Earth With Dungeon: Saving the World With an Economic Boom

Chapter 212. Origins

Sachi, sitting on the carpet, looks at me, so I stop lying down, sit up on the sofa, and decide to listen seriously.

Sachi lets her platinum hair flow down her back and smiles softly. If she were a tall, model-like beauty, it would suit her, but… Sachi is tiny. She was small. Short, thin limbs and a petite stature. She looked like a little girl trying to stand tall. She seems to think her actions are beautiful, which makes her look even more like a child trying to be grown-up.

I’m about to tear up. Maybe I should just stay silent…

“…Okay, let me explain the origins.”

“Ah, please do.”

Nodding at Sachi’s words, I decide to listen seriously. Sachi nods slightly and begins to speak.

“When we were born, Shizuku, who was called a pixie back then, asked if there was something to do because she was bored. I was young and immature at the time.”

Even now, you’re still quite young and immature, aren’t you? I shouldn’t point that out, though.

“I used my luck unnecessarily. I was annoyed by the constantly bored pixie and Nadja, so I tried to find something to keep them quiet.”

Huh? Isn’t the story getting weird? Sachi continues, not noticing my puzzled look.

“I pulled out a memory encyclopedia called ‘The Otaku Encyclopedia of All Ages’ from the warehouse and gave it to them. I intuitively understood that this would stop them from saying they’re bored. And later, I regretted it.”

“We don’t need that story. Sachi, that’s just the beginning of Shizuku and Nadja’s antics, right? We don’t need that backstory.”

Half-eyed, I retort to Sachi, who is speaking passionately. That’s it, right? The reason they always talk about weird stuff? We don’t need that information.

“Well, the two otakus always pestered me with references. You must understand that!”

Sachi passionately explains, but we don’t need that past story.

“I’ll give you a cream puff later.”

“The dungeon occurrence is due to a different world, not here.”

Sachi quickly returns to the topic. It seems her personality has changed slightly since she was a child.

“…I think you already know, but we were created in another world. Fairy tales and concepts were materialized into fairy machines. And the world we came from failed because of this technology.”

“They materialized concepts?”

That’s amazing. I have no idea how they did it. Wait, maybe the power of will becoming energy is based on that technology.

“Yes. This story goes back a hundred years before we were born. Back then, humans were concerned about the Earth’s dwindling resources and began digging up the land everywhere. In the depths of Antarctica, they found something.”

“A planet, wow!”

[A trapdoor]

Shizuku, who was trying to interrupt, fell through a trapdoor in the floor… Sachi glanced at the closing trapdoor and continued her story, knowing how to handle Shizuku. My partner must have been trying to joke around again. I like her decisive action.

“What they found was the giant bones of a western dragon, hundreds of meters long. The bones of the dragon were legendary, with wings, four legs, and a long tail… Only the heart remained, pulsing slightly.”

“When given blood, it revived and sought a red gem, wow!”

[Dust chute]

Serika also exited through a hole in the floor, just like Shizuku… Too good of a pair.

“Why it was alive was unknown. It was odd for the heart alone to survive, even if it had been living since ancient times like a coelacanth. And what’s more, after investigating for a while, a gem appeared near the dragon’s heart. A large polished gem.”

“Why? No, could it be…”

A gem appearing out of nowhere. It sounds familiar. Too familiar.

“…You’re quick to understand. More treasures appeared later. Gold coins, jewels, a golden chalice, and a jeweled sword. Treasures that a mythical dragon might possess. Coincidentally, it happened when the dragon was reported worldwide.”

Narrowing my eyes, I look at the serious Sachi, who nods back.

“Yes. It granted people’s wishes. Many thought this.”

Sachi spoke slowly as everyone else watched silently.

“A dragon must have treasure. And it materialized.”

Materialized… Many people thought so.

“Humanity, by some prank, obtained the technology of the divine realm. They acquired technology they shouldn’t have.”

Humanity was ecstatic. They danced in euphoria, driven mad by it.

