The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices
Chapter 72

A mountain range adjacent to the demon world.

Because few people ventured here, the area was covered with giant, lush trees forming a forest.

Well-crafted planks were regularly nailed between the trees, naturally forming a fence.

Torches around the fence were driving away the darkness.

“Chwiik!”

A group walked along the fence.

If one were to walk along the fence, they would come across a wooden structure.

The structure stood tall enough to be easily visible.

It was a watchtower.

At the top of the watchtower, two orcs were stationed, keeping watch over the front.

Beside them was a quiver filled with large arrowheads, and upon seeing the approaching group, they raised their bows.

“Halt! Who goes there?”

At the warning of the sentinels, the one at the forefront of the group removed a large robe.

“It is I, Malox!”

He too was an orc, but with striking red hair.

Malox raised the torch in his hand and spoke.

“We’ve finished the hunt!”

As Malox spoke, the orcs behind him simultaneously lifted their prey.

The sentinels, recognizing them as members of the same tribe, allowed them to pass.

In the past, such procedures weren’t necessary.

But now, the size of the tribe had grown too large.

Not only had several orc groups merged, but they also began dwelling in the same dungeon as goblins.

As a result, watchtowers were erected around the dungeon, manned by sentinels.

“I will meet with the chieftain. Tend to things here!”

“Chwiik!”

Malox entrusted his subordinates with the cleanup and headed towards the dungeon.

The dungeon took the form of a massive cave.

Its entrance was blocked by a wooden door.

Upon opening the door, a large and spacious area appeared.

The space was adorned with the skulls and hides of various prey.

Above them hung torches emitting intense flames, illuminating the dungeon brightly.

As they traversed the spacious area, it split into two paths, with the right leading to the orcs’ quarters.

Since the left was inhabited by goblins, Malox headed right.

As they proceeded, rows of weapons hung densely on the walls.

Among them were weapons made from the horns of minotaurs, hunted down by their ancestors.

Malox passed through that area and continued walking.

After a while, they arrived at the training grounds.

Orc warriors, donned in various weapons and armor, were sparring to hone their skills.

The entire training ground was filled with the scent of strength and slaughter.

The young warriors, intoxicated by the atmosphere, proudly displayed their strength.

Malox nodded at the sight.

‘The future of the tribe looks bright.’

Naturally, a warrior must possess such vigor and confidence.

In that sense, the future of the tribe seemed promising.

As they walked further, another clearing appeared.

This one was quite spacious, with a figure seated at the far end.

It was Squall, the chieftain leading the current dungeon, ’Red-Headed Tribe’.

Having led the tribe even before the dungeon was unified, he was considered a formidable warrior.

However, Malox didn’t immediately call out to Squall.

Squall was currently in a state of meditation, not asleep but rather replaying the battle from a few hours ago.

For a great warrior, this was a natural course of action, almost a habit.

After a while, Squall opened his eyes, having finished his meditation.

As soon as Squall opened his eyes, he glanced down at his own body.

Something subtly changed.

Malox congratulated Squall in a booming voice.

“Chieftain, it seems you’ve gained enlightenment. Congratulations!”

Squall responded to Malox’ greeting.

“Malox, have you come.”

As Squall spoke, he sensed the changes within his body.

‘Has my strength increased?’

He rotated his arms in various directions.

But his strength hadn’t increased.

However, something had definitely changed.

Warriors always checked their bodies.

It was crucial to always assess one’s physical condition to unleash optimal strength in critical battles.

Therefore, even the slightest change was detectable to Squall.

Squall closed his eyes again.

And he felt the changes occurring in his body.

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The wounds were healing ever so slightly.

It was noticeably faster than before.

But that wasn’t all.

His exhausted stamina was swiftly replenishing.

‘And there’s another power, but I can’t grasp it yet.’

Yet, it was undeniable that his physical abilities had improved.

“Is this true power?”

Why was such power bestowed upon him?

As Squall pondered, Malox beside him spoke up.

“Chwiik. Wasn’t it the Master who granted strength to the chieftain?”

Squall looked at Malox.

“Indeed, there is merit in those words.”

Hasn’t the Master’s ability already been proven?

Even the dungeon they currently inhabit has expanded in size thanks to the Master’s power.

But that’s not all.

There are several beings by the Master’s side who possess powers even greater than himself.

As Malox said, it was right to see this power as a gift bestowed by the Master.

“Is this the power bestowed upon me by the Master!”

Squall clenched his fist.

Then he laughed heartily.

“Hahaha!”

Squall’s laughter echoed loudly.

Why then was such power bestowed upon him!

That point was both a question and a source of joy.

Of course, it didn’t take long to resolve that question.

“The chieftain’s recent battle with the human warrior, Chwiik. The Master must have been deeply impressed!”

Malox’ words were correct.

Surely, his significant victory over the human warrior in battle must have led the Master to bestow this power upon him.

“Indeed! Malox, your words are truly correct!”

Certainly, the Master respected warriors.

The Master understood the honor of warriors and rewarded them accordingly.

This was the virtue of the Master, which compelled warriors to pledge their loyalty.

