《The Dangerously Cute Dungeon Diary》


 Entry One

    Dear Diary,


    I don''t know where I am or how I got here. My memories feel fuzzy and I''m still getting my bearings. I''m not even sure how I came across this journal, but I think it would be good to record what''s happening to me. I''m not sure how I''ll stay sane otherwise.


    First off, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Violet and I''m twenty-six years old this year. Before today, I worked as a graphic designer for an indie video game company. I had been planning to start a family with my husband, Lee, but... I guess that''s out of the question now.


    It''s all slowly coming back to me now. I think I died. I don''t know what that makes this. Some sort of afterlife? Maybe some form of reincarnation? The end of my last? life was rather brutal and it is still hard to think about, even as my memory slowly begins to return to me. However, I can''t get the images out of my head.


    I came home with good news about how I had received a promotion at work and I was going to be able to work from home, as needed, from now on. Since we wanted to start a family, I figured that would help out with that quite a bit. However, I arrived to... God this is so hard even just to write on paper. My husband was laying on the floor in a pool of blood. I don''t know what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was taking my last breath.


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    When I woke up, I was here. I accidentally tripped and ended up touching a strange orb. It had been dark when I first touched it, but now it''s like I''m in a well-lit room. There still don''t seem to be any light sources, at least, not that I can see.


    I got some sort of weird message that appeared before me like a hologram. It said something about being "bonded" to a dungeon core. Then it asked me to choose a theme and starting monster for the dungeon. I was still struggling with coming to terms to whatever had happened to me then. So, I stupidly complained about wanting a cuter theme and ended up being assigned slimes.


    I used to enjoy playing video games and reading manga. It''s more than obvious to me now just how badly I messed up. More often than not, slimes tend to be considered the weakest of the weak. I don''t know what the monsters are used for yet, but I can''t imagine having such a weak monster will benefit me in any way.


    Well, I suppose I should get going. I''ve got to figure something out, I can''t just keep sitting here moping, no matter how good that sounds right now.


    -Violet

 Entry Two

    Dear Diary,


    I think I have a better idea of what is going on now. It''s been a day since I last wrote anything down, but so much has happened!


    I met a man named Theodore who is, apparently, responsible for ensuring my dungeon is working as intended. He is a bit scary, but he was also really helpful! Apparently, he belongs to a group of people called "dungeon diplomats" who are randomly assigned to new dungeons like mine. It''s a terrifying thought, but he said he would have to kill me and the dungeon if the dungeon core became corrupted. I sure hope that never happens!


    Every story I had ever read about reincarnation in my old world had suggested that it was dangerous for others to learn that you were from another world. That it was something completely unheard of and had to be hidden at all costs. Unfortunately, I failed to keep it a secret for even a day. Theodore knew that I was reincarnated as soon as he looked at the dungeon core and called me out on it. Luckily, it seems he doesn''t mean any harm and being reincarnated from another world is rare, but not unheard of here.


    Funnily enough, it seems that being a dungeon master is a bit like owning a property that is part of a housing association in my old world. I never signed anything agreeing to it, but I now have to follow the laws dictated by something called the "dungeon accords". It makes it so that I can''t do things like hide my dungeon core room or prevent people from entering my dungeon. All of which really sucks because it makes it so that dangerous people and monsters can enter my dungeon and destroy my dungeon core, killing me in the process!


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    Still, I''m feeling a lot better now that I know more about how dungeons work. It''s a bit different from anything in the video games I used to play, but the dungeon system seems fairly intuitive. I already have my first dungeon room built with a cute little slime in it. It''s actually kind of peaceful to lay among the dandelions and grass, sunbathing, while the slime bounces past. It doesn''t really have a face, but it still makes for fairly decent company. Well, I don''t know if it''s good as having someone to talk to, but, at least, it isn''t scary.


    I did feel like the room was a bit empty, though, and Theodore suggested I summon another type of monster called a kodama. I don''t know much about the strange creature, just that it was in an anime I''d watched once. It''s a bit creepy to look at as it''s just a tiny little thing with white rounded features and pitch black holes that seem to be it''s eyes and mouth. Plus, it makes a strange rattling sound when it tilts it''s head, which it seems to like to do when it listens to me talk. I''m hopeful that it will grow on me, but right now it just feels unsettling.


    In order to summon the thing, I also had to add an oak tree to the room. Apparently, kodamas are sort of like guardian spirits for nature. This one especially seems to enjoy resting at the base of the tree and climbing onto it''s branches. I don''t really know how it gets up there as I always seem to be distracted when it goes to climb up, but it certainly spooked me the first time I saw it on one of the tree''s branches!


    Well, that''s all for now.


    -Violet

 Entry Three

    Dear Diary,


    Things are not going as well as I had hoped today. Despite learning of the fact that I could assign my dungeon masters to a spawner so they can be revived, I was too late to do so for my first ever slime. I''m still processing how I feel about that...


    I met a man named Gregory and his son Henry this morning. They were wearing medieval style clothing, much as Theodore had. Only, their clothing and the fact that one of them was wielding a pitchfork suggests they are farmers. I wonder what that means about the area outside of my dungeon?


    Henry was a rather young boy of only ten years old. I had always hoped to have children of my own some day, so it was rather hard to say no when his father asked if they could train here. The boy struggled to kill my slime, at first, but eventually managed to do so after some encouragement.


    I feel bad for letting one of my dungeon monsters die without having them assigned to a spawner, but I think I''ll have to get used to it. From what Theodore said the other day, even a spawner won''t allow them to live forever. It makes me kind of sad to think about.


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    Greggory''s behavior towards me made me think a bit about the new situation I find myself in. He was overly polite as he insisted on calling me "mistress Violet" and repeatedly bowed. It''s as if I''ve gone from being an average citizen of the modern day world to some sort of medieval royalty. It just doesn''t quite feel right, but I also don''t know that there is anything I can do to convince him to treat me more casually.


    Luckily, I was able to afford a spawner by the time the two left. That will ensure I don''t lose my kodama to the same fate. It''s starting to grow on me a bit and I did my best to hide it while the others were here. It can''t fight back at all, so I''d feel too guilty leaving it to fend for itself.


    Unfortunately, I think I''ll have to wait until tomorrow morning before I can afford to replace my slime. That is, unless more people visit my dungeon, but that seems like it would have it''s own problems. I don''t have any weapons to defend myself and now I don''t have any dungeon monsters either. So, I think it''d be better if the dungeon remained empty for as long as possible.


    I''m glad I still have a lot left to learn about the dungeon system. I''m not sure how well I will be able to relax when things are so stressful. I hope things get easier in the future.


    -Violet

 Entry Four

    Dear Diary,


    I recently discovered I receive system quests. Apparently, completing them allows me to randomly unlock "critters", which seem to function similarly to monsters. I now have bumblebees unlocked, which I guess doesn''t sound too bad...


    I mean, they won''t really do much to help with dungeon defense and bees kind of scare me. Maybe I''ve heard too many horror stories about people being stung to death by bees. It''s usually because they''re allergic to them, but it still sounds scary.


    The koi fish I also unlocked sounds much more interesting. I''ve always seen them on television as something rich Asian households have in a fancy pond, but I''ve never actually seen any for myself. Still, fish tend to be pretty fun to watch! I know I used to love checking out the fish every time my parents went to a store that had them. I''ll probably have to wait a while before I can get any, though.


    Just this morning, I finally managed to replace the first slime I lost. I made sure to assign this one to the spawner right away. I definitely don''t need a repeat of last time happening! Good thing too as Gregory and Henry returned not long after that.


    They informed me that the village head set up a guard to keep watch over the dungeon. I guess that means there aren''t that many people nearby. I hope that means I''ll get to live in relative peace and quiet. It might get a bit lonely, but I don''t actually want to have to defend against adventurers.


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    I really don''t know how to feel about things yet. It feels wrong to not defend the dungeon core and my own life, especially when the other inhabitants of the dungeon could lose their lives as well. However, I''ve never been a particularly violent person and it feels wrong to hurt other people.


    I don''t exactly get treated like I''m a person, though... I tried to get Gregory to just call me Violet, but that didn''t go as well as I hoped. Even my attempt to get creative within the system''s limits by asking him to bring me garbage was met with denial.


    He had said he was a poor farmer and that he felt guilty only being able to provide veggies from his family''s farm as a tribute. I can''t deny that the resources are helpful for the dungeon''s growth, but it didn''t seem necessary for him to struggle so much. It''s a bit funny, but garbage and treasure both seem to hold the same value to the dungeon. It''s just too bad I couldn''t get him to see that...


    Despite my reservations for the bees, I still decided to invest the Mana earned from their visit into some bees. I figured adding a beehive with honey, oyster mushrooms at the base of the oak tree, and a larger variety of plants to my wildflower meadow room would be a nice addition to the dungeon.


    Since Gregory always collects things with his son, when they visit, it seems likely that investing in more plentiful resources will encourage other adventurers to do the same. Well, I have to wait for word about my dungeon to spread first, but I''m sure this will help once people give my dungeon a proper chance.


    Anyway, I''ll write more later. Lots left to learn!


    -Violet

 Entry Five

    Dear Diary,


    I''ve been sleeping a lot to pass the time. I don''t even really need to sleep, eat, or much of anything else. I guess basic human needs don''t apply to me anymore. At first, I kind of missed the sensation of eating food, but I''m starting to grow used to it. I suppose I don''t really have a choice since there isn''t a good way to obtain food on a regular basis anyway.


    Well, sleeping is something I would have expected to struggle with here as well. My choices for where to sleep are limited to the grassy meadow in my wildflower meadow room, the first room I built, or the hard stone of the hallways and dungeon core room. I think the same thing that makes me not require sleep has made it easier to fall asleep and to sleep unnaturally long periods just by willing it so. I always fall asleep as soon as my head hits the ground.


