2 Warden Is A Schemer

Dayna took off his boots and placed them roughly by the doorway. Walking back to the store the System had gifted him was a hassle, but it was easier to walk from the Upper City to the Lower City than vice-versa.

It was just a standard store in the Lower City of Vance. Dayna's hit request was in the Upper City, separated by the river.

His hit had been in the Shopping District. Unfortunately, he was a bit preoccupied and didn't have the time to sight-see.

The Upper City was a great deal nicer than the Lower City.

Though Dayna's Dungeon Office could only be a run of the mill housing in the Upper City, it was a high tier residency in the Lower City, and would be the subject of envy.

"Looks like even the System is helpless against the price of real-estate."

Dayna's store would be on the lowest floor and could be accessed off the main street.

As for Dayna's living quarters, they were upstairs.

The store was made from a mix of wood, concrete and fired bricks. In fact, most of Vance was made of these three materials.

For now, the store had only the bare minimum, including a counter and some shelves. Dayna could purchase better furniture, layouts and décor from the Interface.

"System, you told me before that I could unlock certain features once I reach level one?"

Really, the only reason Dayna procrastinated his hit request for so long was to give himself time to prepare.

"And the System had the audacity to tell me that guy was the weakest on the Hit List. Tell me, if I went in blindly, would I have made it past ten minutes?"

Familiarizing himself with Alterra was a good move, or else he wouldn't have been able to understand any of the principles of magic cultivation.

In Rome, do as the Romans do.

"Though it was a shame I didn't have any points to buy spells from the System, that won't be a problem now."

For his next hit request, he could be a bit more flexible.

Rather than the hit requests, Dungeon making was obviously the function Dayna was most looking forward to. His own creative muscles were waiting to be stretched, and just thinking about it wiped away most of his fatigue.

He was a spicy chicken at Maths and Literacy, but in design, he was a high-flier.

Whether it was visual arts, architecture, industrial design or IT, Dayna was the apple of his teacher's eyes. They were the only subjects where he could maintain his passion and motivation for long enough to produce a final result.

[Host has performed well and met the basic requirements to continue System possession. Over your service, the System will continue to provide milestones to be met. Of course, failure to meet these milestones will have consequences. Success will merit a promotion.]

[Host has reached Level One, and has unlocked the Ley Globe.]

"What's a Ley Globe?"

[Host remembers the magic system of the Alterra world?"

"Yep. The environment flows with magic currents, and mages can manipulate these magic currents into certain patterns. These patterns then bend reality. This process is termed spellcraft. The more complex the pattern, the higher the spell's level is deemed to be."

That was the simplest definition of magic, though Dayna was sure it was a great deal more complicated.

For him, the aim wasn't to become a mage. Becoming a mage was just the means to an end to achieve his own personal goal – the development of the Dungeon store.

So, he would leave the theory of spellcraft mostly to the System.

[Correct. Then, leys are places where large flows of magic currents intersect. High-level mages can use spells to travel along these magic currents. The System can replicate this spell in a more efficient manner.]

"So powerful? Then what do you even need me for? Just pluck whatever sinner you like from the streets."

[The details of the System-Host relationship is more complex than that. The best way to think of it, for now, is that the System requires a medium to act through. The System is prevented from directly targeting sinners.]

"So it turns out I really am just the garbage collector for the System?"

Dayna formed some conjectures on why imprisoning the sinners was so important to the Dungeon Warden System. He found it hard to believe it was out of the System's goodwill as a beneficiary of society.

He was more inclined to believe the Dungeon used prisoners as power source, and the Points Dayna received was merely a portion of the income.

Just like a business, the employer would take a large portion to reinject into the progress of the company, then divvy out a share to their workers.

Dayna put aside his thoughts about the System for now.

"So the Ley Globe is a map of these magic currents?"

[Yes. The world of Alterra has thirty-two continents and numerous archipelagos.]

[To create a dungeon, having the raw materials isn't enough. You have to be able to construct the dungeon itself. With the System's aid, Host can trace a small portion of the environment and use it as a template for a Dungeon. The host can then edit this template as they please.]

