01x05 - Coworkers, Family

[bunniefuu]

[ominous music]

- Um, hi.

- Ah, did I startle

you? My apologies.

My name is Reilmond.

That was a good fight just now.

- [Clay] Thank you.

How could a being this

powerful not even notice

that I let my guard

down far too much?

- I'd like to thank you for

showing me that wonderful

display.

I was told you were here

for training purposes.

- Told?

- If so, perhaps I can

be of some assistance.

- [Clay] She said that

it's hard to see out

from the inside, didn't she?

I can see her!

- Hm? Go, Clay!

- Oh

- [Reilmond] Despite

appearances,

I have been assigned

to the 10th floor.

I believe I would serve as

a good training partner.

- [Clay] This is a monster

strong enough for the 10th

floor.

I have one weapon and no

injuries.

My stamina seems fine

as well. I should do it.

This is just what I've been

wanting.

Please, sir. Will you

grant me a match?

- Ah

All right. Shall we get started?

[Opening Song]

[playful music]

[feet shuffling]

- [Clay] There's no

way this guy's hide

will be thinner than that

monster's.

With my current skill

level, it's unlikely

that I'll be able to

penetrate his skin.

Okay, let's start from the back.

[Reilmond roars]

- [sighs] Huh?

You dodged that?

I thought I had

caught you off-guard.

- [Clay] This is bad.

It's not just his tail.

He can move his neck freely too.

If I let him slip out

of my field of vision,

it'll be trouble for sure.

I can't just keep dodging

forever.

[bells jingle]

I'm training.

Right. This is the time to

sharpen

any techniques I'm

still inexperienced in.

Let's give it a try.

If magical power dwells in

living beings and the undead,

rather than only using my

vision,

I should be able to combine

that with their presence

in order to see everything.

[dramatic music]

His neck is twisted

and his legs are apart.

A bite is coming.

- [Reilmond] She's so quick.

Is she reading my moves?

[dramatic music continues]

- [Clay] Man, this is tough.

But it's working.

I have never sensed a being's

presence and magical power

with such precision,

but now it's going smoothly.

Is this because I went

into that skeleton?

I get the feeling I've

grown more accustomed

to handling magical power.

At any rate, I think

I can fight this guy.

[Reilmond roars]

[dramatic music continues]

[Clay yells]

[Reilmond groans]

[dramatic music continues]

[Reilmond yells]

Damn.

I let my

[dramatic music builds, stops]

[body thuds]

- My, my.

I can't believe that even that

wasn't enough to k*ll you.

I'm shocked.

[Clay groans]

Not just anyone can imbue

magical power into their arm

to deflect my attack.

- But I lost my arm.

I couldn't make it in

time with my weapon.

I really am still

far too inexperienced.

- Look at the state I'm

in. We're both damaged.

Well, I suppose that

was enough effort.

To show my gratitude, I mean.

I propose that we stop here.

- Oh?

- What do you say?

[awkward music]

- [Clay] Uh, okay.

- I hate feeling pain.

I need time to recover.

- [Clay] Oh

- Until next time

[awkward music continues]

- [Clay] Huh?

Uh

Seriously? He hates pain?

- Good work out there!

- Oh, thanks a lot.

- Well, what did you

think about the arena?

- The arena?

I think it served

as proper training.

I have things to work on and

- Hmm?

- [Clay] I don't know if

I'm allowed to say this,

but I'm completely drained of

energy.

- [Belle] [sighs] That makes

sense.

[pensive music]

- [Clay] My father could

gather magical power

directly into his limbs.

I could too, but I could never

seem to get it to stabilize.

Instead, I could pour that power

into magically imbued weapons.

Back then, my weapon would

never make it in time.

So I poured all my magical

power into my arm instead.

Was it that my arm failed to

guard from the breath attack

and got burned up?

Or was it just unable to

withstand

that amount of magical power?

Magical beings like

golems, wisps, and slimes

generally can't be injured

without magically reinforced

weapons.

The most effective method

of attack is with magic.

If you don't possess magic

yourself,

a subset of magic like a dagger

wrapped in a magical power

could also work.

Does that theory also

apply to skin and scales?

Can I imbue magic into my skin

the same way I do a dagger?

