《The Dangerously Cute Dungeon Diary Book Two》 Entry Thirty Four Dear Diary, I''ve been spending most of my time since unlocking the second floor rearranging the rooms on the first floor. Some of the rooms I''ve even moved to the second floor, like my challenge based on the language of flowers. It was too difficult and so not very many people were able to finish it. I have no plans to lock any doors on the first floor as I want to keep things low-stakes, but I''m hardly willing to be as generous on the second floor. My life is at stake here, even if its easy to forget about that, at times. For some reason, hardly anyone has been visiting the dungeon ever since I unlocked my newest floor. I''m not sure why that is, but it''s genuinely only been David, Avorn, and Camellia. Considering I have a contract with all three of them, it''s all too easy to assume that''s why they haven''t suddenly disappeared as well. I can''t seem to help but second-guess myself. Have I done something to scare everyone away? Perhaps I am unaware of some sort of societal norms this world has that my last one did not. I''m not exactly a mind reader... I think I''m the most disappointed that Elivyre hasn''t been visiting me. I know a few days or even weeks seems like very little time at all for her, she had said as much to me before. I may even feel the same one day, but that day most certainly isn''t today. Even with how time blurs in my dungeon, one day melding into the next, with very little way to tell how much time has passed, I still feel lonely. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I''m planning to add some pixies to the dungeon soon enough, but the dungeon just isn''t ready for that yet. I have to finish rearranging everything, design some challenge rooms, and ensure the pixies will feel at home. I''ll also need to research a new spawner with a higher limit so I can put two of them in the same room. I hope that will be sufficient for them as I doubt I''ll be able to do any better than that, but I know the system says they''re supposed to be social creatures who like to be surrounded by their own kind. It would be a shame if I had to wait until I unlock a few more floors to have someone to consistently talk to, though... For my monster field rooms, I''ve been keeping things more simple. Just some fruit bushes, briar patch traps, and both horned rabbits and giant checkered rabbits. I''m hoping to help my monster rabbits have the element of surprise by catching adventurers off their guard with the more ordinary rabbits. There is no way of knowing if my efforts will be successful without people exploring the second floor, though, so who knows how things will work out. Maybe I''m moping a bit too much, but I just can''t seem to help it. I''m disappointed with this turn of events. I''m going to get back to work now, but I''ll keep you posted. -Violet Entry Thirty Five Dear Diary, I seem to have a lot more freedom now that I have a second floor. David will come looking for me if I don''t go to greet him on the first floor, but, otherwise, it always remains empty of everyone but me, my rabbits, and my pixies. I recently came to a new arrangement with David where I will only remain for an hour for swordsmanship training each night before leaving for the second floor. He is still free to complete challenges to earn their rewards and for his daughter to earn experience points by defeating my slimes, but I wanted to have more time to build on my second floor and make the most of the incoming resources. I changed the weather in the slime parkour room to make it brighter and less slippery from the rain as well as removed the rabbit holes in the floodplains meadow to make that challenge easier and more fitting for the first floor. However, I''m steadily increasing the difficulty of the second floor. My horned rabbits and giant spotted rabbits have a whole network of rabbit tunnels and fruit bushes to hide in for every room I have included them in. I''ve also started adding briar patches amongst the trees in the enchanted forest of the second floor. It''s considered a trap, even if its not exactly lethal. Speaking of unusual and nonlethal traps, I have a butterfly wall trap, which has nonpoisonous nontoxic butterflies that won''t harm anyone. I decided to utilize it as a warning system for adventurers towards the beginning of the floor so they know to turn back if they aren''t ready for a proper dungeon. I can''t keep taking things easy, I have to think about my own future. Invading monsters and people who try to take advantage of dungeons are supposed to be rare, but I''ve already had to deal with that, to some extent. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I guess the odds aren''t really all that matters, though. If you can live for all of eternity and have hundreds of thousands of people visit your dungeon over the years, then even a tenth of a percent can add up. If it''s one person for every thousand to visit my dungeon, then that could still mean hundreds of people make it to my dungeon over a couple hundred years. None of these stats are based on anything I''ve been told, it''s mostly just me speculating. However, I think the point still stands that something being rare doesn''t mean much if you''re around long enough to experience it all. I won''t lose hope, though! I''ve already come this far, so I just have to keep working at it. I don''t want to overdo things as that will scare away the adventurers who I need around if I want to keep building my dungeon''s defenses up, but I can''t be so lenient that it costs me my life either. Besides, I owe it to all of the monsters I''ve summoned and contracted with who would die with me should my dungeon fall. I may not feel inclined to name them all and I might not spend all my time with them or properly provide accommodations for them because I just don''t know what they need, but I, at least, don''t want their efforts on behalf of my dungeon to be in vain. -Violet Entry Thirty Six Dear Diary, I''m starting to feel frustrated and lonely by the lack of dungeon traffic. No one visits but David, Alice, Avorn, and Camellia. It''s like clockwork as they always show up at the same time and leave at the same time. While I enjoy having more time to rest without worrying about anything else, it''s frustrating not knowing when things will change. I can''t even sleep until people start to arrive in the dungeon again because David has to show up every day for swordsmanship training, according to our contract, so he will not leave me be until that happens. Speaking of David, he has been more and more passive-aggressive of late. He has always glared at me when I interact with his daughter, Alice, and seemed annoyed whenever I make requests for specific tributes, but I''ve, mostly, stopped doing that. I just let him bring in whatever he wants since I know the winter season has to be difficult for him. I really want to interact with his daughter as she is so sweet and I''ve always loved children, but I''ve even been keeping that to a minimum to avoid making him angry. For the most part, his anger seems to manifest when we are sparring. He has become rougher in how he goes about it and I end up roughly shoved to the floor with less time to recover when I stand back up before he gets back to it. It isn''t that bad since I can heal from the bruises and scrapes before the night is through, but I just wish I knew what his problem was. As far as I know, I haven''t done anything to make things worse between us. I''m not a mind reader, though, so I doubt it will be easy to figure things out any time soon.