Monster Company Tycoon – Chapter 36

Author: Cireng

Chapter 36

Clank, clank.

A gigantic suit of headless armor walked down the corridor of the floor.

Every time the flickering torchlight swept across the surface of its black armor, it gave off an ominous atmosphere.

Seeing it walking around inside the dungeon like this, I could definitely say its intimidating presence was no joke.

It would be a perfect fit if Dullahan became the Floor Master of the first floor.

“You’re here.”

“Sabira.”

“…Ragner. My dear friend, whom I both cherish and resent.”

My worry that they might not recognize her had been completely unfounded.

Ragner and Ruadis immediately recognized that the gigantic monster, whose entire body was hidden beneath armor, was Sabira.

At last, two childhood friends reunited at the first-floor gate. At the same time, a master and her two disciples had gathered in one place.

A strange atmosphere flowed between the three as they looked at one another.

“Just a moment! As the administrator of this dungeon, I have a few things I’d like to explain beforehand.”

I abruptly wedged myself between the three of them.

They were the ones who had brought this mess upon themselves, after all. There was no need for me to keep accommodating them anymore.

If they were willing to acknowledge a physical conversation, where they clashed while swinging their swords, as a form of “conversation,” then so be it.

If they would just speak openly and honestly about their feelings, they could clear up any misunderstandings in no time and settle things amicably. Why insist on taking the difficult route?!

Anyway, I had something much more important to discuss first.

“From this moment on, the three of you have exclusively rented out the entirety of this dungeon’s first-floor gate.”

At my hand signal, all the doors at the gate that had been closed swung wide open at once. Normally, these doors could only be opened after defeating our employees and obtaining the keys.

“While the rental is in effect, other adventurers will be prohibited from entering, which means we won’t be able to operate normally. Therefore, according to our rules, we should charge you not only the facility rental fee but also the losses incurred from suspending business. However…!”

“Weren’t we making zero eon to begin with?”

Brownie popped out and ruined my momentum.

“……”

‘Was there anyone here who didn’t know that already?’

“Anyway! This time, we’ll apply the personal-connection discount and waive everything. Both the rental fee and the business losses. Isn’t having connections wonderful?”

I flashed them a bright smile.

Of course, it wouldn’t really matter if they immediately rushed out of the dungeon and continued their business outside.

But that would be inconvenient for them in several ways.

Ragner and Ruadis would have to worry that Dullahan might disappear into hiding again the moment she left. They would also have to worry about the possibility of a fight breaking out and causing damage to the village.

In that respect, the dungeon was the ideal place to settle things without any interference.

Blocking outside attention? Check!

It’s a facility originally designed for combat, so they can go wild to their hearts’ content? Check!

Besides, the two of them believed Dullahan was currently confined to the dungeon, so they wouldn’t have to worry as much about her suddenly running away.

Peace of mind? Check!

“However, before using the facilities, please make sure to keep one important precaution in mind.”

I added another sentence without losing my smile.

“Damage incurred during ordinary combat is fine, but if the facilities or equipment are damaged due to excessive fighting, we intend to charge you separately for the restoration costs.”

‘This was important. Very important!’

“Our dungeon is poor, so we don’t have the means to cover large-scale repair costs ourselves.”

Ruadis looked at me with an expression that seemed to say I was quite something.

“So please keep this in mind, and try to go wild in moderation without damaging the facilities. Both of you agree, right?”

I didn’t bother waiting for an answer.

“With that, the rental guidelines are complete!”

In short, they could fight all they wanted, but I was asking them not to go so far as to wreck the entire dungeon.

I was especially worried because Ragner seemed like someone who could actually do that.

“Oh, now you can just ignore me and carry on with what you were doing!”

Having finished everything I needed to say, I left with a somewhat relieved feeling.

I had already evacuated all the employees to the basement.

I, too, quickly dashed into my private office.

‘If I loiter around nearby, I might get caught up in it myself.’

From there, I could conveniently monitor every corner of the dungeon, like a CCTV system, using the power of the Holy Relic.