    The dreams are always ever so sweet as well. It''s like I''m reliving my best days from my past life. Oftentimes, I dream of Lee. We''ll be playing video games or going out for a date night, just as we used to. It feels just like he''s still with me and I love the feeling of his hand in mine. It makes it hard not to want to sleep all of the time when I''m able to be so happy in my dreams.


    I suppose, that makes it sound a bit like I''m depressed. Maybe my mental state is still a bit off. It still hurts to think about how I ended up in this world. I try to avoid thinking about it at all. Luckily, working on the dungeon seems like a good way to keep me distracted whenever I am awake. Still, sometimes... sometimes I wonder if I would have been happier had I not been reincarnated.


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    I''m sorry, I suppose that''s a bit dark. I just... I don''t see myself ever being able to move on from my past life, not while I can still remember it so vividly. I don''t really have much attachment to this world either. I haven''t met that many people yet and, those that I have met, treat me with so much distrust or a fearful sense of respect that I feel alienated from everyone. I no longer feel like I''m being treated as a fellow human being, but as if I am some sort of horrible monster.


    I don''t look like anything but human, as far as I can tell. My skin looks the same as it did in my previous life. Well, all of my old scars are gone and I seem to have fewer blemishes. I even reincarnated into this world wearing a beautiful purple dress with matching cloth slip-on shoes. They aren''t exactly the sort of gear I''d expect someone who engages in combat in a medieval fantasy world to wear, but it''s certainly a pretty outfit.


    I suppose I should add that I met some new people today. A man who calls himself David and his daughter, Alice. She''s, apparently, a beast tamer with a pet wolf named Luna. A bit of a cliche name for a pet wolf, but I suppose I''m not one to talk. I''ve never been good at naming things either. That''s why I''ve been avoiding naming my dungeon monsters, thus far. Well, that and the fact that it seems silly to name every monster I add to the dungeon if I''ll one day have hundreds, if not thousands of them.


    Anyway, David seemed to be familiar with human dungeon masters, even despite Theodore saying they were rare. Perhaps he read a book about them? I don''t know, I suppose he may have met one before. Either way, he didn''t seem to treat me the way Gregory did. He was polite, but didn''t cower. However, he had a sort of watchfulness about him that makes me feel uncomfortable. It''s like I was a strange dog he found on the street and he wasn''t sure whether I''d be a threat or not.


    I really hope I can make some new friends in this world. I think it would become rather hard to keep going if things remain like this indefinitely.


    -Violet

 Entry Six

    Dear Diary,


    I don''t know if this is the right decision, but I have decided to accept help from David. He, apparently, is quite skilled with a sword. His class is supposed to be that of a guardian, meaning he is basically a magic-based tank. However, I guess he learned a good bit about swordsmanship to make him more versatile. He''s supposed to be retired now, but I guess that wouldn''t affect his ability to wield a sword.


    He had a lot to say about how weak I seemed. It''s certainly true that I''m hardly prepared to fend off adventurers and monsters who might attack the dungeon. I used to do aerobic exercises, mostly, whenever I did work out in my last life. I don''t have any significant strength to boast about. That isn''t even to mention my lack of a class to boost my abilities like the inhabitants of this world have. I don''t know if there is a way to change that, but, either way, it won''t help me in the short term.


    Apparently, David has to send a letter to Theodore so he can oversee the contract process. I''m not sure about this whole thing just yet, but I still agreed. It''s just that having to disclose the location of all the traps in my dungeon, even if it''s just to two individuals, makes me feel nervous. I''m still uncomfortable with the idea of adventurers dying in the dungeon, but I always don''t like the idea of leaving the dungeon defenseless. It might be a good idea to put some traps in the dungeon, but I don''t know how well that will work if they''ll have to be informed of every trap I add. Well, it''s just the ones on the first floor, but that''s the only floor I have unlocked right now.


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    Maybe this will be a good way to make a new friend, though. It isn''t like everyone gets along right away. Sometimes people have to spend enough time around one another, becoming more familiar with the other party, before they can even entertain the idea of becoming friends. There has certainly been times where Lee didn''t get along with his coworkers until he learned more about them and then they were suddenly the best of friends. I''ve never really had to worry about my own coworkers, but I guess this could be something like that. I guess, only time will tell.


    I have to say, though, I do, kind of, want to help Alice out. It still hurts a bit to see so many young children coming into my dungeon when I know I''ll never be able to start a family of my own. Well, I mean, I guess I could technically move on and start a family with someone new, but that just feels wrong. When I keep having dreams that makes it feel like Lee is still with me, I can''t help but feel like even entertaining the idea feels like cheating. No, I think I''d much rather spend my life in this new world alone, without any children of my own, than to move on.


    Maybe I can try playing the role of a fun aunt? I know I used to have an aunt who spent most of her life single and then just never decided to have children after she did marry in her thirties. She felt more relatable and easier to talk to than the others and she often would spend some of her extra money to take me out on fun day trips, just the two of us.


    It would likely be a bit different in this situation. I know David seems to glare at me every time I try to talk to Alice. However, Gregory seemed to accept me giving advice to Henry when they first came to the dungeon. Since I have weak slime monsters, maybe it would be good to make the first floor more beginner-friendly? That might be a good way to turn my handicap into an opportunity, anyway.


    -Violet

 Entry Seven

    Dear Diary,


    I''ve got a splitting headache right now. I guess, despite the dungeon core being bonded to me, that it still doesn''t know everything about me. I made a new room and wanted to make a slime-themed jigsaw puzzle for it, but ended up passing out. Something about the system having to scan my memories for the information. I really hope that doesn''t continue indefinitely, I really don''t enjoy having such severe headaches.


    To make matters worse, I didn''t actually have enough resources to complete the puzzle. My mana would have to be full before I could do so and then I also need something called dungeon points. Those are a resource I get from the dungeon absorbing new things and are used for upgrades and research. Still getting the hang of that, but I think I''ve got it mostly figured out. Normally, I would have had enough mana, but I had to use some of my mana to make a new room for the puzzle to be in first.


    The progress of building the dungeon is really slow right now, so I''m glad that there haven''t been very many adventurers yet. I don''t know how I''m supposed to protect the dungeon from threats when I not only have to make do with weak slimes, but also can''t build up my defenses very quickly. I''m sure that things will get easier over time, but that doesn''t change the fact that things are pretty rough right now.


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    I suppose I''m probably not doing myself any favors by building a challenge room first instead of another monster field. I won''t even be putting any additional slimes in the new room. I know why I''m making that decision, though. I want to try and give adventurers something to do while they''re in my dungeon so they will stay longer. That will ensure that I can earn enough mana to always be topped up by the time they leave and then I can build more. Basically, I''m trying to make an important investment in the dungeon''s future.


    I don''t know why I''m even justifying myself to you. It''s not like a journal can think, much less talk, to complain about my decisions. Still, it''s nice to have a way to sort out my feelings. Without anyone to talk to, I don''t have any other way to handle them. I''d hate to be bottling my feelings up all of the time, I''m sure it would make all of this that much harder.


    It''s getting late in the day already. I doubt anyone else will visit the dungeon this late. I normally wouldn''t have any way to tell how late in the day it is. However, between David always visiting later in the day and then my mana regenerating shortly before people tend to show up, I''ve found I can sort of estimate the time. Still, I imagine it would be pretty easy to lose track of time in here considering how cut off from the rest of the world I am.


    Well, I''m probably going to get some sleep. I''ll try to remember to update you on my progress tomorrow.


    -Violet

 Entry Eight

    Dear Diary,


    Something strange happened today. A small group of zombies entered the dungeon. I won''t lie, I panicked quite a bit. I was lucky that I had summoned a wooden training sword just before that, which had primarily been in preparation for the training with David. However, wood is hardly the sort of weapon you need when dealing with actual combat. I''m really surprised the weapon didn''t end up breaking in the process. Maybe the zombies were just that rotten, but I wouldn''t know anything about that.


    On the bright side, I guess my slimes aren''t completely useless. They still don''t seem like they''d be able to defeat any enemies by themselves, but even the one slime I currently have was enough to turn the tide of battle. Well, maybe that''s a bit of an exaggeration, it was more of a small security breach I had to handle, but it certainly felt stressful enough.


    Anyway, my slime knocked the zombie over and I was able to kill it after a bit of trouble. Surprisingly enough, I had ended up injured by the zombie, but I didn''t turn into one of the undead or anything. If anything, my injury quickly healed once I was out of combat. I guess maybe the undead aren''t contagious in this world. I must have some sort of super healing too, considering how quickly I recovered. Must be just one of a multitude of things that are different about me now that I''m a dungeon master.


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    It''s still hard to wrap my head around that. Most things still feel the same. I can still feel sensations like the smooth texture of my dress or the slippery, wet exterior of my slime monsters. Yeah... I wouldn''t really recommend trying to pet a slime, no matter how cute and peaceful they might look. Anyway, my other senses work just fine too. The floral scent of the flowers in my wildflower room and the pain of being bitten by a zombie are still all very real.


    I just don''t feel the burden of being human anymore. I no longer feel the painful and uncomfortable sensation of being hungry. My eyes don''t slowly build up a painful pressure whenever I don''t sleep for too long. I don''t wake up with a sore back and my neck aching from sleeping on the hard ground either. I suppose none of that sounds that bad, but the experience with the zombie certainly just brings it all into perspective.


    It''s probably going to take a while to shake off the way I feel now, but I''m hopeful that I''ll make some decent progress on upgrading my dungeon today. I''ve already experimented with some of the weather and time-of-day settings. Now my wildflower meadow room will have springtime weather and reflect the time of day outside the dungeon. I''m hoping the changes in weather and time will make it easier to notice time and keep things from getting too monotonous. Maybe it''s a waste of resources to invest in that, I doubt it will even really make a difference to adventurers, but I definitely need it for my mental health.


    Anyway, I think I can finally build my slime-themed jigsaw puzzle, so I''m going to go do that now.


