Dungeon Monster Enhancement System.
Maru gained that system after attaining enlightenment.
Thanks to that, I learned how to open the system and gave Celia an order.
“Have everyone attain enlightenment.”
Even I thought it was a rather abstruse order.
So I had not expected much.
- The Skeleton Archer attained enlightenment through training.
- The Skeleton Archer’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked.
- The Skeleton Magic Trainee attained enlightenment through training.
- The Skeleton Magic Trainee’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked.
Before long, alerts popped up saying the monsters had begun attaining enlightenment one by one.
The alerts did not sound just once; they continued ringing.
- The Banshee attained enlightenment through training.
- The Banshee’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked.
- The Skeleton Knight attained enlightenment.
- The Skeleton Knight’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked.
Here and there, even three-star monsters attained enlightenment and unlocked the system.
“Celia really is capable.”
To resolve an order like making them attain enlightenment so easily…
“By the way, what kind of training are they doing for that to happen?”
I did not know in what way Skoll had attained enlightenment, but Maru had gained it through battle.
And the ones triggering alerts now were all said to have attained enlightenment through training.
“Is Celia working them that hard?”
No, was it even possible to attain enlightenment through training in the first place?
This easily?
I even started to wonder if this enhancement system was some kind of freebie event.
Now that I thought about it, there had been two systems that came to mind when I gained the trait.
One was the current enhancement system, and the other was the level system.
“If it keeps going like this, the enhancement system will be resolved in no time.”
The alerts kept ringing.
At first, I thought things were going smoothly, but before long, I noticed one strange point.
“…Why do alerts keep popping up only for the undead?”
The alerts saying they had attained enlightenment appeared only for the undead.
- Denver attained enlightenment through training.
- Denver’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked.
Even a named unique monster had attained enlightenment, but he was also undead.
[Dungeon Monster Enhancement System]
- Dungeon Master “Lee Ganghyeon” (Unlocked)
- Maru (★★★★) (Unlocked)
- Skoll (★★★) (Unlocked)
- Denver (★★★) (Unlocked)
- Banshee (★★★)×4 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Knight (★★★)×6 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Swordsman (★★)×21 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Mage (★★)×7 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Archer (★★)×13 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Soldier (★)×43 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Archer Apprentice (★)×27 (Unlocked)
- Skeleton Magic Trainee (★)×18 (Unlocked)
“Huh…”
Thanks to this, a large number of monsters had attained enlightenment, but I could not simply be happy about it.
Aside from me and Skoll, they were all undead.
On top of that, their ranks were also a problem.
Even now, the highest-ranked monster was Maru, a four-star.
The rest were a few three-stars, while most were one- and two-stars.
But enhancing one- and two-star monsters felt like something of a waste.
The abilities that could be enhanced could only be obtained through sacrifices, and I would use them to enhance mere one-star monsters?
The cost-effectiveness did not add up.
“It’s a shame. It would have been better if Celia or the Death Knight had gained it instead…”
If only Celia’s enhancement system had opened, I could have considered it a profitable deal.
“Attaining enlightenment really isn’t easy, huh.”
Even among the undead, the number whose enhancement system had opened was a small proportion compared to the whole.
It was disappointing, but this was not something I could do anything about.
It was not as if I could point a blade at the monsters and harass them into attaining enlightenment.
Instead, I decided to focus on another issue.
“What is the problem?”
Why were only the undead monsters attaining enlightenment?
I immediately touched the screen showing Area 1, where the undead were gathered.
“?”
Contrary to my expectation that some tremendous training would be taking place, Area 1 was peaceful.
The Arch Lich stood at the very front, and the other monsters were training according to the Arch Lich’s orders.
“The Arch Lich must be good at controlling his subordinates.”
Everyone followed the Arch Lich’s words well.
It felt like I had discovered the Arch Lich’s true nature through this incident.
“Is that what a true leader looks like?”
Instead of giving the Arch Lich the title of inspector, wouldn’t he have done well if I had simply given him some kind of leader-like position?
“Let’s check the other places too.”
After checking Area 1, I immediately touched the screen and headed to the next area.
