A Dungeon’s Survival

Gyle

It seemed that, for whatever reason, the Onikuma had become obsessed with the Dungeon, unwilling to up and leave once it realized it couldn't make its way to the core through the vertical shaft on the second floor, or at least, that was the running theory. According to the most recent report the senior adventuring team in front of me had just given, tracks left behind from the beast had been found near the entrance again. It seemed as though this was going to be an ongoing problem if left unaddressed.

“Unless you or the branch head can take that thing out, I say the Dungeon's a lost cause,” the insectinoid leader of the team stated flatly as she crossed one pair of arms and threw her others out to her sides dramatically, and while I did not agree with the extent of her claim, I could see her point.

“I believe I could manage that,” I stated calmly.

If it was only a matter of dispatching a second-tier monster, that could hardly be considered a problem for me, an inconvenience maybe but not a problem. Perhaps a third tier would have given me pause, but I wasn't about to allow my plans to be ruined by a common beast pining for what was mine. It had been quite some years since I'd bothered to strike down such a pest, but for this matter, it would soon know my wrath.

“Even if you could, I would have to recommend against it,” my partner in all things relating to the Dungeon objected, “I've looked into the matter, and all of the reports I've read suggest the same thing. That monster, while incredibly dangerous, has a long history of leaving mortals alone, an observation that this team's own report from during the horde supports.

“Such monsters hold value to the kingdom, especially as times change and war draws near. If we were to dispose of it, the local monsters would be left unchecked, and whatever ended up taking its place would likely prove far less amiable. An unexpected, unknown enemy from within is not something the kingdom needs to be worrying about when otherwise preoccupied. Then, there's the matter of security such a monster's presence inadvertently provides.”

“It's a danger to anyone entering the Dungeon,” the leader of the adventurer group argued.

“That it is,” Sirius readily agreed, seemingly flipping his stance on the spot, but then, he continued, “However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't take advantage of it. I suggest we monitor it for the time being. Sir Peter, I would assume such a task to be well within your power.”

Of course it was, but that didn't mean I was willing to spend the time and resources to keep it in check. I was with the girl on this one. The thing was nothing but a problem, and I already had enough of those.

“Humph,” I rolled my eyes as I protested his request, “Surely, you don't think I have enough spare time to play babysitter to the beast? Better than anyone, you know how busy I'll be in the coming days.”

“Don't be like that. I'm sure it would be an easy matter for you, and I believe it could be an opportunity for us.”

“How so?”

“For starters, if the monster were to be deemed a protected asset, it would enable me to request extra funding from the guild in order to keep it under control. If you were to be the one in charge of monitoring it, I doubt anyone could complain about those funds finding their way into your coffers.”

I froze as my mind began to race at the suggestion and what I could do with the extra funds. Without a doubt, they could speed up my plans by a significant margin. Suddenly, I found the slight smile creeping its way onto the face of the branch head to be infectious. He was undoubtedly a man of competence, something that seemed to be painfully scarce in this day and age. His grandfather had clearly raised him well, as to be expected of my old friend. I would have to send him my thanks once more and see if I couldn't arrange for one final meeting with the man before his age finally claimed him.

“Well,” I started again, hiding my true thoughts as best I could, “I do believe that would change some things. A few large detection arrays would be doable, if costly. How much are we talking about?”

“I think a monthly stipend of a couple thousand would be doable given the circumstances. If it were to cause problems, however, the repercussions would fall on you, and its death would put an end to the agreement. Also, its value as a military asset would likely factor into its perceived value, so the arrangement would likely end after the war.”

“Those terms are acceptable. When could I expect to see the first payment?”

“It would be a few weeks off at the earliest.”

“That works for me,” I said as I turned back to face the adventuring team.

The insectinoid wore a flat expression, and aside from my heir, the rest of the team seemed to be holding onto similar reservations as their leader. That wouldn't do at all. Luckily, I had something up my sleeve that could hopefully turn that around.

“I believe reinvesting some of those funds back into the ones doing the legwork here would only be fitting, don't you?”

Surprise crossed their faces. I'd clearly thrown them off. Now, it was time to turn them to our side.

“More than just what I'd need to set up the magic, a couple thousand gold would be more than sufficient to begin my work on some of those permanent enhancers you wanted, nothing too extreme but plenty enough to push you to the point that I'm sure you could hold your own against a mere lizard and two-headed snake. Would you still have reservations were that the case?”

Greed, it sparkled in the rogue's eyes. I had her hooked, but that was only natural. She had been the one who'd asked for them initially, and as much as they were undeniably valuable commodities that were sought after by many, but there was something else there, a deeper desire. I was not privy to her motives in full, but I'd still been able to take note of that much.

As for the others, I already knew that the Yip children, even if they held reservations, wouldn't object to the matter, and my apprentice would go along with whatever I said due to his complete trust in me. That just left the swordsman, and his expression said just as much as words could have, if not more. While unsteadied, he wasn't sold by mere promises of quick power. He needed something more. I needed to slowly reel him in.

“Of course, I also have the information you wanted on rare classes. Now, while there is no direct link between such things and permanent enhancers at first glance, let me tell you the reason why rare classes are rare to begin with. It is because the requirements that need to be met in order for the System to offer them are difficult. While extra stats are not one of those requirements, having some makes reaching those prerequisites considerably easier.

