While Carien was chatting with the lich,
Balak decided to put off the shelter issue until Carian arrived to figure it out and approached Ferguson instead.
"Fergie!"
"Y-Yes?!"
"I think I can make your childhood dream come true."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. But there's a condition."
Building a shelter in the dungeon up to this point was a truly genius idea.
But in a game with as much freedom as this world, there were bound to be plenty of crazies who got their kicks from causing trouble for others.
Some games even had people targeting ten-year-old kids!!
Better not dwell on that.
Anyway, just as there's always a bottom of the bottom,
Balak knew all too well the repulsive human tendency to intentionally troll teammates.
Which was why those lunatics would surely target the fairy.
He had to make sure this kid wouldn't die in the shelter.
There were all sorts of fancy magical tools he could use, sure.
But the best way was to boost the kid's personal combat power.
So!!
"Enlist in this dungeon voluntarily!!!"
"P-Pardon...?"
"Why aren't you thrilled about it!!!"
"OhmygodthisishappeningtomeI'msohappy!"
"Fergie! Let me brief you on this dungeon first! Unlike the one you escaped from, there are no hidden portals or anything here!!"
Better to preempt any weird fantasies the fairy kid might get.
He then shared stories from remodeling the dungeon and showed off rooms 1 through 3 that he'd made.
"See those people coming in?"
"Th-There are this many people?!"
"You're gonna sell them food and stuff. But there's a problem."
"You mean I could get attacked?"
"Exactly!!"
Smart kid—youth had its perks; his brain was turning fast enough.
Now, before training this fairy—
People had to truly want the work they did.
Forcing it on them was the absolute worst of the worst methods.
Without passion, self-esteem, or even knowing why they were doing it,
Just slogging through tasks someone else ordered would leave nothing but fatigue and stress.
If that happened, things would only get worse for both the kid and Balak over time.
So, to have a serious talk with the fairy in front of him, Balak took off his helmet for the first time in ages.
"Fergie, look at me."
"Y-Your helmet doesn't have horns—those are on your head...? Lord Balak, you're a demon?!"
"That's right."
"How did you... survive—"
"My past doesn't matter. Only the present and future do. So listen up, Fergie— you've got two choices right now. First: A dungeon merchant will come here later. You could go with him."
Truth be told, that was the easiest way to handle the kid.
That skeleton merchant seemed like a cold-blooded moneymaker due to his job,
But after spending time together, Balak had seen plenty of his human side.
A bit of cash and a request, and he'd surely take the kid somewhere good.
"Second choice: Stay here, train under me, and chase your dream. Pick one."
"..."
"Too sudden? Remember this: Real life doesn't give you time to choose your path like this."
"I... I..."
Oh no—was the kid dithering over just two options?
Of course, Balak preferred the fairy enlisting here, so a little persuasion was in order.
"Fergie."
"Y-Yes?!"
"Just listen for now. Sometimes life throws curveballs that force you to change course. Your path ends up totally different. That's happened to you three times already."
"You mean what I just told you about...?"
"Yeah. But use those bad experiences right, and you'll become better for it. That's what pain is for."
"...!"
"So, last question: Which will it be?"
The moment Ferguson heard Balak's words, his mind flooded with chaos.
Cursed as a child by a werewolf, scarred in heart by countless beings—he'd spent his life just running away.
So he asked himself:
Would he ignore the chance here and run again?
Or follow the powerhouse before him and forge his own fate?
And if he did follow, could he really live a better life?
Endless worries chained together, but Ferguson made his choice and dropped to his knees before Balak.
"P-Please take care of me from now on!!!"
"Welcome aboard, volunteer enlistee! Let's go!!!"
********************
Alright, now that Fergie had joined Balak's dungeon,
It was time for proper training.
"...?"
"What's up, Fergie?"
"Uh, is this really all we do?"
"Hmm... You wouldn't happen to be a total newbie at training, would you?"
"Hahaha..."
Dodging Balak's gaze confirmed it—this fairy punk had never even exercised before.
Right now, Balak just had him jogging.
Did he think Balak would throw him into human hell from the start?
"...Damn, Fergie. This is serious."
"S-Sorry!"
"It's fine. I'll explain everything from the top, so let's jog and talk."
During the light run that followed, Balak concisely shared his training knowledge.
"Only a tiny fraction of people can push to their limits with willpower alone. Otherwise, you need desperate circumstances. That's where this comes in!!!"
"Momentum?"
"Exactly! Step by step! Start with tiny things you can actually do, build self-control bit by bit! That's why we begin with simple jogging."
