After returning from the meeting held by the elders, Belinda was wiped out after a group of adventurers made their way through the dungeon. After catching each other up Belinda finally brings up the subject of her own bedroom.

Checking the balance of XP I find that even after replacing the monsters she lost in the fight, there is just over 1500xp remaining, I decide to add a room off to the side a bit away from the current rooms. I make a large room 100 feet by 100 feet with a 10 foot ceiling, leaving her with 500 xp to do whatever she wants with her new space.

Belinda: “The room is huge, but it’s not connected to anything.”

“Well I figured you don’t want adventurer’s sneaking around your bedroom while you are sleeping, so I figured the only disadvantage of having a room not accessible is that you can’t acquire xp there, but that won’t matter for your bedroom.”

Belinda: “Why make it so big then?”

“Well using the remaining 500xp you can build walls and such where ever you want. Making your bedroom as large or small as you want, and this way the unused section can be used as storage.”

Belinda: “Why does it feel my bedroom has turned into a byproduct of your preexisting plan?”

“Storage isn’t actually necessary because any items can be stored in the dungeon inventory, and monsters can be stored in the crystal, so it’s really not a benefit to me at all…”

Using [Menu] I give Belinda the option to use 500xp any way she wants, and she begins work on her room. She starts off with two walls only using about a quarter of the space. She then starts adding misc, items, furniture, and décor to the room.

At one point she gets buys a ton of blankets draping them from the walls and ceiling, but after returning to the core room, and looking at the screen her shoulders droop. She returns to her room pulling all the blankets down folding them up, and putting them under her bed.

While she continues to work on her room I go and visit Thirty-seven. When I return to the core room Belinda is dragging my desk across the floor in the core room moving against one of the sides of the room. She then drags the screen that displays her room down behind the desk.

Belinda: “Now, don’t touch that screen you hear me?”

“Humans can’t make it in there so I don’t see a reason to need it, so it should be fine.”

Even though I just agreed to do as she asked Belinda doesn’t seem happy about it giving me a sharp glare. When it is all said and done, Belinda uses all of the xp giving to her down to the very last point.

Amazing that Belinda was so tired when I returned from the meeting, yet she has spent the entire afternoon working on her room nonstop. She even asks if she can take Thirty-seven to show the bedroom to her. After I agree, she happily moves down to talk to Thirty-seven while I decide to head to bed.

When I wake the next morning and notice Thirty-seven not in her room, I move the screen behind the desk out. Belinda’s room is covered in bright colored pillows. She has all kinds of furniture, rugs, tapestry’s, and such covering almost the entire room.

Belinda is sleeping soundly in her bed with both arms and legs wrapped around Thirty-seven who is laying there staring at the ceiling. After placing the screen back behind the desk I prepare Thirty-seven’s meal and transfer to Belinda’s room

“I brought you something to eat.”

Thirty-seven: “Thanks.”

When Thirty-seven pulls herself free of Belinda getting out of bed, Belinda starts to wake up.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

Thirty-seven: “Belinda insisted I stay, something about a housewarming, or something to that effect.”

Belinda: -Sleepily- “What was that?”

“I was just asking why Thirty-seven stayed in your room last night.”

Belinda: “Oh…-She quickly jolts up coving herself with her blankets and throws a pillow at my face.- “What are you doing in my room?”

“It was time for Thirty-seven’s meal, and she happened to be here, so I brought it.”

Belinda: “You don’t enter a woman’s room without knocking first!” –She throws another pillow-

“There isn’t a door.”

Belinda: -She quickly looks around the room.- “Then at least send a message, don’t just barge into my room without permission!” –She throws a third pillow.-

Thirty-seven is calmly eating the food sitting on the table while I am pelted with pillows, once I am pelted with a fourth pillow Belinda’s words no longer make much sense so I just transfer back to the core room.

A little while later Belinda returns Thirty-seven to her room, and then joins me in the core room. After looking at me she gets angry all over again.

Belinda: “If I am going to be living here from now on, we need to set up some ground rules!”

“What exactly do you have in mind?”

Belinda: “No entering my room without permission is a big number one, and also no peeking into my room through one of the screens.”

