The results of the lower-floor test play made me feel like we still needed a bit more adjustment.
The reason those two collapsed and didn't make it back was that they turned around partway through.
Even so, the fatigue was brutal, and Mineha had to support them all the way out of the dungeon.
Personally, I ran the performance test and thought it was fine as-is, but maybe a bit more adjustment really is needed.
Isibara said, looking thoughtful.
"Wof. I was thinking — instead of placing a boss on every floor, wouldn't it be better to place them every other set of floors?"
"You mean instead of every ten floors, put a boss every twenty floors?"
"Yeah. The longer the gap, the less fatigue the delvers build up."
"I'm putting in save points, though."
"Still, spacing them out would be better. Right now, the dungeon's got a real 'nothing but bosses' feel to it, you know?"
I'm used to floor bosses from games in my past life, memories of that world and all that.
But almost everyone in this world has never seen a dungeon with floor bosses before.
So they find it overwhelming.
I don't want to give off the negative impression of a boss-infested dungeon, either.
Which means... I'd have to cut the number of bosses in half.
Alright. I'll rearrange their placement and switch to every other set of floors.
"Got it. I'll do what you said, Isibara."
"Really?"
"Because I don't want people thinking this is all bosses. Thanks."
Somehow, I ended up petting Isibara's head.
It was smooth and felt really nice to touch.
The black spider woman she uses as her body.
This monster's body, built to serve as a dungeon lord.
I'd never looked at the details before, but it was different from the white spider woman in several ways.
The current Isibara was properly dressed.
When we first met, she'd hidden herself behind spider legs that resembled hair, but her body was apparently quite close to a human one.
Or rather, it was practically built to be a human woman's body, or so I'd heard.
"H-hmm. That's embarrassinG. Thanks to this dungeon, monsters on the surface have been reduceD."
"That's good."
One of the reasons for creating the dungeon had been successfully achieved. I was glad about that.
It seemed like all the other accumulated resources I'd blown through had been put to good use as well.
"BuT. We can't get rid of the Forest Wave. Can't eliminatE it."
"Yes, I understand that. Though it's a strange way to put it, I think things are safer now than they were before."
"Now we've finally achieveD balance."
Isibara let out a sigh of relief.
It was clear that she was genuinely at ease now that a long-standing worry had been put to rest.
"Wof. There's something I've been wanting to ask. The save points — are they really possiblE?"
"Based on the witch's reaction when I proposed it, it didn't seem all that difficult."
But that Memory Stone... I'd never actually seen one.
So these are stones you can gather in quantities too large for the guild to buy them all up.
There were probably some at the Junkyard too, huh.
"Then the only thing left to worry about right now is... the Guild Master, huh."
"She's from the Tassan family, so there probably isn't anything to worry about."
But based on what Rel, Juicy, and Samarnia had told me, there were quite a few colorful personalities on the team.
The fact that someone could swallow the "decoration" conditions and still show up meant they were already a pretty intense bunch.
"It'll be ready pretty soon, huh."
"Yes. We're starting to see something like a finished product."
"...Once it's finished... will you go back?"
"I will. Ah, but once we set up a gate, you'll be able to come visit anytime."
Besides, finishing doesn't mean it's over.
Fine-tuning and adjustments will still be needed going forward.
"A gate...?"
"Yes. A teleportation gate."
The teleportation gate connected my house in Hydrangea with the witch's house and Haiyan's lab.
It also linked the Torquetam hideout, which doubled as the Tassan family's secondary residence.
We'd already decided beforehand that the witch would set up the gate at Haihen.
"...If that's the case, I'll be just a little lonely, huh."
Isibara smiled.
"That's right. Just a little."
I smile too.
There's still plenty left to do, but bit by bit, I can start to see it coming together.
Three days.
I was set to meet the incoming guild master of the Heisen Delvers' Guild.
The location was the Belk dining hall.
The reason was that Sister Samarnya would be there.
A shared meal would make it easy to get to know each other. We could keep things relaxed.
