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Chapter 127 – Day 19 of the Strategy Life
“Want to dig a dungeon?”
Over breakfast, Hel and Ka-Ryu suggested digging a dungeon.
“There are two swamps near our base, right? One was used to control a giant magical beast, but the other didn’t exist 100 years ago.”
“I think it was probably a dungeon used to train monsters, but it collapsed and sank into the ground, forming a swamp.”
The swamp we always use to wash our faces and bathe is full of giant monster bones, but the other one is overgrown with water plants and hasn’t been explored much.
If it was a dungeon ruin based on Ka-Ryu’s memories, excavating it could help us understand the safety of the eggs and allow us to operate the dungeon.
“We can excavate it, and it could lead to the development of dungeons and the establishment of training facilities. It’s all good news for the demonic land. Let’s investigate the other swamp. How did the damage assessment of the giant magical beast go?”
I asked Jennifer and Lipa.
“The Golden Bat’s cave was blocked by rocks that flew in, so we removed them.”
“The river seems to have changed course, and a group of Rock Crocodiles ran through the forest. All the honey ant nests have collapsed and seem to be being rebuilt.”
Jennifer and Lipa reported what caught their attention. It seems they were able to collect honey from the honey ants, so we’ll have honey toast for breakfast today.
“Shall we continue the damage assessment?”
“We’ve already checked the nearby areas, so we can do the rest later.”
“Then those who don’t have plans should help drain the swamp and investigate.”
No one had any plans, so everyone decided to investigate the swamp.
Hel and Sylvia, who are night owls, also said they would help in the morning. If they got tired, they could go back to sleep. The work in the demonic land shouldn’t be too hard. Hopefully, the number of citizens will increase eventually.
Gyoeeee!
Hearing the cries of the imps, I threw away the Treant that was bothering us and walked along the edge of the swamp.
Haze Turtle was basking in the sunlight, looking very comfortable. Maybe I’ll make turtle soup for the first time in a long time.
“Even if a giant magical beast comes, the water plants will remain untouched.
The other swamp was covered with water plants that looked like lettuce leaves. Chel and Sylvia seemed to be getting ready, carrying large pieces of linen.
“What are you going to use the cloth for?”
“W-w-we’re thinking of using a dangerous magic circle.”
“If we get Ka-Ryu’s help, we should be able to remove the water plants pretty quickly.”
“Me…”
Sylvia spread the linen cloth on the flat ground, and I understood what the two of them were planning.
“Is this a time-lapse magic circle?”
“Y-yes. We’re going to wither the water plants all at once and burn them.”
Burning the water plants directly would take time and produce smoke. It’s better to wither them first, as it requires less magic and is easier to handle.
“Even if an accident happens, Ka-Ryu can gather us with her earth body, so we won’t wither either.”
If we collect the water plants from the swamp, give them to Ka-Ryu, and have her gather them on the magic circle to wither, even if an accident happens, there won’t be much damage.
“It’s not bad, but it feels like a waste of Ka-Ryu’s abilities.”
“Don’t worry about it. If there’s work for me, who’s still unaccustomed to life in the demonic land, I’ll help out.”
She rolled up her sleeves as she spoke, but Ka-Ryu wasn’t wearing anything. It was just a gesture for show.
I handed Ka-Ryu some magic stones to activate the magic circle, and we began our work. When we entered the swamp, which was colder than the one next to it, I shivered for a moment.
“It’s cold!”
The water plants covered the surface of the swamp, blocking the sunlight and preventing other plants from growing. I released my magic and searched the water, but there was no sign of any monsters. There was only mud and bones at the bottom of the swamp.
After a few seconds, I got used to the temperature of the water.
I gathered the water plants and brought them to the shore. Ka-Ryu placed them on the magic circle and dried them. The work was simple, but there was a lot to do, so it took a while to finish.
When I moved away from the shore, I used my magic to disrupt the water flow and carry away the collected water plants.
When enough dried plants were collected, Chel burned them.
We repeated the process until noon, and almost all of the lush water plants were gone from the swamp.
Next, we stopped the flow of water into the swamp. This was not difficult as we only had to block it with large rocks.
We then interfered with the outflowing water to drain the swamp quickly. It took time, but it was a safe method.
After lunch, Sylvia and Hel returned home. They must have been tired.
We didn’t want to do anything else, but we kept chasing away nearby monsters like Treant that came into the drained swamp and stirred up the mud.
Eventually, a submerged island appeared in the middle of the swamp.