“Ok.”

Belinda: “Oh and you have to at least eat one meal with me a week down in Tobes, and I mean actually eat!”

“Why?”

Belinda: “Because I asked you to, and we will start today to make up for being rude to me this morning, by barging in my room.”

“Fine, what else?”

Belinda: “We need to come up with another plan if you have to leave again, I will do what is required of me, but I don’t want to have to kill another adventurer if I don’t have to…”

“Well I think we will have around four months to come up with something, so is there anything else?”

Belinda: “Just because I can’t think of anything else at the moment, doesn’t mean that’s it, ok?”

“Fine, I guess.”

Belinda: “…We I guess I need to get to Tobes, and make sure everything is going alright. Now don’t forget this evening you need to come down to Tobes to eat dinner with me!”

“Ok, I got it…”

Belinda stares at me for a minute like she wants to say something else, but I guess she decided against it because she transfers to the entrance of the dungeon and walks down the mountain toward Tobes.

A few hours later Belinda sends me a warning that Garm, the slave master is heading back to the dungeon.

This time when Garm arrives he only has 5 slaves with him but each one looks experienced. Each still wear a slave collar, but this time they are equip with decent weapons and armor. One of them even appears to be a mage or some kind.

Garm: “I have sunk to much gold into this dungeon to back away now. I don’t care if the crystal has protection from the kingdom, once you make it to the crystal room, come get me and we can claim it was an accident.”

The slaves nod then proceed into the dungeon. The group has obviously seen combat as they quickly tear through the group in the square stone room. Once they reach the large room, one of the group manages to set off a trap but they all manage to escape it unharmed.

The group is well coordinated, but doesn’t seem much tougher than any of the C rank groups that have entered so I am not too worried yet. While they systematically clear the side rooms on the first floor I decide to ask Belinda a question.

“Hey, what happens to slaves if their master dies?”

Belinda: “Well if they are in a city they are usually round up and resold, but with being way out here in the sticks if Garm happens to fall they could disappear with no one being the wiser. Why do you have an idea to get rid of that guy?”

“This guy is starting to get annoying, so I figured if I could deal with him I should while I have the chance.”

Belinda: “I said I would like to avoid killing adventurers but Garm is the exception if you figure something out you won’t hear any complaints from me. Let me know how it goes.”

Once the group makes it to the second floor, the mage changes from offensive to defensive, casting barriers and heals, instead of fire spells. Even with one less person attacking, they still are holding their own against the group of crimson kobold on the second floor.

I decide to not worry too much about the rifts, and focus my plan on the third floor. After the battle with Listel and hearing how Belinda took care of the group yesterday I re-arrange the monsters on the third floor.

I let Thirty-seven know what’s going on and decide to move her to the storage area outside of Belinda’s room... Maybe after the battle I will move all her things there permanently, the only problem would be she couldn’t leave on her own, but that shouldn’t matter to Thirty-seven. Oh well we will go over that after the battle.

Once the group reaches the third floor I use Rufus to lure them into the side room opposite of where Thirty-seven is staying. Once there, the Golem moves in blocking their escape. The mage ends up switching back to offensive against the golem.

With the gear they stole from the kobold upstairs and the mage they actually start doing quite a bit of damage to one of the golems. The mage however runs out of magic after I switch in a different golem having the injured one leave.

Panic starts to envelope the group and they start making mistakes. Once the golem beat them up pretty good they stop attacking and just start guarding the door, I have Rufus enter the room carrying a note in his mouth. Once he drops the note on the floor he leaves back out the way he came, and the group hesitantly picks up the paper.

The one that picks up the note asks if anyone can read, everyone shakes their heads but the mage, So when they had the mage the note he reads it out loud.

Mage: “Slaves of Garm, If any of you wish to leave this dungeon alive I only ask two things. Leave here only with what you entered with, and I ask for you to give up your master in your place… That’s all it says.”

Slave: “What do we do?”

Slave 2: “Are you kidding, If Garm is taken by the dungeon we can go wherever we want.”

Slave 3: “But how do we get him to come in here?”

