Dungeon Maker

One of Yong-Ho's many strengths was being able to think fast on his feet.

It was no exaggeration to say that troubled times in the Southern Region had now begun. He felt that his mind had become unsettled by the current situation and the secret of the dungeon.

But Yong-Ho didn't waver. Instead of exhausting energy with useless worry, he turned his attention on things that he needed to immediately take care of.

Currently, improving the dungeon's defense and purchasing the most useful spirits were his most important tasks.

Yong-Ho took a deep breath to clear his mind and then raised his head to look at the window of light.

The Rank Two spirit catalog wasn't any different from before. There was already a spirit that he had been thinking about, so it didn't take him a long time to choose.

He chose the Rank Two dungeon spirit, the Clay Golem.

He chose a spirit that could both work and defend, similar to the Goblins.

The Clay Golem had good strength and stamina and had an advantage when it came to doing difficult work that the Goblins struggled with.

Compared to the previous time he came here to purchase a Rank Two spirit, his mana had improved significantly, so he no longer considered it to be a burden and the amount of mana that the Clay Golem would consume.

'It's great that we won't have to spend a lot on food. Furthermore, we won't have to prepare a separate living space either.'

The Clay Golem was quite a convenient spirit since he didn't have to worry about providing it food and clothing.

However, it needed a lot of assistance, since it had little self-awareness. If it didn't receive proper instructions, then there was a high possibility that it would do something unexpected.

'Anyway, I've decided to purchase the Clay Golem due to its specialization in strength.'

During work, it was highly likely that Eligor or Jun the Goblin Ranger would stay with it, and during a battle with Yong-Ho or another spirit would be close by, it wasn't something he needed to be concerned about.

Yong-Ho finalized his decision on the Clay Golem and then examined the Rank Three spirit catalog.

The spirit list on the window of light updated. The lineup was clearly more impressive than the Rank Two catalog, so much so that Yong-Ho couldn't keep his eyes off of it.

[No. 01]

[Race: Dwarf (M) - Youth]

[A dwarf captured in the demon world]

[Skills: Building Tools / Building Arms / Basic magic skills]

[Strengths: High stamina, Skilled in building]

[Weaknesses: Somewhat rebellious, Stubborn]

[Seller: Demon Andromalius]

His eyes stopped on the first category.

The available spirits were quite different from the Rank Two spirit catalog and on top of that, were extremely interesting.

'Dwarf? Is it the same kind of Dwarf that I'm thinking about?'

A dwarf race originated from Norse mythology.

Along with the Elves, they're a popular race that often shows up in fantasy culture.

The Dwarf's outer appearance wasn't that different from the Dwarves that people from his world usually imagine about.

He was short and tough, with a large beard, a stubborn expression, and slightly pointed ears.

'He was captured in this world?'

He remembered what Eligor said earlier.

Connections sometimes occurred between worlds. And the issues that arise because of it.

Different situations simultaneously popped into his head.

A party of adventurers exploring a dungeon, with the Dwarf Warrior's role as the tank.

Or perhaps demons attacked a peaceful Dwarf mine, and the Dwarf Warriors had to surrender to the demon troops.

The circumstances surrounding his capture didn't matter right now. Yong-Ho skipped the Dwarf's strengths and weaknesses and focused on the seller information.

'Demon Andromalius.'

He didn't know who that was. But, it didn't matter. The important thing was the fact that it clearly stated the seller's information.

'As expected, selling a second-hand spirit would be dangerous.'

It was still too early for him to think about evolving a spirit and then selling it to earn money.

Given that the system clearly displayed the seller's name, then Yong-Ho's existence would definitely be found out.

A spirit that had enhanced abilities through the Power of Evolution was incredibly valuable.

Yong-Ho looked at the Dwarf again. Even just reading a few sentences caused him to think about how valuable a Dwarf spirit could be.

