A fair amount of time had passed since the social gathering hosted by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild ended.
I had only participated in the auction held during the banquet, then returned to Earth.
I had hoped to rest for a while, but after coming back, a string of hectic days followed.
‘There’s more to pay attention to than I thought.’
First was checking the items I had bid on at the auction.
When I returned to Earth after the auction ended, I was able to bring back the goods I had successfully bid on as rewards.
It was limited to two, but that didn’t matter.
‘The things I needed were already decided from the start.’
The first item I would bring to Earth was equipment.
The Corpse Harvester’s Cloak.
That cloak was not merely a piece of equipment. It was both equipment and an artifact that could store the corpses of those killed by its wearer inside the cloak.
In short, it was basically an inventory limited to corpses.
‘It’s the equipment that suits my trait best.’
One of the traits I possessed was “True Dungeon Master.”
It was an EX-rank trait, and it was necessary for strengthening my dungeon.
However, in order to use that trait, sacrifices were needed.
And the sacrifices referred to here were, of course, corpses.
Naturally, I had no intention of wearing the cloak myself.
For me, I could simply use my ability and absorb corpses right away, so there was no particular need for the cloak.
But the story changed if Maru wore it.
If we were talking purely about stats, Maru’s current hunting speed far surpassed mine.
It was only natural.
‘He’s a 5-star, and a Skeleton Holy Knight at that.’
In Earth Hunter terms, he was practically A-rank.
So having Maru gather the corpses from his hunts into the cloak was far more efficient for me.
When Maru returned, all I had to do was absorb the corpses.
‘In other words, automatic hunting.’
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to move around personally. That alone cut down on a great deal of time.
The second product I chose next was not an item or equipment.
It was a living being.
‘An elf.’
The elf’s name was Ciel.
Her grade was a whopping 4 stars.
I didn’t hesitate over this one.
At first, I worried whether a living being could even be selected as a reward, but it turned out to be needless concern.
Elves themselves were relatively rare, and above all, I needed to increase my power on Earth.
It wasn’t only important to raise my personal strength. Expanding a force of my own was important as well.
And as an alternative, I needed my own party.
Not just a party formed with anyone, but partners I could trust to have my back. I desperately needed that.
‘The world is a dangerous place.’
If I let my guard down, my current companions might stab me in the back.
Since the result of that would be death, it was only right to always be careful and vigilant.
From now on, I would enter countless dungeons and hunt. That meant I needed a party of my own, one I could trust and rely on.
‘I’ll fill the party members with my dungeon monsters.’
At the very least, my dungeon monsters wouldn’t betray me.
If there was one regrettable thing, it was that most of my dungeon’s combat power existed on the Eldorad Continent.
I wanted to bring monsters from the continent’s dungeon to Earth, but unfortunately, there were limits.
‘With the altar’s current level, 1-star monsters are still the maximum.’
I needed to keep raising the dungeon altar’s level by using the trait “True Dungeon Master.”
Depending on the altar’s level, the grade of monsters I could bring to Earth would also increase.
With my current altar level, 1-star monsters were the limit, so it was difficult to produce any meaningful results right away.
Because of this situation, the existence of the elf Ciel was like welcome rain to me.
[Monster Summoning] - (4/5)
- Maru (★★★★★)
- Ciel (★★★★)
- Skeleton Soldier (★)
- Gargoyle (★)
The total number of monsters summoned from the Eldorad Continent to Earth was currently four.
Maru, too, had been summoned as a 1-star Skeleton Soldier before becoming what he was now through the demonic sword.
But the truth was, having only Maru was still somewhat lacking.
So I had brought an elf with a 4-star grade to Earth?
Naturally, that was good news for me.
It definitely should have been.
“So she still isn’t talking?”
“Clack, clack.”
At my words, Maru nodded in response.
Of all things, after I brought her to Earth, Ciel would not speak.
It wasn’t that she didn’t talk at all.
She was simply an elf of extremely few words. To the point that I wondered if she might actually be unable to speak.
“This is troublesome.”
My happy vision of putting an elf in my party was already starting to creak.
