Dear Diary,

It seems like David's mood gets worse with every passing day. I'm, honestly, getting so sick and tired of it. The contract between us feels more like a curse than a blessing and this dungeon feels more like a prison than it usually does. I can't avoid him, I have to remain in this dungeon and await his arrival every night. I know learning swordsmanship and being able to claim some level of capability and independence is worth a lot, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to tolerate his attitude for...

He keeps asking me about buying things as well. I don't know how he expects me to want to go out of my way to do so when he treats me the way he does. I might be able to make infinite items, assuming I have the mana and schematic to make it, but that's still resources that I could be spending elsewhere. Until I finish building up some proper defenses on the second floor, I won't be able to rest easy. My emperor rock slime might be enough to take out zombies, skeletons, and goblins, but there have to be plenty of things stronger than that in this world. I can't confirm it, of course, since I can't leave this dungeon, but it seems like common sense.

Admittedly, things aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. Thanks to my contract with Avorn and Camellia, I earn plenty of mana every night and I even get some other resources out of it as well. Since I can't build on the first floor with them on it, I usually spend nights working on the second floor. I have some mana leftover in the mornings, but I was hoping to use it for some projects on the first floor. Still, it might not be the worst thing to invest some into new merchandise since it's a good way to ensure I have the other resources I need to keep working on the second floor. I just don't like how it feels too much like giving into David's pressuring me. I'm a grown woman, I can make my own choices, can't I?

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

It probably doesn't help that the dungeon continues to be empty. If there were more people to talk with then I would, probably, be able to ignore the problem with David a little better. As it is, it's like sitting next to a bowl of your favorite candy while you're trying to diet and lose weight. The temptation to just give in and the annoyance at being left alone with it would be overwhelming compared to if you were able to have people to talk to and be across the room from it. I rarely dieted in my old life, but it isn't exactly as if I was immune to the peer pressures of high school either.

I'm, honestly, glad that I stopped worrying about it as much after I met Lee. He was always so much more focused on enjoying life to its fullest. Eating balanced meals with plenty of veggies and getting lots of exercise by walking around meant that dieting wasn't even necessary to make up for all the delicious food we ate. I slowly moved away from the toxic ideas I formed as a teen, influenced by my mother's own worries about her body as well as my friends' vain concerns. Some of them never quite grew out of the yo-yo dieting, but they learned not to let it dominate every conversation and it ensured we could still happily remain friends.

Anyways, I'm getting off-topic and I should, probably, get going anyway.

-Violet