“Well, what do you think of my proposal?”
“…”
Necros remained silent for a moment at Malcolm’s proposal.
The proposal Malcolm had made a little while ago was one.
It was to do the monster coliseum business together.
He didn’t know why he was suddenly proposing a business.
At the same time, he didn’t know anything about Malcolm yet.
Necros had simply flowed here to carry out Celia’s orders.
His mission was to investigate who was buying zombies and why, and he had found Malcolm using ghouls as bait.
‘Exactly…’
Tilting his head slightly and looking around, Necros took note of the luxurious decorations in the reception room and the presence of armed guards.
Although it was called a reception room, the interior had a dark and gloomy atmosphere.
Furthermore, judging by the state of the guards, it was clear that Malcolm was not an ordinary human.
A moment later, Necros nodded and began to write in his notebook.
– I accept.
He still needed to investigate Malcolm further.
He had absolutely no desire to make money from the monster coliseum that Malcolm had proposed.
It was only loyalty to his orders.
Necros wrote the next entry in his notebook.
– How will the money be distributed?
It wasn’t because he liked money.
It was a calculated move to avoid suspicion by naturally discussing business.
Malcolm cheered like a child at Necros’s reply.
It was practically a 승낙 (acceptance).
“Kekekeke! I knew you wouldn’t refuse a proposal like this! Let’s talk about the distribution later.”
The other party was a skilled individual who had brought ghouls without a single scratch.
This was a talent not easily found even in the underworld.
Although zombies and ghouls were low in rank, they were undead monsters. Their flesh was basically rotting, so it was rare to bring them intact like this.
‘Indeed, like the adventurer yesterday, there are many talented people.’
Malcolm admired Necros’s skills.
At the same time, he was relieved that he didn’t need to kill such a talented person.
If Necros had refused the business, he intended to kill him and silence him.
This was a sector within the underworld where Malcolm’s influence was immense. If not elsewhere, here he was king and law.
Above all, Malcolm liked Necros’s attitude.
‘Money is always right. Hehehe!’
He felt at ease when Necros openly asked about the money distribution.
Malcolm was always wary of favors without a price.
He preferred people who openly talked about money, like the one across from him.
Such people would at least not stab him in the back for money.
Malcolm set aside his pleasant feelings and straightened his posture.
“I have a good feeling that great things will happen with you!”
Malcolm had gone through numerous ups and downs to reach his current position.
He had realized one thing in the process, and that was the power of intuition.
When he felt a good feeling, good things always happened, and conversely, when he had a bad premonition, bad things occurred.
Even if it was dismissed as superstition, this intuition was a precious sense for Malcolm.
And now, he had a good feeling.
Thanks to that, he felt confident that everything would go well.
“Let’s have a cup of tea and talk about our future.”
Malcolm gestured to his subordinate next to him, and one of them soon brought tea.
However, Necros was an Arch Lich.
He was even wearing a white mask to hide that he was a monster. So Necros didn’t touch the tea.
Even at this moment, Malcolm started talking about himself.
“But you know, why am I so obsessed with zombies? There’s a reason for everything.”
Malcolm said, flicking cigarette ash into an ashtray on the table.
“It’s because they’re undead. Undead monsters are simple. Easy to manage, and cost little, hehehe.”
He looked at Necros with a smirk, as if sharing his own secret.
“So, Necros, it might seem strange that I’m obsessed with zombies, but it’s all calculated. Hehehe.”
Malcolm’s answer was simple.
He collected zombies simply because they were cost-effective.
They were simple and easy to use, and most importantly, the undead didn’t need food, clothing, or shelter.
In other words, they didn’t need to sleep and wouldn’t die even if they didn’t consume anything.
In short, for an initial business, there were no monsters as cost-effective as the undead.
Necros nodded slightly at Malcolm’s answer.
He heard people outside calling him a zombie fetishist, but it turned out he was quite a normal person.
Rather, he was smart.
“Ah, I have other businesses too, but I’m thinking about satisfying sexual urges with zombies instead of people. Kekeke.”
“…”
Necros retracted his thought that Malcolm was a normal person.
He was indeed strange.
Still, he was a partner he had temporarily joined forces with for business, so he didn’t show it.
Thus, Necros and Malcolm’s long conversation began.
* * *
Even after Yerin Jeong left, I was still at home.
That doesn’t mean I was just idling aimlessly as usual.
