The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 124: Monster Arena (1)

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 124

 EP.124 Monster Arena (1)

“So, what do you think of my proposal?”

“……”

Necros remained silent for a moment. Malcolm’s proposal was straightforward: to partner in a monster arena business. The suddenness of the offer was puzzling, and Necros knew little about Malcolm. Necros had come here following Celia’s orders to investigate who was buying zombies and why. Using the ghoul as bait, Necros had managed to uncover Malcolm’s involvement.

‘Clink….’

Tilting his head slightly, Necros observed the ornate decorations and the armed guards in the reception room. Despite its name, the room had a dark and eerie atmosphere. The guards’ presence alone indicated that Malcolm was far from an ordinary person.

After a brief pause, Necros nodded and wrote in the notebook.

– I accept. –

Necros needed to investigate Malcolm further. There was no genuine interest in making money from a monster arena. It was all about following orders with unwavering loyalty.

Necros then wrote another question.

– How will the profits be divided? –

This wasn’t out of a love for money but to keep the conversation natural and avoid suspicion.

Malcolm cheered like a child, interpreting Necros’s response as acceptance.

“Khehehe! I knew you wouldn’t refuse such a proposal! We can discuss the profit distribution later.”

Malcolm saw Necros as a skilled individual, capable of bringing in a ghoul without a scratch. Such talent was rare, even in the underworld. Despite their low rank, zombies and ghouls were undead monsters, typically in a state of decay. Bringing them in pristine condition was almost unheard of.

‘Indeed, there are many remarkable talents, just like the adventurer from yesterday.’

Malcolm impressed by Necros’s skills. He was also relieved that there was no need to eliminate such a valuable asset.

If Necros had refused the proposal, Malcolm had planned to kill him to keep him silent. This area was Malcolm’s domain, where his influence was absolute. Here, he was king and law.

Moreover, Malcolm appreciated Necros’s straightforwardness.

‘Money is always right. Hehe!’

When Necros openly asked about profit distribution, it put Malcolm at ease. He was always wary of favors without strings attached. He preferred dealing with people who were upfront about money, as they were less likely to betray him over it.

Malcolm set aside his pleasant feelings for a moment and straightened his posture.

“I feel like great things are going to happen with you by my side!”

Malcolm had faced many trials to reach his current position. One thing he had learned was to trust his instincts. Good feelings usually led to good outcomes, and bad feelings often preceded trouble. Though some might call it superstition, Malcolm valued this intuition. And right now, he had a good feeling.

Confident that everything would go well.

“Let’s have some tea and discuss our future.”

He nodded to a subordinate, who promptly brought in tea. However, Necros, being an Arch Lich, wore a white mask to conceal his monstrous nature. He didn’t touch the tea.

Even now, Malcolm began to share his story.

“Do you know why I’m so obsessed with zombies? There’s a reason for it.”

He flicked the ash from his cigarette into an ashtray on the table. “It’s because they’re undead. Undead monsters are simple. They’re easy to manage and cost-effective. Hehe.”

He grinned at Necros as if sharing a secret.

“So, Necros, it might seem strange that I’m so fixated on zombies, but it’s all calculated. Hehe.”

Malcolm’s explanation was straightforward. He collected zombies because of their cost-effectiveness. They were simple to utilize, didn’t require food, shelter, or rest. In short, undead monsters were the most cost-efficient option for a startup business.

Necros nodded slightly in response to Malcolm’s explanation.

People outside might call him a zombie freak, but it turned out Malcolm was quite a rational person. In fact, he was smart.

“Ah, I have another business idea. How about using zombies to satisfy sexual desires instead of humans? Hehe.”

“……”

Necros immediately retracted his assessment of Malcolm being normal. He was definitely a weirdo. Still, since they were temporarily partners for the sake of the mission, Necros kept his thoughts to himself.

Thus began a long conversation between Malcolm and Necros.

