The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 013

EP.13 Desolation and Regret (1)

The first dungeon conquest was expected to end smoothly.

Afterward, they would go to enjoy a delicious meal as usual.

Failure was never in their thoughts.

They believed and trusted in that.

But a sudden change disrupted their plans.

Ronny’s body fell like a ragdoll, pierced by an arrow that had come flying.

“Ahh!”

Seeing Ronny in such a state, Jane couldn’t contain her screams.

It must be a dream, right? That’s it. This isn’t reality.

Frozen in her spot, Jane desperately denied the harsh truth to herself, caressing herself with comforting lies.

“Ronny!”

Denver shouted, rushing to Ronny’s side.

“Denver! We need to get out right now! We have to get him medical help!”

Jane shook Denver, her voice crying out in urgency.

Yet, Denver only quietly shook his head.

The arrow had pierced Ronny’s head accurately.

Ronny was already beyond saving, and his expression showed that he understood this.

There was no way to reverse his death here.

So what should they do now? One person had already died.

The dungeon turned out to be much more challenging than they had anticipated.

Staying here with the risk of more arrows flying at them at any moment was akin to a death wish.

Denver took Jane’s hand. It was a signal to leave.

“No…”

However, Jane had different thoughts than Denver.

“I… I’m going to keep going.”

Somewhere along the way, her tears stopped.

Jane pushed Denver’s hand away and rose to her feet.

Her expression had changed.

“I’m going to destroy this dungeon. I’m going to kill all these monsters!”

When she was young, she lost her parents to a monster wave.

She had thought such a tragic situation would never happen again.

But today, she bid farewell to Ronny, her only family, taken from her once more by monsters.

She was determined to make sure they couldn’t harm anyone else.

She had no power when she was young, but now she had the power of magic, and she was driven by the overwhelming emotion of vengeance.

“Shield.”

As Jane chanted the spell, a blue barrier unfolded in front of her.

Now she could at least block an arrow or two.

She was fearful, but her desire for revenge overwhelmed her fear.

“Jane! Let’s leave here for now. You can have your revenge later!”

Despite Denver’s pleas, Jane walked forward in silence.

Running away was not an option for her.

“Miss, it’s dangerous…”

Denver couldn’t just leave her behind, so he followed her.

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***

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Meanwhile, back in the Area 1, the Skeleton Archer had successfully repelled one of the intruders with a headshot.

“Wow, the Death Knight’s blessing is really something.”

Normally, the hit rate of a 2-star Skeleton Archer wasn’t that high.

However, hit rate increases due to the Death Knight’s blessing.

Thanks to the Death Knight’s blessing, the hit rate was significantly boosted, making such an accurate headshot possible.

“Indeed, the Death Knight can be used effectively in many ways.”

With its high 5-star stats and the added undead buff, it was a versatile asset.

Furthermore, it possessed the skill to turn the opponent into ghouls.

“The Death Knight is certainly a valuable addition.”

I’m able to extract many valuable insights from these intruders about the strengths and weaknesses of the dungeon.

– Attacks are not possible due to lack of visibility.

–

Initially, when the intruders entered, skeleton Archers attempted to attack with bows, but it failed.

The reason was the darkness, they had no visibility.

“It’s fortunate that the intruders lit torches.”

Thanks to this, they could aim their bows at the lit area.

Even if they missed, my dungeon had Skeletons Warriors and Death Knight, so there was no need to worry.

“Once they defeat the intruders, I should place torches on the walls.”

In a way, it might have been fortunate that this event had occurred.

I hadn’t known about this flaw before.

If I hadn’t noticed and ignored it, it could have been disastrous in the future.

“There are more detailed elements to this than I thought.”

The intruders who had momentarily frozen in shock after losing their companion had started moving again.

“Even so, this game has a conscience.”

It was a Dungeon of Iron-rank.

Even though there were 6-star monsters, the fact that it was of Iron-rank meant that it wouldn’t be easy for the intruders.

“Let’s try dealing with them using something other than archers this time.”

These intruders didn’t seem particularly strong.

In fact, they gave off a vibe of being beginners, or even less.

I had no plan to finish them quickly.

I intended to have some fun before ending it.

That way, I could assess all the monsters and determine which ones to focus on.

“Alright, let’s go.”

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***

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Jane and Denver continued to walk.

Fortunately, there were no more arrows flying at them.

However, because they didn’t know when another attack might come, Jane kept her shield up.

Magic power was being consumed in real-time, but thanks to the artifact, it wasn’t a significant burden.

“Where is this…?”

As they continued walking, they reached an open area. There, they saw skeletons.

“There are too many of them…!”

Denver was disheartened.

Even if the skeletons were the lowest rank of monsters, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Moreover, they were just starting as adventurers.

But they couldn’t turn back now.

If they showed any signs of retreat, the skeletons would attack.

It was inevitable.

The moment they raised their weapons, arrows were nocked and ready, and they all charged.

In the face of the overwhelming number of enemy skeletons, Jane and Denver readied their weapons.

Denver held his sword, and Jane prepared her magic.

The skeletons that had rushed forward had rusty swords in their bony hands.

“Ugh.”

Even with Jane’s shield, Denver couldn’t block all those swords by himself.

However, the skeletons suddenly withdrew their weapons and backed away.

“…”

This time, skeletons holding wooden sticks stepped forward.

Fortunately, their numbers were not many.

“Watch out, mage!”

Jane felt a faint magical presence from the opposing skeletons and shouted a warning.