There were broken stone pillars with geometric patterns buried in the ground, so it could be the entrance to the dungeon.
“If the dungeon is a monster, what did the ancient Yggdrasil people use it for? Transportation or something?”
We were relaxing around the campfire, drinking tea, so I asked Ka-Ryu.
“I wouldn’t recommend carrying anything. The dungeon might eat it, and you won’t be able to get your goods back.”
“I thought it was like a labyrinth that adventurers explore…”
Jennifer asked.
“That is correct. Once it reaches the size of a house, it should be expanded with the dungeon core, but…”
“Can’t the dungeon grow by itself?”
“It can grow to a certain extent. However, in any case, it’ll be transferred to another dimension. It seems that the creatures that created it were able to manipulate space magic.”
Ka-Ryu put both hands on the fire to dry her wet arms.
“So the only difference between a dungeon and a normal cave is whether it’s in another dimension or not?”
Lipa seems curious as well.
“No, that’s not it. The monsters in dungeons don’t have a physical body.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. You can touch them, they smell, and they make sounds. But when you defeat them, all that’s left is what’s called a drop item, which is what the monster was made of.”
Since we’ve never been inside one, we looked at Chel and said, “Oh, I see.” Jennifer nodded in agreement.
“In other words, the most distinctive feature of dungeons is their reproducibility. They reproduce monsters and environments in another dimension. Of course, when you defeat them, you gain the same experience points as if you had defeated monsters outside the dungeon.”
“I see. But wait, even though they don’t have a physical form, they can still reproduce, right?”
“Yes. You can bring in monsters with physical forms and make them reproduce. Plants too. The people of Midgard set up the dungeon environment, brought in soil and water, and controlled the light and temperature.”
Chel nodded vigorously at Ka-Ryu’s words. Apparently, there was a demon king in the Kingdom of Meiju who used dungeons as a testing ground for breeding experiments.
“Dungeons… Can you reproduce humans as well?”
“…”
I had just asked a casual question, but Ka-Ryu suddenly froze.
“No, if it’s hard to say, it’s okay…”
“Ah, um, well…”
Ka-Ryu seemed extremely uncomfortable.
Had I touched the darkness of the dungeon?
“There have been attempts before. The grief of those close to the deceased is something that exists in every era. The desire to see them again is natural. However, recreating them in a dungeon with their remains or hair results in hollow beings without a soul.”
“Are they human? Or are they more like dolls?”
Jennifer furrowed her brow as she asked.
“Yes. They have body temperature and human-like reactions. The bereaved’s desire to see them one last time is fulfilled, but the fact that they have no substance is cruel. The closer the relationship, the more the differences become apparent. Everyone recreated in the dungeon was eventually killed by their relatives.”
“‘Everyone recreated?”
“Yes. After that, the emotional wounds of their relatives deepened, and the number of suicides increased. Since then, recreating people in the dungeon has been taboo in Yggdrasil.”
Ka-Ryu spoke slowly.
“Then… what about you, Ka-Ryu-san…?”
Lipa asked with a troubled expression.
“Yes. My sin lies here.”
Ka-Ryu pointed to her chest.
“Despite the rule that forbids the re-creation of the deceased, the magical tool craftsmen created them anyway. Bodies without body temperature or human-like reactions…”
Ka-Ryu thrust her arm into the campfire and turned her face to me.
“What exactly is a golem with a human soul? I, who speak across a thousand years, am not human. Am I a monster? Are my memories being updated? Are there differences in my personality from when I was alive? I was judged to have fighting ability and usefulness as a weapon, and I was used… The military facilities must have collapsed… I am here now, speaking, thanks to such a destructive weapon.”
In fact, according to the map, the southern part of the demonic land is all desert now. I don’t know what happened after Midgard was moved to the dungeon, but the country has disappeared.
“Let us confirm the story. It was my responsibility to resurrect Ka-Ryu in the form of a golem. If Ka-Ryu is to blame now, I will take half the responsibility. At the very least, I will treat Ka-Ryu as a human being.”
“Me too.”
“Me too. It’s unusual, but I’ll treat you as a human being.”
“Me too. But it’s a difficult problem, isn’t it?”
“Yes. The same debate took place 1000 years ago.”
With that, Ka-Ryu let her dry arms fall to the ground and regenerated new ones from the ground.
“Are you really human?”
Ka-Ryu asked me in front of my eyes.
“It’s strange, though.”
“The demonic land is used to strangeness. You’ll see when you see Makyo, right?”
Ka-Ryu looked at the sky and swayed. She might have smiled without making a sound.
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