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I will say, though, that he has been asking me about buying more merchandise from me. I don''t really want to play merchant right now, though, and I don''t like the implication that it''s my job to provide wares to buy constantly. I do that as a hobby and I''m not so clueless that I''m not aware of just how good of a bargain I sell my wares at. People can literally gather acorns from my dungeon, leave the dungeon, come back, and then trade them for things like tins of tea, honey, or lavender meringues, which would cost them quite a bit more outside the dungeon. From what I''ve heard, this world uses copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins as currency. Most people are lucky if they ever see even a single gold coin in their lifetimes, especially if they don''t awaken as an adventurer or craftsman class. Even then, it seems a good bit of luck, hard work, and time is needed to get to a level where you can earn enough to add up to a gold coin. Someone like Mirabella, who has a rare navigator support class, is able to earn a few gold coins for mapping dungeons with her party. However, that can take anywhere from weeks to months and she has to split it with three other people. So the fact that I''m more interested in quantity and variety rather than the traditionally valuable items from outside the dungeon means that everyone can afford my goods so long as they are willing to put in the effort. Anyhow, I''ll get back to you some other time. -Violet Entry Thirty Seven Dear Diary, It seems like David''s mood gets worse with every passing day. I''m, honestly, getting so sick and tired of it. The contract between us feels more like a curse than a blessing and this dungeon feels more like a prison than it usually does. I can''t avoid him, I have to remain in this dungeon and await his arrival every night. I know learning swordsmanship and being able to claim some level of capability and independence is worth a lot, but I''m not sure how long I''ll be able to tolerate his attitude for... He keeps asking me about buying things as well. I don''t know how he expects me to want to go out of my way to do so when he treats me the way he does. I might be able to make infinite items, assuming I have the mana and schematic to make it, but that''s still resources that I could be spending elsewhere. Until I finish building up some proper defenses on the second floor, I won''t be able to rest easy. My emperor rock slime might be enough to take out zombies, skeletons, and goblins, but there have to be plenty of things stronger than that in this world. I can''t confirm it, of course, since I can''t leave this dungeon, but it seems like common sense. Admittedly, things aren''t nearly as bad as they used to be. Thanks to my contract with Avorn and Camellia, I earn plenty of mana every night and I even get some other resources out of it as well. Since I can''t build on the first floor with them on it, I usually spend nights working on the second floor. I have some mana leftover in the mornings, but I was hoping to use it for some projects on the first floor. Still, it might not be the worst thing to invest some into new merchandise since it''s a good way to ensure I have the other resources I need to keep working on the second floor. I just don''t like how it feels too much like giving into David''s pressuring me. I''m a grown woman, I can make my own choices, can''t I?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It probably doesn''t help that the dungeon continues to be empty. If there were more people to talk with then I would, probably, be able to ignore the problem with David a little better. As it is, it''s like sitting next to a bowl of your favorite candy while you''re trying to diet and lose weight. The temptation to just give in and the annoyance at being left alone with it would be overwhelming compared to if you were able to have people to talk to and be across the room from it. I rarely dieted in my old life, but it isn''t exactly as if I was immune to the peer pressures of high school either. I''m, honestly, glad that I stopped worrying about it as much after I met Lee. He was always so much more focused on enjoying life to its fullest. Eating balanced meals with plenty of veggies and getting lots of exercise by walking around meant that dieting wasn''t even necessary to make up for all the delicious food we ate. I slowly moved away from the toxic ideas I formed as a teen, influenced by my mother''s own worries about her body as well as my friends'' vain concerns. Some of them never quite grew out of the yo-yo dieting, but they learned not to let it dominate every conversation and it ensured we could still happily remain friends. Anyways, I''m getting off-topic and I should, probably, get going anyway. -Violet Entry Thirty Eight Dear Diary, I finally managed to finish rearranging the dungeon rooms and started working on new ones. I''ve decided to fully embrace the pixie theme I''ve chosen for the second floor. The first challenge room on the floor is all about rainbows with rose bushes everywhere. Maybe pixies are only loosely related to rainbows, but it still seems like a fun way to do things. The challenge is fairly simple as you only have to pick the roses in the order of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I never really bother with indigo because it''s a bit confusing to tell the difference between it and blue / purple. I also made a hopscotch-themed challenge room that is a bit fun and silly to play on the mischievous nature of pixies. There''s two different paths that start and end at the same point, just before the entrance. One side is for those with magic while the other is for everyone else. I put wooden signs with instructions at regular intervals and everyone will have to follow the instructions in order for the door to unlock and let them out of the room. Some of them might seem a bit embarrassing like having to roar or spinning around in circles. Then, just to rub salt into the wound, they have to thank me for a fun challenge when they finish. Ahh... I just can''t help but smile just thinking about it! Unfortunately, I will have to wait until tomorrow to summon my first pixies. I''m really excited and nervous about meeting them. I hope they like their new home and that they don''t mind helping out with the challenges. I''m only placing them in challenge rooms because I still have to have combat-focused monsters for the adventurers to fight. I don''t want anyone to harm my pixies, but I understand that they will need experience in order for the dungeon to be worthwhile for them. Plus, I am supposed to be building up better defenses on this floor, even if I still don''t feel great about it.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For the monster field rooms, I plan to add a mix of al-mi''raj, or horned rabbits, and giant checkered rabbits. I''m hoping the harmless critters will make adventurers let down their guard, making it easier for the monster rabbits to get a few attacks in before they perish. Only having a horn for attacking with seems a bit restrictive, so I doubt they will be much of a match for anyone who can make it to the second floor. Afterall, it''ll be a difficult fight for anyone who takes on my emperor rock slime, so those who make it to here have to be strong. I do have a bit of concern over whether minors will end up in the boss room of the dungeon. As much as I''d like to pretend this world is all sunshine and rainbows with everything being perfectly fair and equal, it isn''t. I mean sure, woman can lead parties and even own their own shops, which is already far better than anything medieval Europe would have allowed for. However, the rules of this world see it as fair for no one to be stopped from entering a dungeon who wishes to challenge it. It''s even part of the dungeon accords these people live their lives by. The problem is, that means that a teenager could get overconfident fighting my basic slimes only to end up dying to my first floor boss monster. I don''t want that... Maybe it''s best I stop here, it seems like dark thoughts are never far from my mind lately... -Violet Entry Thirty Nine Dear Diary, Earlier this morning, I used the temple schematic to make an altar to the goddess of love and beauty. It is a bit surreal to go from living in a world where there are so many different religions and no real, definitive proof that any of them are correct. So many people say to just have faith, that the proof is in everything around you. However, science can explain everything from the moon and stars to the reason why things are the colors we perceive. Such explanations were always easier to accept since there was always enough logic and proof to show it was real. I can''t say for sure, but it seems like a lot of this world also works on the same rules that my old one did. It''s just that there is more added to it all. There is magic and systems that govern the way this world works. Everyone follows the dungeon accords, regardless of what kingdom they are from and what role they play in society, no one is exempt. Adventurers have their systems for leveling up, gaining experience, and interacting with everything around them. Meanwhile, I have on for managing my dungeon that allows me to set up rules and create the dungeon of my dreams within the limitations given to me. When you add the idea of patron deities, gods and goddesses, to all of that, things seem even more complicated. I don''t know what the lore and religions are like outside of the dungeon, but it seems strange for there the be dieties dedicated to certain things without them playing some role in how those things were conceived or interacted with in this world. Did the goddess of love and beauty create the concept of love and define what was perceived as beauty in this world? Otherwise, is it more so that she is simply a medium for one to show their appreciation of what would already exist in this world regardless of her interference? I have no way of knowing the answers to any of these questions as I can''t directly talk to the goddess, nor do I have anyone suitable to ask.