In a room shrouded in darkness, a man sat hunched over before a desk.
The man muttered in a trembling voice.
"I-I'm sorry! It is my mistake. I never imagined there would be someone who dared lay hands on the representatives."
His voice cracked and trembled, choked with terror.
The man was called 'Master' within the Pitch-Black Hand, but his current appearance was utterly wretched.
No, in truth, this was practically his true form.
"B-but! I will surely set all of this right!"
Master swallowed dryly and continued with great effort.
"Please grant me one more chance! O Monarch of Death!"
His gaze was fixed on the desk.
Upon it sat a black mask emanating an eerie aura.
It was the mask he normally wore.
Though a familiar object, in Master's eyes now it was nothing but an object of terror.
Trembling in despair and fear, he awaited an answer.
"..."
In the silence, only a deathly stillness hung.
The sight of a man groveling and muttering alone in the room felt bizarre.
But then, a spine-chilling laughter echoed in all directions.
—Kuhuhuhu.
A laughter loud enough to tear one's ears.
It was spreading from the black mask.
—Dare you tell me there is a fool who obstructs my plans?
Master caressed the mask with trembling hands.
"...That is correct! One who insults the Monarch of Death deserves punishment!"
He replied, his face lighting up.
Master's power and position all stemmed from this mask.
The black mask was an artifact.
It was the real thing, on a completely different level from the simple artifacts found on the streets.
The black mask was a legendary-grade artifact engraved with the soul of a high-ranking demon.
Through the mask's power, he had ascended to the throne of the underworld, and he had no doubt that someday he would grasp the entire continent in his hands.
'With this alone, I too can become king...!'
He had certainly thought so.
At least until Malcolm died.
The beginning was simple.
One day, Malcolm had suddenly disappeared.
At the same time, a new figure had appeared in the district Malcolm managed.
It was one named Necros.
Whether that bastard had lost his mind, he had sent invitations to the representatives of the Pitch-Black Hand.
Naturally, an invitation was delivered to Master as well.
He didn't know where the information had leaked, but one thing was certain:
'He's no ordinary guy.'
Still, it didn't matter.
No matter how extraordinary he was, he was ultimately human, was he not?
In contrast, he possessed an artifact inhabited by a demon.
To find out about Necros immediately, Master sent Laila, Annabelle, and Ferris to the location written on the invitation.
That was his blunder.
All three who had headed to the location lost contact.
'......!'
All his efforts up until then had come to naught.
The small kingdom he had painstakingly built was shaking precariously.
Fear gripped Master's heart.
Not because of his vanished subordinates.
Even if the organization collapsed, he wouldn't have cared.
The true fear lay elsewhere.
'What if he doubts my competence? If I'm abandoned here...'
A horrifying imagination consumed him.
If by chance the black mask abandoned him, it would be no different from the foundation of power he had built up disappearing entirely.
His life as 'Master,' and of course his position as a representative, would all be lost.
Hadn't all that power originated from the mask to begin with?
'I must prove my worth no matter what!'
Master, standing at the edge of a cliff, had no room for choice.
He had to resolve the situation before him immediately and display his loyalty before the black mask.
At the very least, he had to pretend to do so.
"I will go to Malcolm's district right now and verify the situation!"
Master lowered his head and kissed the black mask.
A cold sensation dug into his lips.
"O Monarch of Death... please take my soul and bestow your power upon me!"
His maddened whisper soon reached its peak.
As if answering in kind, the mask responded with a dreary voice.
—Yes... my faithful servant. If you wish for power, I shall gladly grant it.
Master trembled as if enraptured by the demon's voice, which sent shivers through his entire body.
"I shall serve you for all eternity...!"
As he slowly brought the mask to his face, his pupils began to flush red with blood.
—Now, go outside and show your strength. I shall be with you.
With bloodshot eyes, he stared into the empty air and faced toward the door.
As he wandered the corridor shrouded in darkness, a cruel smile hung on his face.
"Kkuk."