Six blue screens appeared above my desk.

The three figures were clearly visible on each screen, filmed from six different angles.

‘As expected, I can’t check Ragner and Ruadis’s information.’

When Theon and his friend had challenged the dungeon, their levels and combat power had been displayed on the screens.

“At the current level, you can only view the information of challengers below level 10. To see information beyond that, you’ll need to upgrade the Holy Relic.”

Ragner and Ruadis’s information appeared as [???].

That meant their levels were simply too high.

“Are they really going to fight? Ah, I should’ve bought some snacks.”

Aside from hoping they wouldn’t destroy the dungeon, there was one other thing I wanted: I hoped Ragner wouldn’t damage Dullahan too badly.

I’d already marked her as one of our employees. And not just any employee, but our first-floor boss!

It would be a disaster if she became unable to fight.

I shifted my gaze to the desk.

There lay the résumé that Dullahan herself had filled out.

“She’s surprisingly diligent. She filled in every single answer without leaving anything blank.”

Dullahan.

No work experience. No certifications.

Naturally. Presumably, Sabira hadn’t been a monster for very long.

‘She was practically a newcomer to the working world. How could someone like that have any work experience?’

She’d been too busy looking for her head to have time to study for any certifications, either.

[Reason for Applying: Because you said you’d find my lost belongings.]

That was certainly the reason I’d expected.

But still, this was a résumé. Wasn’t that a little too blunt?

She could’ve started with something like, I was impressed by your company’s employee benefits, which strengthened my desire to join your organization…

‘Ms. Dullahan, you really are in trouble.’

A résumé like this wouldn’t be accepted anywhere except our dungeon. I guess you’ll have to make this your lifelong workplace, right?

But then, one line she’d added almost as if she were doodling caught my attention.

[Also, the dungeon administrator looks like Fluffy. Kinda cute. My type.]

The fact that that gigantic suit of armor had personally moved a pen to write something like this… It really didn’t suit her.

Come to think of it, her way of speaking didn’t quite match Dullahan’s heavy, imposing image, either. Only her voice was nice.

When you thought of a Dullahan, you’d naturally expect someone taciturn and serious. But Dullahan in her Sabira version had a rather cheeky feel to her.

I supposed her personality was heavily influenced by her original self.

If so, perhaps Sabira had been a cheerful and sly person when she was alive?

She seemed like the complete opposite of the calm and laid-back Ragner.

‘It’s a wonder those two became friends. Though I have no idea how things will end this time.’

Next was the personal statement.

“…Is this monster really still missing some of her memories?”

What filled the spacious section was a… love letter disguised as a personal statement.

[Hello, Fluffy! I’ve liked you ever since the first moment I saw you.

I wanted to confess as soon as I entered the dungeon, but I was too much of a fool to work up the courage back then…]

One thing was clear. Dullahan might have been diligent enough to complete her résumé, but she certainly hadn’t taken the task very seriously.

‘I guess she got pretty bored after I left her here with instructions to write a résumé.’

The only reason I could be so generous about this kind of prank was that I knew Dullahan’s original self, Sabira, was a woman.

I’d been uncertain when I’d only seen the photograph, but after hearing her voice and getting a rough idea of her build beneath the armor, I was sure.

I’d encountered people who pulled pranks like this fairly often at my previous workplace, so it wasn’t particularly unusual.

“Then is the only useful part the combat information section?”

That was where I could find out a monster’s true stats.

Race type: Undead. Level… 40?

The average level of our current employees was still below 10.

In that respect, Dullahan’s starting level was quite high.

It was clear that our dungeon would have had a hard time recruiting an employee like her if we hadn’t shared some special connection.

She probably wouldn’t have even submitted a résumé in the first place.

It was like posting a job recruitment notice and, by some incredibly slim chance, receiving an A-rank employee card.

Attack: 666. Defense: 666.

“Those are ominous numbers.”

Her attribute was Earth, and her specialties were…