Chapter 7

The reddish-brown earth. The wind that swept across it stirred up dust and raced fiercely. Green was sparse, barely clinging to the ground here and there, and there was no sign of tall greenery. The sky was covered with thick clouds, and the area where the sun was faintly glowing. The wind was cold, and the biting chill attacked me as it rode the wind.

"The Blood Tears of the Demon King." Indeed, the reddish-brown earth was fitting for the name.

"Brrr, it's so cold. I don't understand why the room inside was at a comfortable temperature, but I'm glad it was."

To live a daily life in such temperatures, heating facilities are essential. But I don't really like overly warm rooms in winter.

"Still, where is the sea? It's nothing but a horizon as far as the eye can see."

If someone told me to walk to the sea, I'd probably burst into tears.

Whoosh!!

"Ahhh!! It's so cold!!"

I can't take this! I need to take refuge indoors for now. I hurriedly rolled into the stairs. As soon as I stepped into the stairwell, it was a different world—neither hot nor cold, just perfectly comfortable. Even as a strong wind blew past in front of me, it didn't reach me at all.

"Really, what's going on here?"

In response to my casual question,

"The inside of the dungeon is a space isolated from the outside world. No external phenomena affect the dungeon."

The answer came abruptly. The voice, which sounded like a female electronic tone, came from my right hand—my smartphone.

"You can talk?"

"Not exactly. This is a function of this device."

Hmm, I don't understand.

"Um, who are you?"

"I am the system created to support the Master, 'Dungeon Creator.'"

The female-like electronic tone seemed to be the system of that app.

"Um... why were you silent until now?"

"I only respond to questions from the Master. Without a question, I cannot provide an answer."

Ah, I see. You're not like a god, speaking to me with will. You're just following the app's program, answering my questions. I thought you might be a spirit or something. Well, it would make sense if there were.

"Ah, then, a question. How far is it from here to the sea? I was told by a god to divide the True Continent and the Demon Continent. But I don't know the geography, and I have no idea what to do. Can you tell me?"

"Yes. The nearest sea is about 2,500 km away."

Oh... 2,500 km? If I traveled at 100 km per hour, it would take 25 hours to get there. Please, spare me... There aren't even any cars here.

"To divide the continents, you can use this 'Dungeon Creator.' If you zoom out on the screen, you can see the surrounding terrain. Then, if you create a dungeon to divide the continents, it should fulfill the Master's wish."

"Zoom out?"

Following the voice, I manipulated the smartphone screen. I made a pinching gesture with my fingers. The square room I had been looking at turned into a square dot. Everything around it was pitch black, and nothing else was visible.

"From 'Custom' and 'Create,' please create a dungeon on the ground. As it is, you can only search for underground spaces."

Hey, I didn't ask a question just now, did I? It felt like there was a nuance of "Of course, are you stupid?"

Following the instructions, I customized the area around the stairs. I might as well make it look like a temple.

"Hurry up."

"Are you definitely speaking with your own will now!?"

Urged by the voice, I saved without much checking. A Greek-style temple appeared before me. On the smartphone screen, the newly created temple on the ground was displayed, with "F1" showing in the lower left corner.

You can use the alphabet.

I was impressed by such a small detail.

"When creating a dungeon on the ground, you can choose to incorporate the original terrain into the dungeon or create a completely new space. This time, since the settings were the same as when creating an underground space, the space was overwritten in the same way."

The smartphone, as if it were natural, started talking about things I hadn't asked about. I wasn't impressed.

"For now, let's expand the dungeon to the sea while keeping the original terrain."

"Is it okay to make it accessible from any location?"

"I'll change it later. First, I need to secure water. I can't even use the toilet."

I zoomed out the map to display the entire "Blood Tears of the Demon King." It seemed to be a long, narrow peninsula connected to the Demon Continent. The coast of the True Continent was also quite close, making this area indeed a dangerous zone. By the way, I don't know if the nearby pole is the South Pole or the North Pole, so I can't determine the direction. The right side is the Demon Continent, and the left side is the True Continent.

The land of "Blood Tears of the Demon King" is mostly flat. There are no rivers. The only thing is a slightly higher mountain on the side of the Demon Continent. It must have been easy to wage war here.

I selected the area to connect the two shores of the peninsula. By the way, I was operating it from "Select" under "Custom" and "Create." After selecting, various operations can be done from "Create." This time, I saved it as is.

However, instead of the familiar confirmation screen, a warning screen appeared.

"Warning!"

There are living beings in the selected space. Do you want to incorporate them alive into the dungeon?

"Exclude" "Preserve"

I was forced to make a rather ominous choice.

"What does this mean?"

This time, I asked properly.

"If there are living beings in the selected space, they will be forced to enter the dungeon when it is created. If you choose 'Exclude,' the living beings will be forcibly transferred outside the dungeon. If you choose 'Preserve,' you will allow their entry, which is not recommended."

"But this dungeon is accessible from anywhere, so isn't it the same in the end?"

"Yes. Even if you exclude them, they will likely re-enter. The same warning screen will appear when you modify the space. You can choose to exclude them at that time. However, please be cautious of the possibility that enemies may enter."

Oh, you're being quite earnest. Is this what they call a tsundere?

"If the Master dies, I will also cease to function."

Oh, just self-preservation.

"Master, please don't die for my sake."

"Great line! If only you hadn't said the unnecessary part before!"

"The Master will probably die easily."

"Scary!"

My spine chilled. Given the cold climate, it's not a tsundere but a tundra. Are you a battlefield maiden?

"Please don't make such silly jokes."

"I didn't say that out loud, did I!?"

What is this guy? He's a bit scary.

"Master, hurry up. You're being too verbose."

"Whose fault is it...?"

I'm done. I'm tired, so I touched 'Preserve.' Finally, the familiar confirmation screen appeared, and I saved.

Sigh.

This smartphone. From now on, I'll call you Smartako.

"Master, I'll get angry?"

"I'm sorry."

You're still scary, this person.

"Or, I'll wake up?"

"What!?"

I'm done with you, kid...