The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 96: Birth of a Half-Goblin (1)

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 096

EP.96 Birth of a Half-Goblin (1)

An unfortunate incident occurred during the auction.

Fortunately, it was neatly resolved with the arrival of Sernu, who was responsible for the banquet.

I readily accepted his offer to take responsibility and compensate.

Upon reflection, it was a bit of a shady deal at the auction, but I hadn’t suffered any losses and simply decided to receive modest compensation.

And what I demanded as compensation was…

“…Do you really have to take everything?”

Sernu asked with a trembling voice, but there was no way around it.

Among them were two priests and even an elf.

Of course, it was only natural to demand all the items bid on by Arch Lich and Azmo in the past.

“Yes.”

I replied to his question nonchalantly.

I deliberately lowered my voice slightly to appear somewhat solemn.

“……”

Sernu’s expression stiffened in real-time at my answer.

But wasn’t it the Association’s fault for misbehaving from the start?

I had the right to demand this level of compensation for the damages suffered.

“I intend to maintain a good relationship with the Association in the future.”

I replied brusquely, hiding my emotions as much as possible.

Looking around the banquet hall, it seemed there would be plenty to exploit in the future with the Association.

Since I had no intention of antagonizing the Association that laid golden eggs, this was all I demanded.

And I expressed my desire to maintain a good relationship with that in mind.

After all, from the Association’s perspective, this demand isn’t a significant expenditure, right?

I mean, I’m already spending 5000 each time just on gacha pulls for 1-star monsters alone.

Moreover, the Demon Merchant Association is not an individual but a collective. And a massive one at that.

So, my demands shouldn’t be too much to ask for.

After hesitating for a moment, Sernu eventually agreed to my demands.

“…I understand. We’ll do as you say.”

“I’ll leave the items in the inventory, please.”

Since we were taking everything, I even requested inventory artifacts.

“……”

They didn’t say much in response, so I suppose they agreed?

It felt like they were reluctantly accepting, but that wasn’t my concern.

Thanks to that, we were able to conclude the deal with smiles.

Oh, was Sernu’s expression stiff?

Since the situation ended on a positive note, it should be fine.

Sernu instructed the subordinate below to fetch the items and then turned to me.

“By the way, since we’re fated to meet, let me properly introduce myself. I am Sernu, a member of the Association’s operations committee.”

Perhaps sensing resignation from the other party, they extended their hand once again.

They’ve introduced themselves, so I have no choice but to reciprocate.

But a problem arose here.

‘What should I introduce myself as?’

If this were just a normal human-to-human encounter, it wouldn’t matter.

But Sernu was a monster.

Despite having a human-like appearance and wearing clothes, there were sharp teeth protruding from their mouth and hands stained black.

It was definitely not a human appearance.

‘It seems risky to introduce myself by my real name here…’

Celia was a monster who knew my real name, but it didn’t matter since she was under my command.

But this time was different.

My name, Lee Kang-hyun, was obviously foreign on the El Dorad Continent.

With the Association’s power, they might be able to deduce information just from this name.

Hmm.

After a brief moment of consideration, I recalled one fact.

When the game was first installed on my smartphone.

The name it changed to when naming the dungeon.

‘Nest of the Evil God.’

The name itself seemed grandiose.

But I was confident that no one would take it literally.

Most would probably just take it as a joke.

“Others call me Evil God.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Since the game called my dungeon the Nest of the Evil God.

“……”

Sernu fell silent for a moment upon hearing my answer.

Their hand, which had barely shaken during the handshake, trembled slightly.

‘What’s wrong?’

Was their speechlessness due to my absurd answer?

Nevertheless, Sernu quickly regained composure.

“Haha… I see.”

Seeing Sernu’s reaction, I felt relieved.

It seemed Sernu also took my answer as a joke while discreetly hiding my identity.

‘It’s good to confidently move forward.’

Just as I thought that, a window appeared before my eyes.

