Was it just a premonition?
A while ago, an alarm went off stating that the existence of a dungeon on the El Dorado Continent was spreading widely.
As the content was sudden, I upgraded the dungeon facilities and summoned monsters after a long time….
“Nothing is happening.”
Literally, peaceful days continued.
“Hmm.”
Is the alarm overreacting?
Or are the monsters, including Celia, handling it well?
The answer to the question came a few days later.
– Dambi sacrificed the Platinum Rank Adventurer ‘Ibis’.
– Absorbing the abilities of the sacrifice ‘Ibis’.
(Remaining time: 6 hours)
– Rills sacrificed the Gold Rank Adventurer ‘Paren’.
– Absorbing the abilities of the sacrifice ‘Rills’.
(Remaining time: 6 hours)
A sacrifice has arrived after a long time.
With this sacrifice, I was able to confirm one fact.
‘It seems the alarm was correct, and the dungeon’s existence has spread.’
The ones sacrificed just now must be adventurers drawn by the rumors.
And it meant that my dungeon’s monsters prevented the intruders.
“By the way, a Platinum Rank adventurer…”
I could definitely feel that the difficulty had increased.
The rank of adventurers who visit the dungeon from now on will continue to rise.
‘I must also continue to prepare accordingly.’
I spent 6 hours under Maru’s protection.
And the result of absorbing the sacrifices was quite good.
– Successfully absorbed the adventurer ‘Ibis’ sacrificed.
– Acquired Skill [Poison Blast (A)]. Can be used for enhancement.
– Successfully absorbed the adventurer ‘Paren’ sacrificed.
– Acquired Trait [Spirit Affinity (B)]. Can be used for enhancement.
As expected from high-rank adventurers, the abilities absorbed from them were also of good rank.
‘I think I know what Spirit Affinity is, but what is Poison Blast?’
I immediately checked the skill’s description.
– Poison Blast (A): Generates a powerful poisonous energy sphere from the hand and fires it at the enemy. The struck target is engulfed in a powerful poisonous explosion, eroding and crushing their body.
‘This is a gain!’
Currently, my only offensive skill is E-rank Fireball.
And here came an A-rank offensive skill.
‘At this level, it’s okay for me to use it.’
As it’s an attack using poison, it can provide various variables.
There is a way to enhance my subordinate monsters, but it seems better for me to use Poison Blast.
‘I can’t rely on monsters forever.’
I need the power to protect myself.
In that sense, I decided to use Spirit Affinity myself.
There was no need to strengthen monsters right away, and sacrifices would continue to come in.
Two days passed like that.
There were no additional sacrifices.
Instead, an alarm related to monsters sounded this time.
– Skoll gained enlightenment for evolution.
– Skoll’s rank evolves from 3-star to 4-star.
– Master of Dungeon ‘Red-Haired Tribe’, Skoll (★★★★)
“Oh, why did this guy suddenly evolve?”
Enlightenment for evolution.
So far, monsters have only evolved when I used real money or received rewards for completing missions.
And now a monster that evolves on its own has appeared.
“Yeah, this is how you enjoy raising them!”
Honestly, I was moved.
I felt proud that the monsters finally learned how to live on their own.
I couldn’t rely on the real money system forever.
My joy didn’t end there.
– Ghoul (★★) evolved into Toxic Ghoul (★★★).
“Oh.”
What’s this now? Toxic Ghoul?
It’s a monster I’ve never heard of before.
Is it a Toxic Ghoul because it carries poison?
“By the way, how did this guy evolve?”
Skoll evolved to 4-star upon gaining enlightenment for evolution.
However, this Ghoul just evolved with no explanation in the alarm.
“Is there any difference?”
Did the Ghoul also gain enlightenment for evolution like Skoll?
If so, it would have appeared in the alarm.
Hmm… I really can’t figure it out.
Maybe it was just good luck.
Ghoul is not a highly intelligent monster.
Perhaps it just luckily seized the opportunity to evolve.
For now, that seems like the correct way to see it.
“It’s a bit disappointing, though.”
If I knew how it evolved, I could apply it to other Ghouls…
Unfortunately, I decided not to worry about it anymore.
Currently, I had one more thing to prepare besides this.
It was the visit from the Fire Bird Guild.
I was scheduled to visit the Fire Bird Guild soon.
My current identity was an advisor affiliated with the Fire Bird Guild.
To be precise, it was limited to the team led by Yerin Jeong, but I was an advisor.
Originally, Yerin Jeong told me that I didn’t need to come to work when she offered me the advisor position, but I felt a bit uneasy staying home all the time.
‘Even so, it’s polite to visit at least once.’
The advisor position is by no means a position for idleness.
Yerin Jeong said she would come to me when she needed my help, but it would be more inconvenient for me if she came to me suddenly.
Currently, I don’t know how the Fire Bird Guild operates, nor do I know all the monsters.
The reason Yerin Jeong mistook me was due to information about the Goblin Lord, but there was no guarantee that such coincidences would continue to happen.
