Was it just needless worry?
Not long ago, an alarm had appeared saying that the existence of the dungeon on the Eldorad Continent was spreading widely.
Since it was so sudden, I upgraded the facilities inside the dungeon for the first time in a while and even drew more monsters, but…
“Nothing’s happening.”
It was, quite literally, a truly peaceful daily life that continued on.
“Hmm.”
Was the alarm overreacting a little?
Or were Celia and the other monsters handling things well?
I learned the answer to that question a few days later.
- Dambi has offered the platinum-rank adventurer “Ibis” as a sacrifice.
- Absorbing the abilities of the sacrifice “Ibis.”
(Time remaining: 6 hours)
- Rills has offered the gold-rank adventurer “Faren” as a sacrifice.
- Absorbing the abilities of the sacrifice “Rills.”
(Time remaining: 6 hours)
A sacrifice had come in for the first time in a while.
This sacrifice told me one thing.
‘Looks like the dungeon’s existence really has spread, just like the alarm said.’
The guys who were just offered up as sacrifices were probably adventurers drawn here by the rumors.
And it meant that my dungeon’s monsters had stopped the intruders.
“Anyway, a platinum-rank adventurer…”
I could definitely feel that the difficulty had gone up.
The ranks of the adventurers who came to the dungeon would only keep rising from here on.
‘I’ll have to keep preparing accordingly.’
I spent the next six hours under Maru’s guard.
And the results of absorbing the sacrifices were pretty good.
- Successfully absorbed the offered adventurer “Ibis.”
- Acquired the skill [Poison Blast Crush(A)]. It can be used for enhancement.
- Successfully absorbed the offered adventurer “Faren.”
- Acquired the trait [Spirit Affinity(B)]. It can be used for enhancement.
Was it because they were high-ranking adventurers after all?
The abilities absorbed from them were fairly high grade as well.
‘I think I know what Spirit Affinity is, but what’s Poison Blast Crush?’
I immediately checked the skill description.
- Poison Blast Crush(A): An offensive skill that creates a powerful sphere of poison energy in the hand and fires it at the enemy. The target struck is engulfed in a powerful poison explosion that erodes and crushes the body.
‘This is a win, isn’t it?’
At the moment, the only offensive skill I had was E-rank Fireball.
And now, an A-rank offensive skill had appeared.
‘At this level, it should be fine for me to use it.’
Since it was an attack that used poison, it should allow for a variety of variables.
There was also the option of enhancing one of the monsters under my command, but Poison Blast Crush seemed better for me to use.
‘I can’t rely on monsters forever.’
I needed enough force to protect myself.
For the same reason, I decided to use Spirit Affinity on myself too.
There was no immediate need to enhance a monster anyway, and sacrifices would keep coming in.
Two days passed like that.
No additional sacrifices were offered.
Instead, this time an alarm related to a monster rang.
- Scoll has gained an enlightenment of evolution.
- Scoll’s grade is evolving from 3-star to 4-star.
- Master of the dungeon “Red-Haired Tribe,” Scoll(★★★★)
“Oh, why did this one suddenly evolve?”
An enlightenment of evolution.
Until now, monsters had only evolved when I spent money or received rewards after completing missions.
But now a monster had evolved on its own.
“Yes, this is what makes raising them worthwhile!”
Honestly, I was moved.
It finally felt like the monsters had learned how to live on their own, and that made me proud.
There was no way I could rely only on the cash-spending system forever.
My joy did not end there.
- Ghoul(★★) has evolved into Toxic Ghoul(★★★).
“Oh.”
What was this now? Toxic Ghoul?
It was a monster I had never heard of before.
Was it called Toxic Ghoul because it contained poison?
“Anyway, how did this one evolve?”
Scoll had evolved to 4-star after gaining an enlightenment of evolution.
But with this ghoul, there had been no explanation at all; the alarm had simply said that it evolved.
“Is there some difference?”
Had the ghoul gained an enlightenment of evolution like Scoll?
