"Interesting," Oboro said, nodding as he looked at the concept drawing I had shared with him for the dungeon.
I had closed the stream and was showing him a rough draft of the dungeon's layout that I had been gradually working on. Though I rarely use it, I had installed some illustration software on my computer and was using a pen tablet to sketch out the overall layout.
"I've already laid down the basic groundwork and rough terrain. See here?"
"Hm, it looks good, but you don't need the river or lake," Oboro commented.
"Why not?" I asked, curious.
"I can create them," Oboro replied confidently.
"…What?"
"I can create them!" he repeated with even more emphasis.
"You're saying it like it's some kind of big revelation. Wait, seriously?"
"Naturally," he said, puffing out his chest with pride.
I stared at him in disbelief, my mouth slightly agape.
"Monsters summoned through the gacha often have abilities that help save DP (Dungeon Points), especially those of higher rarity. The rarer the monster, the more likely they are to have such skills. Since I'm an UR (Ultra Rare), I can do things like this with my weather control and water magic skills," Oboro explained smugly.
"No way. So I can cancel the plans for the river and lake and save some DP?" I asked, already excited by the idea.
"Just give me some markers for where you want them, and I'll create them in the dungeon myself," Oboro offered.
"Alright, I'll mark the spots with lines. Here, the lake's depth and the river's width and depth should match these specs," I said, drawing some rough guidelines.
"Understood. I'll go get started," Oboro said before vanishing on the spot.
I looked at my terminal, where I could see the live feed of the dungeon. As Oboro entered the dungeon, his figure appeared on the display.
Hisu and Inaho were both peeking over my shoulders, their fluffy fur and whiskers tickling me as they observed Oboro's work.
"Wow, that's impressive," I muttered as I watched him.
Starting at the top of the mountain, where the river would begin, Oboro used his weather control to summon rain. He then used water magic to carve the land according to the lines I had marked. The lake was also being formed to the requested size and depth, with the rain growing heavier as the process went on.
I planned for the dungeon's central town to be a water city, and Oboro was now shaping a sizable lake right in the middle. The water would take some time to accumulate, and even longer for the lake to clear up and settle, but it was starting to take shape.
Since waiting around for the water to fill seemed like a waste of time, I shifted my focus back to planning the overall dungeon structure.
Initially, I had thought about making the city look like Venice, but considering that Oboro was clearly based on a Japanese theme, it didn't feel right. Plus, Hisu and the others were cat-themed monsters, so the only idea that came to mind was a cat café... which didn't exactly scream adventure.
So, I decided to switch gears and make it a Japanese-style water city. I moved the old Venice-inspired concept sketches to a different folder and opened a new file to begin sketching the new design.
Since Oboro wore a loose-fitting kariginu, I thought basing the architecture on the *shinden-zukuri* style would be fitting. I did some quick research online for reference images. The *shinden-zukuri* style has an extension called a *tsuridono*, which is a corridor-like structure that juts out over a pond. That seemed perfect for a water city. It would look stunning in photos and videos too.
However, having the entire city floating on water would be impractical, so I decided to connect the main buildings with roads on land while still keeping plenty of waterways. As I roughly sketched this out, I realized the concept was coming together.
The main building would be off-limits to adventurers most of the time, except during special events when I'd let them explore it. In the meantime, it could serve as a decorative focal point—an iconic part of the dungeon's scenery.
Of course, the interior could wait. I didn't have enough DP to fully furnish it yet, so I'd just focus on the exterior and make sure it looked good for now.
The entrance to the dungeon would lead directly to this water city. Near the gate, I planned to place various guild buildings and lay down a path that would guide adventurers across bridges leading to the main structure. The city would look like an island floating on a lake, with the water serving as a natural defense.
I also decided to design the main building based on the *Rokujō-in* from "The Tale of Genji" since modeling it after the imperial palace would make it too large. Even with this smaller design, it would still be a grand and impressive structure, perfect as the dungeon's main attraction.
"I'm back. Oh, are you changing the city's design?" Oboro asked, suddenly reappearing beside me.
"Yeah, since you and the other monsters have such a strong Japanese vibe, I decided to go with a Japanese-style water city," I explained.
"Excellent! I'm sure it'll turn out to be a beautiful city," Oboro said, clearly excited.
"Well, my drawing skills can only get me so far, but I'll rough out the basics and work out the finer details directly in the dungeon. For now, I'll make some small villages and towns within the dungeon, connect them with roads, adjust the vegetation, and then place some resource-gathering points. After that, I'll add some respawning monsters without self-awareness to complete the setup," I said, outlining my plan as I showed Oboro my notes and rough sketches.
Oboro nodded, seeming pleased with the direction I was taking.
As I continued explaining, he asked, "What about resources? How are you planning to distribute them within the dungeon?"
"Oh, I'm focusing on plants like medicinal herbs, along with meats, fish, and vegetables. Ores will be available, but as a secondary resource. I'll add more ore deposits in a future update, and eventually, I might even include oil and other materials."
"That's an interesting choice, prioritizing food and herbs over ores. Isn't mining usually more lucrative?" Oboro asked, tilting his head.
"Well, I have a feeling Kondo's dungeon will be mining-heavy, so I'm trying to avoid direct competition. He didn't say it outright, but from what I've gathered from his streams, it sounds like his focus is going to be on minerals. I don't want us both vying for the same customer base right off the bat. There's no point in making things harder for ourselves when we're just starting out," I explained.
Oboro thought for a moment before nodding. "Ah, I see. So, you're focusing on sustainability and cooperation for now. Competing too early could backfire."
"Exactly. We'll compete later, once everyone has established themselves. For now, the priority is making sure all four of us—Japan's first dungeon creators—get off to a strong start."
"Smart thinking. I agree. And honestly, the idea of a dungeon focused on adventure and fun sounds refreshing. There's more to life than resources. It should be fun to explore your dungeon."
"Exactly."
I looked at the gacha screen on my terminal, knowing that soon enough, I'd have to take another spin for more monsters to help fill out the dungeon. Here's hoping I'd get something good this time.