The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 155

EP.155 The One Who Knows No Honor

Necros’s pouch was heavy, but his steps were light. He had merely responded to the Dungeon Master’s summons, yet a human he had never seen before had offered him gold and jewels.

“……”

A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through Necros’s mind.

“Click….”

It was quite a good idea. Although he didn’t know why the Dungeon Master had summoned him, Necros planned to execute his own scheme after finishing his business here.

====

***

Meanwhile, Lloyd was drinking with a sullen expression. He had fled the mountains and rushed back to the tavern.

“Damn it!”

He slammed his glass down roughly and cursed. He had been lured by the rumors and climbed the mountains, only to lose everything. Instead of finding treasure, he had been robbed of all his wealth by a damned monster.

“I must have been crazy. Completely crazy.”

Among adventurers, there was a saying:

In a peaceful village, darkness hides.

It meant that one should never let their guard down, even if things seemed calm on the surface. But Lloyd had overlooked this wisdom. It was too late for regrets now.

Among the monsters Lloyd had encountered was a Death Knight.

‘How could I possibly defeat a 5-star monster?’

A 5-star monster was not common, and to encounter one by chance was rare. It was hard to say whether his luck was good or bad. Perhaps he should be grateful that he only lost his money and kept his life.

“Sigh. How hard I worked to gather that….”

A sigh escaped him. The money he had painstakingly saved over time was gone in an instant. When he had faced the monster earlier, money hadn’t mattered. Surviving was his only concern, and he believed he could always earn more money later. But now, the loss of his money gnawed at him. His sole focus had been on reviving his family, and the sense of emptiness was overwhelming. He had no idea what he would do tomorrow.

All that remained for him now were regret and despair.

“Innkeeper, another beer, please.”

Lloyd continued to pour drinks, trying to drown his emotions. ‘How much have I drunk…?’ In truth, he didn’t even have money to pay for the drinks. It had all been taken from him. But he felt like he would go mad if he didn’t keep drinking.

‘It’ll work out somehow.’

For just one day, he wanted to act recklessly, following his whims. He kept emptying his glass to quell his frustration. Right now, he just wanted to forget everything.

How much had he drunk? As dawn approached, the tavern, once filled with adventurers, began to empty. But Lloyd stayed put, idly shaking his empty glass.

‘Fine, let’s start over from the beginning.’

Just as he resolved to return to his original mindset and gather his determination, a voice interrupted him.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Lloyd! Isn’t it?”

A man approached Lloyd with a friendly expression. Observing Lloyd’s demeanor, the man took a seat across from him.

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

The man who approached was named Et. His sturdy build and closely cropped hair gave him a sharp appearance. The old scar running from beneath his right eye to his jaw hinted at his experience as an adventurer. Lloyd had encountered Et several times while carrying out various tasks, so they were acquaintances. However, they weren’t close, and they had exchanged only a few words in the past. It was clear that Et approaching Lloyd first was unusual.

“Ah, it’s been a while, Et.”

Lloyd responded awkwardly, uncomfortable with the sudden familiarity. His distrustful nature had always prevented him from forming connections with other adventurers. But now, Lloyd felt despondent. All his efforts had gone to waste. More pressing, however, was the empty glass in front of him. He had no money to pay for his drinks. Earlier, he had resigned himself to the situation, thinking it would somehow work out, but for an adventurer, even a fallen noble, reputation was crucial. He still had the goal of reviving his family and couldn’t afford to lose his honor over something trivial.

Thus, he needed someone to cover his tab.

After a brief silence, Lloyd spoke up.

“Et, have you heard the rumors?”

He initiated the conversation. Et was fundamentally a greedy person, particularly ambitious about rising to a higher rank as an adventurer. Lloyd was certain that Et had heard the recent rumors and would likely climb the mountains in pursuit of them. Lloyd intended to sell his experience to Et.

“Ah, as an adventurer, it’s naturally a topic of interest. Ah! Are you planning to climb the mountains too, Lloyd?”

Et responded with exaggerated gestures.

