The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – Chapter 102

The yellow and purple stones shown by the owner of the Kobold Dungeon. They were clearly gold and magic stones. ‘I must catch this no matter what.’ A dungeon rich in gold and magic stones… Even that alone was more than enough justification to do business with this dungeon. Betta adjusted his posture. “Now, shall we talk about a transaction?” Then, he quickly took out a document from his pocket. It was a contract. Betta began to add or modify necessary clauses in the prepared contract. Even as he wrote the contract, Betta’s mind quickly recalled past events. Betta was originally a slime monster. At first, it was a lowest-level slime that had no ability to think. Then one day, he was kidnapped by a group of humans who invaded the dungeon. That was the turning point in Betta’s slime life. The slimes, including Betta, were kidnapped and held in a laboratory for a long time. They were subjected to various experiments by humans inside the laboratory. While the slimes who lived in the same dungeon died one by one from the experiments, Betta was uniquely special. Betta was the only one who survived the various experiments. As the experiments continued for a long time, Betta also underwent changes. First, he gained the ability to think. Based on that, Betta could ascertain the situation he was in. But he didn’t show it. And the second change was the ability to transform into another being. Of course, Betta didn’t show it. He hid his newly acquired abilities and quietly waited for the right time. The researchers inside the laboratory looked at Betta, who continued to survive, with surprise, but that was all. Since Betta deliberately hid the changes that happened to him, he seemed to have no special qualities other than survival. Still, the experiments continued. As time passed, the researchers often talked in front of Betta, which provided Betta with a good opportunity to learn about the world. Thanks to that, Betta’s current knowledge is almost entirely learned from the laboratory. ‘Magic stones….’ Actually, gold was not very important to Betta, a monster. Listening to the researchers in the past, the use of gold was nothing more than decorating one’s appearance. Still, it would make money if sold to humans. But magic stones were different. Betta glanced at the magic stones while working on the contract. A purple stone. It might seem so to the eyes of a kobold, but magic stones were said to be the rarest jewels. The researchers in the laboratory also handled magic stones with care. It was that important a resource. ‘They definitely said the uses of magic stones are endless.’ He suddenly recalled what the researchers always said when he was in the laboratory. They said that while the existence of dungeons threatened humanity, they also provided new opportunities. That was resources. Unlike the limited resources on Earth, dungeons continued to appear, and the dungeons were filled with resources that could not be found on Earth. Thanks to that, humanity was able to leap forward once again. Among them, magic stones were particularly rare. The demand was high as they were utilized in various fields, but the supply was insufficient. As they were rare, their price was not comparable to gold. And yet, such magic stones appeared in the Kobold Dungeon? Perhaps if others knew, they would have rushed here with burning eyes. He discovered the value of such a dungeon first. This was a great opportunity. “Now, the contract should be about this much. Would you like to take a look?” Betta finally finished revising the contract. There was a basic framework from the beginning, but it was a dungeon where magic stones appeared. Betta was not so foolish as to present an ordinary contract to such a dungeon. The kobold began to review the contract handed over by Betta. 【Contract】 [Contracting Parties] – Dungeon Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Merchant Guild”) and the Owner of the Dungeon (hereinafter referred to as “Kobold Dungeon”) [Contract Details] 1. Obligations and Rewards: The Merchant Guild will do its best to effectively protect the Kobold Dungeon from adventurers. The Merchant Guild, in addition to financial compensation for dungeon guardians, has the right to acquire a certain proportion of the yellow and purple stones mined in the Kobold Dungeon. 2. Acquisition of Jewels and Gold: The Merchant Guild will receive accurate reports on the mining volume of yellow and purple stones found in the Kobold Dungeon at regular intervals. The Kobold Dungeon will transfer 90% of the monthly mining volume of yellow and purple stones to Dungeon Co., Ltd. according to the agreed-upon ratio for that period. 3. Contract Period and Termination Clause: The contract will continue as long as the safety and security of the Kobold Dungeon are maintained. If the Kobold Dungeon side violates the contract terms, the Merchant Guild may rectify the violation or interfere with the dungeon’s management rights through legitimate procedures. 4. Other Clauses: This contract may be amended with the agreement of both parties. The Merchant Guild has the right to provide special support and assistance to the Kobold Dungeon. [Contract Effective Date] – This contract will be effective for life from the date of signing by both parties. [Signature] Dungeon Co., Ltd. (Merchant Guild): (Signature) Owner of the Dungeon (Kobold Dungeon): (Signature) “……” The kobold’s expression changed in real-time as he read the contract. “Th-This….” It was an expression as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have. “Difficult! The content is too much!” Unfortunately, the kobold did not have the intelligence to understand the contract. However, Betta smiled faintly even at the kobold’s appearance. As he was a salesperson, he decided to explain kindly to the kobold. “It’s not difficult. We will protect and guard this dungeon for ‘life,’ as we would our own lives. In return, the owner of the dungeon will give us the yellow and purple stones for ‘life’.” Betta pointed his finger at the stones the kobold possessed. Hearing Betta’s simple and clear explanation, the kobold nodded. It was certainly easier to understand when explained in words. “I see! I completely understand!” Thanks to that, the kobold’s expression brightened. Protecting the dungeon for life, what a good contractual relationship. Moreover, he only had to give these yellow and purple stones. “The Merchant Guild is truly a kind place.” The kobold signed the contract as it was. Seeing him, Betta said with a smile, “Now, we are like one family. Welcome.” “Family!! That’s good!” Betta and the kobold shook hands with each other. Thus, the contract was established. “First, I will bring my troops as soon as possible.” This dungeon must be protected at all costs. A very good place cannot be taken away by others. If he could, he would deploy a large number of troops immediately, but it was practically impossible. Since he had just started the Merchant Guild, the operating system was still insufficient. ‘I need to take care of the Heukil Guild quickly.’ Although Betta was a slime, he was currently in human form using his abilities. The target was Seongmin Ji, a hunter in Azmo’s dungeon. And he intended to go to the Heukil Guild to which the hunter belonged. If he wanted to easily deploy troops to various dungeons in the future, he had to borrow the hands of humans. ‘Come to think of it, the expression “borrowing” might not be right.’ This was a world where the Great One would eventually reign. The expression “utilizing humans” was correct. In any case, if he utilized humans, wouldn’t it be possible to transport a large number of troops secretly? To do that, he needed to find the headquarters of the Heukil Guild, where Seongmin Ji belonged. He planned to find them and bring their organization under his control. But this plan had a problem from the very beginning. Didn’t Seongmin Ji say it in the first place? The Heukil Guild was a decentralized organization, so it was difficult to find other members even if one belonged to it. Betta smiled while holding the kobold’s hand, but he kept pondering how to find the Heukil Guild. And at that moment. “Wow, what is all this?” Uninvited guests appeared in the Kobold Dungeon. They were armed and holding weapons. They were hunters. As expected of hunters, some of them held the corpses of kobolds, bleeding and dead. The intruders’ faces were filled with despicable smiles. “Look at that bastard’s necklace and ring. This is a jackpot, isn’t it?” One man in the lead said, looking at Betta’s necklace and rings. “Haha. Brother, wasn’t I right? He looked like a big catch from the start.” And the guy next to him rubbed his hands and spoke, and Betta recognized him. He was the one who checked his hunter’s license before entering the Kobold Dungeon. At first, he thought it was just a simple check, but it turned out to be a trap. However, for Betta, their presence was not a big problem. But having the owner of the dungeon next to him was a variable. “Intruders! Intruders have arrived!” The owner of the dungeon, the kobold, shouted as he looked at the intruders. Fortunately, Betta was present in the dungeon, unlike before. And there was even the more powerful Maru. “Maru nim….” Betta, leaving the shouting kobold behind, looked at Maru. Maru also looked at Betta and nodded. Their problem was not the intruders. Rather, they were worried that the contract with the Kobold Dungeon would be broken because of the intruders. And eventually, what they feared happened. The intruders also confirmed one entity. “Huh?” Someone asked. Their eyes all turned to the kobold’s hand. Among them, the one who had previously checked Betta’s hunter’s license spoke first. “Brother, that… magic stone-” However, his words did not last until the end. “Maru nim!” Betta immediately shouted to Maru. They must not let the kobold know about the existence of magic stones. Maru, who realized that, quickly drew his demonic sword and threw it. The demonic sword thrown by Maru pierced the throat of the man who was speaking. * * * “So, those were the things that happened?” In the center of the dungeon. Celia was diligently handling tasks as usual. The dungeon had grown larger recently. Accordingly, she had to think about how to operate the dungeon and its future direction. At the same time, information was constantly flowing in from the Sail Kingdom. As Chief Administrator, Celia had to gather this information and think about what moves they would make. That was her loyalty to the Great Master. And the document she was looking at now was a letter from Azmo. The content of the letter was simple. He was currently carrying out the Master’s orders in Earth, Another Dimension, which was to establish a Merchant Guild. However, the Merchant Guild was not ordinary. In Azmo’s words, it seemed the Master planned to create a Merchant Guild that would encompass the world. “Indeed.” There was also a Underworld Merchant Guild in the El Dorado Continent that dealt with dungeons. Of course, besides the Underworld Merchant Guild, there were also itinerant merchants, but they all dealt with dungeons. Although some monsters traded with humans, their main trading partners were dungeons. But the Great Master was indeed not ordinary. “It seems they are seriously planning to reign over the world.” The Master began to move. This was joyous, but it also put pressure on Celia. It was certainly happy that the Master had acted himself. However, the fact that he acted directly meant that they had failed to meet the Master’s expectations. “I shouldn’t just stand by.” As the Master’s first subordinate, she must never stand idly by. She had to do something. Fortunately, she found the answer in the letter sent by Azmo. “An organization that will swallow the world.” The Merchant Guild mentioned by Azmo was just a facade. Celia knew it. The Master wanted an organization that would control the world, not just a Merchant Guild. “Click!” At that moment, a Skeleton Knight entered next to Celia. “Tap tap-!” The Skeleton Knight spoke something and brought humans behind him. They were all armed adventurers. To be precise, they were Banshees controlling the adventurers. Celia looked at them and said in a low voice. “Now, the Great Master’s orders have been issued.” Everyone focused on Celia’s words. “From now on, you will overcome the barrier of dungeons and head into the human world.” Most monsters, including Celia, were restricted in the areas they could go outside. However, Celia’s experiments had shown that humans controlled by Banshees could overcome those restrictions. “Our dedication and loyalty will bring glory to the Great Master.” The Skeleton Knights outside handed over bags containing Gold Coins one by one. “Whether it’s the Royal family or the Adventurer’s Guild, it doesn’t matter. Prove your worth there. Aim for higher places.” Although they were small in number now, how would the story change if those words grew larger? “For the day the Master calls us again-” As soon as Celia’s words ended, the adventurers began to leave the dungeon.