The main purpose of a party was to explore dungeons and hunt together.
Naturally, for a party to function smoothly, communication between party members was essential.
But Ciel barely spoke at all.
“Hmm….”
Were elves originally a race of few words?
I would need to have met many elves to calculate an average, but unfortunately, I had not.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that even though she spoke little, she was quite skilled at carrying out instructions.
In particular, she was an elf who showed peak efficiency at housework.
“But this is way too inefficient….”
It was a shame to use high-class manpower like an elf solely for housework.
Just look at Maru.
Not only did he serve as my escort knight protecting me, but he was also good at hunting. When I returned home after finishing a dungeon exploration, he even finished the piled-up chores and laundry. When I was hungry, Maru even cooked for me.
I had a personal desire to make Ciel into an all-purpose talent like Maru as well.
But just as the saying went, more haste, less speed, I also intended to adjust my tempo.
‘Right, let’s take this slowly.’
Ciel and I were still awkward with each other.
If I tried to rush things for no reason, I might ruin the relationship instead.
It would be troublesome if that happened after I had gone through so much to obtain an elf.
‘She must have her own circumstances for being captured by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild, too.’
She had been put up as an auction product by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild.
There was probably a background she could not talk about.
There was no need to stir up trouble for nothing.
Since it wasn’t such an urgent situation, I planned to simply watch for now.
“All right, then. For the time being, let’s have Ciel do housework together with Coco.”
“Clack!”
At my words, Maru nodded and left the room.
For reference, Maru had also been extremely busy lately.
‘Maybe he’s even busier than I am.’
The reason Maru was busy was Azmo.
The 4-star incubus Azmo.
He was the administrator of the dungeon on Earth, “Temptation of Illusions,” not the Eldorad Continent.
‘To think he was planning something like that.’
There had been two other monsters who attended the Demon Realm Merchant Guild’s social gathering with me.
They were the Arch Lich “Necros,” who had recently become the guardian of the first floor, and the incubus Azmo.
Perhaps the things he experienced at the social gathering had left quite an impression on him, because as soon as Azmo returned to Earth, he made a proposal to me.
The proposal was to create a group here on Earth like the Demon Realm Merchant Guild of the Eldorad Continent.
At the time, I approved it immediately.
A merchant guild was ultimately a force of its own.
And if Azmo’s force grew, that was no different from my force growing.
What I paid particular attention to was the special nature of a merchant guild.
The Demon Realm Merchant Guild traded with various dungeons, gaining benefits through information as well as all sorts of transactions.
If I utilized it properly, wouldn’t I be able to increase my profits quite a bit as well?
There was also the possibility of various goods, equipment, and items falling into my hands.
As a bonus, the chances of information coming into my possession were high.
I supported Azmo’s plan and helped him as much as possible.
Although that help amounted to dispatching Maru, Azmo expressed his gratitude to me, saying even that alone was more than enough.
And when Maru returned from visiting Azmo, he did not come back empty-handed, so it was not a loss for me.
Since he filled the Corpse Harvester’s Cloak he wore to the brim with the corpses of monsters and villains, I had no need to follow him outside myself.
‘At this rate, Azmo’s merchant guild seems to be doing fine for now.’
I still didn’t know its official name.
Perhaps because Azmo had been busy lately as well, the reports coming in to me had become sparse.
Since I had entrusted this matter entirely to Azmo anyway, all I needed to do was cheer him on from afar.
‘By the way, what was it again? He said he found an organization to support them?’
At some point, Azmo had reported that he had found an organization to help them.
Since Azmo was a monster, there were bound to be severe limitations on his activities.
I had been worried about that point too, but it seemed Azmo had nicely found a method.
‘Did he form an alliance with other monsters or something?’
He did already have a lieutenant assisting him.
A slime skilled at transformation, named Vetter.
However, even with Vetter around, there would be limits to their manpower. Azmo had probably searched for an organization with care in his own way, so I likewise did not worry too much.
Rather, since Azmo was acting proactively, it was convenient for me.
“Should I take a look around the dungeon?”
I didn’t mean going there in person.
I just needed to access my smartphone and tap the app.
