Bab 79: Dungeon Battle?
Hey, Shun here!
I haven't done any progress with my quests at all… More specifically, the ones that involves earning DP and coins.
I never thought a time would come when I would need money…
Is this the curse of being a privileged coming to bite me in the ass?
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(Shun's POV)
"…You want to protect her? Why?" I asked at Haku. I'm rather confused and skeptical by what she meant here.
I mean, Rokuko IS quite ditzy, air headed, and gullible but this isn't really a method of 'protecting' that would work in the long run. In my opinion, teaching her what she needs to know in order to grow individually is a better way of preparing her for what's to come.
"Well, she is my cute little sister, you know. I yearn for her safety so much that at first, I thought about placing a guard by her entrance to prevent anyone from invading her in the first place. But that would just attract unwanted attention from the Soldiers of God, who would proceed to hunt her. That's why, I instead focused on making her as invisible and forgettable as possible. So? Is that satisfactory enough of an explanation for you?"
I'm quite satisfied. More or less.
But that doesn't mean I'm sold on your protecting methods, if that could be called as one. If Rokuko weren't as clueless and gullible as she is, she'd probably be hating you for doing that to her for the rest of her life.
"Very well. Is there anything else you want to know? I'll answer any questions you have, while we're here."
"…That's pretty nice of you. Any particular reason behind this kindness you're showing me?" I could've sworn that you're still showing deeply hidden animosity towards me.
"Yes, well… Consider it a reward from me. I heard from Number 695 that you made certain every single one of the dirty bandits that stepped on her died. You made sure not a single one of them survived. This is my thanks for that. If even a single one had gotten away, I would have needed to waste my time hunting them down… And, although I haven't confirmed it yet, you freed my sister from her absolutel command, which is absolutely wonderful news."
Alright. Well, that was kinda of a given? I didn't feel the guilt with of killing them. Also, I'm not sure if 'free' was the right choice of word here as Rokuko could still be subject to an absolute order if the need arises but…
"By the way, do you know what a Dungeon Battle is?"
"Dungeon Battle? Hey, you just reminded me of something. Let's do it. A Dungeon Battle, that is. I'll recognize you as her Master if you can defeat me."
"Answer me first, please. What is a Dungeon Battle?"
"It's… a competition. Yes, a competition where dungeons attempt to invade each other. There are many rules, but let's start with the basics. The most fundamental rules are that the dungeons connect their entrances with Space-Time Magic and proceed to send an army of monsters into each other. Whoever reaches the other's Core first wins. Simple, isn't it?"
Putting aside the Space-Time Magic that is an absolute staple in any self respecting fantasy world setting, the rules certainly were simple. Though accepting her challenge was completely out of the question.
How could our "[Ordinary Cave]: A safe and beginner-friendly dungeon perfect for up and coming adventurers!" ever hope to beat her "[Ivory Labyrinth]: A legendary dungeon located deep within the ancient Laverio Empire's capital city!"…?
To put things simply, Haku was on a completely different level than us. At best, we had less than half of a percent chance of winning.
Accepting her challenge means that we're going down a one way trip to hell.
"Ah, and of course, I will go easy on you. My dungeon is extremely difficult and hasn't been conquered once over the centuries that it has existed, to say nothing of the several large Branch Dungeons I have split off from it. How could I not give myself a handicap?"
Of course, Haku had noticed how imbalanced her suggestion was, and she decided to add some additional rules.
"First of all, I will loan you two hundred thousand DP to use. I will then make a new Branch Dungeon the same size as your [Ordinary Cave], and then develop it using two hundred thousand DP as well. You will win if you can touch the Dummy Core within it. What do you think?"
"…You'll loan me DP? You can do that?"
"Of course. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Dungeon Battles were created for the sake of dueling for DP… Ah, and by the way, you can keep the DP if you win. I'll even reward your victory with an extra three hundred thousand."
Is she a Goddess? Did she come down from heaven to bless us or something? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that she is, in fact, a Goddess who is worshiped by many.
