"Honestly, having a front-liner makes things so much easier."
At the familiar Western-style restaurant—a place they frequented enough to call it "their usual"—Ren offered her thoughts on the day's events before her hot hamburger steak set meal and a glass of white wine.
They were on their way back from Mei's first dungeon outing. Although they had cleared this floor before, they came to this restaurant to celebrate the addition of the new member.
Mei's performance today could only be described as "peerless" even after the initial battle. With Ren and the others' familiarity with the dungeon, they easily defeated the first-floor boss.
"...Yeah. I feel so bad that I objected at first."
Mei's body repelled casual attacks with a distinct "clang!" Furi, who had almost nothing to do today because traps didn't pose a significant problem, agreed apologetically.
Mei, whose expression remained unchanged, responded,
"Please do not mind. It is only natural for a mistress to be viewed with hostility by the legitimate wife."
"A-mistress...?"
Iris blushed bright red. Her innocent reaction was comforting, but Ren was also curious about what she was imagining.
By the way, Iris ordered a mushroom gratin, and Furi ordered the same hamburger steak set as Ren. Mariabell had spaghetti with meat sauce and red wine. Mei, who couldn't eat regular food, only sipped water.
"What kind of books do you usually read?" Ren asked.
"I enjoy love stories as a reference for the future, but...?"
"Those aren't just love stories; they're the messy, intense kind, aren't they?" Furi guessed.
Her reference material seemed awfully skewed.
"Compared to humans, we tend to be weak in emotional aspects—especially in romantic relationships—so I intend to bolster myself."
"Still, reading shojo manga is probably better..." Furi suggested.
"No, those are quite extreme in their own way," Ren countered.
Explicit scenes that you wouldn't often see in shonen manga are quite common in shojo. Ren also questioned the appeal of being "pinned against a wall" in a secluded place and feeling a "swoon." The guy, after all, is most likely thinking, "I can probably corner her now."
Mei murmured, "It is still difficult, I see."
"It is hard to grasp the subtle nuances of the human heart."
"Is that how it is?" Ren asked.
"Yes. Given the difference in our physical structures, there will inevitably be a divergence in our senses."
Take, for instance, physical danger. Golems have a self-repair function, so being subjected to minor pain is not a problem. While it's always better to avoid trouble, if a man were to assault her, she would simply clean her body or reconstruct it afterward.
Hearing this, Furi narrowed her eyes.
"...I'm starting to get a little worried. If this girl gets caught by a strange man, things could get serious."
"As long as the core isn't destroyed, I do not particularly mind."
"That's not the point! ...Yes, it's definitely better for us to look after this child," Furi declared.
"I am also happy to have a junior," Iris added.
Ren nodded in agreement with the girls.
"The Orcs were also quite strong. It's reassuring to have someone stand and fight at the front. I look forward to working with you, Mei."
The dark eyes, which seemed to function almost like lenses, flickered slightly.
"Understood. I will strive with all sincerity to meet your expectations."
--------------------
The dungeon exploration, which had reverted to the beginner's area, proceeded smoothly, in contrast to the struggles of the first and second attempts. Mei, with her superior defense and high physical ability, could easily win a two-on-one fight against goblins. While the need to watch out for friendly fire increased, they could annihilate enemies quickly while conserving MP.
Furi could now focus almost entirely on traps, only occasionally aiming for the vital points of enemies that Mei missed. Ren could heal Mei's damage and, utilizing her new Floating Movement skill, fire magic from above. Heal was effective on Mei, which was a bonus for a special Golem.
While exploring new ways to cooperate, they cleared one floor per session, completing the first four floors in just two weeks.
"That means Mei has collected twenty fragments now."
Putting them on the table for a visual display was quite spectacular.
"But are you sure about this? Selling just these would bring in a decent amount of money." Ren asked.
"It is not a problem. Receiving a share of the rewards is more than enough."
Although Mei initially said she only needed to "be able to eat," Ren and the others felt uncomfortable with that. They decided to equally divide the remaining income among everyone after deducting living expenses and the money from selling dropped items. Mei, who didn't need snacks or alcohol, seemed to spend most of her allowance on books.
She was also uncharacteristically uninterested in clothes for a girl, trying to save money by saying, "At worst, going nude is not a problem." It took persuasion from all four of them to get her to buy a minimum amount of clothing to cover her skin.
"Thanks to the increased intake of materials, the resources available for body reinforcement have also increased," the Golem girl murmured, placing her hand on her core-containing chest.
"The strength of the body is directly linked to attack power, so having a surplus is important."
Although her system was different from Ren's leveling, she was also getting stronger by repeatedly venturing into the dungeon.
"By the way, what did you eat before this?" Furi asked.
"I received provision from my mother. However, she recently told me, 'It's becoming too much trouble, so it's time you found a Master.'"
"Ah, she probably has her own needs, and even with storage, carrying the materials must be hard."
Both stone and metal are heavy. Since the storage has a weight limit, using a large portion of it to transport ordinary stone felt wasteful.
"I wish I could ask my father, but..."
"Is your father ill?" Iris asked.
"He has a bad back, so he is refraining from combat. It is due to the excessive closeness of my parents' relationship."
"My, does that mean, how many sisters do you have, Mei-san?" Mariabell inquired.
"Three, including myself. I believe the fourth is due soon."
Perhaps at a pace of one every five years or so. While not fast by human standards, considering Iris's family also had three sisters, the food costs must be high.
"...I hear males are very enthusiastic about providing life force, but there are good and bad sides to that," Mei muttered matter-of-factly, looking down at her own body.
She wasn't wearing a coat indoors, only simple clothes. Her chest area had grown since they first met and was quite noticeable even with clothes on.
