She checked her status panel.
【Level】: Lv6
【HP】: 77 (66+11)
【Strength】: 21 (17+4)
【Agility】: 29 (23+6)
【Magic】: 85 (77+8)
【Skills】: Light Magic Lv3, Court Etiquette Lv6, Swordsmanship Lv10
【Innate Skills】: Royal Majesty, Mana Perception
By the dining table, Su Yao stared blankly after pulling up her panel.
Through the second 【Binding Card】, she had gained Sofia’s Swordsmanship and Mana Perception, and her stats had improved significantly.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t obtained Sofia’s “Unyielding” skill, but since she rarely fought, it wasn’t much of an issue.
Besides, Swordsmanship at level ten was more than enough for self-defense, though her Strength was too low to fully unleash the skill’s potential.
Come to think of it, the reason her senses felt much sharper than before was probably due to the “Mana Perception” skill; until recently, she had thought it was just from a good night’s sleep.
According to Chlor, she had been unconscious for five whole days, but from the panel, there were no Negative Buffs on her.
If anything, due to binding with Sofia, she had unexpectedly leveled up.
In any case, she still didn’t understand the cost of resurrecting Sofia.
No wonder the chestnut-haired maid was so emotional—she had almost drowned in Chlor’s arms earlier. Honestly, she was overreacting; five days was nothing.
Could it be? Did she like her?
The classic misconception of a virgin appeared! She wasn’t that childish…
“Su Yao, why aren’t you eating?”
During these days, Chlor, Doro, and Doli had survived only because Sofia hunted for food.
Although everyone understood, Su Yao still felt a bit guilty about making them “go into wilderness survival mode.”
So, to make it up to them and welcome the new companions, she spent 1,000 DP today to open ten DP Chest Food Blind Boxes.
After all, aside from the costs to keep the Torches lit over five days, she had little other expenditure and a surplus of DP.
At first, except for Chlor, the other three were a bit reserved, but that changed as soon as they tasted the food.
Compared to the three who couldn’t stop eating, Chlor clearly paid more attention to Su Yao, who, despite the feast before her, hadn’t touched those two strange sticks in her hands.
“I’m fine. Just eat. I don’t really need food.”
Though she was tempted, she was content with tasting a little of the feast.
After gaining “Mana Perception,” she found that as long as she was in the Dungeon, the magic radiated by all living creatures and monsters would slowly “flow” into her body.
That was probably why she didn’t feel hungry.
“By the way, Miss Su Yao, I noticed while hunting that more people are coming near the Dungeon lately, but they all stop at a relatively distant point. So far, no one has gotten close.”
Sofia reported her observation while eating.
After briefly mistaking the blonde little girl for a princess, she had found the chestnut-haired maid hiding in a corner spying on them, holding Su Yao in her arms.
In just a few minutes, Chlor’s emotions had been on a rollercoaster.
First shock and confusion, then disbelief and amazement, followed by joy and excitement upon reuniting with Sofia, and finally, gratitude and a warm, indescribable feeling when looking at the blonde girl in her arms.
Of course, as Su Yao’s time bedridden grew longer, Chlor’s worries and fears became more frequent—that was a story for later.
Chlor told Sofia everything that had happened during that time, and the white-haired, red-eyed girl was only surprised briefly before accepting it all.
From then on, as a knight, she had another person (or monster) to protect.
And, naturally, the Dungeon that served as their shelter was also one of the places she must guard.
Su Yao pondered Sofia’s report, resting her chin on her hand.
More than half a month had passed since the soldiers chasing Chlor fled, and it was inevitable that the Black Dragon’s Lair’s reputation couldn’t suppress people’s curiosity forever.
Fortunately, preparations were mostly complete.
After expanding the Dungeon twice, she planned to generate a Maze and set up some traps and mechanisms.
Though she was averse to killing, since she had chosen to venture into the Dungeon, there had to be some “risk.”
Her only option was to control the difficulty as much as possible.
After all, if the dungeon was too difficult, fewer adventurers would come.
As long as it was designed reasonably, the Maze could trap those attempting to clear the Dungeon inside for two to three days.
Whether they starved or couldn’t escape wasn’t her concern.
She was the Dungeon Core and Castle Lord, not their guardian.
The current problem was setting rewards for those coming to explore the Dungeon.
Just like in games, it was always the treasure chests that motivated players to explore the vast world.
Also, having only Slimes inside the Dungeon was an issue.
She needed to add more Monster Refresh Points.
The overworld couldn’t have only Slimes; even if this was a Dungeon, the principle was the same.
More monster types would mean more material drops, which could attract enough adventurers to this Dungeon.
Plus, the DP income would increase!
“You three enjoy your meal. I’m going to arrange the Dungeon layout and also set up living quarters for Sofia and the Doro-Doli sisters.”
Leaving that sentence behind, Su Yao left the room excitedly and headed to the large magical spring at the Dungeon’s center.
Originally, it took only a few minutes to walk from the deepest rooms to the center, but now it had taken her over half an hour.
The expansions were too well done—it was a headache.
A rough estimate, factoring in the little girls’ stride, suggested that the two expansions had increased the Dungeon’s size about fifteen times.
This size rivaled any large stadium she knew of.
Opening the DP Shop, she browsed the items and checked her balance—just under 4,000 DP.
“Sigh.”
Su Yao let out a soft breath, as if her earlier enthusiasm had been doused with cold water.
To help Sofia, she had run out of gold coins.
It seemed no matter what world she was in, achieving financial freedom was always a distant dream.
After spending 400 DP to buy two ordinary rooms, Su Yao arranged the new rooms and all the magical springs near the Dungeon Entrance.
Being lazy, she wanted convenience for entry and exit.
Besides the Torches used for indoor lighting, she reclaimed all remaining items in the Dungeon.
She planned to move all the furniture from the deep Dungeon rooms into these two new rooms.
As for lighting inside the Dungeon, since no one would go there, whoever entered could bring their own Torches.
She still had 3,500 DP left.
Stone pillars cost 50 DP each, but their resale value was only a tenth of the purchase price—she had to admit, this system’s shop was truly a rip-off.
The initial Maze cost 1,000 DP, though such a Maze alone wouldn’t be enough to trap people.
As for her ideal Maze…
Looking at the astronomical prices in the DP Shop, it seemed she’d have to find the generous Hilvi again to exchange some gold coins.