NOVEL WEB
Chapter 4
EP.4 Uninvited Guest
It had been a day since I was banished from the El Dorad.
I went through some trouble filling the one-year gap that was missing on Earth.
“So, You’ve been to El Dorad or something, right?”
I sent a greeting to the landlady after a long time, and I received a reply.
It was not unusual for a message like that to come to someone like me, an outlander.
However, I couldn’t readily admit to it.
Certainly, being summoned to El Dorad was an honorable thing.
Who wouldn’t want to go when you could gain power beforehand? The reality, though, was a horrendous probability drawn at random.
To break through such a terrible probability and make it to El Dorad was undoubtedly luck and a source of pride.
‘But I couldn’t just say that I had gone.’
The reason was obvious. I hadn’t gained anything during the one year I was away, even staying at the White Order.
‘I wish I had at least brought back a Holy Sword or something.’
Here, the Holy Sword referred to a standard-issue Holy Sword.
The standard-issue Holy Swords used by the White Order’s holy knight were not considered important within the Order. However, in Earth’s terms, they were essentially high-level artifacts.
The problem was that, from the Order’s perspective, it was just an insignificant sword, but they wouldn’t readily give it to an outsider.
Of course, there were exceptions.
A few years ago, one of my Academy peers had received a standard-issue Holy Sword from the Order and returned.
They had gained some recognition within the Order, but there was no reason for it other than receiving the sword.
The guy who received the sword was now a top-ranked A-class Hunter, a well-known fact.
As for me, since I was considered a useless force within the Order, returning empty-handed was an obvious outcome.
Moreover, the reason I was hiding the fact that I had been to El Dorad was directly related to my safety.
Hunters who returned to Earth were being scouted all over the place.
Just take a look at the standard-issue Holy Sword. In Earth’s perspective, it was a famous sword, even if it was just a standard-issue Holy Sword for the Order.
In the El Dorad continent, even a trivial item could potentially be an artifact in our perspective.
And that was not all. The abilities and skills learned there were something we couldn’t see on Earth.
So, would they just leave us alone after returning from El Dorad? Not at all. The government had already begun magical power inspections on the Hunters whose whereabouts were unknown.
[When Hunter Lee Kang Hyun receives this message, please go to the nearest Awakened Center for magical power inspection. The inspection is mandatory, and non-compliance will result in severe legal penalties…]
It was something like that.
Once you received that message, you couldn’t officially enter a dungeon until you had undergone the magical power inspection.
Of course, even if you said you had gone and underwent the inspection, people would react like, ‘Ah, this guy. He just wasted his time going to El Dorad.’ It was a miserable situation, to say the least.
However, was that the only reaction?
Maybe there would be different reactions.
‘Hey, did that guy bring back something good but is hiding it?’
Something like that. And if you caught the attention of someone crazy enough to want to confirm that rumor, it probably wouldn’t just end with a simple interrogation.
That’s why I initially kept my trip to El Dorad a secret. It was safer that way.
There was no need to rush either way.
‘Let’s rest a few more days.’
I would find a porter job again and get back to work.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. I was powerless, without any skills.
Not all porter jobs were the same.
At the very least, if I had a status window, I could learn skills, and even with a small inventory skill, life as a porter would be different.
“I want a status window too…”
I murmured weakly and started up the game I had downloaded yesterday.
It was my way of escaping reality, even if only for a moment.
Before going to El Dorad, I had played several games.
After checking yesterday, I found that the one-year gap had been quite significant.
Many contents had been added and updated, making it challenging for returning users.
To catch up, you needed a lot of time and effort.
I deleted the game without hesitation. I didn’t have much time to spare.
The game I downloaded yesterday, [El Dorad], was somewhat refreshing.
Some elements were a bit frustrating, but as far as I knew, it was the first game set in another world.
They even allowed you to manage dungeons and appoint monsters as Servant.
“By the way, what’s the goal of this game?”
Unlike games with long tutorials these days, it was very unfriendly. I had no idea what my goal should be.
It was like I was just supposed to level up and beat monsters. If I had known this, I shouldn’t have skipped the story when it first appeared.