    -Violet

 Entry Nine

    Dear Diary,


    I... It''s been a while. I''ve skipped writing in you for a few days because I haven''t quite been feeling so well. It''s a bit hard to talk about what happened, but I suppose it might be good to put the words to paper.


    David ended up bringing me a proper sword not long after the last time I wrote an entry. Then he wanted to practice swordsmanship, even before we had finalized a contract for it. I... Sorry it''s hard to write about this. I died so many times during that training and I... I am still having a hard time sleeping well because of it.


    When Theodore visited me to finalize the contract he said... he said that the dungeon core was starting to become corrupted. Apparently, even though I can be resurrected by the dungeon core when I die, my own poor mental state and the short time between deaths was having an effect on the core.


    That''s kind of scary in its own way. If the dungeon core becomes too corrupted, apparently it can affect me as well. Then I could become a danger to others and Theodore might have to see to it that both me and the dungeon are put out of our misery. While I used to think that... that death might be preferable to reincarnation, I don''t know if I feel that way anymore.


    Dying is painful and... I really don''t know how I let David talk me into ''training'' like that. It was like a nightmare come to life and I still get shaky when I see him. He had said that it would be good to get used to dying so that I could fight without being afraid of it. In concept, it didn''t sound so bad. You know, kind of like exposure therapy? However, now I still feel like my thoughts are jumbled up and it''s hard to feel motivated to do much.


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    At least, when I sleep things are peaceful. I can dream of Lee and I feel safe and happy. I don''t want to be awake... I don''t want to suffer anymore. It all just feels like far too much right now. I kind of wish I had never met David, but now it''s too late for that.


    He''s been training me every single night in swordsmanship, but he is no longer allowed to hurt me. Theodore saw to that. He almost killed David when he heard what he did to me. Then he saw to it that the contract was in my favor. I still don''t know how I feel about being forced to accept his presence for an entire year, though. I suppose, Theodore is probably right that David likely didn''t know what he was doing.


    Apparently, most of the people of this world don''t know much about dungeons and those who are bonded to them. Theodore had actually warned me that my own monsters could end up having their souls corrupt to the point that they could no longer respawn, even when assigned to a monster spawner. I just didn''t realize that the concept would apply to me as well. Luckily, he says that I just have to avoid dying unnecessarily in the future and try to work on balancing my mental health. Then the dungeon core should recover as my own mental health improves.


    Kind of funny to think that now I have to worry about something like depression literally killing me.


    -Violet

 Entry Ten

    Dear Diary,


    I''m starting to feel like I''m making some decent progress with the dungeon. I actually unlocked my second critter type today. They''re something called jade tree frogs, which are like really tiny, non-poisonous frogs. They honestly sounds kind of cute and I bet the sounds of them hopping around and making their little sounds will help with the ambiance in my rooms quite a bit. I know the bumblebees certainly are great with the buzzing sounds they make.


    I''m thinking I''ll work on building some empty rooms for a while before filling them in. That will give me more time to think about what I want to put in them. Besides that, I''ve been thinking about trying out a strategy with my hallways. I''m hoping by using round hallways and interconnecting a bunch of rooms, I can make my dungeon more labyrinth like and confuse adventurers. Since the slimes aren''t very lethal, I''ll likely have to come up with other creative ways to deal with potential enemies as well.


    For now, I think slowing down the enemies would work well. Since I have to go after invading monsters, like the zombies from the other day, I figure buying myself more time to kill them off will help a lot. I''m not sure what to do about adventurers, but I also don''t really have the impression that most adventurers have the intention to harm dungeons, like mine.


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    There have certainly been a lot of problems with the adventurers visiting my dungeon, but it hasn''t been that they were trying to destroy the dungeon core. For example, just earlier today, I had a group of three come through. One of the men in the group, a magic user, had a bad attitude. I don''t think he even really realized who I was, at first, but he tried to attack me. I think he thought I was lying to him about there not being anymore of the dungeon to explore.


    I can''t really help it, but I''ve taken to standing in front of the dungeon core room and trying to warn adventurers away from it. I don''t really want to bother them by interrupting their adventure, but I also can''t really let random people enter that specific room. Most of them might not seem like they want to harm the dungeon, but I still don''t want to take any chances.


    Once the man''s group members realized that I was the dungeon master and likely wasn''t lying to them, they ended up apologizing before leaving the dungeon for the day. While I still don''t like the guy''s attitude, I''m glad that his party members were reasonable. I''m honestly not so sure that I''d actually be able to protect the dungeon core if an adventurer or a particularly strong monster tried to go after it.


    It''s still too early for the swordsmanship training to be effective. I hope that I''ll eventually be able to stand my own, at least until I can sort out something more substantial for protection, but only time will tell.


    -Violet

 Entry Eleven

    Dear Diary,


    David has been trying to make things up to me. However, I don''t really know if I should trust him just yet. I''m glad he is being more gentle with me and not killing me anymore, but it seems dangerous to blindly trust people, especially him, now. I don''t know if I even really want to talk about this too much, it''s still a bit of a sore point. I hope things feel easier in the future...


    As part of the contract with David, he has to bring me whatever tribute I want, within reason. So, I''m planning to stock up on lots of culinary ingredients. While I''m sure magical plants and metals might make more sense since I could use them to research weapons and increase the value of my dungeon, I don''t really want to go that route right now. Instead, I''m hoping to create lots of delicious food to assign as rewards for completing the challenges in my dungeon.


    I still don''t have any real way to know what the outside world is like, but I''m operating on the assumption that this is a medieval world. What little I know from animes and school suggests that sweets should be fairly rare in this world. Plus, you know, I''m sure the children and beginner adventurers will appreciate a tasty snack for all of their efforts. I know I certainly wouldn''t have complained about completing a jigsaw puzzle only to be rewarded with some tasty iced carrot bread.


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    Well, I''ve never actually had carrot bread before. I''ve had zucchini bread and iced cinnamon raisin bread before. Both of those were really good. I only had carrots to use at the time I was making the reward, though, so I had to use what I had. Oh well, I''m sure it will still be enjoyable, even if it is a little strange sounding.


    Another new group also entered my dungeon today. It was a party made up of women from various races. The leader was a pretty blonde named Rosetta. I ended up going to greet them because they were taking forever to leave the dungeon. I can''t exactly tell where everyone is, but I get a weird feeling, like my skin is crawling, when people are in the dungeon. Still, I only have a few rooms, so it was pretty easy to figure out where they were.


    They were trying to stack the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle! Can you imagine? It took everything I had not to burst into hysterical laughter at the sight of it. I ended up offering them a hint on how to complete the puzzle in exchange for them leaving the dungeon. They seemed reluctant, but ended up, thankfully, accepting my offer.


    I don''t know how cooperative most of the people of this world will be. However, I can''t really have people remaining in the dungeon too long. Since I can''t build on the floor they''re on and I only have one floor, it makes it hard to continue to upgrade things if they linger around too long. I mean, I don''t want them to leave too quickly either. That makes it hard to earn enough mana from their visit to refill my mana in its entirety. I guess its a bit of a balancing act, one that I can''t really control at that.


    -Violet

 Entry Twelve

    Dear Diary,


    I think I''m starting to get the hang of things around here. I''ve finished setting up some empty rooms to form a mini labyrinth centered around my slime-themed jigsaw puzzle. While I definitely want to fill them with more interesting things and monsters to guard the place, I''m hopeful that this will work as a short-term solution.


    I''m hoping people will get lost more easily and have a harder time stumbling upon the dungeon core room. However, I don''t know how successful that will be. I am always in the dungeon and I can pull up a mental map of the place at a moment''s notice, so it just isn''t something I can accurately gauge. Still, since my slimes are weak enough for a young child without an official class to defeat, I have to do my best to come up with more creative solutions to protect the dungeon.


    I''ve also been attempting to learn more about the system''s limitations. It doesn''t really seem to have any freedom to freely answer my questions. I can''t ask it how it''s feeling or things about the outside world. I suppose that makes sense, though, since what little I know suggests the dungeon core was created shortly before I reincarnated. Unless it was connected to a network with other dungeon masters, it would have no way to know anything that wasn''t related to itself.


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    Another thing I''ve decided to work on is a parkour room involving the slimes. I''m going to fill a room with a deep pool of water, platforms, and try to make slimes jump out of the water to knock adventurers down. I''m sure some people can swim, but I''m hoping that any invading monsters won''t be able to. Then I might get lucky and have them drown in the pool or even knock their head off the wooden platforms when the slimes jump out at them.


    It still feels wrong to kill people and sometimes I still question if it is even worth it to keep going. Things have been lonely and I don''t have much that makes it worthwhile to keep building up the dungeon. The only rewards for my efforts is that I have more protection against the outside world and maybe some pretty scenery to look at. Even then, the dungeon feels empty.


    In the outside world, there are so many little things that add to the beauty of nature. Blue skies with a bright sun that warms your skin. Grasshoppers chirping in the distances and wind rustling nearby bushes. Even the sound of birds chirping in the trees fills the air with sound. Without all the wildlife, the weather effects, etc. the dungeon just feels artificial and empty.


    Still, I''m hoping that things will just be difficult in the beginning and that they''ll, eventually, get better. Maybe I should talk to Theodore about how lonely things are around here. I don''t know how much he can do about it, but I think I really need some advice. I want to make friends and find things to help make each day I spend here more worthwhile.


    -Violet

 Entry Thirteen

    Dear Diary,


    Progress has been slow, but I''m definitely making it. I''m currently working on creating a huge pit in one of my rooms to fill with water. I''ve never been good at parkour, nor really had much interest in it myself, but I figure it will make for the perfect challenge for adventurers. I do feel a bit bad for making them jump from platform to platform while my slimes try to jump out and knock them over, but it''s still gotta be better than alternatives.


