The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 156

EP.156 Adventurers Caught in a Trap (1)

Sunlight poured through the forest leaves, breaking the peaceful afternoon silence with a resounding cheer.

“We have triumphed!”

Squall’s declaration amplified the orcs’ cheers. With robust arms and legs, the orcs gathered over the adventurers’ corpses, flashing their fangs and letting out sinister laughs as the blood-stained blades and spears glinted among them.

Squall clenched his fists and shouted to his tribesmen.

“Look at these worms! Chwik!”

“Ooh! Ooh!”

At the chieftain’s words, the orc tribesmen raised their bloodied weapons high. The bodies beneath the orcs were those of the adventurer Et and his party members. Having heeded Lloyd’s words and ascended the mountains, they unfortunately encountered Squall.

It was the grim end of adventurers who recklessly followed rumors.

“Let the warriors of our tribe always remember today! That the end of those who know not honor is nothing but death!”

“Ooh! Ooh!”

Before his death, Et had offered money to Squall, begging for his life. This action only provoked the orcs further. Feeling insulted, Squall ordered the adventurers to be killed. Consequently, the adventurers were turned into cold corpses. Yet, it seemed the orcs’ anger was not fully vented as they kicked the torn armors of the corpses in frustration.

“There’s no need to collect the bodies of those who knew not honor! It would only dirty our hands!”

“Ooh! Ooh!”

Squall and the orc tribesmen’s actions showed how much they valued honor, as they didn’t even touch the gold coins and jewels the adventurers had. They wore expressions of disgust, as if they had seen something filthy. Another tribesman pounded his chest, reinforcing Squall’s words with vigor.

“Chwiik! The chieftain is right! We cannot dirty our hands because of these honorless worms!”

The surrounding orcs began to laugh even more heartily. Their sharp eyes gleamed with the thrill of battle and the joy of victory. Their maniacal laughter echoed through the forest, almost tearing the air apart.

After a moment, Necros, who had been quietly observing from the back, stepped forward. Squall greeted him with a smile.

“Lord Necros! Thank you for giving me the chance to judge these honorless worms!”

“Clack, clack, clack.”

(I merely did what needed to be done.)

“Ah! In my life, I have never seen a warrior as honorable as you!”

Squall was deeply moved by Necros’s words. To say he merely did what needed to be done, so bluntly. Squall knew well that not all warriors in this world were as honorable. This made Necros’s actions seem truly magnificent.

“Listen, tribesmen! We must all strive to train and train again to become honorable warriors like Lord Necros!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”

Although Squall thought this, he had no intention of letting his benefactor, Necros, leave without proper thanks. Even if the other party refused, they had already received a favor. Without appropriate repayment, he would be disqualified as a chieftain. For an honorable warrior, gratitude was a virtue deeply etched in the heart.

“Lord Necros! If you have any request, I will fulfill it! I swear on the name of the chieftain!”

Squall was sincere. If it was Necros’s request, he would even lead his entire tribe to fulfill it. Necros raised his head at Squall’s earnest words.

“Clack, clack, clack. Clack clack.”

And then, Necros made his request, which was simple. Since Squall, an honorable warrior, had dealt with those who knew no honor, Necros himself offered to clean up the corpses.

“Chwiik? No, I never expected such a request!”

Naturally, Squall was taken aback. To think that the request was merely to clean up corpses. That wasn’t really a request. However, Necros was resolute.

“Clack, clack, clack. Clack, clack. Clack, clack, clack.”

He argued that having the bodies of these dishonorable beings in a place filled with honor was not good for the tribesmen. Therefore, for the sake of this honorable place, Necros himself would make the sacrifice.

“Ah! What an honorable warrior!”

Squall was moved to tears. From that day on, Squall resolved to become an honorable warrior like Necros.

“It would be improper for me to keep refusing. Then, I accept your request, Lord Necros!”

It would have seemed odd to prevent an honorable warrior who volunteered to lead by example, so Squall reluctantly agreed. Respecting another was also a virtue. Yet, incurring a debt was something Squall’s nature could not allow.

“Lord Necros! A warrior like you is always welcome! If you ever need help, feel free to seek us out!”

As the chieftain leading the orcs and as an honorable warrior himself, Squall bowed his head. Necros was already a warrior of higher honor, so bowing was the least he could do. This too was an expression of respect.

“Then, we shall take our leave!”

Squall tactfully withdrew his tribesmen. The corpses left on the ground belonged to those without honor. An honorable warrior was taking the initiative to clean up the bodies, and it would be dishonorable to merely watch.

“Clack, clack!”

Necros cheerfully saw off Squall. Once Squall and the orc tribesmen were out of sight, Necros began to move.

“Clack.”

At his signal, skeletons that had been hiding behind the trees revealed themselves. They were members of the newly established assault unit created by the general manager, Celia. The unit was entirely composed of undead soldiers.

Although Necros didn’t manage the assault unit, he possessed a particular skill, Corpse Explosion. Since he could detonate any undead monster at will, the skeletons of the assault unit followed Necros’s commands as if they were orders from their superior.

“Clack, clack.”

“Clack, clack, clack.”

In the quiet forest, the sound of bones echoed softly. The skeletons busily moved about, clearing away the corpses. Of course, Necros was also busy. The more he moved, the heavier his pockets became.

“Clack…”

And Necros thought to himself. He might as well check out other places too. With that thought, Necros immediately opened his notebook.