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. My system is not all-knowing as it is limited to dungeon basics and what happens within my dungeon. It''s supposed to be an extension of the dungeon core, which has no way of ever leaving the dungeon, so it makes sense that it wouldn''t know much. I can''t even create whatever I want without having the knowledge to back it up. Some concepts I know enough about that the dungeon can make the rest of the connection, other things are common enough technology in this world that it doesn''t matter what I know, and the rest I either have to give up or find someone to make a prototype for me. Still, I think I''ve made plenty of progress using what knowledge I was able to obtain in my old life. Well, I should get going now. I have more work today and I''d rather not waste too much time here. -Violet Entry Forty Dear Diary, I just summoned my first pixies and all four of them are so adorable! They''re so tiny they can fit in the palm of my hand and their wings are so delicate and beautiful. I don''t even have to worry about naming them as they already have names of their own. It seems it is common for them to be named after flowers, herbs, trees, and other elements in nature. Jasmine and Daisy are like warm sunshine as their bright and bubbly personalities really shine through. Meanwhile, Lily is super shy and her husband, Cedar, does most of the speaking for the two of them. I wasn''t really expecting such an introverted pixie, but it isn''t a huge deal. I can work with that. At least I still stand a chance of making friends with someone shy. It isn''t like she has a bad impression of me or some sort of pre-determined prejudices. Actually, funny enough, Jasmine and Daisy are very local about how much they dislike humans and other adventurers. However, I guess they don''t see me as a threat. Although, I don''t know if that is an effect of the dungeon and their contract with the system or now. Maybe they just feel loyal towards me because I''m the dungeon master or maybe being considered a dungeon-entity makes me more [Monster] than human in their eyes. I''m not sure I''m entirely comfortable with either concept, but I still hope that I can truly befriend them all in due time.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Things still aren''t going well with David. I''ve agreed to sell him a few things, which seemed to lift his spirits, momentarily, but then he was back to being passive-aggressive before too long. I think he was disappointed by not getting as good of a deal as he did the first time. However, I''ve come up with a system for selling my merchandise and I don''t really plan to just hand out discounts. If I give him one then everyone else will expect one too and, quite frankly, I don''t like him enough to deal with that headache. I know I need the resources I get in return for playing merchant, but I don''t want it to turn into a chore. I don''t want to be expected to constantly have merchandise and to be selling it to everyone who enters the dungeon. Once or twice a week might not be so bad, especially when I have a goal to work towards, but, otherwise, I just want to be left alone. What''s the point of reincarnation in another world and becoming a dungeon master if I have to work a normal job on top of it all anyway? Besides, my pixies are way more fun to spend time with. I''ve been thinking about spending some time each night having a picnic with sun tea and sweets with them. They can chatter away and play while enjoying some nice cookies while I work on drawing up plans for my next project. I don''t want to keep steamrolling through the process of building the dungeon, so it makes sense to slow things down a bit and plan things more carefully. Besides, the dungeon is still so empty I''m starting to lose hope anyone else will visit. Oops, I''m starting to spiral again and the pixies are looking at me with concern. I should get going so they don''t worry too much. -Violet Entry Forty One Dear Diary, I don''t think I ever would have considered the fact that I could make something like walnut butter to replace peanut butter before I reincarnated into this world. I suppose, even the honey and wild violet lollipops I previously made weren''t the sort of thing you''d find in a grocery store in my old life either. If I had wanted to buy that sort of thing back then I would have had to pay an exorbitant amount and had to order it from a specialty shop. Even despite all the food we tried, I don''t think Lee or I ever bothered with that sort of thing. We certainly went to the more ''hipster'' or ''hippie'' shops that sold things like dandelion root or cacao nibs in bulk, but we usually went there to try fancy sodas and chocolates. Things like sasparilla or birch beer sodas and chocolates with poems on the inside of their wrapper were still expensive, but they were still easy enough to enjoy without having to do any other work to enjoy them. Having to prepare rosehips properly just so there wouldn''t be ''hairs'' in the final product that would irritate our throats never did sound quite appealing. I haven''t made anything in the dungeon with rosehips, but it''s certainly true that I very easily could. I don''t have to do any of the hard work and the final product is always perfectly executed. I''m happy that I can make such fun foods like walnut butter fudge and sugared pecans for adventurers to enjoy. I''m actually replacing the more floral challenge rewards like the wild violet lollipops and chamomile shortbread cookies on the first floor since I wanted something more people could enjoy for that floor in particular. I know not everyone will be quite so adventurous with their tastes and I want everyone from young children to the elderly to be able to enjoy what the first floor of my dungeon has to offer.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The pixies also like the more normal food options, but they''ve been having fun trying everything I offer them as well. Jasmine and Daisy always like to take a little bit of everything to share together and they chatter excitedly about which ones are their favorites. It reminds me of how I used to be with Lee and, sometimes, I even join in on the fun. Lily is still rather shy and usually goes off by herself while her husband, Cedar, brings her a little bit of everything he knows she''ll like. He is always polite and greets me on both of their behalves. I think he is trying to make up for his wife''s lack of a presence, but it''s clear that he does so out of love rather than embarrassment. I think it''s sweet and I''m happy for them. Despite being surrounded by reminders of the life I used to have, it isn''t all bad. I don''t have to only be saddened by my losses. I can be grateful for all of the happy memories we once shared. I''ve mostly been repressing my grief in an effort to embrace this new life, so thinking about it too much is still hard. Even now, I can''t help but find myself tearing up. Still, I''m hopeful that I can live a happy enough life in this new world. -Violet Entry Forty Two Dear Diary, I haven''t been keeping up on my diary entries as there simply hasn''t been anything new to report on. There still haven''t been any new dungeon visitors, it''s just David, Alice, Avorn, and Camellia each and every day. I work hard to train in swordsmanship each and every afternoon and then go upstairs to spend time with my pixies. Avorn and Camellia pay their rent on time and don''t cause any sort of disturbance, so things have been peaceful on that front. I''m still feeling frustrated by David as it''s clear he hasn''t even been trying. He brings me things like random pebbles or an acorn for his nightly tribute, which is worth so little to the dungeon that it''s almost not worth anything at all. I''m seriously thinking about canceling the contract with David as soon as possible. I''ll likely have to maintain my side of the deal with no traps on the first floor for all of eternity, but I should be able to avoid interacting with David for any longer than necessary. I just have to wait for Theodore to show up to the dungeon first so I can inform him of want I want. I know it is likely just a difference in our perception of time, but he doesn''t exactly visit very often. Even when he said he''d visit more often, it was only once every week or so. Now whole weeks can go by without him showing up and I just never know when he''ll next show up. I wasn''t exactly born as an immortal, so I''m used to the way things were for humans in my old world. God, that feels like such a weird way to address myself. Anyhow, I grew up being told it was important to keep in touch with people if you cared about them. That tended to mean texting them anywhere from every day to several times a year depending on just how important your relationship was. An inlaw you were just being polite towards, but didn''t have a particularly close relationship with, could be ignored save for holiday dinners a few times a year and the occasional family reunion.