The Divine Guild acted quickly, as befitted the number one guild in the country.
They mobilized their connections within the government and the Hunter Association to focus on identifying the man captured on CCTV.
Suho sat in the Strategy Analysis Room at the Divine Guild headquarters, his team members behind him.
All of their expressions were grim.
The murder that occurred within the nation’s top guild was more than just a simple crime; it had tarnished the Divine Guild’s honor.
Several photos and reports were spread across the table.
On the large screen on the wall, CCTV footage of the attack site within the guild played from multiple angles.
Suho watched the repetitive footage with a blank expression.
“Then I will report.”
The analysis team leader stood before Suho, a tablet in his hand. His face was weary with fatigue, a clear sign of analyzing data all night.
“We scoured all the databases in cooperation with the Association and government agencies…”
The analysis team leader hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to find any information about the man. It seems he is a hunter who operates as a villain.”
Suho slowly nodded.
He had already expected that there would be no information.
Given how audacious the murder within the Divine Guild was, the perpetrator was more likely a villain than a registered hunter.
It was almost natural.
What hunter would openly commit murder?
However, they had to find the one who dared to commit murder in the Divine Guild.
That’s why Suho had moved, and that’s why this meeting was being held.
As Suho gazed ahead, the analysis team leader spoke, beads of sweat on his brow.
“B-but, upon examining the events of last night, we discovered one peculiar point!”
“Peculiar point?”
Suho’s interest piqued, and he scanned the report.
“Black market attack?”
The report detailed how one of the nation’s black markets was attacked in the middle of the night.
“Yes, that’s correct. Recently, the Association and the government secretly dispatched personnel to manage the black markets. One of them was reportedly attacked.”
While they were called black markets, truth be told, the government and the Association were closely intertwined with them.
After all, there was no place better for secretly laundering money than a black market, making them conduits for the powerful.
Without such connections, how could black markets survive?
Intertwined through various relationships, both the government and the Association tacitly approved of black markets.
“But does the black market have any connection to this incident?”
If anything, it seemed like an unrelated event. Besides, why would a report even be compiled for the mere attack on a single black market?
Suho shook his head and turned the page of the report.
“……!”
However, the report contained astonishing information. Suho’s finger stopped on the report.
“Everyone in the black market was killed?”
“That’s correct.”
The analysis team leader nodded and continued.
“Furthermore, when we cross-referenced the bodies found in the black market, we discovered the same traces as in this incident.”
This meant that the wounds of the Divine Guild hunters who were killed were identical to the traces found on the bodies in the black market.
“However, it is believed that the number of bodies found in the black market was extremely small, and the Association has proposed the possibility that the perpetrator took the bodies for personal reasons.”
“Taking bodies…”
Suho fell into thought.
Come to think of it, there were many sloppy aspects to this incident.
Especially attacking a black market and leaving only some of the bodies? It seemed intentional.
It was as if someone was announcing that they had attacked the Divine Guild.
‘Strange.’
Suho swallowed dryly.
There was definitely something they missed, but he didn’t know what it was.
It felt as if an unknown entity in the darkness was staring at him.
‘What did I miss?’
A strange sense of unease began to settle in.
The feeling of missing something. It was like seeing only the tip of a massive iceberg.
He couldn’t ignore this feeling.
Even as he pondered, the analysis team leader’s story continued.
His voice gradually grew softer, eventually becoming almost a whisper.
“Have you perhaps heard of… ‘Seongjeonghoe’?”
* * *
“Seongjeonghoe.”
Betta’s explanation continued to Azmo.
“According to the information obtained by the Divine Guild, some humans have formed an organization called Seongjeonghoe.”
“Seongjeonghoe?”
Azmo showed interest.
“Yes. If you break down the meaning, it roughly translates to a sacred organization that purifies the world.”
Betta had infiltrated the Divine Guild to obtain this information.
And he began to explain the obtained information to Azmo.
“According to the materials provided by the Divine Guild and the Association…”
Seongjeonghoe (聖淨會)
It was an organization that had become active recently.
They didn’t know when it was formed, but one thing was certain.
“On the surface, they claim to be about ‘preserving human purity’.”
Azmo quietly listened to Betta’s words. Curiosity and caution alternated in his eyes.
“Seongjeonghoe claims that the appearance of dungeons and monsters has brought corruption to humanity. They view the use of magic, the utilization of monster parts, and even the awakenings of hunters as elements that harm human purity.”
“Interesting.”
Azmo smiled.
“However, the most ironic point is…”
Betta’s voice lowered.
“They themselves are awakened individuals.”
While advocating for human preservation, they themselves were awakened individuals.
To Azmo, it sounded like an absurd contradiction.
“Talking about human purity while being awakened themselves? That’s contradictory.”
“Precisely. Comparing the data provided by the Association and the government to the Divine Guild, it is highly probable that the ones who attacked the black market and killed Kang Do-yoon are Seongjeonghoe.”
Azmo stroked his chin with his finger, lost in thought.
