As I was watching the dungeon by touching the screen, an alarm popped up.
– An intruder has appeared in the dungeon.
A group had entered the dungeon.
“Oh, someone’s intruded?”
Upon checking immediately, it was a strange combination.
I could see one Paladin at the forefront, leading several other individuals.
I touched the figures who had just entered the dungeon one by one.
Touching them didn’t cause any special effects.
It simply brought up a brief explanation for each person.
[Adventurer]
It was a very simple explanation.
Just in case other explanations appeared, I clicked on everyone.
But even when I clicked on the other individuals, it was all the same.
“They’re just ordinary adventurers, aren’t they?”
They all just appeared as ordinary adventurers.
Given their surprisingly large numbers, I thought they weren’t adventurers but invaders from somewhere.
I stared intently at the adventurers on the screen.
“Did they just form a party?”
Dungeons are dangerous places.
This was true for Earth, and also for the El Dorado Continent.
It’s mostly impossible to clear them alone or with a small group, so people always form groups.
The most basic form of a group was a party.
Adventurers who shared the same purpose would gather to form a party and clear dungeons together.
And they seemed to have formed parties before entering.
I zoomed in on the screen to check the equipment of those individuals.
“Hmm… They don’t look that good.”
The level of their equipped gear didn’t seem very high.
At best, about the same rank?
There were one or two who looked decent, but even then, they didn’t seem to go beyond Silver Rank.
“They’ll be easily stopped at this level.”
After confirming the intruders’ level, I watched them leisurely.
Come to think of it, intruders had visited the dungeon many times before.
Among them were adventurers, and even Paladins from the Church.
So, I thought this group of adventurers was targeting my dungeon.
However, judging by their equipment, they were merely lucky.
“If they knew what kind of monsters were here, they would never come like this.”
Moreover, the Paladin leading the adventurers at the front was no ordinary Paladin.
[Banshee (★★★)]
– It’s controlling the mind of Paladin ‘Eric’.
Its identity was a Banshee.
It was a monster guarding the first sector of the dungeon, controlling the Paladin’s mind.
“These guys will be very useful.”
Banshees were also my monsters; they were the ones I got from the gacha last time.
They were useless against high-ranking beings, but against adventurers who seemed insignificant like these, they were the worst possible match.
As expected.
The Paladin, controlled by the Banshee, lured the adventurers deep into the dungeon.
Then, the waiting Banshees attacked the defenseless adventurers.
What followed was utter chaos.
There were adventurers stabbing swords into their own necks, and others swinging swords at their companions.
The interior of the dungeon became drenched in blood.
If I weren’t an Awakened, but an ordinary person, I might have felt nauseous at this sight.
“Should I consider this fortunate?”
Having worked as a porter and experienced many things, this scene wasn’t quite horrific.
I felt indifferent.
Of course, I did feel a bit of pity for those individuals, but in the end, it was their karma.
If they managed to survive and reach the deepest part of the dungeon, it would be my last day.
Therefore, I just had to do my best.
“Once this penalty is lifted, I’ll have to make some major changes.”
I had been managing the dungeon in a frenzy for too long.
Furthermore, with the recent incident, it was necessary to review the chain of command.
While I was lost in thought for a moment, the situation had already concluded.
Seven adventurers remained, but they were all covered in blood.
And they were being controlled by Banshees.
A terrifying atmosphere emanated from them.
They ran out of the dungeon according to the Paladin’s command.
“?”
A Death Knight followed behind those who were running out.
“What is this guy doing here?”
Why were these guys trying to leave the dungeon?
Did they have wanderlust or something?
I immediately touched the Death Knight and gave a command.
The command was simple.
Just telling it to stay in the dungeon, and it obeyed well.
The Death Knight oddly returned with a slumped posture.
No, it had returned, but then it came back again.
And then it started moving the corpses of the adventurers who had just met their deaths.
More precisely, the Death Knight started moving at Celia’s command.
“As expected, Celia is the only one here who can manage the Death Knight.”
Of course.
Celia had the highest rank here.