Mage: “That’s easy, He expects us to bring him to the dungeon’s crystal, and we tell him we found it leading him here instead.”

Slave 4: “But can we really believe the dungeon will let us go afterwards like the note said?”

Slave 3: “Well you know Garm isn’t going to come save us, I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

Slave: “Even if it doesn’t let us, just knowing that bastard Garm is suffering the same fate, is enough to convince me.”

Mage: “What if someone finds out what we did?”

Slave 2: “Is there really a worse fate then what we have right now?”

Slave: “You guys can continue to make up your minds, I am going to go tell that bastard that we reached the crystal."

When the slave walks to the door the golem lets him pass the others look at each other then quickly try to follow but the golem blocks their path.

The other slaves object but the slave outside the door heads upstairs. He slowly makes his way back though the dungeon arriving at the cave entrance.

Slave: -bowing his head.- “Master, we found the crystal…”

Garm: “Excellent, you cleared all the monsters right?”

Slave: “None remain…”

Garm: “Perfect.”

Garm walks into the dungeon, the slave trailing behind him. They reach the third floor easy enough, and when Garm enters the room with the rest the golem quickly blocks the path.

Garm: “What the hell is going on?!”

He quickly pulls his sword but the golem easily knocks it from his hand.

Garm: “You’re all traitors, I will see you put to death I swear!”

Slave: “You have to make it out of here first.”

The other slaves look towards the golem questioningly. As the first one steps past the golem Garm quickly darts for the door but the golem knock him back. The other slaves quickly retreat from the room, and the mage however hesitates.

Mage: “We won’t make it anywhere with these collars. Where is the key Garm?”

Garm: “You think I would be stupid enough to keep it on me?”

The golem swiftly brings down one of its boulder fists crushing Garm’s leg. Garm lets out a loud scream, but instantly passes out. The mage quickly goes through Garm’s belongings finding the key amongst them.

Without another word the slaves quickly escape the dungeon, they don’t even stop to remove their collars until they are well outside of the cave. Without any monsters on the first or second floor I leave Garm in the room with the golem guarding him. One of crimson kobold brutes move in stripping him of his belongings while he remains passed out, and I add them to the dungeon inventory.

Acquired: [235 gold], [Top-Quality Full-plate Armor], [Dwarven Sword], [Top-Quality Black Leather Gambeson], 2 [Black Leather Belt Pouches]

I then inform Belinda of Garm’s capture and the release of the five slaves.

Belinda: “It wasn’t too much trouble was it?”

“They made it to the third floor and seen the golems, but being escaped slaves, I doubt they will repeat anything that happened here today.”

Belinda: “You are probably right. You managed to clear the dungeon with plenty of time, so don’t forget dinner in a few hours…”

“There are only the monsters left on the third floor…”

Belinda: “You know as well as I do nobody set out to attack the dungeon in the evening. You better be here…”

“Fine...”

I decide to then move all the items from the other room, into the storage area with Thirty-seven.

“Here you go, I thought that with this room not being connected to the outside, you wouldn’t have to worry about intruders finding you.”

Thirty-seven: “If you think that’s best.”

“It’s a little inconvenient for you I am sure, but I do think you will be safer.”

“I have to go meet with Belinda down in Tobes, for a while but we should be back before long, is there anything else you need?”

Thirty-seven: “I will manage.”

“You do know you can ask for things right?”

Thirty-seven: “You already provide everything I need to continue surviving, that is all that I require at the moment.”

“Ok, but just remember if you want anything, anything at all just let me know.”

Thirty-seven: “Very well. I will keep that in mind.”

I then leave the dungeon, heading down to Tobes. Belinda seems excited when I walk in the door to the adventurer’s guild, but she seems rather busy at the moment. I spend my time looking over the commissions on the board.

It doesn’t take Belinda long to wrap up what she is working on, and she then joins me at a table. After spending a few minutes talking about nothing in particular she says.

Belinda: “Unfortunately Tobes still doesn’t have a restaurant, but I had someone get something ready for us.

She then gets up moving to the back room, she returns a few minutes later with a large covered plate in one hand and two smaller plates in the other. She sets the large covered plate in the center of the table and puts one of the smaller plates in front of myself and one in front of her chair.