If that were the case, the alarm would have said so.
Hmm… I really couldn’t tell.
Maybe it had simply been lucky.
Ghouls were not intelligent monsters.
Perhaps it had just gotten lucky and seized an opportunity to evolve.
For now, that seemed like the correct way to look at it.
“Still, it’s a bit of a shame.”
If I only knew how it evolved, I could apply it to the other ghouls too…
It was a pity, but I decided not to worry about it anymore.
Right now, I had something else to prepare for besides this.
My visit to the Firebird Guild.
Soon, I planned to visit the Firebird Guild.
My current status was that of an advisor affiliated with the Firebird Guild.
To be exact, it was limited to the team led by Jeong Yerin, but an advisor was still an advisor.
Originally, when Jeong Yerin offered me the advisor position, she had told me I did not have to come in to work, but staying at home all the time made me feel a little uneasy.
‘Even so, it’s only polite to visit at least once.’
An advisor position was absolutely not a position where one could just laze around and live comfortably.
Jeong Yerin had said she would come to me when she needed my help, but if she suddenly came looking for me, I would be the one in trouble.
Not only did I currently have no idea how the Firebird Guild operated, I also did not know everything about every monster.
The reason Jeong Yerin had misunderstood me in the first place was because of the information on the Goblin Lord, but there was no guarantee that such coincidences would keep piling up.
That was why I decided to go to work at the Firebird Guild for the time being.
I would grasp how things worked at the Firebird Guild and appropriately listen to the team members’ difficulties.
That way, I would get closer to the team members and fulfill my role as advisor in my own way, while hiding the fact that I was actually incompetent.
At the very least, I was not an incompetent person who did nothing at all.
I was making the bare minimum effort, wasn’t I?
“Even I think that’s a pretty good strategy.”
Good. Going to work was settled now.
Now I had to think about what gift to give Jeong Yerin and the team members on my first day at work.
“……”
Should I just hand out chocolates or something?
But that was too ordinary a gift.
If I were going to work as an ordinary guild member, that might be one thing, but right now, I held the role of advisor within the guild.
“Hmm…”
The premium tea leaves Celia had sent me?
There was too little of that in the first place.
I did not know how many team members Jeong Yerin had, but there was definitely not enough to give to all of them.
If some received it and some did not, it would only worsen my image.
“Is there anything good?”
Just as I was deep in thought,
an alarm rang from my smartphone.
- Celia offers “fine liquor made with abundant care” to Master as a sacrifice.
- Receiving the sacrifice “fine liquor made with abundant care.” (Time remaining: 3 hours)
“……?”
Why liquor?
Why had Celia offered liquor at this very moment?
Most of all, the name was strange.
‘Fine liquor made with abundant care?’
Was it meant for me to drink it and cheer up?
After thinking about it for a moment, a good idea soon came to mind.
“That’s it! Liquor!”
Wouldn’t it work if I gave that fine liquor as a gift on my first day at work?
It was called fine liquor from the name alone.
It was not ordinary liquor either, so it seemed suitable as a gift.
In an instant, my worries disappeared completely.
I did not know why she had made liquor and offered it as a sacrifice, but…
“As expected, there’s no one but Celia.”
Since Celia made it, the liquor was sure to taste good too.
* * *
The ghoul slowly walked through the forest.
As it moved, it put whatever it could grab into its mouth, and its appearance continued to change.
By now, the ghoul’s skin had turned a grotesque purple noticeable at a glance, and a hard outer shell like armor had grown over it.
The stems of plants stretching out in various places were tangled as if wrapped around the ghoul’s body.
Even so, the journey continued.
If there was one thing that had changed, it was that the ghoul, who had been wandering the forest alone and lonely, now had friends.
They were Sharia and Lucas.
Thus began a bizarre journey between monster and humans.
“Guuuuh.”
Even while moving, whenever it found the corpse of an adventurer, the ghoul reacted immediately.
It searched the corpse and took out the money.
