Volume 4 Chapter 5 The Secret Dungeon’s Master Room Renovation A New Urban Fantasy Hub
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was Sunday. The group had gathered at Hirose’s house starting in the early afternoon, all so they could decide exactly where to put the gate that led to the ‘Master Room.’
But a problem came up almost immediately.
”The ‘Dungeon Core’ is already inside there, so how are we even going to set up a gate?” Hirose muttered, his anxiety creeping up. The ‘Dungeon Core’ was already active, housed right there inside the ‘Master Room.’ When they’d left yesterday, the gate had shut, and there was no way in or out.
”We can’t even reach Ecoa, ya know!” Hirose exclaimed with a sudden burst of frustration.
—Did you call for me?
”Huh?!” The moment Hirose whispered his complaint, Ecoa’s voice echoed directly inside his brain.
”Woah, Hirose, what’s up with you?” Hibiki observed, tilting her head with a look of pure confusion at his sudden, startled reaction.
—As the Master and I are already connected through registration, communication is possible even when we are apart,
”Oh, wow… that’s a totally weird feeling, but it’s amazing,” Hirose murmured. “Um, well, everyone, it looks like we can talk to Ecoa even when we’re separated.”
To anyone standing nearby, it must have looked like Hirose was just talking to himself, a slightly unhinged young man.
”So, does that mean we can make the gate, too?” Hibiki piped up.
”Ecoa, can you make a gate to the ‘Master Room’ from a distance?” Hirose asked the voice in his mind.
—That presents no issue. Please simply designate the location,
”It says it can do it,” Hirose relayed to the group.
”Whew, we were so close to a dead end, huh? But it looks like it’s fine since Asami-chan is here anyway,” Hibiki declared with confidence.
”Aba… maybe, if it’s ‘teleportation,’ I think I can do it…” Asami whispered, her voice barely audible.
That was just the thing about Asami. With her around, they could solve almost anything—that was the silent agreement shared by everyone in the room.
”Alright, so for the placement, it has to be this wall, right?” Saori observed.
”Well… we could use the yard, but people walking by might see it, yeah?” Hirose considered.
”I do believe Asami-chan’s ‘Mimicry’ could hide it, but we can’t rely on that every single time, can we?” Saori added analytically. While entering the ‘Master Room’ meant going through Hirose’s house, it was still better than increasing the risk of getting caught by putting the gate somewhere visible from outside.
”Ecoa, can you put it right here, please?” Hirose requested, pointing to the wall.
—Understood. Allow me to proceed—
In the very next instant, a vertical gateway shimmered into existence on the room’s plain white wall. A vortex of mana swirled and twisted, creating a strange, alien space.
”…Speaking of which, will this gate be detected by the Adventurer’s Guild?” Hirose murmured, a sudden, new worry clouding his face.
”I think it will be detected…” Saori agreed, a crease of concern appearing between her dark brows.
—Regarding that matter, please do not worry. The range of magical power for this gate is suppressed to an extremely small level. It is no different from a typical use of a Gift,
”Saori-san, it looks like it’s fine since the mana usage is super small,” Hirose informed her.
”Is that so? Then I feel much better,” Saori sighed with relief. Gifts used out in the town¹ also required mana, but it was trivial compared to the burst of power usually needed for a gate. This new gate was apparently suppressed to that same low level.
The group immediately stepped through the newly formed doorway.
”—This is the ‘Master Room’… right?!”
They had only been gone for half a day, but the ‘Master Room’ had utterly transformed.
”Welcome. Master, and everyone,” Ecoa’s voice greeted them.
”Ecoa, what the heck is this?!” Hirose exclaimed.
”Yes. Based on the Master’s memories, I attempted to arrange the interior to have a pleasing atmosphere,” Ecoa stated.
The room had expanded from twenty square meters to about three times that size, large enough now for two or three people to live in comfortably.
The interior design was stunning. The pedestal holding the ‘Dungeon Core’ and the hologram monitor remained, but a six-person table and chairs sat in the center. The walls had been covered in white wallpaper, and there were glass shelves holding dinnerware, potted plants, paintings, and floor lights—it looked exactly like a fancy hotel lobby.
”Are you satisfied with it?” Ecoa asked.
”Amazing! This doesn’t feel like a dungeon at all!” Hirose burst out.
”Hey, hey, Ecoa! Can you make something like a beach, too?!” Hibiki asked, her eyes glittering with excitement.