Belinda: “I haven’t had time to check but Susan promised it would be something good.”

When she removes the lid from the plate, underneath there is some kind of small roasted bird, all the feathers have been ripped out, it’s been beheaded, and gutted. I am not quite sure what to think of the meal but by the envious eyes of several adventurers at other tables must mean it look appetizing to a human.

“I only have to try it right?”

Belinda: “Oh come on this looks wonderful.”

She cuts a large chuck from the bird placing it on my plate, then takes a small section from the side putting it on her plate.

“If it looks so good, why are you only getting such a small piece…”

Belinda: “That’s just the way things work.”

“…”

I slowly cut off a small piece raising it to my mouth. After placing it in my mouth and chewing a few times, I begin to cough and choke a bit. It tastes like someone rolled the bird around in the grass then burnt it in a fire… It tastes like weeds and coal…

I go to state how bad it tastes, but I notice Belinda seems to be enjoying the bite she is eating…After eating her bite she asks me.

Belinda: “What are you telling me you don’t like it either?”

“…its very odd…It’s a mangled bird, which has been covered in weeds, and rolled around in the coals of a fire…”

Belinda: “It’s not been mangled, just been prepared, and they are not weeds they are called herbs, and it was cooked in a brick oven, the heat might of come from coals but it wasn’t rolled around in it…”

Belinda seems a little disappointed, and she then gets me a mug of the alcohol I drank at her birthday party.

Belinda: “I know you will drink this, so drink that and at least pretend you are enjoying the food…”

I take several drinks between each bite, but even after finishing my third mug I am still unable to even finish what is on the plate. Meanwhile Belinda spends the entire time just talking about the simple things she did during the day, or interactions she had with people…

I finally just push the plate away unable to finish any more. Then a woman I haven’t seen around Tobes before enters the adventurer’s guild. Once she spots Belinda she heads straight towards her.

Denova: “Oh thank goodness I caught you. I heard you usually are gone by now.”

Belinda: “Yes, well I was just having a bit of dinner before heading home…”

The woman pulls a chair from another table sitting down with us.

Denova: “I am glad I caught you, I seem to be just about ready to open shop tomorrow, but the town leader said I had to get your approval first. I think he is just worried that the shop was put in while you were gone, and he doesn’t want to be the one to sign off on it behind a princess’s back.”

Belinda: “Yes well, although I have my reservations, after talking to several people I trust they told me as much as I don’t like the idea I should still allow you to open up anyway, so let me stamp your form and I can get back to dinner...”

Denova: “Sure no problem.”

Denova pulls out several pieces of paper spreading them across the table. Belinda begins looking over the paperwork.

Belinda: “Wait a minute what are these for?”

Denova: -She chuckles nervously- “Yea, you see once I seen the building. A fine building mind you, I noticed the only place to get a drink was way over here on this side of town, so I figured it would make things easier to be able to handle it there as well.”

Belinda: “And this one?”

Denova: “Well, you see sometimes adventurers don’t rightly have any gold on them, so they often trade other items for services, this will just allow us to then sell those items without a problem. I don’t want to get in trouble after all.”

Belinda: “This one says you are requesting a hold on the adjacent lot for future development…”

Denova: “Well the town is growing pretty quickly, I don’t want to end up stuck unable to grow my business.”

Belinda: “You know what, fine.” –She stamps the papers with her seal.- “Now can I get back to my dinner?”

Denova: “Sure thing, sure thing. You won’t regret it I promise. I even let your friend here in with a freebie, he can have his pick.”

The woman then winks at me, as Belinda noticeably beings to get upset.

Belinda: “That won’t be necessary!”

Denova: “Ok ok, I didn’t know it went like that.” –She quickly gathers her papers stuffing them in a back slung around her shoulder. She then winks again at me. - “The offer still stands though.” –She then quickly retreats from the adventurer’s guild, but not before removing one of the bird legs from the plate on the table munching on it as she goes.-

“Who was that?”

Belinda: “That’s the headache I have to deal with because of you.”

“Me?”

