“Things are going well.”

“I thought so too.”

The baby and Viers were talking about their brainchild. The Dungeon that appeared nearby Ebon Wall City was raking in visitors.

The main appeal was the rich rewards that they could get. Compared to sallying out to Monsterland, the return was higher. There was also a mysteriousness about it that tickled the people’s sense of curiosity. After the low casualty rate was set in stone, those who at first picked the wait-and-see approach began trickling into the Dungon’s tunnels.

“Remember,” Viers said. “You must not kill excessively. The city is relatively small and located on the frontier. If you kill too many people, fewer people will go in. We’re here for the long run.”

“I know. You don't have to worry. Besides, the Night feature that you thought of takes care of it. Look at these foolish men killing each other for money and loot.”

Viers input the ideas, while the core built and implemented it. While the two were cooperating, they didn't share everything. Each had secrets that they had not divulged to the other side. Viers didn't mind. He was the one who attacked the core first after all.

For example, Viers didn't quite understand why the core wasn't so life-hungry. Looking at the Fables that he knew of about dungeon cores, weren't they supposed to kill a lot of people to get exp fast? At first destroying a village or two, killing a high-level adventurer party using trickery, or some other thing. That way they could improve and expand at an incredible rate.

The core wanted a few kills here and there, that was it. Just enough to fulfill its obligatory system quest, apparently. Viers had broached the subject but the baby evaded the question and didn't give him a straight answer. It didn't seem to be eager to expand.

“If the body count is getting too high, we should consider closing the Dungeon at night.”

“Agreed,” the baby said.

The rough mechanic of the dungeon was roguelike, with random rooms and challenges. Each floor had a few rooms that delvers had to traverse before being able to go down to the deeper floor. Sometimes, the core threw in mid-boss strong monsters as roadblocks. Should they be able to beat the final boss of that particular run, they would get rewarded with greater Zenny and loot.

Viers was using his gaming experience to good use. He’d drawn inspiration from games like Hades and Dead Cells. The reward was enough enticement for bringing in the delvers for now. Should they prove insufficient, Viers had lots of ‘fun’ mechanics to introduce in the future patches.

“How’s security? Several Level 4s have been poking around, wanting to go in. Did they make any progress?”

“They have tried to burrow into my tunnels but have been unsuccessful. People can only enter from the entrance I made and I regulate who can enter.”

Viers was impressed by the core’s ability. How it bent space to construct rooms and tunnels for the delvers was a whole other level of space wizardry. It assured him if it completely closed the dungeon, not even a Level 5 could find their way in.

I saw the tunnel from outside using Euryale Sight but getting in was not possible? System perk or something else? How I can teleport inside the Dungeon is also the stuff of envy. Of course, it's only because the core allowed it.

“Alright. Is the upkeep manageable?”

To keep the Dungeon running, there were costs. For example, the enemies for the delvers to fight. All were created by the core but it wasn’t able to create anything it wanted. It would be too OP otherwise. The core needed to fulfill the System’s requirements first.

Usually, just kill the X monster ten times or so. Viers and the core hunted the residents of the Monsterland for this. Those real monsters’ flesh and blood were then carried to the Dungeon. The core needed it to create monsters.

“No issue as of now. I’ll tell you about the next excursion when needed.”

Viers had joined the core’s hunting party a few times to build up the monster menagerie before the Dungeon was open to the public. Tarrok, the Level 3 peak orc warchief, whose head Viers split in two during the fight, was there. Viers was surprised at first, the orc was completely revived.

Since the Carfax Peninsula was brimming with monsters, it was a good source of biomass. Viers was also getting some of it. He too needed a massive amount of biomass for his abilities and evolutions.

As the folk came to the Dungeon, the ones going into the Monsterland were naturally getting fewer. The steady culling of the monster population before they got too big and caused a beast tide was getting behind. That was where Viers and the core came in, killing the monsters in droves.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Unknown to the Ebon Wall City, Viers was helping them on multiple fronts, militarily and economically.

Those enemies in the Dungeon were there for the delvers to defeat. While they disappeared after getting defeated and thus didn't leave precious loot for the delvers, they gave Zenny instead. The lack of monster drops were substituted by the treasure chests in the Dungeon.

The Zenny was Viers’ idea. It served as a pseudo-currency for the Dungeon’s independent miniature economy. If the core’s system wasn't able to keep track of everyone’s Zenny, Viers would have to find another way of assigning Zenny to the delvers.

Viers got the idea from the sect contribution points and whatnot from the xianxia Fables. The benefits of having control of the currency went without saying.

“If anything, I’m worried about you. You make your shop so crucial for the delvers, would you be alright?” The core asked.

