The next morning, the sheer brilliance of my plan had faded, replaced by a cold, hard wave of pure regret.
'Competitive napping,' I thought to myself, the words echoing in my mind with a fresh wave of horror. 'I actually suggested we enter a death tournament with a competitive napping event. What was I thinking? Is this what terminal exhaustion feels like?'
My moment of quiet panic was interrupted by a tiny, high-pitched whistle sound.
FaeLina zipped in front of my core, wearing a determined expression and holding a tiny clipboard. In the quiet of the morning, she had fully embraced her new role as this world's first-ever professional nap-coach.
"'Alright, Mochi, listen up!'" she declared, her voice full of a terrifying amount of energy. "'The road to the championship begins today! I've done the market research, and our target audience is stressed-out knights and sleep-deprived mages. We need to build an experience that speaks directly to their exhaustion! First things first: location! We need the perfect, most tranquil spot in the whole dungeon.'"
She pointed to a magical projection of my dungeon's layout. 'I've marked an empty chamber at the far end of the second floor. It's quiet, it's already there, and using it will be the most efficient use of our resources.'
She was right. It was the logical, sensible choice. But as I looked at the map, at the second floor, it felt wrong.
''No,' I projected, my thought firm. 'The Hibernation Hollows on the second floor... that's was the living space for our residents. It's their home now, even if it's just quiet alcoves. The tournament is a loud, public performance. I can't let it disturb the peace I've built for them.'
FaeLina was about to argue about efficiency, but she stopped. A quiet understanding dawned on her. 'So... what's the plan?'
' We need a stage,' I replied. 'A separate place, built for one purpose, that won't disrupt the harmony of the rest of the dungeon.'
I accessed the Dungeon Menu. This was going to be a massive undertaking.
[Excavate New Floor (Floor 3: The Chamber of Slumber)? A single, isolated grand chamber designed for maximum tranquility. Cost: 300 DP.]
'Confirm'.
The entire dungeon shuddered, a deep, powerful hum that resonated through the every stone. Down on the second floor, the stone floor at the end of the main corridor began to glow. It didn't crumble; it dissolved into a soft, swirling vortex of purple light, which then slowly carved a perfect spiral staircase leading down into the darkness below. A vast, new, silent space was being born deep beneath us.
When the humming stopped, the staircase was complete, leading down to my new third floor. It was a single, enormous, perfectly circular chamber with a high, domed ceiling. It was like a blank canvas.
"A whole new floor," FaeLina whispered, her voice filled with awe. "Just for one event."
Now for the centerpiece, the most important weapon in our arsenal: the perfect bed. I spent hours and a considerable amount of DP experimenting in the new, empty chamber. A bed made of conjured clouds looked soft, but it dissolved into mist the moment Sir Crumplebuns tested it. The fur of a slumber-beast was incredibly soft, but FaeLina reported that it made her nose itch uncontrollably.
Finally, I found the answer. I could take the pure, peaceful dream essence from my happiest visitors and weave it into a tangible fabric and The result was a mattress that glowed with a soft, twilight-blue light. It didn't just support the body; it felt like it was gently cradling the user's very soul.
"Oh. My. Sparkles," FaeLina breathed as she landed delicately on it. "Mochi, this isn't a bed. It's a... a sleep portal!"
With the bed perfected, our entire dungeon family came down to the new third floor to help create the perfect napping arena.
FaeLina took charge of the ambiance, flitting around like an excited interior designer. She conjured soft, glowing orbs that floated near the ceiling, pulsing with a gentle, calming light. She enchanted the air with the subtle scent of lavender and chamomile. "Not too strong," she muttered to herself. "We want to suggest sleep, not force it."
Zazu took over a small corner, setting up a temporary tea station. He spent an hour carefully grinding herbs and sniffing different blends. Finally, he brewed a single, perfect cup of pale golden tea. "Zazu's Nightcap," he announced proudly. "A secret blend of valerian root, honey from drowsy bees, and a pinch of moonpetal dust. It will usher even the most restless warrior into the 'Land of Nod'."
Pip approached the finished bed, Clank ticking quietly beside him. "You know," he said shyly, "sometimes, a story helps." He pulled a few small, well-worn books from his pouch. "My mum used to read me 'The Adventures of Sir Pokington' when I couldn't sleep." He placed them on a small bedside table I conjured for him. At his request, Clank's crystal eyes glowed as he magically scanned and memorized the books, ready to recite them in a soft, soothing, tinny voice.
Even Kaelen, who had been watching silently from the doorway, stepped forward. She said nothing, but she spent the next twenty minutes meticulously polishing the stone floor around the bed until it gleamed like a calm lake. Then, she placed a single and perfect dream-flower in a small vase on the bedside table. It was her quiet, profound contribution.
Finally, the room was complete. It was a perfect, handcrafted sanctuary of sleep, isolated on its own quiet floor.
FaeLina surveyed our team's creation, her eyes wide with a mixture of pride and utter bewilderment.
"Mochi," she said slowly. "I think… I think we might actually win this with aggressive niceness."
I allowed a quiet hum of satisfaction to resonate from my core. We had no fireballs. We had no spike pits. But we had the perfect bed.
Now all we needed was a 'champion napper'.