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TL: ALT
Chapter 169 – Central Dungeon Strategy・Makyo and the Others Part 7
A large amount of food was brought into the genetics research institute’s dungeon, and as a result, the residents suddenly became energetic.
After all, even monsters need nutrition.
Thanks to Lipa’s training, the residents gradually began to venture outside.
“Hey! Is this okay!?”
The dungeon’s demon king, one of the residents, took the lead in hunting monsters and collecting leaf mold as instructed.
“Whatever you do, don’t let the Guardian Spiders find out. Bring anything you can find—even dead leaves or fallen trees—into the dungeon.”
“Yes!”
The demon king shook his huge body and stomped along, making loud footsteps.
He seemed happy to be able to contribute to the dungeon.
“Until now, I was just a big body that couldn’t do anything. I’ll do anything for the people.”
The demon king thought of himself as a useless dungeon ruler and said that it had been years since he had gone outside. It seems that the demon king was the type to serve his people.
“After all, a dungeon is just a temporary space. Since it has no substance, there’s no limit to how many times you can fail. I am the king of failures. That’s why I’ve become so big.”
The demon king was born and raised in the dungeon, but didn’t intend to grow so large. However, each time he suffered a serious injury, his body grew larger.
“What does that mean?”
I asked the dungeon master, who was making a temporary wheat field.
“It’s like when your muscles tear and then heal; they get thicker.”
“But even so, it wouldn’t grow to the size of the demon king, would it?”
“That’s true, but it’s a long story.”
“I’m bored anyway.”
“All living things are made up of cells, and inside those cells are things called mitochondria. When you activate them, your lifespan is extended. It’s like aging is suppressed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
To be honest, there were many words in this world that I had never heard before, but for some reason, I knew them. Maybe I had heard them in my dreams.
“I understand.”
“That’s amazing! No one else in the dungeon could understand me!”
“I have a special memory…”
“Oh, I see. Well, let me explain properly.”
The director went out of his way to prepare a white signboard and drew diagrams to explain everything.
In ancient Yggdrasil, a drug was developed to activate mitochondria, resulting in an increase in the number of long-lived individuals and ultimately leading to political stagnation.
After that, improvements were made to transplant surgery, and medicinal herbs were developed that could quickly heal injuries. However, it seems that the magic power also began to accumulate in the cells. Due to the effects of the medicine or the accumulated magic power in the land, cells mutated, causing a beast disease to break out. According to the book, researchers conducted studies for about two years but were unable to develop a cure.
“That’s how Midgard ended up like that. That’s all the history I know up until the transfer to the time-traveling dungeon. Then I was born and developed a medicine that divides cells and spreads magic receptors.”
“What!? The director!?”
“Yes. If you divide cells too much, people grow larger.”
“I see.”
“I didn’t intend to use it. But when the demon king returned badly injured from securing food outside, I had no choice but to use it. He grew so large that I was shocked.”
The director was a mad scientist who developed a drug that could enlarge the human body.
“So, the demon king wasn’t supposed to become that big?”
“No, but it seems that the researchers at Yggdrasil were developing similar drugs and tampering with genetic information to enlarge monsters and put them in the Colosseum. So, it’s not that unusual.”
I think that’s dangerous enough, so I want to keep my distance as much as possible.
“It would have been better to try it out in the dungeon, where you can experiment as much as you want.”
“The demon king said the dungeon is a temporary space where you can fail as many times as you want. You said you can experiment as much as you want. But can you really do anything in the dungeon?
“We can create temporary beings.”
“So, you can experiment even though they don’t have physical bodies? So, does that mean you can create temporary humans, too?”
The sub-dragons on the ranch have no physical form. They said that when they die, they leave behind drop items. Do humans leave behind drop items, too?
“It’s not impossible, but I don’t recommend it. It’s often difficult to tolerate the slight differences between yourself and your temporary self. When the temporary self disappears, it can cause mental shock. I think it was prohibited in Yggdrasil, too.”
“Are there no drop items when humans disappear?”
“I think it was just a little salt and calcium… But it’s more troublesome when thoughts remain. They cling to magic and create ghost-like monsters. Since they can understand language, their emotions are rich and deep. That’s what makes humans unique.”
The director muttered with a sense of resignation.
“Do you have any experiments you want to try, Makyo-dono?”
The demon king suddenly asked from behind.
“No. I often see memories of my past life in my dreams, so I wondered if it might be possible to recreate them…”
I might be able to recreate the room I had in my past life. But even if I did, it would only satisfy me. What could I do in the dungeon’s virtual reality? In my past life, virtual currency seemed to be quite important.
Perhaps I should experiment with intangible things in the dungeon instead of tangible objects.