    Since I used to play plenty of video games and even read novels featuring dungeon explorers, I''m plenty familiar with the sort of thing that would usually be expected in this sort of environment. Things like hidden traps adventurers could easily step on only to end up having to dodge arrows flying out from the nearby walls in an attempt to kill them just isn''t my style, though. Maybe I should consider it for the future, though?


    I still feel uncertain about what to do with my dungeon. Safety seems paramount, but the people of this world have all been fairly decent, thus far. Like Gregory and his son, Henry, who visited me again today. Apparently, they are trying to let him train in my dungeon long enough for him to gain his first level. That''s supposed to unlock his system, if he even has one, and then he''ll know whether it''s worthwhile to continue pursuing adventuring as a profession.


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    From what they told me, there are only two ways to find out if you have a class. The other requires a holy priest or priestess to be involved, but a lot of the big churches tend to require costly donations to do so. I don''t know if they''re just being greedy or if they have to make actual donations to some sort of deity that rules over this world. Still, it doesn''t seem right for young children or even adults to blindly go into dungeons in hopes they might get lucky enough to be one of the few with a class.


    It makes me kind of glad that I have weak slimes instead of bloodthirsty goblins or something. Henry still struggles a bit with defeating my slimes, but the worst they can really do is knock him over. Since I always wanted to be a mother, it''s a bit painful to see young children in my dungeon, but I also don''t want to see them hurt. Rather, I want to help them grow into strong and capable adventurers. I want to help all those like Henry so that they don''t have to lose their lives before they ever truly get the chance to start living it.


    I wish I had someone to talk to. It helps to write my thoughts and feelings down here, but I don''t think journaling on its own will fix things. I know my mental health isn''t doing so well, but it isn''t like I have access to a proper therapist and I don''t have any friends to rely on. I''m... I''m going to go now.


    -Violet

 Entry Fourteen

    Dear Diary,


    Someone died in my dungeon today. I don''t even know what happened! However, what is more worrisome is the fact that I find myself at peace with this fact. I''ve never even been the sort who enjoys horror movies or to root for the villains to die in the mangas I read in my previous life. I can''t seem to stop panicking about this change in my perception of things, but that led to another discovery.


    It feels like the dungeon is responding to my emotions. Waves of calming energy seem to roll through the dungeon around me and then I feel myself begin to calm down, against my own wishes. Considering I''ve always suffered with my mental health, even being diagnosed with anxiety disorder when I was younger, among other things, I suppose I should be glad. However, I know how I would normally feel and so it feels wrong that my emotions and thoughts don''t seem to line up with what I know about myself.


    Is my bond with the dungeon changing me? Am I losing my humanity? Am I becoming just as much of a monster as the creatures I use to defend my dungeon? I don''t know what to do or what to think about all of this. Maybe it''s better to just not think about it. I don''t know how to stop what''s happening and stressing myself out isn''t good for the dungeon core anyway. Theodore just warned me the other day that I need to be careful about my own mental state if I don''t want the dungeon core to further corrupt.


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    I got some interesting items from the adventurer who died. However he ended up dying, it seems their companions didn''t collect their body. I hope it wasn''t something like murder. I know the dungeon novels I used to read would have concepts like that. Using dungeons to cover up crimes since there wouldn''t be any evidence of what happened after everyone left the dungeon. Since everything seems to reset around here after the adventurers leave, it would be pretty easy for people to get away with murder in a dungeon like mine.


    I suppose, the least I can do is make use of what I have gained. All tributes left in the dungeon are truly precious, after all. The system breaks everything down into items and base resources as well as granting me something called ''dungeon points'', which I can use to research new items from the base resources. Most of the items I got from the dead adventurer were things like clothing and rations, but I did get one thing that seems especially valuable. Wind magic will likely prove fairly useful, assuming I can figure out how to properly utilize it.


    Well, I should probably wrap things up here. I need to continue working on my parkour course and then practice my swordsmanship. David won''t be here for a while yet, but I only have a limited amount of time to learn from him. It would really be a waste if I don''t make the most of it.


    -Violet

 Entry Fifteen

    Dear Diary,


    I guess zombies aren''t the only monsters that can enter my dungeon. At first, I was a bit worried that I was in some sort of post-apocalyptic world. Most media featuring zombies that I had read before reincarnating had suggested that they pass on their disease by biting people. A few that featured dungeons had them play a similar role to skeletons with it being less disease-based and more magic-based, making them mostly harmless, but it wasn''t like I had any way of knowing which it would be.


    Well, maybe the fact that there are those like Gregory and his son out in the world should have made things click for me. They not only didn''t have a class, but they were wearing old, worn-down clothes and were farmers. Surely, if you were having to fight off zombies on a daily basis, your clothes would be stained with blood or, at least, require some special cleaner to take care of it. There was a reason why I used to have to carefully track my cycle and buy new clothing on a semi-regular basis.


    Honestly, that''s something I''m starting to wonder about as well. Part of being a human female was having periods once a month like clockwork. However, my body hardly acts the way it used to, ever since I reincarnated. I don''t require sleep, but I can fall asleep as soon as I lay my head down to do so. There are no longer any nightmares or nonsensical dreams to deal with either. I always find myself reliving memories from my past life, instead. It''s pleasant and I can''t help but find myself wanting to sleep every chance I get. I suppose it doesn''t help that there isn''t much in this life to keep me motivated and present.


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    Of course, the biggest indicator of how different things are now has to deal with how fast I heal and the fact that I respawn, just like my dungeon monsters. That has been both good and bad to deal with. My hands aren''t callused from all the swordsmanship training, which means that they remain soft, but that I have to deal with painful blisters every night. It isn''t a bid deal when I''m only swinging around a sword for long enough to dispatch a few intruders, but the training takes hours and it adds up.


    I suppose I got distracted from my initial point. I actually know my hands don''t blister from short bursts of combat because a group of goblins entered the dungeon today. They were more aware of their surroundings and took a bit more work to take down than the zombies, but were still, surprisingly, easy to kill. I suppose they are considered beginner monsters for a reason, especially if someone without a class, like me, can take them down. Still, it''s nice to see my swordsmanship training is paying off.


    Unfortunately, I think I need to work on increasing the defenses in my dungeon. It''s better for me to learn this lesson while the enemies are still weak, but I still can''t help but worry. What happens when I''m no longer strong enough to defend the dungeon by myself? These slimes won''t be nearly enough.


    -Violet

 Entry Sixteen

    Dear Diary,


    I made a friend! A real, honest-to-goodness friend! Her name is Elivyre and she is a half-elf dryad who plans to open an alchemy shop in the nearby town next spring. She even has a really cool raven as a familiar, which feels gives off wicked witchy vibes. Apparently, she moved to town after hearing about how many different plants I have in my dungeon.


    I hadn''t originally been making any decisions regarding my dungeon with the economy in mind. However, this definitely gives me something to think about. I''ll need to consider whether to specialize in a few resources or if I should go for variety instead. Twenty-five floors feels like a lot, though, so I suppose I''ll have some time to think things over. Maybe that won''t be the case in the long-run, but things have certainly felt slow-going right now.


    Honestly, I really just feel so lucky to have stumbled upon my first friend in this world. David hasn''t done anything to harm me since that one time, but he just seems so distrusting, cold, and distant. Even those like Greggory, who are very respectful and friendly, seem to fear me far to much and it makes me feel lonely. Elivyre isn''t like that, though! She doesn''t fight the slimes in my dungeon and she seems comfortable when she talks to me.


    Other things have been progressing pretty well too. I researched a new evolution for my slimes called an aqua slime. They live in the water of the slime parkour course I made and they can traverse the water quite quickly before jumping out of it in an effort to knock adventurers into the water. To some extent, they kind of remind me of dolphins with the way they move. However, they blend in with the water entirely, making them nearly impossible to view when they are underwater.


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    I''m also trying to work on a camouflaged slime evolution that can blend into their environment on land, like a chameleon. While none of this makes the slimes more deadly than their basic variants, it''s still fun. I suppose, it wouldn''t make sense to have OP slimes on the first floor anyway. While I''m not sure I''ll want to use slimes on any other floors, it is reassuring that I don''t have to have a super-efficient dungeon right away. I can always readjust things or make improvements as time goes on.


    When I first met Theodore, he did mention that there are certain people and monsters that threaten dungeons like mine. However, from further talks I''ve had with him, it seems such things are uncommon. It isn''t something that would be an everyday threat that I should be panicking about, more so that I should plan for the future. Considering how I fared with the recent goblin attack, I think I understand things better now.


    So long as the threats are weak like goblins, I can likely take care of them by myself, even with the minimal training I''ve received, thus far. However, it won''t be enough for me to just leave things at that. If the dungeon were to be invaded by slightly smarter monsters or someone human, then I need something more to protect my dungeon. Things aren''t hopeless, but it will definitely take some work.


    Some creativity seems to go a long way, though. My slime parkour course helped my take down the goblins. A few of them started to get away, but they weren''t prepared to have to jump across platforms or swim to cross the room. That allowed me to dispatch of the ones that stayed to fight before going after the others. Still, enemies simply being slowed down only does so much, I really need to have proper defenses in the dungeon.


    Well, time to get back to work!


    -Violet

 Entry Seventeen

    Dear Diary,


    I still miss my husband, but it feels like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now that I have a friend. It''s still a bit early to really say how things will turn out, but, maybe, if I can make some more friends, I''ll be able to feel more at home here. That''s certainly been my mindset as I continue to build my dungeon, anyway.


    Recently, I''ve been working on a garden meadow room meant for adventurers to rest in. I do plan to have signs asking for tribute in exchange for having a safe space to relax in, even if I don''t actually have a way to enforce it right now. I''m just hoping that people will appreciate it enough to consider being a bit more generous towards me, leading to an increase in resources for upgrading the dungeon in the long-run.


    Of course, there is also the fact that I''m feeling nostalgic about video games I used to play. They would always have rooms for healing or a room for you to take a break before going through the boss room. It just feels right to recreate that idea in my dungeon too. I don''t know if I''ll always have the rest rooms right before the boss rooms, but including one on every floor definitely just feels right.


