Earth Dungeon 64.1

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Chapter 64.1. After The Typhoon

The sky was clear, a vivid blue without a single cloud in sight—almost like a perfect Japanese weather post-typhoon. With the storm having taken all the clouds away, the guardsman stretched lazily and yawned while feeling refreshed in the penthouse garden.

[It seems like you're acting differently after that special night, Sakimori-san.]

Shizuku, covering her face and blushing, spun around in the air. But I just smiled faintly and gazed up at the sky.

"I was just sleeping with you as a pillow. Even if you take that kind of attitude, there's no need to be embarrassed."

If I was a younger man, I might get flustered. 

Even without any significant event, spending a single night might make someone panic or act shy, implying something deeper. But I had long passed that age.

[Come on, why don't you act a bit strangely, like something unusual happened! Why are you always so calm? Show a bit more embarrassment!]

Shizuku playfully punched me. Since her fist moved too fast to see, I laughed while feeling more scared about that than Goblins outside and looked outside.

I clicked my tongue at the sight. While there weren't any areas flooded, there were puddles everywhere. The old, windowless buildings had become drenched from yesterday's storm, and they would decay even faster now. Broken signs were embedded in the abandoned buildings, and fallen trees blocked the streets.

And here and there, behind the buildings, I caught glimpses of goblins. Not just Goblins, but also spider-like monsters. Spiders, almost a meter in size, moved at a speed that allowed a child to outpace them.

[It's a Big Spider. Rank F, it has paralyzing poison, but it's not a significant threat.]

Shizuku informed me seriously, and I agreed. Big Spider itself wasn't much of a problem. The issue was that it appeared right after the typhoon had passed, overflowing from the dungeon.

"Monsters don't usually overflow from a freshly generated dungeon, right? That's how it works, isn't it?"

A newly generated dungeon typically remained in place with a certain number of monsters for a while. That's why the sudden appearance of a Big Spider was problematic.

[No, there are patterns where they appear suddenly. Dungeons can be generated with a full load of monsters already. Stamps can occur suddenly. They tend to appear in calm regions.]

"Can you tell me which regions are considered calm? This place is an abandoned town, you know?"

I frowned at Shizuku's words. This place was an abandoned town. It was still just slightly better than before.

[Old people used to say it. It's probably related to human life and emotions. Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, all those emotions become energy, making life more active. Like antibodies, dungeons generate.]

"So, the more people, the more likely a dungeon will generate in stampede mode?"

[It's possible. In regions with a population in the hundreds of thousands or more, there's a chance of a slightly more dangerous dungeon appearing. Once it appears, it won't generate again for a while.]

"I think your 'slightly more dangerous' level might be too risky, Shizuku-san."

It's something I'm familiar with. I shrugged. I see. That makes sense. Come to think of it, there were often cases where monsters overflowed right after a dungeon was generated. In the past, the population was larger, after all.

When markets were established, and people became more active, dungeons started to appear. Shizuku-san, where do you get this information from? I don't suppose you'll tell me.

"Well then, Shizuku-san. How many dungeons do you estimate have been generated in this area?"

[Considering it was centered around the market, at least one Rank D dungeon and a maximum of three. This ruined city had almost zero energy, but suddenly became active.]

"Got it. Then, let's start cleaning up for now, [Weapon Tiger]."

I summoned 5 armed shadow tigers from the shadows. They rolled around lazily, meowing and lounging on their backs, looking like oversized cats. Petting their bellies felt soft and comfortable.

"You guys, go and eliminate the monsters that overflowed around here. Also, report any dungeons you find. Off you go."

"Mia."

"Meow."

Despite their massive size of almost three meters, my Weapon Tigers sprinted off without making a sound. I hoped they wouldn't accidentally knock someone over on their way down the stairs.

"Now, it's time for me to get to work. Is the market okay, and are the fields safe?"

Thanks to the typhoon passing through, the sunshine had become gentler, and the breeze was cool.

"It seems like autumn is here."

That meant I could use the [Shadow Figure] without any issues. It's time to get down to business.

As I descended to the lower floor, I instructed my subordinates to gather Shingen and the others. They gathered quickly, and we assessed the extent of the damage.

As we gathered around the table and went through the damage, I couldn't help but sigh.

"The fields are in shambles. I guess that's expected. It'd be scary if they could withstand a typhoon."

Katsuyori, who had brought the report, nodded with a troubled expression. It seems he had gone to check on the fields. The rain had washed away the furrows, and the crops had fallen and become ruined. Dungeon spawns couldn't withstand natural disasters either.

"I encountered Goblins on the way. There were also Shadow Tigers, so I handled it without problems."

"Ah, the places we secured have been ruined, huh? We're already having Shadow Tigers take care of it."

"I guess the tour will have to get canceled. Should we keep it on hold until safety is confirmed?"

Shingen asked with a troubled look, but I rejected the idea.