Chapter 110: The Demon Descended Upon the Kingdom (2)
The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 110
EP.110 The Demon Descended Upon the Kingdom (2)
It had been quite some time since the social circle hosted by the Demon Merchant Association ended.
I only participated in the auction held during the banquet and returned to Earth afterward.
I had hoped for a brief respite, but upon my return, hectic days followed.
‘There’s more to worry about than I thought.’
First thing to do was confirming the items I had bid on at the auction.
Upon returning to Earth after the auction, I could bring back the items I successfully bid on as reward.
Although limited to two items, it didn’t matter.
‘After all, what I needed was already decided.’
The first item I brought back to Earth was equipment.
Specifically, the Harvester’s Cloak.
This cloak wasn’t just a simple piece of equipment, it was an artifact that allowed the wearer to store the corpses of those they killed.
In other words, it was like an inventory limited to corpses.
‘It’s the equipment that best suits my abilities.’
Among the abilities I possess is one called ‘True Dungeon Master,’ which is of the EX grade and necessary for strengthening my dungeon.
However, to utilize this ability, sacrifices were required. Naturally, the sacrifices referred to were corpses.
Of course, I had no intention of wearing the cloak myself.
As I could simply absorb the corpses using my abilities, the cloak was unnecessary for me.
However, the story changed if Maru wore it.
When it came to sheer stats, Maru’s hunting speed far surpassed mine.
There was no avoiding that.
‘Being a 5-star, and even a Skeleton Holy Knight at that.’
In terms of Earth’s hunters, he was equivalent to at least an A-grade.
So, it was cost-effective for Maru to gather the corpses he hunted with the cloak.
When Maru returned, all I had to do was absorb the corpses.
It was what you might call automatic hunting.
Thanks to this, I didn’t have to move around individually, saving a significant amount of time.
The second item I chose was not an item or equipment, it was a living creature.
‘An elf.’
The elf’s name was Ciel, and its grade was an astounding 4-star.
I didn’t hesitate on this decision.
At first, I was worried whether a living creature could be chosen as a reward, but I shrugged it off.
Elves were somewhat rare, and more importantly, I needed to increase my power on Earth.
Besides merely increasing personal strength, expanding my influence was also crucial.
And as an alternative, I needed my own party.
It wasn’t just about forming a party with anyone, I needed partners I could trust with my back.
‘The world is a dangerous place.’
If I let my guard down, my current allies might stab me in the back without warning.
The consequence of not being cautious and vigilant always led to death.
In the future, I would enter countless dungeons and hunt.
Hence, I needed my own party that I could trust and rely on.
‘The party members will be filled with my dungeon monsters.’
At least my dungeon monsters wouldn’t betray me, that much was certain.
The only regret was that most of my dungeon’s power resided on the El Dorad Continent.
Although I wanted to bring monsters from the continent’s dungeons to Earth, there were limitations.
At the moment, the maximum grade of monsters I can summon to Earth is 1-star, based on the altar level.
Utilizing the ability ‘True Dungeon Master’ required continually increasing the dungeon’s altar level.
As the altar level increased, so did the grade of monsters that could be brought to Earth.
With my current altar level, it was diffiWhite Order to produce meaningful results immediately, as the maximum grade of monsters was limited to 1-star.
Given this situation, Ciel the elf’s existence was like a godsend to me.
[Monster Summoning] – (4/5)
– Maru (★★★★★)
Harvester’s Cloak
– Ciel (★★★★)
Harvester’s Cloak
– Skeleton Soldier (★)
Harvester’s Cloak
– Gargoyle (★)
Currently, four monsters had been summoned from the El Dorad Continent to Earth.
Maru had also been summoned as a 1-star skeleton soldier but had transformed into his current form through the Demon Sword.
However, relying solely on Maru felt lacking.
So, I brought Ciel, a 4-star elf, to Earth? It was undoubtedly an advantage for me.
“It’s been a while, and she still hasn’t said a word?”
“Tick.”
Maru nodded in response to my question.
It was unfortunate that Ciel, who had been brought to Earth, remained silent.
Not completely silent, though. She was simply an elf of few words, almost to the point where she couldn’t speak.
“This is quite troublesome.”
The joy of adding an elf to the party was already faltering.
The primary objective of the party was to explore dungeons and hunt together.
Naturally, effective communication among party members was essential for the party to function smoothly.
However, Ciel hardly spoke at all.
“Hmm...”
Were elves generally not talkative?
I should have encountered enough elves to determine an average, but unfortunately, I hadn’t.
If anything, despite her lack of words, she was quite adept at carrying out tasks given to her.
Particularly, she excelled in household chores, displaying the highest efficiency.
