"Wow, amazing, Kurenai!"
Ashtarot clapped his hands, approaching the skeleton with Sorrel, who felt a twinge of disappointment as he let go of her hand.
The skeleton turned around and transformed into a beautiful woman. Her long, straight hair framed her face, and her red eyes gleamed with a haunting allure.
She wore a white kimono adorned with red spider lily patterns, and her obi, decorated with a large red bow, was tied at the front. The kimono's long sleeves nearly touched the ground, adding to her ethereal beauty.
Kurenai's expression shifted to panic as she saw Ashtarot. Bowing deeply, she said, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't aware you were here, Lord Ashtarot."
"You don't need to be this formal," Ashtarot sighed. "Politeness is enough, and I told you not to call me 'Lord.'"
In the Kingdom of Ni, hospitality and courteousness, especially towards those more mature or of higher rank, were paramount. However, he believed this formality hindered the effectiveness of his workers.
If they couldn't voice their thoughts properly, the dungeon's system would never improve. He valued critiques, suggestions, and innovations from both workers and dungeon dwellers to enhance the dungeon continuously.
"My apologies, I'm not used to it yet," Kurenai said, lifting her head. She glanced at Sorrel, clearly curious about her identity.
Sorrel forced a smile despite her inner turmoil. 'Who is this new bitch? Does she like Ashtarot? Look at her, acting all nervous. She must like him!'
Her mind raced with ways to get rid of the woman in front of her. She saw every living being as a potential rival for Ashtarot's love, whether man, woman, human, alien, or any race capable of thought.
After all, he was the greatest, most handsome, charming, hardworking, and sadistic man alive.
Ashtarot cleared his throat, "This is Lady Sorrel. She is the head of the Design & Development Division." He placed a hand on Sorrel's back and gently pushed her forward.
"Ah... Yes, nice to meet you, Kurenai," Sorrel managed, her voice steady despite the fact that she wanted to strangle her.
"I see... Nice to meet you too, Lady Sorrel." Kurenai bowed deeply once more.
The two women exchanged awkward smiles while Ashtarot busied himself with the system.
He summoned the Diabolical Sphere and ordered it to inspect Kurenai and the area for any abnormalities.
The likelihood of abnormalities was low among elite monsters on high floors. Unlike the lower floors, where monsters were created within the dungeon and possessed limited consciousness, elite monsters on higher floors like the 15th were often recruited from across Lamein to serve as floor bosses or elite guards.
"Dungeon administrator, give Kurenai's status," Ashtarot remarked, as a blue screen materialized in front of him. He examined her details:
[Name: Kurenai]
[Worker Status: (New) Active]
[Race: Gashadokuro]
[Type: Elite Monster]
[Area: Higanbana no Gen'ei on 15th Floor]
[Terrain: Red spider lily flower fields]
[Appearance: Beautiful woman with long black hair and red eyes wearing a white-red kimono. Can turn into a giant skeleton 10 meters high.]
[Unique: Illusion, area manipulation, ghostly hands, invisibility, red spider lily manipulation, fast regeneration, etc.]
---
[Battle Record]
[Total Battles: 80]
[Wins: 52]
[Losses: 28]
[Number of Kills: 950]
[Soul Fragments Collected: 18,050 SL]
"Hmmm... 80 battles and 52 wins, not bad," he murmured. "Do you have any complaints regarding the work environment or the work itself?"
His eyes remained fixed on the system as his fingers flew over the transparent keyboard, filling in the survey report.
"Everything is perfect here, Mr. Ashtarot. The weather is nice, I love the sound of men screaming and crying. Also, I love eating them." She fiddled with her fingers.
"Well, I do have some problems with a particular 'neighbor' here." Her eyes glanced to the right, and she sighed.
Ashtarot paused his typing and looked at her. "What kind of problem?"
"It's just that..."
***
Kurenai remembered how she was resting on a rock near her area and the 'particular' neighbor's site. However, the neighbor also decided to join her and commented:
"You must be new here, nice kimono... It's so... vintage." He smiled.
As someone well-versed in passive-aggressive banter, she knew her neighbor was mocking her for her 'old-fashioned' kimono.
She didn't care about that, but still, this man was annoying.
"Haha, hello there. I like your hair too, it's so... colorful. I can see it from a hundred meters away." She smiled back, matching his energy.
The neighbor touched his hair. It wasn't wrong to say it was 'flashy,' as he had colored it magenta.
"Thank you, neighbor. You must like my real appearance too."
He then transformed into a giant skeleton. The skeleton wore a geiko shimada* with red spider lily hair ornament and a loose red kimono with red spider lily patterns.
"Cool, isn't it? How about yours?"
***
"Remembering it makes my head boil! That manwhore, how dare he flex like that!" Kurenai's face contorted in anger, transforming into a half-skull as she spoke.
"I see, worker rivalry is common in the workplace," Ashtarot noted, continuing to type on his keyboard.
"But, Mr. Ashtarot... Can I ask Lady Sorrel for help? I want her to design my skeleton appearance," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Being new, she was unsure if such a request was permissible.
"Of course, if Lady Sorrel approves it," Ashtarot replied.
Sorrel's eyes widened at this golden opportunity to showcase her skills and the way to get his approval and praise.
"Sure," she agreed eagerly.
The two women then started to collaborate. Sorrel used the system screen to sketch the details while Kurenai described the aesthetic she desired.
"Well, it's just a simple design for now," Sorrel said, showing her work.
"Wow, this is good!" Kurenai exclaimed.
The design featured a skeleton in samurai armor, with a kabuto* helmet and shoulder armor. The gaps between the armor pieces were adorned with red spider lilies.
The chest was unarmored, but there was an oni mask on it, with a mouth that could open to allow Kurenai to use her skill to shoot higanbana petals.
"Finally, I can defeat that bitch!" Kurenai exclaimed happily.
Sorrel glanced at Ashtarot, hoping to impress him with her work and also eagerly awaiting his praise also the 'present' because she was working hard!
'Ah! Ah! I want him to fuck me~' she thought.
Ashtarot, noticing the excellent design and the enthusiasm from both women, nodded approvingly.
"Impressive work, Lady Sorrel. This will surely enhance Kurenai's presence and efficiency."
Kurenai's joy was palpable as she admired the design. "Thank you so much, Lady Sorrel. This is perfect!"
Sorrel smiled, basking in the praise, while internally, she was imagining what kind of 'gift' she would get from Ashtarot.