Apparently they were worn out from stiff courtesy visits to various important people.
The attendees were me, Mineha, Isibara, and Narshesus.
Megadia wouldn't be joining — or rather, she wasn't feeling well and had taken to bed.
Shaldina and Anna Kreutzen were nursing her.
Ambrosius and Mires were in the dungeon.
The witch was working with Nekia on creating save points.
A hands-on study while thoroughly exploring the dungeon.
And so, a gathering of idle people.
Even so, what kind of person were they, really?
They were from the Tassan family, after all. They probably weren't ordinary.
Feeling a little nervous, we waited, and—
"Um, um, woof woof, Lord Wof!"
The one who suddenly appeared and leaped at me was Juisi.
"Dog"
"You came after all, Juisi"
"Hey, Juisi!"
"Woof! Samarnya, big sis!"
"H-Hey, gah!"
The moment she broke away from me, she launched herself at Samarnya.
Just like the dog back home in my past-life memories.
She hugged Samarnya so close it looked like she was about to lick her face.
"Um um, woof woof, woof!"
She wasn't a dog, but her wolf ears and tail were wagging furiously.
Juisi Tassan.
Samarnya's younger sister.
A wolf-folk beauty.
She had lustrous jet-black hair flowing past her waist, jet-black wolf ears, and a big, fluffy tail.
Her large chestnut eyes matched her petite, adorable features.
A checkered jacket over a white shirt with a red tie.
And a bright red skirt.
A white belt cinched her waist, with a pink pouch attached.
She was still in her early teens but had a striking figure — and was well-endowed, too.
Yes, well-endowed. With exceptional elasticity and flexibility to boot.
Wof I realized it again when she hugged me earlier — just how well-endowed she was.
"Why did you just bark?"
"Woof?"
Juicy stopped dead in her tracks and looked at the speaker.
It was Narcissus. She only noticed Juicy after she'd spoken.
"Oh, puppy! You came here too!"
"Um, um, long time no see, Narcissus."
"It has been a while."
"Um — yes, woof."
"Why did you just bark?"
"Woof?"
I had no idea what kind of dynamic these two had going on.
Mineha tilted her head slightly.
"Hey. Where's the guild master? The important one?"
"Right. Juicy — where's Ennea? The one who's going to be guild master?"
"Um, um, well, big sis Ennea is... woof?"
She turned around, but no one was there.
Then a voice called from outside.
"Whoa — there's someone collapsed over here!"
"Collapsed... they're sleeping."
"Why is she sleeping on the road?"
"She's a tanuki-kin? Either way, look at those breasts."
"Yeah, that's some size."
"Her face is gorgeous too."
"She's completely out of it."
"Think nobody'd notice if we... took her with us?"
"Probably not..."
"Does this count as found property or something?"
"Um, um, that—she's my sister. I'm sorry!"
Oh—Juicy-san was heading right toward them.
"Whoa!"
"Um, um, it'd be a problem if you took her away."
"No, no, we weren't gonna do that!"
"You're pretty cute, you know that?"
"Um, yes. Well then, I'll be taking her."
"Oof—"
"Huh? She's just lifting her up?"
"A Relic of Tremendous Strength?"
When Juicy-san came back, she was carrying the woman over her shoulder.
She'd picked her up from behind, so the woman's big rear and tanuki tail were on full display.
"Wait, is this woman... asleep?"
"She's asleep."
"She sure is."
"She's sleeping."
"Big Sister Ennea..."
Summernya looked embarrassed.
Ennea, as in—wait. This woman who had just been carried here was still asleep?
"Mmph... can't eat any more. Ghehehe..."
The woman muttering these pathetic words in her sleep was... Ennea Tassan.
The person who would become the first Guild Master of the Heizen Delvers' Guild?
I glanced at Isibara.
"...Is that... for real?"
Isibara stood frozen, staring upward in stunned silence.
The woman sound asleep up there was going to be her boss, presumably for a long time to come.
I started to worry, though for entirely different reasons.