Therefore, I decided to go to work at the Fire Bird Guild for the time being.
I would grasp the situation of the Fire Bird Guild and listen to the hardships of the team members.
By getting closer to the team members and doing my job as an advisor, I would hide the fact that I am actually incompetent.
At least I’m not incompetent for doing nothing.
I’m making at least the minimum effort.
“I think it’s a good strategy.”
Yes, it’s time to go to work.
Now I was contemplating what gift to give Yerin Jeong and the team members on my first day of work.
“…….”
Should I just hand out chocolates?
But it was too ordinary a gift.
If I were just a regular guild member, it would be fine, but I was now in the role of an advisor within the guild.
“Hmm….”
Expensive tea leaves sent by Celia?
That’s not enough in the first place.
I don’t know how many members are in Yerin Jeong’s team, but it’s definitely not enough to distribute to everyone.
If some receive it and others don’t, it would only worsen my image.
“Is there anything good?”
Just then.
An alarm rang on my smartphone.
– Celia offers ‘High-quality alcohol made with great sincerity’ as a sacrifice to Master.
– Receiving the sacrifice ‘High-quality alcohol made with great sincerity’. (Remaining time: 3 hours)
“……?”
Why alcohol?
Why did Celia offer alcohol at this moment?
Moreover, the name was strange.
‘High-quality alcohol made with great sincerity?’
Does she mean for me to drink it and cheer up?
After pondering for a moment, I came up with a good idea.
“Yes! Alcohol!”
Wouldn’t it be good to give that fine alcohol as a gift on my first day of work?
The name itself says it’s high-quality alcohol.
It’s not ordinary alcohol, so it seems like a good gift.
My worries disappeared in an instant.
Even though I don’t know how she ended up making and sacrificing alcohol.
“As expected, only Celia can do this.”
Since Celia made it, the taste of the alcohol will surely be good.
***
The Ghoul walked slowly through the forest.
As it kept eating whatever it could grab with its hands while moving, its appearance kept changing.
Now, its skin had clearly turned a grotesque purple color, and a tough outer shell like armor grew over it.
The plant stems extending here and there were intertwined as if wrapping around the Ghoul’s body.
Still, the journey continued.
One change was that the Ghoul, which used to wander the forest alone, now had friends.
They were Sharia and Lucas.
Thus, a strange journey of monster and humans began.
“Goo-er.”
Even while moving, if the Ghoul found an adventurer’s corpse, it reacted immediately.
It rummaged through the corpse and took out money.
Some were given to Sharia, and the rest were all swallowed by itself.
It had no special meaning.
When it gave gold coins, humans thanked it, which felt strangely good.
In fact, didn’t Necros also continuously give gold coins to his lord, the Death Knight?
“Goo-er-er.”
The Ghoul understood Necros’s behavior.
As a result, the Ghoul continued to hand over a portion of its profits to humans.
Lucas bowed his head each time.
“Apostle-nim, to care for us this much… I am truly grateful.”
For them, who were suffering from poverty, even moldy bread was like a feast.
But today, the grace received from the Ghoul, presumed to be an apostle of the Evil God, was so abundant that they couldn’t help but be deeply moved.
“Lucas, with this much, we might even be able to put an egg in our bread…!”
Sharia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, her mouth watering at the mere thought.
Sharia, the captain of Eclipse, had two dreams.
Her greatest wish was the resurrection of the Evil God, and her second was to eat a freshly baked bread topped with a fried egg with a runny yolk.
At least today, the latter seemed like it would become a reality.
Lucas nodded solemnly at Sharia’s words.
“Captain, you are right. Isn’t this the grace bestowed upon us by that person?”
The Ghoul before them was undoubtedly an apostle of the Evil God.
It wasn’t just a mere guess or vague hope.
Even at this very moment, the Ghoul was evolving at an astonishing speed.
Its appearance was already so grotesque and powerful that it couldn’t even be compared to an ordinary Ghoul.
‘Indeed, there is no room for doubt. That person is definitely the Evil God’s apostle!’
Of course, ordinary monsters also evolve.
However, the process is slow and requires a long time.
The rapid change the Ghoul was undergoing seemed to far exceed the scope of normal evolution.
Furthermore, Sharia and Lucas were Warlocks.
They could feel the aura of death emitted by the Ghoul every moment.
“Perhaps we have discovered something far more precious than treasure.”
No, it was certain.
We met the Evil God’s apostle.
At first, they had come to the mountain range simply to follow the rumors.
Although the possibility was slim, if they could find treasure even by chance, it might solve Eclipse’s financial difficulties.
But they found something more valuable than treasure.
‘Apostle-nim….’
Starting with this, they might be able to aim for the resurrection of the Evil God.
‘If that happens….’
Lucas’s heart pounded.
As Warlocks, they would regain their honor, and their status would once again cover the continent.
Currently, people’s perception of Warlocks was at its worst.
In the eyes of the world, Warlocks were considered evil and cruel beings.
They were known as demon worshippers who committed murder for dark magic and offered corpses to the Evil God.
