The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 135

EP.135 Declaration of War

“Damn it!”

A man dressed entirely in black from head to toe cursed under his breath. His black suit, neatly groomed hair, and dark glasses gave him an intellectual aura. However, behind those glasses, his eyes burned with fury. The man’s name was Sernu, a high-ranking officer in the Demon World Association.

He was in charge of overall management, and his anger stemmed from a specific issue.

“How could you not find a single vampire?! What is this mess?”

A subordinate demon, trembling with fear, bowed his head, terrified that Sernu’s wrath might turn towards him.

“That damned vampire wench!”

Sernu slammed his desk, his voice echoing through the room. The target of his pursuit was Baalzerith. She owed a massive debt to the Demon World Association, but she lacked the means to repay it. Her forces had been decimated by a surprise attack from the White Sect.

Despite her inability to repay the debt, Sernu saw an opportunity. Baalzerith was a 5-star vampire with the blood of the Vampire King. Such a being held immense value. Sernu had seized her dungeon management rights under the guise of debt repayment. His plan was to manipulate Baalzerith to his advantage.

Everything would have been perfect if she hadn’t slipped through his fingers. She had vanished without a trace, leaving no clues behind. The dungeon she left behind was nothing compared to the value of a 5-star vampire.

For Sernu, who managed operations, this was a disaster.

“Find Baalzerith immediately! Drag her back here, no matter where she’s hiding!”

His irate voice reverberated through the office. The subordinate demon seized the opportunity to nod and quickly left the room.

Left alone, Sernu let out a deep sigh.

“Useless bastards.”

Nothing was going his way. Recently, every endeavor he undertook ended in failure. The social event and auction he had organized were disasters, with all the auction items taken by some damned individual.

‘The Arch Lich and that black-masked bastard…’

The one who took the items wore a black mask, accompanied by an Arch Lich. While Sernu knew the location of the Arch Lich’s dungeon, he had yet to uncover the identity of the masked individual.

“There must be something…”

The Arch Lich seemed to follow the black-masked figure, as evidenced by their actions at the social event. The masked figure had vanished without a trace, as if he never existed in the El Dorad Continent.

Moreover, a 7-star catastrophe had recently appeared in the Sael Kingdom. A disaster of such magnitude, appearing after hundreds of years, was a significant event that anyone in the Demon World Association would be interested in.

Sernu also aspired to climb higher within the Association. He had gone to great lengths, even sending informants to the Sael Kingdom, but these efforts had yielded little success.

‘At this rate, my position is at risk.’

Despite his ambitions, Sernu’s recent string of failures had shaken his standing. Losing Baalzerith was a particularly bitter blow. If only the Baalzerith situation had gone according to plan, he could have redeemed his past mistakes and possibly even secured a promotion within the company. But reality was harsh. Baalzerith had vanished without a trace, leaving Sernu at a loss on where to find her.

“Hmm.”

What would happen if he failed to capture Baalzerith? A demotion seemed inevitable. In the Demon World Association, even a single significant mistake could lead to losing one’s place. The company was vast and unforgiving, and Sernu was just another expendable cog in its machinery.

‘I must avoid demotion at all costs.’

He had to find a way to turn the situation around. Grinding his teeth, Sernu racked his brain.

“What can I do?”

His subordinates would continue searching for Baalzerith. There was no rush regarding the 7-star catastrophe, as no one had found any clues yet. The only option left was to track down the individual who had taken all the auction items. Although finding him immediately was impossible, Sernu knew of someone connected to the black-masked figure.

“The Arch Lich.”

The Arch Lich had shown utmost devotion to the black-masked figure, almost as if he were serving his master. Interrogating the Arch Lich might yield some clues.

“But how to approach this…?”

Sernu couldn’t confront the Arch Lich directly.

“Is there anyone who could fight the Arch Lich on my behalf?”

As he pondered, a particular individual came to mind.

“Of course. That one.”

Sernu clenched his fists, his eyes burning with the fire of vengeance.

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Lamia. A race of monsters with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake. Their dungeon was filled with dark, humid air, warm enough to make any adventurer feel uncomfortable. The floor was covered in soft soil, and a small pond in the corner increased the dungeon’s humidity. Walking past walls adorned with snake carvings, one would eventually reach the dungeon’s center.

The central hall was vast, illuminated faintly by green flames flickering on candelabras, pushing back the darkness. Following the flames deeper into the hall, one would find an ornate throne. Seated upon it, with a haughty expression, was Arcane, the dungeon’s master.

“Lady Arcane, a messenger from Lord Sernu has arrived.”

Stia, the dungeon’s manager, bowed as she introduced Sernu’s subordinate. The small, plump demon nodded with a smile.

“Lady Arcane, greetings. I am Kandel, a loyal servant of Lord Sernu. I have come with a message from him.”

However, Arcane’s expression remained far from welcoming.

“Hmph, what business does that man have, sending a messenger to me?”

She eyed Kandel with a mixture of curiosity and disdain, her lower body writhing as she rose from her throne. The snake scales embedded in her skin glimmered faintly.

“Speak quickly. Do not waste my precious time.”