Since Azmo was taking care of things well on his own, my main task was managing the dungeon through my smartphone.
Of course, though I called it management, Celia handled most matters well on her own.
All I had to do was check whether the dungeon was running properly. On occasion, if Celia made a request, I simply had to listen.
Celia’s main request lately was to strengthen the monsters.
Of course, the monster strengthening system could not be used on just anyone.
It was only possible for monsters who had gained enlightenment, and the monsters Celia requested were in a state where strengthening was possible.
‘Most of them were just requests to grant holy power to undead.’
It was probably for the purpose of offsetting the undead monsters’ greatest weakness. There was no investment more cost-effective than eliminating a weakness.
I also wanted the dungeon monsters I owned to grow stronger, so I accepted them all.
‘It really is convenient having Celia.’
Come to think of it, Celia had also completed the special mission that appeared a few days ago.
The contents of the special mission had involved Princess Irena of the Kingdom of Seil, and for some reason, it said she was wandering.
In order to resolve Princess Irena’s worries, I assigned Celia as her mentor.
The result was a great success.
- Celia has resolved Princess Irena’s troubles.
- You have successfully completed the special mission.
- As a reward, Princess Irena is loyal to Master.
Of course, the reward was modest.
‘What am I supposed to do with a princess’s loyalty?’
If it were a king, maybe.
But someday, an era would come when the princess ruled the Kingdom of Seil. Well, that time was probably still far off, but there was nothing wrong with building a friendly relationship in advance.
“I’m just doing it for the fun of clearing special missions.”
A system like these special missions was beneficial to me if anything, never a loss.
“If everyone were like Celia, it would be fine even if the number of dungeons increased.”
Celia managed the Eldorad Continent, and Azmo managed the dungeon on Earth well in their respective areas, so there was no need for me to pay much attention.
Because of that, I could also prepare for my future plans.
“First, the priority is upgrading the dungeon altar.”
Only when the altar’s level rose could I bring high-grade monsters from the Eldorad Continent.
The total number of monsters from Eldorad I had currently brought to Earth was four: Maru, Ciel, Coco, and the gargoyle.
There was no need to waste breath explaining Skeleton Holy Knight Maru, and Ciel was still in her adjustment period.
And then there was Coco, the Skeleton Soldier who assisted with housework.
“Not bad.”
Lastly, the gargoyle was also a monster I had brought from the merchant guild’s auction house, just like Ciel.
Its grade was 1 star, so I could easily bring it to Earth.
‘There are ways to use a gargoyle, too.’
Gargoyles had something that set them apart from other monsters.
Normally, they did not move around alive, but transformed into the form of stone statues made of rock.
When looking at a gargoyle in statue form, it was so elaborate that one could truly mistake it for a sculpture.
But when an intruder appeared, it transformed into a living creature and fought against the intruder.
That was why gargoyles were usually used to guard dungeons.
Their faces, which resembled evil spirits, instilled fear in intruders, and their enormous bat-like wings expanded their range of movement.
Although it was currently only the lowest grade, 1 star, a gargoyle’s grade changed depending on the grade of the mana infused into it.
For the moment, there was no situation where it would be particularly useful, so I had simply left it in the living room.
As I focused on my smartphone again and inspected the dungeon—
Ding!
A new alert appeared.
- Special mission generated!
A special mission had appeared.
“They can appear consecutively like this?”
The special mission that had appeared a few days ago appeared again. For me, it was a good situation.
The rewards for special missions were fairly lucrative, after all.
I quickly checked the mission details.
- The Princess Who Wishes to Become King
- Help Princess Irena so that she may ascend the throne as queen.
“?”
What?
Question marks floated up in my head.
“She wishes to become king…?”
I was sure that, until just a few days ago, it had said Princess Irena was lost and wandering.
But now, all of a sudden, she wanted to become king?
Since I didn’t know Princess Irena’s circumstances, I couldn’t help but be puzzled.
This current mission had come that abruptly.
“Is this a hidden camera prank?”
Otherwise, there was no way someone’s state of mind could change so drastically in just a few days.
