61
Chapter 61
Just as I was about to deactivate the Teddy Bear Camouflage skill.
The Misfortune Debuff I had placed on the Venomfang Rat activated.
The misfortune that befell the creature.
It was none other than,
Smack-!
"Gasp?! That's so cruel!"
It had been crushed to death by a Slowstone that suddenly appeared and rolled over it.
...Oops.
I felt a little sorry.
I didn't mean to go as far as killing it.
Because I hadn't designated it as prey.
I never expected the worst possible misfortune, death, to occur.
Death.
This was probably the most dangerous and massive misfortune that could happen.
Whether it was its own death or the death of a precious being.
Anyway.
Misfortune Breath, this seems like a more overpowered skill than I thought.
I might not be able to bestow the misfortune of death every time, but regardless, if the greatest misfortune happens, it can instantly kill the opponent, right?
On top of that, unlike the Spicy-Sweet Fist, it's a skill that works on any target.
Regardless of their race grade.
Is it okay for such a ridiculous skill to exist?
It's such a broken skill that the drawback of high Mana consumption pales in comparison.
If this were a game instead of reality, it would have been heavily criticized as a balance-breaking skill.
...No, maybe not.
Thinking about it carefully again, it doesn't seem to be entirely game-breaking.
Because Misfortune Breath is a skill obtained by belonging to the Divine grade Luck Domain.
If it's a skill born from the highest grade Luck Domain, it should at least be this good, yep.
After finishing my thoughts.
I stepped out of the bushes and approached the Venomfang Rat that had been the victim of a hit-and-run.
Its body was crushed to the point where it was hard to recognize its shape.
I should pack it up and take it with me for now.
Because leaving it after killing it is bad manners.
I'll cook it deliciously and eat it later.
I also collected the Mana Stone that had popped out of its body.
Unlike the corpse, the Mana Stone was perfectly intact.
"Hehe, Thief Teddy Bear stealing prey!"
I'm not a thief, kid.
I basically caught this myself.
I didn't kill it directly, but it's true I killed it indirectly by applying the Misfortune Debuff.
And so, we gathered the corpse and the Mana Stone and returned to the Dungeon.
***
Tosuni had come over to the Dungeon to play.
But she wasn't alone today.
Tosun's Mom had also visited our Dungeon along with Tosuni.
"Uhm. Please take good care of our Tosuni from now on."
"Don't worry, I will cherish and take care of Tosuni as if she were my own daughter."
Tosun's Mom said, holding Ailee's hands tightly.
Take good care of Tosuni?
What does that mean?
Tilting my head, I shifted my gaze to look at Tosuni.
"Oong, oooong~"
La la la.
Tosuni was humming a tune while moving a large bundle into our house.
It wasn't just one bundle.
There were more than ten bundles just sitting outside the house.
She must have arrived late today because she was packing all that luggage.
But why did she bring luggage?
Did she move into our Dungeon?
And those bundles are her moving boxes from her old place?
Harboring these doubts, I joined Tosun's Mom and Ailee.
"Ah. Bear Baby, you're here?"
"Son-in-law Bear, you've arrived."
Why am I the Son-in-law Bear?
I didn't even marry Tosuni.
We're not even in that kind of relationship in the first place.
"Son-in-law Bear, please take good care of our Tosuni from now on. I'm leaving her here because I trust you, Son-in-law Bear."
She really did move in.
It seemed Tosuni had begged Tosun's Mom to let her move here as soon as she went back home last night.
No wonder she looked at the Star Fox with envious eyes when she left....
By the looks of it.
Tosun's Mom seemed to have gladly allowed Tosuni to leave the nest.
Wait, is it really okay to just send the Princess of the Rabbit Dungeon to another Dungeon like this?
I had no idea how on earth Tosuni managed to persuade Tosun's Mom.
Not to mention, she would have had to persuade the Luna Rabbits and the Elders too.
Did she throw a crying tantrum?
...Well, whatever the details were.
For now, I welcomed Tosuni moving into our Dungeon with open arms.
=====================
[Dungeon Master - Owner]
◎ Luck Snatching Dragon Teddy Bear (Superior)
┗ 60% Stake
◎ Puppeteer Doll (Superior)
┗ 5% Stake
◎ Servant Vampire (Superior)
┗ 30% Stake
◎ Flame Bear (Superior)
┗ 5% Stake
[Dungeon Resident]
◎ Star Fox (Unique)
◎ Devoted Rabbit Doll (Superior)
=====================
***
"Fuhehehe! Catch me if you can!"
"Oooong!"
The Fox and Tosuni were running around and playing in front of the house.
Tosun's Mom and Ailee sat leaning against the outer wall of the house, watching them fondly.
I was also sitting next to them, watching.
Right then.
Tosun's Mom stared intently at the Star Fox and broke the silence.
"So that is the Fox Tosuni was talking about."
It seemed Tosun's Mom also knew about the Fox.
Tosuni must tell her everything that happens during her day without leaving a single detail out when she goes back home. Even down to who she met.
"Uhm. I'm not certain, but she might even be stronger than me. With someone like that around, I can safely leave Tosuni in your care."
You said earlier that you were only trusting me.
Your story keeps changing.
When Tosun's Mom said that, Ailee, who was listening beside her, made a surprised expression.
"Pardon? Our Fox might be stronger than you, Tosun's Mom?"
"Looking purely at weight class alone, that might be the case."
"I already knew she wasn't an ordinary Fox, but to think she was an amazing enough Fox to beat you, Tosun's Mom......."