It gave some to Sharia and swallowed the rest itself.
There was no special meaning to it.
When it handed over gold coins, the humans thanked it, and that felt strangely pleasant.
Come to think of it, had Necros not continued to hand gold coins to his lord, the Death Knight?
“Guuuuh.”
The ghoul came to understand Necros’s actions.
As a result, the ghoul continued to hand part of its earnings to the humans.
Each time, Lucas bent at the waist.
“Apostle, to think you would show us such concern… We are truly grateful.”
To those who had been struggling in poverty, even moldy bread was no different from a feast.
Yet the grace they had received today from the ghoul, presumed to be an apostle of the Evil God, was so generous that they could not help but be moved.
“Lucas, with this much, I think we can even put eggs in our bread…!”
Sharia’s eyes sparkled as she drooled from the mere thought.
Sharia, the leader of Eclipse, had two dreams.
Her greatest wish was the resurrection of the Evil God, and her second was to eat a freshly baked piece of bread topped with a fried egg whose yolk flowed over it.
At least for today, the latter seemed like it might become reality.
At Sharia’s words, Lucas solemnly nodded as well.
“The captain is right. Is this not truly a blessing bestowed by Him?”
The ghoul before them was undoubtedly an apostle of the Evil God.
It was not a simple guess or some vague hope.
Even at this very moment, the ghoul was evolving at an astonishing speed.
Before they knew it, its appearance had become so grotesque and powerful-looking that it could not even be compared to an ordinary ghoul.
‘Indeed, there is no room for doubt. That being is surely an apostle of the Evil God!’
Of course, ordinary monsters evolved too.
But that process was slow and required a long, long time.
The rapid changes the ghoul was currently undergoing seemed to far surpass the bounds of normal evolution.
Moreover, Sharia and Lucas were black mages.
They could feel the aura of death emitted by the ghoul every single moment.
“Perhaps we have discovered something far more precious than treasure.”
No, it was certain.
After all, they had met an apostle of the Evil God.
At first, they had simply come to the mountain range in pursuit of the rumors.
The possibility was slim, but if they happened to discover the treasure, it might solve Eclipse’s financial difficulties.
But they had found something more valuable than treasure.
‘Apostle…’
Perhaps, starting with this, they might be able to aim for the resurrection of the Evil God.
‘If that happens…’
Lucas’s heart began to pound rapidly.
They would regain their honor as black mages, and their prestige would once again cover the continent.
At present, people’s gazes toward black mages were at their worst.
In the eyes of the world, black mages were evil and cruel beings.
They were known as devil worshippers who committed murder for the sake of black magic and offered corpses to the Evil God.
But that was different from the truth.
At least, the current Eclipse was in no position to do such things.
If they found even an animal carcass, they were too busy trying to fill their stomachs.
There had once even been a member who was beaten to death while trying to steal a dead livestock animal.
“Sob… He was such a kind member…”
Perhaps recalling a sorrowful memory of the past, Sharia shed tears.
And killing people to use high-level black magic?
If they did something like that, it was obvious the White Order would chase them to the ends of the continent. Were there any black mages who would do such a thing?
They did not even have enough time to research black magic as it was.
Far from research, they were in a situation where they had to worry about their meals, and most Eclipse members got by through begging.
This was the current state of black mages.
‘But that ends today.’
Lucas stared down at the coins lying on his soot-stained palm.
Coins of bronze, silver, and gold mixed together and gleaming.
This was not mere money.
It was a blessing bestowed by the Evil God.
‘Starting today, Eclipse will rise again.’
That meant the resurrection of the Evil God was not far off.
Lucas tightened his grip.
“……”
Beside him, Captain Sharia’s gaze was also extraordinary.
With this much money, they could eat freshly made bread for several days.
They could even add fried eggs on top of the bread.
‘It’s been so long since the members could have a proper meal.’
Sharia had always felt regretful that, as their captain, she had not been able to take proper care of her members.