I focused on the screen, ignoring past events.
– Servant ‘Celia Ishahar’ is managing the dungeon. –
When I looked at the screen, the guy I had appointed as a Servant was busy moving around.
Hmm, you’re working hard.
Yeah, I invested quite a bit of money in you, so you better work hard.
Suddenly, if the dungeon gets breached, I won’t be pleased.
I looked at the gold I earned from yesterday’s in-game purchases.
Exactly 100,000 gold was displayed.
“What can I do with this?”
Did my mumbling catch someone’s attention? Suddenly, a new window appeared on the screen.
– Would you like to expand the dungeon? Expanding requires gold. –
Dungeon expansion? It’s true that the current dungeon was too small.
The dungeon was named the ‘Nest of the Evil God’, but it looked pitifully small.
‘Let’s expand it for now.’
When it comes to dungeons, you have to think about the monsters guarding it and traps. But what’s the use if it’s small, no matter how many troops you have? If enemies launch splash attacks in a confined space where troops are clustered, there’s nothing more deadly.
Moreover, for now, Servant Celia should be able to handle it alone.
– Dungeon expanded. 10,000 gold deducted. –
– Dungeon expanded. 10,000 gold deducted. –
……
….
..
I used all 100,000 gold for expansion.
Seeing the expanded dungeon made me feel proud.
The small cave had transformed into an underground cavern that stretched deep and wide.
If an intruder were to come, it would take them a long time to reach the end of the dungeon.
In the future, I could slowly set up monsters and traps at various points along the way.
Of course, for now, I would hold off since there were no intruders thanks to the dungeon’s concealment effect.
Expanding the dungeon had additional effects.
– [Altar] system is activated due to dungeon expansion. – – The Servant can offer sacrifices to the Master of the dungeon. –
– The Master can partially absorb the abilities of the sacrifices. –
“Oh, it seems I can get stronger like this.”
I roughly understood what this Altar system was about.
Of course, to use this Altar system, there needed to be intruders in the dungeon.
“Or maybe I can send her out?”
With this doubt in mind, I tried to send my Slave Celia, whom I had set up as my Servant, outside of the dungeon.
– This function has not been unlocked yet. –
It turned out that I couldn’t use this function yet.
Too bad, but at least I had some idea of how to play the game from now on.
But that aside, shall we move on?
“Alright, it’s time to check the inbox.”
I upgraded the 3-star monster I had set up as a Servant to a 6-star.
And what do you know, I received a gift in my mailbox!
– First 6-star achievement reward! –
– Raise Servant’s affinity by giving them clothes! –
– Costume Selection Ticket (S) x1 –
Affinity came after loyalty, right? It was clear that there were more than one or two things to pay attention to. Fortunately, the rewards were quite substantial.
It was an S-rank costume. With this, wouldn’t the affinity rise quickly?
After immediately receiving the Costume Selection Ticket from the mailbox, I touched it.
– Used the Costume Selection Ticket. –
At the same time, several outfits filled the screen.
From bear-shaped costumes to pajamas, everyday clothes, and even revealing outfits, there was a variety of choices.
‘Why is this considered S-rank?’
The situation only showed appearances without displaying any stats.
The appearances were not particularly unique.
In this case, there was no need to think too much.
I immediately selected the maid outfit.
It was the perfect fit for the Servant image managing the dungeon.
It wasn’t because I liked it, it just matched the image.
Simple but excellent choice.
Maid Outfit (S) – Reduces damage taken from holy attacks by 90%.
“Oh.”
When I clicked on the received maid outfit, I found that its stats were impressive. It was indeed an S-grade outfit.
Immediately, I touched Servant Celia and clicked on “Gift.”
– Gifted the Maid Outfit (S) to ‘Celia Ishahar.’ –
– ‘Celia Ishahar’ has reached 100 affections. –
– ‘Celia Ishahar’ has declared that any act of disrespect towards the Master is an act of aggression toward herself and she and the Master are one. –
The response was quick.
As expected, affection reached maximum immediately.
“From now on, you’ll wear this outfit and manage the dungeon.”
