A few days ago, the Monster Wave concluded.
During this process, I was able to bring Azmo and Betta back safely without a scratch.
No, is “safely” even the right word in the first place?
Following the Monster Wave, Death Knights and Arch Liches were trailing behind them.
And that’s not all.
At some point, Celia even appeared before them.
Given the appearance of essentially S-rank and A-rank monsters, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there was no actual crisis for me.
– “Save Azmo and Betta!” Urgent Mission completed.
– As a reward, you will receive a Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’ relocation ticket.
Thanks to this, I was able to complete the urgent mission and, as a reward, relocate Azmo’s dungeon.
“Now that I’ve moved it nearby, there shouldn’t be any more problems.”
Azmo’s dungeon has been moved to a location close to where I live.
I thought it was better to have it nearby than far away.
This way, I can respond quickly to any incidents within my capabilities.
Actually, moving a dungeon close to home isn’t necessarily a good choice.
This is because dungeons continuously emit a unique aura.
This provides crucial information that can reveal the dungeon’s location.
Despite that, there was only one reason I moved the dungeon closer.
“Why was there an artifact there?”
The moment I finished the urgent mission and tried to relocate Azmo’s dungeon.
– An artifact exists that conceals the aura of Dungeon ‘Illusionary Temptation’. Do you wish to transfer it together?
I learned that there was an artifact in the dungeon.
Furthermore, it was an artifact that hid the dungeon’s aura.
It was truly a stroke of luck.
“That’s why I couldn’t find it.”
I understood why I hadn’t been able to sense Azmo’s dungeon until now.
The artifact’s power was so great that even I, the dungeon’s owner, couldn’t locate it.
As long as this artifact exists, it will be difficult for anyone to find Azmo’s dungeon.
I moved the artifact along with Azmo’s dungeon as per the alarm’s notification.
Since the artifact was present, I boldly moved the dungeon close to my home.
“So, two of the dungeons I own are in this state?”
‘Evil God’s Nest’ also has its aura concealed.
This wasn’t due to an artifact but a skill obtained from purchasing the beginner package at the start.
Adding Azmo’s currently managed dungeon to this made it two dungeons with concealed auras.
“It’s amazing, really.”
Even the artifact alone is a very expensive item, yet I bought something with a similar effect for only 1,200 won.
In short, its cost-effectiveness is incredible.
“I wish real money purchases were unlimited…”
Honestly, money isn’t the issue at this point.
The problem lies with the limitations of the game system itself.
Even when trying to make significant real money purchases, there were built-in limits.
I couldn’t make purchases beyond that, which was quite disappointing.
And it’s still the same now.
– During the urgent mission, all causality has been temporarily released.
– Penalties exist.
– Jewel purchases are temporarily suspended.
– Subordinate Officer gacha is temporarily locked.
– Monster gacha is temporarily locked.
– Dungeon expansion system is temporarily locked.
– Dungeon support & dispatch content is temporarily locked.
It seems most of the important functions were used up during the urgent mission, as most features are now locked.
There was nothing I could do but stare at the screen.
As I aimlessly touched the screen.
“Come to think of it, the General Goods Gacha isn’t locked, is it?”
I noticed that the General Goods Gacha in the shop was not locked.
General Goods Gacha.
Unlike Monster Gacha, this was for drawing items.
The problem is the extremely high rate of rotten luck.
If I’m lucky, I might draw high-rank items like the clothes Celia is wearing, but if I’m unlucky, I’ll just draw truly meaningless items.
No, they couldn’t even be called items.
– You have drawn a Twig (F).
– You have drawn a Rotten Twig (F-).
– You have drawn a Hole-ridden Silk (F).
– You have drawn Rainwater with Sugar (F).
– You have drawn Rotting Unknown Hind Leg Meat (E-).
Only useless things like these came out.
And all of these were items I had drawn just recently.
“Let’s just discard all of these.”
I discarded everything I had stored.
Fortunately, there was a discard option.
Despite the results, since everything except the General Goods Gacha was locked, I had no other choice.
“Should I try drawing a few more of these for now?”
I immediately touched the General Goods Gacha.
– You have drawn a Pebble (F-).
It was a dud right from the start.
– You have drawn a Fragment of a Unicorn Horn (C).
“Huh?”
The second draw was different from the previous ones; it was a strange item.
Of course, it was still useless and meaningless, but it felt different.
“I’ll keep this one for now.”
After storing the Fragment of a Unicorn Horn, I continued drawing.
– You have drawn a Twig of a Tree that Wanted to Become the World Tree (E).
“?”
– You have drawn a Scary Bouquet made of Carnivorous Plants (D).
Items with incomprehensible meanings also started to appear.
After several duds.
– You have drawn a Sturdy Mage Robe (A).
“Oh!”
After experiencing several duds, I finally got an equipable item.
And it was an A-rank robe.
[Sturdy Mage Robe (A)]
– Wearing this greatly increases defense.
– Skill cooldown reduced by 10%.
– Mana recovery increased by 20%.
The stats were quite decent.
With the defense option, it felt like it could somewhat compensate for the mage’s weakness.
“Can’t I have this?”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Celia was wearing a dress, but I thought I could wear this robe myself.
I touched it to check if there was a related option.
– This command is not possible.
“Tsk.”
It wasn’t possible.
Or, is it truly impossible?
What if I offered this item as a sacrifice and received it?
I touched it to try it.
– This item cannot be offered as a sacrifice.
It was completely impossible.
It was an item I couldn’t possibly use in the first place.
Disappointingly, I had to think about who to give it to.
“Hmm.”
I casually glanced at Maru.
Maru had been in a meditative pose since the Monster Wave.
He didn’t respond even when I spoke to him.
He was still sitting with his legs crossed in a lotus position.
For a moment, I thought about giving this robe to Maru, but then I shook my head.
“The robe is too conspicuous.”
The robe had an overly flashy design.
If Maru wore it, it would definitely draw attention.
More importantly, the media was still hunting for the hero who appeared in the Monster Wave.
That hero was none other than Maru and me.
[What is the identity of the hero who ended the Monster Wave?]
[Hunter Expert: “Possibility of a Hunter Raised by the Government”]
[Is Korea a Nation Possessing an S-Rank Hunter?]
Maru’s final action was the icing on the cake.
Who wouldn’t pay attention when Maru’s sword sent a Death Knight flying and an Arch Lich fell?
Of course, the entire situation was staged, but for those who didn’t know, it was a shocking revelation.
He dealt with two A-rank monsters with a single blow, not just one.
If he couldn’t even reuse the robe and mask he wore at that time, how could I possibly give this flashy robe to Maru?
It was absolutely out of the question.
Ultimately, I was back to square one.
Who should I give this robe to?
Then, a certain entity came to mind.
“Huh?”
Arch Lich?
Thinking about it, the Arch Lich was an undead monster and a mage.
More importantly, I had assigned him the role of Inspector.
Come to think of it, the Arch Lich was diligently recording something during the Monster Wave.
“It would be nice to give a gift to someone who works diligently.”
The Arch Lich, diligently recording as an Inspector.
If he keeps recording like that, there might come a moment of vulnerability.
This directly leads to danger.
In such a situation, a robe with a defense option would be a great help.
Having made up my mind, I immediately touched the Mage Robe.
– Presenting the Sturdy Mage Robe (A) to Inspector Arch Lich.
The Arch Lich’s reaction was immediate upon receiving the robe.
– Arch Lich expresses deep gratitude for the Master’s gift.
– Arch Lich is recording the Master’s praise.
– Arch Lich is concerned that the record of the Master’s praise may be lost.
– Arch Lich takes out a second notebook.
– Records the Master’s praise in the second notebook.
– This will remain an indelible record even for future generations.
“?”
What did I just witness?
More importantly, how many notebooks does this guy carry around?
“Well, it’s nice that he seems happy, at least.”
Having someone react like this makes gifting worthwhile.
Now that I’ve even gifted the Arch Lich, there’s nothing else to do.
Outside, the aftermath of the Monster Wave has caused a lot of chaos.
It’s not a good idea to be active right now.
“Should I go take a look at the dungeons for a change?”
Since most things were locked, there was nothing I could do.
Still, I decided to just look around the dungeons on the screen.
“Are there any separate sacrifices?”