But instead of using magic, the skeletons came forward brandishing their sticks, swiping them through the air a few times before returning to their original positions.

“…”

It was somewhat strange.

It felt like they were playing, as if it was all just a game.

But Denver saw things differently.

‘These bastards… they’re toying with us.’

Perhaps the enemy monsters were unaware that they had been careless.

‘Could we use this to our advantage and find an opportunity to escape?’

But it was a mistake.

Suddenly, a dark figure, black from head to toe, entered the scene.

“What the…!”

A monster suddenly appeared.

From its presence to its appearance, it was entirely different from a regular Skeleton.

“Why is this thing here…?”

It was undoubtedly an Iron-rank dungeon, but the creature in front of them didn’t belong here at all.

The aura of the monster in front of them was so formidable that even someone who had just become an adventurer like them could sense its power.

They might even die.

They might die!

Just the presence of that creature was suffocating.

The monster reached out towards Jane’s shield.

“Ahh!”

The shield tore apart like paper, and Jane was thrown back, hitting the wall.

“Jane! Are you okay?!”

It was a grim situation. Now, the monster’s attack would likely target Denver.

“…”

Denver waited, thinking it was his turn to be attacked, but the creature in front of him remained still, not attacking.

‘What is this?’

Around that time…

– Clap, clap…

–

Someone clapped as they appeared.

“She merely fainted temporarily, fortunately, there is no harm to her life.”

A woman arrived.

She was quite attractive, and the horns on her head made it clear that she was a monster.

“Are you the owner of this place?”

Denver replied, cautious of the newcomer.

In every dungeon, there was either an owner or a boss monster.

The one who seemed to be the owner of this place appeared to have some intelligence.

Denver recalled the stories that adventurers told each other.

If the dungeon’s owner had intelligence, it meant that you could negotiate with them.

Some had earned riches through such deals, while others had even saved their lives by making bargains.

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Read at ILC Translation

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“Let’s make a deal!”

Denver immediately proposed a trade.

They had no idea if there was a way to survive in their current situation.

Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope.

“Ah… indeed, to propose a trade even in this situation. Your courage is commendable.”

The other party admired Denver’s audacity and clapped a few more times.

“Are you making fun of us?”

Denver was infuriated by the enemy behavior.

“Surely not, my dear. I have a great appreciation for courageous men.”

“…”

“However, trade can only occur when both parties have something to exchange. So, what is the name of the young man here?”

“Denver.”

The entity in front of him briefly smiled, corrected her posture, and introduced herself politely.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the first race to serve the Master, celia. I currently oversee this dungeon according to his will.”

“Serve the Master…?”

Denver contemplated the words of the entity who introduced herself as Celia.

The mention of serving someone meant…

“Does that mean there’s a separate owner for the dungeon?”

“You catch on quickly. Hoho. Yes, indeed. I am merely his representative. The true owner of this dungeon is my Master.”

Denver raised his voice, showing determination.

“I request a fair trade with the owner of the dungeon!”

Celia frowned at Denver’s assertive behavior.

She was annoyed by his audacity in entering her Master’s dungeon and demanding a trade without proper etiquette.

“Well… there’s no helping it. My dear, I will request a trade with my Master on your behalf.”

Even though Celia had the authority over the dungeon, this was a matter that only her Master could decide.

While there were ways to handle things independently, this would be a matter of defying her Master’s will.

“This humble servant dares to speak to my Master.”

Celia gazed into the void and spoke.

“Please provide instructions on what to do with these foolish intruders who have invaded the Master’s dungeon.”

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***

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“Disposition of the intruders?”

As expected, the intruders were easily subdued.

During the process, I realized the uselessness of the Skeleton Soldiers and the Mage Trainee.

So I quickly sent in the Death Knight.

Just when I thought it was over, one of the intruders suddenly proposed a trade.

– Will you accept the trade? –

I immediately clicked ‘No.’

“Are they insane? What kind of fair trade is this? They barged in here and now want to negotiate?”

I needed to set an example.

“But how do I give the command?”

At that moment, a window appeared in the game interface.

– [Command] Please state your desired command.

–

Oh, it was in a descriptive format.

It wasn’t a system where you selected options.

Could he just write anything, and it would understand?

I quickly typed in a command.

“Make them regret coming into my dungeon.”

It was a short, concise command.

That should be sufficient.

The creatures in the dungeon would know what to do now.

By the way, I was getting quite hungry.

Should he finish the game here and grab something to eat?

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***

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“Master has responded.”

Gulp.

Denver anxiously looked at Celia.

“Come this way.”

Celia snapped her fingers, and three goblins appeared among the group of Skeletons.

“What is this…?”

Weren’t they supposed to negotiate? Why were goblins suddenly here?

Denver’s mind was filled with confusion.

“Hoho. Master is not pleased with your presence here.”

There would be no trade as Denver had hoped.

“Lies!”

He wished all of this was just a dream.

Inside, Denver felt a sense of despair.

“Don’t mock us! We’re just here to explore this place!”

They hadn’t done anything wrong.

They were merely following their guild’s mission and entered the dungeon.

But that didn’t seem to matter to the other party.

“The problem is that this place belonged to Master.”

Celia stated this as if it were an obvious fact.

“Alright, shall we begin?”

As soon as Celia finished speaking, the three goblins approached the fallen Jane.

They didn’t have any weapons, but Denver shouted instinctively,

“Stop!”

However, his cries were in vain.

“No!”

Within Denver’s desperate shouts, the goblins began tearing at Jane’s clothes.