Chapter 19: My Dungeon Levels Up... and So Do I
Freya slipped on her suit jacket, putting her outfit back in order as best she could.
Behind her, Aria was already immaculate. Uniform smoothed, hair perfect, not a single crease out of place. Looking at her, no one would ever have guessed what had just happened in this room. There was only that little smile, hanging on her lips for a while now, that gave her away.
"Stop smiling like that." Freya buttoned her jacket without looking at her.
"I don’t know what you mean, Mistress."
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Not at all." The smile widened a notch. "I’m carrying myself as I always do."
Freya turned around to retort, met her gaze, and felt her cheeks flare up at once. No, she was not carrying herself as she always did. There was something new in those violet eyes, something soft and terribly satisfied, and that was precisely why she couldn’t hold them for more than a few seconds anymore.
"...Ugh, forget it." She looked away, finishing with her collar. "Besides, this is your fault."
"My fault?"
"Exactly. You..." Freya searched for words, waved a vague hand. "You distracted me. For hours."
"I distracted you." Aria repeated the words slowly, as if savoring them. "That’s a serious accusation, Mistress. You’ll have to show me how, exactly, so I can avoid doing it again."
"That’s not at all what I— you’re doing this on purpose!"
"Perhaps a little."
Freya glared at her, which only made that insufferable smile grow wider. She gave up. Against Aria in this state, she stood no chance anyway.
And to be entirely honest... she didn’t really want to win, either.
"Right." She cleared her throat, pulling herself together. Now that I’ve enjoyed myself, now that I’ve let go... back to work. "We have a busy day."
"As you wish." Aria bowed slightly, a servant again in the blink of an eye, except that the softness never left her gaze. "I’ll go wake the girls. It’s time they began their training in earnest."
"Good luck with them."
"Thank you, Mistress." One last smile, more tender than the others. "See you soon."
And the demon disappeared down the corridor.
Alone now, Freya allowed herself one second, just one, to think back on all of it, smiling. Then she opened her status with a motion that had become second nature.
[ Mana: 87/500 ]
Perfect. That leaves me enough.
She summoned her workers and pointed them to a stretch of rock beside the Research Center.
"Boys, dig me out a space right here. We’re finally building that forge."
"Kyu!"
The little troop set to work, and the patter of paws soon echoed through the chamber. In the meantime, might as well prepare what came next.
"System, summon me the Mycofox Smith, please."
[ Summon x1 Mycofox Smith for 20 mana points? ]
"Yes!"
The familiar light flared, and a new fox appeared, barely larger than the others. On its head, its mushroom had a shape she’d never seen before: a massive cap, flattened on top, that could only be described as the head of a hammer.
So that’s how it forges? Freya leaned in to examine it from every angle, fascinated.
The little fox held her gaze with its round eyes, and something struck her. She couldn’t have said what exactly, but she was certain of it: this one was a girl.
Well now. The first girl of the group, isn’t she? She smiled. I can’t wait to see what she can do.
The little smith seemed to be waiting for orders.
"You’ll be Jūyon."
"Kyu!"
And that makes fourteen. She scratched the top of her head, carefully avoiding the hammer. Now to wait for the workers to finish.
She sat down against the wall, and her gaze drifted over the bustling chamber.
It was strange, when she thought about it. Everything had gone so fast.
A few days. It had taken only a few days for all of this to happen. Aria’s summoning, first, her very first pull, an SSS fallen from the sky. Aria, with whom she had become... more than close.
The memory of the past hours came back all at once, and with it that phrase she had breathed to her, in the heat of the moment. "You’re mine. Mine alone, Aria."
Freya waved her hands in front of her face, cheeks burning.
Aaaah, why did I say that?! She’s the possessive one, not me! Well, fine, maybe a little, but... ugh.
She cleared her throat, alone in the middle of her foxes who paid her no attention whatsoever, and forced her thoughts elsewhere.
The village, right. Naïa and Laïa, who had become like little sisters to protect in so little time. The bandits hiding a secret. That cave she hadn’t finished exploring, which surely held the answer to the rest: why that anonymous someone wanted to seize this territory.