“Something that materializes concepts. They obtained the dragon’s heart. The beginning of a golden age. The beginning of a future of destruction.”

I see… So that’s what happened. Materializing concepts is amazing. Too amazing.

“Things you think and wish for come true?”

“Not exactly. It wasn’t that convenient. Only concepts passed down as legends could be materialized. But that wasn’t a problem. The dragon’s heart was divided and distributed among the nations. The divided hearts eventually turned into red gems, but no one cared. They focused on researching how to mass-produce it. To manipulate concepts freely.”

“So they succeeded? Many people thought about it?”

“Exactly. The next thing people obtained was the power of spirits. The power of nature. They succeeded in creating cores. Stones with spirits, with will. Something that produces infinite resources and emits infinite energy, the Element Core.”

The sunlight outside looks hot, but the living room is cold thanks to the air conditioning. Despite this, I feel a chill of fear more than the cold and swallow hard.

“The Golden Age began. With infinite resources freely available and space exploration becoming easier, half a century has passed. People reveled in happiness and thought that even the great dragons were part of nature. Humanity thought they had found new resources in nature, marveling at its wonders… and also re-recognized its threats.”

“And then, entities with wills that embodied nature appeared?”

“…Exactly. The hearts of the dragons that had been cut up began to regenerate and manifest, wreaking havoc across the world as representatives of nature. They carried the concept that nature could never be defeated.”

“I see. Indeed, such a concept must exist among humanity. Even if they win against nature, there’s the belief that it will soon come back.”

Monsters embodying the concept of nature… They must be extremely troublesome enemies. If they keep coming back no matter how many times they’re defeated, they’re a tough opponent.

“Though it was a formidable foe, humanity won the battle. However, the cost of victory was the emergence of magic and skills, and the materialization of the energy required to use them. The manifestation of mana and polluted will. The battle with the dragons made humanity recognize the existence of magic, leading to the assumption that demons also existed… thus, dungeons of the most malicious kind were born. Dungeons inhabited by demons and representatives of nature. Dungeons that brought both wealth and death.”

“So, that’s why they’re called demonics. I’ve always wondered why they’re labeled as monster cores in the Equivalent Exchange Store but referred to as ‘demons’ rather than just monsters. Usually, they’re called monsters.”

The concept of nature and the demonic wills that were created, along with the concept of magic, came together to create a game-like world of dungeons. I understand now why they’re called demons. Defeating them would remove the demonic will, leaving only the eerie power of nature.

“Humanity tried to change and overturn that concept, but the attempt ended in failure. The damage from dungeons, many deaths caused by dragons, led them to believe, to think, and to confirm.”

Hah, Sachi sighs.

“Humanity was destined to be defeated. Unable to overcome the threat of nature and the demons born from polluted wills. They could not win. The concept was fixed. It became unchangeable, contrary to their wishes.”

“That’s a tragic story. So, despite that, humanity tried to find a solution?”

Ironically, the concept became fixed and unchangeable. If they had not acted hastily and had slowly faced their downfall, perhaps a savior could have emerged. Instead, their rushed actions fixed the concept.

“But humanity didn’t give up.”

“The dragons used powers similar to magic. Since people saw that power before the concept was fixed, they believed in the existence of magic. As a result, many people developed skills and magic. Unfortunately, the strong association with games influenced this. The dungeons, carrying the demonic will, were greatly affected by this. Skills had their advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately, the dungeons became home to demonic wills with tragic ends. However, people created mechanisms, including fairy machines, to counter the dungeons. To win the endless battle.”

“And so, even with fairy machines, humanity couldn’t win?”

“The polluted will was a hindrance. It wasn’t just the dragons; the cause of creating monsters was the problem. A method to deal with the endless energy of polluted wills was needed. Humanity had to find a way to cope with their impending doom. After all, the dungeons were filled with demonic wills created to give hope but ultimately prevent victory.”

The subsequent developments are becoming clearer.

“So, you opened a door to another world?”

“Yes. It allowed movement to a similar world. The idea was to conduct various experiments there. But it was extremely dangerous. It was anticipated that physical bodies would be lost, so preparations for physical bodies were necessary first.”