Scratch, scratch—

And he began to write. Ah, this familiar sensation. It was time to return to his role as an inspector after a long while.

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***

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Rumors of a dungeon with hidden treasure continued to spread. While the source was unknown, there was someone who could substantiate the rumors, a man named Ralph, who owned a luxurious mansion in the capital. Naturally, the adventurers were in an uproar.

All the requests related to the Silent Mountain Range on the adventurers’ guild’s request board had already been taken. Though the existence of a dungeon in the mountain range was known, its exact location was not. The idea was that wandering around the mountain range might lead to the discovery of the rumored dungeon. Consequently, many adventurer parties ascended the mountains.

However, there were also groups expressing concern.

“The Guildmaster is entering.”

The group expressing concern was the Adventurers’ Guild Union. The union office was packed with branch managers from adventurers’ guilds across the continent. A man with a face full of scars entered through the crowd. He was Kyle, the head of the Guild Union, who could command all the adventurers’ guilds on the continent.

“Thank you all for attending despite the urgent call.”

Kyle bowed his head. Given the urgency of the matter, he had called an emergency meeting, and everyone had attended without exception. Of course, even if the situation hadn’t been urgent, no branch manager would refuse Kyle’s summons. Despite being a retired adventurer, Kyle was a legendary adventurer of Adamantium rank. No one would dare ignore someone who had reached the highest rank as an adventurer.

The branch managers were more concerned with gauging Kyle’s mood. His outstanding reputation and backed-up skills made him the leader of the Adventurers’ Guild Union.

“I believe everyone has already heard the rumors.”

Kyle quickly started the meeting to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

“A dungeon with a treasure… Does anyone here know more about these rumors?”

In response to Kyle’s question, there was silence. The content of the rumor was truly something they had heard for the first time. Had such a dungeon existed, they would have likely been the first to form a party and enter it. As expected, with no answers forthcoming, Kyle moved on to the next point.

“Even so, I have conducted some investigation into this matter. The protagonist of the rumor is a man named Ralph.”

True to his role as the head of the Guild Union, Kyle had significant connections. He had discreetly sent elite adventurers to the Sael Kingdom to verify the source of the rumor. Their target was Ralph, the man at the center of the rumor.

“However, we were unable to make contact with this Ralph.”

The branch managers widened their eyes in surprise at the admission of failure from someone like Kyle.

“What do you mean, Guildmaster? You couldn’t make contact?”

Ralph was, after all, just a nouveau riche. That Kyle could fail in investigating such a person was unthinkable. Kyle was famous for a reason, even before he became a legendary adventurer. During his active days, his ability to handle tasks was unparalleled, and people felt assured when they entrusted him with a job. The disbelief among the branch managers was palpable when they heard of his failure.

“It seems that this Ralph has hired mercenaries.”

According to reports received by Kyle, Ralph’s mansion was heavily guarded by armed mercenaries covering their bodies.

“How typical, he must have gotten scared after suddenly accumulating wealth.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem too strange.”

Most of the branch managers dismissed it as trivial. It was natural for someone who had suddenly become wealthy to hire mercenaries for protection. However, Kyle felt uneasy about something.

It was the intuition of a man once called a legendary adventurer. According to the reports, the mercenaries had even covered their faces, clearly intending to hide their identities. But why would they want to conceal their identities? This point seemed suspicious and unsettling.

However, if they continued to push the matter, they risked being discovered by the royal family of the Sael Kingdom. Kyle was cautious about this issue. Despite being the Guildmaster, he knew that any misstep could be seen as interference in the internal affairs of the Sael Kingdom.

‘That must never happen.’

Moreover, the current queen of the Sael Kingdom was a figure who had earned merit by defeating a calamity and was keeping an eye on the White Order. There was nothing to gain by antagonizing such a person. Yet, Kyle couldn’t simply bury this issue.

Kyle came up with an alternative approach.

“This meeting is not about verifying the truth of the rumors or stopping them.”

They couldn’t restrict the actions of adventurers. Ideally, he would have liked to control entry into the mountain range, but it was nearly impossible without the authority of a nation like the Sael Kingdom. Having already failed to make contact with Ralph, the guild had limited options. In fact, it boiled down to one course of action.

“The reason for this meeting is to seek your consent.”

Everyone swallowed hard at Kyle’s words. The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly turned cold.

“If these rumors grow beyond our control—”

There was only one reason the Guildmaster would seek consent during a meeting.

“I plan to deploy Adamantium-ranked adventurers to the Silent Mountain Range.”

Adamantium adventurers were the highest-ranked adventurers active on the continent of El Dorad. Their numbers were so few that even combining all the branches, they didn’t exceed ten fingers.

Of course, there were those who had formed parties and received the Adamantium rank, but this did not mean they were weak.

“So now, as the representative of the union, I propose. If anyone opposes deploying Adamantium adventurers to the Silent Mountain Range, please raise your hand.”

Kyle’s gaze was sharp. Adamantium adventurers possessed the highest level of skill. To mobilize such beings, the unanimous agreement of the guild branch managers was necessary.

“I would appreciate it if you could speak without reservation.”

His words were gentle, but his expression was anything but. The deep scars crossing his face made his expression even more formidable. The branch managers involuntarily held their breath under his gaze, reminiscent of a warrior sizing up an enemy on the battlefield.

“Very well. Then this matter is unanimously approved.”

Kyle’s expression softened simultaneously.

“Let’s notify the Adamantium adventurers.”