Chapter 17

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: Dungeon Expansion (2)

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There was something I had to do before starting the dungeon construction.

That was looting the corpses.

I had to finish up quickly before Squishy cleaned everything away.

I rummaged through the shattered manticore's belongings first.

A worn gold necklace.

It looked pretty valuable, but it meant nothing to me since I lived in a dungeon anyway.

Guess I'll just leave it in the core room.

"Ah, those damn black monkey bastards..."

If you're coming to a scary dungeon, at least come prepared properly.

I couldn't find any useful items on the other guys either.

I thought magic items were all good stuff, honestly.

But these guys must carry nothing but cost-effective junk.

I chewed on a piece of jerky the black mages had brought as rations.

I didn't feel hunger or thirst, but my sense of taste was still alive. Better stock up.

"Eats well."

"Huh."

Squishy munching away.

The sight was pretty grotesque, but I'd gotten used to it before I knew it.

"Let's see here."

In the case of a Living Maze, the size is determined by the zone's length, but this trap is determined by volume. So I planned to dump all 50,000 points into dungeon expansion.

Make it a big square.

Installing the trap was done in a flash.

It wasn't me doing the construction—the system handled it—so it didn't take long, about an hour or so.

I consulted the gallery veterans.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

No Subordinates Only Me really shone here. They coached me on how to make it as wide as possible while saving points.

However.

There was one problem here.

Making Zone 2 didn't give us any immediate way to use it right now.

This was kinda awkward.

The Anomaly theme was powerful, but once the method was known, its effect dropped off sharply.

For example, the way to clear a Living Maze was to find the "mouth" somewhere in it and stuff it with enough food to satisfy its hunger.

And in that process, the Doppelganger that appears—if you treat it friendly like a buddy instead of killing it, and go mine magic stones together with a "let's do this!" vibe—then, under the assumption you find the exit within a fortnight, you can clear Zone 1.

Of course, without any info, it'd be extremely tricky to figure out at once, but like that guy who used the escape scroll last time, you never know what might happen over time.

The manticore, unlike the dumb Great Mountains monsters, led its party to uncover the maze's truth the moment the path was blocked.

If info keeps piling up like that, it could put me in a tough spot.

That's why I...

I had no intention of relying on such a primitive method.

There was one killer trap that solved everything related to this.

Elevator to Another Zone.

To explain, it's the only means and trap that can replace a "passage."

Up until now, my dungeon allowed zone travel on foot through passages.

Pass Zone 1, then to the core room, like that.

One thing to note here.

Dungeon Masters can expand or shrink the dungeon freely with points, but the one thing they can't do is block passages.

Dungeons must be connected somehow.

The system doesn't allow blocking passages.

Which makes sense—if you sealed the core room entrance with an indestructible wall, everyone would either leave the dungeon entrance or starve, so it just wouldn't be allowed.

But this elevator is different.

You can block passages.

Because it can take over the passage's role.

It was a kind of teleport device.

In other words, one that drops intruders at random spots.

If I stick this "passage" elevator at the entrance, I can send them to Zone 1 or randomly to Zone 2.

And place more at each zone's exit to complete it.

As the description says, if I block all passages with elevators.

Even if they clear Zone 2, if they haven't boarded the elevator in Zone 1, they can't reach the core room—so intruders must clear all zones eventually.

Anyway, long explanation.

To sum it up simply.

From now on, Dreamland's passages are elevators, sort of.

You must go through an elevator to head to the next zone.

And that's not all.

Elevators act as passages but also traps, so difficulty skyrockets.

Clear time will increase too.

Thumbs-up emoji.

Our Sands Ham looks scary enough to devour a hundred lions in his pic, but he uses cute emojis.

Anyway.

The other veterans seemed to approve too. Good.

The problem was I had no points to install the elevator.

I couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even buy the Weeping Statue after expansion and trap purchases.

Anomaly theme is great and all, but points are insanely expensive.

★3 minions are 25,000 points, traps 50,000 each.

Even earning a ton, it just vanishes.

Lately, goblins and trolls weren't flooding in like before.

How to earn these 50,000 points? A bit troubling.

Of course, it wasn't urgent.

My location was the Lowjinrat Mountains.

A place with very low odds of encountering dangerous intelligent beings.

The manticore was a special case.

No dangerous foes right now.

I could earn slowly.

No need to rush.

Waves usually restart on a weekly cycle after one ends.

I propped my feet on the table and stared at the hologram with a bored expression.

Humans really are creatures of adaptation.

Unlike my initial trembling terror, I felt zero tension now.

Which made sense.

"Warning my ass~ Probably another dud this time too."

Three whole weeks since the manticore.

Not even a bald goblin's leg hair in sight.

I'm no fisherman waiting for sea bites.

Waiting in my dungeon for intruders felt pretty pathetic.

They say rip the iron horns off while hot.

Need to farm points quick for elevators and weeping statues.

Sigh.

Shit is medicine only when you need it, but then it's nowhere.

They swarmed in fearlessly at first, but after their friends got wrecked a few times, now they're too scared to enter?

You cowards.

This newbie Dungeon Master is disappointed in the Lowjinrat Mountains.

Come in already and check out my carefully prepped Anomalies, argh!

Helpless, I logged into the Dungeon Gallery again today.

Things really changed after picking steampunk.

Used to not even meet human eyes during lab days.

Whining at minions, spitting everywhere.

But as a steampunk Dungeon Master.

I make an effort to maintain dignity.

Just now, some platoon bastards invaded, and I gave 'em a golem beatdown.

Now I can post titled "Posting Platoon Dick's Nude Pic."

No matter how shitty things get.

Who am I?

"Steampunk Dungeon Master."

Saying that makes me smile, mood lifts.

Guess that's why they say position makes the man.

I get why veterans get addicted to the gallery.

Nothing to do but block waves, filthy boring.

Like that, bullshitting in the gallery until the wave.

Maybe I should make some TRPG-like content, I thought.

"Huh? Staggered entry? Human and hobgoblins?"

What kind of situation is this?