~ Chapter 12: My questions and Nanya’s answers ~

“Have you calmed down, Master?” asked my sweet Shanteya.

I was frustrated and a bit angry with what happened, but those feelings weren’t directed at Nanya or anyone else but me. I was the fool who didn’t think about trying to upgrade those skills. After all, I did upgrade [Wind Blow] to [Wind Scythe] and [Fireball] to [Seeker Fireball], but for some reason, it didn't even cross my mind that I could do the same thing with all of them. Or rather... I forgot about it.

I’m such an idiot… I told myself.

“Sigh. Leave him be, Shanteya. I’m actually a bit surprised by the fact that he made this whole thing by cutting down trees and then processing them.” said Nanya as she checked my shabby looking gazebo.

“But master didn’t do anything wrong, nobody told him that he could do it with a skill.” said Shanteya, trying to offer me a bit of moral support. It was sweet of her, but I honestly felt a bit like an idiot for all the trouble I went through.

“Hm, Illsy.” Nanya called out.

“What?” I asked with a sniffle even though I couldn’t cry.

“Why do you think you did something bad?” she asked.

“But, the gazebo… it’s… it doesn’t look good, right?” I replied because that was the truth. I tried my best to make it, but it was far from what a carpenter could do.

“Hm? It doesn’t seem so to me.” she told me with a smile and then took a seat on the chair closest to her.

“What? How can that be?” I asked.

“Look, I can sit down, admire the sky, you even made that small pond to reflect the moons on its surface.” she pointed out, but it was too early to see their reflection there.

“I know, but still…” I tried to excuse myself, but Nanya cut me off.

“Illsy, you did something another Dungeon Lord would have seriously declined because he simply saw no reason to make it. On the other hand, you tried your best with the little you had. Of course, if you used the advanced version of [Create a Room], then you would have completed this task in just a few minutes, but that doesn’t matter.” she shook her head “The gazebo built by [Create a Room] wouldn’t have had the same feeling as this one, in which you used magic as little as possible. I’m talking about that pleasant feeling of using something handmade. I believe you should be proud of it. This gazebo is your creation made through hard work and not a simple snap of your fingers.” she explained with a soft smile as she leaned back in the simple wood chair and looked up at the sky.

“I believe mistress Nanya is right, you should be proud of yourself, Master.” said Shanteya with a small nod.

I can’t win against these two… I sighed and decided to pull myself out of that depressive hole before I sunk myself in it even deeper.

“Thank you, Nanya, Shanteya…” I told them, and they smiled back.

“Now, let’s get those geezers here and start drinking! Nyhahaha!” the teenage-looking woman laughed as she pulled out one of the bottles from Shanteya’s basket.

“I’ll let them know about it.” I said and flew towards the signs of life I detected as the adventurer teachers of the Magic Academy Fellyore.

Besides Nanya, there were five others here: Tuberculus, Zertan, Angius, Paladinus, and Rufus. They were all old men who taught various things at the academy. Going in their respective order: Nanya taught Magic History and Beginner Attack Spells; Tuberculus handled Intermediate Attack spells and Beginner Healing, which also included something like first aid and basic anatomy; Zertan handled anything related to Alchemy, Herbalism, and Potion Brewing; Angius was a security guard as well as the Martial Arts instructor; Paladinus taught Monster Handling and foreign languages, such as the Feyan language, the Paramanium language, and the Teslov language; and Rufus taught Mathematics, Economy, Survival Techniques, and Trapology or the study of Dungeon Traps.

Rufus was the youngest of all of them, just 24 years old, but when I first heard Trapology, my mind went straight into the gutter.

As for the seventh adventurer teacher, I honestly didn't see him at all ever since I came into existence. He technically was part of the Academy's staff, but maybe what he taught were lessons only for the second semester?

Of course, there were going to be many more courses, but for now, it seemed like that was the most the teachers could handle. As for the non-adventurer ones, they taught only non-magic oriented subjects like history, math, economy, foreign languages, and other stuff like that.

The academy was officially opened just a few weeks ago, so it had almost zero reputation. If things went as Tuberculus planned, then the following year, they were going to have a new batch of first-year students and hold new classes for the second-year ones.