“No, saying she wants to become king means she’s going to push aside her own father, doesn’t it?”
This princess is saying something seriously dangerous.
I’d lived on the Eldorad Continent for two years, but I’d never had any connection with the Sale Kingdom.
Because of that, I couldn’t read the princess’s thoughts.
“Even so, wanting to become king out of nowhere…”
Could it be that?
Suddenly, a line from a game came to mind: “I am in the middle of inheriting the throne, Father.”
Let’s think about this calmly.
A few days ago, I assigned Celia as a mentor to the wandering princess.
The mission had been successful, and that meant Princess Irena’s wandering had come to an end.
In other words, Celia had properly resolved Princess Irena’s troubles….
“Ah!”
No way, Celia…?
You didn’t have a huge share in Princess Irena’s change of heart, did you, Celia? Right?
But looking at the circumstances alone, it seemed quite possible.
“Huh. Just what kind of conversation did you have with Princess Irena…?”
I’d sent her to listen to the worries of the wandering Princess Irena, only for her to turn Princess Irena into a fiery filial daughter instead.
No, I couldn’t conclude that yet.
Maybe Princess Irena had been wandering because she’d wanted to become king from the very beginning, right? And if Celia had listened to that concern, then it made sense.
“When I think of it like that, the princess sounds like trash.”
Hmm.
My hesitation didn’t last long.
The Eldorad Continent was very different from Earth.
That meant it wasn’t right to look at the princess through the eyes of a modern person living on Earth.
Most importantly, the reward for this mission was quite good.
- Please select the monsters to dispatch to the Sale Kingdom. Princess Irena has offered her “pinky finger” as a sacrifice.
- The number of monsters that can be dispatched to the Sale Kingdom will increase!
Monsters of 5★ or higher (0/5)
Monsters below 5★ (0/100)
- Reward: Princess Irena will swear absolute loyalty. Additionally, the activity range of the dungeon monsters will expand to the Sale Kingdom.
Unlike last time, this time there was a line saying Princess Irena would swear absolute loyalty.
“If this mission succeeds, that means she won’t be a princess anymore, but a queen.”
Receiving loyalty from the ruler of a nation, not just a princess….
It was a reward with quite a lot of merit.
But the real prize came after that.
The activity range of the dungeon monsters would expand to the Sale Kingdom.
“This is seriously huge, isn’t it?”
The dungeon monsters I had currently drawn had limits on their activity range.
Unless it was a special case like a mission, at best, they could only move around the forest near the dungeon.
According to Celia, monsters recruited from outside or people controlled by a banshee had no restrictions on their range.
But that alone was nowhere near enough.
But if they could travel as far as the Sale Kingdom?
And if I could even get my hands on the future queen who would rule the Sale Kingdom?
‘My influence will grow even greater.’
At the same time, that meant I could also secure the safety of the dungeon.
Since the destruction of the dungeon was the same as my death, this was unavoidable.
“Fine. I just have to put the princess on the throne, right?”
Princess Irena must have wanted to become king so badly that she even offered her pinky finger as a sacrifice.
If she was a princess overflowing with that much desire, then helping her was only reasonable.
“But how do I help her?”
Looking at the details, it said I could dispatch my monsters.
But this might end up being a bad move for Princess Irena.
Using monsters to reclaim the throne?
“That’s exactly the kind of thing that gets you marked by the Church.”
The Church would move, one hundred percent.
They would probably pin the crime of controlling monsters on her and designate her a heretic.
“What should I do…?”
The only help I could give Princess Irena was dispatching monsters.
Five monsters of 5 stars or higher. And a total of one hundred monsters below 5 stars.
A total of 105 monsters could be sent to the kingdom.
“Hmm….”
My 고민 continued.
Even if Princess Irena ascended the throne, it would be meaningless if the Sale Kingdom disappeared because of the Church, wouldn’t it?
A way to put the princess on the throne while deceiving the Church’s eyes as much as possible….
“Huh?”
It wasn’t as if there was no method at all.
I remembered the monster wave Azmo had caused before.
Back then, the monster wave had ended with minimal damage.
