Chapter 412: The Invasion Begins
The monsters that appear in Woznik Dungeon are beast-type. Unlike the mechanical nature of my dungeon, they seem to have a certain charm. It appears to have a depth of up to forty-two floors, making it quite a profound dungeon.
“Which one should I choose?”
As I pondered, I glanced over the list of monsters, contemplating creating one for a trial. Rizelade had been quite bothersome, but thankfully, Ivan was keeping her occupied, allowing for some peace.
“Alright, I’ve decided on you.”
Thinking it would be best to invest further into a monster with high initial stats, I poured an additional million DP into the creation. With a mental click, a feline monster with a pitch-black coat materialized before me.
“W-What!? An Abyss Panther!?”
“That was sudden!”
“Oh, it’s so cool!”
“It looks quite strong.”
Perhaps due to its high initial stats, creating it required a hefty hundred thousand DP. It specialized in stealth and speed, making it suitable for an assassin-type. This was a further enhancement of its capabilities. While it bore some similarities to the Spider TYPE, it was certainly much swifter.
“W-What on earth… How much DP do you have stored up…?”
Rizelade looked at me with wide eyes, as if she had seen something terrifying, but the accumulated DP wasn’t mine. Besides, it wasn’t like she could see how much I had added. Did she really think a hundred thousand was a significant amount? Unlike my dungeon, this one had a conspicuous entrance, so perhaps the nearby monsters were wary and chose not to approach.
“Moreover, it seems to be stronger than the guardian of my dungeon…”
I couldn’t quite catch the last murmured words, but it seemed there was indeed a guardian. Perhaps it was guarding the lowest floor. I hadn’t assigned any guardians in my dungeon, but maybe I should consider some countermeasures.
As I pondered this, Phonia cautiously approached the Abyss Panther. The panther, with its tail held high and swaying gently, stood still, not moving an inch. Its height was about the same as Phonia’s. Even when Phonia stroked its neck, it merely stared back at her without budging.
“Alright, I want you to guard this place. If anyone without a key passes through, capture them and let me know.”
It seemed to be waiting for instructions, so I conveyed my command. The Abyss Panther lightly nodded and sat down, purring as Phonia continued to pet its fluffy neck.
“Oh, its demeanor is so cool!”
“It’s completely different from Nil.”
“It seems quite serious.”
“Wooof?”
Perhaps because Rio mentioned a name, Nil tilted its head, but it didn’t seem to fully grasp the situation. It could read the atmosphere to some extent, but it would pounce on food without hesitation.
“Hey, big brother, what’s this little one’s name?”
After a while of petting, Phonia turned to me and asked.
“Huh? It doesn’t have a name… yet.”
“Well, it just got born, after all.”
“How about you think of a name for it, Phonia?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Oh, that sounds great!”
As I casually suggested it, Ivan chimed in enthusiastically.
“Huh? Huh? I get to name it…?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
I nodded slowly at the flustered Phonia, who then returned my gesture with a serious expression.
“Okay! I’ll do my best!”
Gently grasping the Abyss Panther’s face with both hands, Phonia stared intently into its eyes, deep in thought. The intelligent dark red eyes of the panther seemed to absorb everything around them.
“…Then your name will be Abby!”
After a moment of mutual gazing, Phonia declared, and without changing its expression, the Abyss Panther licked its face.
“Ahaha! That tickles!”
“Wooof wooof!”
In response, Phonia playfully returned the affection, and Nil, eager to join in, charged forward.
“Ahahaha!”
The Abyss Panther skillfully dodged, but it watched over Phonia and Nil as they happily played together, with a mature gaze.
“What in the world… How is it that my dungeon’s strongest species is so easily tamed by a mere human who isn’t even the Dungeon Master…!”
It felt more like it was being watched over rather than tamed, but I decided not to point that out. After all, it was only natural for the creator—me—to want my creations to listen to my companions.
“Hmm?”
As I observed Nil and Phonia frolicking, Mesaria-san appeared from the door leading to various outposts.
“Everyone, I see you’ve gathered here.”
“What’s going on?”
As I called out, a few staff members followed Mesaria-san through the door. A sense of foreboding washed over me.
“We have confirmed that Lord Shu’s classmates have entered Port Town Aisoleige, so I brought some staff to assist at the Reception Hall.”
“O-Oh… Seriously…?”
“They’re already here…?”
At Mesaria-san’s words, I felt all the strength drain from my body.
“And…”
“Eh? Is there more?”
As Mesaria-san continued, Ivan, still full of energy, reacted.
“Ah, yes. The large fleet offshore that we were monitoring with the TYPE Series has begun moving in this direction.”
“Oof… No, no, no, why are they coming at the same time?”
“Eh—”
“What is going on!? I demand an explanation that even I can understand!”
As I spat out my words with great reluctance, Rizelade, who was still completely clueless about the situation, began to lose her temper.