Azmo’s dungeon also began to take shape with the assignment of subordinate officers.
With the subordinate officers recruited.
There wasn’t an immediate need for more monsters, so there was no rush to recruit.
“And for some species, they even reproduce on their own.”
In addition, there were many cases where monsters reproduced among themselves.
For example, the Blood-sucking Butterflies in Sector 3 of the first layer were of that kind.
Their numbers were increasing on their own without further recruitment.
As they were insectoid monsters, their reproduction rate was fast, so as long as an ecosystem was established, there wouldn’t be a major problem.
“Then shall we try the General Goods Gacha now?”
It seemed like a good time to start looking at other things.
For example, the General Goods Gacha?
The description said that the General Goods Gacha mainly yielded equipment, weapons, or skills.
Based on that description alone, I had actually tried the General Goods Gacha once before.
‘Back then, I only got trash.’
In the Monster Gacha, I got at least a 1-star monster, but in the General Goods Gacha, there were trash items that wouldn’t be strange even if called duds.
Not to mention unnecessary branches and leaves, I even got pebbles.
The only fortunate thing was that Celia was wearing the dress that came out then?
If that hadn’t come out, I would have been furious.
That doesn’t mean not doing the General Goods Gacha at all is a bad move.
Just looking at Celia’s clothes, they had various options.
Although it wasn’t from the gacha, the Maid Outfit Celia was wearing before also had incredible traits.
What if I managed to get equipment or clothes like that?
“Even if I get just one really good item, it’s a profit.”
With that thought, I was about to touch the General Goods Gacha item in the shop window.
*Ding-*
But before I could press it, an alarm popped up.
– The number of monsters in Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’ has reached a certain level.
– Increase the dungeon’s size or control the number of individual monsters through Monster Waves.
– You can select settings for Monster Waves.
It was an alarm stating that the number of monsters in Azmo’s dungeon had reached its limit.
Looking at Azmo’s dungeon status, it seemed to be due to the Ghouls that had rapidly increased recently.
“Just how many did you catch?”
The reason for the increase in Ghouls was likely the Death Knight.
Due to the Death Knight’s skill traits, beings that were killed were reborn as Ghouls.
Azmo’s dungeon was originally an Incubus Dungeon.
The fact that there were so many Ghouls now meant that the Death Knight had caught many intruders.
The intruders were probably humans like me, but I didn’t feel any sympathy.
After all, it was the other party who rashly tried to snatch what was mine.
I only acted to protect what was mine.
“Indeed, the number of Ghouls is immense.”
Moreover, with the subordinate officers added, the dungeon seemed even tighter.
“Hmm… by the way, you can set up Monster Waves?”
Monster Wave.
It referred to the phenomenon of monsters emerging from the dungeon.
The most plausible hypothesis was that when the dungeon became full of monsters, the dungeon would push the monsters out.
“Based on the current explanation, it might not be entirely wrong.”
The Monster Wave setting window was simple.
It involved determining the range of the Monster Wave and the number of monsters to send out.
Of course, in my case, I could choose to avoid Monster Waves for now by expanding the dungeon’s size.
However, I had to consider the future situation where monsters would reproduce on their own and increase their numbers.
Even if it’s not a problem now, as the number of dungeons under my command continues to increase, I won’t be able to check them one by one.
“Shall I set it up first?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary to set up each dungeon in detail.
There was also an option for the dungeon administrators or subordinate officers to make their own judgment calls and take action.
“Yeah, this is better.”
Looking back, these monsters also had considerable intelligence.
Sometimes, leaving them alone yielded better results, so I chose that option without hesitation.
“Azmo will probably handle it well?”
Curious about how the situation would be handled, I deliberately did not expand the dungeon’s size.
“I guess they’ll send out the Ghouls first.”
I’ll just do the gacha.
***
“Ah, why the hell do we have to do this shit?”
A Hunter complained while patrolling around the dungeon.
The person next to the grumbling Hunter opened their mouth.
“We low-level guys just have to do as we’re told. What can we do?”
That person felt the same dissatisfaction.
They were unhappy about patrolling here, even having to give up their day off.
They were Hunters belonging to the Fire Bird Guild.
And the place they were guarding was the Incubus Dungeon.
The Incubus Dungeon.
