"See you later, Kiasu-kun. I'll come again."
"Kiasu, see you later."
The next day, shortly after noon, the two Demon Lords left.
At first, I wasn't sure how things would turn out. Nothing catastrophic happened—well, that isn't entirely true. Physically, I made it through my first encounter with a Demon Lord in one piece. Mentally, I was shredded and torn to pieces. But a mixed bath with three beauties fixed that right up.
Still, the problems left behind were mounting.
"Andre."
'Yes. I have looked into several countermeasures against aerial attacks. However, I have doubts about their effectiveness against truly skilled opponents, and the costs are prohibitive.'
I hadn't been able to talk to Andre properly after all the commotion yesterday, so I was finally getting around to the air-defense problem.
"Let's hear them."
'Yes. My proposals fall into two broad categories.
First: generating turbulence above the dungeon to obstruct flight.
However, I suspect this would have little effect against skilled magic users—or Demon Lord-class opponents. And since it would need to cover the entire area above the dungeon to be meaningful, the costs would be enormous.
Second: covering the dungeon itself with a roof. This would reliably prevent the kind of shortcut they used this time.
But this too has its own problems.
First, the crops the Orcs are currently cultivating are yielding terrible results. Blocking sunlight would make that situation hopeless. Furthermore, despite the intended purpose of separating the continents, a ceiling might actually allow travel between them if traversed along the top. To prevent that, we would need to install numerous lethal traps or build walls too high to reach. Both of which are excessive for dungeon management and far too expensive.'
I see.
Andre's proposals are valid as countermeasures, assuming the enemy operates within the bounds of common sense.
But from now on, I'll be facing opponents like Demon Lords—beings who exist outside those bounds.
Those measures won't be enough.
Right.
Let's just throw weight and common sense out the window for now. My life is at stake here.
I silently operated my smartphone, running a simulation to build what I had in mind.
Ugh... That's still pretty expensive.
But compared to Andre's ideas, this is more practical and cheaper, too.
"What do you think, Andre?"
'As always, Master, your approach to dungeon construction is unconventional.
But I think it is an excellent plan. As for the cost, just maintaining it should be within your magical capacity. However, if you also have to maintain the rest of the dungeon, you will need regular dungeon invaders to offset the burden. Otherwise, the strain on you will be huge.'
"Yeah. I've been thinking about that too. But I'll need the cooperation of the regional rulers. I'd like to make contact with them eventually."
'Cooperation?'
"Yeah. Well, that's still a ways off. For now, I need to focus on what's in front of me."
'Yes. Otherwise, Master, you will be crushed—just like a bug.'
"...You never change, do you? You really don't mince words."
I sighed and tapped the save confirmation on my smartphone.
Suddenly, a massive shadow appeared in the sky.
A writhing shadow, like a black serpent.
That serpent stretched between the True Continent and the Demon Continent, its coils converging on a crucible of light, as if tracing the orbit of a satellite.
A cathedral built of transparent glass. A glass corridor, adorned here and there with gold and silver, yet never gaudy. Transparent towers and battlements thrusting sharply into the sky. A palace that let light pass through, glowing in its own radiance.
A translucent fortress floated in the heavens.
The Sky Labyrinth.
A dungeon floating in the sky appeared in this world for the very first time.
Summary:
Master resolved to create floating dungeon defenses after Demon Lord visit, despite Andre's practical objections. He simulated his unconventional plan on his smartphone, balancing cost against survival. The Sky Labyrinth then appeared—a glass fortress bridging continents—revealing Master's true ambitions.
Trivia:
Master's psychological recovery through mixed bathing with three beauties suggests a harem-comedy subgenre element.
Andre's blunt warning ("crushed like a bug") masks deep concern for Master's safety.
The Orcs' crop failure creates additional pressure on Master's resource management.
The roof-based defense plan would inadvertently create a bridge between continents if not properly secured.
Master's smartphone-based dungeon construction confirms this operates within a game-like system world.
The Sky Labyrinth's glass construction emphasizes transparency and elegance—contrasting with traditional dark dungeons.
The mention of "regional rulers" hints at future political negotiation arcs.
"Glass!?" title with punctuation suggests both wonder and disbelief at what Master has created.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Literally "drawn-and-quartered level" — a hyperbolic expression meaning "torn to pieces" or "utterly destroyed." Translated as "shredded and torn to pieces" to preserve intensity while sounding natural in English.
2 ↩ Literally "does not wrap teeth in cloth" — a Japanese idiom meaning blunt, outspoken, tactless. Translated as "doesn't mince words" to capture the directness while sounding natural in English.
3 ↩ A Buddhist temple complex or cathedral. Used here to evoke religious architectural grandeur for the glass fortress. Translated as "cathedral" to maintain the sacred, awe-inspiring connotation.
4 ↩ Crucible — used metaphorically for a place where light or energy gathers intensely. Translated as "crucible of light" to preserve the alchemical/transformative imagery.
5 ↩ Literally "sky labyrinth" — a floating dungeon. Translated as "Sky Labyrinth" to preserve both the vertical elevation and maze-like, dangerous dungeon nature.
Notes:
• Kiasu - Job: Dungeon Master; Relationship: Master to Paimon; Item/Magic: Smartphone with Creation ability; Note: Zero years old, self-deprecating, clings to civilized lifestyle.
• Andre - A demon of the sixty-fifth rank in Solomon's seventy-two demons, appearing in the form of a peacock. Acts as a conductor of sophistry and a support interface for the dungeon master. Bestows knowledge of surveying, astronomy, and geometry. Displays a formal, refined demeanor with hidden warmth and genuine concern for her master's safety, though she expresses frustration through sharp lecturing. Colleague of the narrator. Speaks to the Demon Lord without fear. Blunt and sarcastic. Uses insults casually but reveals underlying care through actions. Functions as the straight-man tsukkomi character. The protagonist's smartphone companion who serves as both advisor and voice of reason. Speaks with polite, respectful deference while occasionally expressing exasperation at the master's priorities. Questions the safety of dungeon designs and serves as a grounding presence to the protagonist's whims.
• Master - The dungeon master and protagonist of the story. A self-aware individual who acknowledges his own laziness and tendency to prioritize comfort over dungeon management. Possesses absurdly high stats and a vast array of skills despite being Level 1. Maintains a casual, modern internal monologue with self-deprecating humor.