The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices
Chapter 63

EP.63 Dungeon Inspection by Arch Lich (2)

The adventurers were climbing the steep terrain of the mountain range.

“How much longer do we have to climb? Wasn’t there supposed to be a dungeon nearby?”

However, contrary to what was marked on the map, the actual appearance of the dungeon was nowhere to be seen.

The surroundings were the same when they looked around.

Already, this was a futile endeavour several times over.

Adventurers began to express their frustration.

“Those guild brats sold us a lousy map and made a fortune.”

The map they possessed was purchased from the Adventurer’s Guild.

The Adventurer’s Guild restricted access to the mountain range, but maps indicating the terrain and dungeons were sold normally.

However, there was nothing accurate about it.

Since there was nothing accurate, and the map wasn’t even cheap, everyone complained.

“What to do.”

Isrin, an ice mage, spoke up.

“Maybe there really is something to it, and that’s why the nobleman commissioned it.”

Isrin’s argument was quite plausible.

“That makes sense.”

A burly man nodded in agreement with her words.

He was the warrior Grektor.

With a massive shield in his right hand and a large sword in his left, Grektor’s appearance was truly awe-inspiring.

For an ordinary person, just holding a shield like that would require a lot of strength.

But Grektor wielded the shield and sword as if they were toys, effortlessly.

“Originally, our purpose wasn’t dungeon exploration. It was a commission to survey the entire mountain range and check for any abnormalities.”

As everyone focused on him, Grektor continued, shrugging his shoulders.

“As Isrin said, we don’t know what’s happening in the mountain range. The worst-case scenario is that we become Mormot, who finds out about it.”

Mormot.

According to him, everyone here was like an experimental mouse.

They didn’t know what was really happening in the mountain range.

Perhaps the prohibition on entering the mountain range was related to this?

And according to Grektor’s argument, the Adventurer’s Guild and the nobles conspired to set up this situation to find out.

“Damn! No wonder they paid so much.”

Normally, it would be dismissed as an absurd claim, but this commission was too strange.

Especially the advance payment alone was an amount that each person here could live on for a year without working.

Initially, they just thought it was a simple commission from the wealthy noble.

They didn’t think deeply, drawn by the large sum of money.

Moreover, the commission was simple.

It was just reconnaissance and terrain exploration of the mountain range, so they didn’t attach much significance to it.

“….”

But now, it was different.

The maps purchased from the Adventurer’s Guild were completely off.

She has not checked every part, but so far, they have been wandering aimlessly.

At this point, it’s not that the map is wrong.

When everyone was taking it seriously, Nariel, who was at the front, shouted.

“Uh, there are footprints over there…!”

There were indeed footprints.

But they were faint.

Just lightly imprinted on the dirt path.

If it weren’t for Nariel, who took on the role of a guide, it was so subtle that they might have passed by without noticing.

“As expected, there must have been a traveller. Nariel, can you roughly tell what kind of footprints they are?”

At Grektor’s words, Nariel stared through the footprints intently.

Although faint, fortunately, the footprints had distinctive features.

“Um… for now, there are four of them.”

Nariel continued to describe the features.

“If it’s peculiar, all except one seem to be monsters. Yes, three out of four seem to be skeletons.”

The footprints of the three entities were imprinted in the shape of bones.

So, it was easy to identify them as some kind of skeleton. Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴøvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“Skeletons?”

Grektor laughed at her words.

“What, did we get scared by mere skeletons? Uhaha.”

Facing an unknown is always frightening.

But if the opponent is clear, as it was now, it was not a difficult task.

Moreover, maybe it’s not even a skeleton.

“Then who’s the remaining one? Not a monster?”

After a burst of laughter, Grektor cleared his throat and asked another question.

“Oh, yes. For now, it’s wearing shoes, so I don’t know what it is.”

Unlike the bone imprints, one entity’s footprint was preserved as a shoe mark.

“But there’s a slightly strange aura.”

“A strange aura?”

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but I feel that way.”

Nariel’s explanation ended there.

As soon as he heard that, Grektor turned around as if it were nothing.

Since the rough calculation was already done, there was nothing more to see from Nariel.

In summary, there were four opponents.

Among them, three were skeletons.

The other one was wearing shoes, according to Nariel.

‘Perhaps a dark wizard.’

Of course, it might be a monster.

Monsters, too, can wear equipment like humans.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Even though they didn’t know who the remaining one was, three of them were definitely skeletons.

The adventurers here had the power to subdue skeletons without much concern.

Therefore, there was no need to worry.

Grektor looked at everyone and spoke.

“Perhaps the owners of these footprints might be the entities we need to find.”

It could be the one messing with the current map.

And if they were scouting the mountain range, they would eventually encounter them.

“With things like this, let’s just split into two groups here. How about it?”

What Grektor proposed was to split the current group of adventurers into two. One group would follow the footprints to track the unknown beings.

The other group would trace the direction in which the footprints come from.

Of course, the footprints might be too faint, and they might lose them along the way.

But it would be much more efficient than blindly turning the mountain range upside down.

Everyone nodded in agreement with his words.

Until a little while ago, they were afraid, but now they were okay.

Rather, they wanted to finish quickly and get paid.

Adventurers began to split into two groups as suggested by Grektor.

“For now, Nariel, you lead the group tracking those guys.”

Nariel, wearing a hat, nodded slightly.

Her role was a guide.

