Who Designed This Underworld Dungeon?

Wild had never thought that, having lived to this day, he could still learn something new.

The man named Sakaki, commanding a Monster that resembled a Beedrill, its forelimbs sporting two huge spikes, toyed with his Pikachu with ease.

After a brief adventure with Pikachu, he considered himself to have developed a tacit understanding with it, becoming perfect partners. When he commanded Pikachu in battle, they were perfectly in sync, aiming precisely and always triumphing.

But Sakaki... that man shattered his confidence.

[Beedrill used Guard!]

[Pikachu used Iron Tail, but the attack was blocked!]

[Beedrill used Poison Diamond! The field was scattered with Poison Diamond, poisoning Pikachu!]

[Beedrill used High-Speed Movement! It became nimbler!]

[Pikachu used 100,000 Volts! It missed Beedrill!]

Sakaki seemed to possess foresight, accurately predicting every move Pikachu would make!

Furthermore, it was as if he was showing off. Every time he directed Beedrill to use a move, he would shout it out loud, as though afraid others wouldn't know what was coming next.

Despite all this, Pikachu still could not win.

[Beedrill used Spit Silk, binding Pikachu!]

[Beedrill used Poison Liquid Impact! Pikachu could not get up again!]

"Pikachu!"

Wild ran over in a panic, cradling the unconscious Pikachu in his arms, feeling utterly helpless.

This was the moment to heal Pikachu, but he didn't know Healing Magic and had run out of Healing Potions earlier.

He had never felt so powerless.

"Use this," said Gong Qiying, who had appeared beside him without notice, tossing a strangely shaped little bottle to him.

"...What is this?"

"It's a Potion, just spray it on the wounded Pokemon like this," he sprayed it onto Pikachu, and after a short moment, Pikachu began to wake up, "See, it's recovered,"

Wild said nothing, just held Pikachu tightly in his arms, then after a moment, he said:

"Thank you."

Although Gong Qiying had injured Pikachu, he also threw a strange healing item, leaving Wild puzzled about what the man was really after.

However, one thing was clear to him – Gong Qiying had certainly held back. The commanding skill he demonstrated was unparalleled, and Beedrill's strength was indeed terrifying.

No matter how angry Wild was, he wasn't foolish enough to confront Gong Qiying. Nobles value making a wide array of friends, especially for the Bed Family who depended on commerce to thrive. His former arrogance was merely because he hadn't met anyone worth respecting, coupled with being spoiled.

But there was one thing he absolutely had to complain about, no matter what -

Your Beedrill is strong, sure, but what does it have to do with a Green-haired Worm!

Are you implying there are no weak bugs, only weak Trainers? And what kind of elite is a Trainer, sounds similar to a Beast Tamer.

No matter how well I train Monsters, I can't possibly win with a Green-haired Worm against Beedrill!

It seems this isn't just some brainless guy, Gong Qiying thought to himself, nodding as he said, "I don't know why Pikachu chose you, but as a Trainer, you still need to work harder. Otherwise, you won't be able to bring out a Pokemon's potential,"

"I've had my fill of battling. Let's meet again someday."

Gong Qiying waved his hand, recalling Beedrill into an Elf Ball, then turned to leave.

"Wait, please wait a moment!"

Wild hurriedly called out to him and asked, "Please... you seem to understand Monsters like Pikachu very well. Could you explain what Pokemon are, what a Trainer is? Why do these Monsters understand Humanity?"

"That's too many questions,"

Gong Qiying feigned impatience and fiddled with his ear.

"I will give you a reward! Can you come to the Bed Family's estate for a chat after you leave the Dungeon?"

Wild guessed the time, it was probably about the time the Dungeon was about to close, so he made the invitation.

"I'll pass on visiting your estate. I don't have time to run around,"

Gong Qiying also noticed the time and said with a slight smile: "It's getting late. If you want to know more about Pikachu, come here next time to find me. I'm always here. If you want to see me, let Pikachu use its electricity attack,"

"Okay, okay..."

As Wild agreed, a loud and melodious toll of bells rang out, and his vision suddenly blurred, his body felt like it was spinning, and when he opened his eyes again, he had been ejected from the Dungeon.

"Ah, I'm out alive..."

He pinched his face, feeling it was still somewhat unreal.

But the touch of the Pikachu in his arms was incredibly real.

"Hey hey hey, really brought it out!?"

----------------

Gong Qiying returned to his Animated Corpse appearance, placing the Elf Ball containing Beedrill on the table.

After the recent events, he had come to a conclusion—

Blowing up fish is truly exhilarating.

Gong Qiying, oh Gong Qiying, how have you fallen so low, bullying even newcomers, can you still consider yourself a noble person?

Hehehe, that's just who I am!

Gong Qiying figured it out, blowing up fish for a moment is fun, doing it continuously is always fun. He had already piqued Wild's curiosity; there was no fear that he wouldn't return.

Once Wild spreads the word, there will probably be many people interested in Pokemon, creatures that understand humanity, flooding into Sain Dungeon. Then there would be another surge in foot traffic.

Speaking of foot traffic, today's spiritual power was a little less than yesterday's.

Adventurers lacking in strength dared not set foot here again, and the miners were also unwilling to come in and meet their demise; it seems they'll need a raise to continue working.

Gong Qiying had figured out what these miners were here for; it turned out to be for a kind of ore called "Blood Essence."

This ore is a special product of Sain Dungeon, but it cannot be converted into spiritual power for secondary use. Even if he changed the terrain, he still needed to find a place to dispose of these ores.

Originally, placing them in the lower mining tunnels was simply because there was nowhere else to put them, never expecting people to come specifically for them.

So tonight's work would need to be re-planned around the distribution of Blood Essence Ore. They can't just stuff it all in the lower level anymore and have to leave some for the upper areas to attract miners.

Besides, the various setups throughout the Dungeon needed to be refined. Gong Qiying had his eye on several novel gadgets, and coincidentally, today's spiritual power income was just enough.

To be honest, despite the considerable income every day, after deducting the maintenance costs of the Dungeon and tweaking a bit here and there, summoning a few new Monsters, it would be a revelation to see—

Where did all my spiritual power go, how come it's all spent???

He urgently needed more people, more people to die here!

"Hope the arrangements made in the past few days will be effective,"

Weapons with inherent Combat Skills, new types of Monsters, a frequently mutating Dungeon, once these topics start to spread, surely there will be enthusiasts coming to explore.

Late at night, in Bed City, a dark alleyway.

"Old Jack, Old Jack, I finally caught you,"

Facing the encirclement of several muscular men, Jack was finally cornered in a dead end.

And the person who came was the last one he wanted to see—Sekman!

"G-good evening, have you eaten?"

Jack said nervously with an awkward smile.