novelDungeon Upgrade #3
| ← Ch.073 | Ch.075 → |
It became quite busy.
After returning to the dungeon, Yong-Ho visited the basic workshop and talked with Bugrim.
Bugrim still couldn't talk, but he must've focused all of his energy on creating items because he created a lot of things while Yong-Ho was away.
"He said with a decent brazier and anvil, he'll be able to create better items."
Eligor explained on behalf of Bugrim. Yong-Ho questioned with his looks on how they communicated and Eligor explained that they used their bodies to communicate.
Even though Bugrim couldn't speak, he could hear and thanks to the Evil Spirit of the Past, he was able to understand the other spirits.
Bugrim was full of ambition. He wasn't the same as the Bugrim that was inside the prison cell.
Yon, the Goblin, probably became hopeful after hearing about the body recovering after one evolves.
The spirits, including the Goblins, didn't know that Yon had evolved, but since the dying Yon revived, that's all that mattered.
[Development Rate 15/100]
Since Bugrim's skills had already been well-developed, his rate Development Rate wasn't increasing very much.
After Yong-Ho convinced himself that everything will pay off as long as he works hard, he headed towards the workshop.
The Princess Ant and Spot were in the training ground swinging a stick. Spot was swinging with enthusiasm, but the Princess Ant was only swinging it because Spot told her. But thanks to that, her Development Rate was increasing.
The farm was where the Princess Ant was staying and thanks to Bugrim's hard work, it turned out really nice. And Spot's dog house was located within the farm as well.
After seeing the Golems working on the gold mine, Yong-Ho finished his dungeon visit and headed towards the spirits' dormitory.
It was because of Jun. Jun was the only girl out of the Goblin Rangers and the only one that wasn't a Hobgoblin.
By putting his focus on the ring, Yong-Ho evolved Jun into a Hobgoblin while everyone was watching.
Hobgoblins had longer arms and legs than Goblins and their faces looked like a human's.
Jun's messy appearance became a lot cleaner and their curved back became straight, making her taller.
Ordinary Goblins had the body of a child and Hobgoblins had the body of a teenager.
Among the House of Mammon's spirits, Spot was a veteran, so Yong-Ho evolved Spot into a Kobold Runner.
Spot's body didn't grow bigger like the Goblins, but overall, he did look more agile.
'Does it really influence them?'
The same question he had when a handle appeared on Salami's back popped into his head again.
Jun became more feminine and Spot's aggressive-looking appearance became cute.
It seemed like Yong-Ho's thoughts influenced the spirit's outer appearance whenever they get promoted or evolved.
'I should think about good things. '
Catalina and Eligor were standing beside him and as Yong-Ho look at them, he chuckled. Catalina and Eligor thought Yong-Ho was satisfied with the evolution and laughed with him.
The next day was pretty busy as well.
Receiving the items that the dungeon shop sent was a lot of work, but handing over the valuable items was a lot of work as well.
Eligor and the Goblins cheered when they saw the three Iron Golems. The Iron Golems looked like they belonged on the battlefield rather than helping within the dungeon. Even though their movement was slower than a Rock Golem, they were stronger and was better at defense.
Skull had various reactions when they saw the Skeletons that were going to be working them.
Skull was nervous at first and then satisfied. Yong-Ho wasn't sure what was going on inside Skull's head, but after seeing Skull swing the hammer and command the Skeletons, Yong-Ho thought he looked like a general.
Skull still had a long way to go. The Skeletons were limping and they all had the same blank expression that Skull had.
Everyone admired the Nightmare when they entered.
It seemed like the anaesthetic magic hasn't worn off yet because Nightmare started blinking with a blank expression. Despite of that, they were overflowing with elegance.
It was obvious as to what Nightmare's role was going to be, so Salami glanced over at Yong-Ho nervously.
Yong-Ho thought Salami was cute and laughed out loud. Instead of making fun of them, he petted their head and spoke loudly.
"Nightmare's owner hasn't been decided yet. But one of the spirits in the House of Mammon will be its owner."
Rikum and the Orcs' ears shot up like Catalina's. Catalina's ears also shot up and wagged her tail. Skull stroked Nightmare's mane as if they were already the owner and looked satisfied by what they saw.
Even though the delivery courier left, they weren't done.