Master—or perhaps, a demon.
The man bared sharp fangs and burst into a chilling laugh. His laughter echoed, buried in the darkness.
The demon seized a human's flesh and began to sow the seeds of death.
—Now, let us go in search of death.
"Now, let us go in search of death."
The man, led by the demon's voice, slowly moved his feet.
* * *
A thunderous roar shook the colosseum.
Jeers, curses, and fanatical cheers pouring in from all sides mixed together until ears were on the verge of going numb.
This was the Monster Colosseum.
It was a blood-drenched battleground where monsters and humans fought life-or-death struggles.
At first, there weren't many madmen willing to stake their lives.
So Malcolm had threatened people indebted to him and dragged them to the colosseum.
However, the reversal of the situation was due to a boy named Cale.
"Hey, did you hear? They say that Cale fellow survived again."
"What? He survived again this time too? Wow, he really is one tough lad. Made quite a bit of money too, right?"
"Don't even mention it. Treating his little sister with the money he earned like that—what a kind lad. This is surely because he lives so righteously that the Goddess watches over him."
The most talked-about challenger in the Monster Colosseum was, of course, Cale.
Cale, an ordinary boy supporting his family, had come to the colosseum after being told his debts would be forgiven.
Though he had never held a sword, Cale was lucky.
Cale miraculously survived every match.
A sword he threw by chance would pierce a monster's vitals, or he would survive by slipping away while monsters were distracted biting each other.
Once, he tripped over his feet and avoided a monster's attack that way.
As such incidents repeated, Cale's luck grew deeper with each match.
People began betting on Cale, whom fortune followed, and naturally his odds fell.
But the amount of money Cale took home was enormous.
He bought a good house with his earnings and hired a personal priest for his younger sister.
His achievements were so great that the colosseum even attached bodyguards to him.
A young boy had made a place for himself in the underworld.
A boy with enough money to live in a fine house and keep a priest as a personal physician.
Even personal bodyguards?
This success myth of Cale's increased the number of those challenging the colosseum.
Knights and former adventurers joined in, raising the level of the matches gradually.
In a short time, the Monster Colosseum's popularity pierced the heavens, and the people's frenzy reached its peak.
"No! What is happening! A werewolf has pounced on Sir Rainer! Sir Rainer, who held the advantage throughout the match—is he falling like this?!"
"Waaaaah!!"
Today as well, the announcer's screams mixed with the crowd's frenzied shouts in the colosseum.
The colosseum, where good and evil, light and darkness clashed and shed blood, was today again covered in cruel tremors.
And there was a man watching that scene—none other than Master, the leader of the underworld who led the Pitch-Black Hand.
He wore the black mask that emanated an eerie aura on his face.
"Hmm, it is certainly a good business, my Lord."
The competence of the one who had driven out Malcolm and seized the district was quite impressive.
A colosseum utilizing monsters, of all things.
The problem was that such a great business was in the hands of an unknown brat.
'Stupid Malcolm bastard.'
How the hell does one get their district stolen?
It would have been fine if Malcolm had been running the colosseum instead.
But Malcolm was already dead, and the district had passed to another.
Still, all was not lost.
"If you permit it, my Lord, I shall offer up this Monster Colosseum."
Master whispered to the black mask.
With demonic power at his back, a colosseum was child's play.
—Kuhuhu. How long has it been since such a feast of death?
Fortunately, the black mask let out an enraptured voice, seemingly intoxicated by the colosseum's slaughter.
Master smiled in satisfaction at a reaction that seemed to see through a demon's true nature.
"Now, everyone! Let us begin the final, most anticipated match of the day!"
The announcer's shout echoed through the earsplitting cheers.
The challengers ascended the stage, and eyes focused on one boy among them.
"Let me first introduce the challengers! Well! Many new challengers have gathered today as well. But of course, we cannot leave out this person!"
The announcer raised his voice even higher.
"That's right! The living legend of the Monster Colosseum, the appearance of young Cale!"