It was a very daring dream, but I had to wonder if it was going to work or not.

Anyway, the party started and the bottles were quickly emptied by the five men together with the teenage-looking Nanya. The one who got to play the errand boy was, of course, me. I didn’t really mind, but I was a bit sad I couldn’t taste the delicious alcohol. I tried absorbing a glass and then finding it in my Inner Mind, but it had no taste.

This experiment made me realize that I was going to miss beer.

Not long after they started, the men began to talk about the cutest girls in their classes. The only one who didn’t join that conversation was Zertan. He drank from his cup and looked away. His interests laid somewhere else. Taking this opportunity, I decided to ask Nanya something that was on my mind for a while now.

“Nanya, I have to ask… why only adult students?”

“Eh? You don’t know? Well… erm… let’s see… Ah! Yes! It’s all about the Magic Energy stabilization process in the body of most humanoids species.” she told me.

“What’s a Magic Energy stabilization process?”

“You see, Illsy, in children, magic varies considerably. When someone who isn’t stabilized tries to cast something, they can’t control the amount of Magic Energy they put into the spell, thus, it will either end up as a failure or ridiculously powerful. Depending on the case, it can even result in the death of the child or those around him. When the magic stabilizes, it may end up as being either very low or very high.” she said with a nod.

Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.

“Oh! And an individual with a high magic potential is called talented!” she continued and pointed up. “So far, we don’t know why this happens, but we say that someone’s energy stabilized when they reached adulthood and their bodies stopped developing any further.” she scratched the back of her head “Of course, there can be small changes, but not as wild as before. That’s why Magic Academies all over the three continents won’t accept anyone who isn’t at the bare minimum age for stabilized Magic Energy.” she shrugged “They simply can’t practice their spells. Oh, and if you are wondering, all of our students here have the potential to reach at least Advanced Rank.” she carefully explained and then took another gulp from her bottle, it was the first one to be emptied.

“The age at which magic energy stabilizes also varies depending on the species. For humans, it’s somewhere between 18 and 24. For elves and el’doraw is anywhere from the age of 30 and up to 300. I had mine stabilize when I was 32.” said Shanteya as a small addition to Nanya’s explanation.

“Indeed! Indeed!” the 'teenager' lifted her bottle up.

“What about me?” I asked.

“Dungeon Cores and Dungeon Lords don’t have a stabilization period. You guys just gobble up Magic Energy from your territory to increase it exponentially or level up. Basically, it’s always stabilized. You are the only living creatures with this amazing ability! Hic!” explained Nanya before showing to be a bit tipsy.

“Living creatures?” I asked surprised.

“You didn’t know? Dungeons are living beings of the magic type. Their Crystal Core is basically their main body, and their senses extend throughout the Dungeon Territory around them, but I honestly never heard of one that can project itself as a disembodied voice.” she said and then shrugged.

“It’s not a basic skill?” I asked surprised.

“Nope!” she shook her head and pointed her bottle at me, or where somewhere in my direction. “I’ve been through all sorts of Dungeons before, and I never heard of one capable of half the things you are. Tehe other teachers and students just believe you are projecting your voice with some sort of spell.” she pointed at the mass of old men drinking happily.

Looking at them, I saw Tuberculus whispering something to Paladinus and then laughing loudly. Rufus was hugging a bottle, and Angius summoned a small monkey monster to go and bring more bottles of alcohol. Zertan was right next to Angius, barely sipping from his mug.

“But when compared to other dungeons of my level, am I weak?” I asked a bit worried that it might be true. That was one thought I recently confronted myself with. The one thought which frightened me because being weak meant easy to kill.

“You are kidding, right?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

Even Shanteya appeared to be surprised by my words.

“Erm… Did I say something wrong?”

“Sigh. Here’s a hint, Illsy: At level 1 you defeated 25 assassins sent to kill a royal princess with just three, not seven, not one hundred, just THREE Intermediate Rank spells! That’s impossible, Illsy! It’s absurd!” she retorted.

“Indeed. Just like I told mistress Nanya during my interrogation, we were originally 40 in number, but after fighting against a pack of Master Rank monsters and a knight escort, only the strongest of us were left alive, yet master killed off most of us in the blink of an eye.” Shanteya praised me.

