Monster Company Tycoon – Chapter 15

Author: Cireng

Chapter 15

A village straight out of a fantasy world.

That was the first thought that came to mind the moment I arrived.

The scenery was so beautiful, as though it had been plucked straight from a fairy tale, that I found myself staring around in a daze.

‘This really is close to the dungeon.’

It was a little over an hour on foot. Even that journey passed in no time when I rode the horse Ragner had brought along.

It was my first time riding a horse. I had been so tense, afraid I might fall off, that my lower back still felt sore.

“It’s full of inferior life-forms.”

Brownie, who had been hiding in my hair, complained incessantly.

Despite all her grumbling, she had ultimately followed me after hearing that we might be able to secure regular customers.

The village was fairly large.

Low buildings stood clustered together, and the streets were neatly paved.

The residents seemed to know one another by face. Whenever they passed someone, they exchanged greetings naturally, and the whole village was brimming with energy.

“What a lovely village.”

It was such a peaceful place that I could understand why Ragner had been so worried about the dungeon monsters invading it.

“Oh, Theon. Did you go for a walk with your brother?”

“Yeah!”

The brothers who had brought me here greeted the villagers as naturally as could be, and soon, one by one, the residents turned their gazes toward me. Their curious expressions seemed to be asking who I was.

“She’s a friend I traveled with in the past.”

We had agreed on a story about my identity beforehand. According to our cover story, I was a former traveling companion from back when Ragner had worked as an adventurer.

“I see. If you’re Ragner’s friend, then you’re our friend too. Welcome to Nest Village.”

“Y-yes… I look forward to getting along with you.”

I accepted the handshake offered by a middle-aged man with a thick beard with a polite bow, swallowing my confusion.

I thought something was strange when I could talk to Ragner so naturally… but sure enough, everyone’s language sounds perfectly natural to me.

I had already found it strange that I could communicate with monsters without any problems, but being able to converse with people from an unfamiliar world just as easily was even more astonishing.

Was this also the Demon King’s power?

“Are you hungry? It’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t we get something to eat?”

“Ah…”

My eyes widened. I had just noticed something else strange.

Ever since coming to this world, I hadn’t felt hungry even once. Since I hadn’t been hungry at all, I had completely forgotten that I needed to eat.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even taken a single sip of water this whole time, had I? How was I still perfectly fine?

“That’s strange. Now that you mention it, I’m suddenly starving.”

I wasn’t kidding. My stomach was growling, practically screaming at me to give it something to eat right away.

The moment I stepped out of the dungeon, hunger descended on me as if it had been waiting for that exact moment.

At my words, Ragner looked as though he had figured something out.

“It’s not good for a human to remain in a dungeon for too long.”

Ragner looked at me and spoke in a grave voice.

“The dungeon’s influence dulls physiological needs such as hunger and thirst. However, those needs haven’t disappeared. You’ve simply become less sensitive to them. If you leave things as they are, your body will continue to weaken.”

So what he was saying was that I only felt like I wasn’t hungry, when in reality, my body still needed nourishment!?

Feeling as though I’d been tricked, I poked Brownie with my finger. She let out a shrill squeal and shot out of my hair.

“Chihuahua is different from inferior life-forms like you! Of course, ordinary humans are deliberately affected that way. It’s so they can concentrate on the dungeon!”

What a downright vicious system.

It basically prevented adventurers from getting distracted in the first place, in case they lost interest in conquering the dungeon and simply left!

“Then what’s different about me?”

“You’re not an intruder. You’re the manager. It’s true that your needs have become dull, but the dungeon directly supplies you with energy, so there’s no problem. Have you ever seen the monsters eating?”

“No… Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen them eat.”

“The dungeon gathers the energy of the earth and supplies the monsters with vitality. That’s why they can survive without eating or drinking. Since you’re the manager, you receive the same benefit.”

“Then I’m not going to get malnutrition, right? I’m not going to starve to death, am I?”

“…Probably?”

Brownie’s vague answer left me in shock.

“Why are you being so ambiguous?”

“It’s true that the monsters don’t have any problems, but a human body might be different. Besides, this is the first time something like this has happened…”

Just then, Ragner cut in.