“Flur,” I continued while visibly setting my sights on the girl, “you are at level twenty, are you not? It may not seem like it, but at your current pace, the second tier is fast approaching for you. While not strictly necessary, having those extra stats now would surely help you to accomplish all that you need to get done before that time arrives, so while I could turn down your boss's plan, I feel the need to point out that doing so would only deprive you of time and resources crucial to your own growth.”

As I finished speaking, it wasn't the insectinoid that I was paying attention to. While I had made sure to address her personally, it wasn't for her that I'd spoken the words that I had. Instead, they had been for the swordsman's benefit.

Lance clearly cared for his friends deeply, seemingly more than anything else. Such a clear benefit to one of them was the quickest way to bring him over to my own way of seeing things, as was evidenced by the conflicted look I could see growing on his face through my peripheral vision. From that expression alone, I knew I'd won him over, even if he didn't, and with him, that was everyone. All that was left for me to do was to seal the deal.

“No objections, I assume?”

Silence met my words for a long few moments. Then, the undecided man spoke up.

“You can keep that thing under control, right?”

“Easily. You have my word.”

“Then, I have no problem with this.”

A quick glance around the meeting room confirmed the everyone's feelings on the matter. The swordsman was resigned. The others were accepting of this arrangement, excited even. Then, there was the rogue.

On the surface, her expression was cheerful, but no matter how much potential I believed her to have for politics, she was still inexperienced and had no training in such matters. Her inhuman face also contributed in making them harder to spot, but to me who had lived for so long, they were as clear as day. There were cracks in her facade. She potentially held even more reservations than her friend, but that mattered little. As long as she was onboard, she could feel however she wanted about the matter.

“Now,” I continued, “shall we pivot to the next matter of import?”

That was his cue, and Sirius seamlessly took over where I left off.

“As it stands,” he began, “I have received word from the higher-ups that the Cave of Absolution is being considered for termination. This does not mean that its fate is sealed, but it also does not bode well. In essence, what this means for us can be boiled down to two things. We need to get results from it, fast, and its growth needs to be accelerated. If these two conditions cannot be met, all of our efforts here will have been in vain.”

Shock filled their faces. I, of course, was already aware of this development. It was ridiculous as far as I was concerned, but the only option in front of us was to take drastic measures. Normally, intentionally fueling a Dungeon's growth beyond normal means was considered taboo and outright illegal in some circumstances. We weren't going to cross the line into the illicit, but barring that, there were still some things that could be done.

One of those such measures were executions. Though near-universally looked down upon and something I would have rather avoided if it were possible, it was actually common practice among nobles to do away with their scum in productive manners. People tended to give more experience than run-of-the-mill monsters after all. The rumors of the military leading a young hero on a crusade against criminals was a perfect example of this, and for those whose territories relied on Dungeons for income, this concept often manifested in the form of holding any and all executions inside of those Dungeons.

“Starting tomorrow, I will be disposing of those who already have death sentences in the Dungeon,” I announced.

The main reason I hadn't been planning on doing so up until we'd received the most recent revelation from the Adventurers Guild was because the general populous tended to get antsy when around such things. Much of that likely had to do with certain ancient, barbaric practices that had evolved into the large-scale sacrifice of innocent lives to fuel the growth of Dungeons, artificially bloating the bounty that could be claimed from them. Our long-time enemy, the Drulin Empire was steeped in such traditions; though, nowadays, they did limit their sacrifices to criminals, rebels, and prisoners of war. The extent of their willingness to do so was still despicable, but as unbelievable as it may have been to any civilized society, that was a massive improvement compared to the methods they used to employ, the ones that had allowed them to grow as rapidly and vast as they had.

“As you all know,” I continued, “with Firmsoil's rapid expansion that I've been heading, the settlement has increased in size several times over. People from all walks of life have, with no disrespect meant toward present company, been drawn here like moths to a flame. Criminals are no exception.

“Those who have committed petty crimes, such as theft, will be shipped off back to the territories where they came from, but as for the murderers and equally reprehensible individuals, the bounties placed on their heads are worth less than the experience lopping those very same heads off would provide. A line will be clearly drawn so as not to inspire rumors of excessive harvesting.”

It was not an ideal solution, but we did have a larger supply of criminals of the worst varieties in our possession than I would have liked. Even if I went through the process of sending them back instead, it wouldn't have changed their fate. Their crimes had already spelled an end to their lives. It was only a matter of how it would come about.

“Now,” I said, moving the topic along past those distasteful matters, “the question is, how is this going to impact you? The Dungeon is likely to outpace your growth going forward if nothing is done to offset that. Sirius, I know we were only hashing out ideas last we talked, but have you had a chance to prepare those countermeasures since?”

My friend nodded at my words before answering, “I've considered various possibilities. As it stands, I believe we should consider establishing a base camp within the Dungeon in the near future. Normally, that wouldn't be done until much later, and even now, I don't believe it would be worth the cost of doing so. That being said, though expensive and requiring a significant amount of work to get going, there would be benefits.”

What followed was a long-drawn-out discussion about logistics.