The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 160

EP.160 Where Gold Flows

While Baalzerith was peacefully going about its daily life, adventurers’ footsteps never ceased in the Silent Mountains. They were all like moths drawn to a flame, following rumors in hopes of striking it rich. Although several days had passed since the rumors spread, no one had found the dungeon where the treasure was buried. Because of this, many people moved towards the mountains with eyes ablaze.

However, the Silent Mountains were not a place to be taken lightly. It was practically connected to the demon realm, and no one knew what kind of monsters might appear. Given the danger, most adventurers climbing the mountains formed parties or were confident in their skills. Of course, being confident in one’s skills and forming a party did not guarantee safety.

“Help! Please, save me!”

A man who had climbed the mountains knelt, begging for his life. He had also come to the mountains after hearing the rumors but encountered an unexpected variable. The variable he encountered was an orc. It would have been manageable if it were just one or two orcs, but he had stumbled upon a horde of dozens.

The leader of the orc horde the man faced was Squall.

“Chwik! Vermin who know no honor have invaded the sacred land of the ruler! In the name of Squall, I command you! Kill them all!”

Squall, the chieftain leading the orc horde and the master of the dungeon ‘Red-Headed Tribe,’ clenched his rugged fist and roared powerfully. His eyes burned with the firm resolve of a warrior, but his mood was far from good. He looked at the man begging for his life with a deeply furrowed brow.

“Trash like you who don’t even know honor! A warrior should not fear death!”

The sight of begging for life without even fighting was unbecoming of a warrior. A true warrior never gave up easily, no matter how dire the situation. Even when facing an opponent they couldn’t defeat, they would at least try to confront them. That was honor, and that was what it meant to be a true warrior. But to kneel without even fighting?

Squall was furious at the man’s behavior. If the man had at least fought and then knelt, or had shown proper respect by lowering himself, Squall might have spared him. It would have meant that the warrior was willing to tarnish his own honor to treat Squall as a superior. But the weak human before him did none of that. Instead, the man committed an even greater transgression.

He begged for his life while pulling money out of his pocket.

“Please! I beg you! I’ll give you everything I have, just spare my life—”

But before the man could finish his plea, his head was severed.

“How dare you try to sully my honor!”

Enraged by the attempt to degrade his honor with money, Squall swung his axe. In an instant, the adventurer party turned into cold corpses. Squall raised his blood-stained axe high and declared,

“Warriors! I, Squall, am deeply disappointed by the reality that there are so many who do not know honor!”

Woo-! Woo-!

In response to their chieftain’s words, the orcs also raised their weapons high.

“I swear in the name of the tribe! I will not spare a single one who does not know honor! That is the true path of a warrior!”

The tribe members roared in agreement.

Clatter-!

And at that moment, skeletons approached the orcs, making noise.

At the forefront of the skeletons approached Werther, a Dullahan holding his head in one hand. Werther was the leader of the undead assault squad, a unit that, along with the goblin scouts, protected the dungeon. Squall greeted Werther with a smile.

“Did Lord Necros send you? Chwik! I’ll count on you again this time!”

Squall handed over the cold corpses of the adventurers to Werther. The skeletons began to clean up the bodies and traces of the adventurers meticulously. Squall was impressed by the sight.

“As expected! Lord Necros is a warrior who knows honor!”

No one had instructed them, yet they cleaned up voluntarily. This was clearly an act born not only of honor but also of loyalty to their ruler. Squall, moved by Necros’s actions, watched the skeletons. Among them, the figure of the Dullahan stood out.

“Demon sword… stronger… power.”

Werther, holding his head in his hand, was inspecting the corpses of the adventurers. More precisely, he was checking the swords held by the adventurers.

“Demon… sword. Want… power!”

However, the demon sword Werther desired did not appear. It was, in a way, an expected outcome. An ordinary adventurer would not carry a demon sword. Nonetheless, Werther did not give up and thoroughly searched the corpses.

“Power… stronger… power!”

Squall was once again impressed by the sight.

‘A true warrior seeks strong power! As expected of Lord Necros’s subordinate!’

Werther was a being who had become a Dullahan after being killed by a Death Knight. In essence, he was a subordinate of the Death Knight, but Squall had no way of knowing that.

‘Under an honorable leader, honorable tribe members are born! Today, I learn from Lord Necros again!’

Squall nodded and closed his eyes. He had gained new insights from the actions of Necros and Werther. While he organized his newfound understanding, the skeletons disappeared with the adventurers’ corpses, and Werther, realizing there was no demon sword, also vanished.

Once the skeletons were gone, only Squall and the orcs remained, with Squall having his eyes closed. A new transformation began for Squall, who had gained enlightenment.

– Squall has gained the enlightenment of evolution. –

– Squall’s rank evolves from 3-star to 4-star. –

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Meanwhile, the Goblin Lord, who had left for hunting, wandered through the forest near the dungeon. Goblins from the scout unit were hidden and ambushed around the Goblin Lord, as if escorting their king.

