I decided to resign from my current job. I may not be making much money at the moment. However, with the dungeon, my expenses have decreased significantly.
With the dungeon, I already have a place to live that's much better than my old apartment. Perhaps the comparison of what's better would be like going from using a potato to play online to using a virtual reality device.
I haven't achieved my dream of having a mansion yet, but the way things are going, and the freedom of possibilities I have within the master's room, it won't be long before that dream becomes a reality.
As this possibility becomes more and more attainable, my desire for more has started to grow. Things I had been suppressing are resurfacing, such as the desire to start a family, the wish for fame and wealth, the longing to embark on adventures, the aspiration for power – various things I never imagined I wanted.
Well, all of this depends on how far I can go with this dungeon master thing.
By the way, I managed to accumulate a decent amount of dungeon coins. About a week after the dungeons were created, people's interest began to increase. Various news sites started discussing it, and studies emerged on the advantages of becoming an Awakened.
This sudden surge is clearly suspicious, possibly the play of someone with a lot of money and power. The purpose behind it is impossible to know – whether it's for the betterment of humanity, to create chaos, or simply a dungeon master looking for more visitors to their dungeon.
This led to an influx of people seeking out the dungeons, thereby increasing the generation of dungeon coins and the need to improve the capacity to accept challengers.
With the increase in profit and the influx of people, dungeon expansion became necessary. What used to be five rooms with some goblins and slimes has now become twelve different rooms, each containing a larger number of mobs than the previous one. Another change was the removal of the labyrinthine design.
We adopted this style due to the high number of ordinary people; the previous format sometimes left them confused about how they died or trapped in a room full of mobs without knowing what to do.
However, in compensation, the challenge of each subsequent level is always greater than the previous one – something that the Awakened have embraced, as some used to find themselves waiting for monsters to respawn without anything to do, losing time and not finding it exciting or challenging enough.
These changes resulted in a larger flow of Awakened individuals, leading us to increase the quantity of plans for the dimension-splitting function. Now we can use eight plans simultaneously.
Alongside other necessary adjustments to accommodate everyone and serve them better, it cost around 2000 coins, leaving the dungeon with a profit of 1000 coins.
An unexpected change occurred: the mobs in my dungeon started becoming more intelligent, or rather, more challenging. For some reason, they learned to coordinate better and displayed more fluid attacks.
This change can also be observed in Rick's dungeon, although it's less noticeable there.
Taking advantage of the relatively stable situation, I decided to summon a hero and complete this objective once and for all.
"System, I want to purchase a hero summoning."
[Purchase confirmed, hero being randomly generated]
[Congratulations, you have acquired a beast man hero of the panther species]
After the announcement, a circle filled with inscriptions formed in the air, from which a white light emerged. With each passing second, the light formed an image of a person – well, something resembling a person, if you ignore the tail and the clearly panther-like ears.
When the magic circle vanished, before me stood a young girl with some panther-like characteristics.
"Daddy."
"System, are you kidding me?"
Clearly, a child stood before me.
[Host, please be aware that all heroes are, in a way, immortal. As long as the dungeon or the dungeon master exists, they will exist as well, and thus they won't age.]
"But she's clearly a child. How am I supposed to let her fight in the dungeon?"
[Don't worry about that. Summoned heroes can change their appearance to look younger or older, although they do have preferences for the forms they wish to take.]
"Daddy, you don't need to worry. I'm really strong, see."
As if sensing my doubts, she attempted to flex her muscles – totally cute, but that's beside the point.
"That's not the issue. You look like a child, and a very cute one. How can I let you fight?"
"That's not a problem."
In an instant, she transformed into a young woman in her twenties.
[Host, don't worry. All summoned heroes are provided with a certain amount of information upon creation to aid in dungeon management, along with the necessary strength.]
Well, one of my concerns has been resolved.
"Feel free, I understand. Thank you."
Upon saying that, she transformed back into her young girl form.
"Do you have a name? And why are you calling me daddy?"
"I don't have a name yet, and I call you daddy because you're my daddy. Am I wrong?"
As she asked me this, she had a sad look on her face, as if she had done something wrong.
"Well, you're not wrong. But how I'm not good with names , so I can't give you one at the moment."
Upon hearing this, her expression grew even sadder.
"Wait a second."
Without wasting time, I sent a message and initiated a group call with the others.
"Emergency, I need urgent help. Everyone, come to the master's room."
Having learned from past mistakes, I won't make the same error again, especially not in such a crucial situation.
As the urgent call echoed through the group, each member swiftly arrived at the master's room. Their faces held a mix of curiosity and concern as they observed the young girl before me.
"Daddy, who are they?"
Just with that, the place went totally silent.
"What's going on?" Oliver's deep voice boomed through the room, breaking the tension.
I took a deep breath, gesturing towards the child beside me.
"Everyone, meet our newly summoned hero."
Confused glances exchanged between the team members as they tried to process the unexpected addition.
"A hero?" Livia's brows furrowed. "But why does she look so... young?"
"Well, long story short, she can change appearance, to younger or older forms, however this is her favorite form."
Rick chimed in with curiosity. "But why did her call you daddy earlier?"
"Well, in a way, she is not entirely wrong, but when I asked her why and was about to ask her to change it, she looked so sad that I couldn't bring myself to ask her to change it."
"Why did you call us in such a rush?"
I took a deep breath before explaining.
"I need your help in giving her a name. I'm terrible with names, and I don't want to give her something horrible."
Oliver scratched his chin in thought. "What about 'Aria'? It sounds nice."
Livia added, "Or 'Luna' – it's related to the moon, and panthers have that mysterious and nocturnal quality."
Rebeca smiled warmly. "I like 'Lyra.' It's both elegant and unique, just like her."
Alexandra, who had been silent for a while, finally offered a suggestion. "How about 'Seraphine'? It's a bit exotic and holds a sense of strength."
We all shared a good laugh at Rick's playful suggestion, but eventually, it was Lívia suggestion that resonated with me.
"What do you think, Luna?"
Her eyes brightened, and a small smile formed on her lips.
"I like it. It's a pretty name."
With the name decided, a magical sparkle surrounded Luna for a moment, as if sealing the choice.
With that, Luna became everyone's little mascot. Everyone wanted to spoil her, pet her, and play with her.
After everything was settled, as we were saying our goodbyes, Oliver called me aside.
"When are you going to find a mother for her? It's about time you moved on from your ex." - his voice a mix of concern and friendly teasing.
"I'm considering it, moving forward. After the dungeon, I started thinking about it."
"Changing the subject, what about you and Rebeca? You've always had a crush on her, and it seems to be mutual."
Blushing, Oliver, despite his imposing stature and tough appearance, was completely shy and hesitant when it came to his own love life.
"Do you think so? I was thinking about asking her out, but I was afraid of getting rejected."
"Trust me, my friend, the signs are there. Everyone except you noticed."
After chatting a bit more, everyone went back to work, the only difference being that we were accompanied by a cute and little companion.