The Mad Rat’s Lab Ch 353 – Successful conclusion

Ugh… I’m bored out of my mind.

“...Are we there yet?”

My question, aid at nobody in particular, receives a quick answer from the person sitting right next to .

“It’s the fifth ti you’ve asked in the past ten minutes. You already know the answer; there are two to three hours of travel remaining.”

“Ugh…” I feel like dying. I’m too bored to survive.

Just look at the scenery! It’s an endless green space! Endless green slopes, interspersed by pure yellow wheat fields, and windmills in the background. So of the wheat fields have already been harvested, instead featuring the massive hay ‘rolls’, as I like to call them.

Sure, it’s a beautiful scenery. Sure, it’s calming. But that’s only what you think the first ti you see it. After more than two hours of the sa view, you get bored up to the point where you want to die like .

I an… Regardless of how pleasing to the eyes sothing is, it’s impossible not hate it when it’s the sa All. The. Fucking. Ti!

“Fufu. You’re acting more childish than usual. What’s the matter? Are you that excited?”

“That’s true, but also not…”

Wait. Did Laura say I’m acting more childish? It’s normal to be excited about the TV program, but I don’t think it’s affecting too much. Why did she…?

Ah! It must be Marta’s fault. Yep, it’s definitely her fault.

Before leaving on this trip, I consulted her about the details and the contract, and… well, she got a bit too into the ‘consultor’ role. Yeah, let’s leave it at that.

Her persistent checks and explanations reminded of an overprotective mother worried for her chicks. It even made feel a bit sick, not sure if I should take it to heart or leave her be.

I an, I understand she wanted to make sure I didn’t commit a mistake, but… Was there really any need to treat like a little kid?

The contrast with her usual behavior made it even more jarring…

Oh, by the way. Marta is also the reason Laura and I are currently on this trip. She said that, for an opportunity as important as this one, if there’s even a remote possibility of eting the people in charge in person, I should do it.

Sothing-sothing about obtaining important contacts, taking the first steps into the sector, or whatever. I was too bothered by her attitude towards to pay proper attention.

Maybe Marta was right in treating like a kid, after all…

Anyway! What matters is that, due to her advice, Laura and I are now trapped inside this car.

The trip to Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons headquarters is long. Veeeery long. So long that I want to try what happens if I shoot a bullet straight through my skull. But since it’s close enough to reach in a single day’s car drive, I couldn’t exactly refuse to go after Marta’s nagging.

I shouldn’t have listened to her, after all.

Laura is the only one from whom I could ‘borrow’ a car from, but the hidden clause I didn’t read when signing the contract was that she would be the driver and co with . Now, I’m locked with her inside the car for the rest of the day, and we’ll have to sleep in the sa room because of the budget.

In case you don’t know, most university students aren’t exactly what you could call ‘loaded’.

So yeah. Laura drives, and I get bored watching the scenery… the usual stuff, really. Well, as usual as a once-in-a-lifeti occurrence can be.

“Oh, and thank you for coming with .”

If she hadn’t, it would have been impossible for to go. Not until a long ti later, because the university classes have already started. A two-day trip on the weekend only works if you go by car. Public transport would take way too long, and a plane is too expensive.

“For the umpteenth ti, you’re welco. Now, can you stop repeating the sa things over and over?”

Her comnt hurts. Well, kind of. After all, when you’re bored, the sa thoughts keep repeating over and over, so it isn’t like I can choose to think about sothing else, can I?

“...If you want to pay back, you can do so when we’re alone in our room… I won’t say no to that, fufufu…”

“...”

I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. For my own sanity.

Alright. Let’s do us both a favor and change the topic. Didn’t she ask for it herself?

“I’m curious. How did you convince Clara to stay back ho? She pestered for a whole week, but suddenly stopped asking after talking with you...”

Laura smiles mischievously, sending a glance my way before returning her sight to the road.

“Do you really want to know? Fufufu.”

“...No. I’m not that curious.”