    I''ve also been working on incorporating more critters into my dungeon rooms. All of the ones I have access to are super cute like jade tree frogs or koi fish, something that seems to be a result of my initial request to have a cute dungeon. I don''t feel as stupid for that decision anymore, though, I''m trying to just embrace it. If I don''t treat it like a handicap, then it doesn''t have to be a bad thing. I can always turn it into a marketing point for my dungeon and use it to encourage more visitors to my dungeon.


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    Sure, I can''t actually leave the dungeon, which still feels a bit restricting, but the adventurers who do visit my dungeon can spread the word of how amazing my dungeon is. Surely, weak monsters like slimes can be useful for low-level individuals to practice their techniques on. Having easy challenges means that children can figure out how to safely explore a dungeon without having to risk their lives too. It would be pretty neat to see my first floor filled with locals and parents with their children. Maybe that will even lead to more opportunities to make more friends and give me a better sense of purpose than I have now.


    I''m going to have to figure out what''s going on with the undead that keep attacking my dungeon, though. It isn''t just zombies anymore, I had skeletons today as well. They were a lot harder to kill off because I don''t have a blunt weapon to attack them with. Luckily, my slimes were able to take care of them, even if it did take way too long. Before the last one could be finished off, David ended up arriving at the dungeon for swordsmanship training. The way he dispatched of it so easily was a bit embarrassing for me. I shouldn''t be struggling with such basic, weak monsters, right?


    Anyway, I''m pretty sore after training and I''d rather go to sleep now, so I''ll be calling it a day now.


    -Violet

 Entry Eighteen

    Dear Diary,


    I feel a bit flabbergasted by my most recent visitors to the dungeon. Three elderly men came through the dungeon today and I ended up having to help them leave. My slimes might be weak, but one nasty fall can still very easily lead to a hip or head injury. They''re lucky they didn''t end up with a concussion, but they were definitely limping by the time I ran into them.


    It kind of makes me regret hanging out near the dungeon core room. I''ve just been worrying about whether I might be bothering the adventurers with how often I go out to greet them. That, apparently, isn''t what dungeon masters normally do. I don''t want to end up accidentally scaring off adventurers by not giving them space to do what they need to do. It would be a different story if I had an excuse to seek them out, something that made them look forward to me visiting them. However, I''ll have to spend a good amount of time thinking about that because I don''t have a single clue right now.


    I do have to say, I''m starting to dislike the local town''s leader. Apparently, Greggory and his son, Henry, have stopped visiting my dungeon because the leader put a ban in place for locals that prevents them from visiting the dungeon. As part of that, the elderly males decided to check out the dungeon to see if it was safe enough for their younger family members to visit. Some sort of stupid self-sacrificing nonsense. Just because they are old doesn''t mean their lives don''t hold value. Their families would likely hold just as much of a grudge against me and my dungeon for them dying as they would if someone younger were to die.


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    In other news, I''ve decided to make a scavenger-hunt room that incorporates the language of flowers. Lee used to surprise me with flowers for special occasions or sometimes just because and he always loved to share what each flower in the bouquet meant. I had different interests, but I still spent some time studying the book he bought on the subject for me. Now, I can''t help but want to incorporate such memories into my dungeon. I want to share my love for my husband with the whole world, even if they likely won''t ever know what value this room holds for me.


    I often dream of Lee and its always bittersweet. I feel happy getting to see his face, reliving such precious memories, but it always feels sad to wake up once more, knowing that I''ll never get to make new memories with him. I appreciate this unique aspect of being a dungeon master, but I just don''t think I''ll be able to move on from my husband so long as his memory is still alive. I don''t even feel like I want to move on from him. Still, I know that always bottling up my emotions and not properly grieving his death isn''t going to do me any favors in the long-run. However, it isn''t like I can get a therapist here, I''m lucky if I even get to have a proper conversation with anyone from day to day.


    I should probably stop here... I need to distract myself from such thoughts.


    -Violet

 Entry Nineteen

    Dear Diary,


    I''m a bit concerned that things are going to get a lot more difficult for me after this. A group of somewhat strong adventurers came to the dungeon today. Apparently, they are mapping the dungeon for the adventurer''s guild. That kind of defeats my efforts to make my dungeon labyrinth-like in nature. I don''t really know that I have a lot of other good options right now, though.


    The group of four currently mapping the dungeon has been generous in their tributes, though. They took my preferences into account and brought me some flowers that I can use to make my dungeon more beautiful and abundant in resources. I even have some willow tree seeds, so I''ll be able to try out some new tree options. It''ll certainly be more interesting than just filling my dungeon with the oak trees I currently have, anyhow.


    My next big goal is to build a boss room. In order to unlock the next floor of my dungeon, I have to fill half of the space on this first floor with rooms, have a boss room, and gather enough resources to pay for it. I haven''t even managed to complete the first condition, much less being anywhere close to accomplishing the others. I know I, technically, have all of eternity to build up my dungeon, but I can''t help but feel that I need to rush things along in order to better defend myself.


    I asked David for some flowers from a hedge plant. I''m hoping to make the first-floor boss room a hedge maze. I''ll likely evolve my slime monsters into something more suitable for a boss monster as well, but I don''t feel confident that I can depend on just that to get me by. Sure, a dungeon map will also make such a strategy pointless against adventurers, but they aren''t the only threat to my dungeon anyway. The undead continue to plague my dungeon and I did have that goblin group the other day. Since they won''t have access to the maps or be very likely to understand such a thing, the maze should still work well on them.


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    David finally completed the slime parkour challenge after struggling with it for quite a number of days. It''s still not as effective as one might hope the challenge would be if he can conquer it in less than two weeks, but I''m already impressed it took as long as it did. It''s honestly pretty strange just how much the people of this world even struggle with the challenge rooms I make. I certainly wasn''t expecting it.


    I guess I just know about the sorts of video games I played before I died. Most of them tended to force you to not be capable of jumping off of cliffs or anything. However, there were others where the entire theme was about running and jumping over obstacles, testing your reflexes. I was never quite that good at those sorts of games, yet I still played those games plenty when I was younger. As an adult, I much preferred open-world games that I had to sink hundreds to thousands of hours into completing. A repetitive game meant for mobile just didn''t hold the same appeal anymore.


    Anyway, I should probably get back to work. There is still a lot of work I need to do for my new flower scavenger hunt challenge. I don''t want the chance to spend my limited mana to slip on by.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty

    Dear Diary,


    I finished the flower hunt room. It feels a bit bittersweet. Since it reminds me a lot of Lee, it was almost like creating a memorial to him while I was working on it. Now that it is finished, I can''t dwell on it anymore. I have other things I need to work on, particularly the new boss room.


    While I have the ability to create a 64 meter by 64 meter room, since I''m limited to 50MP, until I unlock more floors, I can''t actually afford to create such a large room outright. I ended up having to do some experimentation and found that I can create two smaller rooms and then combine them. It costs more resources to do it that way then building the room outright would be, but I hardly wanted my boss room to be as small as all the other rooms in my dungeon.


    I remember the feeling of wandering through corn mazes for Halloween events. They always felt so massive and it seemed like I''d stay lost for hours. My dad really liked watching horror movies and celebrating Halloween, so I always joined him. It was nice to have some father-daughter time with him. The hedge maze isn''t entirely inspired by that, but I definitely understand the importance of making a maze large enough to be effective. Considering most rooms are small enough to be comparable to those found in houses, they would hardly be sufficient here.


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    The group mapping my dungeon visited again today. They brought pancakes with maple syrup as a tribute. I didn''t get to eat them, but my system menu gives me a record of things that happen in the dungeon so I can keep track. It doesn''t tell me who is visiting the dungeon, though. I am mostly just making educated guesses in regards to that.


    I can sort of feel the energy of those in my dungeon. Since the energy signatures range from weak to somewhat strong and there are four, it''s easy to match it up with the group I previously met. It isn''t like I have that many different visitors to my dungeon right now. I''m sure things will get more difficult later on.


    It''s been nice getting so many new resources for the dungeon. It even allowed me to afford researching a new weather effect I can use in my dungeon. Since I previously unlocked air magic for use in my research, I decided to use a windy weather option in the flower hunt room. Combined with some dandelions at seed, it creates a pretty magical effect as the white puffs float through the air. It just seemed right to do something special for such a meaningful room.


    Oh! I think David just arrived to the dungeon. That means I have to go work on my swordsmanship training now. He''s supposed to be bringing me a large number of items today as well. I gave him some extra sweets in exchange for his help obtaining more resources for improving the dungeon. Well, I shouldn''t leave him waiting too long.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty One

    Dear Diary,


    I decided to try something different with my next room. I know it seems a bit wasteful to use my limited dungeon resources to make things besides challenge rooms and monster fields, but I don''t want to live my life only thinking about that. I can''t leave the dungeon, so I need to ensure that I make it a place I don''t mind living. That means creating some rooms just for the beauty and relaxation it can bring into my life.


    In this case, I am planning to build a room to house the jade tree frogs and koi fish I previously gained access to. I haven''t really made any round rooms before, this will be the first one. However, I feel like it will go well with the pond I plan to put in the middle of the room. I''m even going to place an island in the middle so I can place a beautiful willow tree on it. I''m pretty sure it will end up being one of the most peaceful rooms in my entire dungeon, possibly even better than the garden meadow rest area I made before.


    Honestly, I''m still struggling with the balance between building up dungeon defenses and my desire to make the first floor safe enough for locals, young aspiring adventurers, etc. I can''t afford to leave myself completely defenseless or else my dungeon could disappear from this world and I''d likely end up dying for good in the process. Well, there is no guarantee I wouldn''t be reincarnated again, but I doubt I''d get to keep my memories this time. Theodore did say that I was the only one he had ever heard of who got to retain their memories.