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I had a good relationship with my parents and Lee''s, so we tended to take turns visiting our families once a month or so. We still preferred to have weekends to relax together and didn''t want to spend all our money on gas. His parents lived an hour away in one direction with mostly highway driving whereas mine lived on the outskirts of the city we lived in. It allowed us to have our privacy and we never had to worry about running into them while going about our normal lives, but it also made it easy to visit them when we were feeling up to it. Anyway, I guess it just feels strange to have someone who can literally teleport between dungeons not be willing to stop in for a visit, at least, once a week. If something did go wrong with the dungeon right now, it''s unlikely anything would be done about it in time for it to matter. There aren''t adventurers who can report on any potential issues, just David who very clearly doesn''t want to be here. You know what? I''m just going to end this here as I''m just making myself paranoid and frustrated. -Violet Entry Forty Three Dear Diary, The last two weeks have passed much the same as the previous ones. The dungeon remains quiet and I have yet to receive any new visitors. My new skill called ''Guest List'' would have alerted me right away, so I know I''m not just coincidentally missing anyone. David continues to cause be passive-aggressive. I''m constantly worried he will escalate things. It bothers me that no one is visiting and I can''t help but find myself feeling insecure. Did I scare them away? What could it possibly have been? Even Elivyre has yet to show up. I miss our conversations and how peaceful her visits always were. It felt like she genuinely cared for me, so I can''t help but worry that something may have happened to her. I hope I can find out, one way or another, soon. I could really use the peace of mind. I''ve considered asking David for news of the outside world, but I can''t help but feel wary of what he may do. His responses to even the simplest of questions tend to too often be unhelpful and he''s only been getting more unstable of late. I still haven''t been trading as much as he''d like and I know that has been affecting his mood. However, I already have enough problems of my own without worrying about him throwing a tantrum over something so minor.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. My mental health has really been struggling lately, so I''ve slowed down on the dungeon building. I''m trying to focus on small comforts, instead, like spending time with my new pixies. They are always so bright and cheerful and it has been the only thing I really have to help me get through these, otherwise, monotonous days. Jasmine and Daisy are particularly excited about the dungeon plans, and even Lily is slowly warming up to me. Still, even despite how much joy they bring to my life, I''m not sure I''ll be able to truly relax until I know what is going on. Despite how few people have been visiting the dungeon, I haven''t had to worry about running low on resources. My rental agreement with Avorn and Camellia has ensured I get a steady stream each night and it has been slowly adding up. When I do choose to trade with David, he had been paying me in oak leaves, bark, and mason jars after learning I would accept them as payment. While it is true that having a lot of resources is just as effective for the dungeon''s development as receiving new items, I just don''t feel like it''s worth arguing over. It seems a bit dangerous to continue swordsmanship training with David, but it is also hard to just stop the lessons either. The system contract I have with him is supposed to prevent him from killing me or seriously harming me, so my worries would seem misplaced if I said anything. I''m just glad that he is a capable enough warrior to make the sparring sessions worthwhile. I''ll just have to hope that things don''t get worse. -Violet Entry Forty Four Dear Diary, It seems I still haven''t quite shaken the habit of talking to Lee. One of my pixies, Cedar, caught me talking aloud to myself and seemed rather worried about me. I''ve been trying not to do so too often, but I can''t help but find myself slipping back into bad habits every now and again. I still miss him so much and I always feel a little closer to him when I speak as if he was still here with me, even if he isn''t. I''ve also been working on being more productive lately. I created several new challenge rooms on the first floor that I hope the children and parents who visit my dungeon will enjoy. I finally decided on what theme to use for a tribute room and have made it so that the new challenge rooms reflect that choice. I was inspired by the old-fashioned candy shops that I used to see in the local mall when I was growing up. They always felt so magical with all of the huge barrels full of colorful candies. One of the challenge rooms I created was a 3D slime-themed jigsaw puzzle. I know it likely seems a bit repetitive since I already have a normal slime-themed jigsaw puzzle, but it''s not like there are a ton of options for safe challenge rooms that can also incorporate in the theme of slimes. I decided to go with pecan "kisses" based on the old-fashioned peanut butter "kisses" I''d receive around Halloween. They were always wrapped in orange and black wax paper, so, of course, I even recreated that detail with my version. I would have made them peanut-flavored, but I didn''t have peanuts available. I figured pecans would work well flavor-wise, so I ended up making the swap.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The second challenge room is a sliding image puzzle, also slime-themed. Despite being yet another flat image of a slime, I''m sure it will present its own challenges. I remember playing a demo game disc from some fast food restaurant with a fish protagonist when I was younger. It also had a sliding-image puzzle you had to complete. I remember struggling with it quite a bit and that was with the ease of being able to click the pieces to move them. This puzzle will have to be rearranged manually, which will make it that much more difficult. For the challenge reward, I decided to go with rainbow lollipops. You know the ones that are big and round like you''d find at a fish aquarium or zoo? They never really tasted that great, but the colors were always so fun so I still ended up begging my parents for one a few times during my childhood. I suppose, they''re a bit like jawbreakers in regards to how big of a deal cartoons and the like make them out to be, but then they were always mostly just a generic sweet flavor. I''m hoping the fruit flavors I incorporated into their creation will help make my version taste a little better. Well, I should probably get back to work. I still have a lot of challenge rooms I want to work on. -Violet Entry Forty Five Dear Diary, I''ve had another busy day! I completed another challenge room. This one was based on the classic pick-up sticks game, except it''s a giant version. It has candy buttons on white wax paper for the reward. Both of these bring up nostalgic memories of my grandparents. They were from an older generation where both were common amusements, so they were eager to share their own childhood experiences with me by showing off old-fashioned candies and games. My parents sometimes needed to have some space for themselves, so it wasn''t uncommon for me to get to indulge in such things. I''ve also been trying to sketch out some plans for the second floor, but I''ve been feeling a bit unmotivated. What is the point in bothering with more traps and challenging puzzles with fun rewards when there is no one around to enjoy it? I know I shouldn''t let this valuable opportunity to work on things slip on by, but that doesn''t make it any easier. Tobias''s party did, finally, return to the dungeon today. It''s been a long month without knowing anything, but they were kind enough to explain what has been going on. Apparently, it is tradition to give dungeon masters time to sort things out after they unlock a new floor. I think part of that is a matter of safety for the adventurers. From what I''ve heard, most dungeons are a lot more dangerous than mine is.