“Haa… Haa…”
Someone was running through the dark forest.
Their face was hidden by a large robe that didn’t fit their body. Only the silver hair sticking out of the robe swayed in the wind.
Even while running, they tightly held the item they were carrying in their arms.
They looked like they were about to gasp for their last breath, but they didn’t slow down.
‘I just need to cross this mountain…!’
Beyond the large mountain lay the Demonic Realm, a land of death.
They just needed to reach that point.
‘Let’s push a little harder.’
The unknown person glanced back.
In the distance, among the trees, a group was following them.
“You wicked being, stop at once! In the name of the Church, I will surely judge you!”
Paladins were chasing them on horseback, shouting loudly.
‘Just a little more…’
If they could just reach the Demonic Realm, they would stop pursuing.
They had to endure until then.
They were already out of breath.
And so, the midnight chase continued.
* * *
The day they first Awakened came to mind.
The day they Awakened, but the joy didn’t last long.
‘No, I was rather despairing.’
Because I didn’t get a status window.
It was a day to be happy, but at the same time, it brought despair.
I even resented them for awakening me.
Still, I found strength.
At first, I held onto the hope that hard work would be enough.
Yes, if I worked hard, wouldn’t I become something?
But that was an arrogant thought.
No matter how much I swung my sword, I was a Hunter without a status window.
To bridge that gap, I made a choice.
I enrolled in the Hunter Academy, which was only allowed for Awakened individuals.
Even without a status window, I was still Awakened.
Getting into the academy wasn’t difficult.
The problem was later.
The four years there were no different from hell.
Not only my peers but even my juniors looked down on me.
The professors ostracized me and treated me unfairly, but I endured and endured.
Yes, if I worked harder, someone would recognize my efforts.
But the efforts of the incapable were just an illusion.
Still, I endured it.
I persevered with only the academy graduation certificate in sight.
Although I was last, I was still able to graduate from the academy.
But that was it.
Even after graduating from the academy, I was still a half-baked Hunter without a status window.
‘Perhaps it was then?’
I realized.
No matter how much I effort, if the fundamental cause isn’t resolved, I’ll end up in the same place.
It wasn’t a problem of talent.
Since I didn’t have a status window in the first place, growth itself was impossible, regardless of effort.
Realizing that, I turned away from reality and started to escape into games.
At least in games, the more time and money I invested, the easier it was to get my name on the leaderboards.
“Well, it’s different now.”
I got a status window.
A possibility has opened up.
So naturally, I started working hard again.
“Of course, I still play games.”
Not to escape reality like before, but to play games solely for my mental and physical well-being.
In other words, I want to play games to relieve stress.
If playing games to relieve stress causes more stress?
That’s a contradiction.
It’s unacceptable.
So, I have to make up for the drop in my Dungeon Rank.
“My goal is Dungeon growth and decoration.”
I felt like I had been playing games haphazardly until now.
As I was in charge of defending the Dungeon, it was something I had to do thoroughly at least once.
I immediately clicked on the screen and looked at my Dungeon.
First, there was a feature to install facilities, and additional features were added with Dungeon expansion.
As for facilities, the types I could purchase immediately were limited.
“I definitely need to install the Subordinate Officer Room… Ah, it would be good to have a prison too.”
Looking at the Dungeon earlier, it seemed like goblins had captured one adventurer.
More adventurers would be captured in the future, so it would be fine to start preparing now.
– To build this prison, 5,000 Gold is required.
– Gold is insufficient.
– You can purchase Gold with Gems.
The problem was that I didn’t have any Gold right now.
The Gold I got from purchasing the Subordinate Officer synthesis pack at the beginning was all used to increase the Dungeon’s size.
“Can I even purchase it with the Gems I have?”
Usually, in games, you could buy in-game currency with premium currency like Gems.
– 100 Gems are worth 10,000 Gold.
“This is decent!”
The number of Gems I currently possess is 9800.
This is equivalent to 980,000 Gold.
However, consuming all my Gems would be a foolish choice.
For now, I decided to exchange only 800 Gems for Gold.
– Consumed 800 Gems and acquired 80,000 Gold.
With 80,000 Gold, I first purchased the prison.
– 5,000 Gold is consumed.
– Prison purchased.
