Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Dungeon Infrastructure Development (2)
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[1st Floor, Zone 3]
This was a zone themed around nature.
A lush green field stretched out, so vibrant it was refreshing just to look at.
But the creatures inhabiting that field were anything but refreshing.
Plants blooming with vibrant flowers and butterflies fluttering above them—they were all monsters lying in wait for their prey.
But they had a glaring weakness.
"They look way too vulnerable to fire."
Even a casual burst of flames from an intruder would probably end them.
"Looks like I need countermeasures."
This was a dungeon, after all.
There were no fire safety protocols like on Earth.
The monsters didn't seem to have considered that either.
In the end, it was up to me to come up with a solution.
"First things first, I should form a fire suppression squad."
A firefighting unit, in other words.
It was straightforward enough.
Goblins were overflowing in the dungeon anyway.
Just organize a unit around them as the core.
All that was left was to issue the order to the Goblin Lord.
It was no different from giving commands to Celia before—just the recipient had changed.
"Piece of cake."
From now on, if a fire broke out in the dungeon, the goblin firefighting unit would rush in first to put it out.
That meant I'd need to equip them properly too.
'Gotta build that up gradually.'
For now, buckets were the only option.
And even those would require hauling water from the lake in Zone 4—a bit of a hassle.
"Hmm. Thinking about it that way, something feels off."
Even with a firefighting unit, it still felt lacking.
It wasn't a fundamental fix, and more than anything, I needed an immediate solution.
As I pondered that, an alert popped up.
It had been ages since a package item like this popped up.
110,000 won—not bad, but the contents were the real draw.
"A sprinkler?"
It wasn't just named one; it looked exactly like a real sprinkler that sprayed water.
The kind you'd see mounted on a building ceiling, included in a package.
"Using this in a dungeon...?"
I did want the dungeon's infrastructure to advance.
But this felt a bit too modern.
And it even threw in a 3★ Water Spirit.
No need to overthink it.
"Gotta buy this."
I'd never regretted a package purchase yet.
These didn't pop up every day, so snapping it up when it did was the smart move.
I clicked the package and completed the payment right away.
I claimed the items from the mailbox immediately.
✨ Traits
Water Storage (B): Can store a large amount of water within its body.
📊 Basic Stats
⚡ Skills
Water Absorption (C): Absorbs water.
Water Ejection (C): Ejects stored water from its body.
"Oh."
The Intermediate Water Spirit was a jackpot.
It could store water inside and release it anytime—tons of potential uses.
"Buying this was definitely the right call."
The fire contingency from earlier? Solved in one spirit.
The moment it was summoned, the Water Spirit waddled off somewhere.
Its destination was Zone 4.
It looked like a plump water droplet, toddling along in a pretty cute way.
"But it's kinda small."
The spirit was only palm-sized.
How much water could something that tiny hold?
I had my doubts, but I watched it through the screen.
The Water Spirit reached Zone 4 in no time.
It dove straight into the lake.
And started sucking up the water.
"......"
Once in the lake, it showed no signs of coming out.
The water level visibly dropped as it kept absorbing.
"This guy..."
Still no sign of it.
The lake's water kept draining, level sinking lower and lower.
Was the lake about to vanish?
As I worried, the nagas living in the lake took action first.
They didn't like the spirit hogging all the water, so they grabbed it and hauled it out.
"Buuuurp—"
The bloated Water Spirit belched, clearly satisfied with the lake water.
It had swollen massively from all it absorbed.
What was once palm-sized now towered over 2 meters tall.
"Whoa..."
The trait said it could store a large amount of water.
But "large" exceeded my expectations by a mile.
"Guess I need to renovate the lake too."
The now-gigantic spirit headed back to its original spot.
As it returned to Zone 3, Aren and Nariel jumped in surprise.
"Anyway, how do I use the sprinkler?"
Next, I eyed the sprinkler that came with the spirit.
The issue was installation.
"Maybe just take it out first?"
I tapped the sprinkler.
Insufficient dungeon power to install sprinkler.
Upgrade the Dungeon Core to increase power.
A wrinkle.
I hadn't expected installation to fail.
