146
Chapter 146
Please accept us into this Dungeon.
The White Spider and the Black Fox earnestly pleaded with Mr. Scarecrow.
I also helped them out from the side.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear-bear, bear-bear-bear, bear-bear-bear?"
Mr. Scarecrow.
Can't you do something about it?
Honestly, you've been quite lonely.
Wouldn't it be nice to have some new members in the Dungeon while we're at it?
"Bear-bear-bear bear-bear-bear!"
Besides, if you've caused a Reincarnation, you should take responsibility!
...Ah, wait a minute.
Was what I just said a bit off?
Come to think of it, while it was true that they underwent Reincarnation through Mr. Scarecrow's power, it was our Fox and Red Panda who plucked the Leaf of Reincarnation.
Ahem.
I take back what I just said.
"Hmm......."
Mr. Scarecrow let out a thoughtful hum.
He was still silently gazing at the White Spider and the Black Fox.
If he didn't take them in,
if he was firm in his decision,
I would have no choice but to take them under my wing.
Since our Fox and Red Panda pulled the Leaf of Reincarnation, I had to take responsibility.
Accepting them wouldn't be a problem anyway.
Those two were more than qualified to become members of our Dungeon.
Their personalities didn't seem too bad, and they've become quite cute since their Reincarnation.
Since they no longer belonged to the Chaos Domain, I didn't feel uncomfortable about it either.
"Why aren't you answering...."
"Was it too unreasonable of a request...?"
"...No. It's not quite an unreasonable request."
Finally, Mr. Scarecrow opened his mouth.
It's not an unreasonable request?
Does that mean he will accept them?
"Accepting you isn't difficult. But I have one thing to ask before that."
"What is it that you want to ask!"
"Please ask anything...."
"About that Chaos group called Fantastic or whatever. They certainly said they dispose of a Traitor. If that's the case, wouldn't this Dungeon be in danger if they found out you were hiding here?"
"Hoya...? C-come to think of it, that could be true...."
"Ah... I don't think they'd go out of their way to track us down and execute us... but we still can't completely rule out the possibility of this Dungeon being in danger... If we are discovered by any chance, even Mr. Scarecrow who hid us could be in danger......."
"You truly made the request without thinking. Anyway, do you still wish to hide in this Dungeon despite that?"
"Hoyaaaa...."
"No... We were too short-sighted... Putting this place in danger because of us would be too much of a nuisance... We will just leave...."
Dejected.
The Black Fox and the White Spider hung their heads low.
They actually had a decent sense of shame.
They were so good-natured that it was hard to believe they belonged to Chaos in their previous lives.
Well, they didn't seem like such bad guys even when they belonged to Chaos.
Unlike the Fantastic Bear or the Fantastic Owl.
"......."
Mr. Scarecrow stared intently at them, then soon let out a soft chuckle and spoke.
"No. You don't have to leave."
"Hoya?"
"Yes...?"
"I liked your kind hearts that don't want to put others in danger. So I will permit you to just stay here."
"Hoyaaaa? Really!?"
"I-is it really okay...? What are you going to do if the Fantastic side finds out about this place and comes to dispose of us... Of course, it's highly likely they won't go out of their way to track us... but you never know...."
"It doesn't matter. Saying that my Dungeon could be in danger was just something I said to grasp your personalities to some extent. In truth, there is absolutely no chance of the Dungeon being in danger. If those Fantastic folks or whatever come to kill you, I will just kill them instead."
Mr. Scarecrow said calmly.
It was an answer exuding the confidence that he wouldn't lose no matter who came.
"Hoyaaaa... That's so cool...!"
"Heeeh......."
The Black Fox and the White Spider made expressions as if they were deeply moved.
It looked like they had completely fallen for Mr. Scarecrow.
I kind of fell for him too.
Mr. Scarecrow, you were really cool just now.
Before long, the two of them repeatedly bowed their heads toward Mr. Scarecrow to express their gratitude.
"Thank you for accepting us! Thank you so much!!!"
"I am thankful too...!"
I was glad they could both stay here.
Well, I was thinking of taking them if Mr. Scarecrow didn't accept them.
I wouldn't be scared even if the Fantastic tracked us down.
Because I found out that my Vaccine is the Natural Enemy of Chaos.
No matter how strong the Chaos was, as long as I injected the Vaccine somehow, it would unconditionally be my victory.
Ah, maybe not unconditionally?
I will correct myself.
I don't think I can guarantee a victory.
Since they say the Leader of Fantastic is incredibly strong.
There was also the possibility that the Vaccine might not work.
I'm glad I left those two to Mr. Scarecrow.
"B-but our Leader... no, the Leader of Fantastic is incredibly strong... Killing them instead will probably be difficult...."
The White Spider spoke cautiously to Mr. Scarecrow.
It sounded like they were speaking out of genuine concern.
For reference, the White Spider and the Black Fox already knew that Mr. Scarecrow was someone who had reached the Ultimate Realm. I casually let them know while we were chatting earlier. Mr. Scarecrow said it was okay to tell them.
