Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 12
“Chihuahua, look at this.”
Brownie, having hastily tidied up the Dungeon, led me into the chamber where the Sacred Object was kept.
This was my first time visiting the Sacred Object Chamber, despite it being the most important place in the Dungeon.
A marvelous treasure said to have been granted directly by the Demon God himself! My first impression was….
‘An old Staff? The kind you could easily pick up if you went to the mountains.’
Compared to my towering expectations, the shabby sight dealt me a crushing disappointment.
It was a crudely carved, elongated wooden Staff. About as long as my arm?
Not a single jewel was embedded in it, and there was no ornate craftsmanship to speak of. Worse, dust had accumulated thickly over what seemed like ages spent moldering in a corner of the storage room, making it look at first glance like a rotted stick of wood.
“See? The Fear extracted from those creatures earlier is crystallizing right here on the Staff.”
“…Where?”
No matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t spot anything particularly special.
“Here, look here.”
At that, Brownie flew to the tip of the Staff and pointed with his short arms to a specific spot.
“Ah….”
Now I saw it. A tiny red sprout, barely millet-seed sized, had put forth two leaves.
But a sprout? And doesn’t a normal sprout grow green?
“If we extract about ten more batches of Fear like that, it should grow into something respectable.”
“How much bigger?”
Brownie fluttered earnestly about, sketching out the maximum size he could manage. Even that was smaller than a coin.
“The Demon King has neglected it so badly that the Sacred Object has lost a great deal of its power.”
Neglected it so much it had withered away. Sensing the chill in my eyes, Brownie rushed to continue.
“It was really magnificent in its original form! All gleaming and splendid, like that!”
An uncomfortable feeling settled over me.
Could that possibly be my future self? Suffering under an incompetent Demon King, wrung dry, and left in tatters….
“Once we extract Fear and strengthen it, the Sacred Object will return to its original form! And the Dungeon will grow stronger too! There’s no need to be so discouraged.”
From the Fear extracted from just two Challengers, a mere millet-seed sprout had sprouted.
How much Fear would we have to extract for it to grow into something that actually looked like a plant?
Demon King, isn’t this taking things too far? How lazy can you possibly be?
I couldn’t help but sigh heavily.
“I wanted to show that we’re making at least a little bit of progress.”
At that, Brownie wrung his small body beside the sprout and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Before you came, there was truly nothing at all. So… I wanted to show that you’re doing well….”
“Ah….”
Recognition for effort. Brownie was trying to look after me in his own way.
It seemed he’d caught on to the fact that I’d been standing apart from the enthusiastically celebrating monsters the whole time, wearing nothing but a worried expression.
I steadied my face.
“You’re right. At this rate it’ll shoot up in no time, won’t it?”
At my words, Brownie brightened and nodded vigorously. Each time, little flecks of dirt tumbled down.
“I’m really going to give it my all. Let’s build this into a magnificent Dungeon together.”
“Yes! Don’t you dare take that back! Never! If you abandon it halfway through, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth and torment you!”
We just had a nice moment, didn’t we? Where did that ominous threat come from….
***
After the first opening, despite my determination to do well, not a single visitor came to the Dungeon. Four days passed with no progress whatsoever.
The monsters who had been training diligently soon grew lax in discipline, parking themselves on the Dungeon floor to chat idly or playing games of flicking small stones at each other.
Brownie stayed hidden behind the Donation Box at the Dungeon Entrance, waiting endlessly for a Challenger to appear. If we became like stone statues waiting in vain, we’d be in real trouble.
‘I thought about this wrong. Instead of fearing whether a strong Challenger might come, I should have been grateful just to see anyone at all!’
The door stood wide open, but only flies buzzed through—a shabby hole-in-the-wall shop. That was our Dungeon.
‘Come to think of it, those two probably stumbled upon this Dungeon by accident in the first place.’
Heartless creatures. They should have at least told passing adventurers that a Dungeon existed here, if only out of spite.
This wouldn’t do. Even now, I was continuing to incur expenses paying wages to the monsters lounging around on the floor.
Money was bleeding away with nothing coming in!
It was when I was pressing my hands together in prayer for anyone—absolutely anyone—to come to the Dungeon.
“Someone’s coming!”
A solid lump of earth thudded against the back of my head. It was Brownie.