There haven’t been any intruders in the dungeons lately.
Because of that, Celia’s sacrifices have also stopped.
“I wish some mages would show up.”
Since I’m going to get stronger anyway, I wish some intruders would appear in the dungeons.
Thinking that way, I touched each section of the dungeon.
***
The Arch Lich, greeted by skeletons, was diligently recording something.
– The great, supreme, and magnificent Master has bestowed this robe. This is an immense gift, and I intend to cherish it for a lifetime.
His recording did not stop.
Rather, when he finished recording, a skeleton soldier next to him brought a new notebook.
The Arch Lich nodded and began recording in the new notebook as well.
His loyalty.
And his praise for the Master.
This was a glorious record that would be left for future generations.
And that was his duty as an Inspector.
“……”
There was an entity watching this from the side.
It was the Skeleton Knight, the owner of the ‘Scraps of the Demonic Realm’ dungeon.
He was currently relieved.
He was relieved that the Inspector from the high-rank dungeon hadn’t found any major fault.
The Inspector was the Arch Lich.
With a single gesture, he could obliterate himself, a high-ranking existence.
Not just remove him from his position as dungeon owner, but truly obliterate him.
Furthermore, since the dungeon was only filled with bones, there was nothing to offer the Inspector.
He was extremely careful not to displease the Arch Lich.
Then, he saw a skeleton soldier running from a distance.
“Tap! Tap, tap!”
As soon as the skeleton soldier ran up, he hastily began reporting something.
The content was simple.
(An Adventurer is coming here!)
“…!”
Upon this report, the Skeleton Knight turned his head.
The Arch Lich also stopped recording and turned his head.
The eyes of the Arch Lich and the Skeleton Knight met.
Nod-
Both nodded simultaneously.
The Skeleton Knight had an opportunity to reveal his presence by dealing with adventurers.
The Arch Lich had an opportunity to objectively record the current dungeon.
They both rose from their seats simultaneously.
***
The group of adventurers who had climbed the mountain range split into two parties.
In fact, since they were adventurer parties to begin with, splitting them wasn’t difficult.
After dividing into parties, one group decided to follow an unknown set of footprints.
The other group headed in the opposite direction of the footprints.
Thus, the two groups proceeded on different paths.
However, a problem arose here.
The party that encountered the problem was the one that headed in the opposite direction of the footprints.
“Fuck, if I had known, I would have just followed them.”
A man spat out a curse, expressing his discontent.
The party that headed in the opposite direction was the one tracking the footprints.
There was no progress even after entering the mountain range.
Naturally, their priority became tracking the newly discovered footprints.
Therefore, skilled individuals were assigned to the group tracking the footprints.
Naturally, their numbers were also greater.
In contrast, their group consisted mostly of adventurers with mediocre skills.
Their numbers were also smaller.
At first, it was good that the mountain range was quiet and there were no unusual occurrences.
But that was only for a moment; it was too boring now.
Even as they went deeper into the forest, they only encountered similar trees.
Occasionally, they encountered animals, but there were no signs of monsters.
It was simply boring. Their bodies itched.
Yes, that’s how they felt.
It was too peaceful for a mountain range.
As if someone had intended it.
However, they didn’t think much of it.
All they could think about was completing the quest and receiving the reward.
As they walked through the forest feeling bored.
Someone was leaning against a tree.
The person resting under the tree was wearing shining, ornate armor.
What about the sword placed next to him?
Even from a distance, a holy power could be felt.
“…A Paladin?”
One of the adventurers opened his mouth.
This adventurer was an ardent follower of the White Church, so he immediately let down his guard.
“Paladin!”
Not only did he lower his guard, but he even ran towards the Paladin.
Some members tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen.
The Paladin, who was resting under the tree, also smiled upon seeing the group of adventurers.
“Oh dear, have you lost your way?”
The Paladin stood up and began to introduce himself politely.
“I am Eric, a Paladin. My role is to guide lost lambs to the Goddess.”
With the Paladin’s courteous demeanor, the remaining members also gradually lowered their guard.
However, they failed to see.
The Paladin’s unfocused eyes as he lowered his head.
“If you don’t mind, may I guide you to the Great Being?”
