The flames that burned with a terrifying intensity subsided.
The adventurer, who became a sacrifice of their own volition, disappeared, leaving only ashes behind.
Celia quietly watched over the altar.
“Kuuuur.”
Denver approached her, seemingly out of nowhere.
He had fallen under Celia’s charm, and after being turned into a ghoul by the Death Knight, he always hovered around her.
Celia, who had been watching the altar, turned her head towards Denver.
“What a shame, Mr. Denver.”
“Kuuuur?”
What was a shame?
Denver tilted his head slightly.
“If you hadn’t become a ghoul, you would have been in that glorious position too.”
Celia gave a faint smile.
“Kuuuaaar.”
As she finished speaking, Denver made a sound and began to move in another direction.
Celia, taking her eyes off Denver’s retreating figure, looked back at the altar.
“Finally, I have presented a worthy sacrifice to Master.”
The adventurer offered to Master this time had considerable ability.
Originally, she wanted to offer everyone who invaded the dungeon, but all but one had already died.
This is a sacred altar.
She couldn’t dare offer those who had died from lightning strikes or had their hearts pierced as sacrifices to Master.
Their bodies were thrown to the goblins like the adventurer who died from an arrow before.
In any case, it was an excellent way to dispose of the corpses, as the goblins needed to consume meat.
“By the way, my guess was right.”
Celia, who had been staring at the altar for a long time, opened her mouth. She had felt that her guess was correct when offering the sacrifice a little while ago.
“The restriction is gone.”
Master had taken her in and allowed her to reside in this dungeon.
However, for some reason, she could not leave the dungeon.
That too had become a thing of the past.
The restriction disappeared after offering the sacrifice this time.
However, even with the restriction gone, she couldn’t go very far from the dungeon.
She still lacked the power. But even this was a tremendous development.
“Now I can show Master a result that will satisfy him.”
Celia was also vaguely sensing it.
She knew that for some reason, Master could not interfere fully in this world.
She also realized that as she offered sacrifices, Master’s power grew.
By offering the sacrifice today, she confirmed her conjectures and determined the future direction.
Being able to leave the dungeon opened up various options.
If necessary, she could now go outside; there was no need to keep waiting inside the dungeon.
“Someday, I will be able to behold Master’s noble form, won’t I?”
Celia turned her head back.
There stood the Death Knight and the Goblin Lord.
“We need more sacrifices. Until the day our noble Master regains his strength, we must pave the way first.”
That is what she, as a subordinate, must do.
“Let us welcome the day Master descends.”
Celia was excited.
On the day Master descends, this continent will be saved.
Until then, she would probably have a mountain of work to do.
First, the first plan was decided.
“Take turns and thoroughly search the surroundings.”
For now, she needed to reduce variables as much as possible.
“We will start by clearing out nearby dungeons. Spread Master’s will.”
At Celia’s command, the Death Knight and the Goblin Lord moved simultaneously.
***
“Kanghyeon. Is something good happening today? You keep smiling?”
Did I show it too much?
One of the porter uncles I worked with spoke to me.
“It’s nothing much. Haha.”
“How anticlimactic.”
As I replied with an awkward smile, he left.
I was left alone, still smiling.
The reason I’m smiling?
It’s natural.
When I woke up this morning, I gained a trait.
Having a status window was amazing, but this time it was a trait.
It was even A-Rank.
‘Mana Affinity.’
A trait that greatly increases affinity with mana.
Due to high affinity, it allows one to feel and read mana better than anyone else.
‘So this is what it feels like to sense mana.’
When I woke up this morning, I felt something strange.
At first, I thought I was just tired.
But then I realized it was due to the mana present in the air.
I, who was called a half-baked hunter because I didn’t have a status window.
I, who graduated last in the Hunter Academy and was looked down upon by my peers.
Now I had become a hunter possessing an A-Rank trait.
Of course, this alone was not yet considered success.
It only allowed me to sense mana; using it was another matter.
Still, I couldn’t deny that my starting point was different from others.
‘Well, it’s true that I was too late to say that.’
Strictly speaking, I was far behind the starting line.
But not anymore.
Now I had the potential to soar.
I gained the ability to overtake those who were already running ahead.
“Alright, that’s it for today. Those who want to work overtime, gather here. Hurry up!”