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. They seemed to like my new tribute room, even despite how empty it is. I only added empty barrels, shelving, baskets, etc. to recreate the feeling of an old-fashioned candy store. I couldn''t add anything to add to the theme beyond that because it would likely just lead to adventurers carrying it out of the dungeon by the backpack full. I don''t want my choices on how to manage the dungeon to affect the economy too much. Maybe that is a bit presumptuous of me, I am only one dungeon master and only have one dungeon. However, supply and demand is a very real thing and there is nothing stopping people from taking advantage of the infinite respawn of resources in my dungeon. If there isn''t a challenge to complete to slow down the rate at which people procure the items then the market could very easily become flooded, which could very easily affect the price the goods are valued at. I can''t exactly leave the dungeon and I don''t have human needs anymore. I won''t be directly affected by food being dirt cheap, which could put farmers like Gregory out of work, or anything else that happens with the economy, for that matter. However, if the items become worthless, my dungeon will stop seeming as special, which could mean adventurers go elsewhere. They aren''t here to be my friend, David has made that more than clear. Everyone just wants to gain experience to grow stronger, farm resources so they can increase their wealth, or any of the other myriad of other things they can gain from my dungeon. It seems it''s time for me to train with David again. I''ll update you again soon. -Violet Entry Forty Six Dear Diary, Tobias and his party have been visiting the dungeon a lot this week. I was relieved to see them. It is comforting to have them around, even if I can''t help but hesitate to interact with the directly. I just didn''t know why they stayed away for so long and I was worried about scaring them away. I guess that worry was unnecessary, though. They''ve slowly been working their way through all of the challenge rooms on the first floor. They even took on my emperor rock slime a second time. I guess they must be worried that I''ve changed things in their absence. I know they want to report everything as accurately as they can to the adventurers'' guild that hired them. When they finished their work on the first floor, they came to see me of their own accord. They were all so kind and greeted me so warmly that it was a bit confusing at the time. After having it explained that it was simply tradition to not enter a dungeon for a month after a new floor is unlocked, everything made a lot more sense. Unfortunately, it seems they have to return to their families now. I am a bit sad to see them leave, but I know they can''t stay forever. They have their own lives to live, ones that will likely be much shorter than my own. Mirabella was kind enough to give me a copy of the map she had drawn of the first floor of my dungeon while the others expressed their regrets about not being able to purchase me something better. I don''t know why they are under the assumption I would expect such an extravagant gift, I''m more than overjoyed for the thoughtfulness of being offered even the map. I''m just glad I haven''t actually scared everyone away by doing something wrong.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. They were also kind enough to give me some advice about how to improve the dungeon. Apparently, the hallways are a bit dark and difficult to navigate. It totally slipped my mind that such a thing would even be a problem! I can see in the dark the same as I can in the light now that I''m a dungeon master, so everything looks the same to me. I guess I can''t quite help but forget some of the things that would have been more obvious were I still truly human, as unpleasant as that thought is. Of course, I can''t entirely be blamed, though. I haven''t actually received anything I can use as a proper light source. Tobias remedied that by giving me his personal magic lantern as an additional tribute, which was sweet on his part, but makes me feel rather guilty. I''ll have to make good use of it to show my appreciation. Still, there is a lot of work I still need to do. I''ve barely just started on the second floor, there is a lot that still needs to be done before the floor will be anywhere near half way complete. I was sort of procrastinating before, but, now that I know people will visiting my dungeon again, I should work hard from now on! -Violet Entry Forty Seven Dear Diary, I spent today with my pixies once more. It''s wonderful to see Lily starting to open up. She now sits closer to the rest of us as she enjoys cookies and tea with her husband, Cedar. While I understand her tendency to be shy, it is good to see her finding her place among the others. I won''t always be able to spend time with them like this and I want to know everything will be alright in my absence. I do have other floors to worry about in the future, after all. Jasmine and Daisy were as energetic as ever. They always talk so animatedly as they enjoy their tea and snacks each night. Jasmine was a bit rude about the map Mirabella gifted me, questioning how good it could really be is an adventurer made it. I still don''t really know what to do about their prejudiced behaviors, so I didn''t bother to chastise her. I just explained how useful the map was in helping me plan and track the progress in the dungeon. I''m actually hopeful that I can learn how to make maps as well as Mirabella does. I certainly have more than enough time to practice and perfect my skills. I don''t even have to worry about having the stationary to do so as I can easily create paper and ink whenever I need it. Although, the distinct lack of tables in the dungeon is certainly a disadvantage I''ll have to work around, for the time being.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I''ve been thinking more carefully about how to further expand upon what I''ve already built in the dungeon nowadays. If I have all of eternity to build, then there shouldn''t be too much need to rush. I just need to make steady progress and not procrastinate too much. It''s a careful balance that I need to maintain, but I''m determined to do it anyway. I''ve also been considering how I need a better work-life balance. All I ever think about is what the dungeon needs, what to work on next. However, the idea of taking up a hobby, as Theodore and David suggested, seems challenging right now. Since I don''t have traps on particularly dangerous monsters on the first floor, I have to make up for that on the upper floors. I don''t particularly regret agreeing to never have traps on the first floor, but that doesn''t mean I can have an entirely relaxed attitude about it all either. I''ve been trying to use these nightly tea parties with my pixies as a nice middle ground. I don''t feel as lonely anymore with their presence. However, I don''t know that I''ll ever quite be able to feel completely content without Lee in my life. Friends just don''t quite fill the gap in your social life the way a romantic partner can. However, since I don''t want to betray his memory by moving on, I suppose I''ll just have to live my life without such comforts. It isn''t like it''s necessary to always be in a relationship, even if it does still create a rather unique sort of loneliness. -Violet Entry Forty Eight Dear Diary, It really feels like things are officially settling down and returning back to normal. Gregory even stopped by to visit the dungeon today! We aren''t exactly friends, but the simple farmer and his son, Henry, have a certain charm to them that makes me enjoy their company. There is even more good news... Henry officially awakened as an adventurer! He has been working so hard this whole time to learn swordsmanship and defeating slimes in my dungeon and now his efforts have paid off. I''m so happy for him! It seems he got an assassin class, which I didn''t expect. Usually, when I think of assassins, I think of the kind that takes bounties to kill people and who often have troubled pasts. Henry doesn''t have any of that going for him. His father seems like a good man and he seems like a well-adjusted young man. I guess that''s my fault for expecting the class to align with the personality of the person awakening it. If this was D&D, like Lee used to play, then assassins would likely be more of a rogue-type character good at stealth and using blades. That is less about dark themes and more about a fighting style. I don''t know if swords really make sense for an assassin either, but I guess it''s possible Henry could always adopt a hybrid fighting style where he uses a variety of different weapons depending on the situation.