It was Area 2.
Goblins lived in Area 2, and most of the place was packed with huts.
And in the corners where there were no huts, I could see goblins training.
It was not as if they were training sloppily, either.
They were truly doing their best with all their effort.
In some ways, they seemed to be working even harder than the undead in Area 1.
“No, they really are working hard.”
Even though they were training that hard, not a single goblin was attaining enlightenment.
I caught onto that point.
Why were only the undead attaining enlightenment?
Why couldn’t the other races do it?
What was the difference between the undead and the other races?
I pondered what difference was creating these results.
I kept going back and forth between Area 1 and Area 2, looking around the dungeon.
Then, all of a sudden, one possibility came to mind.
“A difference in facilities?”
Could it perhaps be related to the dungeon facilities?
That thought suddenly struck me.
“Facilities, huh…”
It made sense.
And if I compared it in terms of facilities, I could also explain why only the undead had attained enlightenment.
“…Well, the undead aren’t exactly a race bound by location.”
The undead were beings that were already dead.
As such, they mainly appeared in gloomy places like graveyards or battlefields. In other words, as long as there was a dark place, time and location did not matter.
Even if that place were a filthy sewer, undead monsters could live there.
Location was not particularly important to the undead.
Even now, there were enough of them to fill Area 1, but that did not matter to them.
They did not need to rest, and they did not need to consume anything—that was the kind of race the undead were.
They could simply stand around all day.
In the end, this was where they differed greatly from other monsters.
So perhaps this was the reason only the undead were attaining enlightenment.
Meanwhile, the goblins in Area 2 had no separate place and were being trained beside their huts.
As if that were not enough, some of them were in such a difficult situation that they even had to go outside the dungeon to train.
And I expected them to attain enlightenment in an environment like this from the start?
That was asking for too much.
“At the very least, we need training grounds.”
Still, it was fortunate that I realized it now.
“I need to develop the dungeon facilities.”
Above all, this dungeon and I were connected.
If the dungeon were subjugated, my life would also be in danger.
For the efficiency of the monsters, too, the time had come to upgrade the dungeon.
I immediately touched the screen and looked around the dungeon.
This time, I was not watching training but trying to see what facilities were needed.
“Hmm.”
The current dungeon was broadly divided into five places.
Four areas, from Area 1 to Area 4.
And including the central section where the dungeon core existed, there were five in total.
There was no great meaning behind it.
Except for the central section, it was a simple design that merely grouped similar races together.
I could describe this sight in one phrase.
“A residential dungeon.”
It was merely living space where the monsters could stay.
It was not exactly a place where they could do anything in particular.
Of course, for monsters, a dungeon was probably a place with this kind of simple purpose.
But from the perspective of someone like me, who lived in modern society, the current state of the dungeon looked far too desolate.
Even if it did not have to be modernized, there was a need to develop the dungeon’s infrastructure.
Dungeon development was ultimately an option I could no longer put off.
“But I wonder if higher-ranked dungeons are different in some way?”
The dungeons I had entered until now had all been low-rank ones.
Since I had not had a status window either, the highest had been D-rank at best.
Even when I lived on the Eldorad Continent for two years, the highest rank I entered as a porter was a silver-rank dungeon.
Because of that, I did not know in detail how high-rank dungeons were structured.
“If I knew even roughly, it would serve as a reference.”
I could use it for the development of my own dungeon.
Just in case, I immediately searched for related materials.
Unfortunately, however, there was not much information about dungeons.
The little information there was all concerned low-rank dungeons, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that there were no materials at all on high-rank dungeons.
I searched for materials about dungeons, but all that came up was information that did not seem credible.
[Another Murder Case in a Dungeon, Hunters’ Bodies Found…]
“Tsk.”
Among them, an unpleasant article caught my eye.
“There are more and more villains these days.”
When I saw articles like that, I was once again reminded that strength was what mattered in the end.
“I have to keep getting stronger.”
And what I needed right now was the development of my dungeon, so I returned to my smartphone.
I looked over the dungeon in order, starting from Area 1.