"I couldn't give Number 695 this much DP under most other circumstances, could I? She would go crazy with it."
That reasoning made sense to me. But there was more to her than met the eye. She was definitely planning something.
If I couldn't figure out what that was, I'd be done for… and I still hadn't heard what would happen if I lost.
"…And if you win, Haku?"
"Fufufu. I'll have you repay the DP I lent you… with your body. Aah, and I don't mean that in a sexual way. You'll just have to work in my dungeon as an adventurer. I'll set you free once you've earned three hundred thousand DP and offered it up to me." Haku smiled brightly at me while she said that.
You're beautiful but what you're saying is quite ruthless. What would happen if I was too weak and couldn't fulfill my end of the deal?
"You have my word that I will take care of Number 695 myself until you've repaid your debt. These conditions are unreasonably favorable to you, so I'm sure you'll accept my challenge. You will, won't you?"
She was right. The conditions were in our favor. With this, I could now make some progress with my quest.
We'd get two hundred thousand DP right off the bat and we could use it to grow our dungeon in any way that we pleased. Not only that but we'll get an extra three hundred thousand DP as a bonus.
As for the thing regarding us losing, i could finish that in a jiffy. However, if you think about it, it sounds quite hard to accomplish.
A single goblin was worth 20 DP, but actually defeating them in the dungeon would only earn back 2 DP. Assuming that logic held true for all monsters, I would need to beat a hundred thousand goblins to earn two hundred thousand DP.
At best, I would need to beat ten low-ranked dragons. How long do you think would that take…?
Hmm, hold on! Would killing monsters even count as "offering up" DP? Monsters cost DP to summon, wouldn't killing them just make my debt even worse?
Is this a trap she is laying for me to be away from Rokuko for a long time?
Thinking about it now, even just aiming for items wouldn't do me any good. Any item I could find in the dungeon would be one Haku used DP to place herself.
I'd be finished if she just didn't accept that. After all, Dungeon Masters and Dungeon Cores are the only things that can actually earn DP.
What a ruthless girl. Does she want me to kill adventurers, then?
"Are you suggesting that I work as a monster and as a player killer? In the legendary [Ivory Labyrinth], where veteran adventurers from all over the world gather?"
"Fufu. I do have some Branch Dungeons made to be suitable for beginners, you know." Haku giggled in blatant amusement.
Yep, I can't let my guard down around this Dungeon Core… Whoever you sh**head are who made this woman become like this, don't show yourself to me lest you want to get killed again and again.
You created such a sly and cold hearted woman, I'm telling you.
"Very well. I will accept any DP you expend in any of my dungeons to be part of your repayment. How do you feel about that?"
"I think that's much more fair… But what do you get from it?" Under those rules, if I (for example) found and used a [Healing Scroll (100,000 DP)] on myself, I would immediately have paid back my debt in full."
"DP does return to the mana stream after adventurers expend it, but that's merely a side benefit. The main benefit of you working my dungeons is that I get an excuse to take Rokuko to the capital and take care of her there personally while leaving guards to protect her dungeon. Under normal circumstances, she would never accept such a thing."
Makes sense. She has a lot to gain if it comes to keeping Rokuko safe.
But… isn't she just a sis-con?
"…You will accept this challenge. I do need to see whether you're a skilled enough Dungeon Master to truly protect Number 695, after all."
"I was not planning on rejecting your offer at all."
"Very well. Do we have a deal now?"
"Yes. Shall we go and ask Rokuko to clear up your doubts, then?"
"Uh-huh, we should."
After our conversation, we went back to where Rokuko, Chloe, Zenko, and Ikumei is. Once we got there, Haku didn't waste any time and immediately asked Rokuko about what we talked about at first.
"Number 695! Did this brute do something to you? Don't be afraid, tell me what he did!"
Rokuko seems to be quite confused by her question but she answered her nonetheless.
"Uh, no. Shun didn't do anything bad to me… Shun has been really good to me!"
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※~To be continued~※
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Author's Remarks:
※ A Dungeon Battle is coming! I'm excited.
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