Given the flow of the story, I let out a deep sigh.

“You devised a plan to generate dungeons in this world and then hijack the bodies of the monsters that appeared? By researching the dungeons that emerged this way, you could kill two birds with one stone.”

“Exactly. Without the dragons, the concept wouldn’t materialize. Even if the polluted spirit energy was brought to this world, only one or two dungeons should have formed… but somehow, by the time we arrived, dungeons had spread across the world like a virus, and strong wills had emerged in this world as well.”

I remember a man I met before. The one who brought the dragons. The man who arrived before Shizuku and the others. It may have been an inevitable result, but the dungeons did emerge. Skills and magic were born, changing the world.

The actions of a man with the essence of all things might have been intended to become a god in a world without anything. He tried to manipulate and dominate the world’s concept.

The dungeons were a hindrance to that. He probably wanted a blank slate rather than a canvas already being drawn. But the dragons noticed his attempt and followed him. Nature is always close to humanity, so escaping it is impossible.

“The fairy machines sent here were scattered by that will. Some were swallowed by monsters, while others possessed human corpses and revived as fairy machines. I, Serika, and Seiha revived as fairy machines within corpses.”

So that’s why there was individual variation. It seems like they were parasitic… which is why everyone, despite having knowledge, was weak.

“When we were sent to this world, everyone aimed for separate goals to save the world. Shizuku aimed to purify the polluted will, Serika sought power to forcibly conquer dungeons, and I set out to find the savior of the world. The human side’s administrator gave that command. On the dungeon side, the system-like concept resulted in the emergence of administrator privileges, and Shizuku and Sachika were systematically controlled as monsters.”

Sachi changes to a faint smile and looks at me with a serious expression.

“My unique skill is [Zashiki-warashi]. It’s a skill to change fate using the [Luck] skill. Once recognized by an adult, I cease to be a Zashiki-warashi, and the skill becomes unusable. Acting for one’s own desires is also not allowed. Since I’m not a child, I had to seal my spirit. Thus, I walked according to my [Luck] and met you, Sakimori-shan, to watch over you.”

I see. I could purify things at the Equivalent Exchange Store and potentially forcefully conquer dungeons. I believe the power of the Equivalent Exchange Store can save the world. So, Sachi guided Shizuku and the others.

“Why did you give your name?”

“………Well, Sakimori-shan, my protection is a secret.”

Smoke envelops Sachi’s body.

“Choux cream! I want to eat choux cream!”

Sachi, now back to her childlike form, climbs onto my lap and starts patting me. …What’s going on?

“I guess… it’s because Sachi protects other humans too? Since Sachika-chan and the others are not human, the master, having completely ceased to be human, the effect of ‘Zashiki-warashi’ continues even if she recognizes you.”

“Was it necessary to return… or rather, forcibly returned. Looks like she won’t be able to return to adulthood for a while.”

Sachika, with a troubled expression, speculates about the childlike form, and it seems accurate… Well, it’s fine. I’m determined to save this world. For now, I’ll set aside Sachi’s story.

After all, for 20 years, I aimed to be the savior. I have no intention of deviating from this path. I’ve worked hard for it.

Sorry, but I’m a resident of this world. Plus, I suspect humanity in that world has already perished. The man with the essence of all things mentioned that.

The tasks remain unchanged. Also, there are unresolved mysteries. The Earth Federation’s covert actions. Well, I somewhat understand their purpose, so I’ll handle it when I meet them, but there are also issues with human souls and the will of dragons.

And there are still things that Shizuku seems to be hiding. I suspect Sachi has some unknown objectives.

There are still several unresolved mysteries, so I’ll keep them in mind.

Also… have I ceased to be human? Well, the food is good, and I can sleep, so it’s fine.

“Choux cream, please?”

Even with her memories sealed again, Sachi apparently didn’t forget about choux cream. With teary eyes, the childlike Sachi looks at me, and I take out my wallet to give her some pocket money.