Dayna mulled over it for a while, and found it made sense. Even 3D design programs had certain shapes, lines and tools you could use to aid in your design. The template would serve as a starting platform, and how much you choose to deviate from it was your choice.

Moreover, the Dungeon creation process would cost points. Using a template could minimize mistakes as Dayna got used to the System's workshop.

Naturally, Dayna's goal was to produce the best quality of interesting Dungeons he could, and share his product with the world.

It was his nature and his pleasure as a creator.

"Then the Ley Globe will allow me to find new and versatile references?"

Dayna licked his lips at the thought.

Travel and new horizons were appealing concepts to him. To be able to see and explore this fantasy world with his own eyes, what more could he want?

A fantasy world was leagues apart from his previous mundane world. Other than being able to indulge in game design, art, and other forms of manufacturing, Dayna found Earth to be all kinds of boring.

What exactly would a fantasy world have in store for him?

So many wonders of the world were at his fingertips, and he had a severe case of terminal completionism.

"In this life, I'll make sure to do it all."

[Theoretically, yes. However, it works based on the Host's magic prowess. At your current level, you can only travel freely within the city borders.]

So, he needed to increase his magic level?

His magic level was equivalent to the system level, so it was a poorly disguised reminder from the System to imprison as many sinners as he could.

"Since I can't travel outside the city walls, can I instead utilize the city environment?"

Vance City was a coastal trade centre built on the rocky peninsula. So far, Dayna had spotted the most similarities with Ancient Rome of his previous world. It had a dedicated sewerage System and some more fleshed out magic technologies.

In fact, while the mentality and engineering of the world sat safely around the Middle Ages time period, many modern-era technologies were able to be substituted using magic materials and 'artifacts'.

Vance itself was divided across a river into the Lower City and Upper City, which also represented the wealth divide.

While the Upper City had a thriving economy, the Lower City was a playground for crime.

The Lower City mainly housed the freed slaves, labourers and uneducated. In order to escape this downward spiral, some of the fairer or more robust would sell themselves into various forms of servitude.

Beggars and thieves were a common sight.

"This is obviously a problem since I don't have a security system. I mean, who asked the System to put the Dungeon Office in the Lower City?"

Though he knew Dungeons weren't something you could simply steal, even the thought of would-be thieves was an annoyance to Dayna.

How could he do business if he spent his working hours swatting away flies?

[There's a higher concentration of sinners in the Lower City. System has only made it more convenient for the host.]

Dayna sighed, and weighed his current situation.

On one hand, having a store in the Lower City could help him quickly progress his System level, but he would have to charge dirt cheap prices if he wanted to attract consistent customers.

Moreover, goods attract greed. He'd have to regularly suppress any sticky-fingered slum residents hoping for a quick buck. Thankfully, it seemed some sort of automatic protection was available at level two.

"Actually, then, why not make a Dungeon based on the slums?"

Dayna stirred a pot of System brand coffee and slowly sipped it.

Sitting down at the table in his living room, he pulled out a sketchbook and began jotting some notes and sketch designs.

The sketchbook already had a few pages of notes regarding the direction he'd want to take the Dungeon store.

"I already know I want to make a variety of dungeons, and dungeons need to attract customers. Skilled customers are best, since they can clear the dungeon and farm me some points at the same time. But I don't have many skilled customers available, so I'll have to train my own."

In gaming terms, most of the people in Vance were noobs. The highest level sinner he had seen in the hit list was level three. Though it was far beyond his current ability, it wasn't even close to the upper limit of Alterra.

Around 70% of citizens were untrained in magic, and the few that were only knew the occasional spell.

That wasn't to say they couldn't be a threat in the Dungeon. After all, even your average Tim and Joe could do some damage with a sharp knife. However, magic was able to multiply anyone's effectiveness in combat.

Vance focused more on the manufacturing of artifacts than the need for combat. To them, things like magic beast furs and meats could be traded for, why go out and hunt themselves?

For the right price, humans would be willing to do anything. Dayna was a prime example.

