The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices
Chapter 67

EP.67 Inspector Arch Lich’s Notebook

Grektor’s head fell to the ground.

“…….”

The adventurers remained silent as they witnessed the scene.

Some shed tears at the gruesome sight, while others felt remorse.

Everyone wept silently.

“S- Surely…”

Isrin murmured, seemingly unable to believe it.

Who is Grektor?

Wasn’t he a formidable warrior boasting immense strength?

Though rough around the edges, he was a reliable comrade when together.

Moreover, he was a silver-ranked adventurer.

And yet, he was defeated by a mere orc?

Typically, orcs are 2-star monsters.

Silver-ranked adventurers are not a match even for 2-star monsters. A fight with bronze-ranked adventurers would suffice.

But the outcome was entirely different this time.

Isrin glanced around.

Just by looking at the monsters surrounding them, she could tell.

They stood in wait, obeying the orders of the orc that had defeated Grektor.

‘Indeed, that orc must be controlling the nearby monsters.’

It wasn’t an ordinary 2-star orc.

It was even higher.

Perhaps she should have intervened in the battle a little earlier?

If she had used magic, maybe Grektor wouldn’t have died.

‘No, that’s not it.’

But she shook her head.

Even if she had saved Grektor that way,

What about the remaining monsters?

Would all those countless orcs and goblins have just stood idly by?

No matter how much she thought about it, it wasn’t the right answer.

Most likely, others would have suffered from the rampaging monsters.

Of course, that didn’t mean the current situation was okay.

In the end, Grektor lost to that orc, and the fate of the remaining ones was uncertain.

If there was any silver lining, it was that the orc who faced Grektor seemed intelligent.

At least there might be room for negotiation since communication was possible.

Isrin gazed at the orc.

Surely, he had introduced himself as Squall.

It had only been a short time since the battle ended.

Yet, Squall, the orc, seemed so nonchalant, as if he had expected this.

Instead, he leisurely gathered the spoils.

“The equipment once wielded by an honorable warrior… I shall use this!”

Squall picked up Grektor’s greatsword and shield from the ground.

“Cwiiiiiikkk!”

The monsters around him cheered as he raised the weapons.

‘What should we do?’

No answer came to mind.

The others were just as clueless.

“W- What should we do?”

Nariel, who had been trembling beside them, spoke up.

But even Isrin couldn’t think straight in the current situation.

She merely stared at Squall in front of her.

Squall was certainly different from the other orcs.

Not only was he massive, but his face was covered in scars.

And what about those flowing red hair?

Just his presence alone was extremely menacing.

‘Can we survive this?’

Could they really escape unscathed in the current situation?

Isrin watched Squall closely, trying to find any openings.

Coincidentally, Squall was examining the weapons he had acquired.

“I have decided to respect this warrior!”

“Cwiik!!!”

With each word from Squall, the monsters around him responded enthusiastically.

Squall looked down at the body of Grektor lying on the ground.

“The honor of this warrior must be known to all!”

After muttering these strange words, he suddenly began lift Grektor’s head.

What on earth was he doing?

“……”

Isrin, as well as the other adventurers, quietly awaited Squall’s next move.

But what happened next was truly shocking.

Squall lifted Grektor’s head and began to hang it on the shield.

“Huh?”

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Perhaps everyone had the same thought.

Squall hung Grektor’s head on the looted shield.

And then, as if showing off, he raised the shield.

“Cwiik!”

Grektor’s head was hanging from the shield.

The adventurers felt nauseated at the sight.

Meanwhile, the surrounding orcs cheered even louder.

He had clearly mentioned honor.

He had said it was to proclaim Grektor’s honor.

“What kind of honor could there possibly be in that?!”

Isrin couldn’t comprehend.

She found herself shouting without realizing it.

The cheers that had followed her outcry fell silent.

And everyone’s gaze turned to Isrin.

“I- Isrin…”

Nariel, trembling with fear, stuck close to Isrin’s side.

But fortunately, the monsters didn’t move.

Only Squall nodded and opened his mouth.

“I have acknowledged this warrior! It signifies respect among warriors!”

Isrin couldn’t understand Squall’s words.

But there was no point in continuing the argument here.

It would be a waste of time.

Above all, they needed to prepare themselves now that it was their turn.

‘Should we launch a preemptive attack, or should we just run away no matter what…’

Various options appeared in her mind, but they were all reckless.

The adventurers, too, were all in a state of panic.

And seeing the eerie sight only exacerbated it.