A long tongue flicked out from between her lips. Arcane was a proud and self-assured being. The fact that Sernu had sent a messenger implied he needed her help, a realization that filled her with a sense of triumph.

‘Even the Association is nothing special.’

Despite her stern expression, she was inwardly pleased. Kandel, aware of this, maintained his smile as he began to speak.

“Of course. Let’s get straight to the point. Do you remember the Arch Lich you met at the last banquet?”

A flicker of anger flashed in Arcane’s eyes.

“How dare you mention that bag of bones in my presence.”

At the last Association social event, Arcane had expected to be the center of attention. The 5-star Succubus Queen was missing, and Baalzerith, another 5-star, was in debt and in a precarious situation. Naturally, Arcane, on the brink of becoming a 5-star herself, should have been the focus.

But when the banquet began, the unexpected happened. The Arch Lich, who appeared out of nowhere, stole the spotlight. The attention that should have been hers was diverted to him. This left Arcane fuming even after the event. She had wanted to challenge the Arch Lich in the duel event, but he had left early with all the auction items.

The memory still made her blood boil.

“Oh, we understand your feelings well, Lady Arcane. That’s precisely why I’m here.”

“Ho.”

What clever words could he possibly have?

Suppressing her rising anger, Arcane listened as Kandel continued.

“If you wish to subjugate the Arch Lich’s dungeon, my master, Lord Sernu, promises full support.”

However, Arcane was only a 4-star. Even if she was close to becoming a 5-star, she doubted she could defeat the 5-star Arch Lich. Kandel seemed to read her thoughts, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.

“Of course, to ensure your victory over the Arch Lich, we have a special gift for you.”

He produced a small vial from his coat.

“This is an elixir that forcibly enhances one’s power. It’s a rare item. With this, you will become a full-fledged 5-star being.”

A smile spread across Arcane’s face.

“Heh heh… Yes, that’s more like it. I’ll show everyone just how powerful I am compared to that bag of bones.”

She licked her lips with her red tongue, a cruel glint in her eyes. Kandel, too, smiled coldly.

‘Foolish woman.’

Sernu had long since deduced that Arcane harbored feelings of inferiority towards the Arch Lich.

Before coming here, Sernu had said “The jealousy of a snake is terrifying. Let them tear each other apart, it will be quite the spectacle.”

Watching Arcane down the elixir without a moment’s hesitation confirmed Sernu’s judgment. Arcane gulped down the entire vial Kandel handed her. The mixture tasted both sweet and bitter on her tongue. Almost immediately, her body began to convulse. It felt as if something was writhing beneath her skin.

Arcane panted as she looked at her arm. The scales darkened and began to turn a brilliant gold.

“Ugh… This power…!”

Her lower body swelled, becoming larger and more muscular. Despite the pain, Arcane couldn’t stop smiling.

“Hahaha… Finally, I’ve ascended to the rank of a 5-star!”

The golden scales enveloping her body were a testament to her newfound power. The transformation wasn’t limited to her lower body. Her upper body also became more beautiful and intimidating. Her blue hair shone brilliantly, and sharp fangs protruded from her mouth.

Arcane slowly rose, reveling in her new strength, and asked Kandel,

“If I defeat the Arch Lich and obtain the soul stone… who will it belong to?”

Her ambition didn’t end here. If given the chance, she aimed to ascend to a 6-star rank, which required two soul stones of the same grade. Thus, she wanted to know who would claim ownership of the soul stone if she defeated the Arch Lich. Even though she would be the one to defeat him, it was Sernu’s elixir that had granted her the power.

Kandel quickly understood Arcane’s concern.

“Do not worry about that. All spoils from this battle will belong to you, Lady Arcane.”

Kandel’s smile was meaningful. They had their own objectives, so conceding this much was acceptable.

“Oh, I like the sound of that. Make sure to convey my gratitude to Sernu once this is over.”

Arcane couldn’t hide her joy. Feeling the new power coursing through her, she was confident that no one could stand against her now.

“Ahh—”

With this power, she could easily subdue the Succubus Queen and Baalzerith. But first, she had to deal with the Arch Lich. Arcane declared to Kandel,

“In the name of Arcane, with the Association as the witness, I declare war on the Arch Lich!”

With the Association’s approval, a war between dungeons had begun.

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***

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– The master of the Lamia Dungeon, ‘Arcane,’ has declared war on your dungeon, Lee Kang-hyun. –

– Assemble forces to repel Arcane’s army. –

What on earth was happening?

‘Hmm, this is troublesome.’

Regardless of who the opponent was, my dungeon’s forces were more than capable of defending against them. However, I wasn’t content to let this slide.

“How dare they declare war on me?”

This was absurd. Such a creature needed to be crushed. More importantly, the current situation was suspicious. Ever since Baalzerith arrived at my dungeon, strange events had been unfolding.

“Baalzerith, you must take responsibility for this.”

While Baalzerith wasn’t officially part of my dungeon and couldn’t be mobilized for battle, there was a way to involve her. I issued a command immediately.

【Order Baalzerith to fend off the intruders.】

The method was to compel her through Celia.

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