The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 5

“Here? Do I go here, Nari?”

“Yeah.”

The demon of resurrection, Phenex, was immediately deployed to do the task I assigned her.

If you don’t work, you don’t eat.

‘The cafeteria and the food storage were not the top priority of the dungeon capture…’

The top priority of the dungeon capture was to quickly open the most essential elements for the dungeon to function and gain benefits.

For example, the Garden of Regeneration, which starts to heal the demons who fall into combat incapacity during the dungeon defense.

If this facility is not opened and a battle breaks out, the demons who fall into combat incapacity will die.

‘That’s a rare case, though…’

Also, the Dispatch Office, which scouts the vicinity and sometimes collects resources such as magic stones.

These are the core facilities that are either forced or advantageous to open early.

But are the cafeteria and the food storage among those core facilities?

‘No, absolutely not.’

In the game, they were just a communication device, and a facility that only allowed to manage the condition of the monsters, other events, and sometimes watch the demons eat.

‘But there’s still a lot of them.’

Anyway, the point is that they are not essential.

But now that the game has become reality, the cafeteria is indeed a core facility.

In the game, it didn’t matter what the demons ate, when they ate, or how much they ate, but in reality, it was a very serious problem.

‘It affects my meal too.’

Let’s eat and live… um… survive.

‘I’m getting hungry… I need to solve the food problem before it’s too late.’

Of course, a good meal is included in survival.

“You have to feed me! You promised!”

“Yeah, stop talking and move on.”

“Okay!”

I can observe her surroundings through the core of the heart. Thanks to that, I can easily check if she is doing her job well, and if there is any problem with her work.

‘It’s easier to do it myself…’

Unfortunately, Faust’s glass body was worn out by the tutorial battle and couldn’t fight often.

That’s why I need a good demon.

“Faust.”

“Speak, Lucifer.”

Lucifer, who was watching the screen next to me, spoke to me.

“Phenex seems to be reaching the food storage soon.”

According to Lucifer, this rotten root dungeon was once ruled by a demon.

Therefore, it was possible to restore the facilities with a little effort, not to build them anew.

‘I already know that.’

Before I relayed Lucifer’s words to Phenex, I heard a voice from the other side.

“Wow! I feel something!”

“Yeah, that’s it. You didn’t forget your job, did you?”

Kkiiik…
Kkiiik…
The plague bats that I saw before popped out.

[Phenex’s basic ability: Burning Flame is activated.]

[Phenex recovers her health continuously until the battle ends.]

[The effect increases depending on the lost health.]

As soon as the battle started, Phenex’s passive was activated.

Pit-!

The plague bat that twisted down from the air and tried to hurt her.

Sreung…

Of course.

Puhwaaaaaak-!

It was cut in half by Phenex’s sword.

Wince…

I unconsciously clenched my hand. The power of the 6-star demon, which far surpassed the goblin trio, fascinated me.

Did she use her ability?

No.

Did she use a great weapon?

It was a plain iron sword. A plain iron sword with no options.

“One!”

Piiit-!

The flying plague bat.

Huuuuuung-!

The long sword that swung horizontally along with it.

“Two!”

And, the number that was counted first.

Puhwaaaaaak-!

It was a horrible result.

Of course, for the opponent.

“Heheheh!”

She felt my gaze and made a V sign with her finger somewhere.

…Not there.

I only see the back of her head.

‘Phenex without the curse… is definitely great.’

Why did I feel dissatisfied with Phenex, such a powerful demon? It was because of another passive that Phenex had.

This passive, which is also called a personality, is a power that only 6-star demons have.

This personality passive has some good ones, but sometimes it has shocking ones that overturn the evaluation of the demon.

‘That’s… the problem with Phenex’s passive, my first demon.’

A curse and a curse-like passive.

There was a time when the users saw Phenex’s skill set and valued the character’s personality so much that they screwed up the balance.

But the developer didn’t even fart.

Thanks to that, Phenex, who had a great potential to be re-evaluated later, was ignored in the early stages.