It was the dungeon that Woojin Jeong, the second son of the Fire Bird Guild Leader, had entered for subjugation.
Of course, he failed.
They thought it only had Incubuses, but it turned out a Succubus was the master.
When the Guild Leader’s second son returned from the dungeon in a state of disarray, the guild’s atmosphere couldn’t have been good.
Naturally, the Fire Bird Guild prepared for a second assault.
This time, to counter the Succubus as well, they matched the gender ratio of the Hunters, mobilized Hunters specialized in mental defense skills, and even mobilized artifacts.
The leader of the assault team, as well as half of the nearly fifty Hunters, were A-Rank Hunters.
In short, the Fire Bird Guild’s top management was determined.
Yes, this assault team was a scenario that was bound to succeed.
But then, a variable occurred.
“It’s probably going to be a wasted trip again today, right?”
“Sigh, if it goes on like this, will we be here until our next day off?”
Despite a considerable amount of time having passed since the Fire Bird Guild’s assault team entered, there was no news.
The dungeon had remained closed, and the survival of the Hunters who entered was yet to be confirmed.
Either the assault team would emerge after subjugating the dungeon, or all the personnel inside would be annihilated and the dungeon would open.
Or, the dungeon master would show benevolence, as with the second son Woojin Jeong, and send back the assault team members alive.
It would have been good if even one of these three scenarios could be confirmed, but the dungeon stubbornly remained shut.
While the assault team inside might emerge at any time, the Fire Bird Guild’s Hunters were continuously providing cover around the area.
This was quite important.
Let’s assume the assault team members emerged from the dungeon exhausted after subjugating the monsters.
What would happen if there were individuals who harbored grudges against the guild?
The outcome was obvious, so all guilds dispatched two types of Hunters for dungeon subjugation.
The assault team that subjugates the dungeon.
And the patrol team that waits outside until news of the assault team is heard, ready to provide support if necessary.
And the Hunters who were currently harboring dissatisfaction belonged to the latter, the patrol team.
Therefore, despite their dissatisfaction, they were silently carrying out their missions, knowing why they had to be there.
While continuously patrolling, another variable occurred.
An uninvited guest breaking the silence of the quiet night.
The dungeon’s energy began to fluctuate.
A moment later.
*Whoosh-*
The siren here began to blare.
It was a signal that the dungeon had opened.
“Damn it. Why did the dungeon have to open when I’m here?”
While muttering, he was thinking something else in his heart.
Please, let it not be a Monster Wave…
***
Despite the loud siren, nothing had changed.
There was nothing that could be considered a problem.
“Is the measuring device broken?”
Choi Ji-hoon, a B-Rank Hunter leading the patrol team, muttered while examining the measuring device inside the tent.
This measuring device was an artifact that reacted to spiritual energy.
The fact that the measuring device had just rung meant that the closed dungeon had opened.
“Hmm.”
But ultimately, nothing happened.
The dungeon remained closed, and neither the assault team Hunters returned nor did monsters burst out.
“Well, it’s still too early for a Monster Wave.”
Monster Wave referred to the phenomenon of monsters emerging from the dungeon.
It primarily occurred when a dungeon was neglected and the number of monsters inside continued to increase.
It was like this.
It was like too many people living in a house being forced out.
Dungeons were the same.
Anyway, Monster Waves were truly troublesome.
When monsters emerged, there were more things to pay attention to, so the government and guilds regularly cleared out dungeons.
Choi Ji-hoon put down the measuring device in his hand.
It was quite a thought to assume a Monster Wave.
As it is, not a single monster came out.
“Well, unless the assault team that entered the dungeon turns into monsters…”
He found himself amused while saying that.
“Ha.”
It didn’t make sense in the first place.
Of course, there were beings who turned Hunters into monsters.
The Death Knight, who turned them into Ghouls, was a prime example, and there were also Zombies who turned them into Zombies like themselves by biting them.
There were even Vampires who turned them into their own kind.
However, this dungeon was inhabited by Incubi and Succubi.
Although they also possessed the weapon of Charm, those were not skills that turned people into monsters.
It was closer to mind control.
Therefore, Choi Ji-hoon did not consider any other possibility.
“Captain Choi Ji-hoon!”