This is good.

I'm starting to see more

possibilities opening up.

I never expected I could become

this skilled at

handling magical power.

[gasps]

I'm grateful to Kraitze and

Belle

for giving me the opportunity.

My current goal should be

raising my speed and accuracy

using magical power.

And also

- Do you want me to tell

you your job description?

- [Clay] Yeah. What am I

supposed to be doing here?

All you have been doing is

showing me around the dungeon.

I've hardly done

anything here at all.

I mean, that could

be called work.

- [Belle] Huh?

[bells jingle]

But you resupplied treasure

chests, didn't you?

- [Clay] I only handled the

simplest part of the job.

- Well, then there was

Hm, when you dealt

with those explorers

on the seventh floor.

- That was just you granting

my request to continue my

training.

[Belle whimpers]

- Ms. Clay, this

is your first time

having a real job, isn't it?

- Mm.

This is the first job I've

had outside the guild, yeah.

- To start with,

you're doing your job

simply by being here

with me in the dungeon.

- [Clay] My mere existence

counts as doing a job?

Uh

[pleasant music]

That doesn't sound right to me.

- Look at it this way.

You're only here

because I hired you,

rather than being here of

your own free will, right?

- Huh?

- If you're employed

but have no duties

and are given no work,

that's management's fault.

I mean, after all, it's not as

if you aren't doing your job.

In other words,

it comes down to my ineptitude.

- Oh, I get it now.

So it's like I'm on

standby waiting for orders?

A failure of management. Yes, I

see.

- [Belle] Well, you

certainly seem to

understand that easily,

but at any rate,

I haven't decided what work

I want you to do around here.

There's lots of options.

- [Clay] Oh, you haven't

decided?

- [Belle] I wanted more

personnel,

but I hadn't gotten to the point

of

figuring out the implementation

when I hired you.

I mean, what with

the wall and all.

- [Clay] Oh, yeah. That.

- So I figured I'd have

you stay by my side

and experience all sorts of jobs

to see what might suit you best.

- [Clay] Oh, I see. Got it.

So then what's on the

schedule for today?

- [Belle] Oh, glad you asked.

Would you like to help

me make treasure today?

- [Clay] Treasure? Like what

goes in treasure chests?

- [Belle] Exactly!

Right this way.

- [Clay] It's located

kind of far from

the catalyst and mineral

storage, isn't it?

- [Belle] It needs to be.

We don't want everything

to get blown up

if something were to

go horribly wrong.

- [Clay] Blown up?

- Well, this is the place.

[pensive music]

- [Clay] It's filthy.

- [Belle] Mr. Rangard

prepared the materials for us.

So just add whatever

magical effect you want.

[dramatic music]

- [Clay] Just add whatever?

[awkward music]

Uh, you really make

things for treasure chests

so sloppily?

- Oh, no! No, don't worry.

The weapon you have is a

proper item and everything,

I promise.

You see, we offer much

lower quality items

on the earlier floors,

but the turnover is high

for the treasure chests,

so we need a lot of them.

And it soon got boring

just making the same

stuff over and over.

So I tried making stuff that

was a little bit unusual,

but Mr. Rangard got

mad and yelled at me.

He made me throw it all out.

- [Clay] And that's what was in

the third storage space, huh?

- What do you think?

Want to try coming up with

some new treasure with me?

- Very well then. I'll help

you out with whatever I can.

- [Belle] You're a lifesaver!

- But first, we're cleaning

up this messy room.

[Belle whimpers]

Deal?

[pleasant music]

- [Belle] Shining leather armor.

A bandana with cooling power.

A dagger that leaves

glowing trails behind it.

- Oh.

[pleasant music continues]

- Treasure chests are no place

for dumping novelty items.

What were you thinking

going along with her, Clay?

- I'm sorry. I didn't

know imbuing magic

could have such a wide

variety of effects

and I got carried away.

- [Belle] Look at how

I'm being treated.

- Well, in the future,

be more careful.

And since you're here,

what do you say to trying

equipment making next?

- Can it wait until

after we clean up?

- Huh?

- [Rangard] You have

my full support.

- [Clay] I'm on it.