Newbies to studying or exercise needed the easiest stuff first.
Throw insane intensity at someone with no habits or fun in it from the get-go?
That was a recipe for three-day enthusiasm at best.
But one hitch...
"Why aren't you tired?"
"Huh?"
Balak had this fairy jogging and running non-stop for a while now, but no sign of fatigue.
Weird, so Balak sped up—and the kid still wasn't tiring?
"Fergie! Match my pace!"
"Y-Yes!!!"
M-My god! Balak was hauling ass, and the kid showed no exhaustion!
He was even keeping up somewhat?!
That's when Balak realized.
What this fairy's race really was!!!
"Stab!!!"
"Ack!! Ferguson, stop!!!"
"Fergie!! What race are you right now?!"
"H-Human!!!"
"Not that! You're cursed and changed!"
"Uh... um... W-Werewolf!!!"
That's right! What was a werewolf?
Called "lycanthrope" elsewhere.
A sleek, handsome wolf standing on two legs—the absolute favorite of the beastkin fan club!
But that wasn't the point!
In his past life, werewolves came with one key ability!
"Fergie, before entering here, did you get hurt outside?"
"Y-Yes!!!"
"And those wounds didn't heal instantly?"
"N-No!!!"
Exactly!! The punk had super-regeneration, a total cheat ability called healing factor!!
Balak might be wrong about the fairy's powers, and since the kid wasn't struggling, he ran various exercises as tests.
And the result?
"M-Muscles already?!"
"Is that such a big deal?"
"Of course!!"
Normal folks starting exercise: shortest a week, longest over six, before any muscle shows.
It took so long because damaged muscles needed serious recovery time,
Plus constant eating led to inefficient nutrition and fat buildup.
But in this dungeon, no need to eat,
And this guy's super-regen fixed torn muscles instantly, letting them grow right away!!
My god!! The body every athlete from his past life dreamed of!
Was this the heavenly martial physique?!!
"No drawbacks to that healing factor!!"
"H-Healing factor?"
"It exists!"
Sure, werewolf regen probably had weaknesses like fire or silver.
But every race died to swords or fire!
"Heh heh... Fergie?"
"Y-Yes!!!"
Creatures got strong through all sorts of factors.
Racial cheats, potion buffs, bloodline hacks, mentor bonuses, gear boosts, ability perks—tons of them.
But this fairy punk here could rack up massive racial and ability cheats... plus Balak as mentor bonus!!
So!!!
"Your curse is now flipped into a blessing."
This guy.
He had what it took to be the dungeon's 'hidden boss.'
**************************
Now that Balak knew the fairy's powers, he taught him various exercises along with the old man's martial arts.
Then.
"L-Lord Balak!!!"
"What's up, Fergie?"
"Can I call you big bro from now on!!!"
"Oh?"
The kid must've noticed his body changing fast thanks to Balak.
And since they'd be together long-term,
Getting called "big bro" instead of stiff "master" felt way more romantic!
"Call me whatever!"
"Thank you! Big Bro Balak!! I'll serve you till I die!!!"
"Then I'll call you Fergie or Little Fergie."
"Yes!!!"
Where'd that tragic backstory and girly cuteness from before go?
The fairy's inner macho emerging so fast was truly beautiful.
This was raising a disciple!
Reminded Balak of the slug he'd raised with the old man as a kid!!
That thing... maybe thanks to the herbs Balak snuck it, it grew from human-sized to bigger than their house.
About ten years ago, after seeing a message about getting thrown into a dungeon, Balak released it into the mountains for "intense training."
Wonder if the little guy's doing okay?
"Uh... Big Bro Balak?"
"Hm? What's up?"
"Why teach me kicks instead of punches?"
"Oh ho... Fergie. You haven't figured out why I'm only teaching kicks?"
"Big Bro, please! Give me enlightenment!"
"You said you wanted to be a cook, right? You gonna handle food with blood-stained hands?"
Mid-sentence, Balak approached the fairy and pointed at his heart with a finger.
"Hands are for your dream. Feet are for your life. Draw the line there."
"G-Got it!"
"And leg strength is 3-5 times arm strength in humans! You're a werewolf, so even more. Master the kicks I taught you first!"
"Yes!!!"
Fairy kid was getting it quick now!
And his kicks were strengthening rapidly over time.
No issue making them his main weapon.
Alright, training direction sorted.
But his shelter work clothes were an issue.
What to dress him in to spread good word-of-mouth...
And the food types and payment currency for the shelter—another headache.
Truly happy problems.