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    I don''t know that I''m ready to give up my memories of Lee and my family. I used to think that I didn''t have a reason to fight for my life in this world. That it was torturous to be forced to remember a life that I can''t return to. However, as time passes, I can''t help but find myself changing my mind. The longer I live, the longer I can keep their memories alive. I can even share the joy that they brought me with the people of this world. By making challenges in their memory, my loved ones can live on in this world. It would be a shame if I ruined that by dying too quickly and giving up this chance.


    Most of the rooms I make in the future will likely be more subtlely based on my loved ones. Maybe I''ll have a challenge reward that incorporates a gift someone once gave me. I could also just as easily write a poem on a sign that used to be my mother''s favorite without it having to be related to anything in the room. Just little things like that can help make this dungeon feel more mine, more like home.


    It isn''t like I''m lacking inspiration or like I have to worry about my memory fading either. That''s one of the peculiar things about being bonded to this dungeon. My dreams are always memories of the past and I can always recall even the smallest details in perfect clarity. If I want to recreate a store-bought treat, I just have to think about it and any memories of nutrition labels and ingredients lists will immediately pop into me head. I never really paid too much attention to that stuff before, but even a glance at that sort of thing is enough for me to remember it now. It certainly helps with building the dungeon now, which is likely why its even a thing.


    I''ll write more later, it seems my friend Elivyre just arrived. I always look forward to her visits so much, she really is becoming my best friend in this whole world.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Two

    Dear Diary,


    I''m still working on the boss room. Now that the two halves of the room have been combined into one and the hedge maze is built, there are other details to consider. One of the things I decided to add are apple blossom trees. I think it will be pretty to have the grass littered with the petals and carried through the room as adventurers come through. While the monsters respawn every few minutes, regardless of whether adventurers are still in the room or not, the rooms themselves don''t set unless the dungeon is completely vacant of non-dungeon entities. So, it should be pretty easy for the petals to build up over time.


    I''m really feeling good about my progress lately. I''ve actually received a lot of useful tributes lately. Watercress and cattails are perfect for my pond room while the mushrooms, fruits, and forest flowers seem like they''d be good for a potential future forest-themed floor. It would be nice if I had somewhere suitable for me to make a space of my own to live in, but beautiful nature scenery seems really good for the general dungeon. I likely need some insects to pair with the frogs and other small critters I''ve unlocked if I want the dungeon to truly feel alive. However, I don''t have much control over what critters I gain access to and when. It''s just something I''ll have to wait and see if it will ever come to pass.


    Honestly, I know the plants I''ve been putting all over the first floor also likely seem wasteful. I could be using my dungeon resources to build more rooms and unlock the second floor far more quickly than my current pace. However, that just seems short-sighted. With beautiful scenery and the right ambiance, my dungeon can become something that adventurers eagerly seek out. An abundance of resources should encourage merchants, like Elivyre, to move to the area as well as the adventurers needed to farm them. It''s a valuable marketing opportunity that I''m hoping will pay off in the long-run.


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    Besides, I don''t want to live in a boring dungeon. If all of my rooms were a dark cave with goblins and traps, I wouldn''t have anything to enjoy for myself. There is so much time where it''s just me and my dungeon monsters and critters. It''s one thing to watch slimes peacefully hoping through a meadow and bees collecting pollen. At least, that''s actually peaceful and relaxing to indulge in. It would be a completely different feeling to watch goblins throwing rocks at one another while shouting unintelligibly at one another.


    That''s not to say that there isn''t a lot of work to be done still, though. In fact, I finally figured out what I want to do for my boss monster. I''m going to try to make the biggest slime I can and combine it with some earth magic I unlocked after defeating an earth elementalist goblin. I''m hoping it can provide some ''natural'' armor for my slime so that it is more difficult to defeat while the size can overwhelm adventurers, even if it does limit the mobility of my slime. It isn''t likely to be effective at combat no matter what I do, but I still want to try what I can. I''ll just have to hope for the best when I finally have enough resources to start the process.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Three

    Dear Diary,


    My emperor rock slime turned out even better than I had been hoping for! It really feels like a proper boss monster. It not only has a strong layer of stone to protect it, but it can also shoot stone projectiles out at its enemies. It''s almost like having a giant auto turret and its insane how OP it is compared to my other slimes. I just can''t help but feel super excited about finally having a proper monster to protect my dungeon. Maybe I won''t be so alone anymore...


    Tobia''s group, the one mapping out the dungeon, immediately defeated my new dungeon monster, but they''re also fairly strong group. Their navigator, Mirabella, is only a D-rank, but the others are all, at least, C-rank. It''s certainly not the highest rank for an adventurer, but this is also only the first floor of my dungeon and a slime creature still has rather limited potential. So, I''m still hopeful that it will be enough to take care of the undead that regularly attack my dungeon as well as the occasional goblin.


    I''ll admit that it is a little hard to relax when I know there is always the possibility strong adventurers who don''t care what the dungeon accords say will attack my dungeon. Theodore has reassured me that such occasions are rare, but he still seems to want me to be prepared for the worst. I guess it really wouldn''t matter if it was a one-in-a-million chance or whatever the actual stats are, so long as there is a possibility, I have to be prepared for it. Since I''m still weak, though, that leaves me just feeling vulnerable, but I''m hopeful things will get better after I unlock my second floor.


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    In other news, apparently, Matthias, Tobia''s party member, is going home to his family. He gave me a really thoughtful gift before he left today. I was given an iron sword by David since I need it for our swordsmanship practice, but I haven''t had anywhere to store it when its not in use. Matthias must have noticed because he got me a really pretty engraved scabbard and a leather belt for it. Hopefully, this means I will also scare adventurers less since I doubt always having a weapon drawn was helping things any.


    Elivyre has been very kind to me and Tobias''s group has been respectful, but I still feel rather lonely. Elivyre can''t visit very often and Gregory stopped showing up to the dungeon altogether. David insists on keeping me at arm''s length and always glares at me whenever I try to talk to his sweet daughter, Alice. That hurts a lot more than I''d like to admit. I know I''ll never get to have children of my own now that Lee is gone, but I was hopeful that I could help the children of this world. Having a first floor safe enough for them to train and grow strong enough to live long lives as adventurers seemed like a good way to cope with my current circumstances, but no one trusts me around here and it hurts.


    Sorry, I''m getting emotional again. It seems like every day lately the dungeon has to send out calming energy and force me to calm down. I doubt it will fix anything in the long-term, but I suppose I should go work on something else and try to distract myself, for now. Thinking on the bad won''t make the dungeon very happy, after all.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Four

    Dear Diary,


    It seems that it''s already late fall and it will soon be winter. David brought me a crate of rotten apples today. The smell was awful, but I guess I shouldn''t complain too much. Even garbage has value to my dungeon as the system can convert it into more useful resources.


    David is still struggling with a lot of the dungeon challenges. He''s supposed to have been a mid-rank adventurer before he retired, so I don''t really understand why he is struggling so much. I could understand, at first, because many of the challenges in my dungeon aren''t something the people of this world would be familiar with. Where normal dungeons seem to have traps to dodge and obstacles to jump over in the course of completing a challenge, I have them doing jigsaw puzzles themed after my cute slime monsters.


    Still, Alice has figured out the slime-themed jigsaw puzzle well enough that she completes it nearly every night. Meanwhile, David is lucky if he can complete even one of the other challenges and he refuses to let his daughter attempt most of the other ones. I can, sort of, understand not wanting her to attempt the slime parkour one. The platforms are slippery and it would be easy for her to hit her head and then drown in the water below, even if her father could go save her. However, surely the others, which are much safer, would be fine for her to participate in?


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    Regardless, I am happy to be making decent progress in my dungeon. I even got David to agree to take a break and leave the dungeon once a night so I can have two rounds of mana to spend on dungeon upgrades. It''s been a while since it was suggested, but I''m really starting to see it pay off now. My latest project is actually a koi pond, which I''m hoping the locals will enjoy. It would be good to get some of them to regularly visit the dungeon since I''ll be able to get more mana that way.


    It probably seems a bit frivolous, but I''ve actually been pouring a lot of resources into the new pond room. I made an island in the middle of the pond for a willow tree to be placed on and there are cattails and watercress to compliment the water in the room. Rather than putting any monsters in the room at all, I''ve paired some jade tree frogs with the koi fish, making the room super peaceful and more lively. It''s been really peaceful to relax in the room and I can only hope that others will also enjoy it.


    I''m actually also planning to ask Theodore about getting me some lily pads and lotus flowers for the pond too. It''ll make the pond look more messy and busy, but I''m sure the koi fish will enjoy the covering and the scent of the lotus flowers is bound to be lovely. The only thing is, I''m not sure what the limitations are when it comes to what plants from my world are also in this world. Are the worlds practically identical in terms of plants and animals? What about magical plants, does this world have anything like that? It''s hard to know and being stuck in this dungeon makes it difficult to learn anything new about the world around me.


    Looks like David is back from his break, I''ll have to get back to work.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Five

    Dear Diary,


    I decided it was time to invest in myself, instead of just the dungeon, for once. When I found myself reincarnated into this world, all I had was the purple dress I''m still wearing and some purple flats. I didn''t have any weapons or proper clothing to blend in with this world''s inhabitants. The clothes I''ve been wearing all this time isn''t what I died in either, not that I would want that, considering how things ended. Walking in to your husband dead on the floor before being murdered in cold blood as well isn''t exactly a fond memory...


    Anyway, it isn''t much, but I made myself some leather boots, a basic leather satchel, a lesser healing potion, and one of my wild violet and honey lollipops I use for a challenge reward. After those elderly farmers came into my dungeon, the other day, I can''t help but feel like it would be a good idea to keep potions on hand. It was nearly all I could handle watching them stumble out of the dungeon, clearly in pain. I hope Elivyre can help them get back on their feet and that their families scold them so they don''t repeat such reckless behavior.