“Krrk, this place will do.”

The Goblin Lord leisurely took out his weapon as if he were out for a stroll. The weapon he took out was a mana gun, one of the weapons used by hunters on Earth. It was a gift from Azmo, an incubus on Earth, to Celia, and now the Goblin Lord was using it. The mana gun had the advantage of being easy to use as long as it was charged with mana. Moreover, its power varied depending on the mana grade of the one who charged it.

The mana gun held by the Goblin Lord was charged directly by Celia, making its power exceptional. The reason the Goblin Lord had come out for hunting after a long time was not just for fun. He was out to carry out Celia’s command. Celia’s desire was simple, create an environment where adventurers would continue to enter the dungeon. To achieve this, they couldn’t kill all the invading adventurers.

Some had to live to spread the rumors about the dungeon. However, letting them go without any resistance was not an option. If the dungeon was underestimated, it could attract low-level humans. It was a difficult task to show just the right amount of challenge. But the Goblin Lord had a good method.

“Let one human live each time. Wait for my command!”

No sooner had the Goblin Lord finished speaking than a signal came from the scouts ahead. It meant that humans were approaching this area.

“Block the expected retreat routes of the enemy!”

Following the Lord’s command, the goblins began to move busily. Not long after the signal from the scouts, the adventurers began to appear. There were six adventurers in total. The distance between them and the Lord was considerable, so the adventurers did not notice anything unusual.

“……”

The Goblin Lord, with his dark green skin and bulging veins, aimed the mana gun. The ferocity of a predator hunting its prey could be felt in his eyes. He carefully exhaled and placed his index finger on the trigger.

Bang-!

In an instant, a tremendous roar echoed, and a flash of light burst forth. Blue mana turned into a bullet and struck an adventurer. The head of the adventurer holding a staff shattered into pieces, and red blood splattered everywhere. The adventurers screamed in terror at the sudden attack. However, the Goblin Lord did not stop and continued to fire the mana gun.

Bang- Bang- Bang-

The roars shook the forest. The bodies of the screaming adventurers were torn apart mercilessly.

Bang- Bang- Bang- Bang-

Armor shattered, and flesh scattered. A gruesome scene unfolded among the bushes. Out of the six adventurers, five were dead. The one who barely survived was in poor condition, having lost an arm. The adventurer, missing an arm, fled in a desperate state. The goblins who had blocked the retreat routes tried to chase the fleeing adventurer, but the Goblin Lord stopped them.

“Let that one live. Krrk.”

The Goblin Lord commanded the goblins with a phlegm-filled voice. As Celia had instructed, they couldn’t kill all the adventurers. So, he intentionally let one escape. Since the adventurer had already lost an arm, it wasn’t as if they were letting him go unscathed, making it an acceptable outcome.

“Return to your positions and wait.”

Adventurers would continue to come for a while. The Goblin Lord, while maintaining the mana gun, waited for the next adventurer to arrive. In the meantime, skeletons that had been waiting nearby revealed themselves.

Click-clack- Clatter-

They began to clean up the five corpses of the adventurers hunted by the Goblin Lord. This time, along with the skeletons, Necros and the Death Knight also appeared.

“Click, clack.”

“……”

Necros said something, and the Death Knight merely nodded in response. The skeletons moved busily. They separated the equipment from the adventurers’ corpses. The corpses were offerings for their master, and the decent equipment was intended for the monsters to use. Naturally, all the money the adventurers had was taken by Necros.

However, Necros’s pockets were already filled with gold coins. There was no more space to put anything else. Of course, Necros did not give up. The skeletons assigned as financial managers on the spot separated the gold coins and jewels, reporting the amounts to Necros.

“Click-clack.”

(Five gold coins.)

“Click.”

(Confirmed.)

Necros meticulously recorded the amounts in a thick ledger. The ledger detailed how the funds would be distributed in the future. Among the entries were gold coins set aside as offerings for their master. After completing the ledger, Necros handed some of the gold coins to the Death Knight. The Death Knight, who had been wandering the mountains with Necros, now had his maid outfit pockets full as well.

But who was the Death Knight? Before being the foreman leading the dungeon’s construction, he was the mid-boss of the first layer’s first area. The ghouls brought from the first layer took the gold coins and jewels on behalf of the Death Knight.

“Guooor?”

The ghouls stuffed the gold coins and jewels into their mouths. Although their bodies were decayed, unlike skeletons, they still had flesh, making this method possible. Necros also shared some gold coins with the Goblin Lord. Money was always right.

“Demon… sword. Power. Demon, sword….”

While they were busy taking the spoils, Werther appeared. Werther searched the adventurers’ corpses for a demon sword but came up empty-handed once again.

“…None.”

Losing interest quickly, Werther turned to search for a demon sword elsewhere. Following Werther’s direction, the skeletons and ghouls also began to move.

“Click.”

Necros and the Death Knight followed suit. The mountains were practically flowing with gold coins. It was a place filled with hope. Necros, seeking more hope, continued to move busily today.