“Everyone, one final inspection!”
“Hey, you there, double-check the potion count!”
Since early that morning, the Phoenix Guild had been bustling with activity.
Even today alone, two teams were heading out on dungeon raids.
Guild members moved between the teams, checking the Hunters’ gear and wrapping up the last preparations for the subjugation.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have paid this much attention.
Dungeon raids were an everyday affair—nothing to fuss over so frantically.
But this time was the exception.
Not just the Hunters, but every administrative staff member was attached to each individual Hunter, personally checking their equipment piece by piece.
The two teams conducting today’s raids.
The problem lay with the respective team leaders leading those two teams.
Both team leaders were, of all people, the guild master’s children.
The son, Jeong Ujin, and the daughter, Jeong Yerin.
Surely it wouldn’t come to that, but if either one of them came to harm, the guild atmosphere would plunge into despair that very day.
Everyone was preparing with extra zeal, anxious that not a single spark might fly their way.
Jeong Yerin, too, was making thorough preparations before heading out on the dungeon raid.
While preparing, she thought of the person she’d spoken with not long ago.
‘…Lee Ganghyeon.’
He was the man who had told her about the Goblin Lord.
If everything he had said was true, the Goblin Lord was not a difficult opponent.
Rather, if one was careful, it was practically a monster that anyone could defeat.
But perhaps because of the fear that it was an A-rank monster, no one had bothered to seek out detailed information on the Goblin Lord.
Instead, upper-rank Hunters simply challenged it head-on, while those less capable chose to avoid the Goblin Lord entirely.
That had definitely been the case.
‘He was different.’
The man called Lee Ganghyeon was completely different.
He did not follow the path others had taken. Rather, she had sensed from their conversation then that he intended to walk his own path.
‘If everything he said is true in this dungeon…’
The established order within the guild could be overturned going forward.
To accomplish that.
‘I have to recruit him no matter what.’
No matter what conditions were offered, Lee Ganghyeon had to be brought in unconditionally.
Just as she was thinking that.
“Jeong Yerin.”
Someone had called her.
She actually knew who it was, but ignored him outright.
Since they were hardly on good terms despite being siblings, that was the method she chose.
“Ha, you dare ignore your oppa? You’ve grown a lot.”
Jeong Yerin answered with continued silence.
Even if she laid eyes on Jeong Ujin now, it would be hard to feel anything positive.
Jeong Ujin spewed venomous remarks for a while, then grumbled and returned to his place.
Only then did Jeong Yerin watch his retreating figure.
‘You son of a bitch…’
Jeong Ujin held a position in charge of personnel rights and dungeon management within the guild.
In other words, that meant Jeong Ujin was the one who had assigned her this Goblin Lord dungeon.
He had probably assigned it knowing full well that she and her team members absolutely could not defeat an A-rank monster.
‘…If only this matter wraps up well, I should make sure to get something for Mr. Ganghyeon.’
If the raid succeeded, Lee Ganghyeon would practically be her benefactor.
She planned to grant him as many rewards as possible.
If she failed this raid, she was dead meat. Even if she made it back alive, her standing within the guild would diminish.
That was why a turnaround was needed.
Moreover, Jeong Ujin’s sinister plan wasn’t limited to this.
Matching the date she entered the Goblin Lord dungeon, Jeong Ujin had also prepared for a dungeon raid.
His intention was obvious.
‘The picture is me failing and him succeeding.’
The more she thought about it, the more infuriating he became.
‘I hope he gets done in by an incubus.’
Jeong Yerin inwardly cursed that ill-fated wretch.
Then she shouted toward her team members.
“Let’s head out soon.”
No matter how well you knew the countermeasures, actual combat was different.
“Everyone, keep in mind what I told you! Follow only my orders!”
That was why she sternly warned her team members.
‘It’s going to be a drawn-out battle anyway.’
Even if it took several days, Jeong Yerin intended to clear the dungeon.
* * *
Jeong Yerin departed for the dungeon raid.
Jeong Ujin watched her figure leaving the Phoenix Guild.
Soon it would be his turn to depart.
Jeong Ujin was confident in this dungeon raid.
He was heading to a B-rank dungeon.
He had already completed reconnaissance perfectly.
The result: there hadn’t been a single succubus, only incubi.
He had sent out reconnaissance teams several times, so the information was certain.
Actually, some monsters possessed intelligence, so such frequent reconnaissance was rather disadvantageous.
If monsters saw that and responded, the dungeon raid’s difficulty would increase.
But this dungeon contained only incubi.
‘This is easy money.’
An incubus’s charm worked only on women. That was why he had composed the entire team of men.
No matter how the incubi responded, there was nothing to fear.
Since their ability wouldn’t work anyway, at best they would fight head-on.
Jeong Ujin smiled, thinking so.
‘Let’s go, finish quickly, and rest.’
From today onward, he would soar.
One would fail the dungeon raid, and the other would succeed.
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
Of course, Jeong Ujin was certain that the one succeeding would be him.
