The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 148

EP.148 The Fortunate One

In a room shrouded in darkness, a man crouched in front of a desk. His voice trembled as he muttered.

“I-I’m sorry! This is my mistake. I never imagined anyone would dare to interfere with the representatives.”

His voice was filled with fear, cracking and shaking. Though he was known as the ‘Master’ within the Black Hand, his current appearance was pitiful. In truth, this was his true form.

“B-but! I will set everything right!”

The Master swallowed hard, struggling to speak.

“Please, grant me another chance! Oh, Lord of Death!”

His gaze was fixed on the desk. On it lay a black mask, emanating an eerie aura. It was the mask he usually wore. Despite its familiarity, it now appeared as an object of terror in the Master’s eyes.

“…….”

Only deathly silence filled the room. The sight of the man alone, muttering in the dark, was grotesque. But then, a chilling laughter echoed from all directions.

– Keh-heh-heh-heh.

The laughter was deafening, as if it would tear his ears apart. It emanated from the black mask.

– So, there is a fool who dares to disrupt my plans.

With trembling hands, the Master caressed the mask.

“…Indeed! Those who insult the Lord of Death must be punished accordingly!” he responded eagerly.

The Master’s power and position all stemmed from this mask. The black mask was an artifact, not just any simple trinket found in the marketplace, but a genuine item of immense power. The black mask was a legendary artifact imbued with the soul of a high-ranking demon. Through its power, he had ascended to the throne of the underworld and believed without a doubt that he would one day grasp the entire continent in his hands.

‘With this, I can become a king too…!’

That was what he had believed, at least until Malcolm’s death.

It had all started simply. One day, Malcolm vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, a new figure appeared in the territory Malcolm had managed—someone named Necros. This audacious individual had sent invitations to the representatives of the Black Hand, including the Master himself.

Though he didn’t know where the information had leaked from, one thing was clear.

‘This is no ordinary person.’

But it didn’t matter. No matter how extraordinary, Necros was still human. In contrast, the Master possessed an artifact inhabited by a demon.

The Master had immediately sought to uncover more about Necros by sending Laila, Annabelle, and Ferris to the location specified in the invitation. That had been his critical mistake. All three had lost contact after heading to the location.

‘……!’

All his efforts had come to naught. The small kingdom he had painstakingly built was now precariously shaking. Fear gripped the Master’s heart, not because of his missing subordinates. Even if the organization crumbled, he wouldn’t care. The true fear lay elsewhere.

‘What if my worth is questioned? What if I’m abandoned here…?’

The chilling thought consumed him. If the black mask discarded him, it would mean the end of the power base he had built. Not only would his life as the ‘Master’ be over, but he would also lose his status as a representative. After all, all his power originated from the mask.

‘I must prove my worth at all costs!’

Standing on the edge of a cliff, the Master had no choice. He had to resolve the current crisis and demonstrate his loyalty to the black mask. At the very least, he had to pretend to do so.

“I will go to Malcolm’s territory immediately to investigate!”

The Master bowed his head and kissed the black mask. The cold touch pierced his lips.

“Oh, Lord of Death… please take my soul and grant me strength!”

His frenzied whisper reached a fever pitch. In response, the mask answered in a sinister voice.

– Yes… my faithful servant. If you desire power, I shall grant it to you.

The demonic voice sent shivers through his entire body, and the Master trembled with ecstasy.

“I will serve you forever…!”

As he slowly brought the mask to his face, his eyes began to turn bloodshot.

– Now, go out and show your strength. I will be with you.

With bloodshot eyes, he stared into the void before heading towards the door. A cruel smile played on his face as he wandered the dark corridor.

“Kekeke.”

The Master, or perhaps now a demon, bared his sharp teeth in a chilling laugh that echoed through the darkness. The demon had taken a human’s flesh and began to sow the seeds of death.

– Let us go forth to seek death.

“Let us go forth to seek death.”

The man, drawn by the voice of the demon, slowly began to move his feet.

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Thunderous cheers shook the arena. Jeers, curses, and frenzied support mixed together, nearly deafening to the ear. This was the Monster Arena, a bloody battleground where monsters and humans fought life-and-death battles.

Initially, there weren’t many crazy enough to risk their lives. So Malcolm coerced those indebted to him into the arena. However, the situation turned around because of a boy named Kael.

“Have you heard the news? That boy Kael has survived another match.”

“What? He survived again? That’s one tough kid. Made a good sum of money, didn’t he?”

“Don’t even mention it. With that money, he’s treating his sister, too. What a good lad. Surely the goddess herself is looking after him for living such a noble life.”

The most talked-about challenger in the Monster Arena was naturally Kael. A mere boy who had become the head of his family, Kael had come to the arena lured by the promise of debt forgiveness.

He had never wielded a sword before, but Kael was lucky. In every match, he miraculously survived.

By sheer luck, Kael’s thrown sword would sometimes pierce a monster’s vital spot, or he would survive by taking advantage of the chaos as the monsters tore each other apart. Once, he even avoided a monster’s attack by tripping and falling.

As these incidents repeated, Kael’s luck seemed to grow stronger with each match. People began betting on the fortunate Kael, and naturally, his odds dropped. However, the amount of money Kael amassed was staggering. He used his earnings to secure a good home and hired a personal priest for his sister. His success was so remarkable that the arena provided him with bodyguards.

A young boy had established himself in the underworld. Living in a fine house, with a personal priest for his sister and even bodyguards—Kael’s success story inspired more people to challenge the arena. Knights and adventurers joined the fray, raising the level of competition. In a short time, the Monster Arena’s popularity soared, and the crowd’s enthusiasm reached its peak.