Belinda: “Yes! You are the one that decided to build the brothel, and she is the woman that accepted the commission to run it, so I in turn am the one that has to deal with her.”

“She seemed pretty interested in me stopping by the shop tomorrow. Shouldn’t I at least check it out? You told me I need to learn more about humans.”

Belinda: “It’s a sex shop! Fine there I said it. You built a place for humans to go pay money to screw around with the women that work there. Now do you understand why I am upset?”

“Not really… I mean if you told me that from the beginning I would have known I wouldn’t have been interested in the place, but as to why you are upset in the matter. I don’t have a clue…”

Belinda: “You know what fine, I don’t care! I am going to go to bed.”

Belinda gets up storming out of the adventurer’s guild leaving me sitting at the table with the half eaten mangled bird… One of the adventurers at the table next to ours laughs getting up heading over to me.

Adventurer: “Mate, you really screwed that one up, you’re Two-Twelve right?”

“Yea, that’s right…”

Adventurer: “Nice to meetcha, call me Veto. Do you mind? –He asks while motioning toward the bird.-

“No, go ahead.”

Veto: “Dad taught me never let a good thing pass you by. I think he would roll over in his grave if he seen you just now.” –He says while chowing down on the bird.-

“Come again?”

Veto: “What kind of place did you run from? I can tell you haven’t ever dealt with women before, that’s for sure.”

“I still don’t follow.”

Veto: “That’s exactly my point mate. She set this dinner up with what looks like the best possible thing you can get in this small village. I don’t know what makes you so special to catch a princess’s eye, but she wants you.”

“Well I already know that’s not the case, her friend even tried to set something up, and she flat out denied the possibility.”

Veto: “You got a lot to learn about women mate. A woman that can cook like that, putting all that effort into it, and a princess to boot, if you don’t step up your game she is going to drop you like a rock.”

“She also didn’t cook the meal.”

Veto: “If you believed that….Mate the adventurer’s guild was closed half the day while she made that for you.”

“Why go through all that trouble then only to lie about it?’

Veto: “That’s what I am telling you mate, women say one thing, but want or do something completely different. Also you better not wait too much longer to go apologize, or you might really catch it later.”

“Well thanks for the advice, I better head out now.”

I decide to head to head back to the dungeon. When I arrive back at the dungeon, Belinda has seemed to lure Thirty-seven into her room again. Thirty-seven just sits there silently staring off at the wall behind Belinda while holding the cat doll upside-down in her arms, as Belinda is rapidly and angrily talking away.

I decide the best course of action is to wait till Belinda cools down, so I decide to head to bed. When I wake the next morning Belinda is already gone, so I prepare Thirty-seven’s meal and take it too her.

“Here you go.”

Thirty-seven: “Your boss monster likes to talk…”

“Yea, sorry about that… I guess since she left early she is still mad?”

Thirty-seven: “Honestly I have no idea what she was talking about most of the time, but I think it is a fair assessment to assume she is still mad at you.”

“Oh well, she will come around in a few days. Want to take your walk around the lake this evening?”

Thirty-seven: “Your boss monster has already made plans for that this evening.”

“You know if she becomes a problem you can let me know, and I will tell her to back off.”

Thirty-seven: “Other than her endless chatter, I don’t really see a difference either way.”

“…Alright, but if it becomes a problem just let me know…”

I return to the core room. Garm has seemed to regain conciseness, but doesn’t seem fairing too well. I send food down to him, but he doesn’t seem strong enough to eat.

Surely he can’t be that weak after just one night. Oh well I only got 25xp from him anyway, so no big loss if he doesn’t last another day. I would ask Belinda about it, but she seems to still be mad at me.

Two more adventurer groups enter that day, but I make nothing from them as the retreat before the battle gets too hard. If I can just hold on till I get that imitation crystal I think everything will be alright.

When Belinda returns that evening she still looks angry, but she at least will speak with me so I ask her about Garm.

“He doesn’t seem to be doing too well, I tried to feed him, but he wouldn’t eat.”

Belinda: “By the looks of his wounds I say he won’t last the night unless you heal him.”

“What do you mean?”

Belinda: “See the leg there where it’s been crushed? How it is swelling up looks like he is bleeding internally, if his wound isn’t healed it will most likely die.”