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I suppose this will likely be better in the long run anyway. Assassins can likely identify and disarm traps, move in the shadows, and take advantage of the enemies being distracted to make sneak attacks. Maybe that will be safer for Henry and then his father won''t have to worry about his son dying in a dungeon long before his time. Most dungeons aren''t as kind as mine is, after all. Even then, it isn''t like I can completely avoid having defenses either. The life of an adventurer will always be a dangerous one, but I still wish Henry and Gregory could be happy. You know, I''ve always wanted children of my own. I never got the chance to pursue that dream before I died. I had everything lined up so we could start trying for our first and then I came home and was murdered the same day. Now, I don''t think I''ll ever have children of my own. I don''t want to move on and love someone else. Lee''s memory is still fresh in my mind and I just can''t see having children with anyone else. Even the idea of adoption, if that''s even a thing in this world, just doesn''t quite sound right. How would one even raise a child in a dungeon? If wild monsters invade, I would have to choose between attending to the child or protecting the dungeon, knowing that the child would likely die if I failed to defend the dungeon either way. Then there is the fact that I''d be forcing the child to grow up without a father figure and with a rather twisted sense of reality. I doubt the sense of morality adventurers have is the same as that of dungeon masters or even the dungeon diplomats who grow up in dungeons like mine. I''m getting all teary-eyed again, so I''ll have to stop here. -Violet Entry Forty Nine Dear Diary, Elivyre recently visited the dungeon and I decided I finally want to take action to help the people of the town of Millstone. Due to how rocky my relationship with David has been recently, I didn''t trust him to help me with anything, but Elivyre has been a good friend to me, so the only question there is how willing she is. We finally did our potion trade, so I no longer have a bunch of potion stock that I can''t seem to sell to anyone else. In return, I got a few new potion types and some herbs, which were mostly things I''ve seen before. They weren''t the highest quality, but the dungeon doesn''t discriminate by such standards, so they''ll be useful resources all the same. In the process of making the trade, Elivyre told me more about what has been going on from her end. Apparently, the lack of firewood and proper food supplies has made it necessary for her to provide extra care to her clients. Too many people have been getting sick or suffering from the effects of the cold. This world doesn''t seem to rely on doctors so much as healers and alchemy to look after their health. Apparently, many healers receive training in regards to identifying what is a curse, illness, injury, etc. as well as identifying severity and the best treatment options. Some alchemists have similar knowledge since it can make them more reliable in the eyes of their customers, but others just know the basics of differentiating potions and determining their market value.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Regardless, after I heard about how hard things have been for my friend, I thought it was a good opportunity to act. I have plenty of resources that I can spare and this could be a good opportunity for me to convince people that I''m not some evil dungeon master who only wishes for their deaths. There isn''t much point in having a first floor with no traps and built with children and locals in mind if everyone continues to treat my dungeon like it''s the plague. Elivyre didn''t seem confident that the local lord would be cooperative. Apparently, he can''t wait to leave, but the winter weather has prevented travel, so we will have to put up with him for the time being. She hasn''t outright said no, though, and has agreed to look into the matter first. I hope things work out as it would be a real tragedy if more people had to suffer than necessary. I can offer plenty of firewood, shelf-stable food, and potions to help people. It will slow down how fast I can upgrade my dungeon, but that isn''t that big of a deal. I need time to plan things out and rushing things isn''t ideal in the first place. If I have forever to build up the dungeon, then speeding through things will just mean there is less to keep me preoccupied. I''m sure trying out new hobbies, hearing stories from new friends I make, and sleeping will be good for killing some time. However, I''m not so certain that living without any real purpose is the sort of thing that one can do forever. Being trapped in here, unable to travel the world, and living without Lee is already so difficult... -Violet Entry Fifty Dear Diary, I''ve built some more new challenges over the last few days. I''ve been really trying to incorporate different fae myths that I''ve learned about over the years in the process of building the second floor. I actually used to really love reading fairy tales and stories with different factions of fae portrayed in them when I was young, so I''ve had a lot of inspiration to draw from. As an adult, most of my focus was on more pop culture mythology like goblins and slimes used in your typical fantasy games and animes, but it isn''t like I have to worry about my memory being obscured. It''s actually a bit weird to be able to remember things from as young as when I was four years old. Memories that I thought were lost to time, as I grew up, I can now relive in my dreams or think of as easily as flipping a light switch. They don''t have light switches here, but, well, I suppose my way of speaking will always be influenced by my life before I reincarnated. Anyhow, I made one challenge inspired by the idea of fairy circles that I aptly named ''fae circles''. It''s a bit of a diagram approach to making a challenge with the adventurers having to place items in the intersecting areas that relate to both of the individuals in the outermost sections. I''m sure it will sound overwhelmingly difficult to complete for some adventurers, at first glance, but they really just need to think outside the box. Maybe two adventurers use the same style of backpack to carry their gear in, maybe their names both share a letter in common, or any number of other things. They don''t even have to have anything too complicated to satisfy the challenge requirements, just write a word or letter on a piece of paper to represent the answer or place an object if they do have one on them.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I also ended up making a challenge I decided to call ''mystery falls''. I added a waterfall, river, and bridge to the room so that''s why the ''falls'' portion is there while the ''mystery'' is because it requires the a password to be said allowed to complete the challenge. I ended up having an elderly pixie couple join my dungeon and I wanted something that wasn''t physically demanding that they could still help with. Originally, I was summoning pixies for the ''fae circles'' challenge, but I didn''t realize that not only gender, but age could vary so much. I guess that will be something I''ll have to plan around in the future. Both of these challenges involve adventurers having to directly interact with the pixies, which I did on purpose. The pixies often times harbor grudges against the adventurers who visit the dungeon while adventurers have a tendency to reinforce that idea by killing everything they come across to eliminate any potential threats they might pose. I''d really rather not have the adventurers killing my pixies as they aren''t exactly dangerous and they are far too sentient to be forced to die repeatedly. I still remember how awful it was to be on the receiving end of that thanks to David and I just don''t want them to suffer from a similar fate. -Violet Entry Fifty One Dear Diary, I can''t seem to calm down and I''m stressing out. It feels like I''m suffocating every time I think about David coming to visit for training tonight. I''ve been trying to keep myself busy and not think about it, but everything I''ve done is only a momentary distraction and then the panic starts to set back in. Theodore visited the dungeon the other day and I finally told him about how I wanted to shorten the duration of the contract I have with David. I am just so tired of how passive-aggressive he has been. That isn''t even to mention how exhausting it is to have him constantly demanding I trade with him. I have to worry about the dungeon and I can''t always be conceding to what he wants. Besides, what sort of example does this set for others in the future? I don''t want everyone to think they can just walk all over me, constantly demanding things, and that I''ll just give in. It''s one thing when there is mutual benefit from the trading and I can choose when to work and when to take time off, but this whole thing just isn''t sustainable. I asked Theodore to alter the contract so that David no longer has to give me swordsmanship training, but he can''t approach me or try to take advantage of my dungeon anymore. I''m willing to accept the lack of traps on the first floor as I''ve already begun working around it and plan to treat it as a selling point in the future. However, I just don''t want to see David anymore.