Twenty-five years had already passed since monsters first appeared in the world.
In that time, humanity had advanced, and by now its systems had developed so well that even when problems broke out, they could be dealt with almost immediately.
When a major incident such as a monster wave occurred, the Awakened Center in the relevant region was the first to detect it.
Based on that, a report would be sent up to the higher organization, the Dungeon Management Agency, and in the end, the situation would quickly be disseminated even to the Hunter Association.
Of course, in order to reduce damage during this process, hunters were deployed first.
But hunters were not the only ones sent to the scene of an incident.
“This is breaking news! We have reports that a monster wave has occurred in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do!”
The announcer delivered the breaking news in an urgent voice.
“We will bring you further details as soon as they come in!”
Despite it being the middle of the night, every news channel without exception was broadcasting related updates.
Reporters who had already arrived at the scene were pouring out breaking news articles in real time.
“…Regarding the current breaking news, we have invited Professor O Dongseok of the Hunter Academy, who has long studied monsters.”
The faster stations had not only sent cameras to the scene, but had already finished securing an expert as well.
“Hello. I’m O Dongseok.”
The man who briefly introduced himself was Professor O Dongseok, currently serving at the Hunter Academy.
He had been introduced as someone who studied monsters, but originally, he too had worked as a hunter.
And as one of the earliest, first-generation hunters at that.
Perhaps because he had spent so long active on the front lines, even at middle age, his physique was impressive.
Even now, his massive build looked almost out of place at the news desk.
“Yes, Professor. It’s a pleasure to have you. First, I’d like to apologize for inviting you here under such urgent circumstances.”
The announcer began speaking naturally.
“Haha, it’s all right.”
O Dongseok smiled awkwardly and waited for the next question.
“A monster wave has currently occurred in our country. Could you please explain to our viewers watching the news exactly what a monster wave is?”
At the announcer’s question, Professor O Dongseok opened his mouth.
“Yes. First, a monster wave refers to the phenomenon of monsters bursting out of a dungeon. The most widely accepted hypothesis is that it happens when the number of monsters inside a dungeon increases drastically. You can think of it as monsters escaping from an overcrowded home. That should make it easier to understand.”
“Ah, I see. Then, as you’ve said, Professor, a monster wave is a phenomenon that occurs when a dungeon can no longer accommodate more monsters. In the end, doesn’t that mean the problem is that the dungeon was neglected until the situation reached this point?”
O Dongseok nodded at the announcer’s question.
That was why the government and guilds periodically cleared out dungeons.
Either by destroying the dungeon core and eliminating the dungeon itself entirely, or by periodically wiping out only the monsters in order to make use of the dungeon.
For example, if a dungeon was judged to be too dangerous or located somewhere difficult to manage, they simply destroyed the dungeon itself.
On the other hand, if it was easy to manage or the dungeon itself held high value, it was used to train hunters or to obtain resources.
Twenty-five years ago, when the Great Cataclysm occurred on Earth.
O Dongseok believed that humanity had gained hope at the same time as despair.
After all, with the appearance of dungeons and monsters, humanity had made another great leap forward.
Not only monster byproducts and the resources buried within dungeons, but also the plants and animals that grew only inside dungeons had presented humanity with a new paradigm.
In a word, dungeons were both a disaster and a blessing for humanity.
“Before discussing whether the dungeon was neglected, we’ll have to look at who was managing that dungeon. If either the government or a guild was negligent in its management and allowed this situation to spread this far, I believe they won’t be able to avoid responsibility.”
It was too much for the government to handle all these dungeons by itself.
That was why guilds also managed dungeons after receiving government approval.
Of course, it was not as though the government had been the first to make the offer.
The guilds had pressured the government to let them manage dungeons in order to secure their own interests.
“Yes, thank you for that explanation, Professor. According to the reports coming in, even the Association’s Emergency Response Team has been dispatched.
There have been very few occasions recently where the Association has stepped in directly, so it seems they’ve judged the situation to be quite serious. Professor, how do you view this?”