– Do you want to place the prison?
No. Not the placement yet.
It’s standard to do all the preparations first and decorate at the very end.
I immediately turned my attention to other facilities.
I had been concerned about Celia, who always traveled around the Dungeon.
I purchased the Subordinate Officer Room, a space where she could live and perform her duties.
– 10,000 Gold is consumed.
– Subordinate Officer Room purchased.
I also looked at the huts available for purchase.
It came with a description that it was a living space for monsters.
“Hmm…”
Are there any monsters that need huts right now?
No matter how I look at it, the Skeletons don’t seem to need them much.
Look at them now.
The sight of bone fragments standing still in their places…
It looked like they had just dug their way out of a grave.
Even in a game, that appearance was a bit scary.
Still, I thought they would be fine without this.
The remaining ones were the three Goblins, but their numbers were too small.
“Let’s think about the huts later.”
There weren’t many types of facilities I could purchase, so there wasn’t much else to buy.
Rather, it was time to decorate the Dungeon itself. Placing the purchased facilities would come after that.
I immediately touched [Dungeon Expansion].
“Oh…”
More diverse functions were added than I expected.
While initially I could only expand the Dungeon’s size with 100,000 Gold, now various decoration options appeared.
I could create new paths and expand the space where monsters lived.
“I can even make waterways?”
At the same time, it seems I can choose what terrain to decorate the Dungeon with.
This allows for a lot of choices and strategies.
If I create waterways, I can place monsters that live in water.
Even if not, it would be an excellent way to temporarily stop intruders.
Of course, not everything could be built for free.
Some required Gems, and some required Gold.
But my wallet was thick.
Without hesitation, I spent my Gems.
* * *
While decorating the Dungeon, three hours passed.
As a result, my eyes, which had only been looking at the screen, became bloodshot.
“But I’m done!”
I changed and decorated the Dungeon’s internal structure according to my vision.
After decorating, I conducted monster draws and synthesized and placed monsters in each location.
I felt proud of how well I made it.
First, the existing Dungeon had a simple structure with a single passage.
There was a passage from the entrance to the end of the Dungeon. If intruders came in, they only had to go straight.
So, from the intruders’ perspective, they had the advantage of only needing to focus on the front.
There was no need to worry about their backs, so as I defended the Dungeon, the pressure would increase as time went on.
But now it was different.
Upon entering the Dungeon, the path splits into two.
The second area, which was behind the first area, was moved to the front.
Now, intruders had to choose either the path on the left or the path on the right when entering the Dungeon.
The left path leads to the first area where Undead reside.
If you choose the right path, you will enter the second area where Goblins live.
“This is great.”
Now I had a variety of strategic options.
By creating a fork, I could distribute the enemy’s strength.
What if the intruders didn’t split their forces and all rushed down one path?
Then, I could launch a surprise attack from behind with the monsters placed on the other side.
Another reason for creating the fork was the characteristics of the races.
There was a critical problem for monsters other than the Undead species.
That is, as living beings, they had to eat to survive.
Skeletons didn’t need such consumption, but Goblins were different.
They were beings that couldn’t survive without food.
Until now, Celia had been procuring meat from somewhere and feeding them.
Of course, this was possible because the number of Goblins was only three until now.
But now it was different.
I had drawn a lot of times.
As a result, the number of Goblins exceeded thirty.
That meant an increase in the mouths of Goblins that needed to be fed meat.
It was not possible for Celia to procure meat indefinitely.
Here, I had an idea.
What if I moved the Goblins’ area to the front and allowed them to freely move in and out of the Dungeon?
This would allow them to hunt outside and fulfill their own food needs.
As of now, monsters could not leave the Dungeon.
But this restriction would eventually be lifted.
At that time, monsters would be able to move freely in and out of the Dungeon.
From then on, my goal was to establish an ecosystem by having them hunt directly.
As the number of Goblins in the second area increased, I purchased and installed the huts that I had put on hold earlier.
At the same time, a sub-boss was added to the second area.
– A sub-boss for [First Layer, Second Area] has been set.
[First Layer, Second Area Sub-boss]
– Goblin Lord (★★★★★)
– The loyalty of the subordinates placed in [First Layer, Second Area] increases.