Their thoughts weren’t much different from Isrin’s.

‘We need to flee.’

Survival now required each person to fend for themselves.

But this was a mountain range.

Even if they fled, could they safely escape past all these orcs and goblins?

Yet, launching an attack first would also be a foolish choice.

It was better to each run in different directions, even if it meant only a few would survive.

As the adventurers pondered, Squall spoke again.

“You’re no longer needed.”

“?”

What did that brat just say?

Isrin’s thought process momentarily froze.

“Can’t you hear me? You’re no longer needed. You can go now.”

She hadn’t misheard.

Squall truly seemed to mean they were no longer needed, as he grabbed the shield with Grektor’s head attached and left in another direction, weapons in tow.

The monsters followed him.

The suffocating gazes from just moments ago vanished in an instant.

“Phew.”

“W- We’re alive?! Are we okay?”

As the orcs and goblins departed, the adventurers slumped down in their spots.

They had been lucky.

“……”

Leaving behind the adventurers who breathed a sigh of relief, Squall marched forward.

Then, he addressed the figure beside him.

“Tell the Manager! Mark my words, one adventurer was dealt with honorably by me, Squall!”

It was a shadow.

The shadow listened to Squall’s words and promptly disappeared.

Confirming that the figure had completely vanished, Squall muttered to himself.

“Indeed, is the Master testing us.”

Squall’s act of sparing the adventurers wasn’t merely for entertainment.

It was simply following the directive given by the Manager, Celia.

The order brought by the shadow was clear.

If adventurers were to come, they were not to be exterminated.

An inspector had visited before.

Perhaps the Master was assessing their usefulness.

“I must stand by the Master no matter what.”

While others may not understand, Squall himself would remain by the Master’s side.

What could be more honorable than being loyal to a Master who respects warriors?

In any case, the objective was achieved.

Just this much would surely earn favor with the Master.

With the shield adorned with the head of the honorable warrior, Squall stepped into his dungeon.

====

***

====

The surviving adventurers walked and walked.

What had happened just now had truly been fortunate.

Isrin pondered recent events.

‘Could it be that the monsters just let us go?’

Upon reflection, even the orc’s proposal for a one-on-one duel seemed absurd.

Though they had thankfully passed one hurdle, the problem lay ahead.

What should they do now?

Isrin glanced back discreetly.

The other adventurers had long since lost their resolve.

Perhaps they could somewhat understand why the Sael Kingdom prohibited entry into the mountains.

‘Could it be the appearance of mutant monsters…’

Certainly, the orc named Squall couldn’t be an ordinary orc.

A monster who gained power for some reason.

A so-called mutant.

It was an unexpected problem.

And there was another issue lurking there.

Firstly, the fact that despite knowing this, no one seemed to consider leaving the mountains.

They had already accepted the contract and received a considerable sum of money.

While giving up now might seem like a relief, they were worried about the penalty.

The contract clearly stated that abandoning the request midway would incur various disadvantages.

At that time, there was no intention to give up, so they signed without hesitation.

But reality was different.

Everyone’s spirits had already crumbled in the face of it.

“Should we run away?”

Unfortunately, they were all official adventurers.

If they were nobles, they would have checked the backgrounds of the adventurers here before taking on the request.

And if they fled now, they wouldn’t be able to receive normal adventurer requests in the future.

That was what nobles were like, and adventurers who lost their trust were useless.

Although it was a secret request, but now entering the mountains was prohibited.

Regardless, losing trust as adventurers would be the same.

In the end, they were trapped.

They had already received payment.

So, they couldn’t just give up the request.

Regardless of how, they had to complete the remaining duration of the request.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just hide somewhere?”

Someone suggested.

It was a suggestion to hide somewhere for the remaining duration.

Some adventurers agreed with the suggestion, nodding their heads.

After all, everyone knew that the current situation in the mountains was far from normal.

So, it was best to be cautious.

Nariel and Isrin, standing beside her, had no choice but to agree with that statement.

The current situation was indeed unfavorable.

And the sun was setting.

The worst-case scenario would be facing the night without any preparations.

Everyone just wanted to find a place to spend the night for now.

How far had they walked?

Nariel pointed forward.

“A cave…? No, is it a dungeon?”

Isrin approached as she spoke.

They needed a place to stay for now.

Even if it was a dungeon, it would be better to spend the night after clearing it.

Isrin and Nariel led the adventurers into the location.

“It’s dark here?”

The cave was dark.

And it was very humid.

As they went further in, the temperature rose.

