The clear sky turned into a dull, dark ceiling.
From now on, it was inside the dungeon.
The entrance of the dungeon they had entered was closed.
The raid party hunters who entered the dungeon, wary of their surroundings.
Seo Yeong-ho, the leader of the raid party, raised his hand.
“Everyone, freeze!”
He stopped the raid party hunters and looked around the dungeon.
This was an Incubus Dungeon.
As expected of the dungeon they inhabited, it felt like it was filled with cold darkness and dark desires.
It was very quiet, yet the marble walls and the beautiful decorations plastered on them were enough to captivate people’s hearts.
‘As expected of demons.’
Just as they tempted people, their interior was thoroughly filled with beauty.
An old-looking chandelier was placed on the dark ceiling.
“Is it pure gold?”
Seo Yeong-ho muttered to himself as he saw the chandelier, which shone with a golden light and was adorned with various jewels.
The chandelier was certainly beautiful.
The burning lamps above were the only light source illuminating the dungeon’s cold darkness, shining brightly even in the darkness, with light and shadow blending subtly and dancing.
‘Ah.’
The sight was incredibly enchanting.
It would probably be quite expensive.
In fact, there were many expensive items here.
The carpets laid on the floor looked luxurious, and the gold coins and jewels on the tables were enough to entice people.
Even Seo Yeong-ho, the raid leader, was completely immersed in that beauty, and the hunters below him were no different.
“How much is all that?”
“This dungeon is a real jackpot!”
Everyone envisioned a bright future.
If they could just clear this dungeon, all these items would become theirs.
There were nearly fifty hunters participating in this raid.
It wasn’t a small number, but there were this many items just in the entrance area of the dungeon.
Then, how great would the treasures be in the central part of the dungeon?
Even if he divided the spoils with the hunters present, the crumbs that would fall to him would not be small.
As everyone was filled with bright hope, Seo Yeong-ho managed to compose himself.
“Everyone, focus! One moment of carelessness is instant death!”
Seo Yeong-ho shouted, changing the atmosphere.
After all, if they were to subjugate this dungeon, they would naturally obtain those things.
“All buffer hunters, activate your skills!”
A mysterious dungeon.
It was inevitable that they had to move forward based on the experience of the vanguard.
The vanguard also said that when they first entered and were mesmerized by the beautiful sight before them.
That was all they could remember.
According to their words, the seduction of succubi and incubi would start soon.
But the hunters of the Fire Bird Guild were well prepared this time.
First, by wearing artifacts that had resistance to mind control and brainwashing, or by having hunters with related skills, like a while ago, cast buffs.
Not only that.
Even hunters capable of using Holy Power, which was rare due to its scarcity, accompanied them.
This raid party was a result of the Fire Bird Guild’s determination to subjugate the dungeon.
Just by looking at it now, the incubus’s seduction was a force that could be easily blocked.
The succubus was a variable, but they probably wouldn’t be easily overcome.
The dungeon was filled with terrifying beauty.
Seo Yeong-ho and the hunters slowly moved forward.
“……”
But it was chillingly quiet.
As if even sound had died in this space.
Seo Yeong-ho continued forward without letting his guard down.
Soon, a large door appeared.
The door was adorned with elegant patterns, and the handle was made of gold, like the chandelier.
First, a hunter stepped forward and lightly struck the handle with his sword.
Nothing happened.
After confirming that nothing had happened, Seo Yeong-ho grabbed the handle and turned it.
*Creak*
The door opened with a rather loud sound. Three hunters went in first through the opening.
These were rangers who took the lead and scouted inside the dungeon.
Perhaps their tension had eased since nothing had happened so far.
The three rangers entered without any precaution and met their end as soon as they went through the gap in the door.
*Whoosh*
A sound of something being swung with the sound of the wind.
With that sound, the bodies of the three rangers collapsed.
“Fuck!”
Someone swore.
It was because three people had just died right before his eyes.
Seo Yeong-ho also looked ahead to assess the situation.
And then, a being appeared in his sight.