“I thought it was something any dungeon could do and that I wasn’t special at all.” I confessed.

“BUHAHAHA!” Nanya burst into a loud laughter.

“Wha-what?” I asked surprised.

“Master Illsyore is unusually powerful for a Dungeon of your level.” said Shanteya.

“Yup! Just like she said! Illsy, don’t make me say it again. At level 1 you were the equivalent if not way above a level 250 Heroic Dungeon! Your only flaw, if you can call it that, is that all of your skills are basically at an Intermediate level, which already is quite high! I never heard of a lvl 1 Dungeon bellow Heroic to hold more than one Intermediate skill!” she said with a nod of her head.

“But I don’t understand what that means…” I complained.

“Hm… Let’s look at it like this then. How big was your territory when Tuberculus let you out of the cage?” she asked me.

“Cage?” I asked confused.

“In the beginning, when you were born, you were placed in a special magic cage or barrier, whatever you want to call it, made by me and him. It was meant to keep you from expanding your territory and using your abilities to destroy the Magic Academy or try to kill us in the event you were hostile. Just in case you don’t know, you are the very first Dungeon I heard of not to try to attack or kill someone. You are actually quite friendly even after we requested of you to repair the Academy and take care of all sort of stuff, like that Merion incident. A typical Dungeon Lord would have tried to kill us by now or down right refuse.” she explained as she looked up at the sky.

It’s a given that I wouldn’t just start attacking indiscriminately left and right. We’re talking about innocent people here who haven’t done anything wrong to me. Even if I have enough power to topple a country, I wouldn’t use it to oppress others… It doesn’t feel right. As for those requests, well… I thought that was my job here, and they were sort of fun to do. I thought to myself while I watched Nanya gazing at the stars.

“That’s just because Master is special.” said Shanteya.

“True… He’s a pervert too!” added Nanya.

I ignored her comment and asked in a more serious tone of voice “Why did you believe I wouldn’t attack others?”

Nanya lowered her bottle and looked in my direction.

“You see, when you first used Colly Tos, me and the other teachers were debating on whether to completely destroy you or not, especially after all those monsters suddenly popped up around you the moment the revival chant was over. It was all Tuberculus’ idea in the first place to try and tame a Dungeon Core or Lord, so the rest of us saw it more as a failed experiment. So, when I realized that my panties had suddenly vanished, I thought it was that stupid pervert Tuberculus, but he was looking seriously through a dusty old book, trying his best to find a way to control you. He didn’t actually find one by the way. None of the others even knew the spell you cast, and I would have noticed them chanting it. Then my bra went poof, and I realized something was off.” she looked down and peeked down her shirt. “Yup, still there.”

Shanteya blinked surprised and looked towards me.

“I didn't cast it again...” I retorted and squinted my eyes at the retorting side.

“Good. Well, I told the teachers to wait up a bit on the decision and let me give you a test.” she pointed at the drunk bunch “Half of them were reluctant, but I promised them I would be the one to destroy you if I discovered you to be a danger to anyone in the academy. Afterwards, I pretended to be this partially shy, but curious teenage girl and tried to get close to you.” she showed me a grin “Men are usually fools who fall for something like this. I’m also in the no-strike zone for those old geezers, at least when they aren’t drunk. Then, even a tree looks like a beautiful busty lady or flat chested girl…”

“Indeed.” Shanteya nodded.

“Anyway, your actions were innocent, and you answered honestly to my questions. There was also no killing intent coming from you. In general, it manifests as a dark cloud around your crystal body and sometimes throughout your whole territory. Just because of that, you passed. Then the incident with the assassins happened.” she looked at Shanteya then back in my direction “You acted like a scared child who made some sort of mistake. But, even though you had the power to cause a lot more damage, you never used it against us, on the contrary, you did your best to help us.” she knocked on the wood of the gazebo. “You chose to listen to us, work with us, and not care about our selfish requests. For you, it may not be much, but for us, it’s really something.” she nodded “The very fact that we are here drinking on something you made for us proves this fact!” she said with a smile and then lifted her bottle to take another big gulp of the burning liquid.