"Hmm."
I closed my eyes briefly to think.
'It's not called the heart for nothing.'
I knew the Dungeon Core was vital.
But that its level affected power output and facility limits? News to me.
Luckily, I had a way to upgrade it right now.
After acquiring the True Dungeon Master trait last time, I'd gained more than just monster enhancements and levels.
I could absorb corpses as offerings.
And use those offerings to upgrade my dungeon.
"Time to use that."
The villain corpses from the last monster wave, plus their victims' bodies.
I'd been saving them for offerings, and today was the day.
Last time, I'd upgraded the altar instead of the core.
I tapped the explanation again.
Same description as before.
But this time, I focused on the line I'd glossed over.
"So power expansion means this."
To develop facilities going forward, I'd need to prioritize core upgrades.
No hesitation this time.
I selected Dungeon Core Upgrade.
Now sprinkler installation worked.
I pondered the spot briefly and mounted it on the dungeon ceiling.
"The real question is whether it'll actually work..."
This was an empty dungeon.
Just a sprinkler dangling from the ceiling didn't scream "functional."
As I stared at it, the Water Spirit stirred.
The hulking spirit raised a hand and yanked the sprinkler off the ceiling.
Then shoved it into its mouth.
"?"
What was it doing?
It chomped down and started spewing water.
"Guruuuwaaah—"
With a weird noise, the water stored in its body gushed out like a fountain.
"Oh, so that's how it works?"
The setup looked odd, but performance seemed solid.
"Death Knight."
Celia called out to the Death Knight, who was diligently swinging his pickaxe.
At her voice, he looked up with a glimmer of hope.
"Once Zone 2 expansion is done, we'll remodel the huts there. And please tidy up the lake in Zone 4."
She left him with a request to pitch in until she arranged things with the Demon Realm Merchant Guild, then vanished.
"......"
This was an order from the total manager—and the will of the great Master.
Despair etched on his face, the Death Knight kept mining.
Gold and jewels intertwined, gleaming in dazzling splendor.
The room brimmed with solemn grandeur, its floor carpeted in deep crimson.
Everywhere you looked: furniture adorned with gold and gems.
Even the flickering candlelight danced from crystal candelabras.
Given the opulence, the gathered guests were no ordinary folk.
Their dresses formed a vibrant garden of colors.
And their jeweled accessories? Extravagant didn't cover it.
One of them, dripping in style and luxury, spoke up.
"So, what happened to Count Derek anyway?"
These were nobles of the Sail Kingdom.
Nobles from the noble faction, specifically.
"Who cares what happens to a punk like that."
Derek's name soured everyone's mood.
And understandably so.
Count Derek had been the leader of the noble faction.
But at the banquet, he'd suddenly gone berserk with a sword.
They'd nearly lost their heads over it.
In truth, Celia had manipulated him, but the nobles had no clue.
In the end, the count was imprisoned over the incident.
"Come on, enough of that on a fine night like this. Isn't it time?"
As talk veered negative, one noble clapped to liven things up.
Then continued.
"The Church's Holy Knights just arrived in the kingdom."
"?"
Everyone blinked in confusion.
"I thought the Church contingent was still days out..."
True enough.
The visiting Church group was massive.
It naturally took time.
So how were Holy Knights already here?
"Even weakened, the current king is a lion—no, a feral dog. Drop your guard, and he'll bite."
The noble who'd announced their arrival smirked slyly.
"Which is why we go all in. These arrivals will move covertly, gathering intel. You all know what to do, right?"
Nods all around.
Plainly put: Holy Knights surveilling the kingdom behind the royals' backs.
A diplomatic outrage, but they didn't care.
Secure their interests first, then snag mountain development rights.
'Heh. That's why I sent those adventurers ahead.'
The royals surely knew adventurers had headed to the mountains.
But adventurers were bait to divert eyes.
The real play: the Holy Knights slipping in undetected.
"The grand event is almost upon us."
Dawn was far off, and the festival just beginning.
The nobles raised their glasses, laughing.
Drunk on the mood, oblivious.
Unaware of the hidden eyes watching them.
They surrendered the night to pleasure.