“Well, since there has been no official announcement, I must be careful in what I say… but it appears the Association has judged this monster wave to be at least B-rank.”
O Dongseok took a sip of the water placed in front of him, then continued.
“What matters is what kind of monsters have appeared there. Broadly speaking, monsters can be divided into two categories.”
O Dongseok held up two fingers.
“One type consists of monsters that act only according to their own desires. They can be considered primal monsters in and of themselves. In contrast, there are also those with intelligence.”
“Monsters with intelligence…. Professor, if the monster leading this incident possesses intelligence, won’t our hunters have quite a hard time?”
The announcer put emphasis on the words “our hunters.”
“I can’t say for certain. Rather, if it’s an intelligent monster, there may even be room for negotiation.”
O Dongseok continued explaining.
After all, intelligent monsters sometimes made proposals to humans first.
In fact, there had been cases where a monster paid tribute to hunters in order to protect its dungeon and preserve its life.
Conversely, there had also been cases where hunters begged for their lives by offering negotiations to the master of a dungeon first.
As such, if it was an intelligent monster, the possibility of negotiation always existed.
While O Dongseok was speaking about related matters, the announcer cut him off.
“Ah! This is breaking news just in. The Hunter Association’s Emergency Response Team has arrived at the scene. We will now connect to the camera on site.”
The screen showing the announcer and Professor O Dongseok at the news desk changed.
It was the very scene where the monster wave had appeared.
At the site, hunters belonging to the Emergency Response Team had gathered.
And in front of them was—
“I wish to negotiate with you.”
The being leading the monster wave spoke.
“As you said, Professor, the word negotiation has come up. It seems to be a highly intelligent being.”
However, the hunter rejected that proposal.
O Dongseok silently watched the screen.
The monster that had brought up negotiation seemed to be saying something, but it could not be heard.
Rather, as the hunters pushed the reporters back, the camera gradually moved farther away as well.
“Ah, it looks like the hunters are about to launch an attack!”
One of the hunters belonging to the Emergency Response Team moved.
Light radiated from her entire body.
‘Is that Hunter Lee Mirae?’
O Dongseok looked at the screen and fell briefly into thought.
Lee Mirae.
She was from the Hunter Academy, and during her cadet days, O Dongseok himself had taught her.
‘Since she’s stepped forward, this will be wrapped up quickly.’
Her current rank was B-rank.
However, O Dongseok thought differently.
It would not be unreasonable to call her an A-rank hunter right now.
Her ability was that outstanding.
That was why she had entered one of the top guilds, and now, by her own choice, she had joined the Emergency Response Team.
‘An attack using divine power, huh….’
On top of that, the majority of the monsters making up this monster wave were undead.
There were even those who appeared to be death knights and liches.
All of them possessed the attribute of darkness.
‘The darkness attribute is weak against the light attribute.’
The ability Lee Mirae possessed was an attack utilizing divine power, which belonged to the light attribute.
‘So they had something to rely on.’
When the monster first proposed negotiations, the Emergency Response Team had refused.
Well, the current situation was ambiguous.
If they accepted the monster’s offer to negotiate, the Hunter Association would immediately be branded with the stigma of having abandoned humanity.
But refusing to negotiate?
If they refused and ended up suffering only massive damage, they would hear plenty of criticism for that as well.
In such a situation, the Emergency Response Team had chosen the orthodox method.
With Lee Mirae as the core, the surrounding hunters were casting buff skills on her.
“How do you view the current situation, Professor?”
Even in the midst of this, the announcer’s questions did not stop.
He likely needed reassurance.
“Yes, well, the monster’s words were grand, but that seems to be all. I believe this monster wave may very well be brought to an end here.”
No matter how much a death knight was an A-rank monster, it was difficult for one to exert its full strength alone.
That was why O Dongseok also viewed the current situation optimistically.
“As expected. Ah, the hunter’s attack has just begun!”
