The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 005

EP.5 The end of the Uninvited Guest

Yuel was an apprentice priest of the White Order.

Strictly speaking, he had not yet received official ordination as a priest, and no one considered him an apprentice.

Yuel possessed the ability known as the ‘Eye of Penetration’, allowing him to see into the essence of objects and living creatures.

The White Order utilized his ability to interrogate heretics and identify dissenters within the Order.

In practice, he received treatment almost equivalent to that of a saint.

In an era where having one saint or saintess was considered a blessing for the Order, having both Yuel and a saintess was a rare occurrence.

The Order was well aware of this fact, which is why they granted Yuel numerous privileges.

However, as he was not officially recognized as a saint, he was required to work as an apprentice priest before his formal ordination, albeit purely as a formality.

In reality, Yuel was assigned a single Holy Knight to accompany him. That wasn’t all.

Along with his inventory, there was also a relic that could inflict damage on 5-star monsters.

What kind of being was a 5-star monster?

It was known to be capable of destroying an entire small city in a matter of moments.

And he was receiving support with a relic that could damage such a being?

This passage clearly illustrated how much the church cared for him.

If it weren’t for the ‘Eye of Penetration’, it would have been an unimaginable privilege for Yuel, a commoner by birth.

However, Yuel didn’t feel comfortable with the special treatment he received.

He knew that some people harbored resentment because he was treated almost like a saint.

There might be more people who felt this way than he realized, especially considering the number of people he had seen using his abilities.

Therefore, Yuel had no intention of simply accepting the Order’s proposal to make him a full-fledged priest without doing something significant to prove his worth.

Becoming a priest now would only lead to more discontent.

After all, what would people think if someone without any special abilities suddenly rose to such a high position? Would they even acknowledge it in the worst-case scenario? To establish his value in the White Order, Yuel needed an event that would showcase his abilities.

If he solved incidents himself, the noise surrounding him would decrease.

With this in mind, Yuel embarked on a journey with the assigned holy knight.

They ventured to various places, particularly the mountain range in the Kingdom of Sael, known for frequent monster appearances.

There was no one who could stop him anyway, so there was no problem.

How far had they climbed the mountain? They came across a golden opportunity. A word appeared in Yuel’s mind.

[Nest of the Evil God.]

It seemed to be an ordinary forest path on the surface, surrounded by countless vines that made it seem like there was nothing there.

However, as Yuel approached and cleared away the vines with his hand, a cave was revealed.

“I don’t sense any dungeon energy.”

Yuel confirmed with his Eye of Penetration. It was clear that the cave was not a dungeon.

Nevertheless, the words ‘Nest of the Evil God’ came to mind.

‘It’s not a dungeon… Could it be a hiding place for heretics?’

Yuel had a reasonable basis for his thoughts.

The term “Evil” referred to a deity worshiped by heretics who denied the goddess revered by the White Order.

However, it was unlikely that the deity had physically descended to the world. Even if it had, it would have been after receiving worship.

Additionally, the cave was not a dungeon, and there was no outward indication of any presence.

Considering these factors, it was likely a hiding place for heretics who worshiped the Evil deity. Their elaborate concealment, including the camouflage of the vines, suggested a high level of determination.

“Fortunately, I don’t sense any hostile presence.”

Yuel and the holy knight entered the cave. Despite appearing small from the outside, the interior was surprisingly spacious.

The length of the passages leading downward was beyond estimation. The darkness of the cave made it even more mysterious.

Not a single torch was hung on the walls.

“Priest, something feels off.”

The holy knight at the front, hand on his sword, spoke up.

Yuel agreed with his assessment.

There was no sense of a presence, and even traps were absent.

It was fortunate that nothing had happened, but an uneasy feeling still lingered.

Perhaps it was an abandoned place.

Nevertheless, Yuel continued to move forward, touching his artifact.

It was an artifact provided by the Order, capable of inflicting damage on 5-star monsters.

At this point, the holy knight had already drawn his sword in anticipation.

As they cautiously advanced, they heard a woman’s voice from the direction where the sound came.

“Oh my, we have guests?”

