Chapter 168

Dungeon Battle Strategy Meeting

I think it’s about time to get started on making the dungeon.

I was able to see various things around the capital with the feeling of a tourist.

Now I just have to decide on a place and hollow out a dungeon.

Because of that, I decided to have a meeting to determine the dungeon’s location. Rokuko fell a sleep a few seconds into the meeting since she was tired from playing though. Her sleeping face looks happy, what a free girl.

Haku-san was pardoning her and wrapped a blanket around her. I think she’s spoiling her a bit much though. Isn’t this a discussion about Rokuko’s dungeon?

“So, Kehma-san. Where are you wanting the dungeon to be?”

“I’m thinking of making it here.”

I pointed to a place on the map.

… The sea.

“… … Kehma-san, are you jesting?”

Her smile disappeared, replaced with blood thirst. Oh crap.

“No, I’m serious, really! I’m not kidding around!”

“Please explain then. Us high-ranking cores have received the rights and obligation to hear explanations regarding strategy as [Advising our juniors] from Otou-sama.”

“Y-yea! I will begin explaining my strategy for this battle!”

I could feel Haku-san leaking anger and expectations as she started speaking more politely to me. It was probably intentional, but still, it’s super scary.

There’s a gimmick I’ve been thinking about for the Dungeon Battle. It’s an undersea dungeon.

Assuming that I made a dungeon at the bottom of the sea, it’ll be a sea, so naturally, it’d be impossible to breathe.

Impossible to capture? It’s just a dungeon that anyone can enter. It just has a bit of water everywhere.

Like when we captured [Flame Cavern] with the water flea strategy… it’ll be kind of like that, but as it’d obviously be hard to actively search around with water fleas, I’ll just substitute them out for some small fish. I’ll summon a massive amount of sardines, unleashing a tsunami in our enemy’s dungeon.

This is a hand that can only be used with the sea. This wouldn’t be enough to expose my hand. I explored Haku-san’s dungeons using rats in large numbers, so she already knows about it too.

It’d be awesome if I could use sharks to destroy the enemy’s dungeon core.

… Well, it might be ineffective against the inanimate-type Core 666, but it should at least be effective against that three-way deadlock trio. If I do that, it should be alright for me to just focus on countermeasures for Core 666. [1]

“With that, I will narrow down the opponents I need to focus on in the Dungeon Battle to be solely Core 666.”

“I see. That is a suitable reason, at least… well, Kehma-san, what do you intend to make for the undersea dungeon? Working underwater, let alone so deep… will 500,000 suffice?”

I thought that the 500,000 would be enough, maybe not?

“… Besides, there is the minimum condition of having [Aisles] and [Rooms] that humans can survive in, so they cannot be made in water. Even if they were possible to make, I think that it would turn into something like a bubble dome. Moreover, it would require an inefficient amount of DP to maintain the walls.”

So there was something like that? Rather, from how she’s talking it sounds like something like that exists.

… A bubble dome huh. Sounds like The Palace of the Dragon King. [2]

“You could, perhaps, keep the dungeon walls shaped properly while they are collapsing and being repaired at high speeds. They wouldn’t appear too shoddy that way. Even so, I cannot approve of making a dungeon on the ocean floor.”

“I’m convinced. Let’s choose a different spot.

As expected of my experienced senior, she has an experienced opinion… Ah. Exchanging information like this is probably what this [Father] guy intended huh. Well, it would’ve been great if there weren’t a drawback to it though.

“I’ll pick here then.”

I pointed to the beach this time.

“Hoh, there? Do you have a reason?”

“It’s simple. If I can’t make it in water, can’t I just sink it into water after I make it?”

I know that I can fill it with water after I’ve made it… I’ve even done it.

When I said that, Haku-san made a face that looked like she just got a headache.

“Just where did you get that idea…”

“Is it no good?”

