Construction Mage - Chapter 74: Guests

Google Docs Link

“Hmm? Yeah,” Thomas answered before his eyes posed a question back to Clay, asking what’s with the reaction.

“Um, sorry. It’s just that I plan to challenge the boss room sometime soon. Would appreciate it if you could share any info you may have.”

“We’re not info brokers,” Alara interjected before Thomas could answer. “And even if we were, we wouldn’t give that away for free.”

“Now, now, Alara. It’s not like the information about the first layer is any big secret. We do owe Clay here for his assistance as well. He even got injured in the process. Sharing some information is the least we could do to pay him back.”

He followed up his words with a meaningful gaze that managed to shut Alara up as she glanced away.

“Again, sorry about that,” Thomas continued. “As I was about to say—yes, we had planned to challenge the floor boss today. Unfortunately, while we were waiting for our turn, another party showed up, and one thing led to another. It escalated to them luring over some monsters and ambushing us, leading to the predicament we were in.”

“I see—you guys sure had it rough. Was this going to be your first time facing the floor boss?”

“Yes, we’re a relatively new party. We haven’t even been together for a full year yet, but we’ve been progressing along quite well, so we decided to give it a try. Looks like today won’t be the day, though.”

A brief moment of silence went by as the group smiled wryly at the turn of events, and Clay didn’t intrude on their moment.

“You know, those assholes are likely gone by now. We can still give it a try,” the blue-haired woman who wielded the daggers suggested. “Giving up now would be admitting our defeat!”

“Ciana, are you that impatient? There’s no benefit to rushing things in the dungeon, you know? We’d only be taking on more risk for the same reward,” the leader of their party retorted.

“Would we be taking on more risk, though? Thomas, we’re Delvers now. We’re not like the regular folks.”

“We still tire and bleed the same!”

“Yeah? Have you checked your status screen recently?”

The man went silent as he checked his status with a frown, trying to find out what his companion was getting at. Ciana didn’t keep him guessing, explaining right away.

“Do you see it? My stamina and health have recovered quite a bit during this short break we had. It won’t be long until I’m fully recovered, and I’m sure it’s the same for the rest of you—er, with the exception of our guest there, of course. Injuries like that take a little longer.”

Clay shrugged. He knew Ciana was right. There was a reason the status screen didn’t show a flat regeneration rate for health. It varied greatly depending on the injury. Some never healed until proper treatment was given, while others only required some rest. There was no mistaking that a Delver’s physique was still leagues above a regular person, but there was a limit to it.

Having relegated himself to the role of a spectator, he wordlessly observed the Delvers as they discussed and sometimes argued. In the end, they did agree to return to the entrance to the boss room to check things out. If everything were calm, they wouldn’t write off the possibility of challenging the boss then and there.

When Clay asked to tag along, they unanimously agreed. It made the rest of his trek through the dungeon a breeze as he left the fighting to Thomas’s party. Before he knew it, they arrived before a set of grand wooden doors that loomed over them. It had intricate carvings, much like the white gazebos that contained the dungeon altars, depicting various symbols.

This set of doors is like three stories tall! Must be heavy as hell!

“Well, it seems like the coast is clear,” Clay commented. “I guess we’ll be parting here. I wish your team good luck in your fight. I would love to hear about it afterwards.”

“We can do that,” Thomas instantly replied, thumping his chest. “Your place is out in the fourth ring, correct? We’ll head on over if we make it out in one piece.”

His words instantly earned him a smack on the head from Alara. He laughed it off as he rubbed his head.

Meanwhile, Clay didn’t pay attention to their antics as he wore a frown.

“You know where I live?” he asked.

“Um, yeah. You’re the one who’s been making that toilet thing for the prince, right? Word has been getting around. Er, sorry if I am intruding.”

Blinking blankly, Clay quickly let it go. He should’ve expected to be exposed sooner or later, especially with Sylphira spreading the word among Delvers. It didn’t help that his place stood out, seeing there wasn’t anything but plain fields around them.

“No worries. I do live out there; it’ll be hard to miss with all the nothingness. Feel free to drop by after. I’ll at least prepare something for you guys to eat.”

***

As soon as Clay and Malik exited the dungeon today, they didn’t disband like they usually did. Instead, they went to the marketplace together to pick up some ingredients to serve the guests who would hopefully soon be visiting.

