The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 175

EP.175 Production of Top-Grade Magic Potions (1)

Yoon Tae-kyung anxiously glanced at his watch.

It had already been an hour since Advisor Lee Kang-hyun entered the Stone Golem dungeon.

‘If he hasn’t come out by now, is he dead?’

As far as he was concerned, he hoped Lee Kang-hyun had died inside the dungeon.

That way, he could kick Team Leader Jung Ye-rin out of the guild and take that position for himself.

He had already finished discussing it with the Vice Guild Master.

‘Well, even if he was hiding somewhere, it’s strange that he hasn’t come out for an hour.’

In Yoon Tae-kyung’s mind, there wasn’t even an option for Advisor Lee Kang-hyun to conquer the dungeon.

After all, the Stone Golem dungeon assigned to Jung Ye-rin’s team wasn’t a normal dungeon.

The Vice Guild Master’s direct scouting team had confirmed that this dungeon contained a massive number of golems.

It wasn’t for nothing that the dungeon was named the Tomb of Stones.

It was a place where casualties were inevitable even if the entire team rushed in.

And Lee Kang-hyun’s specialty was Necromancer, a class that could only summon skeletons at best.

‘Heh, trying to hold out with skeletons in a dungeon full of golems?’

Stone Golems are, as the name suggests, monsters made of stone.

Even if he summoned many skeletons, it would be difficult to defeat even one golem.

What could he possibly do by summoning skeletons that only swing swords?

The smile on Yoon Tae-kyung’s face grew deeper.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s alive.’

Even if Lee Kang-hyun was lucky enough to hide inside the dungeon and come out, there were plenty of ways to attack him.

If he were just a regular guild member, it might be different, but Lee Kang-hyun holds the position of advisor for a team.

If he can’t even demonstrate this level of skill, what’s the point of being an advisor?

As Yoon Tae-kyung was rejoicing at the thought of achieving his goal no matter what, he heard a commotion.

The team members waiting at the dungeon entrance were cheering loudly.

Turning his head towards the dungeon, he saw Lee Kang-hyun walking out with his summons.

He even put on a show of smiling leisurely and waving his hand.

“…Huh?”

Jung Ye-rin let out a sigh of relief and ran to greet Lee Kang-hyun.

“You’ve returned safely!”

The team members’ warm welcome followed.

“Thank goodness you’re back, Advisor!”

Unlike everyone else who wore welcoming expressions, Yoon Tae-kyung tilted his head.

‘Has he finally given up?’

But he had an ominous feeling.

Advisor Lee Kang-hyun’s expression was far too bright to be that of someone who failed to conquer the dungeon.

Moreover, if he had given up, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to come out much earlier, but he only reappeared after nearly an hour in the dungeon.

‘He must have given up, right?’

The time was far too short for him to have conquered it.

‘Yeah, he probably wanted to show that he tried his best.’

He must have been hiding somewhere and then appeared.

Otherwise, his appearance being so neat didn’t make sense.

If he had engaged in fierce battles, it would have shown on the outside, but there was no sign of that at all.

Yoon Tae-kyung gritted his teeth and approached Lee Kang-hyun. With a face that didn’t hide his mockery, he spoke.

“You’re back already? Isn’t that giving up too quickly for an advisor?”

It was clearly sarcasm, obvious to anyone.

“Well, it must have been hard coming out without showing any skills.”

This would be the start of team members gradually questioning Advisor Lee Kang-hyun’s abilities.

Originally, a small crack is all it takes for a dam to collapse.

But Lee Kang-hyun stared straight at Yoon Tae-kyung and opened his mouth.

“Give up?”

There was a confident smile on his lips.

“I cleared it all. Dungeon conquest complete.”

“What?”

Yoon Tae-kyung couldn’t help but ask again.

He doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

‘What did he say?’

He cleared it already?

No, this didn’t make sense.

Even Jung Ye-rin wore a puzzled expression.

“K-Kang-hyun, really?”

That was the normal reaction one should have.

Yoon Tae-kyung provoked him to regain control of the current situation.

“Haha, I didn’t know you were such a funny person. Even making jokes like this.”

It must surely be a lie.

He probably intended to smooth over the current situation by cracking a joke.

“Does it make sense that you defeated all the Stone Golems in just an hour?”

However, Lee Kang-hyun’s expression didn’t change despite Yoon Tae-kyung’s question.

“It’s true. Let’s check it directly. I’ve dealt with all the Stone Golems, so you can just go in.”

Then, he pulled out a stone fragment from his pocket.

It was a piece of a Stone Golem.

“That’s impossible.”

Wanting to confirm, Yoon Tae-kyung quickly entered the dungeon.

He would have preferred it to be a lie, but Lee Kang-hyun’s words were true.

“Th-this was real?!”

There were no monsters left in the dungeon.

Only the brutally shattered remains of Stone Golems lay on top of the stone graves.

‘No…’

Yoon Tae-kyung sank into despair as he looked at the remains.

The fact that Lee Kang-hyun’s power was stronger than expected, and that his attempt to bring down Jung Ye-rin had instead helped her build up achievements.

Golem stone fragments are highly sought-after materials.

Not only are they valuable as construction materials, but they can also greatly enhance the effectiveness of item crafting and even potions.

“Wow, you really dealt with all the Stone Golems!”

Jung Ye-rin and the team members who entered after exclaimed in admiration as they surveyed the dungeon.

“……”

The more they praised, the more Yoon Tae-kyung’s expression soured.

But his expression lightened at the next words.

“Then, with our advisor, couldn’t we easily clear the Minotaur dungeon too?”

Another dungeon assigned to the team, the presumed B-rank Minotaur dungeon.

This too was the Vice Guild Master’s handiwork.

‘Right, it’s not over yet.’