”—I had anticipated that, so please look over there,” Ecoa replied, directing their attention.
Where Ecoa’s gaze settled, there was a door that hadn’t been there yesterday.
”The Master’s memories contained a desire for seaside recreation,” Ecoa explained.
”…I’m a little weirded out that you saw my memories, but… let’s go check it out,” Hirose muttered, feeling a slight flush of embarrassment.
”Let’s go!” Hibiki shouted, throwing the door open with massive force.
”—It’s the ocean!!”
Beyond the doorway was a vast stretch of blue sky and sea, with white sand, beach chairs, and even a parasol—a perfect, sprawling beach.
They had imagined it, but seeing it with their own eyes was breathtaking. It was a fresh reminder of just how special the ‘Dungeon Core’ truly was.
”The temperature feels just like summer!” Hibiki exclaimed, immediately dropping onto a beach chair to soak in the summer atmosphere.
”So, we can actually swim here, right?” Saori observed.
”This is incredible…” Asami whispered in awe.
”We totally have to bring our swimsuits next time and just hang out! Since it’s only us, nobody’s gonna bother us—it’ll be the best fun ever!” Hibiki cried out.
”We should get some shaved ice, too,” Hirose suggested.
”Hirose, you say something good once in a while, don’t you?!” Hibiki teased.
”Once in a while, she says…!” Hirose grumbled.
After enjoying the beach area for a short while, the group returned to the ‘Master Room’ and got back to the task of building the Dungeon.
* * *
After finalizing the eight skills and the terrain for the ten floors, they moved on to setting the traps and monsters. Hirose and the others gathered around the table, throwing around ideas.
”Hmm, the real issue is what we set as the lowest rank…” Hirose contemplated.
”Since it’s a ten-floor Dungeon, wouldn’t it be more logical to have the rank increase as you descend?” Saori proposed. This ‘Beauty Dungeon’ was special: unlike normal Dungeons, it allowed them to change the rank of monsters that appeared on each floor.
”If we start at Rank F, people might think it’s easy and a ton of adventurers will rush in…” Hirose worried out loud.
”But wouldn’t that be okay? If the first adventurers realize the ‘Beauty’ effect, only those truly interested will continue the conquest. The number of men, in particular, should decrease,” Saori analyzed. This Dungeon was a special, permanent entity. It would surely become a hot topic, and more visitors would come. Still, Hirose was nervous about a massive rush of adventurers causing trouble.
”But if this Dungeon is meant for people with problems, it might be better if normal folks could hire adventurers to take on the challenge,” Hirose mused.
”Yeah. In that case, we shouldn’t make the rank too low either, so—” Saori began.
”—Oh, hey! Can I jump in for a sec?” Hibiki interrupted, raising her hand during the discussion.
”Do you have an idea?” Hirose wondered. Honestly, Hibiki wasn’t knowledgeable about Dungeons. But she had a track record of offering suggestions from surprising, unexpected angles.
”The Dungeon rank is decided by how strong the monsters are, right?” Hibiki asked.
”That’s right,” Hirose confirmed.
”Well, why don’t we use the ‘difficulty of conquest’ in other ways?” she proposed.
”What do you mean by that?” Saori inquired.
”Like—you can’t move forward unless you clear a game of Twister!” Hibiki declared triumphantly.
”—Ah!”
Everyone had been fixated on the strength of the monsters, so this was a completely different perspective. It was an idea only Hibiki, with her lack of Dungeon knowledge, could have come up with.
”…That could be quite interesting,” Saori observed, resting her hand on her chin, her analytical mind intrigued.
”Right?! And get this—if you fall into a pit trap, you lose one piece of armor! Or maybe you have to race a monster!” Hibiki gushed, clearly enjoying herself.
”Haha, you really are amazing, Hibiki,” Hirose chuckled, feeling a little stress melt away.
”Show some respect!” Hibiki pouted, puffing out her chest with an arrogant little huff.
—If you would like, I can prepare several game-like events. I suggest we set the monster ranks to increase as they go to the lower levels, and then we can adjust them based on the adventurers’ reactions,
”Yeah, changing things after we see how it works in practice is a good idea,” Hirose decided.
”Since it’s essentially eight Dungeons in one due to the skills, I believe proceeding with this plan for now is best,” Saori concluded.
The entire group nodded in agreement with the new direction.
”—So, is that all for today’s discussion?” Hirose asked.
”Yeah. There are still details, but we’re done with today’s schedule,” Saori confirmed.
