A ray of sun slipped through the room's dirty window and fell directly on Ari's eyes. He groaned, turning over in bed, and for one glorious, fleeting moment, he believed it had all been an incredibly vivid and strangely erotic dream. The fall, the transformation, the system, the marriage proposal... it had all been a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and, probably, some poisonous mushroom in the cave. He smiled, relieved, and stretched.
Then, he heard noises from the kitchen. Not the usual sounds of a mouse or creaking wood. He heard a "Dammit, this won't light!", followed by a "Thalassa, I think you're smothering it!"
Reality hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. It hadn't been a dream.
He got out of the bed, which now felt absurdly large and empty, and went down the stairs with the stealth of a thief. He peeked into the kitchen, and the scene that greeted him was so surreal he had to blink to make sure he was awake.
Thalassa and Vespera, both in their human forms so as not to terrify the neighbors, were standing in front of his old wood-burning stove, covered in soot and frustration. They were wearing the makeshift nun's habits he had "procured" for them the day before, snatched from the church's donation trunk. The rough, dark fabric, designed for modesty and humility, was fighting a heroic and utterly losing battle against their figures. Thalassa's narrow waist and Vespera's hips, even in their human forms, stretched the cloth in ways that were anything but pious.
"Good morning, sisters," Ari said, leaning against the doorframe with a lazy smirk. The initial relief had been replaced by a deep and satisfying amusement. "I see piety suits you marvelously this morning. Though I must say, that habit is fighting a losing battle against... well, against the will of the gods of beauty."
Thalassa spun around and threw the wooden spoon in her hand at him. Ari dodged it with an agility he didn't usually display. "Shut your mouth and set the table," she snapped, wiping a smudge of soot from her cheek with the back of her hand. "And don't you ever call me 'sister' again. I am your wife. And your Demon Queen. Don't forget it."
"Impossible to forget, my love," he replied with a small, mocking bow.
"Good morning, Ari... I mean, husband." Vespera's voice was timid, but a nervous smile played on her lips. The word "husband" sounded clumsy yet strangely thrilling coming from her. She was trying to make bread, but the result was a gray, sticky dough that refused to rise. "Do you know how this thing works?"
"Of course, I do," Ari said, approaching. "The secret is patience... and using dry wood, not the damp branches you probably grabbed from the yard." He glanced at Vespera's dough. "And is that supposed to be edible?"
"I'm trying!" she said defensively, blushing. "In the templar barracks, the food just sort of... appeared."
"Welcome to real life, my dear, formerly-privileged wives," Ari said. "Out here, if you don't cook, you don't eat. And seeing this, I think today we'll be having my famous burnt toast with hard cheese for breakfast."
The morning continued with that strange mix of domestic comedy and underlying tension. They argued over who had to wash the dishes (Ari insisted it was a task far too mundane for a Demon Queen and a Succubus General), over the quality of the coffee (which according to Thalassa tasted like "filtered mud"), and over the fact that Ari only had one comfortable chair in the entire house.
Then, the church bells rang. It was Sunday. Time for mass.
"Oh, no," Thalassa groaned.
"Oh, yes," Ari smiled. "Get ready, my devout wives. It's time for your society debut."
The small village church was more crowded than ever. Every pew was occupied by curious villagers, their eyes fixed on the front row, where two new and mysterious nuns sat on either side of the aisle. The widow Gable, in the second row, was weeping with pure emotion. The men of the village, for their part, were trying to hide their lecherous gazes with pious expressions, and failing spectacularly.
Ari ascended the pulpit. He looked out at the congregation, then his gaze settled on Thalassa and Vespera. He gave them a beatific smile that didn't reach his eyes. Through the [Consort's Bond], he could feel the wave of shame and murderous intent emanating from them. It was glorious.
He cleared his throat and began the most hypocritical sermon in the history of the world.
"Brothers and sisters," he began in a resonant voice. "Today, I want to speak to you about sacrifice. True sacrifice. Not giving a few coins or a sack of grain, no. I speak of the sacrifice of the self. Of renouncing the life we know, the ambitions that drive us, for a greater good. For a higher calling."
He looked directly at Thalassa. "Sometimes, the Light asks us to abandon our armor, to leave behind the titles and honor we have worked so hard to earn. It asks us to embrace humility, to find true strength not in the sword, but in service." He felt Thalassa's rage through the bond, a hot pulse of fury.
"And sometimes," he continued, turning his gaze to Vespera, "the Light asks us to control our... baser impulses. To channel our passion and our energy not toward worldly pleasures, but toward a purer, more sacred devotion." Vespera's embarrassment was so intense he could almost taste it, a sweet and amusing flavor.
"Because the Light, my brethren, works in mysterious ways," he pontificated, spreading his arms wide. "It tests us. It drags us into dark caves and confronts us with death, only to show us the path. It leads us to find happiness and our true purpose in the most unexpected places." His gaze swept over his two "wives." "Sometimes, it blesses us with a new family when we least expect it. It gives us a sacred yoke that we must carry with honor and... enthusiasm."