“But this isn’t very cost-effective...”
It was regrettable to have such high-quality talent like an elf dedicated solely to household chores.
Take Maru, for example.
He not only served as my guardian knight and hunted well but also completed household chores and laundry upon returning from dungeon exploration.
When I was hungry, Maru was the one who cooked for me.
I also harbored a personal desire to make Ciel as versatile as Maru.
However, as the saying goes, haste makes waste, so I planned to adjust the tempo accordingly.
‘Alright, let’s take it slow.’
Things still felt awkward with Ciel. Rushing might just ruin our relationship.
It would be awkward if trouble arose with an elf I acquired.
‘There may be reasons why Ciel is not speaking up.’
She was an auction item at the Demon Merchant Association. There might be circumstances preventing her from speaking.
There was no need to make things awkward unnecessarily.
Since the situation wasn’t urgent, I decided to observe for now.
“Okay, then let’s have Ciel assist Coco with household chores for the time being.”
“Tick!”
Maru nodded at my words and left the room.
By the way, Maru had been extremely busy lately.
‘Perhaps even busier than me.’
Maru’s busy schedule was due to Azmo.
Azmo, an Incubus with a 4-star, was the manager of the dungeon ‘Temptation of Illusion’ on Earth, not on the El Dorad Continent.
‘Surely he wasn’t planning something like that.’
Among the monsters who attended the Demon Merchant Association’s social circle with me, there were two more besides Maru.
They were Necros, the guardian of the first floor, and Azmo, the Incubus.
Azmo, impressed by his experiences at the social circle, proposed something to me as soon as we returned to Earth.
His proposal was to create a group similar to the Demon Merchant Association on Earth.
I immediately approved it.
After all, the society was ultimately a faction. Furthermore, as Azmo’s influence grew, so did mine. I was particularly interested in the unique characteristics of the society.
The Demon Merchant Association benefited from various dungeon trades and deals, profiting from information and various transactions. If I utilized it well, I could potentially increase profits significantly.
Not only various goods but also equipment and items could come into my possession. Plus, there was a high chance of obtaining information as well.
I supported Azmo’s plan and provided as much help as possible.
Though it was just sending Maru, Azmo was very grateful to me for it.
Moreover, since Maru always returned from Azmo’s place with something, it wasn’t a loss for me.
With the Harvester’s Cloak that Maru wore, filled with monsters’ or villains’ corpses, I didn’t need to go out myself.
‘It seems Azmo’s society is still going smoothly in this state.’
I still didn’t know its official name.
Recently, there had been fewer reports coming in from Azmo.
Since I had entirely entrusted this matter to Azmo, all I had to do was support from afar.
Now, what was it again? They found an organization to assist them?
There had been reports that Azmo had found an organization willing to help them.
Given that Azmo was a monster, there were likely many limitations to his activities.
I had concerns about this, but Azmo seemed to have found a solution.
‘Did he form an alliance with other monsters?’
Nevertheless, Azmo had a deputy who assisted him.
A slime named Vetter, capable of transformation.
However, even with Vetter, there were limits to what he could handle. Azmo probably found the organization himself, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels
In fact, I was relieved that Azmo took initiative.
“Should I check out the dungeon?”
It didn’t mean I would go there personally. I could just log in via my smartphone and touch the app.
Since Azmo handled things well, my main task was managing the dungeon through my smartphone.
Of course, most of the tasks were handled by Celia.
I only needed to ensure the dungeon ran smoothly. Occasionally, if Celia had requests, I would listen and that was it.
Recently, Celia’s main request was to strengthen the monsters.
Of course, not just any monsters could be strengthened. Only monsters who had gained enlightenment could.
The monsters Celia requested were already eligible for enhancement.
“Mostly giving undead creatures divine power.”
It was probably to offset the undead monsters’ greatest weakness. There was no better investment than eliminating weaknesses.
Since it would also benefit my dungeon monsters to become stronger, I granted all of her requests.
‘Having Celia around does make things easier.’
Come to think of it, Celia had completed a special mission a few days ago.
The mission was related to Princess Elena of the Sael Kingdom, who was wandering for some reason.
To help Princess Elena solve her worries, I assigned Celia as her mentor.
The result was a great success.
– Celia has resolved Princess Elena’s troubles. –
The special mission was successfully completed.
– Princess Elena pledges loyalty to you as a reward. –
Of course, the reward was modest.
‘Why would I need loyalty from a princess?’
It would be different if she were a queen.
But someday, Princess Elena would rule the Sael Kingdom. Well, it might be a distant future, but it wouldn’t hurt to establish a friendly relationship in advance.