The dungeon could have an exclusive blacksmith. He could create weapons, repair broken tools, and create any items that they needed.

It was quite an attractive option.

Managing a dungeon wasn't just as simple as a game. Just because a dungeon had mana and resources, didn't mean that items or facilities would get made straight away.

Yong-Ho recalled when Eligor made a chair for the torture chamber. The prison's bamboo bars were also a result of Eligor's hard work.

'Dungeon's blacksmith, no, I could even make a workshop…'

The dwarf could create weapons. Furthermore, he could create various facilities to improve life in the dungeon.

'Like a bathhouse, a bed or a decent throne…'

His imagination went on endlessly.

A few seconds later.

Yong-Ho tightly closed his eyes. It was unfortunate, but he had to give up his desire to purchase the Dwarf.

He would purchase one someday. He thought that they were a necessary factor in improving the dungeon.

But not right now.

The most urgent thing right now was not improving the dungeon's luxury facilities but strengthening its defense.

As usual, Yong-Ho quickly put aside his lingering feelings and turned over the catalog page. He examined the other spirits.

[No. 02]

[Race: Rock Golem (-)]

[Golem made out of hard rock]

[Strengths: High defense power, Strong]

[Weaknesses: Slow movements / Requires strict commands]

[Seller: Dungeon Market]

[No. 03]

[Race: Harpy (F)]

[A spirit with the ability to fly. Very smart and can be used to command other spirits]

[Strengths: Agile / Intelligent]

[Weakness: Low stamina]

[Seller: Dungeon Market]

[No. 04]

[Race: Ogre (M)]

[A fighting spirit that has high strength and stamina]

[Strengths: Strong / High stamina]

[Weaknesses: Eats a lot / Relatively low intelligence]

[Seller: Dungeon Market]

He examined every detail.

The Rock Golem reminded him of a robot. While the Harpy looked incredibly beautiful despite having wings for arms and the lower half body of a bird.

The Ogre was a cannibal and gave him a strong first impression. Despite the fact that he was made out of blood and flesh, Yong-Ho felt the Ogre was larger and sturdier than the Rock Golem. However, he lacked in the intelligence department but given how he looked more like a beast than a human still made him seem impressive.

He had a burning desire to purchase all three.

Yong-Ho consciously calmed himself down again by taking a deep breath. He had only seen a quarter of the Rank Three spirit catalog so far.

He carefully examined each page one by one while trying to remain level headed.

The Two-Headed Hellhound could be considered an upgraded version of the Hellhound.

The Giant Slime could produce a stronger acidic solution and somewhat change its form.

The Imp Magician could use basic magic.

There was also a Low-Rank Genie that looked Arabian.

Yong-Ho's hand stopped once again. He carefully examined the spirit displayed on the window of light before him.

[No. 13]

[Rank: Phantom Steed (-)]

[A ghost spirit that's in the Undead category]

[Strengths: Fast mobility / Ability to fly]

[Weaknesses: Unusually low magic resistance]

[Seller: Cimeries]

A dark phantom with a thick white mane floating in the air.

Even though he couldn't really ride a horse within the dungeon, he still wanted to buy it. In particular, there was quite an impressive image that showed the Phantom Steed carrying multiple Undead Knights.

Yong-Ho closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Skull riding the Phantom Steed.

'Hmmm.'

It would be quite cool to first evolve Skull into a Skeleton Knight then have him ride the Phantom steed.

But Yong-Ho shook his head again this time too. Perhaps later, but not now. Moreover, if Yong-Ho walked around places and had a spirit riding a horse alongside him then that would break the established hierarchical order. He didn't have an authoritative character, but he didn't really want to cause any problems.

'Well...I'm going to ride the Salamander later on anyway.'

Of course, that would only happen after he evolved the Salamander to a point where it grew wings.

Yong-Ho turned the page again. The appearance of a female Elf caught his attention, but he was able to convince himself not to purchase her. It was effective when he thought of the way Catalina wagged her tail as if he was talking to Sitri.