The sermon continued for twenty minutes, a masterpiece of double-entendre, innuendo, and pure hypocrisy. When he finished, the church erupted in a murmur of approval.
"What a sermon, Father!" exclaimed the baker. "I've never heard you speak with such passion!"
Widow Gable approached him, drying her tears. "Oh, Father Ari, these two holy women have been a blessing to you. You've finally matured!"
Ari accepted the congratulations with feigned humility, all the while feeling his wives' murderous desire burning in the back of his mind.
As soon as the last villager had left the church, Thalassa and Vespera pounced on him.
"'Sacred yoke'!" Thalassa hissed, her eyes glowing dangerously. "I'll show you a yoke!"
"'Baser impulses'!" Vespera added, red with fury. "I'm going to use my baser impulses to wipe that smirk off your face!"
"Calm, calm, my devout wives," Ari said, backing away toward the cellar door. "The charade worked perfectly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe it's time for our first... cabinet meeting."
The contrast was immediate and jarring. They left the sunny, dusty church behind, descended into Ari's musty, dark cellar, and crossed through the glowing nexus. On the other side, the vast, organic chamber of the Core greeted them with its hum of latent power.
The first thing they did was shed the nun habits. Vespera threw them to the floor as if they were on fire. With a sigh of relief, both returned to their demonic forms. Thalassa stretched, her black horns gleaming in the light of the Orb. Vespera unfolded her leathery wings, feeling free again.
Thalassa's expression changed completely. The irritated wife and reluctant nun vanished, replaced by the otaku Demon Queen in her element. Her red eyes shone with pure excitement.
"Alright, team!" she exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "First management meeting! It's been almost a day! System, show me the dungeon's current status!"
A large blue screen appeared before them.
[DUNGEON STATUS] [DP GENERATED SINCE LAST CONNECTION: +12] [TOTAL DP: 10,212] [ECOSYSTEM STATUS: STABLE AND REGENERATING.] [NEW VISITORS DETECTED: NONE.]
"Excellent!" Thalassa said, her voice vibrating with excitement. "Twelve free points just for existing! Passive generation is a marvel! With this, we can start building our first defenses!" She began to pace back and forth, gesticulating. "I've been thinking... I've been reading the most important strategy manuals and I've come to a conclusion."
"You mean those fantasy books you kept hidden under your bed when we were kids?" Ari asked.
Thalassa ignored him. "We need a 'welcome zone' for intruders. An initial attrition area. Something to test their resolve and deplete their resources before they reach the important zones. I propose a corridor of poison arrow traps and a couple of slimes for cleanup and as a first line of defense!"
"Sounds cozy," Ari commented dryly. "Can't we just put a big sign at the entrance that says 'Beware of the Grumpy Priest' and call it a day?"
"Don't be ridiculous! This is serious!" Thalassa retorted. She turned to the system interface, her fingers moving in the air as if typing on an invisible keyboard. "System, open the Creation Catalog, basic traps section."
[CATALOG: TRAPS (LEVEL 1)] *** Pit Trap (Simple) - Cost: 25 DP** *** Arrow Trap (Wall) - Cost: 50 DP** *** Upgrade: Weak Poison (for Arrows) - Cost: +15 DP per trap** *** Net Trap (Ceiling) - Cost: 40 DP**
"Perfect," Thalassa muttered. "Two arrow traps with poison. That's... 130 DP. And now, the slimes..." She opened the monster catalog. "Two Scavenger Slimes at 5 DP each. Total: 140 DP. It's a modest but efficient investment."
"Are you sure?" Vespera asked. "What if we put something more... intimidating? How about a Giant Cave Bat?"
"No!" Thalassa said firmly. "Bats are fliers, hard to control in narrow corridors. Slimes are slow, predictable, and excellent for wearing down adventurers' gear with their acid. It's the right tactical choice. Trust me."
Without further delay, she selected the options in the mental menu. "System, execute construction. Entrance hallway, section two. Install two poison arrow traps, one on each wall. Spawn two Scavenger Slimes in the same section."
[ORDER RECEIVED. CONFIRM EXPENDITURE OF 140 DP?]
"Confirm," Thalassa said, her voice filled with the excitement of a child in a candy store.
[DP DEDUCTED. TOTAL DP: 10,072. INITIATING CONSTRUCTION...]
On the minimap floating in a corner of their vision, they saw two small trap icons and two red dots appear in the dungeon's first hallway. Through the [Dungeon Master's Eye], Thalassa could see it for real. The fleshy walls of the corridor trembled and writhed. Small, perfectly round holes opened in the organic matter. On the floor, two puddles of a gelatinous, translucent substance began to bubble and slowly take shape, becoming the first conscious guardians of their new realm.
Thalassa observed the scene with a smile of pure and absolute satisfaction. Her kingdom, her dungeon, her personal game, had begun to grow