====

***

====

Even after Jung Ye-rin left, I remained at home. But that didn’t mean I was idly wasting time. I was now officially part of the Phoenix Guild, specifically a consultant for Jung Ye-rin’s team.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t make sense to refuse that offer.”

I didn’t know why Jung Ye-rin made such a generous offer, but the terms were extraordinary. She had offered me a consultant position in the Phoenix Guild. That alone was great, but the conditions were shocking.

First, it was a no-work, work-from-home position. I had no responsibilities. I didn’t need to go to the office or do any tasks. Jung Ye-rin said she would come to me if she needed my help.

‘Isn’t this too good to be true?’

Second, I would receive all the benefits of the Phoenix Guild without doing anything. The guild would handle all taxes on my item purchases and sales, saving me a lot of money. Who would refuse such an offer?

In short, I would get a salary and enjoy all the benefits of the Phoenix Guild without lifting a finger. They even offered to print business cards for me.

“I feel a bit guilty.”

Jung Ye-rin had offered these generous terms to secure my acceptance, but I felt uneasy about doing nothing in return. I knew she overestimated my abilities, which pricked my conscience.

On the other hand, I had a different thought.

‘Well, she made the offer first, right? I could just visit the Phoenix Guild occasionally when I have time.’

Anyway, this was as much the scout’s fault as it was mine. It just showed the extent of Jung Ye-rin’s judgment. Still, I felt a bit guilty about doing nothing, so I planned to visit the Phoenix Guild at least once. That should suffice for my role.

But that didn’t mean I would go right away. Even if I seemed idle, I had my own special tasks to handle. First, there was dungeon management through my smartphone. Although Celia mainly handled it, my occasional directives were crucial.

Recently, the range of dungeon monsters had expanded to the Kingdom of Seil. I had immediately ordered Celia to clean up the surrounding dungeons.

‘My dungeon must never be threatened.’

My top priority was the safety of my dungeon. Clearing the surrounding areas to eliminate potential threats was the right move.

Additionally, I utilized the system I had used out of boredom before, [Dungeon Support & Dispatch]. Through this, I dispatched monsters to dungeons in need, but it didn’t yield much excitement.

“Tsk, the rewards aren’t as good as they used to be.”

The only decent rewards were the sacrifices Celia offered. If it was just items, it didn’t matter, but if the sacrifices could absorb abilities, I had them collected and offered all at once. This minimized the six-hour unconscious state that occurred when absorbing abilities. This period of vulnerability was significant, so I had instructed Celia accordingly. Although Maru guarded me during these times, it was essential to maintain this habit.

Other than that, I spent gems on monster and miscellaneous item draws, but this quickly became dull.

“Isn’t there any new mission?”

Maru, Ciel, and Coco handled the housework, so I had nothing to do. Meals were prepared on time, so all I had to do was wait.

“Wow, I really feel like a useless bum.”

As I yawned and killed time in boredom, my smartphone beeped with an alert.

‘What’s this? Did Celia submit a report?’

Or perhaps a special mission had come up?

I immediately opened my smartphone to check the notification.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t a report from Celia or a new special mission. It was more like the unlocking of new content.

– A new system [Monster Arena] has been unlocked. –

“Monster Arena?”

It was an intriguing system. I tapped the screen right away.

– The [Monster Arena] is not yet ready for use. –

What? If it wasn’t ready, why announce that it had been unlocked? My confusion was short-lived as another notification popped up.

– Please set the rules for the Monster Arena. –

– Choose the type of battles for the arena. –

(1) [Monster vs Monster]

(2) [Human vs Monster]

(3) [Human vs Human]

(4) [Mixed]

“Oh, this is serious. I get to choose the settings?”

Being able to set the rules for the arena made me feel like I was running it.

“An arena, huh….”

It reminded me of the gladiatorial combat of ancient Rome. I remembered reading about how they not only had people fighting each other but also pitted them against various animals.