They turned their heads toward the source of the voice.

“Ma-maid…?”

“Horns are attached! Be careful, Father!”

The owner of the voice, despite wearing maid attire, had horns on her head.

Yuel easily deduced that she was a monster.

Yuel activated his ability to gather information about the woman, but nothing appeared.

‘What kind of trick did she use?’

The Eye of Penetration had the ability to penetrate even 5-star monsters.

Although Yuel had never used it on beings beyond that level, it would probably work.

The reason he wasn’t certain was that he had never encountered a 6-star monster, and such beings were extremely rare, possibly only found in the land of the dead known as the Abyss.

Yuel thought that the person before him might be trying to avoid the Eye of Penetration through some kind of trick.

“Who are you? We are members of the White Order. I am Priest Yuel!”

Yuel shouted while presenting the Order’s identification.

Although he wasn’t an official priest, at this point, it was more important to suppress the opponent’s aura.

“Reveal your identity immediately!”

Yuel deliberately shouted loudly, but to his surprise, the other party remained relaxed and even smiled as they replied.

“I am a humble servant who worships a great existence, celia Ishahar. Could you please tell me why you’ve come here?”

The presence before him introduced itself as Celia Ishahar, emphasizing that they worshiped a great existence.

“A great existence?”

Yuel didn’t need to hear it to know. It was clear they were heretics who worshiped an evil deity.

He needed to eliminate these heretics immediately in the name of the White Order.

“Knight!”

Yuel’s cry prompted the holy knight to swing his sword forward.

Clang!

However, the holy knight’s sword was blocked. The monster before them didn’t evade or parry, they simply remained still as the sword came at them.

“No…!”

As the sword was blocked, the holy knight attempted to pull back.

“Intruders have audaciously attacked the Dungeon of a Great Existence. Do insignificant humans usually behave this way?”

Celia Ishahar’s grip on the holy knight’s throat was faster.

“G-gulp.”

A sensation of strength draining away was felt slowly, accompanied by the groans of pain.

The sharp and straight holy sword in front of their eyes had already fallen from the holy knight’s hand.

‘What’s going on?’

The pain that had been choking him had vanished. The only emotion he felt now was comfort.

‘Something’s strange.’

A warm feeling enveloped him. Then, someone suddenly spoke to him.

‘Daddy!’

It was his daughter’s voice.

‘No, no.’

Words wouldn’t come out.

Certainly, his daughter was right in front of him.

‘Honey, you should eat quickly.’

And another voice from behind. It was his wife.

Certainly, his wife and daughter were right in front of him.

Oh.

After his wife and daughter died, how difficult a life had he lived?

In hatred of monsters, he entrusted himself to the Order and swung his sword.

In an instant, tears welled up in his eyes.

‘Mom, Dad is crying!’

‘Honey, are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?’

Yes, perhaps he had dreamed until now.

A dream that was gruesome, terrible, and should never have existed.

‘Are you happy now?’

His wife smiled and spoke to him.

He was happy.

He wanted to say that he was happy, but strangely, no words came out.

What should he do then?

He was so happy at this moment.

Right now, he wanted to spend a lifetime together.

‘Are you happy right now?’

Yes, if this wasn’t happiness, then what else could it be?

…..

…

‘Are you happy right now?’

Celia Ishahar released her grip on the Holy Knight’s throat, who was now inexplicably crying tears of joy with a smile on his face.

“What have you done?”

Yuel’s eyes witnessed an eerie scene.

The Holy Knight, who had been suffering in pain, suddenly started laughing.

“I merely showed him a dream.”

“A dream…?”

That’s right. Celia Ishahar had used her skill.

A skill she obtained when she reached 6-star rank.

[Dream Manipulation]

It allowed her to manipulate the dreams of others, showing them hope while absorbing their vitality in return.

The Holy Knight was still having his vitality drained in real-time, all while Yuel, unaware of this, only focused on the word ‘dream’.

He realized that Celia Ishahar was a succubus.

And he remembered that the Order had sealed a succubus who had escaped from the Order’s seal.

“You are can’t be…!”

