Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Dungeon Creation LV 5 Achieved

Dungeon Creation reached Level 5.

The new skill option unlocked was Mine Dungeon Creation.

'Maxim is going to be ecstatic.'

He had been counting the days until I reached this level.

Creating a Mine Dungeon would allow the mining of all manner of rare ores.

'I once got lost in the Mine Dungeon that Eos had created.'

However, that Mine Dungeon had been nearly depleted, apparently.

That was why it had looked like an ordinary dungeon.

A Mine Dungeon had a three-hundred-day Cooldown between creation and re-creation.

The long Cooldown reflected the tremendous value it held.

'Then shall I go deliver a gift?'

I entered the building next to the guild headquarters.

This building was the dwarves' storehouse.

But its true purpose was something else entirely.

CLANK!

When I pulled the lever on the storehouse wall, a door to the underground opened.

'This storehouse is the passageway to the Eckard Family's underground city.'

I followed the doorway down a flight of stairs.

Luminescent stones embedded in the walls kept it well-lit.

After descending deep underground, the subterranean city revealed itself.

"My liege, welcome."

"Please, come in."

The Eckard Family dwarves greeted me warmly.

"Hello, Thil, Seola."

I knew every face and name among the Eckard Family dwarves.

I also greeted the baby dwarf in Seola's arms.

"Hello, Tion."

"Oo."

The baby dwarf babbled in reply.

Tion had been born around the same time as Yeona.

Since relocating here, the Eckard Family dwarves had welcomed three new children.

They had also sent young dwarves of eligible age to Gillieta to find partners.

To continue the family line.

'And to serve the master of Acresia for generations to come.'

Did that mean I would need to pass Acresia on to my descendants?

They served the owner of Acresia, after all.

'Maybe I should pass it to Yeona someday.'

I did not yet know the mechanism for transferring it.

In any case, I should keep it in mind.

Following the Eckard Family members, I arrived at the study of Maxim, the head of the family.

Maxim was delighted to see me visiting the underground city.

"My liege, what an honor to have you grace our humble dwelling."

"Humble? It has developed so much more since my last visit. Every building is magnificent. The plaza in front of your study looks wonderful too."

"Ha ha! Now that the Outpost township is well-established, we have had the luxury to focus on developing our underground city."

"That is great. I appreciate everything you do for me, but as the head of the family, please take good care of your people too."

"I shall, my liege."

"And please do not work so hard that you lose sleep like before."

"Heh heh! I will keep that in mind."

Maxim and the Eckard Family had worked tirelessly for me for two years.

During that time, I had seen several Eckard Family members collapse from overwork or get nosebleeds.

I had tried to stop them, but they would not listen.

My gratitude toward the Eckard Family for their devotion was beyond words.

"I came today to repay your dedication, even in a small way."

"Repay?"

"Yes, I have prepared a small gift."

I opened Acresia in an empty spot in the study and activated a Gate portal.

Maxim's eyes went wide when he saw the dungeon shimmering in the portal.

"Ooh, could this dungeon be......!"

"That is right. A Mine Dungeon at zero percent extraction."

"My liege......!"

Maxim's eyes trembled.

For good reason. The dwarf species used Runes embedded in their equipment to wield special abilities.

But crafting high-quality Runes was extraordinarily difficult.

Only by obtaining priceless rare minerals could the finest Runes be produced.

The dungeon where such rare minerals could be mined was precisely a Mine Dungeon.

Maxim had previously explained that a Mine Dungeon yielded not only Rune materials but also various rare minerals used in equipment.

"Please mine to your heart's content."

"My liege......! Thank you so much......"

He was even tearing up.

By human standards, he was an elderly man past sixty, with a full white beard and white hair.

By dwarf standards too, he was an old grandfather.

I had once overheard that he was over one hundred years old.

'The maximum lifespan for a dwarf is roughly one hundred and sixty years.'

I patted the elderly dwarf's shoulder reassuringly.

Wiping his eyes, Maxim looked at me with a gaze as intense as fire and said.

"With the minerals mined from the Mine Dungeon you have created, I will forge the finest Runes to aid you, my liege!"

"That would be wonderful. And as always, please do not overdo it."

"Understood."

Afterward, Maxim and I chatted over tea about various matters.

Among them was a discussion about the Mage Tower.

"The Mage Tower seems to be an even more impressive structure than I initially thought."

"In what way?"

"Its control range is remarkably wide. It can exert influence over an area roughly three times the current Outpost's size."

"I did hear that."

The Mage Tower's core was a Transcendent-Grade Magic Stone, after all.

Plus twenty Highest-Grade Magic Stones.

One hundred High-Grade Magic Stones.

Five hundred Mid-Grade Magic Stones as auxiliary energy sources.

Beyond just the Magical Engineering devices within the Outpost, it powered defensive turrets. Recently, Ashley and Ruina had also been putting their heads together, researching ways to activate buff spells that would enhance the combat power of allied forces within the Outpost.

'Everyone, not just me, is working to ensure we can prevail even if the so-called Master awakens and leads an undead army here.'

Maxim then said.

"Given the Mage Tower's wide control range, how about constructing an additional outer wall to surround the existing fortress?"

"You mean...... making the current fortress wall the secondary inner wall, and building a primary defensive outer wall around it?"

"Precisely. That would further strengthen the Outpost's defenses. Moreover, the current township can house roughly two hundred and seventy people at capacity."

"That is right...... with two hundred and forty currently staying, space is starting to become a concern."

"Which is exactly why expanding the Outpost by adding the outer wall is necessary."

A very sound proposal.

A primary outer wall and secondary inner wall would be more effective for defense.

Infrastructure could be built between the outer and inner walls, like a township extension, to increase capacity.

"Not a bad plan. However......"

