Chapter 88
"Hey, Malang."
"Eek."
"Shall we get started on expanding the dungeon?"
I've been saving up my points without spending them for a while.
I also earned some points from the recent dispatch.
It was about time to create Zone 5.
The intruders are making frequent use of 'communication magic.'
This time, Count Wolfhaufen introduced a new strategy for clearing it.
It was as follows.
The area in front of Dreamland's entrance elevator is a safe zone.
'Personnel assigned to record information' are stationed there.
The 'personnel assigned to gather information' enter the elevator and investigate Dreamland's zones.
And the recording team writes down the information the exploration team learns through communication magic.
That is, in every area except Zone 1.
Each of them has one means of nullifying an 'escape scroll.'
Thus, it was commonplace for raiding parties to die without gaining anything, but
at least this method allowed them to return with a minimum amount of information.
Information manipulated by Ink Rat can be checked against the truth by having them discard items.
And from the intruders' perspective, they'll know what sort of anomalous phenomenon exists in the dungeon before entering.
There are two main ways to counter this strategy.
Either attack the recording team waiting at the entrance, or neutralize communication magic.
Unfortunately, the former was impossible.
We can't deploy a new anomaly at the entrance every time, for efficiency reasons, and if I could personally attack them, there'd be no point in raiding Dreamland in the first place.
Then the answer was simple.
I had to focus on neutralizing communication magic as much as possible.
"It's such a shame my dungeon doesn't have any jamming."
"Eek."
I manipulated the system window while stroking Malang.
The reason I bought the Haunted Mansion first was because of its traps, but
it was also the only structure with a point multiplier.
But.
That changed things a little.
"We should go with something that can give them the most trouble."
There was no way to block communication magic itself.
But.
What about a way to impose restrictions on communication?
For example, what if I created a situation where they couldn't speak at all, like 'The Haunted Mansion's Torture'?
Even if they maintained communication magic, that should be enough to stop them.
Fortunately, there was a useful one among the five-star traps.
【Silent Village Generator(★5)】
【Price: 175,000P】
【Tags: Anomaly, Immortal, One-Time Use, Escape Scroll Nullification】
【...】
【...】
【Death Alien(★5)】
【Price: 70,000P】
【Tags: Anomaly, Immortal, One-Time Use, Escape Scroll Nullification】
【...】
【...】
These should be more than enough.
Still, I should ask the veterans before buying them.
It's not that I'm asking because I'm unsure what to choose.
Last time I bought something without asking, everyone felt left out.
Newbie : How about this???
ㄴGolem King : ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴGolem King : I really feel like this can be figured out!
ㄴGolem King : You pull this shit and then bring out something ingenious again
ㄴGolem King : Just to crush the intruders' hopes...
ㄴDIP : Surprisingly, among all the intruders who've come so far,
ㄴDIP : every bastard who pulled the 'If it were me, I could do it!' << crap went to hell...
ㄴDIP : If the count goes in again this time, he'll follow the same path...
ㄴSkeleton Bones : Didn't you get a jamming device from Kongkong's dungeon?
ㄴKongKong : Traps bought with points can't be taken outside.
ㄴKongKong : There wasn't anything useful among the intruders' belongings either... what a shame.
ㄴKongKong : I wanted to help ㅠㅠ
ㄴSkeleton Bones : ㅋㅋ Still,
ㄴSkeleton Bones : that should let you counter it for sure.
ㄴCowhead : I'm already looking forward to this...
ㄴCowhead : Newbie, give me the live report already...
ㄴCowhead : How about actually kidnapping him this time???
ㄴCowhead : Let's bring back the count who escaped last time ㅠㅠ
ㄴAnt Queen : Do you think Newbie-nim would do that???
ㄴAnt Queen : If Newbie-nim were my offspring, I'd put them through Spartan training and make them do it right away ㅇㅇ
ㄴAnt Queen : It's a shame I can't go there physically ㅋㅎ
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Not a chance.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : I respect our Newbie.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Let our Newbie do whatever they want ㅠㅠ
ㄴAnonymous Butcher : Oh.
ㄴAnonymous Butcher : Even just from looking at the description, I can feel the fear.
ㄴAnonymous Butcher : That's a very good trap and minion.
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The reviews were good this time too.
Then, shall we start construction?
I grabbed a hard hat and a shovel.
"Agent Malang."
"Eek."
"I have a mission for you. Would you head to Wolfhaufen territory and check out the situation?"
The most likely intruder at the moment was Count Wolfhaufen, I supposed.
Of course, he didn't know that Dreamland was located on Frostthorn Mountain.
But.
If Dreamland was discovered by someone,
and the rumors spread and spread,
there was a good chance they would reach the count's ears.
I was also curious how much information had been exposed last time.
For now, I sent Malang out to scout and began creating Zone 5.
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│Spawn│
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│ Sch │
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│ Man │
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│ Ca │
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│ Core Room │
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I looked at the bill.
Elevator – 50,000P.
Traps & minions – 245,000P.
Zone expansion cost – 35,000P.
The prices of traps and minions keep going up the farther I go, and it's killing my back.
Still, it was a good thing I installed an anomaly in Kongkong noona's dungeon this time.
As the master of an erotic-trap dungeon, she'd make me a lot of money.
Good.
There really was no problem.
The expansion was completed without a hitch.
All that remained was observing the world through Malang's eyes.
I returned to the core room.
Then I sat in a chair and watched the monitor.
