Time had passed since the Lamias invaded the dungeon.
And finally, the awaited notification window appeared.
– You have acquired the unique monster Stia (★★★).
– You have acquired the monster Lamia (★★).
…
…
– You have acquired the monster Lamia (★★).
The alarm stated that I acquired the unique monster named Stia and twenty Lamias.
They were all people who headed to Sector 1, were killed by the Death Knight, and were reborn as Ghouls.
It was certainly good news that the number of monsters in the dungeon increased.
However, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of something lacking.
“Tsk, they’re weaker than I expected,” I muttered, clicking my tongue.
They boldly declared war on me, so I thought they had something.
But the reality?
They were all turned into Ghouls without being able to put up any resistance.
In fact, even without the Death Knight stepping in, the existing undead army would have been enough to subdue them.
It was simply that the Death Knight stepped in and turned the Lamias into Ghouls.
“Doesn’t this make measuring our strength meaningless?”
“Clap.”
Maru, who was writing something lengthy in his notebook, replied from beside me.
Maru was also watching the dungeon situation through the smartphone screen.
It was a command given with the thought that looking through the eyes of monsters might offer a different perspective.
However, since the Lamias were defeated so easily, there was nothing to analyze regarding their strength.
“If you look at it positively, it means Sector 1 doesn’t need to be worried about.”
In other words, Sector 1 didn’t require immediate attention.
Originally, Sector 1 was primarily composed of undead monsters, and the Death Knight as a sub-boss provided a good synergy effect.
Watching the Death Knight on the screen hand pickaxes to the Lamias, now Ghouls, I turned my interest away from Sector 1.
“What happened in Sector 2?”
I touched the smartphone and switched the screen.
Sector 2 was where the Goblin Lord was the sub-boss.
Under the Goblin Lord were regular Goblins, along with Goblin Shamans and Hobgoblins.
These were no different from the undead army in Sector 1.
It was simply that the quantity of Goblins was high, but individually, they were weak beings.
However, they had the Goblin Lord.
Just as the Death Knight provided synergy to the undead army, the Goblins moved in perfect unison under the Goblin Lord’s command.
“Oh, what’s this? Where did they learn that?”
As soon as a Lamia at the forefront cast a spell, all the Goblins put on masks shaped like bird beaks.
The Goblins’ response was just the beginning.
As the magical attack proved useless, the Lamia quickly cast another spell.
“What is that now?”
The Goblins climbed over the corpses of their comrades to avoid the spikes rising from the ground.
And the Goblin Lord watched them with a satisfied smile.
“Wow. They’re really amazing in a different sense, aren’t they?”
How much training did it take to react so immediately?
I couldn’t help but admire them.
If the undead army simply overwhelmed their opponents with numbers, the Goblins were like a refined army with strategy and tactics, in addition to numbers.
Of course, the next scene was shocking even to me, who was admiring them.
“They’re using their own kind as shields?”
In response to the Lamia’s continuous magical attacks, the Goblins changed their strategy.
They picked up a nearby fellow Goblin and used it as a shield.
“Hah…”
The sight of Goblins advancing, using other Goblins as shields, was shocking.
Is this what they call human wave tactics, where soldiers are ground down?
Thanks to that, only one died instead of two, so it’s fine, right?
Maru seemed impressed by this scene and nodded. Then he started writing diligently in his notebook.
It seemed that the Goblin Lord was indeed commanding the Goblins well.
“But why aren’t they using those guns?”
Next to the Goblin Lord was a firearm of a familiar shape.
It was a weapon used by Hunters, none other.
The usage was simple: all one had to do was inject mana to use the gun.
The problem was that the damage varied greatly depending on the mana rank of the person injecting the mana.
“Even for a Goblin Lord, it should have sufficient power, so it’s strange.”
No matter how much Goblins are not suited for mana, a Lord should be able to achieve meaningful results.
However, the Goblin Lord did not use the firearm.
They just watched their subordinate Goblins.
“Clap, clap.”
Maru was also puzzled, but then he seemed to recall something and spoke to me.
“Right? You see it like that too, don’t you?”
Maru had the same thought as me.
The Goblins’ actions didn’t seem to be about killing the Lamias in this battle.
“Are they trying to capture them alive?”
The Goblins are still advancing little by little, using their comrades as shields. If their intention was to kill them, the Goblin Lord would have stepped in earlier.
“But what use is there in capturing the Lamias alive?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with any guesses.
Could they be trying to persuade them to join our side?
Indeed, Lamias are a race not currently present in my dungeon.
However, even if I were to persuade the Lamias, there wasn’t enough space to accommodate them in my dungeon.
More importantly, it wasn’t like the dungeon was so short on troops that monster acquisition was urgent.
Then, are they trying to extract information?
This would make some sense.
I need to know why they invaded my dungeon to deal with them.
After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.
“This is also the judgement of the field commander.”
As I thought before, I have no intention of controlling the monsters’ actions one by one.
I am just a third party observing the situation through my smartphone, and the field commander is the Goblin Lord.
The Goblin Lord must have given such an order considering the situation on site.
A moment later, as I expected, the Goblins began to capture the Lamias alive.
Although I was puzzled by how carefully they captured them without a scratch, it was none of my business.
“Alright, then there’s nothing to worry about in Sector 2 either.”
If their goal had been to kill the enemies rather than capture them, it would have ended much more smoothly than this.
In that sense, there were no problematic aspects in Sector 2 either.
“The problem is definitely Sector 3.”
Sector 3 differed significantly from the other sectors.
First of all, there was no sub-boss.
While the Death Knight and the Goblin Lord provided synergy to their respective sectors, Sector 3 lacked a sub-boss to fulfill that role.
“The monsters are also at ranks 2 and 3 at best.”