He immediately retrieved an object from his inventory, a high-grade artifact provided by the Order for emergency use, a relic.

The relic emitted a brilliant light.

It contained enough divine power to deal with 5-star monsters.

However, the opponent was merely a 3-star succubus.

Yuel was confident that the succubus would vanish without a trace when confronted with the divine power of the relic.

But as the light dissipated, Yuel’s face contorted in shock.

Clearly, he had used the relic.

However, the succubus was calmly smiling and even muttered incomprehensible words.

“Ah, this attire. Did you personally choose it, Master? You truly are remarkable!”

Celia Isahar spoke with admiration while looking at Yuel.

“Divine power does not affect me,”

Celia said with a slight smile.

“All of this is thanks to the benevolence of a great person. Haha, isn’t it truly amazing?”

Yuel’s body trembled.

It wasn’t a 3-star being.

“I can’t win this…!”

He needed to escape immediately.

He had to flee and inform the Order.

His opponent was no ordinary 3-star succubus.

he had never even considered the existence of such a being.

It was truly a monster. If He could just escape from this place, he could leave behind his life as a priest.

He didn’t want to die.

‘Please…’

In the tense situation, Yuel’s thoughts were a chaotic mix. He couldn’t even understand what he was thinking.

Perhaps Celia Ishahar had picked up on his intentions.

She maintained her smile and spoke gently.

“If you wish, you may leave, Priest.”

Yuel ran the moment she finished speaking. He was anxious that if the succubus changed her mind, he wouldn’t have a chance.

His thoughts were not prolonged.

He just ran.

Only the will to survive, driven by the desire to live.

The Holy Knight?

Who cares? For now, he had to survive himself. This was not betrayal, it was self-preservation.

How far did he run?

A glimmer of light appeared before him. Finally, the hope of escaping came to mind.

With a relieved heart, he jumped toward the light.

“Ah—”

At that moment, Yuel’s vision was cut off.

His consciousness was severed.

In the first place, he couldn’t leave the dungeon.

A small altar had been formed as the dungeon expanded.

Yuel’s body had ascended onto the altar on its own.

Satisfied with this sight, celia Ishahar wore a smile.

=====

***

=====

– Celia Ishahar repelled the intruder.

–

– Offered the apprentice priest ‘Yuel’ as a sacrifice to the master.

–

– Currently absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 6 hours) –

A sudden alarm.

Lee Kang Hyun looked at his phone.

“What’s this?”

Celia Ishahar was the dungeon’s Servant.

Of course, she was set to manage the dungeon, but this alarm came out of nowhere.

“I’m sure I didn’t enable any intrusion in the dungeon. Where did this come from?”

There were two effects of dungeon concealment, permanently concealing the dungeon’s aura and hiding its location for 7 days.

There were still 6 days left, so he hadn’t deployed any monsters or traps for dungeon defense.

But an intruder suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaving him baffled.

Could it just be a simple bug?

He decided to keep an eye on it, thinking that if it happened again, he would contact customer support, and he pressed the exit button.

“But why am I so tired all of a sudden?”

Suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue, Lee Kang Hyun put his phone down and fell into a deep sleep.

– Absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 5 hours 50 minutes) –

– Absorbing Yuel’s abilities. (Remaining time: 5 hours 40 minutes) –

The smartphone alarm continued to ring while Lee Kang Hyun was asleep.

Time passed, and before he knew it, 6 hours had gone by.

– Yuel’s abilities have been absorbed.

–

However, Lee Kang Hyun was still sleeping and couldn’t check the alarm.

The alarms didn’t stop there.

– ‘Eye of Penetration’ has been applied to Lee Kang Hyun.

–

– Warning! Collision detected! –

– Lee Kang Hyun does not have a status window, so he cannot acquire attributes.

–

– Special diagnostics are being conducted to resolve the current error.

–

– ‘Eye of Penetration’ is used to resolve the error.

–

– Lee Kang Hyun has acquired ‘Status Window’ instead of ‘Eye of Penetration.’ –

– The alarm will be automatically deleted in 5 minutes.

–