Outwardly, Et wore a smile, but inside, he harbored different thoughts.

‘Damn it, even a greenhorn like him is interested in those rumors. The competition won’t be easy.’

Et was displeased that so many people were interested in the rumors. He believed he should be the one to stand out. When he first heard about the owner of the luxurious mansion, he was filled with envy. He despaired at not being the protagonist of that story. The only consolation was that the exact dungeon holding the treasure hadn’t been specified.

‘Heh, I just need to find it first.’

Et planned to climb the mountains with his party members at dawn. While Et was lost in his thoughts, Lloyd lowered his voice.

“Actually, I just came down from the mountains.”

Et’s eyes widened in surprise at Lloyd’s shocking statement.

“What? You climbed the mountains at night?”

Naturally, he was astonished. Climbing the mountains at night was akin to a death wish. The mountains connected to the demonic lands on the mainland. It was dangerous even during the day, let alone at night. Et was also surprised for another reason.

‘This nobleman did that?’

The fact that Lloyd was a fallen noble was already well-known. Nobles typically knew how to protect themselves, so Et was quite surprised by Lloyd’s boldness.

“Ha, I apologize. Hearing that you climbed the mountains, I couldn’t help but raise my voice.”

Et quickly apologized. Lloyd waved it off and got to the point.

“To be honest, I was lured by the rumors and climbed up. But I regretted it immediately and came back down.”

He wore a serious expression as he spoke.

Lloyd had merely climbed the mountains and had his money stolen by monsters. However, the perspective could change depending on how the story was told. Lloyd waited patiently for Et to take the bait.

“What exactly did you experience up there…?”

As expected, Et took the bait, eager to hear more. Though anxious for the next part of the story, Lloyd took his time, sipping his drink.

“Hmm….”

Et quickly understood that Lloyd didn’t want to share his story for free. Normally, he might have walked away, but Lloyd was a fallen noble. Even though he was now a commoner, he still cared a lot about his honor. It didn’t seem like he would lie about something like this. Plus, hearing Lloyd’s story might help in finding the rumored treasure.

“Innkeeper! Some drinks and meat, please.”

Et immediately ordered drinks and meat. Rubbing his hands together, he turned to Lloyd.

“Heh, I’ll cover all your drinks tonight.”

For the sake of the treasure, this was a small price to pay. Lloyd fiddled with his glass for a moment before finally speaking. He recounted his experience without holding back. Starting with how he had heard the rumors and climbed the mountains to verify them, he described the encounter with the monsters in detail.

“To survive, I handed over all my wealth to the lich and the Death Knight.”

Lloyd’s story was simple yet impactful.

“Haha, a lich and a Death Knight…?”

Et was incredulous. Encountering a 5-star monster and a 4-star monster? It seemed absurd. In reality, the beings Lloyd had encountered were an Arch Lich and a Death Knight, both 5-star monsters, but Lloyd didn’t know that. Even if he had stated it accurately, Et wouldn’t have believed him.

Even now, Et shook his head, pondering.

‘Could it really be true?’

A lich could indeed appear in the mountains. And judging by Lloyd’s demeanor, it didn’t seem like he was lying. It was an instinct honed from his years as an adventurer.

“Hmm.”

If Lloyd’s words were true, then…

‘He must have mistaken the Death Knight.’

In the dark and sudden encounter with the monsters, it was likely a mistake. The part about the lich seemed plausible.

‘Even that alone is beneficial.’

Et finished his mental calculations. A lich was an undead that used magic. Items and materials related to magic were generally expensive.

‘This fits the rumored location.’

There were rumors of a dungeon where treasure lay hidden. If true, the dungeon’s master being a lich made sense. Most importantly, Lloyd had just shared a crucial piece of information.

‘He paid money to be released….’

Adventurers sometimes made deals with dungeon masters. Depending on the situation and the master’s disposition, the terms of the deal could vary.

‘This dungeon master seems to like money.’

