We had returned to the Town of Averell, specifically to Grandpa Ushika’s house.
“Ugh… where am I…?”
“Muzika! You’re awake!”
Grandpa Ushika, tears streaming down his face, embraced Muzika, who was lying in bed.
“I’m so glad you’re safe…!”
“Sorry for worrying you, Grandpa.”
Muzika looked apologetic. I had thought she would be more mischievous since she went off to the dungeon alone, but it seemed I was mistaken.
“Hey, Muzika. Why did you go to the dungeon?”
Muzika fell silent.
“Why?”
“Shut up! It’s none of your business!”
With that, Muzika jumped off the bed and ran away.
“…I’m sorry, Miss Mika. My granddaughter has been very rude…”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
Kids can be quite cheeky.
More importantly, I was curious about why Muzika had gone to the dungeon in the first place.
“I’ll go look for Muzika.”
I left Grandpa Ushika’s house and pinpointed Muzika’s location using the Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet).
She was at the edge of the ranch.
“Oh, there you are! Hey!”
“…What is it, lady?”
From the perspective of an eight-year-old, I must seem like an old lady. It can’t be helped.
“I just wanted to chat with you for a bit.”
“I don’t want to talk!”
Not in the mood to chat, huh? Well, I can understand her caution since I’m a stranger.
But I wanted to talk to her. I had something I needed to confirm. The best way to ease her wariness would be with something delicious.
I purchased an oden set from KAMIZON and had the Vegetable Familiar warm it up. I took out two meat buns from the ■.
“Here you go.”
“Huh? What’s this…?”
“Meat buns. They’re delicious!”
I took a bite of the warm meat bun. The soft, sweet bread paired perfectly with the savory meat filling.
“Nom nom… so good!”
I had forgotten to mention that it was winter outside the Dragon Vein Area. That made warm food taste even better.
“…Slurp.”
“What will you do? If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it myself.”
“…I’ll take it.”
I handed a meat bun to Muzika. She took a bite and her eyes widened.
She devoured it in a hurry, munching away.
“Wow! What is this!? It’s super delicious!”
In the end, Muzika ate three meat buns. It seemed that enjoying something tasty had eased her wariness towards me.
“Wait, you’re a girl?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
I honestly couldn’t… She referred to herself as “ore,” after all.
“If that’s the case, you should be even more careful and avoid dangerous things, right?”
“No way! I’m going to become a strong adventurer!”
“Are you inspired by your dad and mom?”
“…No way.”
Grandpa Ushika had mentioned that she wanted to become an adventurer influenced by her parents, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Then why? Tell me.”
“…I want to protect Grandpa’s precious cows.”
Perhaps as a thank you for the meat buns, Muzika revealed her hidden feelings.
“There used to be more cows on Grandpa’s ranch. But they were eaten by monsters.”
Seeing Grandpa Ushika mourn the loss of his cows made Muzika strongly desire to become an adventurer who could defeat monsters.
“So it wasn’t because of your parents.”
“They’re the ones who abandoned me. Why would I admire them?”
I gently patted Muzika’s head. Finally, I understood her feelings and worries.
“You really love your grandpa, don’t you?”
She didn’t want to see her grandpa sad over losing his beloved cows, which is why she wanted to become an adventurer.
“…Keep this a secret from Grandpa, okay?”
“Of course.”
What a good kid Muzika was.
“But you’re still a child. Can’t you wait until you become an adult in seven years?”
“No way! Grandpa is getting old, and the cows are both old and weak!”
“I see.”
“Anyway, I want to become an adventurer as soon as possible. Even if I can’t do that, I want to be strong enough to defeat monsters.”
“For your beloved grandpa?”
“…Yeah.”
Hearing her true feelings made me want to help my people as the lord’s mother.
“You want to get stronger, right? Then we’ll have to level up to become stronger.”
With that, I declared:
“【Greater Teleportation】!”
In an instant, we were transported to the front of the Dungeon Core, which we had recently made a Familiar.