And the dungeon growing. Her appointment as Overlord. That title of Calamity of Greed she carried around now.
To think I was worried about surviving my first week... A small laugh escaped her. Here I am, leading a faction of fanatics with a demon in my bed. What a meteoric rise, Freya. Mom would be proud. Well. Maybe not of everything.
"Kyuuuu~!"
The workers came running toward her, looking triumphant.
"Done? All finished?"
"Kyu!"
She followed them to the freshly cleared spot, perfectly leveled. Fine work, as always.
"Here. A forge, please."
[ Build a Forge for 60 mana points? ]
"Yes."
The rock lit up, rose, and the structure took shape before her eyes. A squat furnace of dark stone, a low anvil cut to a fox’s measure, a bellows, empty racks along the wall, ready to hold future creations. A dry heat already radiated from it, and Jūyon trotted toward the anvil as if coming home.
Oh, it’s beautiful... Freya walked around it, eyes shining. My first forge. We can finally produce our own equipment, and with the mithrite below, in time...
She didn’t get to finish the thought.
[ Congratulations! You have reached the threshold required for the dungeon system to evolve to Level 2! ]
[ Dungeon System Level 1 -> Level 2! ]
[ New feature: Inter-Dungeon Shop ]
[ Upgrade of the Upgrades category to Level 2 available: 200 mana points ]
[ Mana capacity increased to 1000! ]
The windows stacked up in front of her, and Freya raced through them, her heart beating faster and faster.
But it wasn’t these notifications that hit her hardest. It was the one that came next.
[ Congratulations! Your existence rises alongside your dungeon! You grow stronger! ]
[ You have acquired the unique skill: Enchantment Gacha! ]
And then she felt it.
It started in her chest and spread everywhere, through her arms, her legs, down to her fingertips. A new strength settling into every fiber of her body, terrifying and incredibly exhilarating all at once. Like going from a baby’s body to an adult’s in a matter of seconds.
She opened and closed her hands, rolled her shoulders, took a few steps.
My mana’s improved, even if that’s useless to me for now. My body is stronger, faster. My perception too. My reflexes. She grabbed a pebble, tossed it, caught it without even looking. That’s... wow.
She stood there a moment, marveling at everything this simple level up had brought her. And a thought took root.
Is this what Aria meant, when she said I could become a god? If I keep raising this system, higher and higher...
The idea latched on and wouldn’t let go. Move faster. Upgrade the dungeon to its limit. Entire plans streamed through her mind at a dizzying speed, the priorities, the costs, the optimal sequences, every thought calling up ten more, and soon she could think of nothing else, unable to stop, consumed by—
[ Skill activated: Word of Greed. ]
The window blinked at the corner of her eye, and the thread of her thoughts snapped clean.
Freya blinked, as if surfacing from a trance.
...So it really does trigger on my desires. She stared at the notification, breath a little short. I’m certain now. This skill responds to my own greed first and foremost.
She let herself slide down against the forge’s wall, thoughtful.
So in the Subspace... The four generals, fine, I’ll admit it, my repressed inner dreamer, cringe as she is, wanted that, an elite at my command. She grimaced. But "death"? Had I desired death in any way? I’m the one who said the word, after all. Do I actually want to... conquer this world?
The question hung there for a moment.
She went back over all of it. What she had done since her reincarnation. What she had said. The villages priced in mana, the manipulations in the chat, the pleasure she took in it, that thrill every time her domain grew.
And she came to a conclusion.
I really am set on conquering this world, huh.
The realization didn’t even make her flinch. If anything, admitting it felt like a relief.
But why was I repressing it like it was a bad thing? Is that the human side of my old life still hanging on? She shrugged to herself. Oh well. Doesn’t matter. I’ll keep the goal in mind, and see where it takes me. No point overthinking it.
She sprang to her feet, dusted off her skirt, and a wide grin spread across her lips.
Alright! Let’s have a look at this new unique skill. And the shop, and the upgrades... Where do I even start?!
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