Now I was officially an advisor for the Fire Bird Guild, specifically for the team led by Yerin Jeong.
“Well, it’s out of the question to refuse that proposal.”
I didn’t know what Yerin Jeong was thinking when she made the proposal, but the conditions were exceptional.
She had offered me a position as an advisor for the Fire Bird Guild.
That alone was good, but she added a shocking condition.
First, remote work with no labor.
There was nothing I had to do.
I didn’t need to come to work, and there was no work to do.
She only said she would come to me herself when she needed my help.
‘Isn’t this taking too much advantage?’
Second, I would receive all the benefits of the Fire Bird Guild without doing anything.
The taxes on the purchase and sale of items would be handled by the Fire Bird Guild, so there was no reason for me to refuse.
I could save money that much, so who would refuse?
In short, I could receive a salary while doing nothing and enjoy all the benefits of the Fire Bird Guild.
They even said they would have business cards made for me.
“I feel a little sorry.”
Yerin Jeong had received my acceptance by offering exceptional conditions…
But I actually wasn’t doing anything, so I felt a bit uneasy.
As I knew Yerin Jeong was overestimating me from the start, I felt guilty.
On the other hand, I had a completely different thought.
‘Well, if you think about it, the other party proposed it first. Maybe I can just visit the Fire Bird Guild for a while when I have time.’
After all, this was the scout’s fault.
It showed the extent of Yerin Jeong’s discernment.
Still, since it felt wrong to do nothing, I planned to visit the Fire Bird Guild someday.
That alone would be enough for my role.
However, that didn’t mean I would go right away.
Just because I was staying still didn’t mean I was truly doing nothing.
I had special tasks that only I could handle.
First, dungeon management using a smartphone.
Celia was mainly in charge of this, so I didn’t have much to do, but it was important for me to give instructions occasionally.
Recently, the movement range of dungeon monsters had expanded to the Sail Kingdom. I had immediately ordered Celia to clear out the surrounding dungeons.
‘There should never be a situation where my dungeons are threatened.’
My top priority was the safety of the dungeons.
It was right to eliminate the seeds of danger by cleaning up the surrounding areas.
Besides that, I also utilized a system I had used before out of boredom.
It was [Dungeon Support & Dispatch].
Through this, I dispatched monsters to dungeons that needed help, but I didn’t get much enjoyment out of this either.
“Tsk, the rewards aren’t as good as they used to be?”
The only decent rewards were the sacrifices offered by Celia.
If it were just items, it would be fine, but I made her offer the sacrifices in one go if they allowed me to absorb abilities.
The reason was to minimize the 6-hour stun that occurred when absorbing the sacrifice’s abilities.
The gap at this time was quite large, so it was an order I had given to Celia.
Of course, there was no problem as Maru stayed by my side when I was stunned, but it was necessary to maintain the habit.
Other than that, I consumed jewels by doing monster gacha and general goods gacha.
But even this quickly became boring.
“Doesn’t any new mission pop up?”
Maru, Shiel, and Coco handled the housework, so I had nothing to do.
Meals also came out on time, so it was enough for me to just stay put.
“Wow, I really feel like I’ve become an unemployed bum.”
As I yawned and passed the time idly.
Ting-
An alarm rang on my smartphone.
‘What is it? Did Celia upload a report?’
Or could it be that a special mission had appeared?
I immediately opened my smartphone and checked the notification.
“Huh?”
The notification wasn’t about Celia sending sacrifices or a new special mission.
In a way, it was more accurate to say that new content had been unlocked.
– New system [Monster Coliseum] has been unlocked.
“Monster Coliseum?”
It was a different system.
I touched the screen immediately.
– [Monster Coliseum] is not yet ready and cannot be used.
What is this?
Why did it say the new system was unlocked if I couldn’t use it right away?
The question was brief, and soon another notification appeared.
– Set the rules for the Monster Coliseum.
– Select the battle format for the coliseum.
(1) [Monster vs. Monster]
(2) [Human vs. Monster]
(3) [Human vs. Human]
(4) [Mixed]
“Oh, it’s serious? I get to choose the settings?”
I could even choose the settings for the coliseum, it felt like I was running a coliseum.
“By the way, coliseum…”
I remembered the atmosphere of the gladiators in ancient Rome that I had seen once.
I recalled reading in a book that in those days, they not only fought people but also competed against various animals.
However, there is one thing that should not be overlooked here: this is absolutely not a game.