Nanya was a fast drinker. That was her second bottle.

“I see…” I said and looked down for a bit.

Indeed, it was true. I never had any intent of harming anyone or denying the requests of the teachers. I was actually curious about what they were doing, what they were teaching, and how I could repair a lot of things. Although I complained a lot, I never did refuse to do it. The ethics and morals of the 21st century told me that only bullies, tyrants, and villains abused and overused their power no matter how great or small it was.

Power… The classic idea is for the strong to help the weak. It’s cliché, but maybe it’s not wrong. There’s also that saying a certain web-slinger based his ideals upon, but I’m not a hero… I’m just the core of a dungeon… I contemplated the reason as to why I was given such a power in this world.

“But anyway, getting back to the previous question. Hic! How big was your territory when you were released?” she asked me again.

“Erm… 1 km in radius?” I answered, but as usual, the word ‘kilometer’ was changed to the equivalent word of this world, meaning ‘Los’.

“How much do you think a Normal Dungeon has at your current age and level? What about a Heroic Dungeon?” Nanya asked me with a raised eyebrow.

“The same?” I replied.

She shook her head. I was wrong.

“For a Normal Dungeon, it’s 5 m when born and around 50 m at your current level. For a Heroic, it’s 100 m when born and about 500 m or more when it’s your level. That’s the usual standard, but it varies depending on how old the Dungeon is and how much Magic Energy they poured into it. Illsy, how big is your territory right now?” she asked before taking a big gulp out of her bottle. The burning liquid inside was vanishing quite fast.

“About 3 km in radius…” I replied.

I blinked surprised and realized the huge difference between the two values.

That’s a lot! I told myself.

“Exactly my point! You can already do so many things at your current level, which is nothing, wait until you reach lvl 100 or more! I wouldn’t be surprised if you can outclass the Ancestral Dungeon said to be the strongest right now at 235 levels! Nyhahaha!” said Nanya with a chuckle and another ‘Hic!’ at the end.

“Indeed. Master, you should have more confidence in your own ability. Have you tried to build anything like an actual dungeon or labyrinth yet?” asked Shanteya.

“He should have, for a Dungeon Lord, it’s instinctive.” said Nanya.

I can’t lie to them… I thought. “Yes, I did a few rooms of a maze, but just a few. I was told not to do them, right?”

“How many? 40? 50?” asked Nanya with an excited look in her eyes.

“Seven…” I replied embarrassed.

Her jaw dropped.

“Seven? As in not Seven -teen or -ty?” she asked.

“Yup, just seven.”

“Traps?”

“None.”

“Decorations?”

“A weird statue of a thingy…”

“Treasures?”

“None.”

“Ilssy! Why didn’t you make any? You are a Godlike Dungeon Lord, and you have only seven rooms? What’s this? A joke?” she asked, but she sounded really disappointment.

“I just thought that it would be an inconvenience, or that I might break something…” I told her.

“We only told you not to make changes to the Academy itself, meaning the main building and dormitory! We were actually expecting you to build a great dungeon for us, where we could train the students!” she told me.

I felt like she was scolding me.

“Master isn’t in the wrong, he used the most simple forms of his spells and… and he…” Shanteya tried to take my side, but there was no need for that, even I knew I was in the wrong there.

“My Magic Energy restores quite fast and so far, I didn’t encounter any situation where I needed to use my full power. That is if you don’t count the assassination incident and Shanteya’s healing… The rest of my time was spent lazying around and listening to classes or debating on whether I should spy on you two while changing clothes or not…” I replied.

“I didn’t need to hear to that last one…” Nanya shook her head.

“If Master wishes, he needs only to ask.” Shanteya said with a small bow of her head.

I let out a long sigh. It felt like a repeat of my past life. Even back then, I always found an excuse for not doing any actual work. When push comes to shove, I usually did it, but most of the times, I was a lazy bum. Many people were actually surprised by me getting a girlfriend like Alina. She wasn’t model level beautiful and far from Shanteya and Nanya, but she was someone who accepted me and loved me despite my many faults. Thanks to her, I managed to cure some of my laziness, but getting into this world slowly chipped in on my reasoning of doing something or not.