Even though he had reached the Ultimate Realm,
perhaps because he was of the lowest species rank and his power was only 100, the White Spider seemed to think that Mr. Scarecrow would be no match for the Fantastic Leader.
"It seems I am untrustworthy."
"I'm not saying this because I don't trust Mr. Scarecrow... and I don't think Mr. Scarecrow is weak... I am absolutely not underestimating you... It's just that the Leader of Fantastic is so incredibly strong that I said it out of worry... Of course, I've never seen the Leader's true power, so I don't know exactly what level it is either...."
"That is a useless worry. As I said earlier, there is absolutely no chance of this Dungeon being in danger. Because in my Dungeon, no one can defeat me."
Mr. Scarecrow spoke with great confidence.
It seemed he had a hidden trump card.
Well, it was probably a Unique Skill.
No one can defeat him in the Dungeon.
Seeing that he said this, could it be a Unique Skill that grants absolute power inside the Dungeon?
I wondered exactly what kind of Unique Skill it was.
However, I didn't pry into the Unique Skill.
We only met for the first time today.
Although we got close faster than expected, our relationship hadn't seen enough development to spill all our secrets yet, so we weren't at the stage to ask questions like what the Unique Skill was.
So I had to draw the line.
If I crossed the line carelessly, our relationship might sour for no reason.
It wouldn't be too late to ask when we became more intimate.
It's not like I'd die of crazy curiosity just because I couldn't hear what his Unique Skill was.
***
"Huuu... My mind is so clear... So this is the life of someone who doesn't belong to the Chaos Domain...."
"It's refreshing and exhilarating! I feel incredibly good just staying still! Anything I eat is delicious!"
"Did we always feel like this when we were just born...?"
"I don't know! I can't even remember when I was too young!"
The White Spider and the Black Fox.
The two of them were sprawled out with peaceful expressions.
From what I heard.
Even during their Fantastic days, they hadn't completely conquered Chaos, but were merely fiercely resisting it with the power of the Fantastic species. And due to the influence of Chaos, unless it was prey they had brutally killed themselves, nothing tasted good, and they lived almost their entire lives feeling a stifling sensation as if their chests and heads were tightly clogged. They also said that they often lost their reason by being consumed by Chaos the moment they let their guard down even slightly. As an aside, they said they frequently lost their reason when they had just become part of Fantastic.
"Munch munch... Today is the first time I realized a Carrot was this delicious...."
"Uhuhung! Uung, uung!"
The White Spider ceaselessly consumed the Carrot.
Tosuni kept handing over Carrots while stroking the White Spider's head as if caring for a young child.
"But aren't we participating in that competition?"
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear."
Black Fox, why would you participate.
This is a team-building event between the Rabbit Dungeon and our Dungeon.
Read the room, man.
"I'm disappointed...."
"Bear-bear."
Just eat your Carrot.
I also kept handing over Carrots while stroking the Black Fox's head like Tosuni.
It felt like I was parenting.
But there won't be a situation where these guys belong to Chaos again, right?
As long as they stay inside this Dungeon, they wouldn't have any contact with Chaos?
[Checking the question.]
[Those who belonged to Chaos in their previous lives.]
[There are cases where the Chaos Domain takes an interest in such individuals. The probability is low.]
The Helper suddenly spoke.
It seemed the possibility wasn't entirely zero.
Since it said there are cases where it takes an interest, even if the probability is low.
[However, due to the influence of your Vaccine, the probability of Chaos taking an interest again is drastically reduced.]
[However, it is not 0%.]
[Recommending two methods to completely eliminate the possibility.]
[1. Use a method to draw the interest of the Dimension Domain right now. You just need to affiliate them with another Domain before Chaos takes an interest.]
[2. Use the Luck Breath on the two of them once a day. If you do so, the power of Luck will protect them from Chaos.]
[Which method to use, the choice is yours.]
Bear?
[The choice is yours.]
Bear.
The two methods recommended by the Helper.
Among them, I decided to choose the latter.
I decided to apply the Luck Buff to them once a day.
I have no intention of helping those two get affiliated with the Dimension Domain.
They aren't members of our Dungeon, right?
I can't just distribute this precious Domain to anyone.
And I was also curious about which Domain they would end up affiliated with if I just steadily applied the Luck Buff and left them be. If by some terrible odds they were unluckily affiliated with Chaos again, I could just reach an agreement with Mr. Scarecrow and have them undergo Reincarnation once more.
***
Paaaaang-!
I shot the Luck Breath up into the sky.
It was the signal announcing the end of the competition.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear-bear!"
Everyone, stop your Actions!
Take your hands off the Stem right now!
Anyone who continues pulling from now on will be disqualified!
If you don't want to be eliminated before even being judged, stop your Action!
"Yooong. Is it already over-yong?"
"Uum, time really flies."
"Fuhihi! I'm definitely the winner for this!"
"Kyua? I am the winner!"
Everyone stopped their Harvest.
There wasn't a single one who didn't listen and continued pulling.
"Bear-bear-bear, bear-bear."