“I know humans heal slower, but won’t the wound eventually just heal itself?”

Belinda: “Humans don’t work that way. Human’s natural healing only heals small wounds. Large wounds don’t ever heal back to the way they were without the help of healing magic. See look here.” -Belinda raises her shirt showing me a few small discolored marks on her side. –

Belinda: “This was the first wound I received after becoming an adventurer. A wolf bit me while I was completing a commission and I was too stubborn to have it healed with magic so it left a scar.”

She starts to blush as I stare at her, and she then panics pulling her shirt down when I run my hand across the scar.

Belinda: “Hey hey!”

“Sorry, but it’s interesting. Do you have any more?”

Belinda: “No, that’s it. Being a princess my wounds where always promptly treated by a mage.”

“Garm is not going to make it then? Maybe he can hold on till midnight, he isn’t giving much but at least it’s something.”

Belinda: “You know I hate Garm just as much as the next person, but that’s an awful cold approach to him losing his life…”

“He had no problems when he was trying to kill me, so how is that different. Even when you first entered the dungeon, you had the same intentions.”

Belinda: “That’s different, you’re a dungeon, you expect that sort of thing, but he…”

“What is human? And what his life should hold higher value then mine because of it? So does that stand for you as well? You are part of the dungeon now does that mean your life isn’t equal to his?”

Belinda: “No, that’s…I mean…”

“Remember I asked you if you knew exactly what you were asking when you joined the dungeon, and you agreed. You aren’t one of them anymore, you are a dungeon monster. I have no problem you going down to Tobes, and continuing running the adventurer’s guild because it benefits us. But that’s not your place anymore.”

Belinda: “…Well, I promised Thirty-seven I would take her for her walk…”

Belinda wears a complicated expression on her face as she transfers from the core room. A few minutes later I see her transfer herself and Thirty-seven to the entrance and they walk out into the evening air, making their way down to the lake.

I debate for a while if I should heal Garm’s leg or not, but decide he isn’t providing enough xp to worry about it, so I leave him to his fate. After a few hours the sun begins to set yet the ladies have yet to return to the dungeon.

Every conversation with Belinda ends with her getting madder and madder with me, so I decide to message Thirty-seven instead.

“Are you on your way back yet?”

I wait a few minutes, and receive no reply so I send another message.

“Are you guys alright?”

I look though the screens staring hard out over the lake, but just too much of it is hidden behind trees, and I can’t see anything. I decide I better go check on them so I equip Garm’s gear from the dungeons inventory then head down to the lake myself.

The entire front end of the lake is visible from the screens in the dungeon, so I start making my way towards the back. After a few minutes of searching I find a medium size tock on the bank of the lake, and on top of the rock is Thirty-seven’s little stuffed cat.

When I move closer there are several articles of clothing strewn about on the rocks. I first find Thirty-seven she is sitting on a rock that is sticking up out of the water, and I can hear Belinda talking to her from in the water.

“What are you two doing?”

Thirty-seven stands and turns. I wondered about it before, but now I know it for a fact. Even though Thirty-seven is standing there nude I don’t feel the embarrassment as I did when we were in Madam Erin’s dungeon.

Thirty-seven: “Even Madam Erin said that she found the way humans bathe to be enjoyable, so I had agreed to bathe with Belinda when she suggested it. However she is taking a long time.”

Belinda: “Is that Two-Twelve? What are you doing?”

From the other side of the rock I see Belinda’s arm reach up, and pull Thirty-seven into the water. Belinda calls out from the other side of the rock.

Belinda: “What are you doing here?!”

“It’s starting to get dark, and when I sent a message no one replied so I came to check on you.”

Thirty-seven crawls back onto the rock, now soaking wet. Belinda reaches for her again but this time Thirty-seven moves out the way heading towards me.

Belinda: “Thirty-seven! What are you doing, he will see you.”

Thirty-seven: “It is time we start heading back.”

I see Belinda’s head poke up past the rock then with an odd sound she disappears back behind the rock, as Thirty-seven starts to struggle to put on her clothes as they stick to her wet skin.