Even the things I did in this academy, I did them for fun or interest. I could use magic, and so I did it even if it was annoying. Cleaning the toilets wasn’t fun, but controlling the brush and plunger at the same time with my telekinesis spell was. Even making this gazebo was fun… and then my last thoughts slipped off the tips of my invisible lips “I wonder… Is it possible that I’m seeing the idea of building a labyrinth, learning to increase and control my power as meaningless work? If I see it as such, then I just run away from it…”

Shanteya and Nanya remained quiet for a moment.

“If that is so, it only depends on what you wish to choose to do from now on. Until now, you wasted your time, maybe… or you just had fun. It doesn’t really matter… How you see it and if it’s meaningless or not depends only on you, but without training yourself and learning to build a labyrinth, you will never become stronger. In the end, the decision is up to you. Will you waste your Godlike talent or learn to harness it?” said the teenage-looking girl as she looked towards me through the empty part of her bottle.

That was the third one.

“Heh, aren’t you worried I’ll be strong enough to steal all of your clothes in one go with that spell?” I asked with a smile.

“If you do that, I’ll give you a kiss! Hic!” she winked at me and then laughed.

As a result of her provocative words, I blushed strongly.

Things to do: Learn to use Colly Tos! Upgrade Colly Tos! I thought, but then I saw Shanteya looking a bit disapproving at her. Is she jea…? Nah… I let the thought go.

“What if I switch sides and attack you?” I asked as a joke, but Nanya’s eyes turned serious.

“Don’t think about it, Illsy. I’m not someone you can handle. I may not look like it, but I’m a Godlike Rank Adventurer and those teachers over there are all Emperor or at least Master Rank. Remember when I punched you and cracked your main body? I just used a tiny bit of my power. If I attacked you at full force, you would have ended up shattered completely.” she told me.

I gulped. I could feel the pressure of her stare. Nanya wasn’t joking. I didn’t know how, but I knew it, she could kill me if she wanted to.

“So, I have no chance of winning?” I asked timidly.

“Against those guys, yes, but not against me. If I want to I can even reach the core of the Demigod Dungeon, but that’s sort of illegal now.” she shook her head then looked towards me “Illsy, I lived for over 500 years, and my rank isn’t for show. Everything beyond Emperor is a real monster in terms of power. That’s why even you should have a lot more confidence in your power. You are still young, you can learn more, but one day, even I won’t be able to do a single thing to you even if I partied with Supremes. That’s your true potential, however, I really wish something like that won’t happen, and you will remain to be my cute dungeon friend, Illsy!” she showed me kind, sweet smile.

It was the first time I saw that expression on her face and because of that, I felt my heart skipping a beat.

“Thank you…” I said.

“Does… Does Master know what those Ranks mean?” asked Shanteya shyly.

She probably didn’t want to spoil the mood, but couldn’t abstain either.

“Yes, I remember from one of Nanya’s classes. Adventurer classes are separated in the following ranks: Beginner, Intermediary, Advanced, Master, Emperor, Godlike, and Supreme. The main condition for obtaining a rank is to use at least one spell or skill of that rank. However, it doesn’t mean you are automatically part of the Adventurers Guild. Guild ranks and Adventurer rank are two very different things.” I explained.

“Is that so. Very well, Master.” Shanteya bowed.

Is she feeling a bit left out? I wondered.

The other teachers didn’t seem to pay any attention to our peculiar conversation. Tuberculus and Paladinus were trying to get Zertan drunk. Rufus was the most drunk out of all of them. He was kissing the bottle and talking with Tuberculus’ clone. He drank two bottles by himself.

Out of all of them, only me and Shanteya didn’t have anything to drink. Me for obvious reasons, but she refused saying that she won’t be able to do her duty if she felt tipsy. At that moment, I wondered if being a maid was that hard.

“Shanteya, come here for a bit…” said Nanya all of a sudden. She looked feverish, and the bottle next to her was empty and resting next to the other two.

She finished the third bottle already? When? I asked myself confused.

“Yes, mistress?” asked Shanteya, but since it was perceived as an order, she moved closer to her.