It is a clear reality.
Therefore, it would be right to choose option 1, which does not harm people, but would that really be the best?
Would watching monsters fight monsters be so interesting that it’s worth watching?
“That’s not it.”
The same applied to human vs. human battles.
If that were the case, they shouldn’t call it a Monster Coliseum.
Above all, there might be people who want to participate.
It didn’t seem right to trample on the future of such participants, so my choice was one.
“This is definitely option 4.”
I chose option 4, Mixed, to open all choices.
In addition, I chose options regarding the number of participants in the coliseum, time limits, and battle formats.
“Naturally, there should be no limit on the number of participants.”
Would it be fun to only fight one-on-one?
Would it be fair for humans and monsters to fight in equal numbers?
This was fun only when there was no limit on the number of participants.
“Time limit? The time limit is a bit tricky.”
Setting a time limit was not easy.
A time limit was necessary to increase the tension of the battle, but it shouldn’t be too short either.
Moreover, if surrender was allowed in the battle format, the time limit itself could become meaningless.
If they thought the opponent was too strong, they would surrender immediately.
“Then it’s not fun.”
After much deliberation, I decided on 15 minutes.
This seemed like enough time for the players to fight desperately without boring the audience.
At the same time, I set the principle of battles to the death instead of surrender.
If the match wasn’t decided within 15 minutes, it would be a draw.
Victory would only be determined by the death of the opponent.
A scene of fighting like mad to survive.
That was the kind of coliseum I wanted.
Besides that.
– Please set the betting amount.
– Will you allow the use of magic items or legendary equipment?
– Please set the default armament level.
– Will you train scouts to recruit participants for the coliseum?
And so on…
Many notifications popped up, and each time I chose the option I thought was best.
“This is quite good.”
The sight of gladiators risking their lives to fight monsters, bloody and fierce battles, cheering crowds… just imagining it made my heart race.
Most importantly, this coliseum system also had a great reward for me.
– A portion of the [Monster Coliseum] profits will be paid to Master Kanghyeon Lee in jewels.
This was another way to obtain jewels, besides real money purchases.
Ultimately, the more the coliseum succeeded in terms of popularity, the greater the reward that came to me.
“I have to make this succeed no matter what!”
This was content with a certain reward.
* * *
Malcolm and Necros’s conversation continued.
Necros’s opinions were particularly unrestrained.
【Remove all participant restrictions】
A voice echoed in my mind.
Necros realized that the voice was the will of the Great One.
【Select individuals to train participants】
Even while continuing the conversation with Malcolm, the Great One’s commands continued to echo in Necros’s mind.
Understanding His will was Necros’s very reason for existence.
Listening to the Great One’s voice, he wrote His will in his notebook.
– The time limit is 15 minutes, and the match ends when one party dies.
“Oh, that’s a very good idea. The audience will see more thrilling matches. Necros, you’re really smart. Kekeke.”
– Train individuals specializing in recruiting participants.
“Great, great! If we do that, people will be hooked on our coliseum. It’s a guaranteed success! Kekeke!”
Necros was simply following the Great One’s will, but to Malcolm, who knew nothing, it seemed extraordinary.
Necros spoke out opinions that he himself had not expected, which could only make him feel good.
‘Indeed, my judgment of people was correct!’
Perhaps he was a more capable partner than I had thought.
Furthermore, Necros said he would bring various species of monsters in addition to undead monsters.
The reason he could do that was due to his personal abilities, but Malcolm simply accepted it without trying to delve deeper.
What was the need to cut open the belly of a golden goose?
Instead, Malcolm wanted to do what he could do best.
“I’ll recruit the people! I’ll start by charming those who owe me money. Kekeke. If they bet a lot of money, bastards who will risk their lives fighting will flock to us, won’t they?”
Malcolm was greedy.
This business was destined to succeed.
If so, his influence within the Black Hand would undoubtedly grow overwhelmingly.
‘Then I’ll get rid of that guy. Kekeke.’
Malcolm smiled at Necros.
But there was not a shred of warmth in that smile. It was only filled with cold calculations.
He had no intention of sharing the business from the start.
All he needed to know was how Necros led the monsters.
Once he knew that secret, he intended to get rid of him immediately.
‘As expected, I’m smart.’
Malcolm let out an unpleasant laugh and opened his mouth.
“Now, let’s flesh out the coliseum regulations.”
Perhaps today, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