At that moment, someone entered the tent and called out Choi Ji-hoon’s name.
It was his subordinate officer who assisted him.
“Oh, right. Have you finished checking the personnel?”
When the siren had sounded a little while ago, Choi Ji-hoon had ordered his subordinate officer to check the personnel.
“Yes, here it is!”
Choi Ji-hoon looked at the status board handed over by his subordinate officer and muttered to himself.
“Hmm, twenty-two people…”
The status board listed how many people were currently present, including their names.
“We were around twenty people today, right?”
We were a patrol team guarding the dungeon, prepared for any eventuality.
As the number of personnel changed slightly each day, the personnel status kept changing.
“Hmm.”
Choi Ji-hoon leaned his chin on his hand and looked at the status board.
Under normal circumstances, he should have thoroughly checked the number of personnel, but…
‘I’m not exactly someone with a lot of free time…’
Since the numbers roughly matched, there were no particular issues.
“Alright. You can go now.”
Choi Ji-hoon dismissed his subordinate officer and immediately contacted the guild’s situation room.
Since it was important for the guild to ascertain the status of the dispatched Hunters, this report was essential.
Soon, he was connected to the Fire Bird Guild’s situation room.
“Yes, this is Patrol Leader Choi Ji-hoon.”
Choi Ji-hoon reported the current situation and the personnel status.
“…Thus, the current personnel are twenty-two, and there are no anomalies.”
After reporting this far, his day’s work was practically over.
Just as he was about to disconnect and rest.
‘- Wait a moment.’
The situation room spoke to him.
It was the voice of the Fire Bird Guild’s manager.
‘- You said the current personnel count is what?’
Huh. Did they not hear me just now?
Choi Ji-hoon slightly contorted his expression and spoke again.
“The current personnel are twenty-two.”
However, the situation room asked again in a serious tone.
‘- Are you sure? Did you miscount?’
Sigh.
Choi Ji-hoon let out a small sigh.
Although he was slightly annoyed, the other party was his superior.
He calmed his voice and said politely.
“There are no personnel anomalies. There was nothing problematic.”
However.
‘- Hey! You punk!’
The manager blurted out a curse.
‘- You didn’t check the personnel properly! You idiot, there were twenty-one of you today!’
“What?”
In his momentary confusion, Choi Ji-hoon replied in a dazed voice.
‘- Check the personnel again quickly!’
Urgency could be felt from the situation room.
Choi Ji-hoon scanned the status board handed over by his subordinate officer again, calling out each name.
‘…Kim Min-jae, Lee Nam-hyuk, and finally Seo Yeong-ho.’
The status board clearly stated ’22 people’.
The names were not duplicated.
‘- Choi Ji-hoon, what did you say at the end?’
“Yes? At the end? Ah, are you talking about Seo Yeong-ho?”
‘- You punk! Are you kidding me right now?’
Choi Ji-hoon was also starting to get annoyed.
He always approached things seriously.
How could he not get angry when he was suddenly accused of joking around while being cursed at?
“No! Please speak properly! I don’t joke around. Why are you doing this?”
-‘…’
There was a moment of silence.
And then, the voice from the situation room came again.
‘- Hey, Ji-hoon. Don’t you remember? Seo Yeong-ho participated in this assault team. The dungeon you are currently patrolling.’
“…Ah.”
Right.
He remembered.
The assault team that entered this dungeon, the leader of that assault team was A-Rank Hunter Seo Yeong-ho.
Why did he forget?
“Come on, it’s just a person with the same name…?”
There was a possibility of a homonym.
It had to be, surely.
But the answer from the situation room dashed his expectations.
‘- I just looked it up. There are no other Seo Yeong-hos in our Fire Bird Guild.’
“Are you joking?”
-‘ Is this the mood for joking!’
Instead, the manager raised his voice and scolded him.
‘- So first, check the personnel -‘
*Click-*
Choi Ji-hoon hung up the call.
Yes, he needed a moment to think.
Perhaps the subordinate officer had made a mistake.
“……..”
But what if.
Just, what if.
What if it wasn’t a mistake?
Come to think of it, the siren had sounded before he checked the personnel.
Could it be…?
“Shit.”
Choi Ji-hoon ran out of the tent and shouted.
“Everyone assemble!”
Something had gone wrong.
