Chapter 49 [Crevasse 1: Dungeon Seed]
The day after the recapture operation in Count Vazari's territory, as I commuted from the mansion to the cave as usual, I was greeted by Keyn, who seemed unusually flustered.
"Master! A dungeon has sprouted in the dungeon!"
Hold on, Keyn, do you even understand what you're saying? At least from my perspective, I have no clue about what you're talking about.
"Sorry, Master, I'm a bit flustered. Um, a dungeon has sprouted in the caverns where the rock golems live."
Ah, I see, I could grasp about half of that, but the other half is still incomprehensible.
"Master... in Crevasse... within the dungeon... a dungeon seed has... sprouted."
Huh? Dungeon seeds grow into dungeons, right? Do dungeon seeds usually sprout inside existing dungeons?
"In general... it's not impossible... however... they usually grow... in dungeons that have already... sprouted. But... Crevasse's dungeon... doesn't have... any dungeon seeds..."
Ah, I see. Since I rapidly turned Crevasse into a dungeon, there were no dungeon seeds or dungeon cores.
"In such cases, dungeon seeds usually grow fine, I think."
"What's the basic growth plan for dungeon seeds, and does it align with the current dungeon structure?"
"It's not entirely... nonexistent... but... most of the time... it gets absorbed... by the dungeon that sprouted first... However... Crevasse's dungeon... doesn't have... dungeon seeds..."
Ah, got it. So, because I instantly turned Crevasse into a dungeon, there was neither a dungeon seed nor a dungeon core.
"In these situations, there shouldn't be a problem with the dungeon seed growing."
"Master, you're concerned about this, aren't you? How unusual."
"Yeah, well, I'm just curious about what might happen."
Therefore, I'm going to ask Crevasse's group about their intentions. If they don't want this, I can move the dungeon seed elsewhere.
...
I consulted everyone about what to do in Crevasse. The unanimous answer was that they wanted to observe the dungeon's evolution.
"Didn't you say to extend a helping hand when the weak seek assistance?"
"Oh, right, you did say that."
The words had been bothering me, but when I saw the actual dungeon seed, it made sense. It was small, soft, and wobbly. Unlike the sturdy crystalline dungeon core, a newly sprouted dungeon seed was fragile. I could feel a protective instinct welling up. Yes.
And so, the development policy for Crevasse Dungeon was decided.