“Demon King, do you still have any fake gold coins?”
“You really want one? Here.”
He handed me a fake gold coin.
“If we build a mint in the dungeon, won’t the country arrest us?”
“Yeah, I think we’d lose credibility as a trading partner. Putting them into circulation would be a crime.”
The director nodded while touching the scales on her chin.
“That’s right. It’s all about trust…”
Currency is a country’s credit. The entire population believes it has value and can be exchanged for food, goods, houses, land, and jobs.
As long as these counterfeit coins can only be used within the territory, they can also be used as currency. I am the lord of this territory.
“Wow, your face looked really scary!”
The director teased me.
“Really? Hehehe. Come on, Demon King. Help me carry the food. We need something tangible to gain trust.”
“All right, let’s do it!”
I took the Demon King with me and left the dungeon.
When we emerged from the hole, Lipa was treating the dungeon residents.
“Did you get hurt while hunting?”
“It looks like the ‘migrating’ monsters in Midgard are practicing hunting while flying.”
Originally, these monsters flew through the sky from the great hole in Cliff Garuda to the demonic land. Now that their food supply has run out, they have emerged from the ruins of Midgard and are practicing flying while hunting.
“They’re attacking from above, so the dungeon residents alone can’t handle them.”
“I guess I’ll have to protect them…”
The demon king rolled up the sleeves of his robe to show his muscles.
I stopped him with my hand.
After training in flight and hunting in the demonic land, the “migrating” monsters should return to Cliff Garuda. If that’s the case, then this happens every year.
What’s different this time is us.
“We exterminated many of the monsters that had reproduced. Maybe there isn’t much prey left.”
Arachnes and Big Moths had been reproducing, but we exterminated them, so perhaps the balance has been disrupted.
“Did you observe the monsters that attacked?”
“Yes, Gryphons, Harpies, and fire-breathing birds. There are many young monsters, and they seem to attack anything that moves, including plants. As expected, their weak point is their wings. Once they fall to the ground, their movements are easy to predict.”
Lipa explained concisely.
“If we intervene, we might kill too many of them.
“Still, if we leave them alone, the dungeon residents are likely to be eaten.”
Nature is difficult to balance.
“Then, let’s ask the Midgard guardians to take care of them.”
“You mean Ka-Ryu-san?”
“No, I mean the Guardian Spiders.”
Guardian Spiders don’t eat, so they must be powered by magic. If they are supplied with excessive magic, they will move to consume it.
If they move, the migrating monsters will attack.
Even without weapons, the Guardian Spiders will fight back if attacked.
I infused magic into the five immobilized Guardian Spiders.
Kyuin.
As expected, the activation sound rang out, and the Guardian Spiders began to patrol the area. The monsters of the demonic land sensed the danger and did not attack. However, the growing migrating monsters attacked while threatening the Guardian Spiders.
Initially, the Guardian Spiders did not retaliate, but when they were attacked in specific areas and lost parts, they caught the monsters with their long legs and slammed them into the ground.
“Don’t draw your weapons around Midgard.”
“But then it won’t be practice for hunting.”
“It won’t be practice for hunting, but you can still eat them.”
The “migrating” monsters, now food, were devoured by a swarm of Ice Weasels. Plant vines snatched them away. In the demonic land, food was a battle for survival.
“Let’s take what the Guardian Spider killed. If you want to defeat the monsters, go to the east coast.”
“You mean you’ll teach us how to move, too?”
“Bird monsters’ feces make good fertilizer, so be sure to collect that, too.”
“Come on…”
Lipa looked dissatisfied, but he diligently taught the dungeon residents how to move using magic. He was reliable, making up for my shortcomings.
I returned home with the demon king to carry flour and miscellaneous goods.
“It’s so far…”
The demon king was out of breath, following behind me. It should have been easy for him, as I kicked monsters and plants out of the way. But by the time we passed the crocodile ranch and reached the swamp, he was drenched in sweat.
“I’ve never walked this much in a day.”
“Just a little further! Hang in there!”
I slapped the demon king on the butt and headed home.
“Ah, ah, eh!?”
“W-what…!?”
“Feudal Lord-sama, what is that boss-like monster?”
The dwarves looked at the demon king, surprised.
The two elf guards were speechless.
“He is the Demon King who lives in the genetic research institute’s dungeon. Please be kind to him.”
Chel and the others accepted this.
“Huh? Come to think of it, why are you still here even though training is over?”
The two elf guards were supposed to take turns training in the demonic land. Could something have happened to them both?
“Ah, Margrave. The captain of the military base is calling for you.”
“The captain? Did Jennifer do something?”
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