Labyrinth Renovation – 033 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 33: So much to do!

Now that the first layer of the map was complete, we descended to the second layer.
I've already decided what to do with the slime floor on the first level, so next is here.
According to Ars, whom I met earlier, many goblins appear from all directions, so if you are delayed in battle, you are likely to be caught in a pincer attack, resulting in many accidents where the rear guard is killed.

"I didn't like it here at first either."
"Did you have a hard time too, Fiona? Were you all right? Weren't you taken advantage of? "
"Taken advantage of how? You mean…… by the goblins? What does that mean? "
"It's nothing."

Fumu. It seems that our common sense is different from theirs……
Taken advantage of how? What does that mean? I drummed the history of goblin slaying into the persistent Fiona, who turned bright red and looked surprised.
I mean, what's up with there being goblins in both worlds?
……No, wait, there are no goblins on Earth, are there? Yeah, there are none.

"Maho, I think you can probably defeat a goblin, so if you feel like it, give it a try."
"You're right. I couldn't deal with a slime, so let's give it a try."

Since slime had to be defeated with magic, goblins, which die when struck physically, are perfect for me.
I even brought a hatchet from the hardware store.

"It's here! I'll send this one over to you! "
"Let's go! "

From the darkness ahead, a small monster bursts forth, emitting a hoarse cry.
I see, so that's a goblin.
I wondered why it sounded the same as the Earth version, but this may be due to automatic translation. Even now, I feel like I'm speaking Japanese, but of course that's not the case, so in the local language, they might be called something other than goblins, such as Munbe Munbe or something.

Anyway, it's a goblin.
It is less than a meter tall, like a toddler, but the problem is that it has weapons.
Even a small knife can kill you if it cuts a vital organ.
But even I'm someone who should have defeated the strongest bosses at the bottom and leveled up.
How could I fall behind the weak and glorious Gobu?
UOOOOOOOOO!!

I raised my hatchet to fight the goblin.
However, the goblin never made it to me.
A large shadow passed by me――

"Gya gya gya, pi."
"Gyah, Hinh."
"Pe."

Tama jumped out and smashed the goblin before Fiona and I could intercept it.

"Excuse me, Tama. I'm practicing how to fight, so you don't have to kill them, okay? "
"They move around so much, I can't help but……Nyan."
"Did that movement stimulate their hunting instincts?"

Come to think of it, Tama is the most carnivorous of the three.
Even domestic cats are creatures that hunt normally.

After that, we walked around thoroughly, getting startled by the goblins that appeared from the darkness.
The second layer is similar to the first layer, consisting of narrow passages reminiscent of a classic dungeon. Although there are some issues, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to lower the difficulty.
Also, I tried defeating the goblins, but they were pretty easy.
It took some getting used to the feeling of striking the axe, but it was good that there were no corpses left behind.

Five days went by like that.
Despite some twists and turns, we have completed the mapping up to the sixth layer.
Originally, Fiona's main hunting ground was the sixth layer, but she had been to the seventh layer once, so she knew most of what to expect, which made map-making relatively easy.
With Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser around, there were hardly any particularly scary monsters.
Well, even if this labyrinth is a mess, it still has 101 floors. It's only the sixth level underground, so there are still many more levels to go.

By the way, the treasure chest was replaced every morning.
It was gone every day, so I guess Ares and the other explorers found it and took it with them.
The sudden appearance of mysterious treasure chests is something whose impact is still unknown, but the contents are modest, so it's more like a service for people who have been hanging around here for a long time.

◇◆◆◆◇

"Okay, the map is still incomplete, but at least we know about the first six layers."

It took longer than I expected, but there's nothing we can do because we're short-handed.
物はある。 We have the necessary materials to prosper in the future. However, it's just me and Fiona. That's how things are.
Securing manpower is an urgent task.

"Fiona. We'll have to find someone to help us. We need to set up a proper guild, right? Ahhh～, so much to do! "
"Is there really a lot to do……? "
"Yes, there is! There's too much! "

What's more, many things take a lot of time.
Ultimately, dungeon management is deeply intertwined with territory management.
It's not just a matter of gathering explorers.

That said, if people find out it's profitable, they'll come flocking.
In the old days, it wasn't the gold miners who made the most money during the Gold Rush, but rather those who built the railroads and sold pickaxes and jeans.
This is a lesson of sorts, but the same applies to us. A dungeon appears, and magic stones that can be exchanged for money appear there. The explorers rush over upon hearing this.
We sell weapons, armor, lodging, and meals, and even purchase magic stones. The profits will be enormous.

But of course, there's no way Fiona and I could do all that by ourselves.
The guilds in this town have almost collapsed…… or rather, only the magic stone purchasing center is still functioning, so gathering people is truly urgent.
If the number of explorers increases too quickly, the system will collapse…… and if we're unlucky, there could be a riot.

"We haven't even taken the first step yet. And calling explorers means asking people who are exploring other dungeons to come here. There's no way to avoid comparisons. No matter how much we prepare, it'll never be enough."
"Well……That's true. Big labyrinth cities really do have just about everything. There are many places to enjoy oneself. There's at least one bar in this town, but..."
"Right? It is important to advance urban planning for the city itself at the same time, so we need to keep moving forward. It's going to get busy! "

There's a lot to do, but for now, I'll just take it one step at a time.