Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 49

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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 49
***
I was heading to the restaurant for work, same as any other day.
The Facilities Team had been installing traps last night, and I’d stayed up watching them, so I’d slept late—if I didn’t hurry, I’d be late for my shift.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah!”
Someone grabbed my arm out of nowhere, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I turned to see a man I’d never met before.
I hadn’t been in this Village for all that long, but at least in this area, I’d never seen his face before.
‘An Outsider?’
Tall and lean, with sharp, well-defined features—though for some reason, he had a slippery sort of look to him.
‘Hmm, not my type.’
“Um… can I help you with something?”
“Ah, do you know where the Adventurer Training Center is?”
“Oh, the Training Center! You must be a novice adventurer, then?”
Looking for the Training Center?
Could he be a beginner?
‘That means he’s a potential customer for our Dungeon!’
My interest sparked instantly, but the man said he wasn’t a novice adventurer.
‘Oh, really?’
My enthusiasm evaporated just like that.
Seasoned adventurers weren’t the customer base our Dungeon was targeting.
Still, aside from Ragner and Luadis, it was the first time I’d seen an adventurer, so there was something novel about it.
‘Could he be one of Ragner’s acquaintances? They do look around the same age.’
I gave him directions to the Training Center and tried to excuse myself.
Lateness was looming. Punctuality was sacred to me—showing up late for work was absolutely unacceptable.
“Well, I really need to go, so would you mind letting go of my arm?”
But this man—
He kept talking and wouldn’t release his grip.
Irritation crept in, and just as I was about to wrench my arm free by force, an important thought suddenly struck me.
‘Wait. If he’s an Outsider, he’ll probably need to eat while he’s here.’
There was only one place in the Village suitable for meals—the Three Trees Restaurant where I worked.
In the end, thinking it over as a sales opportunity, I managed to break free only after introducing him to our restaurant while keeping a smile plastered on my face the whole time.
I’d thought that would be the end of any involvement beyond being a customer.
But then—
“Hello again. We’ll see each other soon.”
“Ah… did you find the Training Center okay?”
“Thanks to you.”
Not long after, the Outsider actually showed up at the restaurant, apparently to grab a late lunch.
Up to that point, it was going as expected.
The problem started the moment he sat down at his table.
“Do you live in this Village?”
“Nearby.”
After ordering, the man kept talking to me every time I passed his table.
It was still lunch rush, so there were quite a few customers in the restaurant.
But every time he stopped me to chat, I could feel the owners’ eyes on me, and their disapproval was growing.
It looked like I was standing around gossiping instead of working hard!
The first few times, I played along with good service and answered kindly, but as he kept probing into my personal information, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’m sorry, but I’m on the clock, so I’m afraid I can’t chat much longer.”
“Then what time do you finish?”
……
I paused for a moment before giving a completely random answer.
“Late.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Our restaurant closes in the late afternoon, and my shift ends at three.
“What a shame. I won’t be able to see you today, then.”
‘Phew, maybe he’ll finally leave me alone now.’
“I’m planning to visit the Dungeon today to take my Graduation Exam.”
At that, I nearly dropped the plate I was holding in surprise.
“A Dungeon…?”
“Yes. They say there’s one near the Village. Do you happen to know about it?”
“Well, I… I’m not particularly interested in such things.”
I’m the owner there.
“Are you planning to challenge it today?”
“I thought I’d head there right after we finish eating.”
Should I think of this man as a guest at our Dungeon, or as an intruder?
Wait. Either way, surely Luadis must have told him about the Graduation Exam?
“By the way… how much experience do you have clearing Dungeons?”
“Ah, this is my first attempt. I’ve only trained so far—I haven’t actually faced any monsters yet.”
‘He was a complete novice!?’
He said otherwise a moment ago. This is strange.
In any case, he was definitely a potential customer for our Dungeon.
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
The Dungeon Manager position was empty because I was currently working a part-time job.
Of course, I’d set up enough systems for things to run smoothly even without me.
But I desperately wanted to monitor the moment our properly staffed Dungeon finally opened its doors.