“Death… Knight!”
A Death Knight.
The appearance of an A-Rank Monster.
“Why is a Death Knight here!”
One of the raid party hunters exclaimed in despair.
As he said, they never expected a Death Knight to be here.
The vanguard had clearly stated that there were incubi and a succubus who controlled them.
But a Death Knight?
Of course, the Death Knight was an A-Rank Monster, and nearly half of the nearly 50 hunters gathered here were A-Rank Hunters.
However, there was one difference.
The traits possessed by the hunters gathered here shone when dealing with succubi or incubi, but they never thought of dealing with a Death Knight.
Therefore, they could not help but be flustered by the current situation.
“D-Leader! Give the order!”
They had to retreat immediately. This was definitely not an Incubus Dungeon.
Suddenly, Seo Yeong-ho remembered what the sense-type hunter had said earlier.
He sensed incubi but not the succubus.
‘Hmm.’
Perhaps that hunter was so focused on the succubus that he missed the Death Knight.
However, the word “Death Knight” did not appear in the vanguard’s report.
And looking around, they could sense incubi, but not the presence of a succubus.
‘Could it be…’
The one who led the vanguard was the second son of the Guild Leader, Jeong Woo-jin.
And his older brother, Jeong Tae-young, was the Vice Guild Leader of the Fire Bird Guild.
Within the guild, Jeong Tae-young and Jeong Woo-jin were known as close brothers.
‘Has this all been an act? Jeong Woo-jin…!’
Seo Yeong-ho clenched his fists.
This made sense if all of this wasn’t a scheme by Jeong Woo-jin.
This dungeon was said to have succubi, but in reality, not even a shadow of a succubus could be seen.
Instead, there was a Death Knight.
Because of that, they were so focused on dealing with the succubus that they never even considered the Death Knight.
This entire situation was a mistake made by solely trusting the vanguard’s report.
And why would the vanguard provide them with false information?
‘To get rid of his brother, he’s throwing guild members to their death?’
The current raid party was the result of preparations personally overseen by the Vice Guild Leader at the Guild Leader’s instruction.
The amount of money invested in this raid party was beyond imagination.
What if the raid party yielded no results?
Then it would be fortunate.
It would be a matter of simply bowing their heads for a moment.
But what if the entire raid party was wiped out?
The story changes now.
Not just the money.
If a raid party composed of many A-Rank Hunters were annihilated, the Fire Bird Guild’s influence would quickly decline.
In doing so, the ones who would be most affected would be the Guild Leader and the Vice Guild Leader.
At the same time, it was natural for more responsibility to fall upon the Vice Guild Leader, who planned this raid party.
If Jeong Tae-young was kicked out of his Vice Guild Leader position, who would be next?
It was obvious without even looking.
Jeong Woo-jin must have been envious of his brother and trying to take the Vice Guild Leader position.
Indeed, it didn’t make sense from the start.
How could the vanguard have returned alive from the dungeon, and how were they all unharmed?
But now they knew the reason.
‘The vanguard didn’t even come this far!’
They themselves hadn’t encountered anything on the way here.
Only after opening that large door did the Death Knight appear.
‘I was fooled. Thoroughly fooled!’
In a way, it was chilling.
The vanguard must have known the current dungeon ecosystem through multiple reconnaissance missions.
Yet, they planned this incident by thoroughly hiding it.
He had to inform the guild of this fact quickly.
Seo Yeong-ho immediately gave instructions to the hunters.
“Everyone, retreat! Maintain formations and fall back gradually!”
The Death Knight was an A-Rank Monster.
Even though the hunters were not prepared for the Death Knight, they themselves were A-Rank.
This meant they were not overwhelmingly pushed back by the Death Knight’s attacks.
And the troublesome aspect of the Death Knight was not something else.
“Grrr……”
The hunters who lost their lives to the Death Knight’s attacks began to move again.
They were no longer human.
They were beings reborn as ghouls by the Death Knight’s skills.
“Don’t break formation and deal with the ghouls too!”
