of eerie undead vibes. Pleasant at a glance.
Emergency concept shift from pulls.
Giant flowers amid grass—not normal plants.
Butterfly-like bugs flying over—not harmless.
Those beings were indeed monsters.
The plants eat people, and those blood-sucking butterflies were terrifying creatures that suck blood.
If you approach that beautiful flower, you'll be eaten.
Interestingly, the description stated that while monsters eat, they do not react to the undead.
This is why they were placed in Area 3, which is connected to Area 1 where the skeletons are.
If those guys happen to eat goblins, I'll be at a loss too.
Behind Area 2 where goblins inhabit, Area 4 had only one small lake in the middle.
Monsters had not been placed yet.
There were no monsters suitable for living in the water, and for now, goblins could play a role in coming to drink water.
"I can catch fish later and raise them, right?"
This is definitely a dungeon, so sunlight does not enter.
Although there is water, farming seems unlikely.
Still, it should be possible to raise fish in the lake.
Additionally, the center, called the end of the dungeon, also changed the previous appearance of emptiness.
This place is important.
It is a place that can be considered the heart of the dungeon, a kind of last line of defense.
The center must play a role as a sort of command center that controls all the zones of the dungeon.
So, I installed a Lieutenant's Quarters.
When I installed the Lieutenant's Quarters, Celia looked thrilled.
"She's a lieutenant, after all..."
There should be monsters to guard Lieutenant's Quarters.
I separately set aside some skeleton soldiers.
The soldiers were arranged on both sides, standing guard over the Lieutenant's Quarters.
Of course, they are only 1-star monsters, so it's hard to expect much ability, but this kind of display was important.
"It looks like there's something."
It seemed to exude an atmosphere that there was an important presence here.
In addition, a prison was set up in a nearby corner..
Not immediately, but I planned to place separate monitoring monsters near the prison later..
"Finally feels like a dungeon."
Perhaps the Rank will rise again.
"Should I go to sleep now?"
Today, I decided to be satisfied here.
I had already been watching the game screen for over 3 hours, and I was exhausted.
On top of that, I had almost no gold and jewels left due to lavish spending.
It was a situation where I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to do more.
Before I knew it, it had gotten dark outside.