It was a natural measure since she was agile and adept at tracking someone.

While adventurers were dividing into groups, Nariel cautiously looked at the tree beside her.

‘The tree is shaking.’

The reason she was proficient as a guide wasn’t just because of agility.

It was because she could sense nature.

But this was a secret she hadn’t told anyone.

Nariel touched the tree.

The tree was shaking intensely.

Nariel closed her eyes and shared the emotions of the tree.

‘Darkness.’

It was so dark that the end couldn’t be seen.

‘And desire.’

There was desire in that darkness.

‘Finally, greed.’

Endless greed unfolded.

Nariel opened her eyes, feeling a sense of fear.

“This is… something else altogether.”

An indescribable feeling.

====

***

====

Steam rises gently, forming droplets as it touches the ceiling before dripping down to the floor in a dimly lit place.

In a deeply recessed area, various colored slimes mixed with warm water created a slime bath.

And in the center of the slime bath was Arch Lich.

“Splish.”

The skeletal frame of Arch Lich sparkled, emitting light in the warm water.

Slimy creatures were diligently cleaning every nook and cranny of Arch Lich’s bones.

Some acidic substances emitted from the slimes, but it meant nothing to Arch Lich.

Instead, he felt a refreshing sensation.

“Splish.”

Bathing in the warm slime bath was bizarre yet fantastic.

Arch Lich wore a satisfied smile as if he enjoyed it thoroughly. The slimes not only cleaned Arch Lich but also polished the shoes he wore.

The elegant-looking shoes were one of the ‘small courtesies’ given by Squall to Arch Lich.

“Splish.”

Arch Lich ordered the skeletons standing by with their belongings to come in.

The skeletons hesitated at first, but upon Arch Lich’s repeated command, they finally entered the bath.

“Splish.”

Arch Lich was satisfied.

Enjoying it alone would be bribery, but if everyone shared the pleasure? It would be just a regular treat.

After thoroughly enjoying the bath for a while, they came out of the tub.

Arch Lich nodded and raised a notebook. With a pen gifted by Squall, he smoothly recorded.

[Sticky Puddle Dungeon, no issues at all.]

It wasn’t favoritism.

There really were no issues.

The current manager leading the dungeon ‘Sticky Puddle’ was a 3-star King Slime.

True to its name, it was larger than regular slimes, and its combat power seemed formidable.

“Squeak!”

The King Slime roared.

[Roaring like a dungeon master, quite aggressive. Poses a significant threat to adventurers.]

Based on these points, Arch Lich recorded thoroughly.

The record for this dungeon was quickly completed.

“Splish.”

As Arch Lich spoke, skeletons also emerged from the slime bath.

Now it was time to leave. The skeletons began to take their positions.

On the left side of Arch Lich, a skeleton holding a notebook, on the right, a skeleton holding a pen, they assumed their places.

The skeleton behind Arch Lich held a pack made of slime mucous, along with the ‘small courtesies’ received from Squall.

This pack, when applied to the body, had an enhanced effect, a gift from the King Slime.

Arch Lich nodded, and they exited the slime dungeon. Already, he had examined two out of four dungeons.

[Red-Headed Tribe] – Completed, no issues.

[Sticky Puddle] – Completed, no issues.

Now, two dungeons remained:

[Village Shrouded in Mist]

[Remnants of the Abyss]

Thinking about the next destination, Arch Lich decided to head to the relatively nearby ‘Remnants of the Abyss’ dungeon.

Arch Lich and the skeletons began to move. They were all undead, requiring no rest, so they continued walking.

They walked and walked. Repeating this action, they soon arrived at the dungeon entrance.

[Remnants of the Abyss]

A single skeleton soldier awaited at the front. As soon as it spotted Arch Lich, it rushed over.

“Splish!”

Then, with a loud noise, it saluted Arch Lich.

Arch Lich nodded.

[Swift action. This deserves praise.]

In fact, their actions were swift because they were all undead.

The skeleton soldier, like the others, was undead, requiring neither sleep nor rest.

It had been standing at the dungeon entrance since the creation of the ‘Remnants of the Abyss’.

Once Arch Lich entered the dungeon, the soldier resumed guarding the entrance.

“Splish!”

“Splish!”

As Arch Lich entered, everyone greeted him.

The ‘Remnants of the Abyss’ dungeon was entirely composed of skeletons.

There were skeleton warriors, archers, and even mages. Of course, there were lower-tier beings as well, soldiers, archer apprentices, mage trainees, and so on.

A skeleton knight approached Arch Lich, extending its hand for a shake.

It was a 3-star skeleton knight, originally a 2-star skeleton inspector but evolved to 3-stars under the great master command.

– Thunk, clink. –

As they greeted Arch Lich, a closer look revealed that their bodies were subtly trembling.

They were genuinely feeling fear towards Arch Lich.

Inspector Arch Lich.

It was an being that came from the higher-level dungeon to inspect them.

Moreover, it was Arch Lich, capable of causing an explosion that could engulf them all.

One of Arch Lich’s skills was Corpse Explosion, enabling it to detonate undead monsters of lower rank than itself.

However, Arch Lich was a 5-star monster, and all the skeletons presents fell within the range of Arch Lich’s skill.

The fear of their own bones exploding at any moment shook them.

To them, Arch Lich was not just an inspector but a source of fear and terror.

“Splish.”

Arch Lich opened its mouth. The inspection was about to begin.

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