* * *
A fantasy village.
That was the first thought that came to mind the moment we arrived at the village.
The beautiful scenery, as if it had popped straight out of a fairy tale, made me unconsciously stare in awe.
‘It really is close to the dungeon.’
About an hour on foot. Even that was shortened considerably by riding the horse Ragner had brought.
It was my first time riding a horse. I had been so tense about falling off that my back still felt sore.
“It’s full of lowly creatures.”
Brownie, hidden in my hair, complained without pause.
Despite its grumbling, it had ended up following me after hearing we could attract regular customers.
The village was fairly large in scale.
Low buildings clustered closely together, and the streets were neatly paved.
The residents seemed to know each other’s faces, naturally exchanging greetings whenever they passed, and vitality overflowed everywhere.
“It really is a nice village.”
Seeing such a peaceful village, I understood why Ragner had been so worried about monster raids from the dungeon.
“Oh, Teon. Were you out walking with your brother?”
“Yeah!”
The brothers who had brought me also naturally exchanged greetings with the villagers, and soon the residents’ gazes turned toward me one by one. Their curious eyes seemed to ask who I was.
“She’s a friend I traveled with before.”
We had agreed on my identity in advance. The cover story was that I was a comrade who had traveled together with Ragner back when he was active as an adventurer.
“I see. If she’s Ragner’s friend, she’s our friend too. Welcome to Nest Village.”
“Yes, yes… thank you.”
I accepted the handshake offered by a bearded man with a bow, swallowing my bewilderment inwardly.
‘I thought something was off from the moment I could converse with Ragner so naturally…. Sure enough, all languages sound natural to me.’
Along with being able to communicate with monsters without issue, it was strange that I had no communication problems at all with the people of this unfamiliar world.
Was this also the Demon King’s power?
“Aren’t you hungry? It’s almost lunchtime—shall we have a meal?”
“Ah….”
I opened my eyes wide. I realized another strange thing.
Since coming to this world, I had not felt hunger even once. Because I never felt hungry at all, I had even forgotten that I needed to eat.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t drunk a single sip of water either. How was I still fine?
“That’s strange. Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel incredibly hungry.”
It was true. My stomach was growling, clamoring for food right away.
The moment I left the dungeon, hunger came rushing in like a ghost.
At my words, Ragner’s expression turned as if he understood something.
“It’s not good to stay in a dungeon for long with a human body.”
Ragner looked at me and spoke in a serious voice.
“Because the dungeon’s influence dulls physiological needs like hunger and thirst. But they haven’t disappeared—only your senses have been numbed. If left alone, your body will continue to weaken.”
So what he was saying was that I only felt as if I weren’t hungry, but in reality, my body was in a state of needing nutrition!?
Feeling somehow betrayed, I poked Brownie with my finger, and it shrieked and popped out.
“Chihuahua is different from lowly creatures like you! Of course, ordinary humans are deliberately made that way. So they can focus on the dungeon.”
It really was a vicious system.
It meant they completely blocked it at the source, fearing adventurers might get distracted, abandon the dungeon raid, and just leave?
“How am I different?”
“You’re not an intruder, you’re the manager. Of course, your desires are dulled too, but the dungeon directly supplies you with energy, so there’s no problem. Have you ever seen monsters eat?”
“No…. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen that.”
“The dungeon gathers the energy of the earth and supplies life force to monsters. That’s why they can live without eating or drinking. Since you’re the manager, you’re receiving that benefit too.”
“So I’m definitely not going to get malnutrition? I’m not going to starve to death?”
“…Probably?”
I was shocked by Brownie’s vague answer.
“Why is your answer so ambiguous?”
“It’s true that monsters have no problems, but the human body might be different. This is the first case like this, too….”
Just then, Ragner cut in.
“Your Demon King is truly irresponsible.”
“How dare you insult our Demon King! I won’t let this slide! The only ones allowed to talk down to the Demon King are me and Chihuahua!”
Brownie boldly flew over and tapped Ragner’s cheek, then immediately hid back in my hair.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Chihuahua. Avenge the Demon King.”
If you’re going to be that scared, why pick a fight in the first place?
“Haa, I understand now. Please don’t stay inside the dungeon all the time—visit the village occasionally. It’s better for humans to live like humans.”
“Chihuahua, don’t listen.”
Realistically, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t have the money to drop by the village and eat out every time. I couldn’t use my precious dungeon operating funds for my own meals.
And I couldn’t use the twenty million won the Demon King had given me as an advance payment here, could I?
“…Should I grow a vegetable garden in the dungeon…?”
Fortunately, my physical condition was still fine. I didn’t feel my stamina dropping or my strength draining.
At least for now, it seemed I could live on the power supplied by the dungeon alone.
Still, I couldn’t be completely at ease. I thought it would be better to eat food occasionally.
Come to think of it, there had been a monster during the interviews who asked whether the dungeon provided meals.
If they could live on the dungeon’s energy alone, the fact that it asked such a question meant eating actual food must have some greater benefit.
‘Should I really build an employee cafeteria?’
And so, after finishing a simple meal at the restaurant on Ragner’s recommendation, I was just stepping out.
“Hm?”
There was a piece of paper posted on the restaurant door.
It was a hiring notice.
‘They’re looking for someone to work as a server during the daytime only?’
At first, it was clearly writing I couldn’t read, but the moment I decided I wanted to read it, everything in front of my eyes changed to Korean, as if some automatic translation had kicked in.
Seeing that, something suddenly came to mind.
I had read the resumes written by monsters without any difficulty.
They couldn’t possibly use Korean… so perhaps this was a power I had gained through the contract with the Demon King.
For now, I needed to understand this world’s writing for work to go smoothly, so it was a kind of convenience.
That thought came to me because of what was said about the dungeon helping me sustain life without eating.
‘It feels strange….’
Ragner, who had been looking at the notice following my gaze, spoke calmly.
“Ah, the restaurant is looking for a new server. It’s a family-run place, and I heard their child who worked as a server is soon going to find employment in another city.”
“A part-time job….”
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
The money used to operate the dungeon was clearly the same as what humans used.
That meant I could earn money through means other than the dungeon and use that money to operate the dungeon, couldn’t I?
Like a side job.
The money I could currently earn from dungeon operations was absurdly small.
And the environment was so poor that I even had to screen customers.
Then how about bringing in money from outside and raising the dungeon at least to the point where it could function properly?
Hire more employees, bring in more useful talent, equip them properly, decorate the dungeon a bit, fill the reward room.
Then we’d be able to hold our own even if a moderately strong adventurer came.
‘Challengers don’t stay in the dungeon all day, and the combat is all handled by the field staff monsters, so my job is really just watching. In fact, when you think about it… aren’t I the most surplus personnel here?’
A manager can only look impressive when the subordinates beneath them are running smoothly.
At this point, I had already done my part just by setting up the dungeon’s initial stages.
“How about I try working here?”
The moment I muttered seriously.
“You! Are trying to! Betray us! I told you I won’t let that happen!”
As expected, Brownie darted out and started grabbing at me.
“Calm down. Calm down and listen to me first. This is similar to how you collected the coins people dropped.”
I calmly explained my thoughts to Brownie.
At first, it huffed and refused to listen, but gradually it began nodding as if bewitched by my persuasion.
“Chihuahua… I didn’t know you thought of us that way… Sniff.”
Before long, it was shedding invisible tears, looking deeply moved.
“I think it’s fine too. They say lunch is provided, so that’s even better.”
Reading a bit more of the hiring notice myself, the conditions looked pretty decent.
