"Honored Lord Sharlock, the Special Talent Market has indeed registered many elite professionals lately — but a servant who's mastered combat technique is not going to charge a mere twenty magic stones a month." Behind the glass window, the succubus lady did her best to keep her tone gentle and warm. "Frankly, even an abomination — one of those stitched-together patchwork jobs — runs twenty magic stones a month these days. As you know, we only carry the elite of the elite here. Twenty magic stones is... just a little too low."
"To be precise, what I need isn't a servant who's mastered combat — it's a servant who can make GOBLINS master combat. A coach, if you like. Don't look at me like that. I know, 'make goblins master combat' sounds odd, but that's exactly why it counts as special talent — it's why I came here for help. Please post this recruitment notice for me: anyone confident they can train goblins into warriors, and willing to accept a monthly wage of twenty magic stones, may contact me."
Sharlock said all this with admirable patience.
"Lord Sharlock, regulations-wise, we can't post a recruitment notice with a monthly wage of twenty magic stones. Our floor for wages is two hundred magic stones and up." The succubus lady looked a bit pained.
"Oh, hang the regulations. I'd always assumed that with a friendship like OURS, those little boxes and lines wouldn't count for much." Sharlock gazed tenderly at the succubus lady, who — under his stare — turned a touch coy, twisting her head aside, blushing so hard it looked like her face might literally drip blood. She said:
"But Lord Sharlock... this is only our second time meeting..."
"The FIRST time we met, you sold me a dungeon with a junked-out core. The second time we meet, asking you to run one little recruitment ad is hardly asking too much!" Sharlock smacked the table, speaking as if this were plain common sense. "But what gives? You quit selling dungeons to work a reception desk here? Selling dungeons has gotta pay better, no?"
"You only earn money if the dungeon actually SELLS! Since I started selling dungeons, I've closed exactly ONE deal — yours, Lord Sharlock. Sure, the dungeon market's been red-hot lately, but since I flat-out refuse to play the 'unspoken rules' game, the dungeons in my hands were either already crusaded-against by the surface world or long since abandoned. Dungeons like that — nobody's buying them except you, Lord Sharlock! With dungeons forever unsold and no commission coming in, I had no income at all. Working a reception desk here was my last resort!" As the succubus lady spoke, her eyes brimmed with aggrieved tears.
"Since I'm the only customer whose business you ever looked after, shouldn't you be all the MORE willing to do me this favor?" Sharlock said, matter-of-fact, as if he couldn't see the tears welling up in the succubus lady's eyes at all.
Seeing that Sharlock wouldn't budge, the succubus quickly collected herself, glanced around to confirm no staff were paying attention, and lowered her voice: "I can do it, it's just — that wage of yours is far too low, so I can't post the recruitment notice openly. If the guild saw it, I'd lose even this job. I'll keep an eye out privately, and if a suitable candidate turns up, I'll send him to your dungeon to find you."
Once the succubus lady had finished in her hushed voice, and once she saw how satisfied Sharlock looked, she followed up with a question:
"But Lord Sharlock, why train goblins into warriors at all? Can goblins do anything besides manual labor like mining and hauling? If you need combat personnel, an up-and-coming dungeon could go with gnomes — they're close kin to goblins, but better than goblins in every way, and inexpensive too."
Sharlock knew the succubus lady was politely suggesting he stop wasting time on goblins. Whatever else you said about her, she meant well. But those goblins were no ordinary goblins — they were players from another world: hardworking AND working for free. Where else would you find free labor that good? If twenty magic stones a month secured him a stable hundred free laborers, Sharlock was more than happy to pay it.
Sharlock didn't answer the succubus lady's question directly. He just thanked her for the kind thought, reminded her one more time to find him that special talent — twenty magic stones a month, must be able to coach goblins into warriors — as soon as possible, and then left the Special Talent Market.
But just as he was leaving the Special Talent Market, planning to head back to the Eternal Kingdom dungeon, he heard Bru's voice:
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"Lord Sharlock, as your faithful servant, I feel I must raise a suggestion."
"Fire away!"
"I believe you need to find an assistant — someone stationed in Frostlake full-time to handle the trivial errands: purchasing goods, hiring workers, upgrading buildings, that sort of thing. Otherwise you'll always have to make the round trip yourself. Isn't that a bit too much hassle?" The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
So said Bru.
"Good point — but a capable assistant needs a salary. Plus I'd have to rent them a place in Frostlake and cover their three meals a day. Just thinking about it, I've decided: teleport scrolls it is. Or I'll simply walk."
