Dungeon Master (Karma System)

Max’s elite team consisted of serious combatants capable of protecting him during threats that bypassed ordinary dungeon defenses.

According to Anna’s gnomes, that proved he needed a personal attendant.

Combatants could kill enemies, guard routes, and respond to invasions. They did not manage meals, clothing, schedules, correspondence, or the location of objects Max put down and expected to find later.

Max explained that Anna and Quin already helped coordinate important work, ordinary staff handled assigned duties, and the tiered response system prevented minor requests from reaching him.

The gnomes interpreted the explanation as a list of unrelated people compensating for a missing position.

The competition began without permission.

The first candidate arrived outside the core room with breakfast selected according to Max’s recent habits. Max had already eaten with Anna.

The gnome recorded a failure in schedule access and withdrew.

The second candidate reorganized messages by urgency. The arrangement matched the system Max and Anna already used, except each message now carried colored tabs identifying how quickly the gnome believed Max should answer.

Max removed the tabs and restored the existing order.

The third candidate inspected his clothing and prepared three sets appropriate for dungeon meetings, public appearances, and unexpected combat.

"I can dress myself." Max said.

"The record does not dispute your physical ability."

The gnome remained outside until Max closed the door.

One member of Max’s combat team encountered the candidates in the corridor. He listened to their explanation, inspected the formal clothing, and asked how quickly the attendant could clear the room during an attack.

The candidates had not included evacuation in the imagined duties.

They immediately redesigned the clothing storage so it could not obstruct either exit. One marked protected positions where a noncombatant could wait without crossing the team’s response path. Another proposed carrying emergency healing supplies.

"We already carry them." the combatant said.

"For combat injuries."

"For injuries."

The elite gnome recorded an overlap in responsibilities and withdrew the proposal. The exchange remained entirely serious. Max’s team treated even a nonexistent attendant as someone whose position could affect defense.

Max appreciated the professionalism and wished it had discouraged the gnomes.

Anna found the situation after the fourth candidate attempted to reserve time in Max’s schedule for rest. The gnome had selected an hour already occupied by a meeting with Hizon.

"You told them the job does not exist." Anna said.

"Several times."

"Then they believe refusal is part of the selection."

She knew her elite team.

Anna summoned them and stated clearly that no personal-attendant position existed. The gnomes listened, acknowledged the order, and stopped competing for the position.

They began competing to prove the position should exist.

One tracked how often Max retrieved information without assistance. Another measured the time he spent walking between the core room and public meetings. A third recorded meals delayed by work.

The measurements showed that Max managed his responsibilities without an attendant. The gnomes considered the result inconclusive because his current habits had developed around the absence of support.

Quin refused to participate until a candidate began answering questions on Max’s behalf.

An adventurer asked whether Max would attend a guild ceremony. The gnome replied that the Dungeon Master’s schedule did not permit confirmation.

Max had never received the invitation.

Quin brought the gnome into the core room.

"An attendant who controls access becomes an authority whether Max grants it or not." Quin said.

The gnomes recognized the danger immediately. No candidate could accept requests, make promises, or deny access in Max’s name.

They revised the imagined position until it contained almost no authority.

The attendant could prepare food but not decide when Max ate. Organize messages but not change their priority. Prepare clothing but not choose what he wore. Track appointments but not schedule them. Locate objects but not move them without permission.

"You have invented someone who waits for me to request ordinary staff assistance." Max said.

"A highly prepared someone."

The competition moved to practical demonstrations.

One demonstration concerned lunch.

A candidate arranged a meal in a private room at the exact midpoint between two scheduled inspections. Max finished the first inspection early and used the extra time to speak with workers nearby. When he reached the room, the food had cooled.

The gnome replaced it with a prepared second meal kept warm nearby.

Max then learned that the first meal had been discarded.

"Food should not be wasted to preserve a schedule I did not request." he said.

The candidate changed the procedure. Unused meals would go to staff tables while a replacement was prepared only after Max confirmed he wanted one.