With a big smile, she grabbed Shanteya’s right hand and pulled her down, causing the el’doraw to stumble forward and onto her lap.

“Hahaha!” she laughed and then gave a hard slap on my slave’s round behind.

“Kya! Mistress?” asked Shanteya surprised.

Hey! I wanted to do that! I wanted to scream.

“You didn’t drink… and hic! All this talk is making my head dizzy! So if you don’t think, I mean drink, I’m going to punish you…” said the drunk 'teenager' as she pulled on Shanteya’s buttons, letting a bit of her cleavage to be shown.

The Holy Mountains! I screamed in my mind while a foolish grin appeared on my invisible face.

“Stop it, mistress!” Shanteya tried to fight Nanya off, but the magic tattoo around her neck prevented her from doing so.

“Nihihi! Be still, I’m… Hic!… going to get you in the mood to… Hic!” she drank too fast, and the alcohol was getting to her.

To what? To what? I asked in my head as I saw another button go pop.

“Hihihi!” I heard the creepy laughter behind me and just then I realized that the two women with disheveled clothes just became the main center of attention for the old drunk teachers.

What? I looked at them and then at Nanya and Shanteya, one struggling to overpower the other, then back at them. Something snapped inside of me. I wanted to see where the scene was going, but I didn’t want it to be witnessed by those perverts.

I was the only pervert allowed to watch!

So, without any remorse, I raised a wall between them and the two women, but that wasn’t going to hold Emperor Rank adventurers for long.

“Eh? What’s this? Dungeon Lord, remove this wall at once!” shouted Tuberculus and the others complained as well.

“Yeah. Yeah.” I replied and then, in a clear tone of voice and a bit of regret in my heart, I ordered “For tonight, Shanteya, you don’t need to listen to Nanya’s orders!”

With a sigh of relief, the el’doraw slipped out of the girls clutches and buttoned-up her shirt.

“Bah! Why… Hic!… you spoil my funny?” asked Nanya as she laid wasted on the ground.

I have a feeling alcohol hits her a bit slower than it does a human, but when that happens, it hits like a truck driving at full speed on a highway! Now, she’s wasted even if just a moment ago, she was coherent!” I thought as I watched her looking around for more bottles.

“Dungeon Lord! Remove this wall at once! I order you!” shouted Tuberculus.

Flying over, I saw them looking a bit mad, but after what Nanya and Shanteya told me, I understood that there was nothing to fear. I felt a bit more confident in my own abilities.

“Oho? Then are you willing to be made responsible if any of you dares to touch my slave or Nanya? I’m sure the drunk Godlike adventurer over there will be very happy to know who touched her in her sleep!” I threatened them with Nanya’s anger.

They all gulped at the same time, all except Zertan. With spinning eyes and a goofy expression on his face, he was laying on the ground with two empty bottles next to him. I had no idea what sort of drink could get them so drunk, but if I ever got my hands on a body, I planned on grabbing a few for myself.

“Good!” after I said that, they walked away and grabbed a refill. I seemed to have spoiled their fun.

When I returned to the other side of the wall, Nanya was asleep.

“Master…” said Shanteya with a worried look in her eyes.

“Take her to her room. I’ll watch over the teachers and take them to their rooms as well if they can’t get there on their own two feet.” I said, and she nodded.

Once the girls were out of the danger area, I removed the wall with the [Destroy created Area] skill. The party continued for another two hours or so. Luckily for me, they were able to head back to their rooms on their own. Well, everyone except poor Zertan. The man was as wasted as he could be. I took him to his room using [Telekinezy], and with that over, I was finally allowed to head to bed as well.

Upon entering my room, I found Shanteya waiting next to my crystal body, looking at it with parted lips and a soft gaze in her eyes. It made me blush.

“Shanteya?” I asked.

“Master… you are back.” she told me as she looked at the crystal with a smile, but I was right next to her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“Master, can this slave of yours request something of you?” she asked looking down and clenching the hem of her dress.

“Sure?” I replied a bit confused.

“Master… Will Master let me sleep with him? I… I want to sleep with Master tonight…” she said with flushed cheeks and looking with upturned eyes at my crystal body.