***
Wolfhaufen Territory, Count's Mansion.
Loud voices echoed through the count's office.
"Absolutely not."
"Why."
"Didn't I explain the reason earlier?"
There were two people in the office.
One was Count Wolfhaufen,
and the other was Beluga, commander of the Winter Wolf Knights.
"I wasn't convinced. That's why I'm asking you the reason again."
"Why were you not convinced?"
"Because unlike you, I believe Dreamland is a dungeon that can be conquered."
The relationship between the commander and the count was special.
Before they were vassal and lord, they were siblings.
That was why they could argue like this.
The reason they were currently fighting was the raid on Dreamland.
Even after paying a heavy price in lives before,
her older brother was preparing for another raid.
Beluga felt like she was going mad.
"A dungeon that can be conquered?"
Even after losing Dragred and all those knights,
Beluga snapped at him as if to say, You can really say that now?
"The sacrifices were necessary."
"They weren't sacrifices. It was a pointless slaughter."
"New information was added to the strategy guide. Some of the information manipulated as truth or falsehood has also been identified. There were definite results."
But.
Despite Beluga's sincere advice, the count did not budge from his opinion.
He continued speaking as if determined to conquer Dreamland somehow.
Beluga slammed her hand down on the table.
"Brother, they were valuable assets. But they're dead—every single one of them is dead. I'm not talking about this from a moral perspective. I'm talking about it from the calculating perspective you like so much. Irreplaceable resources disappeared in an instant. Everyone died just to gain a few extra lines of information in that ridiculous strategy guide. Do you really not understand what that means?"
"If it's for the greater good…."
"Say it properly. Not the greater good—you mean to obtain mana stones."
"……."
The count fell silent.
The position-shift cycle is coming soon anyway. We'll have to acquire escape scrolls again, too. It's impossible.
"……."
We're not Blessed Ones. There's no way we can conquer a dungeon, right? So just forget it.
"…What if Dreamland is still near the North Kingdom?"
Beluga left the office as if the question wasn't worth answering.
The door slammed shut with an irritable bang.
Even in the face of the commander of the knights' discourteous attitude,
the count merely sighed.
Mana stones.
Dreamland.
The two words refused to leave his mind.
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The position-shift cycle.
The period when the dungeon shifts locations.
From what Count Wolfhaufen had experienced,
Dreamland's difficulty was apocalyptic.
But.
That was true of the other dungeons as well.
Dungeons had a limit on the number of people who could enter in the first place.
The other dungeons were not newly formed dungeons.
Except in special cases, with the forces the count currently possessed,
they would all be wiped out at the entrance.
A faint possibility.
At least Dreamland had one.
That was why he hoped Dreamland would be located somewhere nearby.
"My lord. A merchant from the Golden Carriage Trading Company gave us information that Dreamland is located on Frostthorn Mountain."
And, some time later.
Another chance came to him.
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Count Wolfhaufen had an only daughter.
Her name was A.
She was his one and only daughter, born to his late wife.
"Daddy."
"Yes."
"I think I feel a little better today."
"That's a relief."
In front of his daughter, the count became an ordinary father too.
He stroked the head of A, who was lying in bed.
"Play with me."
"Daddy's a little busy today."
"Why haven't you been staying with me lately…."
"Because I'm trying to find a way for you to get better."
A's lips poked out in a pout.
A familiar, nostalgic face appeared on his daughter's puffed-up cheeks.
She was a lovable child who bore the unmistakable traces of both his wife and himself.
She was the reason Count Wolfhaufen lived.
"That again."
"I'm sorry to bring it up again."
"I can get better on my own. So play with me today."
"No. You need to rest in bed until you're completely better."
He could pluck the moon and stars from the sky if it was his daughter's wish.
But.
It had to be without negatively affecting his daughter.
"Still, I'll stay with you until you fall asleep tonight."
"Then I shouldn't sleep."
"But you'll be asleep in an hour, won't you, princess?"
"I really can stay awake today!"
"Even now, you look so sleepy... Should Daddy look forward to it today, too?"
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I'll be with Daddy today.
So I won't sleep.
Despite that determination, A was off to dreamland an hour later.
Just as the count had said.
Looking at his peacefully sleeping daughter,
Count Wolfhaufen felt relieved.
At least she hadn't made any moaning sounds today.
It would be wonderful if she could keep sleeping peacefully like this.
The count rose from his seat.
A suffered from a rare illness of unknown origin.
She occasionally suffered from high fevers,
coughed up blood and hyperventilated,
and her eyes became bloodshot.
It was the same disease that had taken her mother.
No, perhaps it was even more severe.
At least his wife hadn't developed those symptoms until after she had become an adult.
The count's wife had passed away about three years ago.
After suffering from illness for a long time, she left the count and their daughter behind
and went alone to that distant place.
Before she left, she had left him a final message.
Take care of A.
It was the last wish of a woman who had never been greedy in life.
The count had to keep his promise to his wife.
She was the person he had loved most in this world.
And A was everything to the count too.
He couldn't send his daughter to the same place as her mother.
That was why he had to go to Dreamland.
Even if that place was a nightmare no different from hell.
He had a reason to go.
A mana stone was the Philosopher's Stone.
Because it was a substance managed at the national level,
even a count couldn't obtain it.
Perhaps that would have been possible in the past.
But now, there was no supply at all.
Conquering Dreamland.
The count's only way to obtain a mana stone
was that.
If he could just get his hands on that substance,
surely, everything would be resolved.