To the higher class in Vance not for the fact that practicing magic to improve your health and lifespan, most wouldn't feel the need to train.

It was all these factors that led to Vance becoming one of the only major cities in the Fierro Empire without a Magic Academy or dedicated Mage Circles.

The only conflict Vance had was between the trading groups, commercial alliances, and various companies, as opposed to sects and the like.

Its brand of warfare had nothing to do with magic.

"From a certain perspective, Vance's lack of involvement in combat magic gives me a great deal of room to develop. I won't have many competitors in the market."

He could monopolize on the absence of combat magic.

Using customers, he could farm points and develop his business. By developing his business, he'd be able to protect himself against any threats. In the future, when he inevitably went up against high level challengers, he'd have enough a of a foundation to protect himself.

If he was anywhere else, people would question his non-traditional means of magic level improvement, and it would only stir up enemies like a hive of bees.

By focusing on magic level improvement, he wasn't intruding on any of the markets of influential people in Vance, so they'd have no reason to hinder him.

In a way, Vance was the perfect starting ground for Dayna.

To become successful, one had to understand customer mentality. In the world of Alterra, magic level may not be everything, but it was pretty damn close.

Wealth, power and longevity – it all depended upon how high your magic level was.

Only in Vance, where the focus shifted from individual power to individual craftsmanship was this dynamic changed.

Otherwise, self-improvement means everything to the people of Alterra.

Just because Vance focused more on craft professions doesn't mean they don't understand the long-term benefits of magic. They would even welcome it.

With higher magic levels, they could scout out new sources of income and secure goods more easily, as well as work with higher level magic materials. That wasn't even mentioning the health benefits.

By making magic education into a fun and intriguing matter like Dungeons, he could present himself as a better alternative to the complicated and time-intensive Magic Academies.

"If I can satiate the desires of my consumer base, they will be more than willing to supplement my own needs."

People in the slums were tied down by their own birth and status. Knowledge is a crucial element of magic prowess, and slum residents had access to none of it.

All educational facilities were on the other side of the river, the Upper City, and the guards at the Vance bridge would prevent people of a low socioeconomic from passing over using a toll.

Swim across the river?

Don't even think about it. Other than special trade and fishing vessels with warding enchantments, most people would find themselves the snack of an aquatic sea creature.

This kind of sight – having everything you want just beyond your reach, yet ultimately unattainable, was enough to drive the slum residents mad.

Some would even choose to sell themselves into gladiator rings. That, or brave the Vance Forest as part of a mercenary troop, looking for magic beasts and magic plants.

The dream was to become an artisan's apprentice, but even if you had the talent, how was that possible without exposure to the Upper City?

"By providing a Dungeon with the means to hone their skills and knowledge at a price, I can solidify my place in the Vance City economy."

Probably only Dayna could afford this act of advocating low prices, since he had no production cost.

Magic materials, materials naturally possessing magic currents, were the main craft medium in the Upper City. However, these tools and items were ridiculously expensive, meaning the slum residents wouldn't even be able to touch them in this lifetime.

This endless loop of falling deeper and deeper into self-loathing and frustration would provide the perfect amount of drive Dayna needed to kickstart his ideas.

The affordable Dungeons would be a blooming hope in the hearts of these poor, forsaken souls.

Dayna hooked his lips in satisfaction as he glanced over his designs.

"System, how exactly do I create a Slum Template?"

[Host can access the Template Scan function from the Interface, recently added below the Hit List function. By tapping on 'Scan', the System will automatically scan a template of the environment in a 10km radius.]

Dayna nodded, and opened the Interface.

[Host: Dayna

Level: One

Points: 1000

Prisoners: 1

Cells: 1

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

Dayna clicked on the 'Scan' button, and the Interface turned into a small speck of light. Slowly, the speck of light grew, constructing itself into a 3D image of the structures around Dayna, with Dayna as the centre.

Eventually, the expansion stopped, and Dayna was left with a sphere in front of him.

[Scanned template. System has detected one cell available for design. Start the Create Dungeon function?]

Dayna, smiled and cracked his knuckles, downing the last drop of coffee.

"Let's do this."