My Harem of Dangerous and Crazy Women as a Reincarnated Necromancer-Chapter 30: Being a Dungeon Master Is Harder Than It Looks

Chapter 30: Being a Dungeon Master Is Harder Than It Looks

The door closed with a heavy thud.

And Mark was left alone again with Yuki, Ely, and Aria.

For a moment, absolute silence filled the throne room.

Mark could feel the tension in the air.

’Oh no. Here it comes.’

Then Ely spoke.

"Master..." she said in a firm, serious voice, taking a step forward. "Permission to execute an undisciplined subordinate."

Mark blinked.

’What?’

Obviously, Ely was referring to Cali.

And surprisingly, Aria backed her up immediately, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, Master," Aria said in a serious tone, her eyes burning with determination. "We need to establish order, or everyone will take advantage of you and lose respect for you. That demon was completely out of line."

Mark had to make a superhuman effort not to audibly sigh.

’This has nothing to do with discipline or respect... they’re just jealous.’

It was so obvious it was almost funny.

"That won’t be necessary," Mark replied calmly, keeping his authoritative tone. "I can handle the situation."

"But Master—" Ely began, taking another step toward the throne.

"No," Mark cut her off firmly, raising a hand.

Ely stopped dead, clearly surprised by his tone.

Ely and Aria exchanged glances, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

Aria clenched her fists at her sides.

"Master, please reconsider—" Aria tried again, her voice almost pleading. "That woman clearly has no respect for your position... if we let her get away with it, the other subordinates will think they can do the same."

"I said no," Mark repeated, his tone making it clear there was no room for debate. "Cali is not a threat. And I’m not going to execute a subordinate just because she said something inappropriate."

Ely pressed her lips together, clearly frustrated, but finally nodded.

"As you command, Master," she said, though her voice sounded strained.

Aria did the same, though her expression showed obvious displeasure.

"Understood, Master," she murmured.

What surprised Mark was that Yuki didn’t take their side.

She simply stayed leaning against one side of the throne, watching the exchange in silence with a neutral, almost bored expression.

’Interesting — Yuki doesn’t seem jealous... or at least not enough to ask for Cali’s execution. Maybe because she’s more reserved. Or maybe she just doesn’t care that much.’

Mark mentally filed that away.

Vorax, who had remained silent on the armrest of the throne, finally spoke.

"Master," he said in his calm, viscous voice. "Shall I continue with the topic of the dungeon’s restructuring?"

Mark nodded, grateful for the change of subject.

"Yes, thank you, Vorax."

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter on the throne.

"Now, there’s something important I need to discuss with all of you," he said, looking at the three women.

All three gave him their immediate attention, the previous argument apparently forgotten.

"While I do plan to remodel the dungeon," Mark began, choosing his words carefully, "I have no interest in making it obvious."

Ely frowned slightly, confused.

"What do you mean, Master?"

Mark leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Think about it," he said. "If I alter the dungeon too much — say, completely restructure the first few floors, add massive traps, or make drastic changes — and some adventurer notices, what do you think will happen?"

Aria blinked, thinking it through. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"They’d report it to the guild," she said slowly.

"Exactly," Mark nodded. "And if the guild receives reports that the dungeon is showing significant changes, that will raise red flags."

Ely crossed her arms, beginning to understand.

"Which translates into greater scrutiny of the dungeon," she finished.

"Correct," Mark confirmed. "And that is not something I want — especially right now, when I’ve barely settled in here."

He leaned back in the throne again, looking up at the ceiling decorated with black crystal stalactites.

"If the guild decides this dungeon is a growing threat," Mark continued, "they could send Rank S or even Rank SSS teams to investigate... or worse, they could try to seal the dungeon entirely."

Aria went slightly pale.

"That would be... problematic."

"Very problematic," Mark confirmed.

Yuki finally spoke from her position beside the throne.

"So what do you propose, Master?" she asked in her soft, even voice.

Mark looked at her.

"That’s why, while I want you to handle the defense and elimination of any and all intruders in the dungeon," Mark said, looking at each of them in turn, "it’s also necessary to let some of them walk out alive."

Ely opened her mouth, clearly about to protest, but Mark raised a hand and stopped her before she could speak.

"Let me explain," he said firmly.

Ely closed her mouth, though her expression showed disagreement.

"If absolutely every single adventurer who enters suddenly vanishes without a trace," Mark explained, "that would also be very conspicuous."

Mark leaned back in the throne, crossing one leg over the other.

"While the dungeon is known to be Rank S," he continued, "there are plenty of adventurers who enter just to test how difficult it is and see how far down they can survive. Many of them only poke around the first floor, maybe the second, and then turn back."

Aria nodded slowly, starting to understand.

"And if these adventurers — who are only exploring the surface levels — were to die," Mark concluded, "that would also bring unwanted attention. The guild would start wondering why the dungeon suddenly became lethal even on the upper floors."

Vorax made a sound of approval.

"Sound reasoning, Master," the slime said.

The three women went quiet for a moment, clearly processing what Mark had just said.

Ely was the first to speak.

"I understand your reasoning perfectly, Master," she said slowly, her tone calmer now. "And I agree."

Mark nodded, satisfied.

’Good. At least they get it. I don’t want to have to explain this again.’

But then Ely continued, and her expression grew more serious.

"However," she said, stepping forward, "if you plan to make this place your home, the lower floors — ten, nine, and eight — should be completely restructured."

Mark raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Why?"

Ely crossed her arms, her expression turning more thoughtful.

"Because practically no one who has reached that point has ever made it back out," Ely explained. "According to the records I found in the journals of dead adventurers, only a handful of Rank A teams and one Rank S team have ever reached the bottom of this dungeon."

Mark sat up straighter, paying closer attention.

"That means," Ely continued, "that you can completely remodel those floors and overhaul the entire structure without anyone noticing. Because anyone who makes it that far is not going to come back out alive to report it."

Aria nodded in agreement, also stepping forward.

"It makes sense, Master," she said. "If someone reaches that point, it means they’re strong enough to be a real threat. And if they keep advancing, there’s a strong chance they’ll try to break into your room on the tenth floor."

Ely took another step forward, her expression turning protective.

"And the three of us agree that is unacceptable," she said firmly, her voice almost fierce. "No one should ever be able to reach you, Master... no one."

Aria nodded in agreement.

"Which is why we’d rather intercept any intruder who has made it far enough — starting from the eighth floor — so they can never set foot on floors nine and ten."

Yuki finally spoke from her position beside the throne, her voice quiet but firm.

"I agree with Ely," she said simply. "The lower floors must be impenetrable. That is the only way to guarantee your safety, Master."

Mark went quiet for a moment, processing what they had just said.

’Hmm... they’re right. If someone makes it to the lower floors, that means they’re strong enough to be a genuine threat. And if they reach my room after getting past all three of them... well, that’s definitely the end of me.’

Mark turned the whole thing over in his mind.

He could turn the eighth floor into a deadly maze.

The ninth into a field of magical traps.

And the tenth was where he would be.

Finally, Mark nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said. "Floors eight, nine, and ten will be completely restructured. I want anyone who makes it that far to regret ever setting foot in here."

Ely smiled, clearly satisfied with his decision.

"Thank you, Master. You won’t regret it."

Aria smiled too, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.

"We’ll make those floors impenetrable... No one will ever reach you."

Yuki simply nodded, her expression neutral but approving.

Vorax made a sound of approval from the armrest.

"A wise decision, Master."

Mark sighed, leaning back in his throne and rubbing his temples.

’Being a dungeon master is genuinely exhausting...’