A lich was a high-ranking monster. But if one could save their life by paying money? This information alone made it worth taking a chance. It was easier to deal with a known danger than an unknown one.

“Could you perhaps tell me the route you took up the mountains, Lloyd?”

Et smiled and placed five silver coins on the table.

====

***

====

At dawn, Et led his four party members towards the mountains.

“Et, is it really true?”

Timothy, one of the party members, asked.

Et had shared the information he obtained from Lloyd with his party. He told them that the dungeon master was a lich who seemed to have a fondness for money.

“Yes, it’s information I paid for.”

Et had actually spent money to acquire magic resistance items. Using his connections, he managed to buy useful items at a reasonable price. They were well-prepared to face a magic-type monster like a lich.

Et climbed the mountains with confidence. Unlike other adventurers who wandered aimlessly, they followed the route Lloyd had described.

“But can we really take down a lich?”

Timothy voiced his concern.

A lich was a 4-star monster. Even with magic resistance items, defeating a lich with just five people seemed impossible. However, Et was confident.

“Remember, the owner of the mansion came back alive, didn’t he?”

And he had returned with treasure. If someone like that could obtain the treasure, why couldn’t they? Et was even willing to use his party members as bait if necessary.

“There’s no rule saying we can’t do it.”

Et reassured Timothy and continued climbing the mountains. After a long ascent, something began to appear before them.

“Huh? Et, look! There’s a monster over there!”

The first monster that Et and his party encountered was an orc. The problem wasn’t just one orc; it was a horde.

“Chuk! Necros’s words were true! Those filthy humans have shown themselves!”

The orc that appeared to be the leader, Squall, shouted as he looked at Et. Squall was the chieftain of the ‘Red-Headed Tribe’ dungeon and had sworn fealty to Celia. Squall had also recently heard that adventurers would soon be swarming the area, not directly, but through the Arch Lich, Necros. Necros was currently behind Squall, having been touring the subordinate dungeons in the area after hearing Celia’s story. Squall’s territory was the first stop.

“The humans have trespassed into the ruler’s domain! Chuk! It’s time to show them our strength!”

“Ooh! Ooh!”

At the orc chieftain Squall’s command, the orcs raised their weapons high and roared their battle cries. Squall turned his head with a satisfied expression to look at Necros.

“Lord Necros! On behalf of the tribe, I offer our thanks!”

Necros had informed them of the adventurers’ impending arrival. Necros nodded slightly in response to Squall’s words of gratitude, indicating that no thanks were necessary.

“Indeed! You are a truly honorable warrior!”

Squall praised Necros before turning his back. It was time to punish the humans who had invaded the ruler’s domain. However, faced with the overwhelming number of orcs, Et trembled.

“What do we do now…?! Et!”

The color drained from the faces of the party members. They gripped their weapons in fear, but their hands shook uncontrollably.

They had never heard of so many orcs being present.

“H-how is this possible?!”

Et was just as terrified as the rest of his party. The only glimmer of hope was the figure he saw behind the orc horde.

‘T-the lich is there!’

A skeleton wearing a robe and holding a thick tome. It had to be a lich. Lloyd’s words came to mind. Et immediately took out gold coins and jewels from his pouch and knelt.

“I-I’m sorry! Please accept these gold coins and jewels and spare us your wrath!”

Lloyd had said he escaped by offering gold and jewels. ‘Damn it! He never mentioned the orcs!’ Et cursed inwardly. The Death Knight Lloyd had mentioned must have been an orc. As Et knelt, his party members followed suit, each taking out their money. They had brought plenty of money, just as Et had instructed before they set out.

“Master of the dungeon! Please spare our lives!”

Et shouted loudly towards the dungeon master behind the orcs, believing the lich-like figure to be the master. However, contrary to Et’s expectations, the orc leader in front reacted first.

“How dare you try to bribe me! Chuk! You worms have insulted the honor of me, Squall, a warrior!”

Squall’s face twisted in anger, revealing his sharp teeth.

“Kill these honorless worms!”

Et’s actions had provoked Squall’s wrath.