"The ordinary kitchens already do that." Max said.

The gnome wrote down another existing service that weakened the case for a permanent position.

Another candidate attempted object management. She asked Max to identify the items he most often misplaced. He named a writing stylus, two report tablets, and a small tool used to access part of the core interface.

All four items had assigned storage places. Max misplaced them only when interrupted while using them.

The gnome proposed following him closely enough to return each object after an interruption.

Anna rejected the idea before Max could.

"If you stand close enough to collect everything he sets down, you are close enough to hear every conversation he has." she said.

The candidate added confidentiality requirements. The imagined job grew more complicated every time it tried to save Max a few minutes.

Candidates tried to anticipate what Max would need during a walk through Sanctuary. One carried writing tools, a map, water, emergency supplies, and a formal cloak. Another brought duplicate copies of every report Max had reviewed that morning. A third carried nothing and argued that an attendant should avoid burdening the person being served with unnecessary activity.

Before the walk, the candidates interviewed Anna about Max’s preferences. She answered questions about food allergies, formal obligations, and dangerous situations. She refused questions Max could answer himself.

"Does he prefer meetings in the morning or afternoon?" one gnome asked.

"Ask him." Anna replied.

"Which color does he wear for diplomatic visitors?"

"Ask him."

"What does he need when he becomes irritated?"

"Enough time to discover why people are making decisions about him without asking."

The gnome recorded the response and noticed the pattern.

They questioned Max directly. He preferred meetings when the relevant people were available. He did not use clothing color to signal diplomatic intent. When irritated, he wanted accurate information and fewer interruptions.

The answers produced no schedule an attendant could follow automatically. They did establish that asking him was usually faster than constructing a theory from observation.

Max’s elite combat team observed from a distance. None volunteered to intervene against gnomes carrying stationery.

The walk produced no emergency. Max spoke with merchants, checked a portal report, and visited the Hall of Achievements. Every item he actually needed was available where the work occurred.

The candidate carrying nothing declared victory.

The others challenged the result because inactivity could not demonstrate readiness.

Anna ended the second competition before they could invent an emergency.

The candidates requested one final evaluation. They argued that previous tests had examined ordinary days, while a personal attendant would be most valuable during a complicated event.

Anna agreed on the condition that they support an event already scheduled instead of creating one. Max’s meeting with the dungeon leaders required reports, maps, refreshments, communication links, and privacy arrangements.

The gnomes prepared a trial layout without attending the actual meeting. They placed each leader beside the materials relevant to his or her territory. They removed decorative objects that blocked sightlines. Backup reports remained sealed at a side table rather than stacked in front of Max.

Quin tested the communication crystal and found its range limited by the privacy field. The team repositioned it and repeated the test. Max requested no changes when he inspected the room.

"The preparation is useful." he said. "Following me every day is not required to provide it."

For the first time, the gnomes considered a role narrower than personal attendant without treating the narrower role as defeat.

She gave the team a real assignment. Sanctuary held public events, visiting delegations, and meetings involving several dungeon authorities. Those occasions required preparation without granting one person control over Max’s routine life.

The elite gnomes would form an event-support unit when requested. They could prepare rooms, confirm materials, coordinate with ordinary staff, and remain available during unusual gatherings. Outside those assignments, no one followed Max.

The role suited their need to prepare for specific objectives. It also provided work that ordinary staff did not need to maintain every day.

The gnomes accepted the assignment after negotiating one point.

The unit required a leader.

Anna allowed them to rotate leadership according to the event. No permanent personal attendant emerged through another title.

Max believed the issue resolved.

The next morning, he found a small table outside the core room containing water, blank paper, and a sealed meal.

No gnome waited beside it.

A card identified the table as an EVENT-SUPPORT READINESS TEST.

The listed event was Max beginning work.

He carried the meal inside because leaving it there would waste food.

The elite gnomes recorded one successful support interaction.

Max added his own note to their ranking board.

[Position remains nonexistent.]

By afternoon, a second note appeared beneath it.

[Service remains useful.]