“Just doing these special missions for the thrill of it.”
Systems like these special missions were advantageous to me, never a loss.
“If everyone were like Celia, having more dungeons wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Since Celia managed the El Dorad Continent’s dungeons and Azmo managed Earth’s dungeons well, I didn’t need to worry much.
This allowed me to prepare for future plans.
“For now, upgrading the dungeon altar is a priority.”
The altar level needed to increase for me to bring higher-grade monsters from the El Dorad Continent.
Currently, the monsters I had brought to Earth from El Dorad were Maru, Ciel, Coco, and Gargoyle.
Maru, the skeleton Holy Knight, was self-explanatory, and Ciel was still adapting.
And then there was Coco, the skeleton soldier assisting with household chores.
“Not bad.”
Lastly, Gargoyle, like Ciel, was a monster brought from the auction at the Demon Merchant Association.
Since it was a 1-star grade, it could easily be brought to Earth.
‘There must be a way to utilize Gargoyle as well.’
Gargoyle had a distinctive feature compared to other monsters. Normally, it took the form of a stone statue rather than a living creature.
Its appearance as a stone statue was so intricate that one could easily mistake it for a sculpture.
Right now, I couldn’t recharge any more gems.
It was best to avoid spending all the gems on draws in case there was a sudden need for them.
Now, let’s give it a try! I immediately initiated a 10-draw.
– Goblin (★) drawn. –
Hmm, as expected. It’s disappointing when you don’t get a 1-star.
Draws always managed to disappoint me. 1-stars were now just a familiar presence. I continued to tap the screen with my finger.
– Goblin (★) drawn. –
– Skeleton Soldier (★) drawn. –
– Feeble Gnome (★) drawn. –
– Skeleton Soldier (★) drawn. –
– Skeleton Mage Trainee (★) drawn. –
– Skeleton Soldier (★) drawn. –
– Goblin (★) drawn. –
– Skeleton Soldier (★) drawn. –
– Legless Zombie (★) drawn. –
Wait, what’s a legless zombie?
Who came up with that?
A zombie crawling without legs was repulsive.
“Ugh...”
Although the variety of monsters drawn from the draw had increased, they were all 1-star.
“Can’t be too disappointed. It was the first draw after all.”
There were still plenty of gems left.
The draws continued.
– Skeleton Soldier (★) drawn. –
Now it was no surprise that familiar faces kept appearing.
At this point, I wasn’t even angry anymore.
Still, occasionally, I could see the appearance of new monsters.
– Wraith (★★★) drawn. –
Wraith was a monster superior to Ghouls. It was fortunate that a 3-star appeared.
– Wingless Imp (★) drawn. –
– Mummy (★★) drawn. –
– Mini Wood Golem (★★) drawn. –
– Vampire Bat (★) drawn. –
– Wisp (★) drawn. –
– Hellhound (★★) drawn. –
For a while, there was a festival of 1-star and 2-star monsters.
Occasionally, 3-star monsters also appeared.
– Rotten Fang Wolf (★★★) drawn. –
And finally.
– Baby Hydra (★★★★) drawn. –
“At last!”
The first 4-star monster appeared.
The size of the baby Hydra visible beyond the screen was small.
It had three heads on its snake-like body, and perhaps because it was a baby, it looked cute rather than repulsive.
‘Literally still in its infancy.’
However, even though it was a baby, its grade was the same as Azmo’s, a 4-star.
How far would it rise when it reached maturity?
Just by looking at the status window, it was clear that, even as a baby, it was not to be underestimated.
<Baby Hydra>
Grade: ★★★★
Species: Unknown
[Traits]
Regeneration (S): The body continues to regenerate unless the heart is destroyed.
Poisonous Skin (C): The skin is covered with poisonous substances. Since it’s not yet fully grown, the potency of the poison is weak.
[Basic Information]
Health: A
Attack: C
Defense: D-
Magic: C
[Skills]
Poisonous Mist (C): Disperses poisonous mist in all directions. Since it’s not yet fully grown, the potency of the poison is weak.
Though weak for now, it was a promising creature for the future.
“All right. Let’s keep going with this momentum!”
Finally, luck seemed to be on my side. In the next draw, a decent creature appeared.
– Dhampir (★★★★) drawn. –
“Dhampir?”
Dhampir referred to a half-vampire born from a union between a human and a vampire.
‘I didn’t expect a half-vampire to come out.’
If it was rare, Dhampirs were intelligent beings.
This was a creature that could be immediately put to use.
This was quite satisfactory.
The draws continued.
As expected, many 1-star and 2-star creatures appeared. Some 3-stars also showed up gradually.