    Wearing boots without socks isn''t exactly ideal, but it isn''t like I have to worry about getting blisters or anything like that. When I do sword training, I end up with blisters and bruises all the time, but they heal quickly and I never have any scars or callouses to show my progress. It is a bit concerning that I''ll never be able to train without worrying about my hands hurting, but, I guess, I should be grateful. I''ll always get to have soft hands and I''ll never age, isn''t that supposed to be the dream?


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    I''m glad that I don''t have to live in an unfamiliar body, something more monstrous than my own. However, I don''t exactly have much reason to care about my appearance either. There are no mirrors to remind me that my hair is a mess and I don''t have many friends. I never plan to take another lover, so it''s fine to get by with the minimum. I regularly bathe in the slime parkour pool and I run my fingers through my hair to remove any tangles. The clothes I reincarnated in seem to be dirt and stain-resistant and really only need to be rinsed out in the water and then dried on occasion to ensure they don''t smell.


    It might be a good idea to invest in an entire wardrobe for myself that can just be reabsorbed into the dungeon and then a new copy summoned up, eventually. That isn''t my main concern, right now, though. I''m lucky that I have regular visitors to the dungeon, but a mana cap of fifty is still very limiting. I can''t spend the mana until the floor is empty and I only have one floor, so that means the dungeon has to be empty. It doesn''t matter much if I have four adventurers in the dungeon for half the day if I only get to benefit from the first fifteen minutes of it once they leave.


    I''m sure the one mana point per person will feel like a blessing once I have a second floor, but there is still a bit more to do before I can make that a reality. Speaking of, I should, probably, get back to work.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Six

    Dear Diary,


    I''ve come up with a new idea for interacting with those from outside the dungeon. Previously, I''ve tried socializing with people, but there has never really been a reason for them to want me around. I don''t have anything to offer them and I just seem like a helicopter parent who won''t let them just enjoy their experience in my dungeon without being supervised. Sure, I have the excuse of wanting to keep them away from the dungeon core room when I run into them there, but that isn''t always what has been happening.


    Things are different, though if I play the role of a merchant. My mana doesn''t just have to be spent purely on things for the dungeon, I can create perfect copies of anything I have unlocked through my research. I can offer them potions, tastier food than the rations they will have likely brought, and even equipment they may be in need of. I wouldn''t exactly be charging them copper, silver, and gold coins for things either. I mostly need items from outside the dungeon so I can acquire enough resources to continue building a better dungeon. Plus, I''m hopeful that this will be a good way to build goodwill between us.


    I know I want to make more friends, but simply forcing the issue isn''t likely to get me any results. I was lucky with Elivyre as she is just so laid back and willing to befriend anyone and anything that is willing to show her the same courtesy. Most adventurers and locals are starting from a completely different mindset, it seems. Even David is still distrustful and passive-aggressive after all of this time. I don''t start with the benefit of the doubt like other non-dungeon entities would, instead I get treated like something dangerous, something to be cautious of, just like my monsters.


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    It won''t be easy to change peoples'' minds, but I''m willing to try. What other choice do I have? Theodore told me that most dungeon masters who start out trying to be more peaceful, like myself, tend to become jaded over time. They stop being as kind and thinking about the adventurers so much as prioritizing their own needs and ensuring their dungeon has strong defenses. I don''t want that for myself, but I certainly spend a good bit of time worrying that it could just as easily happen to me. With how the dungeon regulates my emotions and the way I''m constantly shunned by everyone who enters my dungeon, I''m not sure what I''ll do in a few decades if my efforts now don''t work out.


    Let''s not think about that so much. I recently unlocked some new critters after completing some more system missions. I''m not sure what I''m going to do with jellyfish, maybe I''ll try to do a water-based floor one day just so I can utilize some of the more aquatic critters I''ve been unlocking. The jade tree frogs and koi fish seem happy in their pond, but I doubt the same would be true for something like a jellyfish. I don''t know if I''ll unlock any aquatic monsters, though, so whose to say what the future will hold.


    The adventurers who were just here are gone now. I should get back to work. There are more challenges that need built and only a limited amount of time until more people will show up.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Seven

    Dear Diary,


    It seems I''ve been making good progress with my dungeon and I''ve completed a lot of system quests. Every time I complete one I unlock a new critter to utilize in my dungeon. I now have more than five different types, but I don''t know if I will use them any time soon. I''m not exactly very knowledgeable about how to build a proper habitat, even if I do want to make my dungeon more realistic.


    I used to work on designing graphics for video games, before I reincarnated into this world. Part of that included designing plants and animals to make the games seem more realistic. However, there is a huge difference between the way a forest is populated in a video game versus real life. There are likely hundreds, if not thousands of different living things in every forest, ocean, etc. There''s no way I could recreate a real habitat in my dungeon, though, as I''m too limited in my resources. I need the spawners for monsters and the little bit of space left for assigning critters in nowhere near enough to make my dungeon feel truly alive.


    Plants can easily be added to every room and only costs a small amount of mana. The system is kind enough to reset the rooms when the dungeon is empty of non-dungeon entities, which includes spawning in new plants. Both plant life and animals are living things, but the dungeon doesn''t treat them as nearly the same thing. Even if most critters aren''t sentient enough to be aware of what is happening to them, I can''t bring myself to just let them die. I want to give them the same opportunities to respawn and live long lives, just like my monsters. Maybe that isn''t very realistic, but, I guess, even someone more logical might not want to constantly spend their mana on new critters to populate their dungeon.


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    In other news, tributes have stopped being as interesting lately. I used to get new things all of the time, but I''m mostly receiving the same things nowadays. The dungeon system really prioritizes variety over the value systems those outside of the dungeon have, though, so it''s been a bit disappointing. I wouldn''t mind so much if I was being brought garbage by the barrel full, but no one seems interested in taking me up on that offer. It''s a real shame since it seems like a real cheat code for this world to be able to do away with pollution and garbage in such a way.


    I hope this won''t impact my ability to unlock the next floor. Now that I''ve completed the boss room and filled half of the dungeon with rooms and hallways, I''ll need to start working on gathering enough resources to unlock the next floor. I can, technically, continue working on the first floor for as long as I want, but a new floor means new opportunities. I''ve gotten used to stepping forward to protect the dungeon, but I''m sure there is a limit to what I can handle. If I can get something stronger than slimes than I won''t have to worry so much.


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Eight

    Dear Diary,


    I''m not sure how I feel right now. Theodore just left, but my head is still spinning. I know I used to contemplate my place in this world and wether I even had a reason to keep going. However, it just feels different when you''re told that you forever doesn''t have to mean forever, that someone will willingly help you end your life if you just ask them to.


    Theodore says that is part of his job as a dungeon diplomat. It isn''t just corrupted dungeons and dungeons that can''t defend against intruders. Apparently, sometimes, dungeon masters simply get tired of the concept of living forever. We''re meant to spend all this time building up our dungeon''s defenses to ensure that nothing can harm the dungeon core, costing us our lives. That certainly would make it difficult for the dungeon to naturally fall to enemies. I just don''t know how to feel about dungeon diplomats, who are largely supposed to be one the side of dungeon masters, standing on the sidelines, just waiting for the day they are asked to end things.


    Will Theodore even live as long as I can? Elivyre is only a half-elf, but even she says its unlikely that she will live as long as I will. One day she will die of old age and I will still be around. I won''t even look like I''ve aged a single day, frozen in time for all my days. That sounds lonely and I''m not sure I could accept having another dungeon diplomat assigned to my dungeon. I need something, someone, that remains the same. I''ve not even begun to experience how bad things will get as everyone I have met up until now will leave me in what will feel like a blink of the eye. Yet, even the sheer thought of it is terrifying.


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    Theodore promised he would come around to visit more often, but it still feels like I spend a lot of time alone. Perhaps, due to our extended lives, once every few weeks is already very little time. I don''t know how long it will take to accept how little the passage of time is meant to me to me. Perhaps, I will have to live long enough for a lifetime to pass, maybe it will take longer. Will I even still be the same person on the inside when so much time passes me by?


    I''m glad I don''t have to worry about forgetting Lee and my family, no matter how much time passes. I had many years to spend with them and every night, now, I relive my memories with them. It''s even better than VR as it feels like I truly am there with them all over again. Theodore said reincarnated individuals are rare and that I''m the only one to ever get to keep my memories. If that is so, I can only imagine how easy it would be for others to lost their humanity. Constantly being shunned by everyone you ever meet without precious memories, like mine, to remind them of what''s important. How could one ever retain their humanity like that?


    -Violet

 Entry Twenty Nine

    Dear Diary,


    Theodore visited again today and it was a lot less stressful this time around. He brought me some lilypads and lotus flowers like I asked. I''m hopeful I can use them in my new koi pond soon, but I think it will have to wait until after I unlock the second floor. For some reason, he said it was difficult to find him. I wonder if the plants in this world have slightly different names? The dungeon system always labels them the same thing as I''d see in my world, but that doesn''t mean that the people of this world know them by those names.


    More importantly, it seems that it is almost wintertime. I feel guilty after Theodore told me that my kodamas have a hard time coming and going from the dungeon. I don''t know why I didn''t realize that their small size would make it impossible for them to open the doors in the dungeon. I''m sure it must be difficult for them to travel very far from the dungeon as well. It might be better to no longer send them out into the world, not just for the winter season, but indefinitely.


    Theodore reassures me that I''ll still be able to build on the first floor, even after I unlock new floors. Apparently, most adventurers like to leave the dungeon altogether when night comes around. Since the dungeon won''t reset the resources unless all non-dungeon entities leave first, it harms their profits to remain in the dungeon too long. It seems that only those who plan to camp out in the dungeon as they explore the upper floors remain at night time. Even then, that''s supposed to be a rare occurrence.


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    I don''t really plan to rush through building the last half of my first floor. I haven''t run out of ideas, necessarily, but it just seems right to take my time with it. The first half has to be built before I can unlock the next floor, but the only thing I get from finishing the last half is a completed mission and a new critter. I''m sure I''ll get other missions, though, so that isn''t nearly enough of a reason to rush through things.


