Late afternoon, the sun was slowly setting, painting the sky red.
Although it was almost evening, the Adventurer’s Guild was still bustling with adventurers.
“Yes, Adventurer! Here is the quest document.”
Just as an adventurer was about to reach for the dungeon quest document handed by the guide.
“A rookie like you is going into a dungeon?”
A hand suddenly reached out and snatched the quest document.
The man quickly glanced at the quest document, then grinned at the guide.
“Wasn’t this dungeon the same rank until a few days ago? Why did the rank suddenly drop?”
The dungeon written on the quest document was indeed one that had been downgraded from the same rank to iron rank.
“It is a decision made by the Guild. I do not have the authority to tell Adventurers.”
Rally, the guide, replied in a cold voice.
In fact, she didn’t know why the dungeon’s rank had dropped.
She had only followed the branch manager’s orders. However, she wasn’t so clueless as to just say that.
“And please return that quest document quickly!”
Despite Rally’s request, the man put the quest document into his pocket.
“I will use this well. There aren’t many dungeons we can enter these days, are there? Especially since they’ve blocked access to areas near the Demonic Realm.”
“That’s because you, Marcel, are not a Silver Rank adventurer.”
The Sail Kingdom was surrounded by a large mountain range to the north. Crossing that mountain range would lead to the lands of the Demonic Realm.
The Demonic Realm.
It was a land of death, teeming with monsters and dungeons.
Anything could happen in the Demonic Realm. Those who fearlessly stepped foot there never returned.
Thus, the Adventurer’s Guild imposed a restriction.
Only adventurers of at least Silver Rank were allowed to accept dungeon quests in the Demonic Realm.
Of course, the minimum requirement was Silver Rank adventurers.
Possessing a Silver Badge did not mean they could travel throughout the entire Demonic Realm. At best, they could reach the outskirts of the Demonic Realm.
And Marcel, standing before her, was not a Silver Rank adventurer.
He wasn’t even Iron Rank, but Iron Rank.
‘You’re a rookie too.’
Rally thought to herself.
It was absurd that Marcel, an Iron Rank adventurer, would call another adventurer a rookie. However, Marcel did not back down.
“Ah, that’s why I brought my acquaintance!”
As soon as Marcel finished speaking, a man who had been behind him appeared.
The man was wearing a robe and holding a staff in one hand.
Anyone could easily tell that he was a Mage.
“Stop it, Marcel.”
“Yes, Brother!”
With the man’s word, Marcel, who had been acting up, immediately shut his mouth.
After confirming Marcel had quieted down, he immediately approached the guide. The man took out a Silver Badge from his pocket.
“Do you have any suitable dungeons?”
The appearance of a Silver Rank adventurer. Rally checked the Silver Badge.
“Your name is… Ah, Minjun Kim, Adventurer?”
“That’s right! My brother is from another world! And he’s a great Mage!”
Marcel, who had suddenly appeared beside them, boasted proudly. Rally also guessed as soon as she saw the name.
The name Minjun Kim was not a name one would hear on the continent.
‘It was probably a place called Earth?’
Since when did people from other worlds start coming to the El Dorado Continent?
They had been appearing for a long time, so even the children in small villages knew about beings from other worlds.
Of course, as a guide at the Adventurer’s Guild, Rally had to be knowledgeable about world affairs. At the same time, she wasn’t unfamiliar with people from other worlds.
In fact, there were people from other worlds among the adventurers.
“If you are looking for dungeons in the Demonic Realm…”
The other party was a Silver Rank adventurer. And adventurers of that caliber usually preferred dungeons in the Demonic Realm, even if they were dangerous. This was especially true for adventurers in the Sail Kingdom, who were closer to the Demonic Realm. Rally began to check the quest documents.
After searching for a long time, she finally lowered her head.
“I apologize. There are no remaining dungeons in the outskirts of the Demonic Realm…”
It was a bad timing. All the dungeons in the outskirts of the Demonic Realm had already been taken. Only the dungeons deep within the Demonic Realm remained, and those were places that Silver Rank adventurers could not enter.
“You don’t need to worry about that! My brother will soon be a Gold Rank!”
“Marcel.”
Marcel started to retort again but immediately shut his mouth. However, Marcel’s words were true. Minjun Kim currently possessed a Silver Badge, but he had the power to advance to Gold Rank at any time. His trait was Mana Sensitivity. He could sense and read mana better than others. It was an A-Rank trait.
“Then, can we take the quest document that Marcel took? Since it seems no one else was going to take it.”
“Ah.”
The rookie adventurer, who was the original owner of the quest document, had already disappeared. However, there was one more problem.
“That dungeon is Iron Rank.”
It was a dungeon that was not suitable for Minjun Kim. So, he asked as a courtesy, but the other party shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Rally had no choice but to nod and hand over the rights to Minjun Kim.
“As expected of you, Brother!”
Marcel bowed his head in admiration. However, Minjun Kim spoke indifferently.
“If you understand, then take care of your companions. We will prepare and depart tonight.”
“Tonight? Isn’t that too late?”
Even if it wasn’t the Demonic Realm itself, the mountain range adjacent to the Sail Kingdom was dangerous. Today was too late, so wouldn’t it be better to leave early tomorrow morning?
“It doesn’t matter, so don’t talk back.”
“Yes.”
Marcel had doubts about Minjun Kim’s decision to leave tonight, but he soon dismissed them from his mind. After all, Minjun Kim was a Silver Rank adventurer. No matter how treacherous the mountain range was, it wouldn’t matter. And the dungeon they were going into was at most Iron Rank. It didn’t matter at what time they entered, so Marcel rubbed his palms together and flattered him.
