After receiving and equipping the armor, Prairie, Brutus, and Iron all knelt in gratitude. Ed nodded in response while thinking about his next step.
'For now, assembling more of these guys should be ok' Ed planned to afterward start constructing fortresses with their help. He would then teach them strategies, even if primitive, based on his own experiences and common sense.
And after he created these fortresses and properly arranged roles, he could create trap rooms.
Not a room full of traps, he wasn't capable enough at least for now as all he could do was carve pitfalls. No, what he wanted to do was inspired by his previous encounter in this crypt.
'I will hide skeletons in the walls. They will emerge at an opportune time to catch adventurers by surprise' This was the trap room he wanted to create. It was also possible to have them drop in from the ceiling! The thought alone was enough for him to pity the adventurers.
The only issue was the number of skeletons. They were so lowly that the dungeon spawned many but… There still wasn't a surplus of skeletons, trap rooms would result in many empty rooms.
This meant that the adventurers would travel mostly unimpeded as well as given the liberty to choose different paths. And he couldn't exactly put all of the trap rooms at predictable locations, right? Eventually, the adventurers would learn what rooms not to enter or form ways to deal with the trap rooms which would be detrimental.
'All of this requires extensive planning and managing' Luckily Ed's strengthening project had succeeded. He would be able to raise some of the skeletons to take on these roles.
'That means I need to teach them how to speak' Which seemed impossible by all accounts. It wasn't like he could just pass on his transmission skill to them, right? The only clue he had was the lich which was capable of speaking words.
'Is it a sort of magic?' Ed felt that this wasn't improbable. And if it was actually the case then things would also have become much easier. Unless the next upgrade for transmission was some sort of radio tower then this was more attainable.
'I just need to turn them into liches' Even if they couldn't learn to speak after becoming liches, mages were still useful. While the anti-skeletons held the frontlines, the mages could bombard the adventurers with spells.
'I suppose I'll start testing how to make magic cores in the forge for the next batch' Ed concluded his thoughts with this plan in mind.
Prairie, Brutus, and Iron had long since stood up and were anxiously awaiting orders. Ed could tell because of the way they looked around the room trying to keep themselves entertained and preoccupied.
'Continue practicing, you can pick your opponents' Ed sent all of the skeletons his intention. That included the first batch of regular skeletons who were idling away at the sides without much of a care.
'I'll have to recycle them later' Ed didn't plan to discard them. He planned to test the feasibility of upgrades to their mind. In theory, emptying one consciousness and fusing it with a learned one should mean it retains its personality.
If that was the case he wouldn't mind doing Vorgarag a favor or even any of the orcs on the next floor.
'Now it sounds like I am just trying to recreate human society…' Ed couldn't help but imagine orcs in business suits and traveling in cars with his hazy memories. His mind felt a bit strained after the thoughts came to him though so he quickly stopped.
It was time for him to begin but… unfortunately, or fortunately, just as he was about to enter the system space, a message appeared.
[A group of trespassers has entered your floor]
Ed's action was thus interrupted and his thoughts were instantly replaced with battle plans. He also made sure to include what to assimilate in those plans as the time should soon come.
'I can't idle too much' If he took too long while making preparations then there was a chance to run into the adventurers. His current location was in the adventurers' predicted direct path.
'I think it is due to that compass device' Ed thought back to the time he needed a mana core. He had assimilated a weird magical compass for a whopping total of zero mana. It could point towards the next and previous floors.
When he thought of this he couldn't help but think that the adventurers were rather nice. To think they would make things so easy for him.
'What I am seeking is a direct confrontation but until I know the size of the party it wouldn't be wise to force it' If he gathered lots of skeletons with the allotted time it would be possible for him to reuse his hiding strategy.
Ed started to lament not having any scouts. The skeletons wouldn't be able to relay any information and putting himself at risk was not a smart choice. At least not until the anti-skeletons learned to be self-sustainable.
'I'll have to add speedy skeletons to the list of tests' He would add it but how did one go about making a skeleton more aerodynamic? Patch their holes? Well, maybe a special armor set would be more fit.
Ed concluded his thoughts and got straight to work. He stopped the anti-skeletons training and asked them to follow, their newly arrived training partners would provide them with much better experience.
***
Felix and his group of 29 were currently climbing down the set of stairs to the third floor. He couldn't help but feel something was different about the safe room. This caused him to stop and think but Mort behind him couldn't miss the opportunity to make trouble.
"Felix, there is no need to be scared. Buster and I will take care of you" Mort said with ridicule.
Felix didn't pay him any mind and moved away while examining the rooms. Another B-class adventurer who often traveled with Mort stood beside him as he did so.
"Don't mind him, he is just jealous" She said with a nice and comforting smile.
Mort could be said to be a young and talented magician but he paled in comparison to Felix. Their statuses were also different meaning that Mort couldn't compare further. This inferiority likely led to some hostility
Felix nodded absently before turning to look at her and couldn't help but become startled by her proximity. He almost immediately turned away hiding his somewhat reddened face.
The woman was called Scarlet and she was a couple of years older than himself. She had fair skin and silky red hair which likely prompted her name. The point in case being, she was a young beauty!
"This safe room feels odd" Felix decided to share his worry with her to ensure she didn't mention his reddened face.
"Odd?" Scarlet hadn't been into this dungeon before but it would be weird if she hadn't encountered a safe room before. Hell, the previous two floors had safe rooms.
The lights of the room weren't as bright as the previous ones and the room seemed to have formed many cracks. It gave the impression as if it had gone through some sort of disaster, an earthquake perhaps.
"It does seem that way" Scarlet solemnly added while trying to think of a possible reason. They had the leisure to do this since it was a custom to take a break for at least five minutes when entering a safe room.
That was because it was the only time in which adventurers could have respite. Mobs were for some unknown reason not allowed to enter making it ideal and convenient.
"I am afraid this place might not be so safe" Felix told her. Ultimately even if skeletons could come in they would pose no threat but the implications that the fact they could enter brought was simply too burdening.
"You worry too much. Let's just focus on getting this quest over with" Scarlet said with a carefree smile. It was quite captivating.
Felix couldn't help but start to think if she had ulterior motives. As the son of a count, it wasn't unheard of. It had happened before but commoners tended to not be among that group as they were aware of their own status.
Once his train of thought reached this point Felix finally realized that he might be thinking too much.
"You are right. Once we get that material we can leave and report this." Felix replied casually now reassured. It wasn't like he could fix the safe room even if there was something wrong with it so why bother?
His previous failures had not only damaged his self-esteem but also made him very wary and cautious. It was good to be cautious but not to a burdening extent.
For the adventurers, the five minutes passed in a flash and they were ready to continue their travels on the third floor.. This was where their target resided.