Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

62 – Inspection of Ark Leech’s Dungeon (1)

Celia, who had completed her mission on Earth, returned.

She immediately returned to work.

“I was only gone for a moment, and so much work has piled up….”

Indeed, Celia’s desk was filled with relevant documents.

Mostly letters from Princess Elena of the Sale Kingdom or information sent by the shadows attached to Elena.

Occasionally, there were also documents from the Demon Realm.

She first examined the letters from Elena.

The content was simple.

First, there was news that the visit of the White Sect to the Sale Kingdom was imminent.

“I’m sure Princess Elena will handle this well on her own.”

She was not in a position to interfere with this matter, as it was originally a task for someone skilled, so she delegated all authority to Elena.

Celia moved on to the next letter.

Again, it was a letter from Princess Elena.

“Indeed.”

The content of the next letter was as follows.

Once the affairs of the sect were over, they planned to transfer the development rights of the mountains to the nobles.

This, too, was a plan devised under the command of Celia.

However, another issue arose here.

Before Celia set out for Earth to carry out the orders of her master, there had been an order given to Irena.

It was to completely prohibit access to the mountain range.

Up to this point, everything was fine, but there was a letter that some nobles had harbored doubts and secretly sent adventurers to the mountains.

“Hmm.”

Princess Irena immediately sought out those involved and promised severe punishment, but Celia did not feel the need to go to such lengths.

“Shadow, please let this matter be.”

During her visit to Earth, Celia had many thoughts.

Battle is not something done alone; it involves many.

Being strong alone was meaningless.

Wasn’t it the same this time?

Celia realized that her preparations for the dungeon were not perfect enough to leave her position vacant.

If this part had been perfect, there would have been no need for the order to prohibit entry into the mountains.

Therefore, she decided to turn the nobles’ sending of adventurers into an opportunity.

“It’s a good time to assess our strength.”

There were four dungeons under Celia’s command.

These dungeons were positioned in the north, south, east, and west directions, surrounding the dungeon Celia managed.

In a situation where the distances were not close, each dungeon had to have at least minimal defenses.

Therefore, it was even more important to assess the power of these dungeons.

Since Ark Rich was conducting inspections, this could be quickly determined.

If the strength did not meet Celia’s standards, she planned to formally propose a merger issue to her master.

Perhaps she might need to expand the scope of the goblin reconnaissance unit currently in operation.

“Let’s wait for now.”

Celia unfolded the next document.

It was sent by Death Knight.

Celia immediately moved on to the next document.

“This time, it’s from Goblin Lord?”

This document was written by Goblin Lord.

It was difficult to read as the writing was crawling like a worm.

There were a few words she could recognize.

“Mana Gun… Elite Guard…?”

Mana Gun.

She knew about it as she ventured into the Goblin Road.

Goblin Road had also learned about it during its time on Earth.

Under her command, Goblin Road engaged in battles with hunters to secure a passage.

In the process, it mentioned acquiring several Mana Guns.

“Hmm.”

Celia tilted her head, trying to guess the meaning of the words.

Perhaps Goblin Road suggested creating a Goblin Elite Guard with the additional Mana Guns it acquired.

“Well, it’s a commendable idea to strengthen our forces, so I’ll allow it.”

In this way, the dungeon’s power continued to grow.

With the protection of the esteemed Master, there was nothing to fear.

Celia continued her tasks with a smile.

* * *

Ark Lich and the skeletons strolled through the forest.

Their race was undead.

They didn’t tire, nor did they need to eat anything.

Thus, shortly after setting out, they arrived at the first dungeon.

[Red-Haired Tribe]

The owner of this dungeon was an orc named Skol.

They surrendered to the owner first and were playing the role of his loyal subordinates.

Their abilities were actually quite decent.

Ark Lich nodded and entered the dungeon.

“Cheers! I’ve been waiting! Lich Lord.”

The orc Skol, with red hair flowing, greeted Ark Lich.

“Ah, seeing that your aura has become even more powerful, Cheers, I think I should call you Lord Ark Lich!”

Skol welcomed Ark Lich enthusiastically.

Ark Lich also nodded back at Skol.

– Information processing is slow. This is a deduction point.

He was indeed a shrewd inspector.

“As the Chief, I’ve prepared a feast for the Arc Reach Guild!”

Arc Reach nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, he added one more thing after the record he had written earlier.

– Slow information processing. While this is a reason for deduction, steadfastness in pursuing the aesthetics of slowness in a rapidly changing dungeon is commendable.

Arc Reach recorded the dungeon and followed behind Scoll.

Scoll showed Arc Reach every nook and cranny of the dungeon, explaining as he went.

As befitting orcs who worship strength, weapons lined the walls abundantly.

Some orcs were tending to the weapons.

“This is the training ground for our warriors!”

Scoll pointed proudly at a place.

It was a training ground.

Most orcs were spending their time training with powerful shouts and battle cries.

Despite being unarmed, their massive builds were menacing.

There were even scenes of them dueling with weapons.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like they were not sparring but rather trying to kill each other.

Contrary to such concerns, Scoll explained calmly.

“We always venerate strength, which is why we train a lot. We work hard for the dominator!”

Scoll raised his hand confidently.

The orcs were engaged in practical training to gain strength.

– Excellent power. Their effort for the master is commendable.

No one could deny this part.

Scoll was indeed putting effort into strengthening the dungeon’s power.

Arc Reach also praised him for this.

Then, Arc Reach’s gaze shifted to another area.

There, goblins, not orcs, were gathered and living.

“Oh, they are goblins!”

Scoll continued speaking with a ‘tsk’ sound.

“It’s not appropriate for orcs and goblins to live together in the same place! That’s why we separated the areas!”