“And thanks to that, the media hailed Maru and me as heroes.”
At the time, I had shown the hunters the sight of Maru and me confronting Celia.
During that process, Maru, the Death Knight, and Necros had put on a bit of a play, but the effect had been incredible.
When Maru swung his sword, the Death Knight and Necros acted as if they were being blown away.
Then everyone else became amazed by Maru’s might.
As a result, the media had talked about Maru and me, who had vanished from sight, for quite some time.
There were even rumors that the Hunter Association was looking for Maru and me.
Of course, I planned to hide our identities until the very end.
“What if I apply that situation exactly the same way here?”
My thoughts began to move quickly.
“We go with a scenario where monsters invade the Sale Kingdom. And then the princess defeats those monsters.”
If things just went like that, it didn’t seem like it would have enough impact.
So I should add one more thing to it.
“Right. Maru joins her.”
Maru was a skeleton holy knight.
His grade was also high, at 5 stars.
“If Maru, who uses divine power, and the princess defeat the monsters together, the Church won’t have a reason to barge in.”
On top of that, it could give the princess a powerful impression as well.
The lead actor had been decided.
Then next, I had to choose the villains.
But the cards I could use were limited.
“Five monsters of 5 stars or higher in total.”
One slot had already been decided as Maru.
And the remaining four were….
Normally, I would have chosen Celia, Necros, the Death Knight, and the Goblin Lord, but….
“That’s absolutely out of the question.”
Empty the dungeon just to clear one special mission?
That was insane.
I needed at least the minimum forces to defend the dungeon.
“For now, it’s right to leave out the Goblin Lord.”
The scout units guarding the forest around the dungeon were made up of goblins.
And the only being who could command the goblins smoothly was the Goblin Lord.
But if I did that, the total number of 5-star-or-higher monsters I could use was only four.
In the end, that meant one slot would be left empty.
“I’d like to fill all five at least, but this is troublesome.”
Was there no method?
At that moment, monster summoning came to mind.
The problem was that monsters of 5 stars or higher didn’t come out easily.
“No, even so, I have to summon.”
The probability of getting a monster of 5 stars or higher was low.
No, it was safe to say they practically didn’t come out at all.
But summoning right now was definitely necessary.
‘The number of monsters below 5 stars I can mobilize is 100.’
It was a number that could be considered large.
But if I filled all 100 of them with 1-star monsters, it would lose all meaning.
At the very least, filling them with 2-star or 3-star monsters was right.
I immediately touched the screen and entered the shop.
I’d heard that jewels were actually magic stones, but calling them jewels was more convenient.
Even beyond the screen, they were still written as jewels, too.
- 100 jewels: 2,200 won
- 500 jewels: 11,000 won
- 1,000 jewels: 22,000 won
- 2,000 jewels: 44,000 won
- 5,000 jewels: 110,000 won
The price for 10 monster summons was 5,000 jewels.
Every 10 summons cost 110,000 won, but thanks to Azmo’s trading company, that was now no different from pocket change.
‘At this rate, the jewel price isn’t going to go up again, is it?’
Praying that the price wouldn’t rise for now, I began recharging.
- Payment successful.
- 5,000 jewels will be delivered by mail.
- Payment successful.
- 5,000 jewels will be delivered by mail.
………
……
…
I continued purchasing jewels.
Until the following message appeared, just like last time.
- There is a risk that the law of causality will be distorted.
- You cannot purchase additional jewels at this time.
Ha. So this is a world where I can’t even whale as much as I want.
But it couldn’t be helped.
If the system told me to stop, I had no choice but to stop.
In any case, I had prepared plenty of bullets.
The more than 300,000 jewels brought peace to my heart.
‘Well, I’m not planning to spend them all.’
Right now, I was in a situation where I couldn’t recharge any more jewels.
If something suddenly came up and I urgently needed them, it would be a huge problem, so it was right to avoid spending all the jewels on summons.
Now, let’s try summoning!
I immediately ran a 10-pull.
- You have drawn a Goblin (★).
Hmm, as expected.
It would feel disappointing if a 1-star didn’t come out.
