Chapter 28 - Confession and new Feature (2)

"?"

I was curious about this new feature that can be implemented at the dungeon. If this is what I think it is, then it would probably be something that can determine friendlies from enemies. I might even be able to give them certain permissions that may be able for them to utilize some of the dungeon's mechanics, like for instance, me giving Mari the permission to use the [Dungeon Portal] to teleport to anywhere in the dungeon. Or, instead, I can give her control on where to place [Dungeon Portals] so that she can freely move in and out of the dungeon if she wanted to.

"Yes, but I don't know what that means. I only know that after that voice told me that I met the criteria, I was already designated as a ."

"… Hmm…"

So if it was like that, then it meant that the was the one responsible for designating . If that theory is correct, then the , or me in this situation, cannot designate them himself. If so, then I need to find out what criteria is needed in order for me to use this mechanic.

I opened the and saw that it wasn't all that different…

'Hey wait a second…'

"Mari, where did you get those bandages you used to dress my wounds…?"

"I got it from the blue crystal in the basement."

"…"

'Does the have a mind of its own…?'

If that also proved correct, then can I hope for autonomous control over the dungeon while I am out exploring?

"But after I got the bandages, it never gave out anything else, even until now."

"Wait, you said until now right? How long was I out…?"

"… About one week."

"!?"

That literally hit me right in the back of the head. If I was out for one week, how many times was the dungeon raided by monsters during that time? Also, and most important of all, where did Mari get the food for both of us?

"Mari, where did you get your food?"

"From the blue crystal too."

"But you said that it didn't give you anything after giving you those bandages…"

"Ah that, it gave it to me before giving me the bandages."

"…"

'Seriously? Is she teasing me right now…?'

I face-palmed myself for trying to ask Mari about where she got the food. Come to think of it, she was mischievous back in the slums as well.

"This is a bad time for jokes, you know that Mari…"

"… Sorry…"

Feeling the coldness in my voice, Mari quickly apologized.

"Sheesh… During times like these, please, just be reasonable with the jokes alright?"

"… Yes…"

She hung her head down while reflecting on her behavior.

'She really is still just a child…'

This made me want to protect her more and more.

"Setting those questions aside, did anything try and attack my dungeon?"

"I don't know…"

If she really didn't know, then it means that she has no access to my dungeon related abilities. If I want her to know about dangerous situations in real time, this is an indispensible ability Mari should have.

'Now then, how should I grant it to her…?'

I checked the once more and found out that there was another tab I missed.

Dungeon Master: Gren --- Drake Wota

Dungeon Level: 4

Type of Dungeon: Void

[Market]

[Customization]

[Statistics]

[Community] (Available at Dungeon Level 5)

[Set Dungeon Portal] [1/3 Used]

[Residents]

'The tab must be associated with Mari…'

So without further ado, I opened the tab and a window with a list appeared. Since there was only one in the list, which was Mari, the list was mostly empty. I also realized that focusing on Mari's name allowed me to open another tab displaying some information about Mari, as well as some commands.

Resident Name: Mari

Gender: Female

Age: 11

Race: Human

Class: None

Titles: None

Skills: [Service Lv 4] [Pain Nullification Lv 3]

Permissions: None

MP Generation: 5 + 10 (First Resident Bonus) = 15 / day

Once I saw the skills part of Mari, I unconsciously clenched my fist.

'… Shit…'

It once again reminded me of how tough Mari's life had been in the slums.

"Hm…? Gren?"

"… No, it's nothing…"

I calmed myself down and looked down further. By the way, this was the first time I was seeing a column. Since I bought and learned (forcibly) the skill [Invulnerability], I could actually use it during tough situations. I also wanted to see where I can see my own, but for now I had to focus on this for the moment.

Below the column were the Column. If I'm not mistaken, this is where I can probably give them specific controls of the dungeon. Further below that was .

I ignored that part since it was pretty much self-explanatory. In a nutshell, generate MP everyday for my dungeon, which is in my case, a well brought benefit, thus, making me want to crave more and more .

"So for now, set of Mari to being able to use the exclusively for travel only, exclusively for food and daily life items, as well as during an invasion… And voila."

"Huh, what?"

Not minding the confused Mari, I finished up setting the Mari will have in my dungeon.

"Mari, I gave you, as a of my dungeon, some benefits to make your life easier inside. First of all, is the …"

After a few minutes of teaching her how to use the I gave her, I laid back down on the bed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm tired… My body is still fatigued from the blood loss…"

"… Hey Gren…"

"What?"

Just when I opened my mouth to ask her why she called out to me, I tasted something sweet entered my mouth.

"I bought something using the MP you have to but something that looked delicious in the ."

I chewed and swallowed the sweet tasting treat in my mouth. Later did I realize that she bought a butter cake from the .

"Mari, thanks for the food. I was feeling a bit hungry, but please don't go spending all of my MP, I might need it during an invasion."

"Yes."

Seeing that she was glad that I was able to relieve some of my hunger, I floated a smile up on my face before lying down once more to rest.

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~ Third Person POV ~

"Uhhh… What the heck is a bell doing in this forest?"

"I don't know, but it looks good. How about bringing it to town for some quick cash?"

"Wait, don't you two see something underneath that bell?"

Three men could be seen wandering around the forest where beginner adventurers usually start in the city of Frenia. Frenia was the city that was next after Garjo.

These three were, without a doubt, beginners, seeing as their lack of awareness in their surroundings, as well as their equipment gave them away.

"… Yeah, I see it…"

"Is that what I think it is?"

"… Dungeon…"

"Should we go in?"

"Since this wasn't here before, this must be a new dungeon. There might me untouched treasure inside!"

"… I don't know… Aren't dungeons dangerous places?"

"Pfff… As if a difficult dungeon would appear in a beginner forest full of rabbits and boars."

"Think about the riches we could gain inside this dungeon!"

The two adventurers were blinded by greed, while the other one was cautious. But, being the guy he is, as someone who was easily swept by the flow, he was brought in by the mood of the two adventurers.

"… Fine, but only surface, okay?"

"Yeah!"

"Treasure, here we come!"

Those three adventurers were never seen again after entering the dungeon…