As Scoll said, the area where orcs and goblins lived was clearly divided into halves.

Certainly, Scoll didn’t like it, but since it was the will of the master, he took solace in it.

Ark Leech nodded.

“Indeed! Is Ark Leech’s favor worth recognizing!”

Scoll shouted with excitement.

– As the dungeon master who divides rather than reconciles –

“This is a gift for Ark Leech!”

At that moment, Scoll handed something to Ark Leech, who was recording.

“It’s an artifact called a fountain pen that I got from adventurers!”

It looked luxurious at first glance.

It was said to come out smoothly even without dipping it in ink.

Ark Leech cautiously received the item from Scoll.

He immediately tried writing in his notebook.

It was an item that he found pleasing, as the ink came out smoothly.

– Being the dungeon master and attempting division rather than harmony. A good attitude.

In fact, isn’t Scoll saying that right now?

“So I use goblins as scouts according to their characteristics!”

Distributing roles according to each race’s characteristics was also the role of a dungeon master.

Currently, Scoll’s dungeon had no problems in terms of power and in various aspects.

He was, in fact, doing well.

Ark Leech nodded as he evaluated the dungeon.

– Redhead Goblin Dungeon, no issues.

It was definitely not an evaluation with his personal bias.

Ark Leech walked out of the dungeon as it was now inspected.

The skeleton on the left was holding a thick notebook, and the one on the right was holding a fountain pen, not a feather, given by Scoll.

The skeleton in the back was no longer holding a bottle of ink.

Since Scoll had given a fountain pen, there was no need for ink.

Instead, he held the ‘small tokens of gratitude’ that Scoll had provided.

“Perfect!”

Ark Leech, accompanied by the skeletons, immediately set off for the next dungeon.

A group of adventurers was climbing the mountain range.

“Is it really okay for us to be doing this?”

Someone in the group raised a question.

Her name was Nariel.

She was lightly armored, with a large hat pressed firmly on her head.

She carried a bow on her back, presenting the appearance of an ordinary adventurer.

Thanks to Nariel’s agile abilities, she also served as the guide for the group.

In response to Nariel’s question, another member answered, “It’ll be fine. After all, it’s a commission from noble Lady Nari, isn’t it?”

They were all members of the adventurer guild in the Seil Kingdom.

From Noble mtl dot com

Even though they were adventurers, they often found themselves influenced by the policies of the Seil Kingdom.

And now was no different.

Currently, the Seil Kingdom was in a state of anticipation for the arrival of the White Order.

The atmosphere within the kingdom’s adventurer guild was subdued, as the guild had quietly suspended the acceptance of dungeon exploration requests, especially those in the mountain range.

Furthermore, not long ago, the royal family had even prohibited entry into the mountains.

In reality, ascending the mountains at this time was something that should be avoided.

However, despite the circumstances, they were climbing the mountains.

Not only that, but they had also received a reconnaissance and subjugation request for a dungeon in the mountains.

Of course, it wasn’t an official request.

It didn’t come through the adventurer guild.

Yet, they were able to undertake this mission because a noble had personally assigned them a secret task.

And it wasn’t just any noble; it was a noble from the Seil Kingdom itself.

Accepting this request was an act of rebellion against the royal family and, simultaneously, a disobedience to the adventurer guild.

However, the amount of money offered by the other party was too substantial to refuse.

Of course, the fact that the requester was a noble played a role, but it was the enormous sum of money that swayed their hearts.

Moreover, the request itself was straightforward.

They were simply tasked with scouting the mountain range and checking for anything unusual.

The dungeon reconnaissance and subjugation requests were also in a similar context.

“Could it be that a noble of the Sale Kingdom is assigning such a request…?”

Even the adventurers who accepted the request expressed their bewilderment.

It seemed odd for a noble to act in defiance of the royal orders.

“Is this going to lead to a civil war?”

“Nah, come on. Surely not. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have entrusted dungeon requests.”

Everyone voiced their thoughts on the current situation.

But they were already committed to the request.

There was no fool who would reject a substantial amount of money.

After all, isn’t it just a matter of quietly finishing the job?

Currently, the kingdom, along with the Adventurer Guild, controlled access to the mountain range.

If they entered and exited discreetly, there would be no risk of exposure.

Thus, without much thought, they were ascending the mountain range.

Nariel, too, silently walked at the forefront.

However, her expression was far from pleasant.

“Nariel, what’s wrong? You look really upset.”

One of the members approached Nariel.

It was Isrin, who used ice-based magic.

“Isrin…”

Isrin gently touched Nariel’s forehead with her hand.

“Eek.”

Nariel was startled when someone else’s hand touched her forehead.

“There doesn’t seem to be a fever. What’s bothering you?”

“Just… I just have a bad feeling.”

Nariel spoke, her words trailing off.

Since her predictions had been right occasionally, everyone didn’t dismiss it lightly.

But there was no intention of abandoning the request.

They had already received the advance payment for the request.

Considering the substantial amount of the advance payment alone, one could only imagine how much money would come in upon completing the request.

It was a situation where they could potentially earn the largest sum of money in their lives.

Feeling uneasy wasn’t reason enough to give up on this request.

Moreover, if he were to give up, he would have to pay a penalty.

He would have to pay several times the amount received, a sum he couldn’t even fathom.

That’s why they, instead, reassured Nariel.

“It’s okay. You seem a bit off today.”

“Yeah, if you’re too tired, want to take a little break?”

They called Nariel’s name with affectionate voices.

Outwardly, they seemed affectionate.

But within them, black desires lurked.

Nariel also noticed to that extent.

All she had to do now was nod her head.

“No, I’m fine.”

Nariel forced a smile.

And she could only continue walking forward.

After all, she knew.

It was already too late to turn back.