"Ahem... Of course, if we actually fought, I might win. No matter how high your weight class is, if your skills are terrible or you lack combat experience, it's common to lose to an opponent with a lower weight class."
You didn't have to add that last part.
It makes you look a bit petty, Tosun's Mom.
Well, if Tosun's Mom and the Fox actually fought, Tosun's Mom really might win.
The Star Fox has a higher grade and power, but Tosun's Mom is likely several steps ahead in combat experience.
"Ahem, anyway, that Fox is a species I've never seen before in my life."
Tosun's Mom cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.
She must have realized that what she just said was a bit petty.
"Uhm. Looking at the star engraved on her forehead... She might be a species related to the Star Tribe...."
What is the Star Tribe?
"What is the Star Tribe?"
Ailee asked the exact question I was thinking.
Wow, I almost got goosebumps.
We are surprisingly in sync.
"The species that handles the power of the stars is called the Star Tribe. They are a species that looks exactly like the star engraved on that Fox's forehead, and there's a legend that they are very rarely born in beast form as a Mutant."
"Then are you saying our Fox is a Star Tribe Mutant?"
"I'm just saying she could be, not that it's certain. And I'd prefer it if she wasn't from the Star Tribe."
"You'd prefer it if she wasn't? Why?"
"Because our Ancestors hate the Star Tribe. We're practically mortal enemies."
"Ah. By Ancestors, you mean the Luna Rabbits, right? Something must have happened with the Star Tribe in the past."
Hmm. I suppose the Luna Rabbits could be considered the Moon Tribe.
Anyway, the Luna Rabbits don't have a good relationship with those guys called the Star Tribe.
I unexpectedly obtained some new information.
"Then, you know. If... our Fox really is from the Star Tribe, are you planning to take some kind of action, Tosun's Mom? Like harming her or something...."
"Uhm? Don't worry. It's just that our Ancestors hate the Star Tribe; I don't hate them. Personally, I have absolutely no reason to be hostile just because she's from the Star Tribe. I can just pretend I didn't see anything and move on. Besides, I have no intention of interrogating that Fox about whether she's related to the Star Tribe."
"Ah, that's a relief then."
Ailee sighed in relief.
Beside her, I also felt relieved.
I had been nervously worrying that unnecessary trouble might brew.
I was glad that Tosun's Mom wasn't an inflexible rabbit.
Thanks to that, nothing happened, and we safely moved past it.
***
The light from the lighting fixture embedded in the ceiling dimmed.
As night fell, Tosun's Mom finally stood up from her seat.
And after gifting us five jars filled with blood she had squeezed herself, she bid us farewell with a face full of lingering attachment and left.
She will probably come over to play again soon.
To check if Tosuni is doing well.
Afterward.
Ailee, Jjokkomi, and the Star Fox each climbed onto the bed and went to sleep.
The ones still awake were me, the Puppeteer Doll, and Tosuni... Huh? Where did Tosuni go?
"...?"
There was no one next to me except the Puppeteer Doll.
Where did that girl Tosuni disappear to?
While I was looking around, the Puppeteer Doll tugged on my arm and pointed at the bed.
Huh? She's over there?
I immediately shifted my gaze toward the bed.
"Snore, snooore......."
"Oong-zzz, oooong-zzzz......."
Next to the snoring Star Fox.
I could see Tosuni sleeping and snoring right alongside her.
What the, Tosuni was sleeping too.
Just as I had suspected last time, it seemed she could get some Sleep because she was originally a living creature.
It's a shame, but it can't be helped.
I have no choice but to spend tonight alone with the Puppeteer Doll again.
*
Under the Moonlight-like lighting.
The Puppeteer Doll and I sat leaning against the outer wall of the house and opened the Encyclopedia.
I wasn't trying to check what kind of monsters were registered.
Because I had already finished checking everything last time.
The reason I opened the Doll Encyclopedia.
It was specifically to create a Fake Doll that would act as a Gatekeeper.
Because we needed at least one Gatekeeper to safely guard the Dungeon entrance.
If possible, I wanted a Fake Doll that was stronger than us.
And at the same time, I wanted one with a low race grade.
To save Mana, of course.
Because generating a high grade requires a massive amount of Mana.
Someone who looked strong despite having a low grade.
It wasn't as if there wasn't a guy who met these conditions I wanted.
There was one guy I had my eye on last time.
I turned to the last page of the Doll Encyclopedia.
On the last page, a single Uncommon grade race was registered.
Because this guy was of a low grade, the Mana required for its creation was small.
Compared to higher grades, the requirement was incredibly meager.
However, compared to other Uncommon grades, it was very high.
In other words, it meant he was the strongest among the Uncommon grades registered in the Encyclopedia.
And this also meant that even though the past levels and power of the beings registered in the Encyclopedia weren't recorded, their level of strength when created as Fake Dolls wasn't entirely unrelated to their past levels and power.
Furthermore.
This guy might possibly be stronger than higher grades that require more Mana.
I couldn't be certain yet, but the low Mana requirement seemed to be simply because of his low grade.
Simply put, he was a Cost-Effective Fake Doll.
I decided inwardly that I would create this guy as a Doll.
Then, a brilliant light was emitted from the open page.
Soon after, the Uncommon grade race registered in the Encyclopedia popped out into reality as a member of the Doll Tribe.
[Successfully summoned a Doll from the Doll Encyclopedia.]
The Fake Doll created to take on the role of Gatekeeper.
His true identity was a Human who had been an Astral Slayer.
He was an Old Man Doll.