My D Rank Skill is Actually SSS-Rank

Chapter 14: The Dungeon's New Management and the Guild's Grand Scheme

Alaric grinned, a true, unbridled grin of triumph. "Yep. Just a D-Rank skill. Breaking the meta, one refinement at a time." He felt the 'Coin of Infinite Prosperity' subtly warm in his pocket. And now, I own a perfectly optimized, infinite mana dungeon. This is going to be a very profitable playthrough. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally get that bathhouse built. For optimal relaxation, of course. Perhaps even a 'private' section, for 'research' into advanced relaxation techniques.

Master Elara stared at him, then at the Dungeon Core, then at the transparent slime, which was now mimicking Sir Grady's squirrel ballad in a tiny, perfectly pitched voice. "Oh, bushy tails and beady eyes! They haunt my dreams!"

Alaric groaned. Traitorous blob. I'm going to refine you into a perfectly clear, perfectly silent paperweight that only hums soothing lullabies and has a 'Permanent Mute' condition. Or maybe a 'self-cleaning toilet brush'. That'll teach you.

Master Elara's eyes narrowed dangerously, her gaze snapping back to Alaric. "Alaric! You refined the Dungeon Core?! Do you have any idea what you've done?! This is unprecedented! This changes everything! The Guild's primary training ground, its source of mana, its very essence... it's all different!"

Agnes, her face still pale from the sheer cleanliness of the dungeon, finally found her voice. "The rats! Where are the rats?! And the traps, they're... they're terrifyingly efficient now! I almost stepped into a bottomless pit that wasn't there five minutes ago!"

Sir Grady, still looking slightly traumatized from the festival and now utterly bewildered by the meditating Shadow Beast, stammered, "But... it's purring! A Corrupted Shadow Beast... purring! This defies all heroic logic!"

"It's optimal monster management," Alaric explained, shrugging casually. "The beast was corrupted by suboptimal mana flow. I fixed the core, the mana purified, and now it's just... relaxed. It wants belly rubs. And the rats? Relocated. To a random, harmless location. Probably some unsuspecting farmer's field a hundred kilometers away. Efficiency, people! Efficiency!"

Master Elara took a deep breath, her chest heaving. "This isn't 'efficiency,' Alaric! This is... reality-bending! A D-Rank skill should not be able to do this! You've transformed an A-Rank Dungeon Core into an SSS-Tier artifact! The implications are... staggering!" She paced, her robes swishing, her Mana Sense flaring wildly as she tried to comprehend the sheer purity of the mana radiating from the core.

"Well, maybe the ranking system is suboptimal too," Alaric retorted, crossing his arms. "Just because something is 'D-Rank' doesn't mean it lacks potential. It just means no one bothered to optimize it. You people are so focused on flashy, high-tier skills, you miss the true power in the fundamentals." He winked. And the true power in perverted applications.

Agnes, however, seemed to be recovering her terrifying smile. Her eyes, behind her spectacles, gleamed with a new, even more unsettling light. "Optimization... yes! Alaric, you are a genius! An absolute genius! Imagine! An infinite mana source! A dungeon that generates optimal layouts! This is a game-changer for the Guild! No more costly mana crystals! No more dangerous, unpredictable training grounds! This is... profit!"

Sir Grady, still staring at the purring Shadow Beast, finally seemed to grasp the implications. "Infinite mana? By the Holy Light! We could empower every knight! Every spellcaster! The Shadow Blight would be eradicated in weeks!" His heroic fervor returned, now amplified by the sheer scale of Alaric's accidental creation.

Alaric felt a cold dread. Profit. Eradication. This is exactly what I didn't want. I wanted a quiet, exploitable dungeon for my own personal gain, maybe a hidden bathhouse. Not to be the Guild's personal mana battery and dungeon designer.

Master Elara, however, was still skeptical. "But the side effect, Alaric! 'Causes Overwhelming Urge to Organize'! What if it affects adventurers? We can't have our heroes suddenly stopping mid-battle to alphabetize their potion belts!"

Alaric shrugged. "It's a minor side effect. And it only affects 'non-users.' So, anyone who doesn't have my skill. And besides, a little organization never hurt anyone. Might even improve their combat efficiency. Less fumbling for the right potion, more smashing faces."

Agnes, ignoring Elara's concerns, clapped her hands together with a resounding smack. "Alaric! Your next task! The Guild Master will be arriving shortly. You will explain your process. And then, you will begin to design the Guild's new training regimens! Optimal layouts for every rank! From F-Rank basic training to SSS-Rank elite challenges! We shall revolutionize adventurer training!"

Design training regimens? For every rank? This is a full-time job! And it sounds like a lot of paperwork. My 'Bureaucratic Efficiency' aura from the counter isn't going to save me from this. Alaric sighed. "But Agnes, I'm just a D-Rank—"

"Special Provisional SSS-Tier, Alaric!" Agnes corrected, her smile unwavering. "And you have proven your worth! This dungeon is now under your direct management! You are its Dungeon Master! Its Optimizer! Its... creator!"

Alaric's eyes widened. Dungeon Master? I own the dungeon? Holy crap. This is a massive exploit. Infinite mana. Customizable layouts. I can literally spawn anything I want. This changes everything. His perverted mind immediately supplied: I could create a 'Maid Cafe' monster spawn! Or a 'Swimsuit Slime' challenge! For 'research' into monster-human interaction, obviously.

Master Elara, still looking suspicious but now also a little impressed, walked over to the meditating Shadow Beast. She cautiously extended a hand. The beast, still purring, leaned into her touch. "Remarkable," she whispered. "Perhaps there is more to your 'refinement' than mere perversion, Alaric."

"Of course there is, Master Elara," Alaric said, trying to sound offended. "It's all about optimal functionality. And sometimes, optimal functionality leads to... unexpected side effects. Like purring shadow beasts. Or singing Guild Masters." He winked.

Just then, the transparent slime, which had been quietly observing from Master Elara's foot, jiggled. Then, in a tiny, perfectly pitched voice that sounded eerily like Master Elara's own, it squeaked: "I secretly find Alaric's perverted comments... mildly intriguing!"

Master Elara froze, her face turning crimson. She snatched the slime off her foot. "You! You little... you're still doing that?!"

Alaric burst out laughing, a genuine, unforced laugh. "It's the 'Uncomfortable Revelations' absorption, Master Elara! It's a feature, not a bug! You should see what it knows about Sir Grady's squirrel phobia!"

Sir Grady, who had been admiring the Dungeon Core, suddenly spun around. "My squirrel phobia?! It knows?!"

The transparent slime jiggled, then in a perfect imitation of Sir Grady's voice, belted out: "Oh, bushy tails and beady eyes! They haunt my dreams, my brave disguise!"

Sir Grady let out a strangled cry. Agnes, however, just stared at the slime, then at Alaric, her terrifying smile returning. "A mimicking slime! Even better! Alaric, you are a goldmine of innovation! Now, about those dungeon layouts..."

Alaric sighed. This is going to be a long, long life. But at least it won't be boring. And I have an infinite mana dungeon. And a pervert-detecting, singing, mimicking slime. And a coin that generates gold. And X-ray vision. Maybe this 'D-Rank' life isn't so bad after all. As long as I can find a way to build that bathhouse.