While I was lost in thought, a manager called out to the remaining porters.
‘Overtime.’
I plan to quit my job as a porter soon.
For now, I intended to stop by a nearby cafe to think about it.
‘Let’s hurry.’
I turned my body towards the exit.
“Huh?”
On the way to the exit, I saw a bulletin board with wanted posters.
These were hunters called villains.
Villains were diverse.
The most prevalent category was those who committed murder in dungeons.
Dungeons were spaces sealed off from the outside.
Therefore, villains could run wild more easily.
What surprised me was not that.
Among the many villains, one stood out.
I didn’t know him, but his name caught my eye.
“Kim Minjun…?”
I’ve heard that name somewhere.
I dug through my memories for a moment and then.
“Ah!”
It was a game.
He was someone who had invaded my dungeon in a game.
I remembered it because a Korean name popped out in a game set in the El Dorado Continent.
“I can’t believe they even included the setting of being summoned…”
It was a game that paid attention to background historical accuracy, featuring not only people from the El Dorado Continent but also people from Earth.
“Come to think of it, you said he was offered as a sacrifice, right?”
According to the in-game alarm, Kim Minjun was offered as a sacrifice.
Of course, a game is just a game, and Kim Minjun on the bulletin board was a villain.
“By the way, that villain also possesses the Mana Affinity trait.”
The bulletin board stated that villain Kim Minjun also possessed Mana Affinity like me.
“What a coincidence.”
At that moment, I felt some inexplicable feeling.
“Huh?”
What should I call it? A sense of unease?
My heart beat faster, and the surrounding mana trembled.
‘Why is this happening all of a sudden?’
I had a strange feeling, but I decided to ignore it for now.
I turned around and walked towards the nearby cafe.
***
Upon arriving at the cafe, I ordered coffee and contemplated a few things.
Why did these abilities appear to me?
I could understand the status window.
If I think of it as appearing late, it roughly made sense.
However, the trait was completely out of the blue.
Especially A-Rank traits, unless they were acquired congenitally during awakening, could only be acquired postnatally through luck or fortunate encounters.
Not just A-Rank traits, but all-rank traits and skills could generally be obtained in such ways.
This is why skill books were expensive, and trait books were so rare that they couldn’t be obtained even with high prices.
“I can’t figure it out even if I think about it.”
I, myself, didn’t encounter any fortunate encounters.
‘So what? It’s enough that I gained a trait.’
I pondered for a moment and then gave up.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no conclusion.
Then, reflexively, I started the game.
Thinking about it, things seemed to be going well since I started this game.
“But what was this thing, really?”
I checked the alarm that rang in the morning again.
– Absorbed the abilities of sacrifice ‘Kim Minjun’.
The alarm ended there.
Last time, I also absorbed someone’s abilities.
Just like then, nothing much changed this time either.
“Why on earth was this system created?”
Even after absorbing abilities, there was no change in the game.
Is there something I don’t know?
No matter how many times I clicked on the screen, nothing new appeared.
“……”
Thump.
My heart beat again.
The sense of unease I felt earlier enveloped my body once more.
It felt as if some power was at play, and the surrounding mana trembled.
‘What kind of feeling is this?’
Ah, yes.
It was a strange feeling, as if the Mana Affinity trait wasn’t mine?
‘Is it because I’m not used to it yet?’
An unfamiliar trait.
A feeling as if it wasn’t mine.
“……”
Then, a possibility suddenly came to mind.
“Could it be…?”
Nah, that wouldn’t be it.
I shook my head.
Perhaps it was the worst thought that fleetingly crossed my mind unconsciously.
It might have been a desire to deny that small conjecture.
“Why worry on such a happy day? Let’s just play the game.”
Today was the day I gained a trait.
An A-Rank trait, no less.
A grade of trait that any hunter would want.
And I got it.
It’s not right to agonize over other thoughts on such a happy day.
To shake off my needless worries, I began to focus on the game.
As I touched the screen, a certain content caught my eye.
[Dungeon Support & Dispatch]
It was a system for supporting other dungeons by providing supplies or dispatching monsters.
Last time, I didn’t pay much attention because I didn’t have many monsters, but it’s different now.
Even if I take one person out of the dungeon, two monsters of 5-Star or higher remain.