[Belle whimpers]

[pensive music]

- [Reilmond] Dungeon People.

[golems murmuring]

- You don't have to handle

those so delicately.

[footsteps approach]

Huh? Didn't think

you'd actually come.

- I always keep my promises.

[footsteps walking]

Is it okay to ignore your duty

of resupplying treasure chests?

- It's not like that's a fixed

responsibility of mine anyway.

When I'm not around to do it,

the runts take care

of it themselves.

- [Clay] I see.

- [Rangard] This is

where we dig up ores.

- [Clay] Are just two of

them enough for the job?

- [Rangard] Hm? Yeah, this is

the task for spare personnel.

- Spare personnel?

- We're headed to the

room in the back.

- What a huge smoothly-shapen

room.

So we're heading to

the back of this place?

- 'Fraid not. You see,

this room is just the remains

of the little lady using magic

to do some digging.

Apparently she digs it

all up and sorts it.

- [Clay] She said this by

herself?

- [Rangard] It's more

efficient that way.

- [Clay] About how

long did it take?

- [Rangard] Quicker

than it'd take you

to count to 10, I'd say.

- [Clay] That quick, really?

[pensive music]

Will I really ever be

able to beat her?

- So to keep a little

grasp on reality,

we do some proper mining

from time to time,

even if it's purely

for formality's sake.

- I think I sort of understand,

but I also sort of don't.

[pleasant music]

[golems murmuring]

- [Rangard] This is

the shared workshop.

- It looks to me

like the work golems

are running it all on their own.

- [chuckles] Yeah, that's true.

With the turnover rate for

treasure chests on the early

floors,

I just can't make

equipment fast enough.

So I taught the runts how to

handle all of that without me.

- [Clay] Those golems are

quite useful, aren't they?

- Well, actually, there

are some serious

personality conflicts

in the group.

So it's important to assign work

based on their various

strengths and weaknesses.

It's pretty tricky, honestly.

- Personality conflicts?

They have personalities?

- Of course they do.

Exactly what you think

golems are anyway?

- [stammers] They're golems.

- That's right. They are golems.

So you should understand

what I'm saying.

- [Clay] I really don't.

- [Rangard] Take Regredd

there, for example.

He's bad at fine detail work,

but good at managing his

strength.

- They have names? How

can you tell them apart?

- [Rangard] Come along. My

workspace is in the back.

- It's surprisingly cramped in

here.

- [laughs] It's

convenient for my size.

It makes it much

easier to reach stuff.

- Hmm.

- Everything you need

is right nearby.

- [Clay] It's the same logic.

So why does it feel so

different?

- Here.

- Daggers?

- [Rangard] I tweaked

the center of gravity.

Which one feels easier to use?

- [Clay] I see.

One's heavier along the blade's

edge

and the other in the center.

I can use either of

them without any issues.

- Oh! Hm

All right then, I'll

make an adjustment.

You must have a preference, right?

- I appreciate the thought,

but there's no need to

go that far, really.

That's just the

weapon I'm using now.

There's a high probability

I'll get ahold of

a stronger one in

the future, you know?

- Maybe in theory, but

there's no guarantee

you'll ever find a better

dagger.

- I'll just keep opening

chests until I find one.

- Huh? You're a tenacious one.

- I could tell by

watching you work before.

You made this, didn't

you Mr. Rangard?

The other three I have right

now were made by the golems.

I'm right, aren't I?

- You're exactly right.

How could you tell

the difference?

- [Clay] Intuition.

- Intuition?

- With that in mind,

I have a question.

- What's that?

- [Clay] Are there any

daggers you've made

in the treasure chests

on the ninth floor?

- Oh?

There are.

No clue if they're in

the chest right now,

but I've made them.

- That's fine. I'm motivated

now.

- Not to squash your drive

there,

but the quality will be the same

as

the stuff made by the

runts for the same floor.

- Yes, but that's not an issue.

- [Rangard] Really? Then why

does it matter if I made any?

- [Clay] Well, I can't help

but be incredibly happy

at the thought of using a weapon

made by someone close to me.

[Rangard chuckles]

- [Rangard] She really is a

genius

at flattering folks into

feeling pride for their work.

[golem murmuring]

- Mm?