The people cheered and screamed at Cale's appearance.
They had a strong belief that Cale would survive this match too anyway.
As such, most had bet on Cale.
Because even with low odds, it was a guaranteed win.
"I hear that boy is the luckiest of them all."
Master also took out gold coins from his pocket and bet on Cale.
Even with low odds, it was a bet that was obviously going to win.
There was no defeating one whom fortune favored, no matter how hard one tried.
Hadn't Master himself held the fortune called the black mask?
That was why he had bet on Cale, a lucky one like himself.
The black mask remained silent at Master's actions, saying nothing.
Shortly after, the announcer introduced the monster.
"The monster that will face today's challengers is—! Don't be surprised! A 3-star Skeleton Wizard!"
But the audience's attention was fixed on Cale.
They paid no heed to the Skeleton Wizard holding a thick grimoire.
"That looks like a spellbook."
Only Master stared intently at the monster.
But that was all.
Though it had a strange appearance, a Skeleton Wizard was not a particularly special monster.
The moment he thought that, the black mask on the man's face trembled violently.
"M-My Lord...?"
The trembling did not stop at the mask but spread throughout Master's entire body. In confusion, he quickly removed the mask.
"What is happening all of a sudden!"
As Master panicked, the black mask finally spoke.
—I have f-finally found him! That one is the absolute being closest to death!
"No! What are you saying!"
—I sense countless deaths from him. It is undoubtedly the power chosen by the God of Death!
The mask muttered strange, incoherent words.
Master stared at the arena with a bewildered face.
What the hell was that thing to make it react like this?
'What on earth is it...'
In the center of the arena was merely a 3-star Skeleton Wizard.
A monster that did nothing but wear an old robe and hold a thick spellbook.
He couldn't understand why it trembled so at that existence.
It was a mere 3-star undead monster, not a 4-star Lich or a 5-star Archlich.
'Strange. Wait, what?'
Master suddenly realized sensation had disappeared from his hand.
The black mask had vanished without a trace.
"My Lord...?"
He looked around in agitation, but the mask was nowhere to be found.
"Where are you!"
At that moment, the announcer's shriek-like voice rang out.
"Th-this can't be! The Skeleton Wizard's hand has pierced Cale's heart! What on earth is happening right now?!"
The boy who had been the legend of the Monster Colosseum was dead.
Such was the end of one whom fortune had followed.
* * *
Kaleido knelt respectfully before Necros.
"You've done well! Lord Necros!"
The being standing before him was none other than the Skeleton Wizard who had killed Cale in the arena just moments ago.
The Skeleton discarded its old robe and changed into an elegant blue robe.
The true identity of the Skeleton Wizard was an Archlich—Necros.
"The boy named Cale had certainly outlived his usefulness. It was very good to dispose of him with this opportunity."
The underworld of the Seil Kingdom.
Necros was in charge of one district of the underworld.
At the same time, he had become the master of the dungeon created by the great one.
As the dungeon came into being, Kaleido naturally began managing it as well, effectively taking on the role of a lieutenant.
To that extent, Kaleido was also involved in managing the colosseum.
"Ferris is still wandering inside an illusion, but he will soon fall into our hands."
Ferris could be seen in the room, fallen into a deep sleep.
His expression didn't look good, perhaps having a nightmare, but it didn't matter.
Kaleido's report continued.
"If you use these individuals to completely seize the underworld, Lord Necros, the dungeon's safety will also be guaranteed."
Necros remained silent as if lost in thought, then nodded wordlessly.
Then, a human cautiously approached and spoke.
"Master, a guest has arrived."
He was an employee of the colosseum.
However, he had become Necros's subordinate after experiencing Kaleido's illusion magic.
"Click-clack."
When Necros made a sound, Kaleido quickly interpreted.
"Lord Necros asks who it is."
When Kaleido spoke on Necros's behalf, the colosseum employee opened his mouth.
"They say they are the person in charge of the new dungeon at the Demon Realm Merchant Association."