Why does her grin send a chill running down my spine? I can’t understand.

Still, I’m glad Laura convinced her. My sister was a bit too persistent, not accepting a no for an answer, even when I told her she would have to pay for her trip and room.

Did Laura convince her by explaining how small the car is? Or maybe she told her that the air conditioning has trouble keeping the car cold? Depending on the zone you are in, the end of sumr is the hottest part of the year. I’m sweating buckets right now, even when the AC is working at maximum.

What about Ricard, you ask? He never asked to co.

As soon as he learned that Laura was going to drive there, he stepped aside, saying he had other stuff to do, while making a similar grin to the one Laura is currently making and poking at with his elbow.

I thought he would be the one who insisted the most, being obsessed with everything related to DMA. It turns out I was wrong.

Silence takes over once more.

I watch the scenery. The scenery stares back. Ah, no, that’s what the Abyss does, sorry for the confusion.

But boredom overcos as quickly as before.

“Can we take a break? I need to go to the bathroom.”

“What are you, an old man with incontinence?” Laura raises one eyebrow. “We stopped no more than half an hour ago…”

Without warning, she suddenly turns her head towards . Hey, no! Watch the road, not !

“No. You just want to stop because you’re bored, aren’t you?”

Ah, shit. She got .

“...You’re right. I need to move. Staying seated for a long ti isn’t comfortable.”

She nods, “Neither is it for . We can stop at the next service area. But are you sure? Won’t we be late at this rate?”

Wait. What ti is it…? AAAAAAH! It’s this late already!?

We set off very early in the morning so we could et with the M&Dx2 team during the afternoon. Then, we sleep and do a bit of tourism the next day. Who in their right mind would waste this opportunity to visit a foreign capital city?

But at this rate, we’ll be late for the eting. Maybe I should have asked for fewer ‘bathroom breaks’ after all…

“I-it doesn’t matter anymore. I can hold it in for a while longer,” I solemnly declare.

“Hold it in? Are you still going on with the incontine—”

“I misspoke, okay!? And I don’t have incontinence!”

“Fufufu…” Laura makes another one of those demon-like grins, licking her lips.

Geez. What can a man do when the girl sitting next to him keeps provoking him? Should I just allow her to get what she wants?

…That sounds kind of scary, don’t you agree?

After what feels like an eternity, Laura and I finally arrive at M&Dx2’s headquarters.

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I tilt my head. “Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re shaking like a leaf.”

“Am I…?” I look at my hands, and sure enough, they’re shaking.

Did the pressure get to ? I an, this is a huge opportunity. If everything goes right today, and the program is a success, my dungeon might grow into one of the best and most famous ‘thed’ dungeons in DMA.

Reaching that rank is enough to make you famous. With fa cos prestige, and sotis even more important things, like money.

I know a bit about it thanks to Marta. With her current position, she gains more money than most adult workers… Not like she has stopped studying, living off of her success, because gaming is epheral. Better have sothing to rely on if things turn south.

To think I could reach a similar level to my sister if this works out…

Laura grabs my hands and looks straight at . “Calm down, Andreu. There’s no need to worry. Be yourself, and everything will be okay.”

Comforted by her support, my shaking slowly subsides. “You’re right. Thanks.”

She turns around, leaving her trademark ‘fufufu’ laughter behind. She pushes the large door open, and imdiately a large mural thed around Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons greets our view.

Wow. That’s kind of amazing.

After a short introduction, a staff mber drags Laura and to a private room. There, we et two people, the ones in charge of selecting dungeon candidates for their next program.

The first is a man who seems to be scared of even his own shadow. When I greet him, he jumps so high that he almost touches the ceiling, and for so reason, he can’t look in the eyes.

The second is an energetic woman of… around thirty years? I’m not sure about the last detail.

After the greeting and introductions, there’s the usual explanation of what Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons exactly is, their philosophies, how they find new talents, etc.

As expected, they contacted after the tournant because of the popularity increase. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. Securing their chance now would all but guarantee success, as most viewers would recognize the na and style from the tournant.