Celia looked really good in the maid outfit.
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***
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Celia, in order to fulfill her master, Lee Kang Hyun’s orders, cleaned and managed every corner of the dungeon.
Fortunately, she had memories of managing a dungeon when she was the disciple of the Succubus Queen.
Based on those memories, Celia tried her best not to become a burden to her master.
Her master was a noble being and essentially a god who easily saved her from the strict White Order, even though it was underground.
If someone like him wasn’t extraordinary, who could be?
While she was thinking like that, the dungeon suddenly vibrated.
“What is this…?”
Her surprise was momentary.
The size of the dungeon was rapidly increasing.
Her eyes widened. Being able to increase the size of the dungeon so effortlessly was unheard of.
If it were so easy to expand the dungeon, there would have been no disputes among dungeon owners over ownership issues.
How much labor and time were required to expand a dungeon? It also required a considerable amount of funds.
However, her master had effortlessly increased the size of the dungeon with his abilities alone.
“Indeed, he must be a Supreme One.”
Celia’s astonishment didn’t end there.
Suddenly, an outfit appeared in front of her.
It was a maid outfit.
‘…….’
Not just any maid outfit, though.
She felt a tremendous power from it.
‘Where did he get an outfit like this?’
Once again, Celia reaffirmed that her master was an extraordinary person and vowed to do her best for him, even if it cost her life.
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***
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“Father, isn’t it dangerous? Shouldn’t you go back? Yesterday, one of the sealing stones disappeared, and the White Order has been in an uproar, right?”
In a mountain range in the Kingdom of Sael, two men were climbing up the mountain path.
One was wearing a priest’s robe, and the other was dressed casually, with a standard-issue Holy Sword hanging from his waist.
A priest and a Holy Knight.
In reality, they were both apprentice priests and Holy Knights.
Although the Holy Knight was higher in rank, he spoke respectfully and lowered his head to the apprentice priest.
The reason was that the apprentice priest was no ordinary person.
His name was Yuel, and his ability was the ‘Eye of Penetration’.
It was an ability that saw through everything and was the reason why Yuel had attracted the attention of the Order.
Some even said, “The one who will lead the Order in the future is Yuel.”
With the ability to see through everything, it was easy for Yuel to eliminate heretics chosen by the Order.
The existence of Yuel was practically a lifeline for the Order.
Therefore, his official appointment as a priest was imminent.
“Don’t worry. It’s just that a Succubus was released from the sealing stone, right? And it was only a 3-star.”
The meaning of his words was simple.
There was no need for excessive flattery for just a 3-star. 3-star monsters were virtually nothing.
Why was such a monster sealed in the underground of the Order in the first place? Unless it was a 5-star. 5-star monsters were disasters.
If such a being were to move, even the city would be on high alert and watchful.
Even if the chance of encountering a 5-star monster was extremely slim, Yuel had an ace up his sleeve.
Because Yuel was an essential asset, the Order had provided him with high-grade artifacts.
They were the holy relics of the Order itself. The Holy Knight nodded in agreement, knowing this fact.
There was currently no threat to them.
As long as they showed their Order identification, even nobles would bow their heads respectfully.
“Indeed, I understand.”
However, such monsters were genuinely rare, almost like a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
They were creatures that might be seen once in a lifetime, if at all.
Of course, there were records of 7-star monsters appearing hundreds of years ago.
They were said to have nearly swallowed the entire continent, but now it was nothing more than a tale of the past.
In fact, they didn’t even consider such stories as legends at the moment.
How far had they climbed the mountain? Yuel’s footsteps came to a halt.
“Why is that, Priest?”
“There’s a cave over there.”
A cave? The Holy Knight raised an eyebrow.
All Yuel was pointing to was vines.
However, Yuel’s ability, the ‘Eye of Penetration’, indicated the presence of a hidden cave beyond the vines.
[Nest of the Evil God]
“Nest of the Evil God, huh…”
Fortunately, there was no sense of the dungeon’s aura.
“Sir Knight, it seems there are heretics around here.”
Yuel’s expression turned cold.
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