* * *
The dungeon gate opened.
“Everyone, get a grip!”
Jeong Ujin urged his team members from behind.
Even if the incubi’s abilities didn’t work, physical damage was unavoidable.
Jeong Ujin barked at his team members.
“Everyone, stay on guard! The enemy will definitely come straight at us!”
The incubus dungeon interior was very quiet.
The dungeon walls were made of pure white marble, with ornate patterns engraved upon them.
A serene yet dark atmosphere made the interior look pale.
Everyone advanced slowly while on guard.
“Team leader, I hear something.”
“Shh!”
Jeong Ujin quickly brought his finger to his lips.
When he listened carefully, laughter could be heard from the end of the corridor.
‘What is that?’
There was nothing but the laughter.
“…….”
That laughter sounded like the whisper of a devil tempting them.
What could be at the end?
Hope?
Perhaps instead of hope, darkness and danger might be lurking, but their footsteps did not stop.
For some reason, they felt they had to move forward.
They could not know what end this unknown path would unfold toward, yet they felt strangely excited.
“…….”
They slowly followed the devil’s whisper.
* * *
The incubus dungeon’s central area.
Celia sat upon the ornate chair in the center.
“This tingling feeling, it’s really wonderful? What is the name of this?”
Celia drank something and immediately exclaimed in admiration.
Then, an incubus waiting upon her at her side immediately answered.
It was Azmo, the master of this very place and the leader of the incubi.
“Yes, Lady Celia. This is a beverage called Cola. It is an item obtained from a Hunter who entered last time.”
“Cola… Earth is certainly a fine place. I rather like it. Next time, I should suggest to the Master that we conquer this place as well.”
Celia placed the empty drink on the tray Azmo was holding.
Then she picked up a new beverage.
“Ohh, I thought he was extraordinary, but the Master truly is a remarkable person!”
Azmo admired him sincerely.
When Celia had first appeared, he had thought an enormous being had descended.
But upon hearing of a Master who treated her as a mere servant, he was shocked.
‘Just how powerful is he?’
According to Celia’s words alone.
She had said that the nations of other dimensions were already all beneath the Master’s feet.
‘As expected, the world is vast indeed.’
If the succubus before his eyes had not been from another dimension, they would have formed an alliance.
Azmo found that point deeply regrettable.
‘Yes, it is enough that he is helping us like this now.’
Thinking so, Azmo diligently attended to Celia.
“Ah, the guests have finally arrived?”
Celia stopped drinking her cola and opened her mouth.
As soon as Celia finished speaking, Hunters began slowly walking from the corridor.
‘When did they…!’
Seeing that, Azmo was astonished.
The Hunters were already completely enthralled.
This was something an ordinary succubus could never have accomplished.
‘The more I see, the more amazing she is.’
Celia had brainwashed all the distant Hunters using charm.
They already appeared completely subordinate to her.
Not only that.
With a single gesture from Celia, they all began stripping off the equipment and clothes they wore, setting them on the floor.
“You said the incubi here do not discriminate by gender?”
Azmo nodded.
Celia’s words were true.
Originally, incubi targeted women, but Hunters had a cunning side.
Even now, weren’t the Hunters all composed of men?
This was because they knew incubus abilities did not work on men, so they had deliberately matched genders.
This created one problem.
Even if they repelled the Hunters, they could not absorb their vitality.
In the end, they had been forced to choose a strategy of taking from anyone regardless of gender for survival.
“Thanks to the great Lady Celia, matters have become smooth.”
The Hunters were already naked.
Perhaps due to Celia’s ability, they were all in a state of surrendering to lust.
“Don’t mention it. All of this is the Master’s will.”
Celia said so while pointing at the equipment the Hunters had discarded.
“Ah, may I take those fools’ equipment?”
“Of course. All of this is what Lady Celia has accomplished. We shall simply follow Lady Celia’s will.”
Azmo politely bowed at the waist.
Then he clapped his hands, ordering the remaining incubi to collect the equipment.
All the equipment was stored in a single inventory.
“The Inventory Artifact is a token of my sincerity. I hope that someday I may have the honor of meeting the great Lady Celia again….”
Upon completion of the mission, the surrounding space distorted.
There was nothing left to do in this dungeon.
Receiving Azmo’s farewell, Celia entrusted her body to the distorted space.
“…….”
Inside the incubus dungeon after Celia had departed.
The flames hanging on the walls danced and soon scattered.
A tranquil darkness settled over the space.
That darkness was filled with the sweet savor of indulgence.
Against that sweet backdrop, the incubi approached the Hunters with dignified grace.
As though men offering their hands to lovers.
A long night of temptation began.
* * *
- Successfully provided dungeon support.
- Made first contact with a dungeon from another dimension.
- Warning! The dimensional causality is being recalibrated.
- Warning! Due to rapid fluctuations in causality, emergency mode has been activated for Lee Ganghyeon, owner of the dungeon ‘Nest of the Evil God.’
- Lucid Dream temporarily activated.