"Master, Lucia has returned looking more beautiful than ever."
"Ta-da."
Lucia was done with upgrading the Heart of the Dungeon and spoke excitedly. In his head, Yong-Ho imagined a blue-haired girl wearing a white dress and spinning in place.
"You're right. You've become prettier."
Yong-Ho touched the Heart of the Dungeon while agreeing with Lucia. Before, the Heart of the Dungeon was a smooth sphere, but after the upgrade, it had corners. Now, it looked more like a giant gem than a marble.
"Like I've informed you before, I'm able to add various facilities."
"And since I have stronger control of the dungeon, I'll able to control a larger area than before."
"And the number of spirits that can be registered into the dungeon has increased as well."
Lucia displayed windows of light in front of Yong-Ho. In the windows, it displayed the facilities that can be built as well as a short description.
Among them, Yong-Ho pointed to the Door of the Space.
"Can we begin right away? Kaiwan did start building it."
"Um... we can begin the process, but since we're lacking the materials, we won't be able to complete it."
"Materials?"
"I can use my mana to charge the energy source that the Door of the Space needs, but in order to activate it, we need a magical equipment and knowledge. I recommend purchasing magic books related to the Door of the Space either from the dungeon shop or outside."
"Is it similar to when a computer is missing a software?"
"It's a similar situation."
Lucia, who shared knowledge and memories with Yong-Ho, replied right away. Her voice sounded like she had a bitter smile on her face.
Purchasing a magic book from the dungeon shop.
'Now that I think about it, we do need a magician as well. '
He wasn't talking about a magician that participated in battles. In Korean RPGs, the magicians used elements like fire and thunder to attack the enemy, but, Yong-Ho already had substitutes for that role. Yong-Ho and Salami could fulfill that role.
A scholar rather than a fighter.
A magician than can provide various support and tactics rather than casting strong, offensive spells.
'It'll even be better if they were overflowing with knowledge. '
While thinking about Catalina, he recalled the Mystical Elf that he gave up on and told himself that it was already in the past. He shook his head to get rid of the thought and focused on upgrading the dungeon.
"Then let's work on the Door of the Space later... and work on the Training Ground for the mid-ranking spirits. Let me know the materials and the amount of workers that are needed."
"I understand. I'll provide Eligor with the details, like always."
Catalina, who was standing beside Yong-Ho, begged with her eyes to build a bathhouse, but it wasn't the most important facility. Catalina's tail dropped to the ground and Yong-Ho felt bad, but it couldn't be helped.
'But. '
Yong-Ho looked at the window of light that contained the Door of the Space.
The things he needed to complete the Door of the Space.
There was a lot. A lot of items were required in order to install it.
'It's amazing that Catalina and Eligor were able to open a temporary one. '
Not only did they use the remaining mana within the House of Mammon, they ended up using the magic scroll they had been saving.
It's possible that Sitri intervened.
The past two days passed by really quickly.
Yong-Ho didn't waste any time during those two days. He evolved all the Skeletons into Skeleton Soldiers and by gathering Catalina, Skull and the dungeon's main troops, he resumed exploring Kaiwan's inheritance.
After exploring for two days, he discovered an official torture room and an enormous jail. The facility that Yong-Ho wanted to discover was a magical library, but since Eligor looked really happy, he couldn't help but laugh with him.
And on the third day.
Instead of continuing the exploration, Yong-Ho sat on the throne and looked at the loyal spirit.
"Ophelia, Endelyon's daughter, is here to greet the owner of the great House of Mammon."
Even though they installed a long-distance communicator, she had items to give to him so she decided to visit the House of Mammon.
After she finished greeting Yong-Ho, she looked over at Eligor and winked at him. Eligor replied with a cough. Catalina's ears started flapping as she tried to hold in her smile.
As always, Ophelia's report was straightforward.
"The butler of the House of Abigail appointed Jungceros's daughter as the new owner. She's already the general of the dungeon and on top of that, she has a feisty personality, so I don't think she'll surrender to the other owners. They're currently saving up the dungeon's main power."
Foras's dungeon was the shield and even though the dungeon was no longer there, distance was the last barrier between the House of Mammon and the House of Abigail.
It was probably okay to relax for now.