Summoning never disappointed me.
1-stars were now nothing more than familiar beings.
I continued tapping the screen with my finger.
- You have drawn a Goblin (★).
- You have drawn a Skeleton Soldier (★).
- You have drawn a Weak Gnoll (★).
- You have drawn a Skeleton Soldier (★).
- You have drawn a Skeleton Magic Trainee (★).
- You have drawn a Skeleton Soldier (★).
- You have drawn a Goblin (★).
- You have drawn a Skeleton Soldier (★).
- You have drawn a Legless Zombie (★).
No, what the hell is a legless zombie?
Who made something like that?
The zombie crawling on its hands because it had no legs was disgusting.
“Huh….”
The types of monsters coming out of the summon had definitely become more diverse, but they were all 1-star.
“It’s too early to be disappointed. That was only the first summon.”
There were still plenty of jewels left.
The summoning continued.
- You have drawn a Skeleton Soldier (★).
It was only natural that this familiar bastard, who was practically family by now, kept appearing.
At this point, I didn’t even get angry anymore.
Still, every now and then, I could see new monsters.
- You have drawn a Ghast (★★★).
A ghast was a monster that was a superior version of a ghoul.
At least I was relieved that a 3-star came out.
- You have drawn a Wingless Imp (★).
- You have drawn a Mummy (★★).
- You have drawn a Mini Wood Golem (★★).
- You have drawn a Vampire Bat (★).
- You have drawn a Wisp (★).
- You have drawn a Hellhound (★★).
For a while, a festival of 1-stars and 2-stars unfolded.
Occasionally, 3-star monsters also appeared.
- You have drawn a Rotten-Toothed Wolf (★★★).
And finally.
- You have drawn a Young Hydra (★★★★).
‘Finally!’
The first 4-star monster appeared.
The young hydra visible beyond the screen was small.
It had the body of a snake and three heads, and perhaps because it was still young, it looked more cute than grotesque.
‘It’s literally still in the hatchling stage.’
But even if it was young, its grade was 4 stars, the same as Azmo.
If it became an adult from here, how far would it climb?
Just looking at its status window, it was definitely not at a level that could be ignored just because it was a baby.
- Grade: ★★★★
- Race: Unknown
[Traits]
- Regeneration (S): As long as the heart is not destroyed, the body continuously regenerates.
- Venomous Skin (C): The skin is covered in a highly poisonous substance. Since it is not yet an adult, the potency of the venom is relatively weak.
[Basic Information]
Vitality: A
Attack Power: C
Defense: D-
Magic Power: C
[Skills]
- Venom Mist (C): Sprays venomous mist in all directions. Since it is not yet an adult, the potency of the venom is relatively weak.
It might be weak right now, but it was one I could look forward to in the future.
“Good. Let’s ride this momentum and keep going!”
Had this thing called luck finally attached itself to me?
In the next summon as well, a fairly decent one appeared.
- You have drawn a Dhampir (★★★★).
“Dhampir?”
A dhampir referred to a half-vampire born between a human and a vampire.
‘I never thought a half-vampire would come out.’
If there was good news, it was that a dhampir was an intelligent being.
It was something that could be used as immediate combat strength.
That was fairly good.
The draws continued.
As expected, many 1-stars and 2-stars appeared.
3-stars also began showing themselves little by little.
If he was lucky, a 4-star came out too.
- You have drawn Cursed Guardian of Light (★★★★).
But that was all.
After that, a procession of 1-stars and 2-stars followed, consuming 250,000 gems.
250,000 gems was enough to run fifty 10-pulls.
Among the 500 monsters drawn, not a single one was 5-star or higher.
“Hah….”
A sigh escaped me.
Should I draw more?
But I had only about 50,000 gems left.
Since a situation might suddenly arise where I needed them, it was better to hold on to them.
‘Should I consider myself lucky for salvaging three 4-stars?’
In order to make as much use as possible of the monsters I had drawn, I used the synthesis system for the first time in a while.
The synthesis system was a system that consumed two identical monsters to evolve one.
- Synthesizing Zombie (★).
- Consuming Zombie (★) ×2.