“No! What is happening?! The werewolf has attacked Sir Linus! Sir Linus, who had the upper hand throughout the match, is he going to fall like this?!”

“Waahhhh!!”

Today, the arena echoed with the announcer’s desperate cries and the audience’s frenzied cheers. The arena, where good and evil, light and darkness clashed and spilled blood, was once again engulfed in brutal excitement.

And watching this spectacle was the leader of the underworld, the Master of the Black Hand. He wore the eerie black mask.

“Hmm, it is indeed a profitable venture, my lord.”

The one who had ousted Malcolm and taken over the territory had quite a knack for business. An arena utilizing monsters—what a brilliant idea. The problem was that such a magnificent enterprise was in the hands of a faceless upstart.

‘That idiot Malcolm.’

How could he have lost his territory so easily?

If Malcolm had been running the arena, it would have been acceptable. However, Malcolm was already dead, and the territory had fallen into someone else’s hands. Still, all was not lost.

“If my lord permits, I shall offer this Monster Arena to you,” the Master whispered to the black mask. With the demon’s power backing him, taking over the arena would be a piece of cake.

– Keh-heh-heh. It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed such a feast of death.

Fortunately, the black mask seemed enthralled by the slaughter in the arena, its voice filled with ecstasy. Sensing the demon’s delight, the Master smiled in satisfaction.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Now, we begin the grand finale!”

The announcer’s voice echoed through the deafening cheers. The challengers stepped onto the stage, and all eyes focused on one boy among them.

“Let’s introduce the challengers! We have many new faces today, but of course, we can’t forget this one!”

The announcer raised his voice even higher.

“Here he is! The living legend of the Monster Arena, Kael!”

The crowd roared with excitement at Kael’s appearance. There was a strong belief that Kael would survive this match as well. Most people had bet on him, confident in his victory despite the low odds.

“I’ve heard that boy is the luckiest of them all,” the Master remarked, pulling out some gold coins and placing a bet on Kael. Despite the low payout, it was a sure win. No matter how hard one tried, one couldn’t beat someone blessed with luck.

After all, wasn’t the Master himself holding the ultimate stroke of luck in the form of the black mask? It was only natural for him to bet on someone as fortunate as Kael.

The black mask maintained its silence as the Master placed his bet. Soon after, the announcer introduced the monster.

“Today’s challenger will face none other than—brace yourselves—a three-star Skeleton Wizard!”

However, the crowd’s attention was fixed on Kael. The Skeleton Wizard, clutching a thick grimoire, was of no interest to them.

“That looks like a spellbook,” the Master noted, the only one intently observing the monster. But that was all. Despite its odd appearance, a Skeleton Wizard was not a particularly special monster.

Just then, the black mask on the man’s face began to tremble violently.

“My lord…?”

The tremor did not stop at the mask but spread throughout the Master’s body. Confused, he quickly removed the mask.

“What is happening all of a sudden!”

As the Master showed his confusion, the black mask finally spoke.

– At last, I have found it! That one is the absolute being closest to death!

“What do you mean by that!”

– I can sense an immense number of deaths from that one. It must be the power chosen by the god of death!

The mask rambled on incoherently. The Master, with a bewildered expression, stared at the arena.

What was it about that creature that elicited such a reaction?

‘What could it possibly be…’

In the center of the arena stood only a three-star Skeleton Wizard. A monster in a tattered robe holding a thick tome of magic—nothing more. Why the mask was reacting so violently to this being was beyond comprehension. It was not a four-star Lich or a five-star Arch Lich, but a plain three-star undead monster.

‘Something is off. Wait, what’s that?’

Suddenly, the Master realized he had lost all sensation in his hands. The black mask had vanished without a trace.

“My lord…?”

He looked around frantically, but the mask was nowhere to be seen.

“Where are you!”

At that moment, the announcer’s voice rang out in a scream.

“This can’t be! The Skeleton Wizard’s hand has pierced Kael’s heart! What on earth is happening?!”

The boy who had been the legend of the Monster Arena was dead. That was the end of the one blessed with luck.

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***

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Kaleido knelt respectfully before Necros.

“Well done, Sir Necros!”

The figure standing before him was none other than the Skeleton Wizard who had just killed Kael in the arena. The Skeleton discarded its tattered robe and donned an elegant blue one. The true identity of the Skeleton Wizard was the Arch Lich, Necros.

“Indeed, the boy Kael had outlived his usefulness. It was good to dispose of him at this opportunity.”

In the underworld of Sael kingdom, Necros was in charge of one of the territories. He was also the master of a dungeon created by the Great One. With the dungeon’s creation, Kaleido naturally began managing it, effectively becoming Necros’s vice manager. Consequently, Kaleido also took part in the arena’s operations.

“Ferris is still wandering in the illusion, but he will soon fall into our hands.”

Ferris lay in a deep sleep nearby. His expression was troubled, likely due to a nightmare, but it was of no concern. Kaleido continued his report.

“If you use these individuals to completely take over the underworld, Sir Necros, the safety of the dungeon will also be ensured,” Kaleido said.

Necros remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, before nodding wordlessly. At that moment, a human cautiously approached and spoke.

“Master, a guest has arrived.”

He was an employee of the arena, but after experiencing Kaleido’s illusion magic, he had become one of Necros’s subordinates.

“Click-click.”

Necros made a sound, and Kaleido quickly interpreted.

“Sir Necros is asking who it is.”

The arena employee responded.

“They say they are the new dungeon manager from the Demon World Association.”