The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 118: The Proposal from the Phoenix Guild (1)

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 118

EP.118 The Proposal from the Phoenix Guild (1)

“Alright, everyone, great job!”

Celia gathered the monsters to the center of the dungeon. With the successful completion of their mission, the Sael Kingdom had fallen into their hands. This meeting was to discuss the follow-up actions. She began by praising and encouraging the monsters.

“Sir Goblin Lord, you did an excellent job guarding the dungeon while we were away. Well done.”

The Goblin Lord nodded.

With the high-ranking monsters absent, there had been a gap in the dungeon’s defenses. To fill this gap, the Goblin Lord had organized the entire goblin scouting party into a vigilant guard. Although no intruders had entered the dungeon or even the nearby forest, just maintaining the defense was a significant accomplishment. Celia continued her praise.

Necros had played a crucial role in the mission by turning some people into skeletons, thereby enhancing Elena’s reputation. The new members, the half-vampire Dhampir and the young Hydra, had successfully herded humans into the outskirts of the capital. Despite working together for the first time, they performed admirably.

Additionally, the skeleton knights, hobgoblins, and zombies dispatched to the Sael Kingdom had terrorized the people and destroyed buildings, creating an atmosphere of fear.

The Death Knight had reverted to his original form. Due to the aftermath of the temporary evolution, he was currently incapacitated.

“Our master originally wanted the Death Knight to remain quiet. However, since the outcome was favorable, we won’t hold him accountable for this incident.”

Normally, he would have been punished. The Death Knight had acted on his own, nearly escalating the situation beyond control. However, since things had turned out well, Celia decided not to hold him accountable. This also meant that the incident would not be reported to their master. The incapacitated Death Knight smiled brightly at Celia’s words.

“Instead, you’ll need to supervise the human you brought along.”

The human brought from the kingdom was none other than Count Bearton. In place of the incapacitated Death Knight, Count Bearton was put to work on fortifications, pickaxe in hand.

With the main discussion wrapped up, they moved on to the next agenda item.

“The biggest change for us is that some of our restrictions have been lifted.”

Their range of action had expanded. Previously, they were limited to the forest surrounding the dungeon due to constraints. But now, things were different.

“It seems we can now travel to the Sael Kingdom without much difficulty.”

As soon as Celia felt the restrictions lift, she immediately verified it. The result was that they could travel to and from the Sael Kingdom without any issues.

“So, we have a lot more work to do now.”

Celia continued.

“Now, we not only have to manage the dungeon but also the kingdom.”

In other words, there were more areas to oversee. This meant they would need more hands. However, they couldn’t afford to neglect any one place, so they would need to distribute their forces appropriately.

“First, Sir Dhampir.”

The first person Celia called was Dhampir.

“Head to the Adventurers’ Guild in the Sael Kingdom.”

Dhampir was a half-vampire. Being a hybrid of human and vampire, his appearance was close to that of a human. Unless someone looked very closely, there was no risk of being discovered.

“Blend in with the humans and raise your profile as an adventurer.”

Dhampir bowed his head at Celia’s command. Currently, Banshees were already spread across various parts of the continent. Banshees, if they could control other humans, had no restrictions on their range of action. Using this, Celia had previously spread Banshees to different regions. Those seeds would eventually sprout and bloom. Planting another seed, like Dhampir, followed the same logic. He would eventually become a useful pawn.

“Next is Sir Necros.”

At Celia’s mention, Necros, the guardian of the first floor, nodded.

“Sir Necros, I’m sorry, but I need you to handle some kingdom affairs as well.”

“Clack.”

For now, there was no issue with the dungeon’s defense. Given the current situation, there was no need for Necros to stay and guard the dungeon.

“What I need you to do, Sir Necros, is to establish an underground organization in the kingdom. Or rather, manage it.”

Managing the underground organization.

The Sael Kingdom was currently in chaos, with many nobles either executed or imprisoned. As a result, the privileges and the underworld order that the nobles held had become unstable.

