Labyrinth Renovation – 032 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 32: Let’s make a map!

The first layer's exploration with Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser was a piece of cake.

The monsters on the first floor are mysterious soft creatures called slimes, and they are not just ordinary monsters but can only be defeated by magic. However, for some reason, Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser all started saying that they could breathe fire, so when they encountered the slimes, they immediately vaporized them.

Slimes are mostly made up of water, and as their name suggests, they move around like amoebas. They are about 50 centimeters in diameter. Sometimes they stick to walls or ceilings, and if you don't notice them, they can suddenly jump out and suffocate you. Even if they're almost useless, monsters are still monsters.

And then, as I said at the beginning, you can't defeat them without magic.
When the dungeon was first created, explorers who didn't know that this thing couldn't be defeated without magic suffered quite a few casualties.
After all, it's just a slow-moving amoeba, so while they were busy beating it, thinking it would die someday, it gradually ate away at their feet―― That's how it was.

"Can't you defeat them with a torch's flame? "

While drawing a map, I ask Fiona.

"It seems like it makes them a little uncomfortable. But I guess it isn't enough to keep them away? "
"I see. So, they're almost completely immune to physical attacks? Even though they're just early-game enemies."
"But they're really weak against magic."

I feel like they're a bit too overspecialized, but there's no point in mentioning it. If we're going to run a dungeon, we'll have to do something about these guys.

"Master, there's a slime over there too!"

Pochi quickly spots a slime far away.

Everyone has keen senses, so they can quickly spot monsters at distances that are imperceptible to the naked eye.
Fiona and I just followed behind, drawing a map.
A single fire breath takes out any slime.
"Maybe we should just have these children get magic stones from a deeper layer……」
"Fiona! What are you talking about?! These guys may be big, but they're still just a puppy, a kitten, and a baby lizard, so there's no way they can fight! "
"Fighting is scary, woof." "Nyan." "Gaah."
"Uhhhhh……"

Well, I can understand Fiona's point of view, but these kids haven't fundamentally changed, so it's impossible to expect them to spend their days fighting monsters in a labyrinth filled with strange creatures.
Dogs and cats are highly domesticated, meaning they are pets. No matter how big they grow, they will never become wolves or lions. Kaiser, a former bearded dragon that looks like a real dragon, has a gentle personality and eats not only insects but also plants, such as leaves.
They can't be the same as people who are always fighting.

"Sure, if it's to protect themselves or to protect us, then I'm sure they'd fight, but I can't just tell them "Go," and send them off on their own. It's too cruel, isn't it? What if they get killed by monsters? "
"Ugh, that's…… definitely true. ……Sorry, they looked so strong, I couldn't help myself."
"Besides, I have a more important role in mind for these kids."
"Role? "
"Yeah. There's a job for these kids. Well, it's still a secret."

It's still in the planning phase.
Anyway, making maps is surprisingly difficult. To begin with, it's not like in a dungeon game where all the passages are the same size. The width of the passages and the height of the ceilings vary quite a bit.
Certainly, in this case, maps may not be widely used.
Fiona says that even within the same floor, there are places where the terrain intersects, and if that happens, it would require considerable skill to draw on a paper map.
Maps are good, but I think it's better to consider other means as well.

"Hey, Fiona. How about putting up floor plans and signs in the dungeon, or writing “stairs this way” on the wall? "

I think it's a good idea.
Or rather, it's not possible to use the dungeon as it is. We should modify it to suit our needs and turn it into a place where we can make money.

"If you put something like that in the dungeon, it'll just get absorbed right away, won't it? Human corpses aren't absorbed while their souls still remain, but objects probably won't even last a day.
"Uh? Really? Isn't that strange? "
"It's strange, but that's how dungeons work. You may not have known this, Maho, but it's common knowledge in dungeons."
"No, no, no, Fiona-kun. Are you forgetting that everything is still lying around on the bottom floor, like the bathtub and chairs? The trash in the dragon room, the lighting equipment in the gecko room, and even the pump in the water dragon room are all still there, aren't they? "
"Ah, ahhhh. That's right. I wonder why……? Does that mean that anything from the hardware store won't be absorbed……? "
"Probably so, right? Then there's no problem. Let's start customizing! "

It will be the only dungeon in the world built by human hands!
It's a jackpot (surely).

"Then, I'll install this here. As a treasure chest."
"Eh……? We are setting up treasure chests……? That means luring explorers by deceiving them……"
"No, the box and its contents are definitely from the dungeon, so it's fine. I just changed their positions a little……"

Normally, you would have to go all the way to the bottom to get this treasure, but now you can pick it up on the first floor, so it's a big score for explorers.
Well, we'll figure out how to proceed in actuality as we go along, but it seems that there are still a few explorers working hard in Melquodia, so they'll get the early bird advantage.

The first floor itself is not that large, and there are several large rooms, so I was able to complete the map in a few hours.
On the way back, we ran into two young explorers, a boy and a girl, whom Fiona seemed to know, so we told them where to find the treasure chest.
They said they were planning to move to another dungeon, so I have to let them know that this place is going to become a lucrative dungeon.
Or rather, moving to another place at this point would be a huge loss.