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I''m guessing Theodore must have talked to David about things or else that he got wind of things some other way. He was more aggressive than he has ever been before during our last training session. My arms ended up covered in many cuts deep enough to bleed and even little Alice seemed anxious. I hope he isn''t mistreating his daughter, but I''m not sure I have the mental energy to worry about others right now. Before he left... it seemed like he just barely held back from killing me. I still struggle with the memory of the last time he killed me and only the comfort of knowing the system contract specifically requires he never purposely kill me again has comforted me up until now. I tried to tell myself that it would all be fine, that it was just a stupid mistake on his part. He didn''t know how dungeons work and I was far too naive and shared some of the guilt. However, that doesn''t make it any easier to deal with the trauma I''ve been dealing with in the aftermath of it all. The only problem is that I don''t know when Theodore will be back to change the contract. I''m starting to think it would be better to ban David from my dungeon entirely. He is too strong for me to personally prevent him from entering the dungeon, so I''ll have to get help. However, I have to get through things now first. Since David has to show up and train me every day, he won''t just give up and go home tonight if I hide away on the upper floors and I''m afraid. I don''t want to see him again because I''m worried his anger will only have grown and that he might do something even worse tonight... -Violet Entry Fifty Two Dear Diary, I don''t think I''ll have to worry about David anymore. An elder from the council of dungeon diplomats came to visit the dungeon today. Theodore was also there alongside another dungeon diplomat. I didn''t even know there was a whole hierarchy to the rankings of dungeon diplomats, but, perhaps, more surprising is that not all of them are exactly human in appearance the way Theodore is. The other dungeon diplomat, Beowulf, walked on two feet like Theodore, but he was much hairier and more muscular. It wasn''t quite to the extent of the shifters who visit my dungeon as he wasn''t merely an anthropomorphic beastman, but some strange amalgamation between beast and man. Even despite the talk about the amended contract and future measures being taken to ensure nothing similar happens in the future, I couldn''t help but be distracted by him. I''m just glad that his attention was mostly focused on David who was tied up and the elder''s words, merely acting as a witness rather than an active participant. He was a bit too intimidating and I''m not sure how well I would have been able to handle things if he was the one I was dealing with. That does remind me of something else, though. Theodore has mentioned a few times that most dungeon masters were originally beasts or monsters that evolved in order to be capable of fulfilling the role of a dungeon master. Adventurers are rare and those from other worlds, like myself, are even rarer. Since dungeon diplomats are supposed to be the offspring of dungeon masters, I suppose it''s almost strange that I even ended up with someone more human in appearance, like Theodore, as my assigned dungeon diplomat. I''m glad, though, as I''m not sure I would have been able to adjust to the culture shock as easily if I had been assigned someone like Beowulf.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Maybe I should be writing more about the contract amendments, but I just don''t really want to think too much about all of that. I''m relieved that I won''t have to see David again. He is being sold into indentured servitude to an adventurers'' guild in another kingdom. I don''t really know how much help he will be, but I''m just glad that the punishment won''t affect Alice too much. She is a sweet child and I''m glad to know that her schooling will be seen to and she still has a bright future to look forward to. Theodore is, perhaps, the one suffering the most from this whole ordeal. The elder even offered to let me break the bond between me and him, but I didn''t want that. There was a chance he might die in the process and I hardly want that. He has been a good friend and always does his best to take care of me. He is even going to look into finding a replacement for David with a better contract arrangement this time around. I just hope that things can settle down a bit now that things are resolved. There is too much to attend to for me to constantly be hiding away in the dungeon core room afraid of one man. -Violet Entry Fifty Three Dear Diary, Things have been a bit chaotic in the dungeon today. I was trying to set up some new challenge rooms when I ended up summoning a pixie named Clove. He was in a frantic state as he demanded I send him back, but I didn''t really want to do so until I found out what was going on. Considering he was young and capable, it would be a loss to dismiss him and lose out on the mana invested in summoning him when I had no clue what I might get the next time around. I have ended up with elderly pixies before, after all. As it turned out, his wife and daughter hadn''t been summoned with him and he was worried for their safety. Since the summoning feature is a bit random and I never know what I''ll get, there wasn''t a guarantee that summoning more of them would resolve the issue. However, I didn''t like the idea of sending him back when there was no guarantee that he''d survive the night or even that his family was still alive. For all I knew, another dungeon master could have also ended up summoning them. I ended up deciding to use the abundant resources at my disposal to speed up my building of the second floor and summon a bunch of new pixies in rapid succession in hopes of summoning his wife and daughter as well.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I had to summon more than half a dozen pixies before I lucked into summoning his wife and daughter. Considering how expensive pixies are to summon, the cost was rather steep, but I still think it was well worth it. Besides, I would have needed to summon more pixies to help with my challenge rooms sooner or later. All I really did was speed up the process and I was able to create a happy ending like this. What more could I ask for? There is more good news as well. Most of the new pixies I summoned are young enough to help with challenges. Only Clove''s daughter is too young to help, but I''m sure I''ll be able to build a challenge room that her mother can manage by herself. All of the pixies get along quite well, even despite their varied backgrounds. I even have a sibling duo who were originally royalty before coming to the dungeon, but neither of them has a bad personality or acts particularly superior to the others. I hope they will all continue to get along. Maybe the only worry I have now is that the costs involved in hosting nightly tea parties will be higher now that there are more pixies to feed. They are all small enough that it doesn''t take much for it to feel like a feast for them, but the resources needed to create the sweets can be quite steep as it is. I''m sure there are ways around having to constantly summon things for a tea party, but it will take some time to set up. Perhaps that should be my next goal? -Violet Entry Fifty Four Dear Diary, With David gone, things are more peaceful in the dungeon and I no longer feel stressed. However, I can''t help but anticipate some new issues that will crop up. Despite adventurers and locals no longer avoiding my dungeon, the traffic also isn''t that great due to the winter weather. I still have Avorn and Camellia who make the trek to my dungeon each day and camp out in one of the rooms each night. The tributes they pay as rent ensure I don''t have to worry about resources too much, but it''s still not sustainable the way things are. In order to help reduce my expenditures without lowering my pixies quality of life, I''ve decided to turn one of the challenge rooms into a tea party. The dungeon will now reset the spread on the table, ensuring there is always fresh tea and sweets to consume. It''s unfortunate that I don''t yet have a source of fire as I can''t make hot tea. I just have to depend on the tea steeping in its pot and being warmed by the artificial sun. Otherwise, the setup is nice and my pixies seem to enjoy it quite a bit. Part of the reason I''m worrying about all of this, even though things should pick up when the winter season ends, is because I want to help the locals. If I''m going to be spending my resources on providing things like firewood and shelf-stable foods, then I won''t have as many resources to use on other things. I can''t just neglect the dungeon itself, though. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I don''t even have proper defenses set up to protect the dungeon yet. The first floor doesn''t have any traps and I''m still getting the hang of adding them to the second floor. I don''t actually have anything super lethal right now, just things like briar patches and tripwires. On one hand, I''m fine with that because I don''t want to have people dying unnecessary deaths in my dungeon. On the other hand, though, leaving things too much up to fate is a good way to end up dying should wild monsters invade the dungeon. I''m glad that I won''t have to worry about undead monsters attacking the dungeon now that the necromancer who was sending them is dead. However, I also had a group of goblins attack the dungeon once in the first few weeks after I reincarnated here. I know Theodore had reassured me that, while the threats do exist, they are supposed to be rare and scale with my dungeon. The dungeon core will grow stronger in some way as I unlock new floors and that will, in turn, draw more powerful monsters to the dungeon. Right now, though, it should just be beginner monsters and adventurers visiting the dungeon, so I don''t have to worry too much. It''s just that I''m sure there will be some risks once the spring arrives and the cold snow is no longer keeping everyone hidden away. I''ll have to get back to work soon enough. I suppose I should go relax while I still have the opportunity to. -Violet Entry Fifty Five Dear Diary, I''ve been having fun continuing to interact with my pixies. I thought it might be fun to make fancy tea party outfits for Holly and Willow who have been assigned to the tea party room. The two siblings used to be considered royalty among their kind and I still feel a bit guilt about how lacking their lives are now that they''ve joined my dungeon. I can''t even make them a nicer home than the others as the fairy houses are already pushing the limits of my current mana cap. They don''t seem to mind and have even tried to reassure me on multiple occasions. Apparently, one of their siblings is meant to inherit the throne and it would be problematic for them to remain in the city they grew up in. Joining a dungeon is supposed to be the safer option compared to traveling a long distance to join a different pixie village. Even if they made the trek, despite their small size, they''d end up being treated much the same as anyone else in the village. They''d have to take on jobs and work to earn a living. From what I have heard from her other pixies, joining a dungeon was usually a last-ditch effort to better their lives. Most dungeon masters, apparently, get frustrated with their lack of combat ability and often send the pixies back or mistreat them. I guess I''m a bit unusual in my own approach to things, but I just can''t imagine not returning their sincerity. All of the pixies that have joined my dungeon have been very joyful and sincere in their interactions with me.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. There is still a bit of a distance between me and them, though, but I don''t think that can be helped. The power dynamics between us make our relationship complicated from the start. They have to listen to me and do what they can to ensure the dungeon''s prosperity. It isn''t the same as me trying to make friends with someone like Elivyre. She actually came to the dungeon today as well and we enjoyed tea together with my pixies. She was friendly and respectful of my pixies boundaries, but their clear discomfort with her made it clear that many of them were only being polite to make me happy. How Elivyre could be so understanding about it, I''m uncertain, but it''s certainly something I really admire about her. It''s kind of ironic that the more progress I make in improving my life, the more things stay the same. I have friends now, but Elivyre can''t visit very often, nor can Theodore. I have sentient monsters who are capable of communicating with me, but I can''t help but worry about how fair things are for them. Even with Theodore, sometimes I question whether he is being friendly towards me simply because it is his job or if he actually has a reason to care about me. I don''t really mean to complain so much and I don''t think of any of them in a negative light. I just wish I could approach these relationships from more equal ground. -Violet Entry Fifty Six Dear Diary, I''m continuing to make progress on the second floor. All of my pixies now have little fairy houses to live in. I made them functional with magic lights, wood stoves, and comfortable furniture so that they can live comfortably even without me around. They have been hung from the trees so that it''ll be harder for adventurers and wild monsters to disturb them. It''ll still be a while before I''m even done with the second floor, but I want to make sure I''m thinking about their future as much as my own. I''ve been filling in the extra rooms I made to house the pixies slowly but surely. I recently made another two challenge rooms. One is based on the game ''two truths, one lie'' and the other is a game of ''capture the flag''. I''m hopeful that the adventurers will be able to make friends with my pixies and enjoy their company during their time in my dungeon. However, I''m also well aware that I may be being too optimistic. It''s hard not to realize that''s the case when some of my pixies outright hate adventurers while others simply have too many stories about their run-ins with less-than-kind individuals. I''ve tried asking about what their day-to-day lives were like before they joined my dungeon. I figured that I might be able to show them that bad people weren''t exactly a unique existence as I figured pixies likely have bad apples as well. However, most of the pixies only had good things to say about their fellow villagers and the few bad things they did have to share were so minor I couldn''t help but feel embarrassed for asking. What does a hungry child stealing an apple from a shopkeeper have on entire forests being burned down and entire villages'' worth of pixies dying in a single night? Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Holly and Willow were royalty of a bigger city, so I had even been hopeful that they''d have better examples. That had been a mistake. They weren''t meant to be the rulers of their city, so they had never been included in discussions of serious matters like that. Instead, they were rather sheltered for their entire lives. The only hardship they really had to speak of was the pressure to join a dungeon or leave the city to avoid the politics related to who should take over the throne. It was, apparently, quite rare for a civil war to start over such things and, instead, it was more likely that the citizens of their city would chase them out for trying to stir up trouble. Choosing to leave on their own was the only way they''d be able to maintain their dignity and hold their head high, but the end result really wasn''t much different. Honestly, though, a lot of my discussions with the pixies really put my own life into perspective. They may not have murderers and cultists to worry about, but I don''t have to worry about losing my home or being exiled. The only way anyone can take my dungeon away from me is for me to die in the process. That doesn''t even seem to be a major issue for me to worry about as most of the adventurers I''ve met have been kind, if a bit distant. -Violet