The monsters supporting Sector 3 were of two types: the man-eating tentacle plants, ranked 3, and the Blood-sucking Butterflies, ranked 2.
The giant Venomous Spiders were excluded as they moved between the dungeon and the outside, but they were not a strong force.
If the invaders’ ranks were not high or their numbers were small, it might be different, but they were helpless against the current invaders.
“Even with Elves, aren’t plants still plants?”
Arcanea, the leader of the Lamias who invaded the dungeon.
She certainly had skill, as she wiped out Sector 3.
Even though Elves strengthened the plant monsters, they crumbled under the overwhelming difference in power.
The Blood-sucking Butterflies swarmed, but they couldn’t pierce a single scale.
Eventually, as green smoke flowed from the Lamia’s mouth, all life in Sector 3 died out.
“In Sector 3, I’ll have to deal with them first and then strengthen it.”
“Clap!”
Maru worked his hands diligently, writing something in his notebook. I continued to watch the screen.
* * *
Arcanea led her subordinates with a confident expression.
“Hmph, not as impressive as I thought.”
She reached a place covered in dirt and grass. Various plant-type monsters and Blood-sucking Butterflies swarmed there.
It was a dungeon that was hard to believe was the Arch Lich’s.
Although the number of enemies was large, it didn’t cause much damage.
No matter how much the Blood-sucking Butterflies attacked, they were no match for the Lamia’s scales.
Moreover, Arcanea possessed a deadly poison.
“Fall back!”
Black fog erupted from her mouth.
The fog instantly covered the ground.
It was a deadly poison.
“Screeeech!”
The plant monsters that came into contact with the poison screamed.
Their stems and leaves withered and collapsed to the ground.
The Blood-sucking Butterflies flying in the air were no exception. They all failed to escape the poisonous fog and died in droves.
In just a few seconds, they were annihilated.
Arcanea’s overwhelming power left her followers unharmed.
“Let’s go.”
Arcanea confidently led the way.
Leaving behind the land covered in her poison, they moved to the next location.
Soon, a vast lake appeared before them.
Arcanea’s golden eyes reflected the lake.
“Hoho, what a spectacle.”
A magnificent underground lake.
It was incredibly vast for a dungeon.
The humid air clung to her skin.
The moderate humidity was the optimal condition for a Lamia.
‘This is worth invading for.’
At first, her only thought was to get back at the Arch Lich.
That was also the reason she invaded with the help of the Merchant Guild.
However, as she explored the dungeon, her thoughts changed.
Especially after seeing this lake, she felt that this dungeon suited her.
‘And it’s close to the Demonic Realm, which is good.’
It was too much for an undead Arch Lich to manage such a good dungeon.
It would be more fitting for her to take it.
With that thought, Arcanea decided to wait for Stia and Piccha there.
But at that moment…
“Kyaaak!”
The Lamias resting by the lake were dragged into the water, screaming.
“……!”
It was a surprise attack from the enemy.
The Naga tribe, who had been hiding at the bottom of the lake, ambushed them and emerged from the water.
“Quickly, get away from the vicinity!”
Arcanea quickly gave orders, but it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, her subordinates were caught in the Naga’s grasp and dragged into the water.
For a moment, she was captivated by the vast lake and let down her guard.
The cost of that complacency was not small.
She lost some of her subordinates in vain, unprepared for the Naga’s attack.
Even as she tried to retaliate, the Naga had already disappeared into the lakebed.
“Damn it…”
Gritting her teeth, Arcanea was filled with rage.
It wasn’t the thought of losing her subordinates that angered her more, but the fact that she was caught off guard by an unexpected ambush.
“How dare you toy with me like this. I will never forgive you!”
Her golden eyes gleamed.
She wanted to spread poison throughout the entire lake, but this dungeon was about to fall into her hands.
For the sake of the future, spreading poison would be a bad move.
Therefore, Arcanea gritted her teeth and suppressed her emotions.
For now, subduing the Arch Lich and taking the dungeon was the priority.
“You, stay here. Inform Stia and Piccha to join me immediately when they arrive.”
Leaving one subordinate by the lake, Arcanea proceeded with the rest.
They carefully passed by the lakeside and headed towards the next sector.
Beyond the lake, a damp and eerie passage greeted them.
Moss grew sparsely on the rock walls lining both sides, and mud was thick on the floor.
With every step they took, a squelching sound echoed through the space.
At the end of the passage, a deep, dark staircase appeared.
“…It’s really vast.”
Arcanea muttered, looking at the stairs leading down.
Below the stairs, only pitch-black darkness loomed.
“Everyone, stay alert!”
She warned her subordinates and led the way, taking a step forward.
Relying solely on the single torch hung on the wall, they cautiously descended the stairs.
“……”
The air was thick, and for some reason, the smell of blood pricked her nose.
Enduring the smell, they continued to descend until they reached the end of the stairs.
The sight that unfolded before them was magnificent.
“Amazing.”
A giant cave stretched out before them.
The ceiling seemed too high to see, and the surroundings were shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
How big was this dungeon?
The more she saw, the more she coveted it.
It was so unfair that an undead Arch Lich managed such a dungeon.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Because Arcanea believed that this dungeon would soon be in her hands.
Warily, she carefully looked around.
Then, in the center of the cave, she spotted something flickering crimson.
It was a pool glowing blood-red.
“Blood?”
Come to think of it, the smell of blood had been strong since earlier.
The smell of human blood.
Not just one.
“It’s as if some torture was performed.”
Just then.
From far away, a whispering voice could be heard.
“No! I want to go in there too!”
A presence with a familiar aura.
It was someone she couldn’t mistake.
“Baalcherit… why are you here?”
Baalcherit was supposed to be captured by the Underworld Merchant Guild, so why was she here?
Arcanea growled low.