- It's just tea.

- Thank you.

[golem murmurs]

- You are always so

considerate, aren't you, Simone?

- [Clay] Simone?

Oh.

- This is a good opportunity.

So why don't we have a chat?

- Okay.

- To start with, me and my crew

use tools and equipment

in our work.

The little lady, meanwhile,

handles everything

else with her magic.

- And that's not a feat

that can be easily matched.

- She can do more

with her little pinky

than we could ever

hope to get done.

The whole dungeon pretty much

revolves around the little lady.

[Clay sighs]

- Don't you think you could

manage as much as a thumb?

- [Rangard] What's the

difference?

That system hasn't changed at

all

since the old master's

time here in the dungeon.

- [Clay] The old master? The

administrator before Belle?

- Yeah. He was a real freak

who lived to build the dungeon,

who would do anything for it,

and didn't give a damn

about anything else.

- [Clay] A freak?

- It would be easier if the

little lady was like that too.

- Huh? You think it'd be

easier if she was a freak?

- Yes, I do.

It'd be better than her

feeling a responsibility

for taking up the

post of administrator.

- [Clay] Responsibility?

- [Rangard] The little lady

said we were short-staffed

and needed more personnel.

So I was the one who set the

conditions for recruitment.

I was trying to show

how impossible it'd be.

I never expected her to

find a proper candidate.

Yet here you are.

- [Clay] [stammers] Sorry?

- Don't worry about it.

What the little lady was really

lacking wasn't personnel.

It was allies she could talk

to who would stand by her side.

As she kept watching groups

of friendly adventurers

challenge the dungeon together,

she grew lonely.

[door opens]

- [laughs] Good work today,

Clay!

- [Clay] Thanks. I'm back.

- Tell me all about it. How

was it working with Rangard?

- [Clay] It was amazing.

- First flatten out your

magical power along the surface.

- Flatten? I don't think

I'll ever be as good as him.

[Belle laughs]

- I believe that you could.

All you need is just

a little practice

and a bit of guidance.

- [Clay] I've got a

long road ahead of me.

We had a really nice chat.

- [Belle] Ah, so that's

why it took so long.

- [Clay] And he told

me a bit about you too.

- Huh? Mr. Rangard

told you about me?

Did he tell you good stuff

or did he tell you bad stuff?

- Difficult to say. It

was neither good nor bad.

[Belle whimpers and groans]

- [Clay] She grew lonely?

But that's what managing

the dungeon is like though,

isn't it?

- [Rangard] That's true,

but that's not how it was

when she first started.

Before the old master left,

she spent all her time with him.

- [Clay] Oh.

[tender music]

I see.

Tell me, how do you

feel about Mr. Rangard?

- Huh? Well, you know,

I'm not too sure.

- [Clay] After all, Mr.

Rangard's already there

working alongside her.

He should be able to do

something about the problem

himself.

- Um, well, I feel

- [Clay] Oh, my apologies.

I was asking if you

saw him as a coworker

or as something more.

- Oh, as something more.

He's more like family.

Yeah, he's like

an uncle or a dad.

[gentle music]

- [Clay] See? In that

case, you should do it.

- And I also see him like

he's a cranky old grandfather

who's stubbornly refusing

to retire. You know?

- [Clay] I guess. You can't

stand by her side like that.

- He's been involved with

the dungeon for a long time.

Ever since the time

of my predecessor.

He has always been

there to help me.

- [Clay] So it's not

that simple, huh? Dang.

I guess it's best to ask

directly.

What does Mr. Rangard

think about you?

- I've asked him that before!

And then he

Ouch!

- Don't make me say it.

- [Clay] He's so awkward.

[Ending Song]

The sensation slowly built

up in me, bit by bit.

A wicked desire to

polish my swordsmanship.

Those thoughts filled my mind

as I bit into a chunk of meat,

like a lion or a dinosaur.

- [Belle] Ms. Clay!

- [Clay] Uh

- [Belle] Look here. Try

steadily getting

more bright and fun. More fun!

I know! Maybe you should

try laughing as you read it.

- [Clay] Oh

Next time on "Dungeon People,"

Episode Six, "Exploration

and Cooking."