”Perfect timing—oh, they’re here already,” Hibiki observed.
She went out the gate and returned a few dozen seconds later with two other girls in tow.
”Woah! What is this place, it’s so cool!” one girl squealed, her voice loud and energetic.
”Wow! It’s a room even though it’s a Dungeon!” the second exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
The two newcomers were Hibiki’s friends: Motoya Himari and Ihara Kairi. Himari, the girl with the flashy gyaru style², and Kairi, the one with the neat short haircut, were both wide-eyed with fascination.
”I called Kairi here partly for information leak countermeasures, but also so we can test out Hirose’s Gift effect inside the Dungeon,” Hibiki explained with a bright smile.
”You mean, like…” Himari prompted.
”These two are gonna help us out with the treatment!” Hibiki announced cheerfully. She hadn’t given the two girls any details about the nature of the ‘treatment.’
”I don’t really get it, but it sounds fun, so let’s get started fast!” Himari demanded.
”I haven’t had anything fun to do lately, so this is super exciting!” Kairi cheered.
”……” Hirose was suddenly sweating, his heart pounding in his chest. The ‘treatment’ they were going to use was probably that tentacle slime—yet no one tried to stop the plan. The experiment was about to begin.
—
Summary:
The group’s urban fantasy plot thickens as they solve a major access hurdle by having their Dungeon Core AI, Ecoa, create a remote gate to the Master Room. Once inside, they find the room completely transformed into a sleek, expansive hotel-style hub, complete with a secret beach area, fulfilling the promise of a wish-granting Dungeon. The main planning session introduces a vital new element: using game-like challenges instead of just strong monsters to determine the difficulty of the ten-floor Dungeon—a concept that ensures the personalized experience of the Beauty Dungeon. The chapter closes on an ominous note of impending danger and sexual tension as Hirose’s friends, Himari and Kairi, arrive to unknowingly become test subjects for the tentacle slime Gift, setting the stage for a comedic, explicit encounter.
—
Character Insight:
Hibiki emerges as a valuable, though unconventional, strategist in this fantasy adventure. Her exuberant personality and lack of traditional Dungeon knowledge allow her to suggest wildly original ideas, such as incorporating ‘Twister’ or ‘racing’ to gauge difficulty. This highlights her crucial role as a creative foil to the cautious, analytical Saori. Hirose remains a flustered but increasingly necessary protagonist, constantly pushed beyond his comfort zone by his chaotic female companions, especially as the plot veers into darker, yet playful, territory with the tentacle slime experiment. His internal conflict between anxiety and the need for the experiment drives the narrative tension.
—
Behind the Scene:
The setting is established at Hirose’s house and within his newly-customized private Dungeon. The main action is the planning session for the Dungeon’s structure, focusing on the rankings and conquest mechanics. The primary conflict is the unexpected transformation of the Master Room by Ecoa and the group’s decision to use non-combat challenges in their multi-floor dungeon, a twist enabled by the unique Dungeon Core system. The chapter ends with the arrival of two new characters, Himari and Kairi, specifically to be used in an unconventional experiment involving Hirose’s unique Gift, foreshadowing a major plot event.
—
T/L:
1 Town (街): Refers to the public area, the common space used by non-adventurers, contrasting with the Dungeon. ↩
2 Gyaru (ギャル): A Japanese street fashion subculture characterized by heavily dyed or bleached hair, glamorous makeup, and trendy, often revealing, clothing. ↩
Notes:
• Ecoa – The Guardian of the Dungeon Core, a beautiful entity with long blonde hair, slit eyes, and distinctive pointed ears reminiscent of an elf. She initially appears in black ceremonial robes, which instantly transform into a revealing, classic black maid uniform. Her existence was previously undetectable by ‘Appraisal’ Gifts. Her sole purpose is to serve and support the Dungeon Master, Hirose.
• Motoya Himari – Energetic classmate of Hibiki (F, 161cm, orange long hair, D-cup) who avoids the ‘gyaru’ label. Himari is lively and often envious or curious about developing romantic and physical relationships around her, seeking Hirose’s attention as the story progresses.
• Ihara Kairi – Short, pale blue hair and D-cup (F, 159cm), Kairi is Hibiki’s sharp-witted friend. She’s known for her cute smile but is frequently suspicious and inquisitive regarding her classmates’ secrets. Kairi’s interactions highlight Hirose’s growing circle and the effect of his skill.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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