- Synthesis successful! Zombie (★) has evolved into Ghoul (★★).
It was possible because I had enough 1-stars and 2-stars.
- Synthesizing Ghoul (★★).
- Consuming Ghoul (★★) ×2.
- Synthesis successful! Ghoul (★★) has evolved into Ghast (★★★).
But anything beyond that was impossible.
- Synthesizing Ghast (★★★).
- Synthesis of Ghast (★★★) has failed.
- Two Soul Stones of the same grade are required to synthesize into 4★.
It seemed Soul Stones were needed starting from 4-star.
Come to think of it, I remembered using Soul Stones early on to raise Celia’s grade as well.
Back then, I had bought Soul Stones with real money, but now no packages were appearing.
‘It would be nice if there were at least a way to obtain Soul Stones.’
Since there was no way to get them right away, I wrapped up the synthesis there.
“In that case, there’s still one slot empty for a monster 5-star or higher….”
I wondered if I should just mobilize the Goblin Lord.
“No, I absolutely need someone to guard the dungeon.”
Careless thinking was forbidden.
If this were a game, I could gamble, but this was unmistakably reality.
Having no choice, I selected the monsters below 5-star first.
Since I had to choose as many as one hundred, it took longer than expected, but I was careful.
“…….”
Just as the selection was nearly finished, a status message appeared before my eyes.
- Gargoyle (★) has detected high-grade mana.
- Gargoyle’s grade has risen from 1★ to 5★.
“Huh?”
Just as I felt puzzled, a scream rang out from the living room.
“Eek!”
For reference, Maru and Coco were skeletons by race, so they couldn’t make sounds like that.
“It’s Ciel.”
The moment I heard the scream, I immediately left the room.
“What happened?!”
When I went out to the living room, the gargoyle was moving little by little.
It seemed Ciel had been so startled by the sight that she had fallen to the floor.
“Clack clack clack.”
Maru came over to me and reported the situation.
He said Ciel had been wiping the gargoyle when it reacted.
“Hah….”
They said a gargoyle’s grade was proportional to the grade of mana.
But Ciel… your mana grade is high?
Unexpectedly, I was able to fill the one empty 5-star slot.
* * *
“Now, our great Master has spoken to me!”
Celia spread her arms with a joyful expression.
“From now on, we will go forth to spread His great will across the world.”
Before Celia stood Necros, the guardian of the first floor.
The Death Knight and the Goblin Lord, the mid-bosses in charge of each section of the first floor, were also present.
In addition, Berter the Dullahan, as well as all the other monsters, had gathered in one place.
“Mr. Goblin Lord, raise the dungeon’s alert level to the highest grade from this moment on.”
They would be leaving the dungeon empty again, just like last time.
Soon, in accordance with Master’s will, they would head to the Kingdom of Sail.
That meant the dungeon’s security would inevitably become weaker than before.
On top of that, the church’s delegation was gathered in the Kingdom of Sail. Since the kingdom was close to this dungeon, it was only right to prepare thoroughly.
At Celia’s order, the Goblin Lord bowed his head and left his place.
Having already experienced it once, the Goblin Lord’s actions were as natural as flowing water.
First was an inspection of the scouting parties.
Not only the scouting teams currently on duty, but even the goblins belonging to off-duty teams were all put to work.
Some swift-footed goblins who received the Lord’s command headed toward the four dungeons positioned nearby.
Those dungeons would also raise their alert levels to the maximum.
While the Goblin Lord was strengthening the dungeon’s defenses, Maru and the gargoyle, who had been on Earth, arrived on the continent of Eldorad.
Now that everyone was gathered, Celia continued speaking.
This matter was so important that Master had used His ability to increase the dungeon’s forces.
Most of them were monsters of no low grade.
Just looking at that was enough to feel the importance of this task.
“There must be absolutely no mistakes.”
The smile vanished from Celia’s face.
“Anyone who makes a mistake will, as punishment, be assigned to dungeon fortification construction without rest.”
At Celia’s stern declaration, everyone trembled.
Everyone except the lone Death Knight, who was still holding a pickaxe.