[First Layer, Area 1]
- Mid-Boss: Death Knight (★★★★★)
Area 1, where the Death Knight served as the mid-boss and where the undead mainly lived.
But there seemed to be no reason to develop this place immediately.
“Well, it’s not like they sleep…”
So they did not seem to need huts like the goblins did.
For now, it seemed fine to look at the other areas first and think about this place last.
Next was Area 2.
[First Layer, Area 2 Mid-Boss]
- Goblin Lord (★★★★★)
This was a place where many goblins lived under the control of the Goblin Lord.
“Hmm.”
This place was definitely far too cramped.
On top of that, they needed separate places to live, so once huts were built for them, the space looked even narrower.
“If I could, I’d like to solve it right away…”
After clearing the monster wave, the penalty still remained.
For the time being, I could not use most content related to monster summoning or dungeon expansion.
It was regrettable.
First, out of disappointment, I decided to give Celia an urgent order.
- Try expanding Area 2 a bit more.
If I said just that, Celia would begin the work on her own.
Since I could not use the game system for now, I decided to choose an analog method.
Namely, mobilizing manpower to expand the size of the dungeon.
In a situation where I did not know when the penalty would be lifted, this seemed better than doing nothing.
Then, once the penalty was lifted, I could use the system to develop it properly.
For Area 2, in addition to expansion, I intended to build a training ground so the goblins could train whenever they wanted.
“For now, I should keep dungeon expansion and a training ground in mind for Area 2.”
If I had the leeway, I would upgrade the huts as well.
I immediately touched the screen.
“Aren is doing well.”
Next was Area 3.
Area 3 did not have a separate mid-boss.
In the middle of the wide field were man-eating plants, and only bloodsucking butterflies flew through the air.
Spiders had taken up places in the corners, and it looked peaceful.
And the little child weaving through them was Aren.
Since Aren did not yet belong to my dungeon, I could not check a detailed description.
I could only confirm the information that he was a vampire.
But Aren was moving around more diligently than anyone else.
Even now, Aren was going back and forth to the lakeside in Area 4 to draw water.
He sprinkled the water he had drawn over the plants and was managing Area 3 in his own way.
“But who’s the one next to him?”
Besides Aren, another presence caught my eye.
I clicked on it, but like Aren, they did not belong to my dungeon.
“Nariel…?”
At least the name appeared.
But no further information came up.
“That’s strange.”
I zoomed in on the screen, but since they were wearing their hat pulled down low, I could not see their appearance properly.
There were already two outsiders who did not belong to the dungeon.
“Hmm. It should be fine, right?”
Celia had probably brought Nariel into the dungeon as well, so I figured she must have had her own reasons.
Still, I realized it was not good to leave everything entirely to her.
I decided I would ask Celia for a report soon and sank into thought.
There was not really anything to worry about in Area 3, to be honest.
Its concept from the start was nature.
The creatures that mainly inhabited it were plant-type monsters and insects, so enlightenment or whatever did not seem to hold much meaning.
“If there’s anything to worry about, it’s that they’re too vulnerable to fire.”
Area 3 was a place with fields and plants, and it had the disadvantage of being far too vulnerable to the fire attribute.
“I’ll have to organize a separate unit for this.”
If an intruder set fire to Area 3, I would need beings capable of suppressing it.
“I can make it from the goblins, right?”
Goblins were what I had in surplus anyway.
So I decided to organize a firefighting unit made up of goblins.
* * *
“Mr. Death Knight.”
At Celia’s question, the Death Knight raised his head.
Until now, the Death Knight had been cleaning up the lakeside in Area 4.
“The Master has given an order.”
At Celia’s words, the Death Knight’s face lit up.
The Master’s order?
Could it be that he would finally be able to go outside the dungeon?
The Death Knight waited for Celia to say the next words quickly.
“First, take this.”
As soon as Celia finished speaking, the Skeleton Knight beside her handed the Death Knight a pickaxe.
?
What was he supposed to do with this pickaxe?
“From now on, according to the Master’s order, we will expand Area 2.”
“……”
The Death Knight’s punishment continued.