"The House of Abigail and the owners around that area currently believe that the House of Foras's new owner and Jungceros gave it their all and killed each other. However, since there are a lot of suspicious parts, this rumor probably won't last long. There's already an owner that's investigating the House of Foras's remains."
He just wanted to buy some time. This was what Yong-Ho expected.
Ophelia took a deep breath. It was as if the thing she was about to talk about was the most important. Ophelia spoke with a serious expression.
"Embrio started advancing south again. Vitaline was one of the owner that joined the union and after the union fell, they ran away. But Embrio beat them to death and then took their dungeon. It's still pretty far away from the House of Mammon, but... if they continued moving at this pace, they'll be here within three to four months at the earliest and six months at the latest."
In a game, Embrio could be considered as the empty southern region's final boss.
An enemy he was eventually going to have to face.
If Embrio continued moving south, then Yong-Ho couldn't let his guard down.
"And... this may apply later on in the future, but, it seems like the conflict between the King of Pride and the King of Envy has become more intense. There are rumors within the demon world that there may be an all-out war."
It was a big deal when two kings out of the six kings clashed with each other. But, as Ophelia stated, they were far away and since Yong-Ho had to deal with Embrio first, that's all he focused on.
Ophelia knew that as well. Ophelia didn't mention the conflict between the two kings just to deliver the news to Yong-Ho.
"If an all-out war does occur, then there's a good chance that the other kings won't be able to focus on empty southern region."
The empty southern region hasn't had a king for a long time and there are rumors saying that it's because the other kings intervened.
It was just a rumor. But, the credibility was extremely high.
The six kings didn't want a seventh king to appear.
Even though the empty southern region was useless, it was big and it was significant since Mammon, the King of Greed, first rose to power in that region.
Embrio wanted the empty southern region to become unified, so this was their chance. They might advance faster depending on when the two kings go to war.
There was a time limit.
Yong-Ho decided that being aware was enough. Instead of torturing himself with useless thoughts, he decided to focus on becoming stronger.
"Ophelia, did you learn martial arts from your father?"
Ophelia replied immediately.
"Yes, I learned it from my father. It's a type of martial... sir?"
Ophelia stopped talking and called Yong-Ho. It's because Yong-Ho had a strange expression.
"Military? It's not the military that I'm thinking of, right?"
"Um... I'm not sure what kind you're thinking about, but... the martial arts is from the human world. Thanks to the distortions and the connection to the human world, knowledge of the human world has spread throughout the demon world. And the martial arts that I learned was one of them. My father improved it so that the Red Demons could learn it."
Opehlia looked proud. It seemed like she really respected her father because whenever she greeted Yong-Ho, she would always mention her father's name.
'Martial arts... '
Yong-Ho slightly turned his head to the side and saw Catalina and Eligor.
"Ophelia, is there a type of martial arts that you can teach Eligor?"
Eligor's eyes widened when he heard Yong-Ho's question and Ophelia smiled brightly.
"There is. My father worked on it as well. It's focused on having the advantage."
"That's perfect. I'll leave it to you."
"I understand. I'll make sure to train him well."
While Yong-Ho and Ophelia were enjoying the conversation they were having, Eligor was feeling chaotic and couldn't snap out of it.
Yong-Ho spoke again.
"And... is there one that I can learn?"
Yong-Ho was currently learning basic fighting skills from Catalina.
However, since Catalina's fighting skills required the user to be agile, Yong-Ho was only able to learn the basics.
He thought about learning from Rikum at first, but since Rikum specialized in using large swords and axes, it wouldn't work out for Yong-Ho since he used a lance.
Catalina's tail and ears dropped when she heard Yong-Ho's question. Ophelia saw Catalina's sad face and also saw that Yong-Ho was feeling bad, so she bit her lower lips. She contemplated for a bit and then replied with respect.
"I can use the pub and search for one that's worthy enough. If not, I'll at least be able to obtain a book. But... with all due respect, I don't really think it's necessary. The best teacher is standing right next to you."
After she answered, Ophelia focused her attention on one place and thanks to that, Yong-Ho, Catalina and Eligor were able to quickly understand who she was referring to.
The Red Lotus Demon Lance, Aamon.
Ophelia was looking at Aamon.
| ← Ch. 073 | Ch. 075 → |