But that is not the truth.
At least, Eclipse cannot afford such actions at the moment.
If they found even animal carcasses, they were desperate to stave off hunger.
One of their members had even died from being beaten while trying to steal dead livestock.
“Sob… He was a good member…”
Sharia shed tears as a sad memory of the past surfaced.
And to kill people to use high-level dark magic?
If they acted like that, the White Church would chase them to the ends of the continent, so would there be any Warlocks who would act like that?
They barely had enough time to research dark magic.
In a situation where they had to worry about their next meal, let alone research, most Eclipse members were surviving by begging.
This was the current situation of the Warlocks.
‘But that ends today.’
Lucas gazed at the coins resting on his scorched palm.
The coins mixed with copper, silver, and gold coins shimmered.
It wasn’t just money.
It was the grace bestowed by the Evil God.
‘From today onwards, Eclipse will revive.’
That meant the resurrection of the Evil God was imminent.
Lucas clenched his fist.
“……”
Captain Sharia, who was beside him, also had an unusual look in her eyes.
With this much money, they could eat freshly made bread for several days.
It was even enough to add a fried egg on top of the bread.
‘Finally, the members can have a proper meal after a long time.’
Sharia regretted not being able to take good care of her members as their captain.
But now the situation had changed.
Sharia’s gaze turned to the Ghoul.
‘If I keep following that Apostle-nim….’
It wouldn’t be an impossible dream to eat ham instead of eggs on bread!
Sharia muttered with fervent eyes.
‘Yes! The Evil God is surely watching over us!’
The wheel of fortune was rolling towards Eclipse.
The fact that the captain coincidentally heard rumors.
The fact that they traveled through the mountain range between the Kalrn Empire and the Free City Alliance, avoiding the White Church’s surveillance, and came here.
And the fact that they encountered the Evil God’s apostle on that path.
All these coincidences seemed like pieces of a meticulously arranged puzzle.
Was all of this truly a coincidence?
Sharia shook her head.
It was too intricate to be mere coincidence.
This was undoubtedly a script devised by the Evil God.
Even the rumors of treasure that led them here must have been the Evil God’s will.
Sharia gratefully bowed her head.
She deeply engraved in her heart that all of this was the Evil God’s grace.
Thus, Sharia and Lucas closely followed the Ghoul.
“Goo goo goo.”
(The Death Knight-nim is not visible.)
The Ghoul’s muttering was an indecipherable code to them.
However, they could only guess the deep meaning within it.
Lucas nodded his head.
“It seems to be telling us to keep following, Captain.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Thus, the three walked endlessly through the forest.
After walking for a while, suspicious figures suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Monster! Everyone prepare for battle!”
The opponents were a group of adventurers.
It was a rather large party of over ten people, and they quickly formed a formation.
From their actions, it was clear that they were quite seasoned adventurers.
“It’s dangerous! Apostle-nim!”
Lucas shouted to the Ghoul with a flustered face.
No matter how much of an apostle of the Evil God it was, the Ghoul was still a Ghoul.
It seemed difficult to hold out in a situation of numerical inferiority.
“No… I just met the Apostle-nim…”
Sharia gritted her teeth and looked at Lucas.
Their determined gazes met.
“Lucas! Let’s get ready too!”
Understanding each other’s thoughts, the two immediately began chanting spells.
Although their power was expected to be limited without sacrifices, they might be able to draw the enemy’s attention.
“Great one who governs death, please grant me power to bring death to my enemies-”
Sharia, who was chanting, widened her mouth in surprise.
The Ghoul was walking towards the enemy lines as if nothing was wrong.
“No! Apostle-nim!”
Lucas shouted at the top of his lungs, but the Ghoul paid no heed.
Instead, it calmly stood in front of the adventurers.
“Goo goo goo?”
(Do you want money too?)
“What…?”
At the Ghoul’s words, the adventurer in front mumbled with a bewildered expression.
“Goo goo goo?”
The Ghoul spoke again, unfazed.
Didn’t the humans following it act respectfully after receiving money?
And the Ghoul felt happy when it shared money.
Therefore, this time too, it decided to give money to the opposing adventurers.
The Ghoul smiled broadly at the thought of sharing its money.
However…
Currently, the Ghoul had no money on hand.
“Goo…”
The money taken from the corpses was all swallowed or shared with Sharia and Lucas.
But the Ghoul quickly came up with a good idea.
Why not take out the money inside its stomach?
The Ghoul strained its abdomen to bring out the swallowed gold coins.
“Goo…”
The more strain it applied, the more its abdomen twisted and wriggled.
“Wh-what is that!”
The adventurers were stirred by the Ghoul’s strange behavior.
At that moment.
“Goo goo goo-!”
Green smoke spewed from the Ghoul’s mouth instead of gold coins.
“Ah, no! Everyone, flee!”
The adventurers, engulfed in green smoke, fell to the ground as if their flesh were melting.
Horrible screams and a burning stench filled the forest.
And Sharia and Lucas, who were behind, watched the scene with shocked expressions.