“Why didn’t you answer when I sent you a message earlier?” –I ask Thirty-seven.-

Thirty-seven: “As I am completely cut off from the dungeons now, I cannot access [Menu], so I am no longer able to receive messages.”

“How have you been here this long, and I am just finding this out?”

Thirty-seven: “My question is, why try messaging me, and not your own boss monster?”

I look over to Belinda who is angrily peering at me from behind the rock.

“I thought it would be safer…”

Thirty-seven now clothed moves back over to the rock grabbing the cat, quickly buries its head into her chest holding it the way she normally does, while I start gathering Belinda’s clothes.

“Come on Belinda, it’s starting to get late.”

Belinda: “I’m not going anywhere with you still standing there, and what are you doing with my things?”

“Fine.”

I set her clothes that I gathered on the rock, and then Thirty-seven and I begin walking back to the dungeon.

Belinda: “Hey wait for me!”

“Make up your mind.”

When I turn around Belinda is trying to catch up, bouncing as she is trying to pull on one of her boots. Her clothes are disheveled, and soaking wet clinging to her body. In her current state while staring at her my ears become warm and I begin to blush.

I soon however receive her second boot in the face as she throws it at me.

Belinda: “Quit staring! You act like it’s no big deal, and then stare at me like that... Ohh you make me so mad!”

Thirty-seven soon has to catch up as Belinda hastily walks past us heading back to the dungeon, with one bare foot and the other making squishy noises as she walks.

When Thirty-seven and I make it to the dungeon, Belinda is already no longer in sight, so I send Thirty-seven to her room then return to the core room. I don’t see Belinda on any of the visible screens, so she must be in her room, so I decide to send her a message.

“I have your other boot…”

She doesn’t reply so I just set it next to the desk. A few hours later Garm manages to disappoint me one last time as he died mere minutes before midnight, I get 250xp from his death, but still missed out on a few bonus points I would have got if he at least made it till then.

When I wake up the next morning my eyes meet with Belinda’s as she sneaks through my room, causing her to freeze in place. She is fully clothes minus her missing boot.

Belinda: “I….uh…I need…”

She quickly grabs her boot then transfers out of the room…I think the longer she is around the less I understand about her…A few minutes later I see as she transfers to the exit of the dungeon, she however just stands there a minute.

She then turns looking at the dungeon as I receive a message, and she then begins her descent down the mountain.

Belinda: “I am sorry if things have been weird lately, but I am still trying to get used to being a dungeon monster. If things didn’t seem so normal, then maybe this would be a little easier, but honestly I don’t feel any different, and that is what is making this so much harder. I promise I am going to try harder from now on, so please just have a little patience.”

When I send a message back saying “ok” I see Belinda stop, she then appears to get angry again stomping the rest of the way down the mountain trail…

After taking food to Thirty-seven I receive another message, this time however it’s from Sara. She tells me how that she has had to a rough time the last few weeks, because one of the local hunters found her small cave entrance.

Since then she has had quite a few people poking around in her dungeon attacking her pixies and fairies. She told me she quickly expanded the cave to keep humans away from her crystal, but they are already pushing deep into the cave.

After talking with Sara I decide to ask Alex how he is doing, he tells me that his situation is rather grim. They have had to push way out into the lower foothills to be able to acquire xp to survive, and he humans in the area are now killing anything he manages to summon, luckily he has been able to hold onto the group he sends out to collect xp.

I decide to give him a bit of advice.

“Luckily they haven’t decided to destroy your crystal, so use that to your advantage. Store any monsters you summon in your crystal until you build up your dungeon again. Then when the humans attack send them all out, and maybe you can then get the upper hand.”

Alex: “…I… Thanks, I will give it a shot.”

“Humans are rather smart though, so if they are used to coming in regularly and killing monsters, maybe you should take it slow, maybe only storing one or two at a time, so the humans don’t get suspicious.”

Alex: “Thanks again, I asked Lucille for help, but she told me I just needed to try harder, so I want you to know I really appreciate it.”

“Something like that is nothing. Just remember to pay me back someday when you get back on your feet.”

Alex: “I will, I promise.”