“Someone’s coming?”
“I felt someone approaching from this direction! It has to be a Challenger!”
Hearing Brownie’s words, the monsters all sprang to their feet at once.
“Eeeek! A, a Challenger is here!”
“What do I do? Manager, what should I do?”
“Just do what you’ve been doing! You haven’t worked in just a few days and you’ve already forgotten everything!? You useless creatures!”
At that, Brownie barked orders at the monsters in my stead.
“But what if we’ve forgotten?”
“All right, everyone back to your stations! Get to your territories!”
I watched the monsters scramble to find their places, then turned to Brownie. “You’re sure about the Challenger?”
“The aura I felt from a distance was far from ordinary.”
“…Let’s see.”
Brownie and I bolted toward the Dungeon Entrance together.
Please, just let it be someone weak this time.
I’d begged for anyone at all, but now, thinking of the Dungeon’s circumstances, I found myself offering cowardly prayers instead.
But perhaps heaven took offense at how quickly I’d reversed my wish, because it went ahead and delivered a trial to me anyway.
“There.”
Following Brownie’s point, I saw two figures in the distance. They were a pair again, but their builds were starkly different.
“Brother, you have to get revenge for me! If you just swing your sword, all the monsters will die!”
“I’m certain I told you to stay quiet and reflect on what you did.”
“Ugh…! But I also lost the Wooden Sword, and Master scolded me terribly for it!”
“Aren’t you afraid of being scolded by me?”
As the two figures drew closer, their forms became increasingly clear.
One of them looked like the child who’d visited before. What was his name—Thaeon?
But the other one was tall and broad-shouldered.
“This is bad! Anyone can see he’s incredibly strong!”
I grabbed Brownie and shook him desperately, despairing.
The tall man was covered head to toe in equipment that looked formidable at first glance. A gleaming Armor, a Mantle, and even the sword at his hip radiated an ominous aura.
If a man like that entered our Dungeon, he’d smash through every gateway in five-second intervals and blast straight through to the deepest chamber. There was no doubt about it.
‘If this happens, my return—my money—it’s all finished!’
While I was stamping my feet, the two had already reached the Dungeon Entrance. Beneath the slanting sunlight, their figures became vivid.
They bore a striking resemblance to each other—brothers, perhaps.
Light brown hair and deep green eyes.
The one who appeared to be the older brother was particularly striking. His features were sharp and well-defined, impossible to miss at a glance. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of a knight novel’s cover.
He stood motionless, yet the eye was naturally drawn to him.
His half-lidded eyes held no hint of tension whatsoever.
As if a Dungeon of this caliber wasn’t even worth considering a threat.
Rather, that very indifference only deepened the aura of a formidable warrior.
“So there really is a Dungeon.”
“See? I wasn’t lying!”
“I thought you’d hidden the Wooden Sword to avoid training… like last time.”
“Ugh….”
“I’ll handle the monsters.”
This won’t do!
I abandoned my hiding place and rushed straight toward the two of them.
“W-wait just a moment, please!”
In that instant, the man’s hand moved with perfect fluidity toward the sword at his hip—then stopped. It happened in a blink.
I marveled at such reflexes, but in the same breath, a chill ran down my spine at the thought that if I’d looked even slightly suspicious, my head would’ve been rolling.
Rushing out like that from in front of a Dungeon was a perfect way to get mistaken for a monster, naturally.
“A human?”
“Yes, a human. Are you here to challenge the Dungeon?”
“So there was another Challenger ahead….”
“N-no, that’s not quite….”
I’d charged forward with such momentum, but my mind had gone blank.
How was I supposed to stop this man from challenging?
No excuse came to mind.
A strange thought occurred to me: what if I simply told him the truth? About my relationship with the Dungeon….
But it was obvious he’d think me mad, so my lips sealed shut.
The Demon King had said so clearly.
“No Demon King would hire one without experience, and humans would never have the opportunity to meet a Demon King face to face. Humans are nothing but livestock from which we extract fear.”
Which meant a human running a Dungeon was decidedly not a normal situation.
I decided to babble out whatever came to mind.

“The Dungeon’s Difficulty is far too low for you to attempt!”
“Ragnar.”
“Yes?”
“Not you—Ragnar. That’s my name.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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