It had now been over an hour.

Yong-Ho had been looking through the catalog for a long time and had finally made his decision.

[No. 02]

[Race: Rock Golem (-)]

[Specialty: Stone Wall]

[Physique | ★★☆ (2.5)]

[Strength | ★★ (2)]

[Intensity | ★★ (2)]

He ultimately decided on the Rock Golem along with the Clay Golem.

The reason for his selection was the same as the Clay Golem. The dungeon required workers since there would be a lot of work that required a high amount of strength.

Furthermore, Foras's spirits mostly consisted of Orcs, who are strong in close combat, so the Golems were the ideal spirits to use for defense against them.

After finishing his purchase, a message appeared on the window of light with an offer to select an additional free spirit. It was a service provided by the Dungeon Market since he had spent a lot of money.

[Dungeon Meerkat: Lives at the entrance of the dungeon and sends out alerts when it spots a potential enemy.]

[Dungeon Hamster: Moves through the corridors of the dungeon and reports any damaged or broken facilities.]

The two spirits were quite adorable.

Personally, Yong-Ho wanted to pick the Dungeon Hamster, but he first considered which spirit would be the most practical. In order to prioritize dungeon safety, he decided on the Dungeon Meerkat.

[Thank you for using the Dungeon Market.]

[We will have your ordered items delivered by tomorrow.]

Yong-Ho closed his eyes. He disconnected from the Virtual Space.

***

Yong-Ho felt exhausted.

He had spent over two hours in the Virtual Space, but physically, it felt like he was there for a lot longer.

"Are you okay, master?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Catalina's voice. She was standing right next to the throne and handed him a cup of cool water.

Yong-Ho accepted the cup happily since he was in fact quite thirsty. He noticed her tail wagging happily and then answered her.

"Thank you. You've been really helpful to me."

"Master?"

Catalina blinked her eyes in confusion, however, he wasn't planning on explaining it to her. He just laughed and drank the rest of the water.

"Where's Eligor?"

"He's resting in the spirit living quarters. It seems like he's quite exhausted from all the work he's been doing lately."

Catalina spoke in a concerned tone.

Clearly, Eligor had been working hard for the past couple of days since Yong-Ho wanted to build the facilities as quickly as possible. Moreover, he even took care of small tasks, like cooking, so he must have been incredibly tired.

Perhaps Eligor required a dungeon maid more than a Dwarf craftsman to assist him.

"They're going to make the delivery tomorrow. Let him rest for today."

"Yes, Master. Then I'll take care of cooking today."

Catalina was reacting quickly today. After standing up, Yong-Ho patted her head as if to praise her and headed for his bedroom. He also needed to rest.

'Tomorrow.'

It was tomorrow that the Dungeon Market's package would be delivered.

Tomorrow was also the day that he expected that Foras would begin his attack.

When and with how many soldiers would Foras attack with?

Yong-Ho laid down on his straw bed. He remembered what Sitri had said.

'The true Maze of Greed is still alive.'

Mammon, the King of Greed.

His legacy.

Yong-Ho closed his eyes.

He fell into a deep slumber.

***

Foras now admitted.

Terak, who left to conquer the House of Mammon's dungeon, was now dead.

Was it the work of another owner or a wandering demon family? Or did the House of Mammon's dungeon have a stronger defense than expected?

Perhaps Kaiwan… it could be the last move that the shrewd girl had left.

It didn't matter.

The situation in the north changed day by day. They had to become stronger, despite the risks.

Conquer a dungeon and develop it.

To take everything into his own hands that Kaiwan left behind.

Foras gave out his command. All his troops were mobilized, bar a minimum number of soldiers that would stay and defend the dungeon.

Several battle carriages carried armed Orcs across the wilderness.

They were headed to the southern edge of the demon world.

To the House of Mammon's dungeon.