The announcer’s expression brightened.
The divine power attack Lee Mirae fired shot toward the monster.
With a tremendous explosion, smoke spread thickly.
“Still, what a relief. It seems the monster wave has been stopped without much dam—”
The announcer stopped speaking.
“……”
O Dongseok also stopped speaking and merely stared at the screen.
No, every person inside the studio fell silent.
“Huh?”
The scene that appeared after the smoke cleared was shocking.
The hunter’s attack had been blocked.
And the being that had blocked the attack was a death knight.
But that was not the problem.
The enormous shield held by the death knight.
And the maid outfit hanging in front of the shield.
Amid everyone’s silence, only the maid outfit fluttered, flaunting its existence.
* * *
After that broadcast went out, the hunter community, Hunternet, fell into chaos.
It was truly a pandemonium.
“Anyang maid café just dropped!!”
(Photo of a fluttering maid outfit.jpg)
And it was Death Maid-chan lololololololololol
┗ Japan has poisoned Korea! Japan must apologize! Japan has poisoned Korea! Japan must apologize! Japan has poisoned Korea! Japan must apologize!
┗ A monster turned maid, oh my
┗ Death Knight bro, something feels weird down there...
┗ Bro, that’s gay......
“Hunter Association is a water rocket, admit it?”
Upvote if this Association president is fucking incompetent lololol
Upvotes: 674 Downvotes: 1
┗ Fuck, what the hell does the Association even do? All they know how to do is rip us off with fees. They’re so damn incompetent
┗ For real lol They’re losing to that thing? lolololol
┗ Association president using real-name downvotes lololol
“No, fuck, it blocked that attack?”
What if the maid outfit is actually an insanely OP item?
┗ Oh
┗ Oh...
┗ That actually makes sense?
┗ Recruiting death knight raid party (1/10)
┗ Ten people will be the ones getting raided lololololol
“But what’s with the hunter next to the monster?”
Why is that guy together with the monster?
┗ Huh? Now that I look, you’re right?
┗ What is this? Didn’t that bastard side with the monster?
“LMAO this crazy death knight bastard”
(Death knight blocking all hunter attacks.gif)
It blocks so damn well? What the hell is that bastard? ㄷㄷ
┗ I’m scared...
┗ Ahahahahaha let’s go, Korea’s destruction
┗ Wow, isn’t that bastard an S-rank monster?
┗ Dumbass, death knights are A-rank. What the hell are you talking about?
┗ Nerd
Lee Ganghyeon, who had been in the middle of drawing miscellaneous items, also logged into Hunternet for the moment.
“Wow. What the hell is going on all of a sudden?”
Emergency texts had been continuously coming in because of the monster wave.
In the midst of this, it was not exactly the mood to keep playing a game and doing draws.
Lee Ganghyeon checked the posts being uploaded to Hunternet.
Most of the posts being uploaded in real time were related to the monster wave.
Among them, the posts related to the death knight were especially overwhelming.
“This is insane.”
Seeing the death knight block the attacks gave him goosebumps.
“Wow, that guy’s seriously crazy.”
At the same time, Lee Ganghyeon burst out laughing when he saw the shield the death knight was holding.
“Pfft. What the hell is that?”
The maid outfit attached to the front of the shield stood out.
The combination of the death knight and the shield did not match at all, making it feel even more bizarre.
In fact, most of the real-time reactions were about nothing but the death knight and the maid outfit.
“No matter how I look at it, that bastard must be the master of the dungeon, right? Don’t you think so, Maru?”
Lee Ganghyeon spoke while looking at Maru.
If a monster had that much impact, it was surely the master of the dungeon.
“Hm?”
Maru, who always reacted in some way whenever he spoke, was still this time.
“Maru, what’s wrong?”
When Lee Ganghyeon turned his head, he saw Maru standing there motionless.
Maru was simply staring intently at Lee Ganghyeon.
“Why are you just staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
Only after Lee Ganghyeon kept speaking to him did Maru finally react.