Adventurers began to take off their outerwear.

Continuing inward, a figure popped out.

“Bubbl!”

The first to greet them was a slime.

And not just any slime, it was a large slime.

“A King Slime…?”

Behind the King Slime, several other slimes appeared.

Slimes of various colors lined up and approached the adventurers.

“Chwi! Bbop!”

It seemed like the King Slime was saying something, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be understood. If there was any consolation, it was that they seemed friendly towards them.

The adventurers followed the slimes further into the depths.

“Huh? It’s a hot spring!”

A place where warm water gushed forth appeared.

It was indeed a hot spring.

One adventurer was so excited that they leaped into the water.

Before the others could stop him, it was already done.

“That idiot…!”

Isrin lost her temper at the adventurer who had jumped into the water.

In dungeons, one must be cautious of everything. Missing even the smallest detail could lead to death. Therefore, such actions were truly foolish.

Still, they were fortunate. Nothing happened to the adventurer who leaped into the water.

“You all should come in too! It’s warm and nice!”

Instead, he gestured towards the other adventurers.

Starting with his words, one by one, they cautiously entered the water.

Truly, nothing untoward happened. The warm spring water mixed with the slimes, providing an even more pleasant sensation.

The fatigue accumulated throughout the day dissipated.

More and more adventurers jumped into the water.

As if their worries from a moment ago were lies, everyone wore happy expressions.

Isrin and Nariel simply watched the scene unfold.

“Isrin, aren’t you going in?”

At Nariel’s question, Isrin just nodded her head.

Then, she sat down on the ground.

This was unquestionably a dungeon.

Therefore, they needed to remain vigilant until the end.

While others may falter, Isrin was determined to stay alert until the end.

Nariel also took a seat beside Isrin.

The two of them quietly watched the adventurers in the water.

====

***

====

“So, is this the report?”

Celia frowned as she looked at the thick notebook handed over by the shadow.

The thick notebook was something Arch Lich used to carry around.

She had ordered the shadow to bring Arch Lich’s notebook to hear the interim report, but…

“Why are only good stories written in here?”

Is this the evaluation record?

“…..”

Even every point was positive.

[Slow in gathering information. Although this is a deduction factor, perseverance in pursuing the aesthetics of slowness in a rapidly changing dungeon is commendable.]

[Attempts to divide rather than harmonize among adventurers as the manager of the dungeon. A good attitude.]

[Handles weapons well in ordinary times. Good.]

[No issues with the Red-Headed Tribe Dungeon.]

“…”

With a hint of suspicion, she turned to the next page.

[Roaring like the manager of the dungeon is rough.]

[Presenting a significantly threatening appearance to the adventurers.]

[No problems with the Sticky Puddle Dungeon.]

Even here, it was so simple that only a few lines were written.

“Is this record really accurate?”

Celia was skeptical.

Perhaps the shadow had brought the notebook incorrectly?

Furthermore, the back of the notebook was filled with praises for the master.

The great, noble, and magnificent master bestowed a robe. This is an extraordinary gift to be cherished for a lifetime.

“……”

Today, Celia found herself at a loss for words.

Evaluating in this manner made it difficult to objectively assess the dungeon’s capabilities.

Celia wondered if it was right to continue entrusting the role of inspector to Arch Lich.

Of course, entrusting the role of inspector was the will of the great master, but she could still make suggestions.

Shortly afterward, a shadow handed Celia another document.

She immediately checked its contents.

The content was simple.

[Squall defeats adventurers]

Squall, who leads the ‘Red-Headed Tribe’ dungeon.

Reports have come in that he defeated adventurers.

He even managed to defeat an adventurer estimated to be of silver rank.

“It’s only fitting to show a form befitting of the mercy of the great one.”

If one embraced the will of the owner, then resolving such matters was appropriate.

Celia nodded her head.

At the same time, the evaluation of Arch Lich was slightly upgraded.

At least it seemed that there was no personal bias in evaluating Squall.

However, even if that’s the case for Squall, isn’t the evaluation of the next dungeon too modest?

‘Sticky Puddle’ dungeon.

Celia checked the next content of the document.

[Melting adventurers who enter the water with slime’s acidic substance]

The report was also brief. Moreover, it is said that most adventurers died in this process.

It seemed that Arch Lich had his own objective evaluation, after all.

“…..”

But all of this is not because Arch Lich did well.

Did the great master not assign the role of inspector to Arch Lich?

“Indeed, you are the master.”

Celia felt reverence for the insight of the great master.

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