Chapter 336: Higher Authority
“Fue…”
Panicking, Phonia frantically tapped on other menus, but the message “You do not have permission to display” remained prominently on the screen.
“What should I do…?”
With tears welling in her eyes, Phonia looked up at us, her expression on the verge of crying.
“Don’t worry, it’s okay. Just calm down.”
Rio comforted Phonia, lifting her into her arms and holding her tightly against her chest while gently stroking her head. As Phonia’s tears tugged at my heartstrings, Rio picked up the tablet from the table and tapped on the map.
“Oh, I can see it again!”
The map displayed without issue, and I showed it to Phonia.
“Really? I didn’t break it, did I?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. So you don’t need to cry anymore.”
I patted Phonia’s head, who was still cradled in Rio’s arms, but it seemed my efforts had little effect.
“Fueeeeen! I’m so glad! I didn’t break it!”
Phonia burst into loud sobs, and Rio and I exchanged wry smiles. It seemed she had finally relaxed, relieved from her earlier panic.
“Hmm… So it seems that the permissions are determined by the person touching the tablet,” El speculated, resting her chin on her hand as she considered the phenomenon that occurred when Phonia had touched it.
“That’s probably true. With our smartphones, we identify users through fingerprints or iris scans, but there was no sign of that here,” I replied.
“Can I touch it too?” El asked.
“Go ahead.”
After receiving permission from Rio, El took the tablet and began to examine it with keen interest, flipping it over to inspect the back.
“Hmm?”
When she tapped the screen, she tilted her head in confusion. She placed the tablet back on the table for us to see and tapped the screen again, but it remained unresponsive. I recalled that Phonia had received a message about lacking permissions when she touched it—there must be some difference.
“…Nothing’s happening.”
Phonia, who had been hiccuping and on the verge of stopping her tears, suddenly wore a serious expression. It seemed her tears had vanished in an instant. El silently offered the tablet to Phonia, and when her trembling hand touched it, the message changed to “You do not have permission to display.”
“I did it! It changed!”
“Ahaha! I’m so glad for you!”
Despite having been crying just moments ago, Phonia suddenly burst into joy, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
El brought the tablet closer and tapped it again, but still, there was no response.
“Hmm. So it seems that I, who am not inside the dungeon, do not trigger a response,” El concluded.
“Really? So I might be the same as Phonia?” Ivan chimed in, reaching for the tablet, but as expected, he experienced the same phenomenon as Phonia.
“I see. So if you spend a long time in the dungeon, you can see more things?” I pondered aloud.
“It might be related to the number of monsters defeated,” El suggested.
“Yeah, that’s a possibility,” I agreed.
Nil also tapped the tablet, but he received the same result as Ivan and Phonia. It was clear that those who were more deeply involved with the dungeon could see more. Perhaps entering the dungeon recorded something about the individual.
“Putting that aside… what is this ‘Create’ menu?” I wondered aloud.
“Does it mean we can make something?” El asked.
“Make what?” Ivan tilted his head in confusion, but when it came to dungeons, the only thing that came to mind was…
“Does it mean we can freely expand the dungeon?”
“Huh? Expand?”
It seemed that both Ivan and El were puzzled by my words. Perhaps there was no such thing as a Dungeon Master in this world.
“They say dungeons grow over long periods, but I’ve never heard of anyone being able to expand them freely,” El replied.
“Is that so? …But they do grow.”
“Yeah. Dungeons can repair themselves within days even after walls are broken, and monsters that die inside disappear after a few days. In fact, young dungeons sometimes gain new rooms or levels unexpectedly.”
“By the way, what happens when you reach the deepest part?” Ivan asked, seeming to know a bit more about dungeons.
According to what I had heard, there was a stone called the Dungeon Core at the very end. If you destroy the core or take it outside the dungeon, the dungeon would gradually lose its functions and eventually disappear. Moreover, if you could bring back even a fragment of the core, it could be sold for an unbelievable amount of money. It was a substance that stored more Magic Power than a Magic Crystal, so one could imagine its value.
I also heard that while there was a final boss, there was no entity like a Dungeon Master. What a pity.
Still, I couldn’t shake my curiosity about this Create menu…
“Oh, right.”
“What is it?” Rio asked.
“Well, I just thought of something.”
It was worth a shot, even if it was a long shot. I quickly put my idea into action after Rio’s inquiry. From the Dimensional Box, I retrieved a sword monster that had been rendered immobile by draining its Magic Power. Since it had been identified as a monster, it could be said that this sword was also deeply connected to the dungeon.
“Whoa, what is that?”
As soon as I pulled it out, El and Ivan braced themselves, while Phonia flinched in surprise. Since I had only drained its Magic Power, it should still be alive. Just to be sure, I checked its status, and it still had HP remaining. If a living monster suddenly appeared before them, it was only natural they would react.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I’ll explain later, but for now, just watch.”
I firmly gripped the sword in my right hand and operated the tablet with my left, bringing up the initial screen. Then, using the hilt of the sword in my right hand, I touched the “Create” menu—
Instead of the message “You do not have permission to display,” the contents of the Create Menu appeared before me.