I immediately clicked on [Dungeon Support & Dispatch].
When clicked, a map of the El Dorado Continent appeared.
Above it, dungeon lists requesting help began to appear in red text.
“Shall I look at this first?”
I clicked on the dungeon at the top.
It was at the very top, and the reward was the largest, so I chose it.
However.
“?”
When I clicked on the relevant dungeon, I saw a familiar name.
‘Baalcherit…?’
5-Star and Vampire.
An unforgettable combination and name.
‘Ah, this guy!’
It was when I first started the game and set a subordinate officer. I was happy when I got a 5-star in the subordinate officer draw, but that guy rejected me.
Because of that, I started with a 3-star instead of a 5-star start.
– Do you wish to support this dungeon?
Am I crazy?
I immediately pressed ‘No’.
No matter how good my mood was today, I couldn’t help you.
After refusing, I started searching for other dungeons.
This time, even if the reward was small, I chose a region close to my dungeon.
“Goblin Dungeon?”
This one seems okay, doesn’t it?
According to the detailed description of the dungeon, the owner was a Goblin Shaman.
If a 2-star monster is the owner, it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
– Do you wish to support this dungeon?
This time, I pressed ‘Yes’.
‘Rather than resource support, is troop dispatch better?’
The dungeon owner is 2-star.
It’s obvious that even if I send resources, they won’t be able to utilize them.
Who should I send?
After considering for a moment, I shifted my gaze.
‘Since they are both goblins, I should send this one.’
I chose the Goblin Lord.
But suddenly, a warning alarm popped up.
– Due to its communal living trait, the Goblin Lord incurs a penalty when operating alone.
– When without its accompanying pack, the Goblin Lord incurs a penalty of a 3-rank decrease from its current rank.
The alarm was about the penalty for the Goblin Lord.
‘What? A 3-rank drop from here?’
The Goblin Lord’s current rank is 5-star.
But if you subtract 3 ranks, it’s as if it instantly becomes a 2-star monster.
‘Hoo…’
This Goblin Lord.
It had such a setting?
It’s performing worse than I thought.
“So the Goblin Lord’s weakness was eliminating nearby goblins.”
The thought escaped my lips out of sheer absurdity.
In essence, if its pack disappeared, the Goblin Lord was nothing.
I had no choice but to put the Goblin Lord back.
“Hmm.”
After contemplating for a moment.
Yes, you are the only one I can count on.
I chose Celia.
Celia is a subordinate officer, but a formidable 6-star monster.
The fact that she would leave the dungeon made me a little uneasy, but it wouldn’t be a major problem.
‘If something happens, the Death Knight and the Goblin Lord will handle it.’
I immediately dispatched Celia to the dungeon that requested support.
***
Celia was in her office, handling work.
She was thinking about what to plan next.
Then, she suddenly felt a strange sensation.
Her body felt as if it were floating in mid-air.
At the same time, the surrounding space distorted.
“This is…”
It was spatial magic.
“You always surprise me.”
Celia had felt this power when she was sealed beneath the church.
Therefore, she simply surrendered her body to the space.
The scenery of her office a moment ago changed into something else entirely.
It was a different dungeon from her Master’s original dungeon.
At the same time, she knew what she had to do.
“I will carry out Master’s command.”
Master had commanded her.
She was ordered to support this dungeon.
Celia slowly scanned her surroundings.
She saw the center of the dungeon, and the goblin sitting there.
This goblin, unlike other goblins, held a wooden staff with a skull attached.
Anyone could tell it was the dungeon’s owner.
The goblin, the owner of the dungeon, also noticed Celia and rejoiced.
“Kuhuk, you’ve come to help us. I am the owner of this dungeon, the Goblin Shaman… Huh?”
The talking Goblin Shaman stopped.
Something was strange.
“Khyk?”
This shouldn’t be happening.
The Goblin Shaman immediately leaped down from his chair and began to prostrate himself on the ground.
“Such a great being, kuhuk. What brings you here…?”
The Goblin Shaman had indeed requested troop dispatch through the Underworld Merchant Guild.
Since he had little money, he thought only cheap undead like skeletons would come.
He had definitely thought so…
“An incredible being has arrived! Kuhuk.”
The Goblin Shaman was thrown into confusion.
Celia banzai🔥