What I didn’t know was that they had their eye on my dungeon for a long ti. Not sure how much, but at least one or two months.

Anyway. I won't bore you with what cos next; I know how awful it feels after experiencing it myself. You just need to know that there’s a lot of legal talk, conditions, and boons. They explain in detail what our collaboration will entail, how we will work together, what limits and things are forbidden…

In short, everything Marta warned about. A long, boring, and repetitive talk.

The conversation flows smoothly until the woman extends a paper in my direction.

“Since we seem to be on the sa page, I believe it’s ti to talk about this,” she says, pointing at the list written on it. “Read it. Those are the changes we ask you to make.”

“...Changes?”

Changes, as in ‘dungeon changes’? Nobody told about this beforehand. Is this one of those traps Marta warned about?

I start reading the list. Written here are a series of changes to make my dungeon more appealing. More… beautiful? They’ve gone through The Mad Rat’s Lab more than once, searching for empty spaces or stuff that wouldn’t look good on cara once they turn it into a TV show.

“Usually, we would have waited for you to finish your dungeon on your own and contacted you only after. But we’re pressed for ti. If we want to use the tournant’s popularity, we can’t wait until then.” Says the woman.

This is good, because most of those are things I completely missed, didn’t have enough cp to fix them at that mont and forgot to do it later, or simply was too lazy to complete.

These changes will not only work for them, but also improve my dungeon, so I’m glad they prepared the list.

The problem is what cos next.

“...Monster changes. Traps and layouts, too?” After the obvious and purely aesthetic changes, cos a list of changes I’m not too fond of. “The Tunnel’s Nightmare… even The Hunters!? W-what does this an…?”

“Hmm? Let see.”

Laura, who has mostly remained silent during the whole exchange, like the scaredy man, moves her chair closer and starts reading the paper too.

No way. The changes written here… Aren’t they too much!? I’ve worked my ass off creating so of these monsters, you know? To co and say I have to rework them from the ground up, isn’t asking for the impossible!?

“Did you find anything weird?” The woman presses on. “Those are basic changes we believe will benefit your dungeon. According to our evaluations, those are the elents that need to be improved so our program…”

My eyes start spinning.

Is this what Marta warned about? The unreasonable demands of big companies?

“... As you know, our TV show has a large audience, and the viewers want to see a certain kind of stuff. While

I don’t want to change my monsters! They’re my ideas, and no one else’s! I’ve worked hard to design and create them!

But, at the sa ti… This is a chance that only presents once in a lifeti. If I refuse now, it’s the end.

I didn’t start playing DMA to get famous, nor to make a living off of it. I started playing the ga because I wanted to have fun. What ca after is just a bonus.

But I know. I know how great it is if you can make a living from sothing you enjoy doing. It’s sothing that literally changes your life. I’ve seen it on Marta, and also on my mother, who’s a writer. That’s why it’s so hard to make a decision now.

Ugh… What should I do?

Laura slams the paper on the desk and stands up. She glares at the two M&Dx2 representatives before turning around towards .

“Andreu.”

“...Yes?”

Placing a hand over mine, she suddenly grabs it and pulls up, lifting from my seat.

“Let’s leave.”

“?” Leave? What does she an—

“It’s clear they don’t want your dungeon. They just want to use it as they please.”

The woman tries to defend their group. “Wait, that’s not—”

“Not what? Andreu’s dungeon got to where it is thanks to his crazy inventions. That’s what players appreciate, and the reason they co. If you don’t understand even that, we have no business here.”

“No, that’s not—”

“Or what, did you not find any ‘mad scientist’ dungeon that fit your criteria, so you decided to use one that’s relatively famous and force the owner to change it as you please?”

W-what the hell’s going on!?

Why is Laura acting like that? Why is she agrier tham ? Shouldn’t I be the one offended by their demands? I an, I am angry, but not to the point of disregarding everything else…

Laura starts to drag towards the exit.