“So the dungeon boss room works just like the altar, huh?” Malik muttered as they strolled out of the gazebo.

“Sylphira and her crew did say that only the party that had entered the dungeon as a group can face the boss together. Otherwise, I’m sure Delvers would gather into larger groups.”

“Yeah, but what does that mean when you want to run? Will there be a white gazebo in the boss room as well, or would they be trapped in there until they beat the boss?”

Malik’s question made Clay pause in his steps. His concerns had hit the nail on the head. It was a very important question to answer before Clay attempted to face the boss himself. If the boss room was a death trap, then he would have to double his preparation before he felt comfortable even daring to get near it. After all, no matter how much the stats and classes made everything seem like a game, he only had one life.

“Well, that’s something to ask them later, isn’t it? Let’s go prepare a feast for them to ensure they’re in the mood to talk after whatever ordeal they face. I’m sure they’ll be hungry after working up a sweat.”

“Right! But—um, sir, are you sure you don’t need to go get your wounds looked at first?”

“Yeah, I did use a potion. It’ll be fine after some good food and a night’s sleep.”

With a goal in mind, Clay didn’t hesitate to splurge a little and purchased several whole chickens. Financially, he was doing pretty well. His body was an important asset to ensure that continues to be the case. That meant he needed to get enough nutrients, especially protein in this case, for his body to heal.

Figuratively rolling up his sleeves, he quickly finished his grocery shopping and went home with a full haul. 

Time to put this oven to use!

Humming to himself as if Malik wasn’t there, Clay began going through his cooking routine. It wasn’t often he worked with whole chickens, but that was all they had at the marketplace. He had to carefully break them apart and skin them. Thankfully, he wasn’t completely ignorant of the process. As they said, muscles are made in the kitchen. It had been several years since he had started cooking for himself. While he didn’t enjoy the process enough to spend hours on it, opting for simpler dishes, he knew what he was doing.

Time flew by as he cooked. Just as the water boiled, and he was about to throw some vegetables into the pot, the sound of knocking interrupted him.

“Malik, can you get that?” 

The young man, having found something else to do other than just sit there and watch, swiftly raced to the front door. Opening it in a hurry, it revealed Thomas’s party flinching back in surprise at the abruptness of the door swinging open.

“Come on in!” Clay shouted from within. He acknowledged his guests with a nod as they walked in. “You guys sure look like you had quite a battle. Malik, show them to the washroom and help them get cleaned up.”

Having shown off the wonders of his toilet and water heater multiple times, Clay didn’t bother with it anymore. He let Malik do the honors as he prepared the table. Before long, he could hear the oohs and aahs, reminding him to talk to his guests about the Delver’s guild idea. While he had offloaded the work to Sylphira for the most part, it didn’t mean he should leave it entirely up to her.

It was safe to say he didn’t have nearly the same amount of experience or connections to screen most Delvers,  but Thomas’s group was at least a known quantity. They had a history, and they were beginners at the same time. It wasn’t likely there would be any problems with them.

As he formulated his recruitment spiel in his mind, the Delvers finished cleaning up and soon returned. They walked out to a table full of steaming hot food.

“I’m sure you’re all tired from your fight, so let’s eat first,” Clay declared, earning him some cheers from the more easygoing members.

In total, there were seven of them in the house. They quickly surrounded the plates of food. Clay had made a variety of dishes after breaking down the chickens he bought. Plates of wings, drumsticks, thighs, and breasts were each cooked in different ways. The proteins were accompanied by some simple but nutritious boiled vegetables.

With a feast before their eyes, spirits were high as they filled their plates with food. Anticipation was in their eyes, reawakening a warm, fuzzy feeling within Clay.

I don’t remember the last time I cooked for someone else. It was all mostly meal prepping. I guess that’s to be expected when I barely had enough time to sleep.

Shaking the idle thoughts of the past out of his mind, Clay quickly anchored himself back to the present. Every cook took great satisfaction in seeing people enjoy their food, and he wouldn’t want to miss that opportunity. 

However, what he soon realized was that the reception wasn’t as good as he had expected. People ate with neutral expressions as a silent moment passed with nothing but chewing.

Did I mess up somehow?

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter