Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

64 – Rescuing the Young Lamb (1)

A few days ago, the monster wave came to an end.

In the process, Azmo and Beta were able to return unscathed without a single scratch.

No, was ‘unscathed’ the right word from the beginning?

Behind the monster wave, Death Knight and Ark Rich were following.

And, at some point, even Celia appeared before them.

In practical terms, since it was the appearance of S-rank and A-rank, there was no crisis for me.

– ‘Rescue Azmo and Beta!’ The urgent mission has been completed.

– As a reward, you will be given a relocation ticket for the dungeon ‘Enchantment of Temptation.’

Thanks to that, I was able to complete the urgent mission and relocate Azmo’s dungeon as a reward.

“Now that it’s been moved nearby, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Azmo’s dungeon has been relocated to the vicinity of where I currently reside.

I thought it would be better to have it close to me rather than far away.

That way, I can swiftly handle any issues at my level.

In reality, moving the dungeon near my home is not a particularly good choice.

Because dungeons constantly emit their unique energy.

This provides crucial information that exposes the dungeon’s location.

Nevertheless, there was one reason why I moved the dungeon nearby.

“Why was there an artifact there?”

In the moment of completing an urgent mission and planning to move Azmo’s dungeon.

– There exists an artifact that conceals the energy of the dungeon ‘Illusion and Temptation.’ Would you like to transfer it as well?

I learned that there was an artifact in the dungeon.

And it was an artifact that concealed the dungeon’s energy.

It was truly a jackpot.

“No wonder I couldn’t find it.”

I could understand why I couldn’t sense Azmo’s dungeon all this time.

The power of the artifact was so formidable that even the dungeon’s owner, me, couldn’t find it.

As long as that artifact exists, it would be difficult for anyone to locate Azmo’s dungeon.

Following the alarm’s instructions, I moved Azmo’s dungeon along with the artifact.

Since there was already an artifact, I boldly moved the dungeon’s location near my home.

“So, are two of the dungeons I own in this state?”

Even ‘Nest of Evil’ is currently in a state of concealed energy.

In its case, it wasn’t an artifact but an ability obtained by purchasing a beginner’s package early on.

Considering this, along with the dungeon Azmo manages, both dungeons were in a state of concealed energy.

“It’s truly impressive.”

Just the artifacts themselves boast high prices, and I obtained a similar effect for a mere 1200 won.

In other words, the cost-effectiveness is extraordinary.

“If only the in-game purchases were unlimited…”

In reality, by now, money isn’t the issue.

The problem lies in the limitations imposed by the in-game system itself.

If you try to make a big in-app purchase, you’ve set a limit on it yourself.

It was a shame that it was impossible to make any more in-app purchases beyond that limit.

And it was the same now.

– During the process of performing an urgent mission, all causality ratios were temporarily released.

– Penalties exist.

– Gem purchases will be temporarily suspended.

– Officer drawing will temporarily change to a locked state.

– Monster drawing will temporarily change to a locked state.

– The dungeon expansion system will temporarily change to a locked state.

– Dungeon support & dispatch content will temporarily change to a locked state.

Most of the elements are locked, probably because most of the power went into performing the urgent mission.

There was nothing else to do but stare at the screen.

When touching the screen meaninglessly.

“Come to think of it, the miscellaneous item draw isn’t locked, is it?”

It could be seen from the shop window that only the miscellaneous item draw was not locked.

Miscellaneous item draw.

Unlike the monster draw, it was about drawing items.

The problem was that the rate of failure was extremely high.

If you’re lucky, you might draw high-grade items like the ones Celia is wearing, but if you’re unlucky, you’ll end up drawing really meaningless things.

No, they couldn’t even be called items.

– You drew a twig (F).

– You drew a rotten twig (F-).

– You drew a silk with a hole (F).

– You drew rainwater containing sugar (F).

– You drew a deteriorated, unidentified hind leg meat (E-).

Useless things like this kept coming out.

And all of this was what I had drawn just a while ago.

“Let’s just throw all of these away.”

I discarded everything I had been keeping.

Fortunately, there was an option to discard.

The outcome was like this, but practically everything was locked except for the miscellaneous item draw, so I had no choice.

“Well, should I try drawing something at least?”

I immediately touched the miscellaneous item draw.

– Obtained a Stone (F-).

It was a failure from the start.

– Obtained a fragment of a Unicorn Horn (C).

“Huh?”

The second draw revealed a peculiar item unlike anything that had come out so far.

Of course, it was immediately useless and meaningless, but it was different.

“I should keep this one for now.”

After storing the Unicorn Horn fragment, I continued with the draws.

– Obtained a Branch of a Tree that Wanted to Become a World Tree (E).

“?”

– Obtained a Terrifying Bouquet Made of Carnivorous Plants (D).

Unexplainable items began to appear.

I drew several failures like that.

– Obtained a Sturdy Wizard Robe (A).

“Oh!”

After experiencing several failures, finally, an equipment appeared.

And it was an A-grade robe.

[Sturdy Wizard Robe (A)]

– Significantly increases defense when worn.

– Reduces skill cooldown by 10%.

– Increases mana recovery by 20%.

The performance was quite decent.

With the defense option attached, it felt like it even compensated for the weaknesses of a wizard.

“Can’t I have this?”

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

Celia was wearing a dress, but the robe that came out now seemed like something I could wear too.

I touched it once and checked if there were any relevant options.

– The command cannot be executed.

“Tsk.”

It was not possible.

No, really? Is there no way?

What if I offer the item as a sacrifice and receive it in return?

I touched it, attempting to execute the command.

– The item cannot be offered as a sacrifice.

It was utterly impossible.

From the beginning, it was an item I couldn’t use.

It’s a shame, but I need to think about who to give this to.

“Hmm.”

I glanced at Maru.

After the monster wave, Maru was in a meditative pose, seemingly contemplating something.

Even when spoken to, there was no response.

He remained seated in the same position, lost in thought.

For a moment, I considered giving him the robe, but quickly shook my head.

“The robe is too conspicuous.”

It had a flashy design; if Maru wore it, it would undoubtedly attract attention.

Moreover, in the media, there was still ongoing coverage about the hero who ended the monster wave.

[Presence of the Hero who ended the Monster Wave?]

[Hunter Expert: “Potential Hunter nurtured by the government?”]

[Did you know South Korea possesses an S-rank Hunter?]

The last action Maru showed was the decisive blow.

With Death Knight flying off Maru’s sword, and Arc Lich collapsing, who wouldn’t be interested?

Of course, the entire situation was staged, but for those unaware, it would have been a fresh shock.

Taking down not just one but two A-rank monsters with a single blow.

From Noble mtl dot com

Giving Maru this flashy robe worn at that moment? Absolutely impossible.

Eventually, I had returned to square one.

To whom should I give this robe?

And at that moment, a presence came to mind.

“Huh?”

Ark Lich?

Come to think of it, Ark Lich was an undead monster and a magician.

Above all, it was given the role of an inspector.

Now that I think about it, even during the monster wave, Ark Lich diligently recorded something.

“If I’m going to give a gift, it might as well be to the one who works hard.”

Ark Lich, diligently recording as an inspector.

By recording so diligently, I thought that someday, a vulnerable situation could be staged.

This directly led to a problem of imminent danger.

In such a situation, a robe with defense options would be a great help.

After finishing my thoughts, I immediately touched the magician’s robe.

– Presents a sturdy magician’s robe (A) to Inspector Ark Lich.

As soon as I gave the robe to Ark Lich, the reactions appeared quickly.

– Ark Lich expresses deep gratitude for the owner’s gift.

– Ark Lich is recording the owner’s praise.

– Ark Lich is concerned that the record of the owner’s praise may be lost.

– Ark Lich takes out a second notebook.

– Records the owner’s praise in the second notebook.

– Records the owner’s praise in the third notebook.

– This will remain as an unerasable record for future generations.

“?”

What did I just witness?

More importantly, how many notebooks does he carry around?

“Well, he seems to like it, so I feel good.”

If he gives such a reaction, it makes it worth giving a gift.

Now that I’ve given a gift to Ark Lich, there wasn’t much else to do.

Outside, the aftermath of the monster wave had created a chaotic situation.

The current activity was not a good choice.

“Shall I take a stroll through the dungeon after a long time?”

Since most of it was locked anyway, there was nothing to do.

Still, I just glanced at the screen as if I wanted to explore the dungeon.

“I guess there’s no separate offering.”

These days, there were no intruders coming to the dungeon.

As a result, the offerings that Celia used to make were also cut off.