“I never imagined it would go this far.”

The Master was not merely the type to dominate their subordinates with sheer strength.

Nor were they ever weak.

“Is this the stance of the Master.”

From now on, the path Squall must tread, alongside his unwavering loyalty, was towards the current Master.

“From now on, I, Squall, will fight only for the Master! Chwiik!”

Squall raised his shield high.

Attached to the shield was the head of a human warrior.

This was not only honorable to himself but also to the human warrior who had already departed from this world.

Squall had no doubts.

“I will prove myself to the Master!”

Squall was not yet satisfied.

“We will prove our worth!”

Before they knew it, young orc warriors had gathered around Squall and Malox.

They were the future pillars who would lead the orc tribe forward.

Squall surveyed them and raised his shield once again.

“Our goal is one!”

More heads would hang from their shields in the future.

Until then, Squall would not rest.

He would continue until every shield in the tribe bore a head.

And I will show it.

I will prove my strength to the Master.

To do so, I must battle even more warriors.

Of course, it will be a challenging journey.

But if one cannot endure even that process, then they wouldn’t have started in the first place.

Squall rose from his seat.

Countless orcs looked at him.

“Behold me! Chwiik!”

“Chwiiiiik!”

The orcs roared in response.

“We will face even more warriors!”

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

The process wouldn’t be easy, but with them, they would overcome everything.

“We will hang more warriors’ heads from our shields!”

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

“Let’s make the Master recognize our worth!”

At Squall’s cry, everyone shouted in response.

Their battle began now.

To prove their worth, they would collect more heads of warriors.

That was the honor of a warrior.

On that day, the goal of all orcs was set.

Of course, it was loyalty to the Master.

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Celia, who was handling her tasks, looked up.

“The Master has given an order.”

But this order was also abstract.

The Master expressed a desire for the minions in the dungeon to gain enlightenment.

“Enlightenment…”

Celia pondered deeply.

Discerning the essence of words was undoubtedly not an easy task.

But Celia contemplated further and interpreted the words of the great one.

It was the attitude of a servant serving the great one.

“Hmm.”

Celia decided to follow the orthodox method for now.

“Sir Goblin Lord.”

As Celia spoke, the goblin lord beside her stood up.

“Khem!”

“From now on, increase the intensity of goblin training. This is the Master’s will. If there are any who do not listen, you have the authority to dispose of them immediately.”

At Celia’s command, the goblin lord went outside.

“Next is…”

As Celia trailed off, Death Knight looked at her with shining eyes.

Death Knight was still being punished for the Monster Wave incident.

Although he hoped that this might be an opportunity for his travel ban to be lifted.

“…Sir Death Knight, continue your work as usual.”

It was out of the question.

Celia then turned to Arch Lich.

Recently, Arch Lich had been performing well in the role of inspector.

Not only that, but the Master had also even bestowed luxurious robes upon him.

Since the Master had already acknowledged him, Celia spoke without hesitation.

“Assign the undead training in Zone 1 to Sir Arch Lich. Also, in accordance with the Master’s will, I grant Sir Arch Lich the authority for immediate disposal.”

At her command, Arch Lich nodded and moved away.

In fact, the undead in Zone 1 had not been trained before.

Therefore, Arch Lich was uncertain how to proceed with the training, but he was not worried.

Arch Lich had observed the training of other monsters while serving as an inspector.

With this experience, he could proceed with the training.

Exiting the center of the dungeon and passing through Zone 4, Arch Lich returned to Zone 1.

As soon as he entered Zone 1, he said,

“Tack!” (Hit your head.)

But not everyone understood Arch Lich’s intention.

Since they had never undergone training before, it felt unfamiliar.

As everyone looked puzzled, Arch Lich flicked his fingers.

– Bang! Bang! –

Two undead in front of him exploded.

Arch Lich’s training had begun.

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***

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– A skeleton soldier has gained enlightenment in training. –

– The [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] of the skeleton soldier has been unlocked. –

– A skeleton warrior has gained enlightenment in training. –

– The [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] of the skeleton warrior has been unlocked. –

– A skeleton soldier has gained enlightenment in training. –

– The [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] of the skeleton soldier has been unlocked. –

Many alarms rang out.

“Oh.”

He had issued the order for Celia to gain enlightenment just a while ago.

But it hadn’t been long since he gave the order, and the effect was already apparent.

“Celia does seem competent.”

Even now, as he continued to see the alarms popping up, he suddenly had a question.

“Why are only the undead gaining enlightenment?”

No, was enlightenment this easy to come by in the first place?

Maru had gained enlightenment from battle, even though it was a fake fight.

But now, the undead were gaining enlightenment through training, as the alarms indicated.

“Could enlightenment be achieved through training from the start?”

He had thought it would take a long time to achieve enlightenment, but had he been mistaken?

“If it doesn’t work, they say to keep at it until you’re on death’s door.”

Wasn’t there such a saying?

Like how people change after experiencing death, he had thought that monsters might gain enlightenment if pushed to the brink of death.

But now, there was no need for that anymore.

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