The moment some hunters approached to deal with the ghouls.
*Boom-*
*Boom-bang-*
*Boom boom-*
“What the hell?!”
“The ghouls self-destructed!”
The ghouls began to explode.
“Damn it! There’s a Lich!”
Seo Yeong-ho bit his lip.
This was the worst situation, with a Lich appearing after a Death Knight.
The Lich was a monster that used the skill “Corpse Explosion.”
It was a troublesome monster that could explode all undead monsters of a lower rank than itself.
Some people knew that the Lich only exploded skeleton-type monsters, but that was incorrect.
Since Liches mostly appeared in skeleton dungeons, it was a misconception; in reality, Liches could explode all undead monsters like ghouls.
The hunters in the raid party were in a panic at the current situation.
The Death Knight was still swinging its sword in front.
The hunters sacrificed to the sword became ghouls and exploded themselves.
It was a maddening situation.
“Those vanguard bastards said succubi!”
“Succubus, damn it! A combination of Death Knight and Lich! I’ve never heard of anything like this!”
Naturally, they began to curse the vanguard.
“Pour Holy Power attacks on the Death Knight!”
The only fortunate thing was that there were hunters who could utilize Holy Power.
If their attacks were effective, they might be able to bind the Death Knight for a while.
The Death Knight was of the dark attribute, contrasting with the light attribute of Holy Power.
Therefore, Seo Yeong-ho gave instructions to some hunters.
A small number of hunters who received the command unleashed pure white light.
But.
“What is that…”
The Death Knight did not flinch.
No, all the Holy Power attacks were blocked by the shield he raised.
“Maid Outfit…?”
The shield raised by the Death Knight had a maid outfit attached to it.
It was truly bizarre.
At the same time, all the hunters lost their will to fight.
“Don’t try to form ranks! Just focus on surviving!”
Seo Yeong-ho roared desperately.
For now, it was important for at least one person to survive in this bizarre place.
They had to survive and convey information about this dungeon.
That this place was hell.
* * *
The Lich held a thick book.
It was the Inspector’s Note.
Until the moment the hunters broke in, the Lich had not stopped recording.
When the hunters killed by the Death Knight turned into ghouls, the Lich used its skills to explode them, and that was all.
“How is it, Lich-nim? This oil is very luxurious and makes the body smell wonderful.”
Azmo said, while applying oil to the Lich’s bones. He brushed it meticulously into every gap between the bones.
The Lich nodded.
“I am glad you seem to like it. You are always welcome, Lich-nim. Please visit here when you have time.”
The Lich nodded again at Azmo’s words. At the same time, the Lich’s hand moved.
– This place is impeccable.
It was the moment Azmo’s dungeon was recorded by Inspector Lich.
Azmo, who was oiling the Lich’s bones, was only admiring it in his heart.
‘I didn’t know everyone would be this strong, not just Miss Celia.’
At the same time, he felt reverence for the Great One.
‘He is the true Master. I can entrust everything to him.’
Azmo made a decision.
* * *
– Successfully supported Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’.
– Successfully repelled intruders.
– Successfully completed additional missions.
– You can purchase the Lich’s promotion bonus package once.
– Azmo, the master of Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’, dedicates his dungeon to the Master.
– You have become the first ruler to own dungeons in two dimensions.
– You have acquired the trait ‘True Dungeon Master (EX)’.
– The following systems are unlocked due to the trait.
[Dungeon Monster Level Up System] (Locked)
[Dungeon Monster Strengthening System] (Locked)
My smartphone suddenly spat out notifications like a frenzy.
I casually checked the content of the notifications and put my smartphone in my pocket.
I am inside a dungeon right now.
This was a dungeon to measure Maru’s combat power.
Although I wanted to check the emerging notifications one by one, I couldn’t.
“Maru, get ready.”
A mana wave that I had felt since a while ago.
At first, I was hesitant.
But now, I could be sure.
“Let’s take care of the rat first.”
It was time to eliminate the one that kept following me.
