3 Warden is a Kidnapper

When Kelly was brought to a small alley off the main road by a young man, she half expected to be stolen into a human trafficking ring.

At this point, she did not really care.

After thirteen years of life in the Lower City, her outlook on life had soured to an unrecoverable point. From here on, even if she was torn apart from flesh to bone, she would probably just smile and say: "It is what it is."

Even so, she admitted that her current predicament was truly… unexpected.

For one, the boy in front of her.

The boy, introducing himself as Dayna, had a cheery smile and disposition. He was unreasonably handsome, and clean, both of which attracted a lot of attention in the slums.

People like that were either dangerous or would be sold within the next week.

Skipping off into the main road like an utter fool, he has smilingly pitched his wares to the people moping around.

"Something about Dungeons? But it does not seem to be the prison kind, with the way he talked about it. Something more like a game."

Kelly was familiar with games, but not games on the scale of the Upper City.

The Upper City was renowned for its various entertainment venues, including arenas, theatres, and galleries. It was just another one of the great divides present between the Lower City and the Upper City.

So, knowing that the Dungeon was some form of entertainment, she couldn't help but be curious.

She was the only person to have these sentiments, apparently.

Putting aside whether they could afford it, who would be dumb enough to follow a suspicious man off into a dark alley?

Only Kelly, who was resigned to her fate, would risk her life for a quick buck.

"He seems like an idiot."

That was her final verdict when it came to the boy named Dayna.

He wasn't a chatterbox, nor did he deign to elaborate on what his intentions were.

However, he had a vague expression with a puppy-like smile, signaling his mind was off in the clouds somewhere.

Even though he was wearing only common clothes, having a carefree attitude in the Lower City could only mean you were financially secure.

Kelly even wondered whether he was some sheltered son of someone official in the Upper City, determined to make a name for himself.

You'd get those occasionally in the Lower City, but they didn't last long before they were picked clean by the veteran slumdogs.

Kelly's fingers were itching again.

They stopped in front of a fairly-sized store, and Kelly was once again assured of his finances when she saw how well-kept the store was.

Is this boy the owner, or was someone else?

"A lot of things can go wrong from here on out. Oh well."

Kelly just shook her head and became even more determined. Even if this Dayna was the son of a craftsman and called the law enforcement on her, wasn't it just torture and execution?

It could be worse.

"Come inside, and thank you again for agreeing to test the beta. I'm sure it will be worth your while."

Dayna smiled at Kelly and welcomed her inside.

He knew of her thoughts and frankly didn't care. If she was an irredeemable sinner, she would've been on the Hit List. Survival was hard in the Lower City, so he didn't try and fault her on her actions.

He needed someone to enter his Dungeon and start his business officially, and she was close by.

Alternatively, he could seek out a partner on the other side of the river. However, he had no finances of the Fierro Empire, and couldn't provide any evidence to say his business could flourish.

If he tried to pitch his Dungeon to a trade partner without a foundation, they would just cripple his wings with overbearing contracts and terms.

He needed to be at least somewhat secure before he could find a partner or investor.

After purchasing some level one spells from the System Shop for 10P each, he was assured that Kelly wouldn't be able to pull anything over him.

"So, where is the product you're selling?"

Kelly was starting to get slightly nervous, seeing the empty shelves. It seemed the store was barren.

She only hoped Dayna could really pass her the product to test, and she could use her familiarity with the Lower City to lose him.

Then she could pawn it off.

"It's not a product as much as it's a service. However, if you perform well, you can buy things."

Dayna stepped behind the counter and brought out a small snowglobe. Inside was a terrain that looked quite a bit like the slums around them.

Kelly found it quite beautiful.

It had an almost insane amount of detail, to the point where even a thin layer of overcast clouds hung around the ceiling of the globe.

"It must be from the other side of the river. I wonder how much it'll sell for?"

However, before she could walk up to the counter, Dayna held up a hand and gave her a very slight smile.

Now was the critical moment. He had spent all of last night designing the Slum Dungeon. It was actually quite a wonder how far a thousand points could go.

However, he needed more points if he wanted to improve the Slum Dungeon.

So far, he only had some hastily done monsters and plot and didn't even have any NPC's. He just had the System to guide the Player through the storyline.

However, what he had been able to do was buy an expensive [Tome of Magic Current Theory] and [Tome of Spellcraft Theory], and use them to design what could be called a beta version of classes and skills.

Now, he needed points to supplement the big zero he had on his Interface.

This customer was important, and he wasn't willing to lose her. She came with no attachments that could obstruct his progress, and couldn't cause any harm to his sales even if he let her go.

Even if somehow managed to invoke the ancient talent of transmigrators, and offend her, she couldn't do anything about it.

"You intend to steal this, right?"

Kelly stiffened, and her gaunt frame shivered a little. Looking at Dayna now, he was not the same ditzy fool. Sure, he still had his whimsical energy, and his eyes had a playful mischief. However, he seemed a bit colder.

He knew along, so why didn't he say anything before?

Kelly felt a sudden urge to make a dash for it, but then realized that Dayna hadn't made any move on her yet. If he knew he was a thief, what was he waiting for?