    Other than that, I''ve just been slowly working on building up a good stockpile of merchandise. I''m starting with potions and sweets. Surely adventurers will need potions in case they get hurt or they don''t want to wait for their mana and stamina to recover, right? That''s what all of my experience as a gamer in my old world would suggest anyway. As for sweets, its almost a cliche trope that any medieval times settings, in a fantasy world or otherwise, always had a shortage of sugar and honey making sweets valuable and something only nobles can usually afford. So, I''m hopeful that both options will prove popular, but we''ll see how things go.


    Well, I should get going. I want to try selling some of my merchandise and it feels like some people just arrived.


    -Violet

 Entry Thirty

    Dear Diary,


    I decided to sign my second system contract today. I overheard Avorn and Camellia talking about how worried they were about the upcoming winter season. Apparently, they usually camp out in the nearby forest, but are worried about it being too cold once the snow falls. There is supposed to be a local inn, but it is expensive and will cut into their savings, which they need to buy new equipment.


    It probably isn''t any of my business how other people manage their finances. If anything, I should probably be happy that they won''t be able to start exploring the second floor of my dungeon, once I unlock it, right away. I don''t want to think like that, though. They''re both always polite and it seemed like a good opportunity to get some extra resources to invest in my dungeon. So, I proposed they sign a rental contract with me where they offer a certain amount of tribute each day in return for being allowed to remain in the dungeon each night with a guarantee I wouldn''t send my monsters after them. Safe passage, if you will.


    Right now, it''s a much bigger deal for them to stay in the dungeon for a long time, but I''m hopeful that it will become a real boon after I unlock the second floor. I''ll be able to invest large amounts of mana into new rooms every night. I won''t be able to work on the first floor very much having non-dungeon entities on a floor prevents me from using the system features on that floor until they leave. It seems like a worthwhile tradeoff, though.


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    Unlike the contract with David, which I''m hoping I can convince Theodore to end sooner rather than later, this one will be more in my favor. I get tons of resources, it only lasts until Spring arrives, and it comes with the stipulation that neither of us can intentionally harm the other. My monsters will still attack them if they attempt to kill them first, but that''s just normal dungeon behavior. It benefits them too since they can save more of their money so they can buy new equipment in the spring and they won''t have to worry about the snow at night. They do still have to leave in the daytime.


    I''ve also had good luck with my merchant activities as well. Avorn and Camellia as well as Tobias''s group bought some things from me. Mostly sweets and tea, though, which brings up some concerns in regards to the potions. I don''t have many others visiting the dungeon each day, so who is going to buy them? I''m not sure, but it isn''t like they are going to go bad anytime soon. It''s just not great since I can only fit so much in my satchel and it means I have to lug around more weight.


    Looks like David is here for swordsmanship training again. I''m seriously starting to go greet him every day. He is never happy to see me and he is still way to overprotective of his daughter. I''m not going to harm her, that just isn''t who I am.


    -Violet

 Entry Thirty One

    Dear Diary,


    Theodore was so sweet and thoughtful! He gifted me a magic bag just because he thought I would need it for my merchant activities. It''s really great because I can carry a lot more in it without it feeling any heavier than a normal satchel when it is empty, yet it holds an entire 50 kilograms! They are a tad expensive, though, which I only learned after absorbing the gift... Probably should have thought that one out a little more, but I was able to make a new one after spending my entire max capacity of mana.


    From what I''ve learned about it, nothing put in the bag will spoil either. Considering I mostly have potions and food goods to sell, that''s going to come in handy. Especially since I''m starting to doubt anyone wants to buy these potions, but it just seems to wasteful to just get rid of them. I might need to heal someone later on down the line and it isn''t like I have a ton of spare mana right now, so it wouldn''t do to be wasteful.


    Luckily, Elivyre has offered to trade me some other potions and herbs for my entire potion supply. It''ll have to wait until another day, but I''m not sure when exactly. I know she can''t always stop by the dungeon since she has to watch over her own shop. It''s a bit sad, really, as I love it when she visits with me. She''s still the only friend I''ve made in this new world I find myself living in.


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    In other news, I''m really close to being able to afford to build my second floor. I probably just need to make one or two more sales. I''m just going to focus on sweets, though, since that seems to be the primary seller around her. Elivyre had a good point about how my sales opportunities might just be limited due to being in a dungeon. If everyone buys their potions before entering the dungeon, then they no longer need to buy more. At least, they won''t have to restock on the first floor. Sweets don''t seem to be super common outside the dungeon, which fits with the semi-medieval setting this world has going on for it. So my unusual store pricing isn''t as big of a deal when I''m offering something that''s rare or unique. I just have to focus more on things like that.


    I''ve even considered the possibility of making products that are shop-specific instead of being available as rewards in my dungeon as well. However, I can''t really afford to devote resources to that right now. I need to unlock my second floor before anything else so that I can decrease the chances of anyone making it to my dungeon core room. I''m too vulnerable right now and there really isn''t much I can do about it.


    I''m honestly really glad that I can''t have nightmares anymore. All of my dreams are just memories from my past life, after all. I doubt I''d want to sleep very much if I could have nightmares since all the stress I''m constantly under would likely lead to some rather strange dreams. Honestly, a nap sounds good right about now...


    -Violet

 Entry Thirty Two

    Dear Diary,


    I finally unlocked my second floor! I now have al-mi''raj, myconid, and pixies alongside my previous will-o''-wisps, kodama, and slimes. I also unlocked a number of new traps, signed a contract with the goddess of love and beauty, and got a skill called ''Guest List''. The al-mi''raj are, apparently, horned rabbit monsters while the myconid are mushrooms. The pixies are the ones I''m most excited about as everything I know about them suggests they can talk! Maybe I''ll finally have someone I can talk to on a regular basis, that would be nice...


    There isn''t only good news, though. Pretty much, as soon as I finished confirming all of the details from unlocking a new floor, my dungeon was attacked! Some necromancer dude was pissed off about the patron deity I chose for my dungeon. He had this whole monologue about how he worships the god of the dead and how the undead are way better than my weak slimes.


    Well, it''s kind of ironic in hindsight considering the fact that my emperor rock slime boss monster shredded his creations into nothingness. I ended up having to kill him off myself, which I still feel conflicted about. It had to be done, though, which is why I gave in when the dungeon tried to alter my emotions and mental state. No use in letting my own mental blocks get in the way and leading to my dungeon being harmed. Still, I think I need some time to process everything, so let''s talk about something more positive, okay?


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    My new ''Guest List'' skill seems perfect since it lets me know who is in the dungeon alongside details like their rank, class, race, and which room they''re in. I won''t have to worry about whether someone dangerous is in the dungeon or if it is someone I actually want to see. That will make it easier to decide whether it is worth it to make the trek down from the higher floors to the lower floors when I end up with more of them.


    I''ll definitely have to meet more people I don''t know if I want to keep playing merchant, but that''s different from the panic I feel when someone gets too close to the dungeon core room. One could lead to me dying alongside everything else in the dungeon while the other is something that I get more control of. If I decide I don''t like someone''s attitude, I don''t have to sell them anything. Even if they kill me, all of my belongings teleport away with me as I revive in the dungeon core room. So, it isn''t like they can even steal anything on my person, which is nice.


    I''m a bit disappointed that Theodore hasn''t shown up yet. It would have been nice to ask him some questions while I was figuring everything out. Maybe he could have even helped out with the recent problem I had... Oh! Wait, it looks like he just got here. He sure does have a penchant for being late.


    -Violet

 Entry Thirty Three

    Dear Diary,


    I had a very productive conversation with Theodore and am excited about starting work on my third floor. Since I''ll be using traps now and have some new monsters unlocked, I''m hoping that I can make my second floor strong enough that I can relax the defenses on the first floor some. It''ll, essentially, allow me to enjoy the best of both worlds with wanting my dungeon to be useful to the general public while also ensuring the dungeon core is properly protected.


    Theodore gave me some good advice on which rooms might be too difficult for the first floor, but will serve as good time wasters for the adventurers who make it to the second floor. He also had a very good point about how children might not enjoy eating floral flavors, making my challenge rewards like lavender meringues and chamomile shortbread more suitable for the second floor where I plan to theme things around my new pixie monsters. I definitely don''t want another floor where nearly every reward is something edible, though. It would be nice to include things like tie-dye scarves or other colorful souvenirs for the adventurers to enjoy.


    There is some bad news, though. It''s, apparently, common for dungeon masters to grow stronger when they unlock a new floor in the dungeon. That didn''t happen for me, instead I got a new skill called ''guest list'' that allows me to view information on non-dungeon entities that enter my dungeon. The skill has already proven itself useful since I was able to react in a timely manner when some necromancer tried to attack the dungeon just a short while ago, but it''s still disappointing to be stuck the way I am. Other humans who become dungeon masters have classes that they get to keep when they bond with a dungeon, but I wasn''t born in this world, so that doesn''t apply to me. Now I have lost my last chance to grow strong enough to protect my dungeon from intruders and I will have to almost entirely rely on my monsters and other defenses to protect it.


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    It''s a bit funny, though, since I didn''t know it was a possibility, I had been content with making due with what little strength I did have. Every day I practiced swordsmanship with David, even despite how cold and unfriendly he tends to be. The bruises and scrapes from combat would persist for several hours, as new ones continued to appear, and could only fully heal after half the night had passed. Most of the pain would be gone before then, but their faint outline would remain for a bit longer than that. Considering it would take weeks to heal from such a thing, normally, I suppose it''s hard to complain about a few hours. Still, it would have been nice if I could stand on equal footing with David and actually had a chance to overpower him, one day, rather than having to completely depend on my own wits and mastering the sword the old-fashioned way.


    -Violet


    End Of Book One

 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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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?


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    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.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    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.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    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.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    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.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    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.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances 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