Later an adventurer group enters my dungeon, and they seem pretty well organized, they even carry rather good gear. Taking every precaution they slowly work their way through the first floor. Even though they seem to have no difficulty with the kobolds, when evening rolls around they have only managed to clear the large room on the second floor, and the prison area.

Instead of retreating however, they set up camp at the end of the hallway in the prison area. When Belinda returns that evening she asks about the group.

Belinda: “The group that came in today, did you capture them? They seemed like a very cautious bunch I figured they would have escaped before getting that far.”

“No actually they are still here. They took it really slow and are now camping in your old room.”

Belinda: “Have you had any adventurer’s camp out inside before?”

“Other than you? No, the dungeon isn’t really big enough for it yet.”

Belinda: “They seemed rather strong though, I was actually pretty worried when they said they were heading up here.”

“Yea, they didn’t seem to have any problems, strength wise, against the kobold, but they just took it really slowly, searching every nook and cranny before moving on to the next room.”

Belinda: “Well at least this way you will get xp from them, I know how much you hate it when they come in raid the treasure chests, and all manage to escape without giving you any xp.”

“Well this is true.”

Belinda: “Just make sure you set [Menu] to warn you if they make any moves when you go to bed, just in case they try something during the night. Worst case scenario is that it got out that the kobolds sometimes get weaker, and they may be testing them.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Belinda soon goes to bed, but I decide to keep an eye on them for a while. I fall asleep shortly before midnight, but when I wake up they are just now preparing to set out again. The thing that really begins to worry me is my morning message.

Current XP consumption 5XP. 2500xp received from intruders in dungeon.

2500xp…They are not even locked up so that means their power level is 250,000xp I quickly rush to Belinda’s room.

“Belinda, wake up! We have a huge problem.”

Belinda is startled and looks like she is about to complain, but after seeing the look on my face, she appears worried as well.

Belinda: “What’s wrong?”

I just quickly grab her arm and transfer her back to the core room. When we appear in the core room Belinda quickly blushes wearing only a puffy pink nightgown, she doesn’t say anything however and just quickly grabs the blanket off my bed wrapping herself in it.

Belinda looks at the screens after securing the blanket and says. “They seem to be heading back into the dungeon, but what’s the problem?”

“I received 2500xp from their group.”

Belinda: “That’s good then isn’t it?”

“They were not even held captive, which means that’s roughly one percent of their power level.”

Belinda: “Surely an entire group close to level 20 would at least have better gear then just plain steel.”

“The dungeon is under protection of the Gowen kingdom, you don’t think these people are sent secretly from a rival kingdom do you?”

Belinda: “You’re not making any sense why would they do something like that?”

“I read it in my book, that when a kingdom protects a dungeon, enemy nations sometimes send in adventurers to destroy that dungeon to cause problems.”

Belinda: “I have never heard that before, but even if it is true, this dungeon doesn’t really hold any significance to the kingdom. If they wanted to cause damage they would attack Leona Ruins.”

“Then why else would strong C-rank adventurers be here wearing gear like that?”

Belinda: “I am going to go get dressed, and then head down to town see if I can turn anything up, they don’t seem to be in any hurry, so maybe we can find something out.”

“Just use [Menu] we don’t know how much time we have.”

I quickly unequipped her nightgown causing her to blush and yelp as she feels her clothes disappear, but since she is wrapped in the blanket it’s not like it matters anyway. I then equip her in her normal clothes, she peeks under the blanket. Blushing brightly she quickly says.

Belinda: “I know we are in a hurry, but promise me you will NEVER do that again…”

She seems hesitant to set the blanket down, checking herself several times. Eventually she does, and then transfers to the entrance of the dungeon quickly making her way down to Tobes.

The group slowly takes their time clearing the second floor again, they even know enough about dungeons to return to the prison room again to clear the prison guards. Surprisingly they then return to the first floor.

By noon I still haven’t heard from Belinda, and the group has cleared both the first and second floors. Even with the gear on some of the kobold from the second floor being better then what they are using they still leave it on the floor.

Still in no hurry they even stop to make a fire right in the middle of the large room on the second floor, to prepare food.