Reject Humanity, Return to Monke

We reached the entrance of the Monster Town, the primates now dissolving to head into their stations in case the incoming raid arrives. We have no idea when the raid will come, but we do know it will be soon, because they were chasing after Drake.

The only primate that was left following us was Gong, since he had a responsibility for the new arrivals.

"By the way, nice looking town here Jion." Catalina marveled at the town that was still under construction in other areas, but otherwise, was nearing completion. "Have you ever thought of making this town a business when all the heat dies down?"

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, confusion evident in my eyes as she chuckled, while Domino, being the smart little girl that she is, furrowed her brows at the mention of making the Monster Town as a business venture.

"What do you mean by business, Lina?" I asked Catalina with a tile of my head, causing her to chuckle.

"Invite outsiders into your Dungeon. Humans, demi-humans, monsters, it doesn\'t matter. As long as it could increase your DP income." She said this with a smile. "That\'s what some other Dungeon Masters are doing, although they are mostly hidden from the common public. Hell, there\'s a Dungeon Master who is also the king of a kingdom. You can already tell how that\'s going for him."

My mouth watered at the prospect of my DP income soaring to new heights, only to be brought back to reality as Domino harshly patted my head with a furious pout on her face.

"No… Papa must not… Bring in temporary residents… Too dangerous…" Domino stated her stance on the prospect, and Wulfstan behind me shared her concerns.

"Indeed. What your daughter says is true." Domino gave him a thumbs up, which he responded with his own gesture. "Lady Oshurkova\'s other member fell for this type of risky venture. If you want to do this type of strategy, I suggest you take over the entire area, or even better, the kingdom, just to be safe that you\'re Dungeon won\'t be targeted by those nearby."

I nodded at his argument, and Catalina gave me an apologetic smile.

"No need to worry, Lina. It was just a suggestion." I then grinned teasingly at her. "Which would\'ve caused me catastrophic consequences, but as I said, it\'s just a suggestion."

"And you\'re telling it to me like I\'m stupid. Well played…" Catalina pouted, and I laughed. Tigre, on the other hand, glared at me like usual, as was his default look at everyone that dissed his crush.

"Anyway, first off, do you need anything for the raid?" I asked the group of reinforcements, and Wulfstan shook his head.

"We\'re all suited up and ready to fight. Just tell us where you need us." I nodded appreciatively at his reassuring words. "Although, some food would be great."

"And you, Tigre? I assume Line here won\'t be joining the fight." I gestured to Catalina, who nodded at my claims, and Tigre\'s body relaxed a little, maybe a bit relieved that Catalina wouldn\'t be in any harm\'s way.

"Food as well, el jefe." Tigre said, and I nodded at him. I regarded the two groups, and flashed a smile.

"Well then, follow me to the Human Town. There\'s a mess hall there that doesn\'t serve assorted food that monsters love to eat." I said, and all of them cringed at my words. Seriously, an orc\'s diet was something I could\'ve lived without, thank you very much.

We then made our way through the Monster Town, the group of humans and demi-humans scanning around the town for any location of notice, such as the giant statue in my… form…

"Domino, when did they build that?" I asked the little girl perched on my shoulder, and she gave me a tiny smile. At least that\'s what I thought, since her face was still that same emotionless mask I keep on seeing.

"I told them… To make you… A statue…"

\'… Oookaaayyy… At least I know what I look like now…\' I patted the girl on the head for a job well done(?) and she beamed in delight. Catalina looked at me with what seemed to be empathy. I\'m assuming she also has a statue in her Dungeon, even though she hadn\'t ordered one to be built.

The rest of the trip was made in silence as we traversed the passageway leading to the Human Area.

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"… Jion… I\'m asking you this… How is the food here so fucking delicious…?" Catalina said between bites of the food she was currently eating. The same could be said for the other humans and demi-humans eating wistfully inside the mess hall, all of them sharing the same wonder and joy at eating this type of food.

"It\'s a secret. I\'m going to be trading with you my products, and this is one of them. It wouldn\'t be much of a merchandise if I flat out told you how to make them." I argued, and she shut up, before gorging on the food once more. "Just think of it as a sample for the products we\'re going to be trading."

"You bet your ass I\'m getting this. This is just too delicious!" She said while her mouth was full, causing some crumbs and spit to fly over the table, not that I\'m grossed out by this.

I\'m also sure the reason why the food here is delicious, is because of the king of all flavor, MSG.

As one Uncle used to say, put MSG on baby, it make baby smarter.

After filling up on food, we were returning to Monster Town to prepare our defenses.

"Still, got to admit this place is vastly different than the Monster Town." Catalina stared in awe at the modern buildings. "I don\'t think I\'ve ever seen this kind of town in my life before."

"As have I." Wulfstan said with an impressed nod. "This is, by far, the most livable town I have ever been in. No trash, clean walkways, houses that a noble would be jealous of, and my most favorite, electricity and plumbing."

"I see you\'re mesmerized by the comforts these types of towns give you?" I asked and they all gave me a nod, even Tigre, who was pre-ordained to hate my guts just by being Catalina\'s focus of attention.

"Well then, add this to the list of products I\'m willing to trade with you." I said to Catalina, which caused her to glomp me, with Domino sharing in the action, hugging both me and her in the process. Tigre was once again being the jealous feline that he is, causing all the females in his group to pout.

The trek back to the Monster Town was filled with various topics bouncing around, and once we reached our destination, I was greeted by a very proud looking primate.

"Boss! We finished setting traps!" The chimpanzee saluted, and behind him various arachnes, alraunes, and goblins did the same. I gave a salute back, and dismissed them with a satisfied smile.

"Good, go rest. Once this raid is over, expect a reward." I told them, and they saluted once more, before dispersing. "Well then, I think it\'s time I brief you on the raid that\'s about to come."

We walked to the walls where the gate leading to the entrance stood. Climbing up the walls with the stairs provided, we looked upon the vast expanse of the first room of my Dungeon, with the forest housing both Silk Valley Village and Florein Village.

"First of all, the raid that\'s coming here is because of an elite knight group chasing one of my residents." They nodded, their ears sharp and attentive. "Before that though, allow me to ask a question. Do you know who Drake, the wielder of the Gauntlets of Sharok, is?"

"You mean the man who is a living legend? Why?" Catalina was the first to speak up, and I couldn\'t help but sigh.

\'Yep, he really is an overpowered protagonist.\' I mused in my head, ready to berate Drake for not telling me about this earlier. Then again, I didn\'t ask, so it\'s not his fault. "Yeah, he\'s my new resident, and the one the knights are chasing."

All of them froze at my words. Seeing their reaction, I couldn\'t help but chuckle due to how over-the-top they currently looked.

"H-how…? Why is he here…?" Catalina exclaimed, while the rest were still in disbelief that Drake was living inside my Dungeon.

"Would you believe me that we were old friends?" I said with a sheepish smile, all of them once more going catatonic. I waited for a few moments before they became responsive again, only to find myself being subjected to a vicious shaking of my body due to Catalina\'s arms.

"You… you are old friends, with that person!?" Catalina shouted as she looked hysterical. "The man who befriended the Demon King!? The man who does not give a fuck about authority!? The man who goes where he pleases!?"

I dumbly nodded at her exclamations, and she stared at me with intense eyes, before she glomped me.

"… Next time… Don\'t call for help when it\'s not needed…"

\'… I\'m going to ask Drake about the power levels of this world the next time I see him.\'

It was at that moment that I heard the alarm sounding.