“Wha!? Huh!? W-What was that just now!?”
“Teleportation skill.”
“Teleportation!? What’s that!?”
“It’s the ability to move instantly to a distant location.”
“W-Wow… I can’t believe something like that is possible…”
“Do you believe in my power a little now?”
Muzika nodded vigorously. Now then… let’s search for a safe way to get stronger using the Omniscient and Omnipotent (Internet).
“Core, come out!”
“Did you call for me!? Master!”
A chibi Manticore floated before me. This was the will of the dungeon, the Core.
“W-What is this…?”
Muzika poked the floating Core with her finger.
“My friend.”
Since Muzika had been here before, she knew this was a dungeon.
“What are we doing here?”
“Practical training. You’re going to defeat the monsters in the dungeon starting now.”
Muzika’s expression darkened. I understood her feelings. Just a little while ago, she had recklessly challenged the dungeon and failed miserably.
“Don’t worry. You can safely conquer the dungeon.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
I activated the God App “Let’s Become Familiars” and named the Labyrinth Core.
～～～～～～
Core
【Race】Dungeon
【Title】Safe and Secure Dungeon Core
～～～～～～
By giving it a title through “Let’s Become Familiars,” I granted the Core new abilities.
“Safe and Secure Dungeon…? Why is that…?”
Seeing is believing.
“Gishasha!”
From the depths of the dungeon, a goblin appeared.
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High Goblin
【Level】50
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Yep, weak (compared to level ∞).
“Alright, Muzika. Let’s take that one down first.”
“No way! That looks way too strong!”
With its green skin and pointed ears, the goblin was a common low-tier enemy in fantasy worlds.
“If it hits me, I’ll die!”
“Don’t worry. You won’t die now.”
“I don’t get it!”
“Go on, give it a try.”
I gently pushed Muzika towards the goblin. She leaped forward.
“Gishaaaaaa!”
“Gyaaaaaaa!”
The goblin swung its club at Muzika. Clang…!
“…Ouch. Wait, huh? It doesn’t hurt…? Why…?”
～～～～～～
Super Safe and Secure Dungeon
→ Dungeon challengers are granted 【Absolute Defense】, 【Emergency Escape】, 【Mini-map】, and 【Danger Sense】 only within the dungeon.
・Absolute Defense → Reduces damage from enemies to zero.
・Emergency Escape → Instantly return to the exit.
・Mini-map → Always displays the surrounding terrain in sight.
・Danger Sense → Warns of approaching monsters in advance.
～～～～～～
“What the heck is this!?”
Muzika and even the Core were astonished.
“With this, you can explore the dungeon safely, right?”
“This isn’t a dungeon at all!”
Well, there’s absolutely no danger.
“I want to make this a training ground for those who want to get stronger.”
“Whaaa…? I’m a dungeon, yet…”
Sorry, but I don’t want a dungeon that poses a threat to life.
“Now, Muzika. Go!”
“Y-Yeah!”
Muzika charged at the goblin. However, the goblin showed no signs of flinching.
“This is bad… it’s too tough…”
“I see. Then why not try using this?”
I took a golden sword out of the ■ (box).
“What’s this…?”
“Excalibur.”
“E-Excalibur!? The legendary one!?”
“Yep, the legendary one. You can use it. I have plenty of spares.”
“Spare!? Plenty!? W-Whoa!?”
I had replicated Excalibur using the Divine Hammer Mjolnir we had at home.
“Uh, here I go!”
Muzika swung Excalibur. She swung it lightly.
Swoosh!
The fierce slash unleashed obliterated the goblin in an instant.
“Wha… what kind of power is this!?”
～～～～～～
Muzika
【Race】Human
【Level】35
～～～～～～
Oh, her level jumped from 5 to 35 in an instant.
“Let’s keep leveling up!”
“Y-Yeah! I’m ready for anything!”
Thus began the lord’s mother’s camp for strengthening her people.
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