The Death Knight began moving the adventurers’ corpses to one location.
The destination was an altar in the center of the dungeon.
The Death Knight stacked the corpses it carried on its shoulders, one by one, on the altar.
Celia nodded at the sight, appearing satisfied.
– Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to Master.
– Celia offers adventurers as sacrifices to Master.
At the same time, alarms indicating sacrifices were offered rang out.
These were sacrifices offered for the first time in a long while.
Of course, it would take time to fully absorb these sacrifices.
– Absorbing the abilities of the sacrificed adventurers. (Remaining time: 6 hours)
A full six hours.
“I’ll probably pass out again.”
And during that time, I would pass out.
Based on my past experiences, I realized that I would pass out every time the abilities of sacrifices were absorbed.
The difference now was even if I passed out, there would be someone to protect me.
That would be Maru.
In fact, this place was my home, so it was safe.
But nothing was absolute.
There was no guarantee of safety even within my home.
Therefore, it seemed wise to prepare for any potential situations from now on.
“Maru, come here.”
I turned my head and commanded Maru.
From now on, Maru would guard me and watch for any threats around me when sacrifices were offered.
Fortunately, Maru understood my intentions well.
Maru drew the demonic sword from his waist and took up a position around me.
“This should be fine now.”
Maru would protect me, even at the cost of his life.
Now, I just waited for the moment to pass out.
But.
– The number of offered sacrifices has reached the required amount.
– Clues to unlock the next system have been obtained.
– [Dungeon Monster Strengthening System] (Locked)
Another alarm rang out.
“Dungeon Monster Strengthening?”
This was a list of systems that appeared after I obtained the ‘True Dungeon Master’ trait last time.
Of course, they were all locked, so I didn’t know what abilities they possessed.
I could only guess.
But now that I had obtained clues to unlock it, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
It was still locked, so I couldn’t use it yet, but I believed it would be unlocked someday.
“Could it be that it unlocks based on the number of sacrifices?”
That was my last memory.
“Ah…”
I could only surrender to the sudden drowsiness that washed over me.
* * *
The adventurers divided themselves into two groups.
One group was tracking the footprints of an unknown entity, and the other was to investigate the direction from which the footprints came.
Among them, those tracking the footprints of the unknown entity continued to walk through the mountain range.
Pathfinder Nariel, who confirmed the tracks at the front and determined the direction of the path.
Beside her, warrior Graecto stood guard near Nariel.
Behind them, many adventurers formed a procession, not letting their guard down.
Indeed, they showed signs of being veterans.
They didn’t act rashly and moved forward slowly but steadily.
After walking for how long, following the faint traces on the dirt path.
The appearance of a dungeon revealed itself before them.
But the problem wasn’t just the dungeon.
Orcs were positioned in front of the dungeon, looking at the adventurers.
“Wh-what is that!”
Along with the Orcs, Goblins also came into view.
The adventurers were caught off guard by this sudden situation.
Moreover, all the monsters in front of them were ready to engage in battle immediately.
“Damn it! Was it a trap after all!”
The owner of the footprints they were following was mostly Skeletons.
But looking ahead, there wasn’t a single Skeleton, or even anything similar.
Should we just run away?
But we couldn’t turn our backs to them either.
The moment we turned our backs, they would attack us.
It was also awkward to fight back.
The enemy’s numbers were too great.
As the adventurers hesitated, unsure how to break free from their predicament.
“I implore you!”
Skoll, from among the Orcs, spoke to the adventurers.
“If you win a one-on-one life-or-death duel with me, I will let all of you go safely.”
From the adventurers’ perspective, the enemy’s proposal was too sudden.
Why was a monster proposing first?
Given the current situation, the enemy’s strength was greater than theirs.
Perhaps it was a whim.
It might just be the monster’s amusement.
However, none of the adventurers could refuse the proposal.
Instead, they eyed each other, hoping someone would step forward.
“No…”
After all, there was no way to resolve the current situation.
No, even if they did, the damage would be immense.
Even if they broke through those many Orcs and Goblins, not everyone here would survive.