But now the situation had changed.
Sharia’s gaze turned toward the ghoul.
‘If we keep following that apostle…’
Eating bread topped with ham instead of eggs would not be an impossible dream!
Sharia murmured, her eyes burning hot.
‘Yes! The Evil God must be watching over us!’
The wheel of fate was rolling toward Eclipse.
The fact that she, the captain, had happened to hear the rumor.
The fact that they had evaded the White Order’s surveillance network and come here by way of the mountain range between the Kalln Empire and the Free City Alliance.
And even the fact that they had encountered the Evil God’s apostle on that road.
All these coincidences felt like puzzle pieces deliberately set in place.
Could all of this truly be coincidence?
Sharia shook her head.
It was far too elaborate to be called mere chance.
This was surely a script written by the Evil God himself.
Even the rumor of the treasure that had led them here must have been the Evil God’s will.
With a solemn heart, Sharia bowed her head.
She engraved it deep within her heart, again and again, that everything happening now was the Evil God’s mercy.
And so, Sharia and Lucas followed close behind the ghoul.
“Gwooh, gwooooh.”
(I don’t see the Death Knight.)
The ghoul’s muttering was an incomprehensible code to them.
They could only guess at the profound meaning contained within it.
Lucas nodded.
“It seems he is telling us to continue following him, Captain.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
Thus, the three of them walked endlessly through the forest.
After who knew how long, suspicious silhouettes suddenly appeared up ahead.
“It’s a monster! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Their opponents were a group of adventurers.
It was a fairly large party, numbering well over ten, and they quickly formed up.
From their actions alone, it was clear they were quite seasoned adventurers.
“D-danger! Lord Apostle!”
Lucas cried out to the ghoul with a flustered face.
Even if he was the Evil God’s apostle, a ghoul was still a ghoul.
Outnumbered as he was, it did not seem easy for him to hold out.
“No… We only just met the apostle….”
Sharia clenched her teeth and looked at Lucas.
Their eyes met, filled with resolve.
“Lucas! We should prepare too!”
Having understood each other’s thoughts, the two immediately began chanting spells.
Though they could hardly expect much power without offerings, they might at least draw the enemy’s attention.
“O great one who governs death, please grant me strength and bring death upon my enemies—”
Sharia’s mouth fell open mid-chant.
The ghoul was walking toward the enemy line as if nothing were wrong.
“No! Lord Apostle!”
Lucas shouted until his throat nearly burst, but the ghoul paid him no heed.
Instead, he calmly stood before the adventurers.
“Gwooh, gwooooh?”
(Do you guys want money too?)
“What…?”
At the ghoul’s words, the adventurer standing in front muttered with a puzzled expression.
“Gwooh, gwooooh?”
The ghoul said it again, his face utterly unconcerned.
The humans who had been following him had acted politely once he gave them money, hadn’t they?
And when he handed out money, the ghoul felt happy.
Therefore, this time as well, he decided to give the opposing adventurers money.
The ghoul smiled brightly at the thought of sharing his money.
However….
At present, the ghoul had no money on him at all.
“Gwooh….”
Because all the money he had taken from the corpses had either been swallowed or given to Sharia and Lucas.
But the ghoul quickly thought of a good solution.
He could simply take out the money in his stomach and give it to them.
The ghoul strained his belly, intending to bring up the gold coins he had swallowed.
“Gwo……”
The more he strained, the more his insides twisted and writhed.
“Wh-what is that!”
The adventurers wavered at the ghoul’s strange behavior.
Then it happened.
“Gwooooooh—!”
Instead of gold coins, green smoke burst from the ghoul’s mouth.
“N-no! Everyone, dodge!”
An adventurer screamed at the sudden turn of events, but it was already too late.
“Aaaargh!”
The adventurers enveloped in the green smoke collapsed to the ground as if their flesh were melting away.
Chilling screams and a burning stench filled the forest.
And behind them, Sharia and Lucas stared at the scene before them with faces full of shock.