Initially, he thought they had done it simply to obtain the Terliff Potion, but after hearing Betta’s story, a more complex causal relationship emerged.
To Azmo and Betta, who were monsters, Seongjeonghoe appeared as an extremist group advocating for human preservation.
“Then they are an enemy of Master.”
“Yes, that’s right. And they are also our enemies.”
They didn’t know why they wanted the Terliff Potion, but it was an undeniable fact that they would be troublesome in many aspects going forward.
Therefore, Azmo ordered Betta to make a plan to eliminate them.
“Understood. Then how should we handle the bodies brought from the black market?”
The black market’s location had already been exposed to Seongjeonghoe.
It would be difficult for it to function again.
So, Azmo deliberately left some bodies behind in the black market and only recovered the rest.
The reason was simple.
Wasn’t it to draw in the Divine Guild to find the information about Seongjeonghoe that Betta had just revealed?
Betta would transform into a human from Seongjeonghoe and attack the Divine Guild in that form.
Then the Divine Guild would have no choice but to act and reach out to the government and the Association to find that information.
Ultimately, everything had gone according to plan.
Now that they had drawn in the Divine Guild, they could make their move if any additional information related to Seongjeonghoe emerged.
More importantly, however, was the handling of the bodies.
“These bodies will be offered as sacrifices to Master.”
Azmo’s voice echoed in the dungeon.
* * *
– Azmo offers a B-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
“Oh, a sacrifice.”
It seemed Azmo had hunted somewhere again.
‘By the way, I’ve become unfazed now.’
Whether Celia sacrificed adventurers or Azmo sacrificed hunters, it didn’t matter anymore.
Instead, she even expected to see what new abilities would emerge.
After all, something must have happened for them to be sacrificed anyway.
‘By the way, Azmo is sacrificing only one hunter-‘
– Azmo offers a C-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
– Azmo offers a B-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
– Azmo offers a C-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
……
…
At the flood of alarms, I nodded.
‘As expected, Azmo is deeply loyal.’
If Celia was on the El Dorado Continent, it was only natural for Azmo to be on Earth.
‘If possible, I’d like to evolve Azmo to 5-Star as well.’
Come to think of it, Azmo and Betta were still B-Rank monsters.
There was a reason why there were few or no A-Rank hunters among the sacrificed hunters.
‘Because their power isn’t strong enough.’
Of course, I had no intention of evolving them immediately. Since Azmo had a history of unilaterally causing a monster wave in the past, I didn’t plan to completely release him-
– Azmo offers an A-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
– Azmo offers a C-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
– Azmo offers a D-Rank Hunter as a sacrifice to Master.
……
…
“Yes, it’s time to forgive now.”
It wasn’t that Azmo’s actions changed my mind by offering sacrifices.
Even if he caused a monster wave unilaterally in the past, wasn’t it driven by his loyalty to me?
It was the same now.
Wasn’t he offering sacrifices out of deep loyalty?
‘Besides, there’s an A-Rank hunter too.’
He must have had a hard time catching the A-Rank hunter. Thinking of that effort, I felt he was a commendable guy.
Just like Celia, I wanted to give Azmo more monsters.
However, all the monsters that appear in the gacha go to the El Dorado Continent.
To bring them to Earth, like Maru or Coco, I had to offer a monster from the El Dorado Continent as a sacrifice at the altar through my trait, ‘True Dungeon Master’.
Or bring them like the Elf Shiel, as a system reward.
‘That’s a bit tricky…’
To utilize that trait, precisely, sacrifices were needed.
Not sacrifices offered by monsters, but sacrifices that only I could absorb.
By offering sacrifices to myself, I could upgrade the Dungeon Core, raise the Dungeon Altar, or even create an empty dungeon.
‘I haven’t paid enough attention to this lately.’
In a way, it was close to not paying attention at all.
Because sacrifices didn’t mean simple items, but corpses.
‘I’m not some corpse enthusiast.’
And creating corpses by killing others?
That would be closer to being a psychopath.
I wasn’t that wicked.
‘But it’s okay to borrow the monsters’ power, right?’
I’m uncomfortable killing them myself. But it’s fine if I personally take the corpses of the hunters Azmo killed.
‘Yes, that would look better.’
I nodded and gave Azmo a separate order.
– For the time being, I have a use for the bodies, so do not offer them as sacrifices. Maru will go to retrieve them himself.
‘He’ll understand if I say this much.’
Azmo is smart.
* * *
“Master has commanded!”
Azmo said in a loud voice, and Betta’s eyes sparkled.
Not just Betta. Incubi nearby also appeared, waiting for Azmo’s next words.
“Bodies! Master said he will eat the bodies himself!”
“……As expected.”
Betta nodded, revealing a satisfied expression at Master’s brutality.
“The cruel aspect is indeed characteristic of Master.”
“Yes, that cruel nature is indeed our Master who rules us.”
Betta and Azmo’s misunderstanding was deepening.