Sharlock said this in complete earnest.
"You really are... frugal." Bru sounded rather helpless, then pressed on: "Well, you could try an even cheaper route — hiring part-time. That succubus lady just now — isn't she the sales lady who sold me to you? I think she's great! Worth reaching out when the chance comes — who knows, maybe she'd be willing to help?"
Hearing Bru out, Sharlock gave it some serious thought. It really was workable: a Frostlake local working part-time would definitely beat making the trip himself. The precondition, though, was building good relationships with all those shops so they'd support cash-on-delivery. That succubus lady wasn't a bad part-time candidate at all. But there was no rush on this — Sharlock filed it away in his head and dropped the subject.
Back in the dungeon, the players who'd just gotten wrecked by the subterranean spiders — along with the ones who'd been toiling away the whole time — immediately flocked over to him.
"When do we get to start learning skills?!"
"Are there requirements for learning skills? Do we have to pick a class?"
"Is it free the first time and then it costs money?"
The moment the players closed in, they started firing off questions in a chirping, chattering storm.
Hearing their questions, Sharlock asked Bru: "You already told them I went to find a skill trainer?"
"I ran a server-wide announcement. I mean — I announced it to them once, in the dungeon. The details are pending the forum notice. Seems they've assumed YOU'RE going to teach them combat skills — after all, in this whole dungeon, you're the only one who looks like he can fight."
Bru explained.
Sharlock got the general picture now. He let out a small taste of his dominating aura, and the players before him quieted right down. Then he said:
"In light of your atrocious combat performance, I have hired you a combat coach. It may take a little time. Also — injured parties may come to me for treatment. Ten coppers a session!"
Once Sharlock finished, the players dispersed, somewhat disappointed, and the few injured ones came over for their healing. Simba the blacksmith had finished the chisels and hammers, and "Bru" began issuing quests for making stone blocks, laying floors, and building room walls — the players were soon sucked back into the endless quest grind. As for pushing the Spider Nest? Yeah, no. Fighting those subterranean spiders was just too hard for them. All they could do was pray the skill trainer got in place soon, so they could learn some actual combat skills before trying again.
Sharlock returned to the dungeon core hall, about to open the magic item "computer," log into the other world's official forums, and post the announcement about the skill trainer.
Suddenly he felt a ripple of mana from within the dungeon core — a ball of flame sprang up inside it, and a letter came flying out of the fire.
Sharlock picked the letter up, tore it open, and gave it a look. Just a few sparse lines:
"Lord Sharlock — no sooner had you left than I found you a special talent suited to teaching goblins combat, and he was very satisfied with your wage of twenty magic stones a month. I personally sponsored one teleport scroll so he can reach your dungeon as soon as possible. When you next come to Frostlake, kindly settle my personal brokerage fee of five magic stones. Thank you! P.S. The teleport scroll was free~ (heart) — Lord Sharlock's sales lady, Evelyn."
"She's really taking this to heart — and she's genuinely competent. I once again propose appointing her Ambassador of the Eternal Kingdom Dungeon to Frostlake. Part-time, obviously."
The core "Bru" said this with a laugh in his voice. He'd barely finished teasing when another ripple of mana came, and then "Bru" said:
"My lord, someone is requesting to teleport into the dungeon with a teleport scroll. I'd guess it's the special talent Evelyn mentioned. Shall I allow him in?"
"Let him in." Sharlock nodded.
Right after, outside the dungeon core hall, a portal swung open. The players busy grinding their quests were startled by the sudden appearance — and in no time, yet another whole crowd came swarming over.
And out of the portal stepped a gnome with BOTH ears wrapped in bloodstained bandages.
"This many goblins?! His Lordship must be one incredible rich man — my shot at making it big has finally come!"
The gnome looked around at the sea of goblins, and his eyes went moist with emotion.
Sharlock thought the gnome looked a little familiar and was racking his brain over where he'd seen him — when xX_ShadowBlade_Xx, from within the crowd, suddenly pointed at the gnome and hollered:
"That gnome — he's door security at the portal reception hall in Frostlake! I saw him when I went last time!"
══════════════════════ DUNGEON LORD'S NOTE ═══════════════════════
Evelyn came through — and Sharlock's new twenty-stone special talent is the portal-reception door gnome.
Both ears bandaged.
The same one. Our skill trainer, everybody.
Is the bandaged-ear gnome about to become your favorite NPC?
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