The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 132: The Dungeon Workers

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 132

EP.132 The Dungeon Workers

At dawn, a thick, cold mist blanketed the mountain. Dambi woke up and looked around. The campfire had long since died out, and Lils was nowhere to be seen. She had probably gone to scout the area. Dambi’s gaze then fell on Riche, who was still fast asleep, oblivious to the world.

“Grrr?”

The stew slime nestled in Riche’s arms reacted to Dambi’s gaze with a small growl. At that moment, Dambi’s keen sense of smell detected a faint scent of blood.

“I smell blood from somewhere.”

As he searched for the source, his eyes returned to the stew slime. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the slime was chewing on something.

“Grr. Grrr.”

The stew slime had swallowed a field mouse whole and was chewing it contentedly. It seemed the mouse was the source of the blood scent.

All it took was a single drop of blood in the stew. Just one drop, and it had transformed into a living slime. Initially, Dambi had thought of Riche as just another eccentric vampire, but her abilities were genuinely unique and powerful.

‘Lils was right. We should take her to the master’s dungeon.’

With such abilities, Riche could undoubtedly be of great help to their master. As he pondered this, Lils returned from his scouting.

“There were no unusual signs around. If we leave now, we can reach Celia by the end of the day.”

Their original destination had been the royal capital. They had planned to accompany Riche to the capital and then take on more adventurer quests. However, after witnessing Riche’s abilities, they decided it would be better to head to the dungeon.

Moreover, Riche had already been abandoned by her group. Even if she rejoined them, there was no telling how long she would last, and in the worst-case scenario, she might be killed. The White Order was still hunting vampires.

‘If she gets caught, she’ll surely die.’

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Dambi didn’t want to see a fellow vampire die. It seemed better to give her a new life in the dungeon rather than let her face certain death.

“Unfortunately, the shadows won’t reach us for a while. It’s best to tell Celia about Riche’s abilities in person once we arrive.”

Celia had only a few shadows at her disposal. Thus, if the timing was off, there was no way to contact her through them.

“Let’s head out immediately. If we delay too long, we might attract unnecessary attention,” Dambi suggested, recalling the incident at the inn a few days ago. While they could handle such situations easily, it was best to avoid them altogether.

Just then, Riche stretched and woke up.

“Ah, refreshing!”

“Grr?”

The stew slime, noticing its master awake, spat out the mouse it had been chewing and quickly climbed onto Riche’s shoulder. Dambi and Lils exchanged glances, silently agreeing to take Riche to the dungeon without raising suspicion.

Their group, now consisting of four members including the stew slime, quickly packed up and started down the tranquil forest path.

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“Impressive. Nobles are certainly different,” Celia said with a smile as she looked up from the documents she was reviewing.

The man standing before her nodded confidently.

“You flatter me. While the Rosenberg family has a long history in politics and diplomacy, we still have much to learn from you, General Manager.”

His words carried both confidence and humility. The man was Kazel von Rosenberg, a young baron of the Sael Kingdom. He had been one of the nobles arrested for siding with the noble faction. Despite his imprisonment, he never despaired. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity.

He had endured harsh torture, but during his time in the dungeon, he had come to a realization.

‘The era of humans is coming to an end.’

He had always thought monsters were disorganized and less intelligent than humans. But his time in the dungeon had shown him how wrong he was.

‘Who would have thought such a systematic dungeon could exist?’

Moreover, Kazel was a perceptive man.

‘The royal family must be connected to this place.’

Otherwise, there was no reason for all the arrested nobles to be confined in the dungeon. Considering these circumstances, Kazel saw immense potential.

‘The one who placed Princess Elena on the throne must be the General Manager.’

Kazel’s gaze lingered on Celia, who was smiling. She was an incredibly beautiful being and wielded immense power within the dungeon. The sudden rise of Elena, who had previously held no power, was undoubtedly due to this General Manager.

Considering all these circumstances, Kazel couldn’t help but admire Celia’s intelligence and strategic planning.

‘Perhaps…’

He thought that these beings might one day rule the entire continent of El Dorad. If he sided with them, he might also bask in their glory one day. The light he envisioned was far beyond his current status as a baron.

The thought filled him with exhilaration.

‘This choice will shape my future. Siding with them is a risky gamble, but the rewards are immense.’

If he failed, he would be branded a heretic by the White Order. But if he succeeded, he would have the chance to rise above others in the new order.

Kazel von Rosenberg decided to abandon his status as a baron of the Sael Kingdom and align himself with the monsters. The perfect opportunity to act on his decision soon presented itself.

[Special Recruitment! Seeking a noble to assist with administrative tasks. Compensation includes a small stipend and exemption from camp construction duties. However, the workload is immense.]

Upon seeing the recruitment notice, Kazel had shouted with excitement.

‘Yes, this is it!’

Without hesitation, he applied for the role. He didn’t care if other nobles mocked him for lacking honor. His choice allowed him to fully demonstrate his abilities in this position.

Most importantly, Celia’s gaze towards him had changed.

