It's that first party again. They're looking a bit better than the last time I saw them. For one thing the mage and healer have proper robes now. They're still very basic but at least it's something. The tank has a helmet which is little more than a metal bucket but at least it's something. The leader also has a pair of leather arm guards. Thinking back, I guess they really didn't go that deep last time they were here. It's nice that they could all get at least one piece of proper equipment like they were wanting.

This time they seem to have someone else with them though. He is a much higher level than the others. Not quite as short as the healer at 154 cm but much stockier. Despite this he walks with a sense of confidence that I'm inclined to believe he can back up. They never gave me the sense of powerlessness that this guy gives me. Oddly I don't feel any sense of malice or threat from him. Still, I get the feeling he could walk through the dungeon like he owned the place if he wanted. He's also much better equipped than the others, with a full set of leather armor and a pair of hand axes.

I quickly settled in to listen as they began to talk amongst themselves. "You're right" the newcomer said "It's odd that it hasn't attack us yet, but more than that it seems to be welcoming" he says while gesturing towards the wash tub. "Not just the fact that it keeps water at the entrance with no monsters to guard it, but the fact that water seems to be the first affinity it acquired. We aren't sure how the process works exactly but what we do know is that most dungeons acquire earth or wood affinity first. With some never bothering to pick up water affinity until they already have several floors."

"What does that mean for us?" asks the leader obviously trying to get to the point. The new guy just chuckles a bit and remarks "since I can confirm that this dungeon does exist and there is no prior record of any dungeon existing in this spot before ownership of it defaults to you as the leader of the party that found it." "Fat lot of good that does us. I doubt many will risk dying to the desert for a chance to fight in a dungeon." retorts the tank matter-of-factly.

"Well, that's up to you, but personally with the resources of an entire dungeon behind you I don't think it will be too hard to figure something out." the stranger says with a smile. "If you manage to reach the core you can communicate with it by placing your hands directly on the core. If you're lucky it may even bond with you allowing you to talk to it from anywhere as well as pull up a list of general stats." "Is that safe?" asks the healer.

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"It depends on the dungeon." he answers almost as if he expected the question. He then continues to explain "dungeons that are very young are more like wild animals lash out at anything that moves and acting on pure instinct. This dungeon though, does show signs of at least limited consciousness. How aware it is we likely won't know until you can actually speak to it but it's clearly no longer running on pure instinct."

"Now if you don't mind let's get this delve started. I need to see the dungeon in action and record its temperament as best I can. This includes recording how it responds to delvers and the general layout of the rooms. Speaking of which" he pauses for a moment. "Let me know if you notice any changes since your first visit." "There are more rooms now!" they all say in unison. After that the leader speaks up for the group. "Ya, first time we were here there was just the one path" he says pointing to the path they took the first time.

"Well let's start with the new rooms then" he says while walking towards one of the other rooms. After clearing those two rooms and pocketing the loot the rest of the delve goes about the same as it did last time. The rats were more random in their attacks but there's really only so much randomness you can add to such encounters. They did manage to make it all the way to the first level four rat before turning around this time. Likely the result of not being hungry combined with the new equipment. They were disappointed that I lowered the number of coins in each room. Something they were quick to point out to the new guy who for whatever reason never so much as unsheathed his axes the entire time.

A little insulting honestly! I mean I get that he's strong, but he could at least pretend to struggle. To be fair though, I guess he did say he was only here to observe. As they walked back to the entryway, they continued to discuss me. "I need to return to the guild hall and file my report. After that it's up to you as the owner of this dungeon how much if any information is released." He explained with a rather bored expression.

After they refilled their waterskins and left I watched as the first floor was instantly reset by the rule that I purchased earlier. I might want to set a timer on that to keep people from just spamming the first few rooms. That ironically requires its own dungeon rule though. As I check over what I actually got from that delve I already know how I'm going to spend it. First off, I start by converting the mana I have now into 202 world energy. After which I buy 20 rooms. Before continuing to fill out the first floor though I think it's time to fill out the entryway a bit more. Literally the only thing in it right now is the Wash tub. Time to change that and hopefully make it feel a bit more lived in. I am going for an abandoned bandit camp kind of feel after all. Bandits would have had people stationed at the door to this hideout would they not.