If luck was on my side, 4-stars appeared too.
– Cursed Guardian of Light (★★★★) drawn. –
But that was all.
From then on, it was a lineup of 1-star and 2-star creatures, and I spent 250,000 gems.
250,000 gems could afford 50 rounds of 10 draws each.
Out of the 500 monsters drawn, there wasn’t a single 5-star or above.
“Sigh.”
I let out a sigh.
Should I keep drawing?
But I only had about 50,000 gems left.
It was better to hold onto them in case of sudden need.
‘Was it fortunate to get three 4-stars?’
To make the most of the drawn monsters, I decided to use the synthesis system after a long time.
The synthesis system evolved monsters by consuming two identical ones.
– Synthesize Zombie (★). –
– Consuming two Zombies (★). –
– Synthesis successful! Zombie (★) evolved into Ghoul (★★). –
With enough 1-star and 2-star creatures, it was possible.
– Synthesize Ghoul (★★). –
– Consuming two Ghouls (★★). –
– Synthesis successful! Ghoul (★★) evolved into Wraith (★★★). –
However, that was the limit.
– Synthesize Wraith (★★★). –
– Synthesis failed for Wraith (★★★). –
To synthesize into a 4★, two equivalent Soul Stones are required.
It seemed that Soul Stones were necessary from 4-stars onwards.
Even in the early stages, I remembered using Soul Stones to upgrade Celia’s grade.
Back then, I purchased Soul Stones through microtransactions, but now the package didn’t appear.
“If only there were a way to obtain Soul Stones.”
Since I couldn’t obtain them immediately, I decided to conclude the synthesis here.
“If this continues, there will be a vacancy for a 5-star or above monster...”
I pondered whether to just summon Goblin Lord.
“No, we definitely need a creature to guard the dungeon.”
Being complacent was prohibited.
While it might be a gamble in a game, this was the reality.
I reluctantly chose monsters below 5-stars first.
Choosing 100 monsters took more time than expected, but I was careful.
“...”
Just as the selection was almost finished, a status message appeared before my eyes.
– Gargoyle (★) detected high-grade mana. –
– Gargoyle’s grade is rising from 1★ to 5★. –
“Huh?”
At that moment, screams echoed from the living room.
“Eek!”
For your information, Maru and Coco couldn’t make such sounds since their race was skeletons.
“It’s Ciel.”
As soon as I heard the scream, I rushed to the living room.
“What’s going on?!”
When I entered the living room, Gargoyle was moving slightly.
Ciel seemed to have collapsed in surprise at the sight.
“Tak tak tak.”
Maru approached me and reported the situation.
Ciel reacted while she was cleaning Gargoyle.
“Ugh...”
It was said that Gargoyle’s grade was proportional to the grade of mana.
But Ciel... your mana grade is high?
Unexpectedly, I could fill the vacant 5-star spot.
====
***
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“Alright, great master has spoken to me!”
Celia spread her arms with a joyful expression.
“Now, we shall carry out his great will in the world.”
In front of Celia stood Necros, the guardian of the first floor.
Mid-bosses Death Knight and Goblin Lord, responsible for each area of the first floor, were also present.
Alongside them were Dullahan Werther and all the other monsters, gathered in one place.
“Goblin Lord, from now on, raise the dungeon’s defenses to the highest grade.”
Once again, we would empty the dungeon as before.
Soon, according to the master’s will, we would head to the Sael Kingdom.
This meant that the dungeon’s security would be weaker than before, a disadvantage.
Since the Sael Kingdom had a diplomatic delegation from the White Order, it was necessary to prepare thoroughly due to the proximity between the kingdom and our dungeon.
Goblin Lord bowed to Celia’s command and left his position.
Since he had experienced it once before, Goblin Lord’s actions were smooth as water.
The first task was a reconnaissance check.
All goblins from the current reconnaissance team and those belonging to the other group were mobilized for duty.
Some of the fast-footed goblins, under the Lord’s command, headed to the four dungeons surrounding us.
Those dungeons would also raise their defense grades to the maximum.
While Goblin Lord was fortifying the dungeon, Maru and Gargoyle arrived on the El Dorad Continent.
With everyone gathered, Celia’s speech continued.
The fact that the master had used his abilities to increase the dungeon’s forces spoke volumes.
Most of the monsters were of decent grades.
Just by looking at this, one could sense the importance of the upcoming task.
“No mistakes can be made.”
The smile disappeared from Celia’s face.
“Anyone who makes a mistake will be put to work tirelessly on dungeon construction.”
Everyone trembled at Celia’s stern declaration.
Except for Death Knight, who was still holding a pickaxe, ready to work.