– You have successfully completed the auction. –

‘Is it because I don’t have my smartphone?’

My smartphone was currently in my house on Earth, not on the El Dorad Continent.

That’s probably why the alarm that would usually ring from my smartphone popped up before me.

– You can choose two items from the items bid on in the auction as compensation. –

– The chosen items can be taken back to Earth. –

Oh!

My eyes widened at the unexpected reward.

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***

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Sernu’s current expression wasn’t favorable.

‘Someone introducing themselves as Evil God…’

The black mask in front of them introduced themselves as Evil God.

Although they had occasionally encountered beings claiming to serve Evil God, it was the first time someone introduced themselves as one.

Evil God.

A god known to have existed in the distant past.

However, it was such an ancient tale, and there were practically no records of it being passed down.

It was a different situation from the goddess served by the White Order.

While there were occasional beings who served Evil God, it was the first time someone introduced themselves as one.

‘This is absurd.’

It would make more sense to see them as pretending to be a demon.

Perhaps it was just a prank.

‘They wouldn’t dare to play tricks on the Association.’

Sernu wished he could give him a good scolding.

But the other party’s aura was too strong.

There was nothing they could do except nod along.

“Haha… I see.”

Just agreeing with the other party’s words was all they could do.

Sigh

Although it was the other party’s words, there were several immediate concerns.

First and foremost, the items that had been auctioned ended up in the hands of that black mask.

And for free!

While it was inevitable due to Sernu’s own mistake, the damage was more severe than expected.

In truth, in terms of auction items, it wasn’t a big loss from the Association’s perspective, but the fact that the auction was halted was crucial.

In essence, it was as good as being canceled, so the expressions of those who participated in the auction were not favorable.

The reputation of the Association hosting the banquet would likely suffer.

‘We need to provide appropriate compensation.’

Sernu immediately instructed their subordinates to compensate others.

This would also result in additional losses.

But without such compensation, the Association’s reputation would suffer even more, and in the long run, it would lead to greater losses.

When Sernu ordered compensation, the black mask in front of them nudged Arch Lich, who was beside them.

In response, Arch Lich spoke up.

“Clink Clink.”

(We’ll also take compensation.)

“…?”

Sernu felt a sinking feeling, but they didn’t show it openly.

“…Understood.”

They simply went along with it.

To be this casual with the Association…

Whether it was fearlessness or confidence in their strength, for now, he decided to let it slide.

While saying so, Sernu cautiously asked.

“So, what is the relationship between you two?”

It was Arch Lich who answered the question.

“Tick Tick!”

The response came, claiming to serve a great one.

” Tick Tick Tick Tick!”

Since he is a great being, we don’t get to meet often, so consider it an honor to receive you like this.’

Sernu felt dizzy.

At least he realized he didn’t live in the same dungeon, which was a relief.

‘They don’t reside in the same dungeon, so their dungeons must be different. I’ll have to look into that black mask separately.’

As originally thought, Arch Lich was indeed the dungeon master. It was just appropriate to consider them as part of the black mask’s faction.

‘I need to find out which other dungeons are affiliated with their faction as well.’

There was much to be done.

Sernu subtly gestured to their subordinates and gave instructions.

Then, he smiled and looked at the black mask.

“Let me explain briefly. First, we will deliver the items to the dungeon as soon as the banquet ends.”

But the black mask raised their hand to interrupt Sernu’s words.

“No, Arch Lich here will take them right now. Please prepare.”

Suddenly, even the Incubus approached Arch Lich’s side.

Although slightly taken aback by the sudden request for preparation, it was an opportunity in a way.

It might be more comfortable to send them away and proceed with the banquet.

“Haha… I see. In that case, we will have the slaves transported in the Association’s carriage. We’ll provide a special carriage. The items will also be put separately into the inventory.”

Since it had come to this, Sernu urged their subordinates to quickly send them off.

Fortunately, Arch Lich’s dungeon was located in the mountain range spanning both the Demon World and the Human World.