“From what we learned from the kidnapped Count Bearton, there’s a secret organization in the Sael Kingdom. They mainly deal in human trafficking, drugs, and gambling arenas, growing their influence through these activities.”

An underground organization could only be a source of instability for the kingdom. However, eliminating it outright was also a burden. A new organization would simply take its place. Celia thought it would be better to manage it directly. Only when it was in their hands could it be truly safe.

“Sir Necros, please take charge of managing the organization.”

Necros seemed indifferent. He would rather stay in the dungeon—

“You can autonomously manage the profits from the organization. I, Celia, guarantee this.”

Necros realized that it would be better to go to the Sael Kingdom rather than stay in the dungeon. With great power comes great responsibility, after all. Necros nodded at Celia’s command.

“Now, let’s move on to the next agenda item. We need to discuss deploying monsters in the Sael Kingdom…”

The meeting in the dungeon’s center continued.

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The special mission ended faster than I had anticipated. I thought it would take at least a few months for Princess Elena to become queen. Becoming the ruler of a nation isn’t an easy task. However, the situation was resolved shortly after dispatching the dungeon monsters.

“Attaching Maru to the princess was definitely the right move.”

Now a queen, the initial goal of the mission was to make the princess a ruler. This required raising her profile, and the strategy to throw the Sael Kingdom into chaos worked perfectly. As a result, Princess Elena had many opportunities to shine.

Reading Celia’s report, it was clear that Queen Elena’s reputation had skyrocketed due to this incident. Consequently, the king of the Sael Kingdom took responsibility for the situation and announced his abdication. Conversely, the elevated status of Princess Elena led to her immediate ascension as the new queen.

“Indeed, it’s convenient when everyone works together.”

When everyone moves with a unified purpose, things are resolved smoothly.

I smiled with satisfaction as I touched my smartphone. The recent mission had brought about significant changes. The most notable was the expansion of the dungeon monsters’ range of activity to include the Sael Kingdom. Additionally, I had gained the absolute loyalty of Queen Elena.

“At this point, it’s practically as if the Sael Kingdom is in my hands.”

Now, my monsters could freely operate within the Sael Kingdom. Celia would undoubtedly aim to seize the kingdom’s interests. With the queen on our side, there would be no one to raise objections. This was satisfactory.

“I should take this opportunity to start managing the mountain range more seriously.”

By management, I meant control. Using the Sael Kingdom to manage the mountain range would be easier. Of course, complete control could backfire. The goal was to allow some freedom while preventing adventurers from approaching my dungeon. This would naturally reduce the number of intruders and ensure the dungeon’s safety.

I immediately issued orders to Celia. I trusted her to understand my intentions and carry them out.

“Perfect.”

It felt like the tutorial phase of a game had just ended, but I couldn’t help but smile. After wrapping things up, I turned off the smartphone screen. It was about time for a meal.

“Maru, can you make some food?”

As I left the room, I spoke to Maru.

“Clack.”

Maru nodded and headed to the kitchen, with the skeleton soldier Coco assisting. It was a perfect combination. As I watched with a satisfied smile, a voice came from beside me.

“Um, excuse me….”

The voice belonged to Ciel. She was an elf I had acquired through an auction held by the Demon Realm Trading Company. She was usually very quiet, which made communication challenging. However, after accidentally infusing magic into a gargoyle, she had started to open up a bit.

“Um, m-master?”

I hadn’t ordered Ciel to call me master. It was a title she had chosen to use on her own.

“Yes, what is it?”

Since it was a significant step for Ciel to speak up first, I chose to respond cautiously rather than correcting her choice of address.

“Um, someone… is coming….”

“?”

Someone was coming to the house? How did Ciel know that?

“…My contracted wind spirit… told me….”

The wind spirit she had contracted with had informed her? I was curious about how it communicated, but that wasn’t the immediate concern.

“Are you sure they’re coming here?”

I lived in a villa. It was possible that their destination wasn’t my place.