But one thing I couldn’t overlook was that this wasn’t a game. This was real life. Thus, choosing option 1, where monsters fought each other, seemed like the right choice to avoid harming people. But was that really the best option? Would watching monsters fight each other be entertaining enough to draw an audience?

“Probably not.”

The same went for human vs human battles. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be right to call it a Monster Arena. Moreover, there might be people who wanted to participate. Crushing the future of such participants didn’t seem right either. So, my choice was clear.

“This has to be option 4.”

I chose option 4, Mixed, to keep all possibilities open. I then proceeded to set other parameters like the number of participants, time limits, and battle formats.

“No limit on the number of participants, of course.”

Would it be fun if it was always one-on-one? Would it be fair if humans and monsters fought in equal numbers? The excitement lay in having no limits on the number of participants.

“Time limit? That’s a bit tricky.”

Setting a time limit wasn’t easy. A time limit could heighten the tension, but it shouldn’t be too short. Moreover, if surrender was allowed, the time limit could become meaningless. Participants might surrender as soon as they thought their opponent was too strong.

“That wouldn’t be fun.”

After some thought, I decided on 15 minutes. This duration would keep the fighters desperate and the audience engaged. I also set the rule that the battles would be to the death, with no option to surrender. If no winner emerged within 15 minutes, it would be a draw. Victory would be determined solely by the opponent’s death.

I wanted an arena where people fought for their lives or fought like madmen. Additionally, I had to set other parameters.

– Set the betting amounts. –

– Allow or disallow the use of magical items or legendary equipment. –

– Determine the basic level of armament provided. –

– Train scouts to recruit participants for the arena. –

Each notification prompted me to make choices I thought were the best.

“This looks pretty good.”

The thought of gladiators fighting monsters, the brutal and bloody battles, and the cheering crowds made my heart race. Most importantly, the new arena system offered a significant reward for me.

– A portion of the profits from the [Monster Arena] will be paid to Dungeon Master Lee Kang-hyun in gems. –

This meant I had a new way to earn gems besides spending real money. The more successful the arena became, the greater the rewards for me.

“This has to succeed, no matter what!”

This time, the rewards were guaranteed.

====

***

====

The conversation between Malcolm and Necros continued. Necros’s suggestions were particularly bold.

【Remove all participant limits】

The voice echoed in Necros’s mind. He recognized it as the will of the Great One.

【Select talented individuals to train participants】

Even while conversing with Malcolm, the commands from the Great One filled Necros’s mind. Interpreting the Great One’s will was the very reason for Necros’s existence. He wrote down the commands in his notebook.

– Set the time limit to 15 minutes, and the battle ends only when one side dies. –

“Oh, that’s an excellent idea. The audience will witness even more thrilling matches. Necros, you’re really smart. Hehehe.”

– Train specialists to recruit participants. –

“Good, good! If we do that, people will be hooked on our arena. Success is guaranteed! Hahaha!”

Necros was merely following the Great One’s will, but to Malcolm, who knew nothing, Necros seemed brilliant. Malcolm couldn’t help but feel pleased as Necros effortlessly suggested ideas he hadn’t considered.

‘My judgment of people is spot on!’

Necros might be an even more capable partner than Malcolm had initially thought. Necros also mentioned bringing in various types of monsters, not just undead. Malcolm didn’t delve too deeply into how Necros could do this, figuring there was no need to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Instead, Malcolm focused on what he could do best.

“I’ll recruit the people! I’ll start with those who owe me money. Hehe. If I offer enough money, they’ll fight to the death for it.”

Malcolm was greedy. This business venture was bound to succeed. If it did, his influence within the Black Hand would grow immensely.

‘Then I can get rid of him. Hehe.’

Malcolm smiled at Necros, but there was no warmth in his smile, only cold calculation. He had never intended to share the business. Once he figured out how Necros brought in the monsters, he planned to eliminate him.

‘I am smart, after all.’

Malcolm let out a sinister laugh and spoke.

“Let’s flesh out the arena rules in more detail.”

It seemed he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.