“Clack-clack—”
In the past, he would not have been able to understand Maru, but things were different now.
After gaining his trait, he had begun to hear the words of monsters.
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘It is the Master’?”
At Lee Ganghyeon’s question, Maru spoke again.
“Clack-clack—”
This time, he pointed with his hand at the Death Knight Lee Ganghyeon had been watching.
Then he pointed at Lee Ganghyeon again.
“Clack-clack—”
Hm?
“That Death Knight is me…?”
Lee Ganghyeon shook his head, but then something flashed through his mind.
“No way.”
At Lee Ganghyeon’s question, Maru nodded.
“…It can’t be, right?”
Lee Ganghyeon quickly launched the game.
Then he clicked on Azmo’s dungeon.
“Holy shit!”
Azmo’s dungeon was empty.
Even the Death Knight and the Lich were nowhere to be seen.
Just in case, he searched through every dungeon, but he could not find them.
“Ha….”
Lee Ganghyeon stared at the news, looking utterly dumbfounded.
He saw a Death Knight blocking the Hunters’ attacks with a shield that had a maid outfit attached to it.
He had forgotten because all maid outfit designs tended to look more or less the same.
The costume selection ticket he had received as a reward after making his first purchase.
Lee Ganghyeon had chosen the maid outfit from it and gifted it to Celia.
Afterward, a dress had come out, so he gave Celia another gift, and he had told her to use the old maid outfit however she wanted.
And this was the result.
“Well, damn.”
Apparently, he was the master of that Death Knight, who was radiating an insane presence while carrying a maid outfit around.
Just in case, he tapped here and there on the screen, but there was no way to call them back once they had already left the dungeon.
Someone had to control them.
In the current situation, he had no choice but to go in person.
While Lee Ganghyeon was agonizing over it for quite some time—
- An emergency mission has occurred.
An alert popped up.
- Rescue Azmo and Beter!
- Reward: Dungeon “Temptation of Illusions” Location Transfer Ticket
It was an emergency mission.
The mission was to rescue Azmo, the dungeon’s manager, and even his adjutant, Beter.
For now, with the Death Knight and the Arch Lich there, there would not be a problem.
But if the current situation continued, the government would issue a Hunter mobilization order as a last resort.
No matter how strong they were, there was a limit to how many Hunters rushing at them they could handle.
In the end, someone might get subjugated.
Of course, people would be injured or killed in the process as well.
But this matter was a matter of life and death for Lee Ganghyeon too.
“Let’s clean this up first.”
They were precious assets guarding Lee Ganghyeon’s dungeon.
A dungeon connected to his very life, no less.
If the Death Knight and Arch Lich were subjugated, a massive gap would appear in the combat power of the dungeon where Celia was.
There was no telling how that gap might come back to bite him later.
That was why he had to decide quickly.
“I just have to bring those guys back before this gets any bigger, right?”
They must not suffer losses.
But if those bastards caused any more damage here, there would be no turning back.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that those guys had not inflicted serious harm on the Hunters either.
Rather, they had continued to focus only on defense.
- Measuring the difficulty of the emergency mission.
- The difficulty of the emergency mission is not appropriate for the current Dungeon Master, Lee Ganghyeon’s, level.
- To adjust the difficulty, all causality will be temporarily excluded.
- Entry restrictions on the dimensional gate connecting the dungeon “Nest of the Evil God” and the dungeon “Temptation of Illusions” have been lifted.
“?”
The dimensional gate’s entry restrictions had been lifted!
To Lee Ganghyeon, it was news like rain in a drought.
That did not mean he intended to make another mistake.
The reason Azmo had caused this incident ultimately lay with his own fault.
“From now on, I’ll manage every monster wave myself.”
At the very least, he had painfully realized that monster waves must never be released freely.
He thought he would set up safety measures at the very least.
And one more thing.
“No, how were the Death Knight and Arch Lich able to get out?”