“P-please! W-w-wait!” For the first ti throughout the eting, the scaredy man raises his voice. “D-don’t leave yet…! W-we also, have, pr-pressure from our, s-s-superiors. T-that wasn’t our in-in-intention...”

After hearing those words, Laura stops. Hidden from the other two, I can see the tips of her lips curling up.

She turns around, still dragging with her. “Alright, enough excuses. Talk. We’ll leave if we don’t like what we hear.”

What follows is an intense back-and-forth between Laura and the timid guy. With being too shocked to fully understand what’s going on, and the woman too baffled to intervene, the ones who talk now are those who stayed silent at the start.

I can’t understand. What does Laura have to win with all this? Why is she helping so much?

Laura likes . I know that. I’ve known for a while now, but… I always thought it was just a physical attraction. Watching her get so involved in this ss for my sake, it makes …

I don’t know how to say it.

I’ve seen family mbers who aren’t willing to put this much effort. To think she, who’s not even related, is ready to work so hard for …

The way I see Laura slowly changes as the agreent fully takes shape.

By the ti I fully recover, I find myself signing the contract, with Laura eagerly watching my every move from the side.

“Y-you won’t regret it. You made the r-r-right decision.”

The scared man says. As a final goodbye, I raise my hand for a handshake. Against all common sense, he suddenly jumps back, hiding behind his comrade.

Hyeaaah! D-don’t co close. Y-y-your, y-your… y-your c-c-cl-cl-cl-cl-clones…!”

Everyone except him makes the sa awkward expressions.

My clones…? What? Why did he ntion my clones? What’s wrong with this guy’s head?

Anyway. What matters is I’ve got it! My dungeon will soon appear on TV, and not only in any TV show, but in Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons! M&Dx2, one of DMA's most famous programs, reputed for how imrsive and amazing all the dungeons that appear in it are!

Bursting with excitent, I can’t focus on anything else until we get out of the building.

“Congratulations! You did it, Andreu!”

Laura jumps at in a hug. I obviously hug her back.

“Yeah… It still feels like a dream. You were so cool there…”

“Fufufu. If I was so cool, how about you reward ?” She looks up to , our faces very close. Her lascivious smile is a perfect copy of the one she usually makes with her Champion.

Despite her Champion having a better figure, to , she looks a lot better like this. More… natural.

A reward, she says.

Unaware of my own actions, I lower my head, approaching her. My eyes locked with hers.

We keep getting closer until, inevitably, I kiss her.

This feels… surprisingly good? But… Why? For so reason, I feel like I’ve just committed the gravest mistake of my life.

We part our lips, but before I can catch my breath, Laura jumps at , with another one of her ‘fufu’ chuckles. She clings to my back with her legs and locks my head in place with her hands

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

She steals my lips. Her kiss lasts so long that I feel like I’m going to suffocate. No, really. I can feel my head spin… Aaagh, my lungs are aching!

“Puha…! Aaah, I almost die—”

Before I can finish, Laura steals another kiss. And another. And another. She keeps repeating the sa actions endlessly, until I start turning purple. Literally.

She finally parts her lips and falls to the ground. But before I can breathe, she starts pulling sowhere.

“Andreu. Haah… Andreu, co with . We have a whole room to ourselves… Fufufu!”

“W-wait. What do you plan to do with ?”

“What, you ask? I’m sure you know by now, fufufu!”

This… This succubus, no, this demon! She’s going to devour ! She’s going to suck everything out until there’s not even my soul left!

Aaaaaagh! Soone save !

The E—

No! Don’t fuck with ! Anyone! Literally, anyone! Don’t ignore , my life’s hanging by a thread! Please, save before this succubus devours my soul—

THE. END.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

This is how The Mad Rat’s Lab achieved its rightful place among the most famous DMA dungeons. It would still take a while, but after a few months, Andreu’s dungeon would be consolidated into one of the most iconic and famous in DMA, surpassing even his own sister’s, Anthemia’s, dungeon.