– ‘Goblin Lord’ effect activated! Increases the loyalty of all Goblin-type monsters.
Just looking at it made me proud.
“Now I don’t need to touch the first and second areas for a while.”
This was true.
I had emptied my wallet quite thoroughly this time.
[First Layer, First Area Monster List]
– Death Knight (★★★★★) ×1
– Lich (★★★★) ×1
– Banshee (★★★) ×3
– Ghoul (★★) ×6
– Skeleton Swordsman (★★) ×11
– Skeleton Mage (★★) ×3
– Skeleton Archer (★★) ×6
– Skeleton Soldier (★) ×19
– Skeleton Archer Apprentice (★) ×11
– Skeleton Magic Trainee (★) ×8
[First Layer, Second Area Monster List]
– Goblin Lord (★★★★★) ×1
– Hobgoblin (★★★) ×3
– Goblin Shaman (★★) ×1
– Goblin (★) ×27
Just looking at them filled me with satisfaction.
What should I say? It was a sense of security, as if no one could break through for now.
Although it was a shame that not many types of monsters came out of the draws.
Of course, if a third party were to invade, it would still look like a mixed-breed jumble.
The more diverse the monster types within the Dungeon, the more challenging the Dungeon becomes.
There was a reason why Kim Suho, who recently appeared on TV, could solo-clear C-Rank Dungeons but struggled with B-Rank Dungeons and above.
Starting from B-Rank Dungeons, various monsters with different elemental affinities appeared, making them difficult to攻略.
Drawing inspiration from that, I planned to place monsters with various elemental affinities.
“That’s why I keep dividing the areas.”
The first passage of the Dungeon housed the first and second areas respectively.
Behind them were the third and fourth areas.
These areas were also minimally decorated.
The third area is the place you reach after passing the first area.
Unlike the first area, which was inhabited by Undead and had a desolate atmosphere, the third area had green fields, giving off a refreshing vibe.
Actually, I hastily changed the concept of this area due to the monsters that came out of the draw.
There were large flowers among the fields, but they were not mere plants.
The insects that looked like butterflies flying over the flowers were also not ordinary creatures.
[First Layer, Third Area Monster List]
– Carnivorous Tentacle Plant (★★★) ×1
– Blood-sucking Butterfly (★★) ×6
Those beings were, in fact, monsters.
The plants ate people, and the Blood-sucking Butterflies were formidable beings that drank blood.
The moment you approached those beautiful flowers, you would be eaten.
Interestingly, the description stated that they reacted to monsters eating other monsters and were unaffected by Undead.
This is why I placed them next to the first area, where the Skeletons resided.
If they happened to eat the Goblins, it would be my loss.
Behind the area where the Goblins lived, the fourth area, I had only created a small lake in the center for now.
No monsters that live in water had appeared yet, and for now, it could serve as a place for the Goblins to come and drink water.
“Later, I can probably catch fish and raise them.”
This was undoubtedly a Dungeon, so sunlight did not enter.
Even with water, farming was impossible.
However, it would be possible to raise fish in the lake.
Additionally, the center, which was called the end of the Dungeon, also changed from its empty state.
This place was rather important.
It was the core of the Dungeon, so to speak, the last bastion.
The center had to act as a command center controlling all areas.
So, I installed the Subordinate Officer Room.
Upon installing the Subordinate Officer Room, Celia showed a delighted expression.
“Still, she’s a Subordinate Officer…”
Wouldn’t she need monsters to serve her?
I specifically set aside a few Skeleton Soldiers.
The soldiers were positioned on either side, forming a formation as if guarding the Subordinate Officer Room.
Of course, as they were Rank 1 monsters, I couldn’t expect much ability, but this visual aspect was important.
“It looks impressive.”
It exuded an atmosphere that important beings were here.
Additionally, I installed a prison in a secluded place nearby.
Although not yet, I planned to place a monitoring monster near the prison later.
“Now it feels like a proper Dungeon.”
I guess the Dungeon Rank will rise again.
“Should I go to sleep now?”
I decided to be satisfied with today.
After looking at the game screen for over three hours, I was utterly exhausted.
Additionally, I had spent generously, so I had almost no Gold or Gems left.
Even if I wanted to do something more, I couldn’t.
Outside, night had fallen.