Now, then....
Shall we begin the judging!
Everyone followed my instructions and waited, lining up in perfect Order next to us, the Judges.
"Bear-bear-bear, bear."
I called the Participant waiting at the very front.
The Participant of the competition who was called and stepped forward was the Slave Chunsik.
The items Chunsik harvested were all moved in front of us by the Fake Dolls.
We were planning to judge them one by one in this manner.
And the Judge could pick their favorite item among the Participant's Harvest to score it.
Naturally, each Judge could choose a different item, and they could give that item a score from 1 to 10 points, making a total perfect score of 30.
"■, ■□■...."
"He said, please take good care of me."
Ailee, who was standing among the other Participants, provided Interpretation in a loud voice.
I slowly observed the items the Fake Dolls had set down.
Let's see, what kind of items did Chunsik pull....
"Beeeear...."
Chunsik's Harvest is quite shabby.
After taking the time to examine the items.
Among the items Chunsik harvested, the one that looked the most decent to me was a small Mana Stone emitting a blue light.
'Bear-bear, bear-bear.' I picked up the Mana Stone. And I gave it a score. 3 points.
"Hmm... I shall also score the Mana Stone you picked. 2 points."
Mr. Scarecrow also scored the Mana Stone.
The score Mr. Scarecrow gave was 2 points.
"Uung? Uuuung...? Uuuuuung...!"
Tosuni, who was examining the items, made a flustered expression, then soon stomped her feet and got angry.
She then glared fiercely at Chunsik before saying she would likewise score the Mana Stone.
All the Judges had chosen the same item.
"Uuuung!"
0 points!
Tosuni shouted in an angry voice.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear-bear...."
No, Tosuni.
There is no 0 points.
It starts from 1 point....
"Uung? Uung, uung!"
Tosuni corrected her judging.
Then 1 point!
She said it like that.
I had a good guess as to why she was angry.
I didn't know if it was good Luck or bad Luck, but out of the items Chunsik had Harvested, there wasn't a single Carrot.
I couldn't find one even after rubbing my eyes and looking.
How did he fail to pull a single Carrot?
It's pitiful, since Carrots would be essential to get a high score from Judge Tosuni.
For reference, these were not items brought after careful selection.
He had brought his entire Harvest.
In other words.
The reason Tosuni gave 1 point was because there were no Carrots.
Anyway.
Chunsik's judging concludes with this...
"Huuuum... There's no item that captures my heart... I'll give 1 point too...."
"Hoya... There's no delicious Carrot! The Carrots here are delicious, so why didn't you pull any! I'll give 1 point!"
"Bear?"
...Who are you guys to naturally assign scores?
You even gave really stingy scores.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear."
I pushed the White Spider and Black Fox back.
Naturally, the scores assigned by guys who weren't even Judges were invalid.
"Eeh...? Weren't we judging together too...?"
"We thought we were doing it together! You should have said something beforehand! We looked over the items so diligently, but it was all in vain!"
Excluding those two.
Me, Tosuni, Mr. Scarecrow.
The scores of the three true Judges were summed up.
Me, 3 points.
Tosuni, 1 point.
Mr. Scarecrow, 2 points.
The total score was 6 points.
Ailee interpreted this result in a loud voice.
Chunsik, who received a low score, exited in low spirits.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear!"
Now, now, next Participant please come forward!
"...! ...!"
Pat-pat-pat-pat.
The Princess Doll trotted out with quick, short steps.
Just like before, the Participant's Harvest was moved by the Fake Dolls instead.
Afterwards.
Just as we were about to start examining the Harvest.
"No, this is...?"
Mr. Scarecrow's voice became impassioned.
Turning my head to look, he was making a very surprised expression.
"There's no need to look at anything else! I choose this Harvest! And this is unconditionally 100 points... It's 100 points!"
No, seriously.
Why is everyone assigning scores outside the standard and making a fuss?
The perfect score is 10 points per Judge.
Please follow the rules.
"Bear-bear-bear, bear-bear, bear-bear-bear-bear."
After I let out a sigh and explained the rules again.
I shifted my gaze to check the item Mr. Scarecrow had lifted.
Just what kind of item was it for him to make such a fuss over.
"Bear...?"
The Harvest Mr. Scarecrow was holding was a shriveled Mandragora.
Whether it was already dead, Appraisal wasn't working on it.
...Why is that a good thing?
Isn't it just the corpse of a Mandragora?
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was so surprised I forgot the rules for a moment. Then I shall assign 10 points!"
Mr. Scarecrow corrected his score.
No, so why is it a good thing.
"Bear-bear, bear-bear-bear?"
"Ah... This is no mere corpse of a Mandragora."
When I asked,
Mr. Scarecrow lifted the Harvest higher.
"This item's name is Transcendence Ginseng. It's a very precious item that has the effect of raising the level of the one who consumes it by one stage. If one who has reached the Ultimate Realm consumes it, there is no effect, but if it is someone who hasn't reached it, it unconditionally raises anyone's level by one stage. Whether they are level 1 or level 99."