Dayna, from behind the counter, gave Kelly a once over.

She was a young girl with a thin frame and bushy black locks. Maybe, in a different timeline, she could've been beautiful, but now she was just a broken soul.

He didn't pity her, but he found value in her.

"You told me earlier your name is Kelly? Don't worry, I won't rat you out. In fact, I still very much need someone to test my service. The things you can gain from cooperating with me are much more than if you try and steal it."

Dayna pulled out a cloth, and began to polish the snowglobe.

All the while, he observed Kelly. Seeing she wasn't making a move to run, he decided it was safe to go ahead with the next part of his sales pitch.

"You see, this is a magic artefact, one of my master's design."

Kelly sucked in a deep breath, and her eyes widened.

"A magic artefact?"

She blurted out before she could stop herself.

She bit down on her tongue soon afterwards, but the way she viewed the situation flipped.

Stealing from a mage wasn't something one just does. To create a magic artefact, you have to have at least some knowledge of magic currents. 90% of artificers were also mages.

Then, Dayna was a mage?

Or, maybe not him, but this master he mentioned.

"That's right, take the bait."

As for Dayna, he was quite happy. Why draw too much attention to himself? Just pass it off as a mysterious master and all would be well in the world.

For fear of this mystery master, the trade associations would be much more careful when dealing with him, and the average citizen would find his wares much more believable.

After all, even he understood it was a stretch for a teenage boy to create a space-time artefact.

Of course, he had every intention of claiming his own creations. However, that didn't have to be in Vance. He was just starting out, and it wasn't good to risk his livelihood for quick paybacks.

The Dungeon Office doesn't have a fixed location, so, in the future, he could open new branches in other locations using his own name.

"Ah, I'm so smart."

Kelly had a conflicted expression, but eventually she opened her mouth.

"What do you need me to do?"

"You see, my master is looking to sell these globes in the Upper City. However, he needs to make sure they function correctly and won't malfunction. That's where you come in."

Kelly's eyelid twitched.

If you're going to say I'm a lab rat, just do it directly, okay?

"As for what you get in return…"

Dayna put away the cloth, and leaned on his palm with a smug expression.

"My master is well aware of the risks that come with testing his product. Though you shouldn't be able to die inside, and won't retain any damage when you exit, you'll be capable of feeling pain. As such, we are willing to compensate you. If you agree, I can help you to learn magic."

Dayna looked at Kelly carefully, and watched the subtle shift in her expression.

In her mind, she was weighing up the options, but in her heart she had already decided.

She had already come to this place willing to die, so why not try and get some benefits out of it? Sure, there was a risk, but she had done plenty of dangerous activities in the Lower City to the point she was numb to the threat of danger.

As for Dayna being a liar, and Kelly stumbling into his trap? Yes, it was a possibility. But what if what he was saying was true?

For the sake of her future, that 'what if' was the most important.

Though her intuition wasn't foolproof, and Kelly would never claim it to be, Dayna didn't seem to be lying. Nor did he have any reason to lie.

Someone in possession of an artefact had no reason to lie to a street rat, unless they got a sadistic pleasure from fooling the helpless.

Sadistic and her image of Dayna certainly didn't line up.

"Can I really learn magic?"

Still, Kelly was doubtful. Magic was something studied from an early age. She barely knew her letters.

It seemed a bit too good to be true, but she continued to hold onto that 'what if'.

If she died today, then so be it. But she had to take the chance. The chance that one year from now, she would have freedom and a life outside the Lower City.

She had to stake all her chips on this one bet.

"All you have to do is put your hand on it."

Dayna gestured to the snowglobe.

Kelly cautiously walked up towards the ball, and placed one of her bony fingers on its case.

[Would you like to enter the Slum Dungeon?]

Kelly whipped her hand away.

"Don't be surprised. It's just a telepathic spell imbued into it, something like a pre-programmed helper. Um, how do I explain it?"

"It's fine. I was just a bit shocked."

She put her hand back on the globe, and this time accepted the request.

[First time Player recognized. Creating a Player Interface.]

[Entering the Dungeon.]

Kelly disappeared from the room, and Dayna gave a slight quirk of his eyebrows.

"Well, it's functioning just like I thought it would. I still have to work out the processes for multiple people entering the same Dungeon. Until then, it'll have to be a solo run."

Moreover, the snowglobe was just a stand-in design while he didn't have the points to refurbish the shop.

Once Kelly got better at running the Dungeon, hopefully she'd torture the prisoner more proficiently. Dayna would then use the points to make his store a bit more appealing to the eyes.

"I need to do more on the loot and rewards front as well. There's still so much to do."

Dayna walked to the front of the store, and flipped the sign to closed. He then sat down at the counter.

"System, bring up the Interface."

[Host: Dayna

Level: One

Points: 0

Prisoners: 1

Cells: 1

Functions: Hit List, Create Dungeon, Scan Template, Create Monster, Create NPC, Create Loot, Create Class, Create Skill]

"Well, I suppose I should spend this time scouting my next hit request."