Therefore, they had to put all their strength into the one-on-one duel proposed by the Orc.
If they won, they could at least keep their lives, and it felt like a lifeline thrown from the heavens.
“…I will go.”
At that moment, warrior Graecto rose from his seat.
He approached the Orc in front with a large greatsword and shield.
A cool breeze blew through the forest.
They looked at each other.
“I am Skoll, the Chieftain of the Red-Haired Tribe!”
Graecto spoke to the Orc who introduced himself.
“If we win, you will just let us go, right?”
Graecto asked again.
He wanted to confirm.
Graecto still needed those adventurers.
Not out of simple human affection, but as tools to complete the mission.
Skoll nodded lightly at his question.
Finally, after receiving confirmation, Graecto also nodded.
He didn’t know why a monster would make such a proposal, but it wasn’t bad for him.
While Graecto was thinking that, Skoll was thinking the same thing.
After all, Skoll was confident that he had no reason to lose.
The provocation from a moment ago was just a lie to boost the opponent’s morale.
There was nothing less enjoyable than facing a fearful enemy.
“……”
A moment of silence.
And then, a silent scream began.
As if by agreement, both charged forward simultaneously.
Skoll’s giant axe possessed destructive power capable of felling even the dense trees of the forest.
The axe, imbued with such power, swung towards Graecto.
However, Graecto, holding his shield, was no match either.
*Clang-*
The axe and heavy shield collided, emitting sparks.
It was an equal situation, with neither side yielding.
They continued to swing their weapons at each other, dodging each other’s blows.
Skin grew more scratched by attacks they couldn’t block.
As the wounds increased, their blood and sweat scattered in the air.
Simultaneously, the battle became enveloped in extreme tension, and the atmosphere heated up.
Skoll tried to overwhelm his opponent with his massive physique, while Graecto faced Skoll with skilled techniques.
The precarious balance and heavy breathing filled their battle.
The weight of the endless battle swept over them.
As the battle continued, Skoll was slowly advancing.
It seemed to be gaining a slight but subtle advantage.
Even if he was outmatched in strength, Graecto never gave up.
Graecto blocked Skoll’s attacks, and as he blocked, he thought.
That eventually, there would be an opening.
He just waited for an opening to appear.
And when the opportunity arose, he unfailingly swung his sword at the opponent.
But Skoll effortlessly dodged such attacks.
And in return, Skoll’s axe swung fiercely at Graecto.
Graecto stepped back and raised his shield.
Skoll’s axe clashed with Graecto’s shield in mid-air.
*Screeeech-*
A chilling sound came from the shield.
“Haha! You are truly a warrior!”
Even though his attack was blocked, Skoll laughed heartily and looked at his opponent.
“May this battle continue! *Hiss!* I offer this glory to the ruler!”
Skoll was thoroughly enjoying the current situation.
How long had it been since he had engaged in such an enjoyable battle?
If possible, he wanted to take the man before him as a subordinate and spar with him every day.
But he knew better than anyone that this was impossible.
The opponent had dared to intrude into the ruler’s domain.
He could never spare them for his own selfish desires.
Skoll slowly increased his power.
Whether it was due to racial differences or experience, he could feel the opponent’s strength waning.
However, he shouldn’t lower his guard either.
That would be an act of disrespect towards his opponent.
It would be trampling on the honor of a warrior.
Therefore, Skoll exerted even more effort.
“Here I go!”
At that moment, Skoll’s axe gleamed in the sunlight.
Skoll’s axe cut through the air and swung at Graecto.
“……”
Red blood began to flow from Graecto’s mouth.
The greatsword and shield he held fell to the ground.
His stance gradually collapsed, and then his head rolled to the ground.
However, Skoll did not pick up his head.
He simply closed his eyes and offered a moment of silence.
“It was a good fight.”
The opponent was, at the very least, a good warrior.
The honor of a good warrior must be upheld.
After finishing his silent tribute, Skoll turned his back and replayed the situation from a moment ago.
And then, a short while later.
– Skoll’s [Dungeon Monster Strengthening System] has been unlocked.