“There’s no need to be so humble. Completing this amount of work in such a short time is impressive. If you continue to assist me, the efficiency of dungeon operations will greatly improve,” Celia praised, clearly impressed by Kazel’s work.

Moreover, she appreciated that Kazel showed no fear of her, despite her being a monster.

“Your praise is too generous. If given the opportunity, I will continue to serve you diligently, General Manager!”

“Very well. From now on, I appoint you as the Chief Steward of the dungeon.”

“It is an honor!”

Kazel bowed deeply, responding with enthusiasm.

Though it might seem humiliating to be demoted from a baron to a steward, Kazel didn’t mind at all. In this place, being a noble was just an empty title. It held no real meaning, and he believed that siding with the powerful was the wisest choice in the current situation.

‘Better to be the tail of a dragon than the head of a snake.’

With that thought, Kazel von Rosenberg willingly embraced his new role as the dungeon’s Chief Steward. Just then, the sound of shouting from somewhere in the dungeon reached his ears. It was the voices of the nobles who had been his peers. Unlike Kazel, who had joined Celia’s special recruitment, they had stubbornly chosen to remain in the camp construction.

Kazel’s eyes turned cold at their cries.

“It’s fine. They’re no longer my concern,” he said, drawing a clear line between himself and them.

He had staked his future on the dungeon and the monsters. He knew well that sympathizing with them just because they were fellow humans would lead to endless complications. Kazel had firmly chosen his path, focusing only on the future.

“Now, shall we discuss more specific matters?” Celia asked.

Kazel’s actions seemed to be the right choice. Celia nodded in approval. Ironically, the darker the dungeon, the brighter his future appeared. Even if that future was stained with blood, it didn’t matter to him.

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In the 1st floor Area 4 of the dungeon, a group of people was seen working, covered in mud and sweating profusely. The workers ranged from middle-aged men to elderly individuals with white hair. They were all nobles from the Sael Kingdom. Having never done manual labor in their lives, they were now digging to expand the lake near the dungeon, following Celia’s orders.

For nobles, this was an unimaginable task, even shameful to call labor.

“Damn it, why do I have to do this kind of work!” one noble exclaimed, throwing down his shovel in frustration. The other nobles also stopped working, sharing his sentiment.

“We have dedicated our lives to the Sael Kingdom! This menial labor tarnishes our honor!” another noble shouted.

“Exactly! We cannot let this insulting treatment go unpunished. They must pay for this!” they agreed, even spitting at and insulting the adventurers among them.

“How can they assign such lowly work to nobles like us? This is outrageous!”

Despite being arrested by the kingdom, they were born nobles and expected to be treated accordingly. Being forced to do such menial tasks infuriated them. The nobles, filled with anger, raised their voices in protest. None of them were willing to work anymore.

“Kazel is just a whelp who doesn’t understand noble dignity. He betrayed humanity for his own gain!” they spat, directing harsh words at Baron Kazel, who had sided with the monsters. His actions were seen as an unforgivable betrayal and an insult to the noble society.

“In any case, we don’t deserve this treatment! We must refuse to work and assert our rights! They wouldn’t dare harm us!”

Complaining to their heart’s content, the nobles completely stopped working. Just then, a foreboding presence made itself known.

“……”

As if on cue, everyone fell silent. The terrifying overseer had appeared. Clad in pitch-black armor, wielding a sharp sword and an enigmatic shield, it was a Death Knight. Its mere presence was enough to instill fear.

The Death Knight wasted no time. Recognized by General Manager Celia for its authority, it felt no need to persuade them clumsily. It simply acted.

– Swoosh. –

The Death Knight’s sword flashed, piercing the heart of the noble who had first incited the rebellion.

“Gah…!”

The surrounding nobles screamed and tried to flee, but were blocked by skeletal knights. The sudden chaos was short-lived. The noble, whose heart had been pierced, began to rise again.

“Urrgh!”

It was the Death Knight’s skill, ‘Resurrection of Death’. Those killed by its sword were reborn as ghouls. The noble’s former appearance was gone, replaced by a ghoul, a loyal worker for the dungeon.

“Urrgh….”

Witnessing the horrific fate of their comrade, the remaining nobles trembled and picked up their shovels again. Seeing their fellow noble turned into a ghoul, no one dared to voice any complaints. In this place, rebellion meant death.

Once envied nobles, they had now fallen to the status of dungeon slaves. It was a miserable but necessary choice for survival.

Satisfied, the Death Knight nodded. As it resumed its supervision, it noticed new arrivals entering the Area 4.

It was Dambi and his group, individuals who had recently caught Celia’s attention. They usually operated outside the dungeon, so their presence here indicated they had business to attend to. Besides the familiar faces of Dambi and Lils, there were newcomers.

“Grrr.”

One of them, holding a peculiar slime that growled back at the Death Knight.

“Urrgh…”

As the slime growled, the ghouls echoed its cries. For some reason, the Death Knight had a strong premonition that the number of workers in the dungeon would soon increase.