Since the distance wasn’t far, transporting the slaves wasn’t a significant issue.

“Now, let me briefly explain about the items.”

Sernu started explaining about the items that were originally up for auction.

“First, this item is an armor made of salamander leather.”

It was clearly a suit of armor made of red leather.

“Although it may look crude, it possesses a fire attribute. It also has some resistance to fire attacks and is strong against cold.”

“There’s also a sword made from the fangs of a young wyvern. Its hardness is unmatched.”

Some of the items explained by Sernu seemed to have practical use.

Some items that made one wonder why they even existed were also present.

“This is an electric floor trap powered by mana. If installed in a dungeon, it can turn intruders into toast.”

Among them were traps that could be installed in dungeons.

After various descriptions of items, the introduction of the last item remained.

It was a cloak, colored in black and white with mysterious patterns embroidered on it.

A strange energy emanated from the cloak.

However, it was different from magical or divine power.

“This is the Harvester’s Cloak. It’s not just any armor. It’s more like a living being. When you wear this cloak and kill someone, the cloak will automatically consume the corpse of the victim. Of course, it can also regurgitate the corpse intact.”

It was an item with extravagant claims.

In reality, it lacked any notable features as armor, it simply stored the corpses of slain enemies.

Well, if one needed corpses for dark magic research or for consuming fresh ones, it could be considered a useful item.

But if that was truly the purpose, acquiring corpses directly would suffice.

This cloak was merely an item for decorating the dungeon, it held no greater value.

Of course, Sernu wasn’t foolish enough to reveal this.

After all, there were many other equipment and items that were far more useful, so it wouldn’t be a total loss for the recipient.

But this was Sernu’s misconception.

‘This is amazing!’

With his face concealed by the black mask, Sernu’s current expression was unknown.

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***

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The auction had completely ended.

Considering that my original purpose for coming to the El Dorad continent was the auction, I could consider my task here finished.

After instructing Arch Lich to transfer the slaves and items, I returned to Earth.

As the auction ended and the next event of the banquet proceeded, I naturally returned to Earth.

– As a reward, you can choose two items from the auction you bid on. –

– The chosen items can be taken to Earth. –

And now it was time to choose the reward.

Since I already had items in mind, I quickly made my decision.

‘The Harvester’s Cloak.’

I chose the Harvester’s Cloak as a reward.

Instantly, the cloak appeared on my smartphone.

A cloak that, when worn and used to kill someone, could store their corpse.

‘I’ll give this to Maru.’

Maru is currently a 5-star monster.

Equipping him with this cloak and setting him on automatic hunting would essentially bring sacrifices into my hands.

‘And next…’

No matter what anyone said, she was an elf.

The limit for transferring monsters from my dungeon to Earth was 1-star monsters.

Moreover, the elf I acquired in this auction wasn’t originally affiliated with my dungeon.

There seemed to be no other way to transfer such an elf to Earth immediately.

So, without hesitation, I chose the elf as my reward.

However, since elves are living beings, I was anxious about whether I could choose one as a reward.

I chose the elf ‘Ciel’ as my reward.

Fortunately, I was able to choose her as a reward.

‘Her name is Ciel?’

As soon as I chose the elf, a woman bound in chains appeared in the room.

Pointed ears, stunning appearance.

She was indeed the elf I saw at the auction.

At the same time, there was a new development.

[Monster Summon] – (3/5)

-Maru (★★★★★)

-Ciel (★★★★)

-Skeleton Soldier (★)

In the monster summoning window, along with Maru and Coco, the name Ciel was added.

She was an elf with an astonishing 4-star rating.

“This is it!”

Even if she were a monster affiliated with my dungeon, I wouldn’t have been able to bring her to Earth.

I immediately rose to approach the elf named Ciel.

But then, a new alert appeared in succession.

– A unique monster, ‘Half Goblin’ has been born. –

“Half Goblin?”

It was the first time I had seen such a type of alert.