The goods that the delvers could spend their hard-earned Zenny on were top of the line. The bulk of it was supplied by the core. It used the rewards from the System’s ‘quests’. Viers included his own wares in the shop. Arsène’s months of shady activities brought a lot of goods and information of value. Those that he did not need, he put it for sale.

Of course, no matter how ‘good’ their stuff was, it was only for Level 3 and below. The truly special things that might draw the desire of those Level 4 and 5 such as the Nutra were not widely in circulation. Viers recently gave a small amount to some random delvers to test the waters. He didn't know how the market would react.

What the core was asking was Viers’ time. He made the Never Die Thrice shop and donned the look of Tey for Horizon. Sometimes, when Arsène served as a body double, as Tey, Viers also set up shop in the Dungeon tunnels at random places, giving the players special deals.

Viers was taking the mantle of a merchant not only because he wanted to cosplay as the good merchant of RE4 but also because he could sell his darker services in a protected environment.

He had dark arts that he could try, for example, his ability to take the lifespan of another. That lifespan he could use for himself or give to another. Strictly speaking this was not a new ability of his but a different application of his soul technique. By siphoning the ‘health’ of the soul, because the soul and body were closely related, the lifespan of the subject naturally decreased.

Life and soul were priceless commodities.

If he did it outside, it might draw the attention of the authorities but here in the Dungeon where only Level 3s and below were permitted entry, Viers was not afraid. For now, Viers was keeping it small scale, but in the future? Viers was never shy of having big dreams. His attempt to take a step beyond mortal men was proof enough.

That being said, Viers was well aware of the core’s doubt. He had a lot more important things to do than being a shopkeeper. Using Arsène as a stand-in was an utter waste of his double’s ability. At first, it was fun but after a few days, not so much. It became a chore instead. Taking people’s orders, organizing supplies, setting the prices, all were long work.

That said, Viers couldn't exactly hire other people to work in his shop. If he couldn't handle it and left for the core to manage, his profits would decrease.

“Have no fear, the shop will be manned and working at full capacity. I got a plan.”

“...If you say so.”

It’s time for me to dip my toe in necromancy. In management simulation games, automating your work is standard procedure. I’ll make a couple of zombies or something.

With Aletro’s soul attainment that put him on par with a Level 5 soul Pathseeker with centuries of experience, Viers was more than equipped to animate dead. Those who walked the path of the undead were usually death or soul affinity Pathseekers. Viers had focused his development away from necromancy but now that he had use of it, there was no reason to not do so.

Making the zombie look like Tey should be simple enough and the core could help me mask the undead aura while it’s in the dungeon. For making the zombie capable of slightly complex action, putting a soul inside it should do the trick. Perfect.

Dead people make good laborers. I mean, think about it. They don't need food, money, or rest. Twenty-four-seven, all year, work, work, work! Ha! In the future, when historians talk about when the ‘Undeadstrial Revolution’ began in this world, they will tell of this moment. Ohohoho!

“I’ve voiced concerns. If there’s nothing else, the exit is over there. Here’s the payment for your services.”

A barrel appeared out of thin air. In the dungeon, Viers was no stranger to the core’s ability to teleport things or people. The barrel was filled to the brim with red powder: Nutra.

“30 kilos of Nutra. Pleasure doing business with you, Core.”

Viers said to the transparent baby projection. After Viers’ attack, for their subsequent interactions the core no longer showed itself to Viers. It used 3D projection instead. Again, Viers understood.

“Abby.”

“Hm?”

“That’s my name. Not Core. I remembered a few things from my previous life.”

“Oh, congrats…That sounds like a girl’s name. Are you-”

“What, you got a problem I’m a girl?”

“Nonono. Not one bit. It’s just unexpected.”

The Dungeon Core’s appearance was a deformed baby. Its lower part was always covered with a white cloth. While it could speak to his mind, the voice was childish, neither masculine nor feminine. He assumed the core was male because that was usually the case in power fantasy stories. Females were usually reincarnated in the ‘villainess’ story.

“Well, nice to meet you, Abby.”

“Hmph.”

Abby’s projection disappeared. She was clearly still angry about Viers, known to her as Tanael.

“Well then,” Viers put his hands on his waist as he looked at the barrel of Nutra.

It’s a good start… The Dungeon hopefully will last long. I was afraid the core wanted to aggressively expand and hold back some of my ideas but turns out she’s okay with keeping the Dungeon small for the time being. Good, good. We might be business partners but I don't want her to grow too quickly for me to handle. At any rate, my own strength is the numero uno priority. With this much Nutra, my cultivation should be rising quickly. Awright!

First, Grand Soul. I’ll do it tonight!