‘But… that terrible personality passive…’

It doesn’t apply to the dungeon capture.

It only applies to the guardian mission, where he meets the adventurers in the dungeon.

That is, I could now wield the full power of Phenex.

This was probably a safety device made by the developer, who was worried that the users who felt the difference in the performance of the demons in the early dungeon capture would leave.

After all, they have to sell magic stones, so they have to make the product look flawless.

‘If it’s bad, you should quit. It’s over if you don’t. But…’

I can’t quit.

I can’t quit even if it’s bad.

…Now I have to endure, and do it.

That’s the biggest difference.

Puhwaaaaaak-!

“Yo! I caught something big! Nari! Did you see?”

“Ah.”

I was distracted by my thoughts and couldn’t focus on Phenex’s battle for a moment.

‘…What?’

The screen was dizzy.

In the blink of an eye, Phenex’s surroundings were full of severed bodies.

And among them, there was a special species that was different from the other plague bats, and was broken into huge pieces.

‘No way, he did it all in that short time?’

No, it’s possible for a 6-star demon.

In the early part of the episode, which is still at the tutorial level.

He could capture the base facilities with just his pure level, without leveling up.

Yeah, it was possible.

‘But experiencing it myself… feels different.’

I was greedy.

More.

More powerful demons to have…

‘…First, survive, no matter what.’

[You have eliminated all the threats in the Trace of Living Area 1.]

[You capture the Trace of Living Area 1.]

[All the spoils are bound to the Dungeon: Rotten Root.]

[You can build a cafeteria and a food storage.]

* * *

Crunch…

Iron dust.

Sticky…

This is a mucous fragment.

‘And… bloodstone pieces?’

I checked the spoils that were bound to the heart. Usually, I could get the spoils of the area when I succeeded in capturing the dungeon.

It was a one-time reward, but it wouldn’t disappear anyway, since I would get another reward when I moved on to the dungeon defense stage.

‘I have to collect these rewards to strengthen the demons.’

Whether I enhance the demon’s body or the weapons they wield.

Crunch…

‘But… was there this much?’

I would have to calculate the exact amount, but it felt much more than in the game.

‘Could it be that the amount of currency I can get in-game is different…?’

It’s just a hypothesis.

A hypothesis I really don’t want to be true.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Phenex ran somewhere.

“What’s going on?”

“Something passed by! Over here!”

“…Passed by?”

“Can I go?”

I had a bad feeling and denied it.

“No, go yourself.”

Swoosh…

I got up from the throne and moved to where Phenex was with the goblins and Lucifer.

‘…It’s a strange feeling.’

The dungeon didn’t have a proper shape yet, and the plan wasn’t perfect either, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

I felt it from the people around me.

Jubuk…

Jubuk…

When I arrived where Phenex was, she greeted me.

“Nari! Here!”

“…”

She smiled brightly.

“Did I do well? I did well, right?”

She clenched her fists and brought them together in front of her, asking me. She looked like a puppy who brought a plate.

Anyone could see that he wanted to be praised.

‘But.’

What Phenex needs now is not kindness.

So I didn’t bother to react.

“The trace?”

“…Huh? Oh… The trace! Here!”

There was a trace of something where Phenex pointed.

“Something long went zook! and continued!”

If I had to interpret his words, it meant that something long scraped the ground and passed by.

“Where does this trace go?”

“To the other side!”

I followed the trace.

A place where a digger had scraped the earth.

‘It’s sticky.’

There was something white all over the trace.

‘Thread…?’

Oh, I see.

…It must be him.

“Phenex.”

“Yeah, Nari!”

“Don’t go to the other side from now on.”

“…Huh?”

My gaze went to where Phenex’s gaze also followed.

To the place where no light came out, dyed black.

“Ah… Okay.”

This side’s business is for later.

For now, there’s something I have to do.

[The conditions for construction are met.]

[You can build a cafeteria and a food storage.]