“That Demon King of yours is truly irresponsible.”

“How dare you insult our Demon King! I won’t let you get away with that! I’m the only one who gets to trash-talk the Demon King, along with Chihuahua!”

Brownie flew over boldly and gave Ragner’s cheek a light smack before immediately diving back into my hair.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, Chihuahua. Avenge the Demon King’s honor.”

If you were going to be that terrified of him, why pick a fight in the first place?

“Haah, now I understand. Please don’t stay inside the dungeon all the time. Visit the village from time to time. It’s better for humans to live like humans.”

“Chihuahua, don’t listen to him.”

In practical terms, though, that would be difficult. I didn’t have enough money to eat out in the village regularly. There was no way I could spend the dungeon’s precious operating funds on my own meals.

And I couldn’t use the twenty million won the Demon King had given me in advance here, could I?

“…Maybe I should grow a vegetable garden in the dungeon…”

Fortunately, my body still seemed to be in good condition. I didn’t feel as though my stamina had decreased or that I was getting weaker.

At least for now, it seemed that the energy supplied by the dungeon was enough for me to get by.

Still, I couldn’t completely let my guard down. I thought it would be better to make sure I ate something from time to time.

Come to think of it, one of the monsters had asked during the interview whether the dungeon provided meals.

If they could survive on dungeon energy alone, there had to be some significant advantage to eating actual food if they had bothered to ask that question.

Do I really need to set up a staff cafeteria?

It was around then that I finished a simple meal at the restaurant at Ragner’s suggestion and stepped back outside.

“Hmm?”

A sheet of paper was posted beside the restaurant door.

It was a job advertisement.

Are they looking for someone to work as a server during the daytime only?

At first, the writing had been in characters I couldn’t recognize. But the moment I decided I wanted to read it, everything before my eyes changed into Korean, as if it had been automatically translated.

Seeing that reminded me of something.

I had been able to read the résumés written by the monsters without any difficulty.

There was no way they could have been using Korean… so perhaps this was some kind of power I’d gained through my contract with the Demon King.

After all, I needed to understand the language of this world to do my job properly. It was probably a kind of convenience feature.

That thought had occurred to me because the dungeon was supposedly helping me stay alive without eating.

This feels a little strange…

Ragner, who had followed my gaze to the notice, spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Ah, the restaurant is looking for a new server. It’s a family-run establishment, but I heard that the child who worked there as a server will soon be taking a job in another city.”

“A part-time job…”

An idea flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning.

The money used to operate the dungeon was the same currency humans used.

If that was the case, didn’t it mean I could earn money through means other than running the dungeon and then use that money to fund its operations?

Like a side job.

The amount of money I could earn from dungeon operations right now was ridiculously small.

On top of that, the dungeon was operating under such harsh conditions that I had to be selective about which customers I could accept.

So what if I brought in money from outside and used it to develop the dungeon until it was at least capable of fulfilling its intended purpose?

I could hire more employees, recruit more useful talent, equip them properly, decorate the dungeon a little, and stock the reward room.

Then we’d be able to hold our own even if moderately strong adventurers showed up.

Challengers don’t spend the entire day inside the dungeon, and the monsters are the field workers who handle all the fighting. All I really do is watch over things. When you think about it… aren’t I the most redundant employee here?

A manager could only afford to put on airs when the subordinates working under them were doing their jobs properly.

At this point, I had arguably already done everything I needed to do simply by establishing the dungeon’s initial structure.

“What if I tried working here?”

The moment I muttered the thought seriously…

“You! You’re! Planning! To! Betray! Us! I told you I wouldn’t let you get away with it!”

As expected, Brownie shot out in a flash and started grabbing at me.

“Calm down. Calm down and listen to what I have to say first. This is similar to you collecting the coins people drop.”

I calmly explained my idea to Brownie.

At first, she huffed and refused to listen, but as I continued persuading her, she gradually began nodding along as though she’d been bewitched.

“Chihuahua… I didn’t even realize you cared about us that much… sniff.”

Before long, she was shedding invisible tears, her face filled with emotion.

“I think it’s a good idea, too. They provide lunch, after all, so that would be much better.”