The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – Chapter 175

Yoon Taekyoung anxiously looked at the clock. It had already been an hour since Advisor Lee Kanghyeon entered the Stone Golem Dungeon. ‘If he hasn’t come out by now, did he die?’ As much as he hated to admit it, he hoped Lee Kanghyeon had died in the dungeon. That would allow him to expel Team Leader Jeong Yerim from the guild and take her place. He had already spoken with the Vice Guild Leader. ‘Well, even if he is hiding somewhere, it’s strange that he hasn’t come out for an hour.’ Yoon Taekyoung couldn’t even consider the possibility that Advisor Lee Kanghyeon would clear the dungeon. After all, the Stone Golem Dungeon assigned to Team Leader Jeong Yerim’s team was no ordinary dungeon. A reconnaissance team directly under the Vice Guild Leader had confirmed the presence of a large number of golems in this dungeon. It wasn’t called ‘The Tomb of Stones’ for nothing. It was a place where casualties were inevitable, even if the entire team attacked. And Lee Kanghyeon’s trait was Necromancer, only capable of summoning skeletons, at best. ‘Heh, he thinks he can survive in a dungeon full of golems by summoning skeletons?’ Stone Golems are literally monsters made of stone. No matter how many skeletons he summoned, it would be difficult to defeat even one golem. What could he achieve by summoning skeletons that only swung swords? The smile on Yoon Taekyoung’s lips grew wider. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s alive either.’ Even if Lee Kanghyeon got lucky and hid inside the dungeon, there were plenty of ways to deal with him. He wasn’t just a regular guild member; he was an advisor for a team. If he couldn’t even show such skill, what was the point of him being an advisor? Yoon Taekyoung, delighted at his plan to achieve his goal, heard murmurs. The guild members waiting at the dungeon entrance were cheering. Turning his head towards the dungeon, he saw Lee Kanghyeon walking out with his familiars. He even managed to smile leisurely and wave his hand. “…Huh?” Jeong Yerim, relieved, rushed to meet Lee Kanghyeon. “You’ve returned safely!” The team members’ joy followed. “It’s a relief you’ve returned, Advisor!” While everyone else looked happy, Yoon Taekyoung tilted his head. ‘Did he finally give up?’ But he had a bad feeling. Lee Kanghyeon’s expression was too bright for someone who hadn’t cleared the dungeon. Moreover, if he had given up, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to have come out much earlier, but he only reappeared an hour after entering. ‘He must have given up, right?’ It was too short a time to have cleared it. ‘Right, he must have wanted to show that he tried his best.’ He must have just hidden and appeared. Otherwise, his pristine appearance wouldn’t make sense. If he had engaged in intense combat, it would have been noticeable, but there was nothing of the sort. Yoon Taekyoung gritted his teeth and approached Lee Kanghyeon, speaking with a smile he couldn’t hide. “You’re back already? Isn’t it too soon to give up for an advisor?” It was obvious mockery. “Well, you must have had a hard time coming out without showing any of your skills.” Starting with this, the team members would also begin to question Advisor Lee Kanghyeon’s abilities. A small crack could eventually break a dam. However, Lee Kanghyeon looked intently at Yoon Taekyoung and opened his mouth. “Give up? Why?” A confident smile played on his lips. “I cleared it. The dungeon conquest is complete.” “What?” Yoon Taekyoung asked instinctively. He doubted his ears, wondering if he misheard. ‘What did he say?’ Cleared already? No, that couldn’t be right. Even Jeong Yerim looked puzzled. “H-Hyung, is that true?” That reaction was normal. Yoon Taekyoung provoked him to regain control of the situation. “Haha, so you’re a funny person. You can even make jokes like this.” It had to be a lie. He was probably trying to diffuse the current situation with a joke. “Does it make sense to have killed all the Stone Golems in just an hour?” However, Lee Kanghyeon’s expression did not change in response to Yoon Taekyoung’s question. “It’s true. You can check for yourself. I’ve dealt with all the Stone Golems, so you can just go in.” Then, he took out a stone shard from his pocket. It was a Stone Golem shard. “It can’t be.” Yoon Taekyoung quickly entered the dungeon, wanting to confirm. He wished it were a lie, but Lee Kanghyeon’s words were true. “You… you were serious?!” There were no monsters inside the dungeon. Only the brutally shattered remains of Stone Golems lay on the piles of rock. ‘No….’ Yoon Taekyoung was devastated as he looked at the remains. He realized Lee Kanghyeon’s power was stronger than he expected, and his attempt to bring down Jeong Yerim had instead resulted in him accumulating achievements. Golem stone shards were in high demand as materials. They had high utility as construction materials, and could even be used in item crafting or significantly enhance the effectiveness of potions. “Wow, you really dealt with all the Stone Golems!” Jeong Yerim and the team members who followed behind exclaimed as they scanned the dungeon. “……” The more they looked, the more Yoon Taekyoung’s expression soured. But his expression relaxed at the next words. “Then, with just our advisor, we can easily clear the Minotaurus Dungeon, right?” Another dungeon assigned to the team, estimated to be Rank B: the Minotaurus Dungeon. This was also the Vice Guild Leader’s doing. ‘Right, it’s not over yet.’ The labyrinth was so complex that even the Vice Guild Leader couldn’t figure it out. Could Jeong Yerim conquer such a place? At that moment, anticipating Jeong Yerim’s downfall, Yoon Taekyoung hid his smile. * * * “You worked hard today. Team Leader also asked me to pass on his gratitude.” Park Seoyoon, the Assistant Manager who took me home, greeted me. By cleanly conquering the Stone Golem Dungeon, I had earned the recognition of Jeong Yerim and the team members. ‘It was okay for the first day.’ Moreover, seeing Yoon Taekyoung’s bewildered expression made me laugh. In any case, my reputation had risen thanks to this. “Then I will visit you during the Minotaurus Dungeon conquest.” Park Seoyoon said that and left. I had promised to help with the Minotaurus Dungeon as well. ‘The dungeon owner was an A-rank monster, wasn’t he?’ The owner of the next scheduled dungeon was the Minotaurus Chieftain. But Jeong Yerim didn’t know that fact. She only estimated the dungeon’s rank as B-rank due to the complex labyrinth. ‘Can’t I just take the Minotaurus Chieftain for myself?’ I had also moved the Stone Golems to my dungeon. An A-rank monster was considered 5-star even on the El Dorado Continent. It was the same rank as a Death Knight, so if I possessed it, I could utilize it in many ways. There was no way I could give up such a good opportunity. ‘Then who should I dispatch at that time?’ The newly opened [Dungeon Conquest & Dispatch] system. I was contemplating whom to dispatch at that time. ‘Since it’s a labyrinth, can’t I just break it?’ From the Stone Golem experience, I remembered that the Death Knight was very good at using a pickaxe, so perhaps that strength could break through the labyrinth as well. ‘I’ll decide that when the time comes.’ Anyway, there were 5 days left until the dungeon conquest. I didn’t need to worry about it right now. “Then, next…” I looked at Maru. “Ttak?” “Guide me to Azmo’s dungeon.” “Ttak!” It was time to check the Dungeon Corporation that Azmo managed. * * * A large van was ascending a small hill. After a certain point, the roadside was filled with pebbles. Still, the vehicle passed through the stone road without hesitation. As they continued to move, they soon reached a place where hunters were gathered. As one person alighted from the van, the hunters simultaneously bowed their heads. “Welcome, Betta-nim.” The person who got out of the vehicle was Betta. He was Azmo’s subordinate officer and a slime that could transform freely. Thanks to his ability, Betta had transformed into a human and was skillfully leading the members of the Heukil Guild. There was one reason why Azmo’s Dungeon Corporation led a human organization. The Dungeon Corporation’s primary purpose was to trade goods in various dungeons, much like the Underworld Merchant Guild on the El Dorado Continent. However, there were many eyes watching here, making it unsuitable for monsters to act alone. Even if he transformed into a human like Betta, it required great caution to transport item or monsters for trade. But that was no longer an issue after absorbing the Heukil Guild. The van Betta arrived in was the same. On the outside, it was a guild affiliated vehicle, so there was no problem. In fact, guilds transported their byproducts in vehicles after dungeon conquests. Betta skillfully opened the van door to reveal an unexpected presence inside. “Kuoh?” It was a Stone Golem. The other hunters’ eyes widened in surprise at the sight. “N-No way, is that…!” The hunters who belonged to the Heukil Guild already knew that Betta was no ordinary person. He entered dungeons, negotiated with their owners, and brought monsters from somewhere. And this time, he brought a Stone Golem. “Wow, Betta-nim, where on earth did you get something like that?” Someone couldn’t hold back their curiosity and asked, but Betta couldn’t get a proper answer. That Stone Golem was a gift bestowed by the great Master. A total of four Stone Golems were bestowed to Azmo, the administrator. However, one of them was brought here for the Dungeon Corporation’s trade. “Was there anything unusual?” This was an important place for Betta. It was where the first transaction partner of the Dungeon Corporation was located, the Kobold Dungeon. Therefore, Betta had stationed the Heukil Guild hunters to prevent anyone from approaching this place. “Yes. We’ve guarded it so thoroughly that not a single rat could pass!” If it were just an ordinary Kobold Dungeon, Betta wouldn’t have paid so much attention. But this was no ordinary Kobold Dungeon. “Good, thank you for your continued hard work.” Betta handed money to the hunters and patted their shoulders. “Thank you, Betta-nim!” The reason the hunters listened so well to Betta was here. If they just followed his words, money would come in, so who wouldn’t be loyal? Leaving them behind with greetings, Betta entered the dungeon with the Stone Golem. Then, a Kobold quickly greeted him. “You’ve arrived!” That was the owner of this dungeon. “It’s been a while, Dungeon Master.” “Long time no see!” The Kobold replied haltingly. Even though it was a Kobold, it was the owner of this dungeon. As a trading party, Betta’s polite behavior was natural. Moreover, this Kobold Dungeon was an essential dungeon that the Corporation couldn’t do without. The Kobold, the dungeon owner, immediately presented a large amount of pebbles. “You worked hard! Thank you for always taking these pebbles!” The trading agreement between the Corporation and the Kobold Dungeon had been ongoing ever since their first contract. The Corporation promised to protect the Kobold Dungeon in exchange for taking the useless pebbles that the Kobolds collected. Betta nodded as he looked at the useless yellow and purple stones collected by the Kobolds. They were Gold and Magic Stones. “And I found this while mining stones.” After a while, the Kobold took something out of its pocket and showed it to him. “What is…?” It was a small shard. The problem was that it was a substance that was dark, almost ominously so.