"Please speak freely."

"Building an outer wall would mean you and the Eckard Family would be swamped with work again without a moment's rest."

"Heh heh! Being busy is a good thing. Having nothing to do is the real torment."

"In any case, let us table it for now. You will need time to mine the Mine Dungeon and craft Runes."

"Indeed, working after crafting top-tier Runes would make everything far more efficient. I will do that, my liege."

And so the plan was shelved for now.

The Eckard Family dwarves needed their healing time too.

According to Maxim, mining was the most healing activity for a dwarf.

And when a precious mineral turned up during excavation, the joy was indescribable.

***

I restructured the Rift restaurant's operating system.

The lunch service would be handled exclusively by Ria and me.

And during lunch, no regular meals would be sold.

Only buff dishes and stat dishes.

'Even with that restriction, there is no shortage of customers.'

There were two reasons for the change.

First, as the number of Hunters staying at the Outpost had grown, the customer volume had become too large to sell both regular food and buff/stat food simultaneously.

So I split operations into lunch and dinner services.

Second, Rin's vegetable, fruit, and grain harvests had increased dramatically.

I was stockpiling them in Acresia, but the quantities were overwhelming.

'Among them are wheat, durum wheat, and rice.'

Rin was even growing rice paddies in a corner of the Farm Dungeon.

All A-Rank grain, naturally.

It was threshed and used for various flour-based dishes, durum wheat for pasta, and rice for meals.

'That is why the lunch menu always includes a Mana stat stacking dish made with A-Rank crops.'

I had begun selling Mana stat stacking dishes made from A-Rank crops as a core focus.

'Salads, poke bowls, pasta, pizza, risotto, and more.'

I could now create a wide variety of Mana stacking dishes using the grains.

The dinner service, by contrast, sold no buff or stat dishes.

Only regular meals.

And Ji-young was the main chef for dinner.

I also hired two new kitchen assistant guild members to support her.

I clocked in at 9 AM, ran the lunch service.

Finished lunch service at 2 PM, helped with dinner prep until 4 PM, then handed the restaurant to Ji-young and went home.

'Hunters would buy stat and buff dishes or Mana stacking dishes at lunch, then enjoy regular meals at dinner.'

After the restructuring, restaurant revenue nearly doubled.

The Hunters were very satisfied.

"Having both lunch and dinner service is amazing. I casually eat Mana stacking dishes at lunch, then have a regular dinner. Being able to eat twice a day here makes me so happy."

"I realized how cost-effective buying Mana stacking dishes is."

"At this rate, eating Mana stacking dishes daily, I will break one hundred in my Mana stat in no time."

"I will hit Third Awakening before I know it! Ha ha!"

Separating the lunch and dinner services had made the Hunters realize how important A-Rank crop Mana stacking dishes were.

Hunters achieving Second and Third Awakenings benefited me as well.

Some of them would become part of the Outpost's defense force in the distant future.

Earning money and strengthening the garrison at the same time.

'Truly killing two birds with one stone.'

Additionally, if a Hunter at the Outpost possessed a unique skill or had stats approaching S-Rank and was unaffiliated, I would recruit them into the guild.

The Outpost force-strengthening plan was progressing steadily.

***

"Yeona, Rin, Daddy is home!"

When I called out as I entered the Rift house living room, Rin, who had been reading a picture book to Yeona, closed the book and ran toward me with open arms.

"Daddy-!"

Yeona also strained her small body to get up from her baby sofa and toddled after her sister toward me.

"Dada!"

This was the happiness of a family provider coming home from work.

I scooped up Rin in one arm and Yeona in the other.

And my beloved wife also came to greet me.

"You are home late today. Was it very busy? I am sorry I could not help today."

She then planted a light kiss on my lips as I held both daughters.

The girls smiled bashfully watching their parents being affectionate.

Today, at Director Jeong Jae-yong's request, Ria had attended a World Rift Management Council meeting held in Seoul as my deputy guild master, accompanied by the Sword Saint elder.

"Ria, what was the main topic at the meeting today?"

"There were several, but the biggest agenda item was the Central and South American Awakened Cartel Union, which has occupied northeastern Guatemala."

"Ah, the ones who tried to infiltrate our Rift house and got subdued?"

"That is right."

"Their boss and enforcer were both captured, but they are still running wild?"

"Yes, a new boss has emerged and is leading the union. They used to manufacture drugs that only worked on Awakened, but now they have synthesized drugs that affect ordinary people too. The addiction and side effects are so severe that it has become a major problem across the Americas."

"That is a thorny issue."

Cartels could not simply be eradicated.

Lock up the leader, and the subordinates would split the organization, expanding it like tentacles.

The cartel landscape would only grow larger.

'A truly cancer-like menace that is hard to root out.'

In any case, the Central and South American Awakened Cartel had originated because of a specific Rift that opened in Guatemala.

It was because of a drug manufactured from a specific plant growing inside that dungeon.

If the plants inside that dungeon could be eliminated, the Awakened Cartel could be dismantled.

"If only I knew the dungeon's location, I would go there and burn every plant to ash."

Hearing me, Ria said.

"You never know. It might be a dungeon you passed over during your random dungeon searches."

"That is possible. Do you have any reference materials showing what the plant looks like?"

"Yes, there were photos of the plant in today's meeting materials. If you ask the Rift Management Bureau, they should show you."

"Then I should request the photos and take a look."

The next day, I made the request.

The Director personally sent the photos.

The plant in the photo resembled a rafflesia flower.

But while rafflesia was red, this flower was purple.

'I do not recognize it, so I probably have not seen it in any random dungeon.'

The number of dungeons was vast.

Hundreds, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands — the total was unknowable.

Still, I should search whenever I had time.

I might get lucky during a random dungeon search and find it.