I couldn’t change the big structures inside, but I could tweak the small parts quite delicately.

Like a faint picture drawn on paper, the scenery that floated around.

I started building without dragging it out.

[You start building the cafeteria and the food storage.]

…

Huuuuuung…

With the power of the dungeon core, the surrounding structures were changing.

The first thing that was placed was a small table.

And a bigger table that could seat more people.

Chairs and cabinets, and a shabby kitchen.

And there were also areas classified according to the characteristics of the demons.

There were some who didn’t need a table.

‘I guess I’ll have to join the ones who can’t even come to the cafeteria later.’

The time it took to build each facility was different. In the case of the cafeteria, it was a part that had little to do with the dungeon core’s power, so the space was changing right away.

In the blink of an eye, the space that was stained with blood turned into a cafeteria.

Of course, it was still at the beginner level, so there were some lacking parts, but it still had the shape of a cafeteria.

‘Well, this is just restoring what was already there, so it must have been quick.’

Crunch…

Iron dust.

Sticky…

This is a mucous-like debris.

‘And… a bloodstone fragment?’

I was checking the loot that was bound to my heart. Usually, when I succeeded in clearing a dungeon, I could get the loot from that area.

It was a one-time reward, but it didn’t disappear anyway since I would get another reward when I moved on to the dungeon guardian stage.

‘I need to collect a lot of these rewards to strengthen my familiars.’

Whether I strengthened the familiars themselves, or the weapons they wielded.

Crunch…

‘But… was there this much?’

I would have to calculate the exact amount, but it felt much more than what I got in the game.

‘Don’t tell me the amount of currency I can get in-game is different…?’

It was just a hypothesis.

A hypothesis I really didn’t want to be true.

“Huh? What is this?”

Phenex ran somewhere.

“What’s going on?”

“Something passed by! Over here!”

“…Passed by?”

“Can I go see?”

I had a bad feeling and denied it.

“No, you go yourself.”

Swoosh…

I got up from the throne and moved to where Phenex was, along with the goblins and Lucifer.

‘…A strange feeling.’

The dungeon was not fully shaped, and the plan was not perfectly executed, but it was not a bad feeling.

I felt it from the ones around me.

Thump…

Thump…

When I arrived where Phenex was, she greeted me.

“Nari! Here!”

“…”

The girl who smiled brightly.

“Did I do well? I did well, right?”

She clenched his fists and brought them to her front, asking me. She looked like a puppy who brought a plate.

Anyone could see she wanted to be praised.

‘But.’

What Phenex needed now was not kindness.

So I didn’t bother to react.

“Where are the traces?”

“…Huh? Oh… The traces! Here!”

There were some traces left where Phenex pointed.

“Something long went zing! and continued!”

If I had to interpret his words, it meant that something long scraped the ground and passed by.

“Where did these traces lead to?”

“To the other side!”

I followed the traces.

A place where a digger had scratched the earth.

‘Slimy.’

There was something white left on the traces.

‘Thread…?’

Oh, I see.

…It must be him.

“Phenex.”

“Yes, Nari!”

“Don’t approach the other side from now on.”

“…Huh?”

My gaze went to where Phenex’s gaze also followed.

To the place where it was dark and no light came out.

“Ah… Okay.”

This side’s matter was for later.

For now, I had something to do.

[The conditions for construction are met.]

[You can build a dining hall and a food storage.]

I couldn’t change the big structures inside, but I could tweak the small parts surprisingly delicately.

The scenery that floated around me like a faint picture drawn on paper.

I started building without delay.

[You start building the dining hall and the food storage.]

…

Whooosh…

With the power of the dungeon core, the structures around me changed.

The first thing that was placed was a small table.

And a bigger table that could seat more people.

Chairs and cabinets, and a shoddy kitchen.

There were also areas classified according to the characteristics of the familiars.

There were some who didn’t need a table.

‘I guess later, even those who can’t come to the dining hall will join.’