‘I can’t just abandon my shift halfway through and dash off to the Dungeon, though.’
The man said he planned to head straight to the Dungeon as soon as his meal was finished.
Meanwhile, I still had two more hours before my part-time job ended.
‘What if I could get him to stay here late…?’
Once I’d decided, I immediately flashed a professional smile.
“That dish really needs to be eaten slowly and thoughtfully to appreciate the true flavor. Oh, and we also serve tea here—how about enjoying some tea and snacks after your meal?”
“Ah, do you have a tea you’d recommend?”
“Of course.”
That man does seem to have taken a liking to me, I think.
Sorry, but I’m going to have to use that.
In the end, the Outsider lingered for a full hour even after his meal, finishing his tea as he sat.
And what he said to me just before leaving was truly remarkable.
“Once I’ve cleared the Dungeon, I have something I’d like to tell you.”
“…….”
He wasn’t exactly setting up a death flag or anything.
Still, I had a bad feeling the man was going to fail the Dungeon clear.
***
“Huff… Huff! I’m not too late, am I!?”
My shift finally ended thirty minutes after I sent him off.
I sprinted straight from the restaurant, but by the time I arrived, it seemed I was already too late to watch from the moment he first challenged the Dungeon.
“Chiwawa! We had a customer while you were gone!”
“I know. That’s why I rushed over like this. Ah, I’m so out of breath.”
I leaned on my knees, breathing hard for a while.
I practically tumbled into the office, carelessly stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes, and dropped into the chair at my desk.
Without even time to catch my breath, I switched on the screens, and images of various points throughout the Dungeon appeared on the display.
“Oh, still in combat.”
The challenger was still struggling in the first Combat Room.
“Let’s see… Level 8, Attack Power of 200, Defense of 80.”
He’d seemed so confident I’d assumed he was quite impressive, but only Level 8?
His stats were higher than the Facilities Team staff, but since the battle wasn’t ending quickly, his actual skill seemed mediocre.
“If the Graduation Exam candidates are all at that level, this is serious trouble.”
If he’s struggling this much at the first gate, what’s he going to do with the rest?
Even if Sabira had agreed to go easy on the trainees in the Boss Room, if all the graduation candidates had such low stats… it was clear nobody would graduate.
Once I’d worried the Dungeon would be cleared too quickly, but now I was concerned the difficulty was too high—I almost found it touching how things had changed.
“Kekeke, what a lovely fellow.”
Brownie, watching the screen beside me, seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
Unusually good, for welcoming a customer after so long.
“You seem pleased.”
“Krkrkrkr, Chiwawa, do you know how much that fellow put in the Prayer Box?”
“How much?”
“A full 1300 En!”
“Really? Wow, a big spender indeed.”
Since I’d started working here, the Dungeon had collected only 100 En in the Prayer Box.
So thirteen hundred eln was quite generous. For those of us who counted every coin, it was even more so.
To be honest, I’d thought the trainees might scrape together maybe five hundred eln at best from the donation box.
“Still, they’ve all grown remarkably strong.”
I felt genuine pride watching the staff members demonstrate what they’d learned from training with Luadis without holding anything back.
Their Cooperative Combat in particular was breathtaking to witness.
Compared to the battles Ragner and Sabira had waged, there were still gaps to be seen—yet they were more than proficient enough to be called true Dungeon monsters.
“If only they had better equipment, they’d be stronger still.”
Watching them fight so well only made the crude weapons in their hands stand out more painfully.
Without access to proper arms, they were reduced to swinging wooden clubs we’d carved from timber brought up from outside the Dungeon.
‘The moment we have spare coin, I’m outfitting them properly.’
The prolonged battle finally ended in the challenger’s victory.
As the last monster fell, the challenger collapsed to the ground as if he’d been waiting for permission to rest.
After catching his breath for a moment, the challenger spotted the key lying on the floor and forced himself upright. Then he turned toward the corridor leading to the next chamber.
Watching him go, I found myself leaning forward.
“At last—the first trap!”

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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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