“No, it’s possible. It really is. However, to sink a dungeon you made yourself, it’s practically unheard of…. rather, wouldn’t it be impossible to live in?”

Hmm? Why’s she talking about now?

“Why are you talking about living? Aren’t dungeons places to kill your enemies? Even more so as this dungeon is just for the sake of a Dungeon Battle. Even then, I have [Cave of Desires] for a home.”

“… Ah, that’s right, you do have that. Kehma-san is a human, so you haven’t thought about something like living in the dungeon, have you? … This would become something like Rokuko-chan’s holiday house if you win, you know? Wouldn’t you dislike it if your holiday house were submerged under water?”

Haku-chan took a quick glance at Rokuko. Still though, Rokuko hasn’t even said anything since the meeting started. She’s just been sleeping while sitting on that chair.

However, she hasn’t given a dissenting opinion to her holiday house being submerged, so should I take that as an OK?

“Haku-san. There’s a saying in a famous story from my hometown.”

“A saying from another world? What is it?”

I coughed to clear my throat.

“Victory is all that matters in the end!!” [3]

The joke shouldn’t be able to pass on to people from another world, but the nuance should be able to.

And so, the sleeping Rokuko woke up with a jolt.

“Fueh!? W-wha, I-I definitely wasn’t sleeping!”

Hey. You’re still drooling and you’re trying to say that?

“Well… in short, the most important thing is winning, respecting honor and courtesy comes after that. Win any way possible.”

… The saying explains Kehma-san’s thinking quite well, doesn’t it? Certainly, there is no such thing cowardice in a Dungeon Battle.”

“Eh, what? What’s going on? Kehma, tell me!”

“I just explained it. You were sleeping though.”

And so I once again explained to Rokuko about my plans to submerge the dungeon.

“Oh, that’s alright.”

“Alright? Rokuko-chan, your holiday house would be underwater. Are you really sure?”

“Eh? Don’t we just need to drain it after the Dungeon Battle? Right, Kehma?”

Oh, Rokuko gave a sound argument. That way, she could use it as both.

Was she thinking about it while she was asleep? Who does that remind me of…?

“Well, Kehma can do what he wants. I’ll just fix it up after.”

“Yep, I’ll leave it to you, partner.”

“Leave it to me, partner. Fufufun.”

She started saying some pretty reliable stuff at some point.

By the way, you wouldn’t be able to fix anything up if we lose. It’ll just get confiscated. In a sense, she’s just believing in my ability to win… right?

“… I seem to somehow lost my ability to think flexibly, apparently… haaah…”

“It’s just because I’ve been with Kehma the whole time! It’s experience, experience.”

“Should I be pleased by Rokuko-chan’s growth or should I be lamenting over her being tainted by Kehma-san’s way of thinking…”

Haku-san was seriously suffering over something that could only be a good thing.

After that, we hammered out the underwater dungeon plan with things like the dungeon monster selection, working on it all while getting Haku-san’s council. She pointed out a lot of small things I wouldn’t have noticed on certain ways to cope against enemies, as expected of Haku-san. My admiration for her was renewed.

Looks like I’ll be able to win without needing to use my trump card, the special golems.

“Our opponents have Core 5 and Core 6 with them.”

I was thinking about that, but Haku-san gave me a warning. Right, just like our team, theirs had veterans as well. I can’t relax.

After that bountiful meeting, I decided to start constructing the dungeon tomorrow.

Eh, Rokuko? You fell asleep again.

Well, whatever. You’ll fix it all up after I do what I like… better be ready!

Footnotes:

I’ll put the footnote from chapter 163, when I first explained ‘three-way deadlock’ here: The ‘three-way deadlock’ is a reference to The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya—the story that influenced a major portion of the Naruto anime. There was a reference I’d missed in the Dungeon Core Assembly chapters. Return

Underwater palace surrounded by an air dome. Return

Reference to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. I decided against going with directly using their translation as it felt rather… Engrish. Here’s the page in question: V12 Ch105