The time it took to build each facility was different. For the dining hall, it was a part that was not related to the dungeon core’s power, so the space changed right away.

In the blink of an eye, the place where bloodstains were splattered turned into a dining hall.

Of course, it was still at a low level, so there were some lacking parts, but it still had the shape of a dining hall.

‘Well, this was just restoring what was already there, so it ended quickly.’

Creak…

Creak…

Lucifer was opening every cabinet and drawer.

Clack…

“The food is well preserved. Oh, here’s some pretty good tea…”

[You have completed the construction of the dining hall and the food storage.]

[If you assign labor to the dining hall and the food storage, you can create more efficient satisfaction than now.]

[Current facility satisfaction: Not bad.]

[Tip: Facilities where familiars gather, such as the dining hall and the food storage, often trigger events that affect intimacy.]

Thud…

Phenex was already sitting at the table, drooling and looking at the kitchen.

She was muttering ‘food… food…’ in his mouth.

The dining hall was perfectly finished, but who would cook?

The answer was decided.

Swoosh…

One of the goblin trio, the slinger, walked into the kitchen as I looked at him.

[A familiar with talent in cooking provides labor to the facility.]

[The satisfaction created by the facility increases by a certain amount.]

The other two goblins took care of the unfinished parts.

For example, cleaning up the corpse of the plague bat that was bleeding to death.

‘It’s amazing.’

It was not common to experience the space transforming with a single gesture.

It felt like I became a creator.

I looked around the dining hall.

I could decorate this place by placing furniture and changing the structure using the housing system, and I could also interact with the monsters and increase intimacy.

‘Come to think of it… intimacy…’

Intimacy was not very important in the short term, but in the long term, it was an element that I had to keep in mind.

‘It affects the performance of the familiars.’

The increase of intimacy itself changed the stats, and it also influenced the category of skills that the familiars could choose later.

Even more, it worked as a condition for unlocking major events.

‘I used my head well, finding one more corner to suck money out of.’

The easiest and most convenient way to manage intimacy was, of course, gifts. In the game, I bought the monsters’ hearts with a huge amount of gifts.

‘I have nothing to do with that method now.’

If there was an easy and convenient way, there was also a difficult and inconvenient way.

Rather than complaining, I should be grateful,

That there was a way.

“Wow! Delicious!”

“…”

The first one to bring the food from the dining hall to his mouth was Phenex.

“This is good! Nari, you eat too!”

“…”

I realized that it had been too long since I had a meal.

‘No, I didn’t even like eating in the first place.’

Ever since my wife Seung-ah left, I tried to get used to eating alone, but it was quite difficult.

So, eating became a kind of survival activity for me.

Thud…

I was given a stew of unknown origin.

“…”

It was really a stew of unknown origin.

There were unknown ingredients in it.

Slurp…

I swallowed it down my throat before I could taste it properly.

…This is not a game.

It could never be something like a game.

I realized that in an instant. It was such a strange and realistic texture and taste.

That’s right.

…This is reality.

I have to eat, sleep, and live here now.

The hunger, a kind of deficiency, quickly evaporated.

The stew that I passed through my stomach filled my empty stomach with emptiness instead of fullness.

“…”

Somehow, I felt sick of spooning more soup and got up.

Thud…

“Does it not suit your taste?”

I answered Lucifer’s question indifferently.

“Not really, I’m not hungry.”

As I turned to leave, someone’s words stopped me.

“Thank you!”

“…”

It was Phenex.

I glanced back and she said.

“Thank you, Nari!”

“…”

“Food! Good! Phenex likes it here! Happy to get delicious food!”

What would be an appropriate answer?

A word that was neither too sweet nor too cold, thinking of Phenex’s future, the most necessary word.

Hmm, that would be good.

“Fill your stomach.”

“…”

“There’s more to do later.”

“…Okay!”

When I left the dining hall, a message popped up.

[The intimacy of the demon of resurrection Phenex towards Faust increases.]

[Current intimacy: ♥♡♡♡♡♡]

…