Hadn’t it been causality this, causality that, every single time he tried to do anything until now?
Therefore, even if he had dispatched the Death Knight and Arch Lich, he had thought they would not be able to leave the dungeon.
That thought had been far too complacent.
“Seriously, I can’t figure it out.”
Whether a loophole had been discovered or some sort of clash had occurred was something to find out later.
For now, that was not what mattered.
First, taking this incident as a lesson, Lee Ganghyeon immediately gave Celia an order.
- Bring Azmo and those idiots into the dungeon.
Of course, there was one important point he emphasized.
- Absolutely do not! Make this any bigger. Quietly rescue only them. Use whatever means you have to.
Now, the only one he could trust was Celia.
“Maru.”
Lee Ganghyeon called Maru’s name.
“Let’s go out too!”
* * *
【Rescue Azmo and bring him back.】
Celia, who had been working, raised her head.
Her Master had given her an order for the first time in a while.
【Minimize the damage in the process.】
“I obey the Great One.”
Celia bowed her head.
This mission was a rather difficult one: rescuing comrades.
As her Master had ordered, the damage had to be kept low.
Of course, before taking action, she had to put at least the bare minimum of countermeasures in place.
“Mr. Shadow.”
When Celia spoke, a shadow appeared behind her.
“Relay this to Irena.”
Princess Irena of the Seil Kingdom.
But now, she was on Celia’s side.
“Tell her to forbid everyone in the kingdom from entering the mountain range until I return. I trust that anyone who violates this will be punished at her discretion.”
The shadow bowed once and disappeared.
At the very least, no humans would enter the mountain range through the Seil Kingdom.
In addition, even if she was absent, there would be no major problem.
Not only had she dispatched shadows to Princess Irena, but she had also infiltrated Skeleton Knights into the kingdom in disguise.
Of course, those who had received their Master’s mercy had limits on the areas they could enter, so the Skeleton Knights had borrowed the power of the trading company.
That, too, was possible because Celia’s influence reached the trading company to a certain extent.
Celia immediately called the Goblin Lord.
“Mr. Goblin Lord. Gather the troops from now on. You will go with me. Of course, you must leave behind some units to scout the forest.”
Upon receiving Celia’s order, the Goblin Lord immediately summoned his reconnaissance unit.
“Denver.”
Celia called Denver, who was roaming the dungeon.
He had once been an adventurer, but now he had become a ghoul and a member of the dungeon.
“Go to the surrounding dungeons and tell everyone.”
There were four dungeons under Celia’s command.
There had been more dungeons, but the Great Master had merged all but four of them.
It was truly an ability worthy of being called a miracle.
“Tell them to raise every dungeon’s security to the highest level. From now on, every being that enters our territory is to be considered an enemy.”
In particular, she instructed the nagas in Area 4 to raise their guard to the highest level as well.
As soon as Celia gave the order, the nagas emerged from the lake and began guarding the surroundings.
With this much, there would likely be no being daring enough to invade the dungeon, but Celia checked everything until the very end.
The core at the center of the dungeon.
And the being that guarded that core.
Her gaze went to it.
A being hidden beneath a large robe.
“Well, with this, there should be nothing to worry about.”
Celia turned her eyes away.
Now, she had to depart to carry out her Master’s command.
Celia even called the Skeleton Knights who had been guarding the area around her workspace.
Clack—
Just then, the Goblin Lord had finished all preparations as well.
Armed goblins stood lined up under him.
Celia nodded as she looked at them.
They belonged to the reconnaissance unit that guarded the forest around the dungeon.
That was why she had specially fitted them with the finest equipment through the trading company.
They must not be thought of as ordinary goblins.
“Now then, let us go carry out our Master’s command.”
A distorted space appeared in front of Celia.
It was a dimensional gate.
And one connected to the “Temptation of Illusions” dungeon on Earth.
Celia and the Goblin Lord began entering the dimensional gate.
Behind them, the Skeleton Knights and goblins also headed into the dimensional gate.