“It would be nice if those wizard guys showed up.”

Suddenly, the thought occurred that it would be good if intruders appeared in the dungeon that would become stronger anyway.

Thinking like that, I touched one area of the dungeon at a time.

* * *

Ark Lich, inspecting while receiving greetings from skeletons.

He was diligently recording something now.

– The great and noble owner, in his greatness and superiority, bestows a robe. This is an extraordinary gift that I will cherish for a lifetime.

His records did not stop.

Rather, when he finished recording, a skeleton soldier next to him brought a new notebook.

Ark Lich nodded and began recording in the new notebook as well.

His loyalty.

And praise for the owner.

This was a glorious record that would be left for future generations.

And leaving it behind was the duty of an inspector.

“….”

There was a presence watching such a scene from the side.

It was none other than the Skeleton Knight, the owner of the dungeon known as the ‘Trash of the Demon Realm.’

He was currently relieved.

Fortunately, the inspector from the higher-level dungeon did not catch any major issues.

The inspector, for now, was Ark Lich.

He was a higher-level existence that could blow him away with a single gesture.

Not just throwing him out of the dungeon owner’s seat, but actually blowing himself away.

Moreover, since the dungeon was full of bones, there was no particular way to entertain the inspector.

He carefully avoided interfering with Ark Lich’s mood.

Then, in the distance, the figure of a skeleton soldier running towards them became visible.

“Thud! Thud!”

As the skeleton soldier approached, it hastily began reporting something.

The content was straightforward.

(Adventurers are coming this way!)

“…!”

Upon hearing the report, the skeleton knight turned his head.

Ark Lich also halted his record-keeping and turned his head.

The gazes of Ark Lich and the skeleton knight met.

Nod-

They both nodded simultaneously.

The opportunity for the skeleton knight to showcase its existence against the adventurers had arrived.

Ark Lich found a chance to objectively record the current dungeon.

Both of them rose from their seats simultaneously.

* * *

The group of adventurers who climbed the mountain range split into two teams.

In fact, since they were all part of different adventurer parties, dividing them was not difficult.

They split into teams, with one team deciding to follow the unknown footprints.

The other team decided to head in the opposite direction of where the footprints were going.

That’s how the two teams went their separate ways.

However, a problem arose at this point.

The team that encountered the problem consisted of those who had headed in the opposite direction of the footprints.

“Damn, if I knew it would be like this, I would have just followed in that direction.”

A man expressed his dissatisfaction, cursing.

The team that tracked the footprints was the one that had headed in the opposite direction.

Even after entering the mountain range, they had no income for a while.

Naturally, their priority became tracking the newly discovered footprints.

Therefore, skilled individuals joined the team tracking the footprints.

The number on that side was also naturally larger.

On the contrary, most of them were adventurers with vague skills.

The numbers were also fewer.

At first, it was good because the mountain range itself was quiet and there were no peculiarities.

But that was only for a moment; now it was too boring.

Continuing through the forest, they only encountered trees that looked similar.

Occasionally, they encountered animals, but there was no sign of monsters.

It was just boring.

Their bodies were restless.

Yeah, if you had to express this feeling, that was it.

For a mountain range, it was excessively peaceful.

As if someone had intended it.

But they didn’t think much about it.

In their minds, there was only completing the commission and receiving the reward.

As they continued through the forest, feeling the boredom.

They saw someone leaning against a tree.

The person resting under the tree was adorned in dazzling, sparkling armor.

There was some kind of black sword beside them.

Even from a distance, they could feel a sacred power.

“…A Holy Knight?”

One of the adventurers spoke up.

As the adventurer was an enthusiastic follower of the White Order, they immediately eased their guard.

“Holy Knight!”

Not only did they ease their guard, but they also ran towards the Holy Knight.

Some members tried to stop the adventurer, but they paid no attention.

The Holy Knight, resting under the tree, also noticed the group of adventurers and smiled.

“Oh dear, have you lost your way?”

The Holy Knight stood up from their spot and began a polite introduction.

“I am Holy Knight Eric. I am tasked with guiding lost lambs to the side of the goddess.”

Even the remaining members gradually relaxed their guard at the courteous appearance of the Holy Knight.

But they did not see.

The blurred, misty eyes of the knight bowed his head.

“If it’s alright, may I guide you all to the revered presence?”