"The more enthusiastic they are, the more severe the physical exhaustion seems to be. My mother's pursuit of an appearance to the liking of her partner likely accelerated the process."
"Wait, that's too graphic...!" Ren exclaimed.
Well, it was every man's dream to have a beautiful girl/woman who catered to their preferences, always young and dotingly taking care of them. And since the partner was actively seeking it rather than hating it, Ren could understand why the father might try too hard.
"Hey Ren. Doesn't the Golem seem more like the succubus?" Furi asked.
"Maybe. It doesn't bother me since I don't feel any rivalry."
"Ren-san has her own charms. Your scent and the spontaneous gestures that come with being flesh-and-blood are things Mei-san does not possess," Mariabell said.
"And Ren is soft and comfortable," Furi added.
"...I see. Replicating the scent will be difficult, but I should consider flexible materials. A soft body leads to favor," Mei noted.
"No, you're already attractive enough, Mei, so don't force it," Ren insisted.
The girl looked back at Ren.
"Then, when you have surplus in your life, I request life force provision from you as well."
Ren, who was supposed to be the one draining others, was now being asked for a drain herself.
--------------------
Another two weeks passed, and they completed the dungeon up to the eighth floor. The newly acquired World Fragments totaled fifty-two, bringing the grand total, including the fragments from the first four floors, to seventy-two. Although there was no investigation reward from the Wise Man since the monument's content hadn't changed since Iris's time, the fragments alone were a significant achievement.
"The benefits given to the children cannot be underestimated. ...If they could fully obtain them, they would get a hundred and ten fragments by the tenth floor. That is roughly the same number as the Transferees obtained by clearing the sixteenth floor."
It was a visit after a short interval since there wasn't much new to report. The middle-aged man, who had once again allowed his room to become a mess during their absence, nodded heavily at the fact that Mei, following Iris, had also obtained the full number of fragments.
"We might consider creating parties composed only of children again. Accompanying them with two young Transferees as supervisors should prevent accidents."
"The town is getting pretty big, but are the fragments really that insufficient?" Ren asked.
"It can only be considered sufficient when there is no 'Darkness' left anywhere in the world."
How many fragments would it take to fill one world? The thought alone was daunting. After all, seventy-two fragments only amounted to enough land for two or three houses.
"The size of the town is certainly sufficient for now. We have enough land and houses to not worry for the next few years. However, the overall fragment acquisition rate is gradually declining."
"Is that so? I would have thought it would increase," Furi said.
"Because there is no need to aim for the lowest floors if one only intends to live here," the Wise Man explained.
While a handful of enthusiasts descend to update the cleared floors, many Transferees switch from dungeon conquering to "a means of earning money," deciding, "This is good enough." This was a consequence of the situation not being cleared even after thirty years. Fragments are not given for repeatedly clearing the same floor, so the supply decreases in this scenario.
"We need land with a long-term view. Farmlands, ranches, and forests should be expanded according to the population."
In that regard, the Wise Man said Iris's lake was a blessing. It served as both a water source and a food supply.
"Then we should probably finish it soon." Ren suggested.
"The drawing is done, but we kept postponing the construction," Furi agreed.
The pressure of not being able to expand it once completed was also a factor. However, since they had acquired enough fragments, they should proceed with the construction soon.
"Please do so. If the fish supply increases, our New Year's feast will be a bit more extravagant."
"That's right. It's already December."
The air was getting colder, and there were days when snow began to fall sporadically.
"Ah, I don't know much about how to make osechi (traditional Japanese New Year food). Iris-chan, do you know?" Furi asked.
"I know the basics from helping my mother, but I'm not very confident..." Iris replied.
"Right. Maybe we should ask someone to teach us."
Before the New Year, there was New Year's Eve, and before that, Christmas.
"If you want chicken, I recommend reserving it in advance. Every year during that time, there's a struggle for limited ingredients," the Wise Man advised.
"So reserving chicken is a tradition here too," Ren noted.
"We are Japanese, after all."
Speaking of Christmas, should they prepare presents? The children they knew—Iris's sisters—might secretly be expecting something. Ren planned to consult with Iris's mother and consider gifts. Even if they didn't need to play Santa, they should prepare otoshidama (New Year's money), and she wanted to give a small gift to her companions who descended into the dungeon with her.
Considering all this, the end of the year seemed quite busy here too.
"But still, we don't have clocks here, so we won't know exactly when the year changes." Ren said.
"And we can't see the first sunrise either," Furi added.
Although the sun exists in this world, they can't see the moment of sunrise because there is no land far enough away to form a discernible horizon. The sun delivers light from beyond the darkness and simply appears to be higher up in the sky when they notice it.
The Wise Man shrugged.
"I have become accustomed to it, but every year, there are people who suggest building a mountain to see the first sunrise."
"Then why haven't you built one yet?" Ren asked.
"Mainly due to a lack of fragments. Also, there's been no decision on how far away to build the mountain."
To see the sunrise, it would be better if the mountain were far away, but building it too far makes resource transportation difficult. Also, if they build a mountain far away with only a narrow path, the angle from which they can see the sunrise would be extremely limited.
Mei tilted her head in confusion.
"Wouldn't it be better to build it first and then worry about it?"
"Well, that is one approach," the Wise Man admitted.
It was apparently possible to overwrite the terrain by consuming new fragments. However, it was incredibly wasteful and strongly discouraged—or rather, people were strongly told "Don't do it."
"You also wanted to build a mountain, didn't you? Since fragments are being saved up, why don't you bring up the idea? Having a concrete proposal, such as connecting it to the lake, might make a difference."
And so, Ren and her companions started making various arrangements for the end of the year and the beginning of the new year.
============
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