“As expected, you’re amazing, Brother!”
And then he headed towards his companions. For Marcel and his companions, there was no reason to refuse when a Silver Rank adventurer offered to accompany them into a dungeon.
‘Including Marcel, there are four of them in total.’
Marcel and his companions numbered four in total. Two men and two women. Actually, Minjun Kim didn’t care which dungeon it was. He even preferred the current Iron Rank dungeon over the dungeons in the Demonic Realm.
‘Since I have to kill them all anyway, an easier place is better.’
From the beginning, Minjun Kim intended to kill not only the dungeon monsters but also Marcel and his companions. That was the reason he approached them. It had only been two months since he arrived on the El Dorado Continent. Before being summoned to the continent, he had worked as a Hunter on Earth. While most Hunters hunted monsters in dungeons, he was different. Minjun Kim was a villain who hunted Hunters. His Hunter Rank was C-Rank. In fact, that was the rank he received while hiding his power. He had the A-Rank trait Mana Sensitivity. As he could freely manipulate mana, he could manipulate the mana readings. He could have received at least B-Rank, but he deliberately received C-Rank. There was a reason for this. The perception of C-Rank Hunters was neither high nor low, but somewhere in the middle. Thanks to that, Minjun Kim could avoid suspicion even when he was killing Hunters. Among the consecutively murdered Hunters, there were a few B-Rank Hunters. No one would have thought that a C-Rank Hunter would be the killer. However, if you tread on a tail too long, you get stepped on. Eventually, his actions were revealed, and Minjun Kim became a fugitive from the government and the Guild.
‘Indeed, I was lucky. To be summoned to this place at that time.’
Just as the Hunters trying to catch Minjun Kim were closing in. He was summoned to the El Dorado Continent. If he had been caught at that moment, he wouldn’t have died easily, but he was summoned to the El Dorado Continent at the perfect timing. Moreover, the mana concentration in the El Dorado Continent was much richer than on Earth. For him, with the Mana Sensitivity trait, it meant a higher potential for growth than on Earth. Once he grew here, there would be no one who could stop him when he returned to Earth. Minjun Kim thought so. Of course, apart from growing, his killing did not stop after arriving here. Rather, since there was less surveillance, he ran wild even more than on Earth. The reason for harming others? There was no such reason. It was simply for amusement. Whether on Earth or here on the El Dorado Continent, he only prioritized his own enjoyment. Minjun Kim used his Silver Badge to approach novice adventurers. The moment they entered the dungeon together, he killed them. It was a perfect crime. Of course, if he continued to do such things, he would eventually be caught. But it didn’t matter. By then, no one would be able to oppose him. Minjun Kim was confident that he would become much stronger than he was now.
“There were two women among the companions, right?”
Minjun Kim looked at the faces of the women in his party and smiled. He was already looking forward to it. Although he enjoyed killing, he was still a man.
‘I’ll relieve myself after a long time.’
It would be evening soon. When it got dark outside, he would take them to the dungeon. From then on, his own world would unfold.
“Hehehe.”
He believed so without a doubt.
* * *
A little while ago, the dungeon had completely changed. The dungeon’s structure had changed, and the types and numbers of monsters had also increased significantly. All of this was a miracle performed by the Great Being. As Celia, the subordinate officer, rejoiced at these changes, she also felt a bittersweet emotion.
“I relied on my Master’s power again…”
It was none other than her Master who had directly used his power. Until then, Celia had expanded the dungeon and repelled intruders by making transactions with the Merchant Guild. She thought she was doing well enough, but it seemed she was mistaken.
“If I had done better…”
Celia blamed herself, even reprimanding herself. But then she shook her head and clenched her fist.
“Of course, Master must have done it for our sake…”
Master was a merciful being. Perhaps he used his power directly for the sake of those in the dungeon. If not, why would he provide houses for the Goblins to live in and even create a space for the humble me to reside in? He even took care to provide a space for the captured human adventurers. How could all of this be explained if not by the mercy of the Great Being?
“Ah, thank you.”
A Skeleton Soldier offered Celia a warm cup of tea. This was also a monster placed as His subordinate by the merciful Master.
“Yes. I have no reason to be discouraged. I just need to keep doing well from now on.”
*Clack.*
The Skeleton beside her nodded in agreement. Seeing that, Celia smiled. Yes, what would happen if she was dejected? She had to cheer up again.
“By the way, I don’t even have a decent sacrifice to offer Master…”
At the end of the dungeon, there was a small altar. It was the only place to offer sacrifices to Master. Master had directly used his power for them, but she couldn’t even offer a single sacrifice to Master. Originally, she intended to offer an artifact that the adventurers who had invaded a few days ago, especially the women, possessed. But would Master be pleased even if she offered such an artifact? Absolutely not. Master was Great. He wouldn’t even be pleased by such an artifact.
“It would be better to offer human sacrifices.”
Perhaps offering living humans as sacrifices would be better than artifacts. However, the adventurers this time were a bust. One died instantly, and another became a Ghoul. The female adventurer was working for the dungeon. Of course, she was being forced to do so, but from Celia’s perspective, it didn’t matter.
“I wish someone would come soon.”
The next opponent would undoubtedly become a sacrifice to be offered to Master. It was an honorable act to be offered to the Great Being.
“And preferably of the best quality.”
Even among humans, there was a clear difference between ordinary people and Mages who could manipulate mana. If she had to choose between the two, it was obvious who she would offer as a sacrifice. Master would probably be satisfied. Celia, with a sense of pride, eagerly awaited someone to enter the dungeon.