A dungeon with a maze so complex that even the Vice Guild Master couldn’t figure it out.

Could Jung Ye-rin conquer such a place?

Anticipating Jung Ye-rin’s downfall at that time, Yoon Tae-kyung hid his smile.

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“Thank you for your hard work today. The team leader also asked me to convey her gratitude once again.”

Park Seo-yun, the assistant manager who drove me home, greeted me.

I had gained the recognition of Jung Ye-rin and the team members by cleanly conquering the Stone Golem dungeon.

‘Not bad for the first day.’

Moreover, seeing Yoon Tae-kyung’s flustered expression made me smile involuntarily.

In any case, hadn’t my reputation improved thanks to this?

“Then I’ll see you for the Minotaur dungeon conquest.”

Park Seo-yun said that and left.

I had promised to help with the Minotaur dungeon as well.

‘Didn’t they say the dungeon master was an A-rank monster?’

The master of the next dungeon to be conquered was the Minotaur chieftain.

But Jung Ye-rin doesn’t know this fact.

She only estimates the dungeon rank as B-rank due to the complex maze.

‘Couldn’t I just take the Minotaur chieftain for myself?’

I had also moved the Stone Golems to my dungeon.

An A-rank monster is 5-star level even on the El Dorad continent.

Being the same rank as a Death Knight, I thought I could use it in many places if I had it.

I can’t give up such a good opportunity.

‘Then who should I dispatch at that time?’

The newly opened [Dungeon Conquest & Dispatch] system.

I was contemplating who to dispatch then.

‘If it’s a maze, can’t we just break through it?’

From what I saw with the Stone Golem, the Death Knight was extremely good at using a pickaxe, so couldn’t it break through the maze with that strength?

‘Let’s decide this when the time comes.’

There were still 5 days left until the dungeon conquest anyway.

There was no need to worry about it right now.

“Then next…”

I looked at Maru.

“Clack?”

“Guide me to Azmo’s dungeon.”

“Clack!”

It was time to check out the dungeon corporation that Azmo was said to manage.

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***

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A large van was climbing a small hill road.

After climbing to a certain point, the roadside was full of stones from the middle.

Still, the vehicle passed through the stone road without hesitation.

As they continued moving, they soon reached a place where hunters were gathered.

When one person got out of the van, the hunters simultaneously bowed their heads.

“You’ve arrived, Mr. Vetter.”

The identity of the person who got out of the vehicle was Vetter.

He was Azmo’s assistant and a slime that could freely transform.

Thanks to his ability, Vetter had transformed into a human and was skillfully commanding the Black Sun Guild members.

There was one reason why the dungeon corporation managed by Azmo was commanding a human organization.

The main purpose of the dungeon corporation was to trade goods to various dungeons, like the Demon World Association of the El Dorad continent.

However, there were many eyes here, so it wasn’t good for monsters to act alone.

Even if they transformed into humans like Vetter, it required a lot of caution to move items or monsters to trade.

But since absorbing the Black Sun Guild, this was no longer an issue.

The van Vetter was riding in was the same.

On the outside, it was a guild-owned vehicle, so there was nothing to be concerned about.

In reality, guilds move byproducts by vehicle after dungeon conquests.

When Vetter skillfully opened the van door, an unexpected being was riding inside.

“Kuo?”

It was a Stone Golem.

The other hunters were surprised, opening their eyes wide at the sight.

“C-Could that be…!”

The hunters belonging to the Black Sun Guild already knew that Vetter was no ordinary person.

He would enter dungeons, negotiate with their masters, and bring monsters from somewhere.

But this time, he brought a Stone Golem.

“Huh, Mr. Vetter. Where on earth did you get something like that?”

Someone couldn’t contain their curiosity and asked, but they couldn’t get a proper answer from Vetter.

That Stone Golem was a gift bestowed by the great master, after all.

A total of 4 Stone Golems were given to Administrator Azmo.

However, 1 of them was brought here for the dungeon corporation’s trade.

“Was there nothing unusual?”

This place was important to Vetter.

It was where the first trading partner dungeon was located after the dungeon corporation was established, namely the Kobold dungeon.

Therefore, Vetter had deployed Black Sun Guild hunters to prevent anyone from approaching this place.

“That’s right. We monitored it thoroughly so that not even a mouse could pass through!”

If it had been just an ordinary Kobold dungeon, Vetter wouldn’t have been this concerned.

But this place was not an ordinary Kobold dungeon.

“Good, please continue to take care of it well.”

Vetter handed money to the hunters and patted their shoulders.

“Thank you, Mr. Vetter!”

This was why the hunters listened well to Vetter’s words.

Who wouldn’t be loyal when money comes in just for following orders well?

Vetter entered the dungeon interior with the Stone Golem, leaving behind the saluting hunters.

Then, a Kobold quickly came out to greet them.

“You came!”

It was this dungeon’s master.

“It’s been a while, dungeon master.”

“It’s been a while!”

The Kobold answered awkwardly.

No matter how much of a Kobold it was, it was still this dungeon’s master.

Vetter’s polite behavior was natural from the perspective of trading.

Moreover, this Kobold dungeon was an essential and important dungeon for the corporation.

The dungeon master Kobold immediately handed over a large quantity of stones.

“Thank you! Always! For taking these stones!”

And the initial contract terms between the dungeon corporation and the Kobold dungeon were still being fulfilled.

The corporation agreed to protect the Kobold dungeon in exchange for taking the useless stones mined by the Kobolds.

Vetter nodded as he looked at the useless yellow stones and purple stones mined by the Kobolds.

They were gold and magic stones.

“And while digging stones, this came out.”

After a moment, the Kobold took something out from its bosom and showed it.

“This is…?”

It was a small fragment.

The problem was that it was a substance close to darkness, ominous just by looking at it.