“Yes… they’re coming here…!”

“How many are there?”

“Um, there are… quite a few….”

So it wasn’t just one or two people. If what Ciel said was true, it was crucial to know who and why they were coming.

‘Could it be the Association?’

No, that was unlikely. The Association usually notified hunters to visit them directly.

‘Could it be intruders?’

Even if they were intruders, I was no longer the same as before. With Maru at 5-star strength and the gargoyle, now also 5-star after receiving Ciel’s magic, it would be difficult for most hunters to even enter the house.

‘I should stay calm since I don’t know if they’re intruders yet.’

I recalled the father and son who had previously tried to eliminate me, which made me unnecessarily anxious. I calmed myself and waited quietly.

A short while later.

– Ding-dong. –

The doorbell rang.

“Is anyone inside?”

It was a male voice. Ciel’s information was accurate.

“Who is it?” I asked.

I responded to the person outside. It was crucial to know who they were first. Fortunately, they answered promptly.

“We’re from the Phoenix Guild.”

The Phoenix Guild? That was completely unexpected. Why would the Phoenix Guild come to me?

‘Could it be related to the monster wave?’

The monster wave that Azmo had caused previously. The dungeon where the monster wave had started was managed by the Phoenix Guild. The problem was that I had moved that dungeon after the monster wave ended. With the dungeon gone, the government had thoroughly scrutinized the Phoenix Guild. The media continuously reported on the guild, and people pointed fingers at them. They were even framed as traitors trying to ruin the country.

Since I was the reason the dungeon disappeared, I felt a bit guilty. Could they be here for revenge?

‘But they shouldn’t have been able to link it to me, right?’

I was confident about that. So why were they here at my house? As various thoughts raced through my mind, another voice spoke up.

“Mr. Lee Kang-hyun, it’s me.”

A female voice.

“It’s Jung Ye-rin. Do you remember me?”

Jung Ye-rin? The name sounded familiar. The voice also had a ring of familiarity to it, though I couldn’t quite place it.

“We met at the café last time….”

When I remained silent, she mentioned a specific location—the café.

‘The café….’

Then it clicked. I remembered who she was. I had only been to a café once since returning to Earth. More importantly, how could I forget such a peculiar person? She was the woman who had approached me out of the blue and handed me a Phoenix Guild business card.

After thanking me, she had suddenly left. In short, she was a strange woman. I considered ignoring her but eventually decided to open the door. After all, Maru and the gargoyle were here. If they tried anything foolish, I could easily stop them. This place was practically a dungeon.

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“Indeed.”

Celia nodded as she worked after the meeting. The master had just issued an order.

“He wants us to manage the mountain range through the kingdom.”

However, Celia didn’t take the order at face value. The great one wouldn’t simply command them to manage the mountain range. There had to be a deeper meaning hidden within the command. This was a test.

“Managing the mountain range…”

It clearly didn’t just mean to oversee the mountains.

“Could it mean to hide the dungeon?”

She shook her head. That wasn’t it either. Hiding the dungeon would eliminate intruders. Without intruders, there would be no sacrifices to offer the master. That was absolutely unacceptable.

“That won’t do. Bring me the map.”

Celia instructed a skeleton knight to fetch the continent’s map.

“Clack!”

It was a special map for adventurers, obtained through Queen Elena. It was a map that low-ranking adventurers couldn’t access, even showing the Demon Realm.

“Hmm…”

Celia pondered as she stared at the map. There had to be a deeper meaning. After a long contemplation, she had a sudden realization.

“Aha!”

There were three nations adjacent to the mountain range on the continent. Excluding the Sael Kingdom, only the Free City Alliance and the Kalen Empire remained. The Free City Alliance was the closest to the Sael Kingdom.

“The command to manage the mountain range must mean that!”

It was a signal to prepare. To prepare for the conquest of the Free City Alliance, which was close to the Sael Kingdom.

“That must be the meaning.”

Celia couldn’t hide her satisfaction at understanding the great master’s will once again.