The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 021

EP.21 Loyalty of Administrator Celia

I enjoyed some leisure time in a cafe, sipping on my coffee. Meanwhile, my smartphone displayed the game screen, working diligently.

– Celia has been dispatched to the Goblin Shaman’s dungeon.

–

One thing I had realized while playing this game was that Celia was undeniably a capable entity.

‘Is this also based on Celia’s Administrators’ stats?’

Even when I left the game untouched, she automatically developed the dungeon and increased the number of monsters deployed there.

Choosing Celia as a Administrator was a good decision. If I don’t appreciate a Administrator who works this hard, who will I appreciate?

‘I’m sure she’ll do well with this mission too.’

In this playthrough, I sent Celia to support another dungeon.

The dungeon I chose was close to the mountain range where my dungeon was located. I had a reason for selecting a dungeon in a nearby area.

‘I need to know what kind of foes might attack in the future.’

If you’re a game user, it’s only natural to be well-informed. That way, you can deal with any situation.

My current dungeon was located in the Sael Kingdom’s mountain range, which was adjacent to the demon realm.

But to request assistance from a nearby dungeon?

That meant something had happened in this vicinity. As a neighbor with dungeons in the same regional district, I had to find out what was going on.

‘While waiting, let’s have some cake.’

I placed my smartphone on the table and turned my gaze to the cake. Celia, my most reliable Administrator, was going to be dispatched, so the outcome was clear.

How would it feel to have such competent Administrators? At least, I wouldn’t have to worry about every little thing.

– Ding –

As expected, an alarm went off immediately.

– Celia is currently having a conversation with the owner of the dungeon.

–

‘Right.’

Depending on the outcome of that conversation, my strategy would change.

Now, bring back information on why they asked for help, celia. You can do it!

– The dungeon’s owner kneeled before Celia.

–

Huh?

What’s going on right now?

– The dungeon’s owner, Goblin Shaman, has surrendered to Celia.

–

– Congratulations! You have successfully conquered the Goblin Shaman’s dungeon.

–

– The Goblin Shaman and 14 Goblins are now members of the ‘Nest of the Evil God’ dungeon.

–

Wait, what’s going on here?

I didn’t send Celia there to conquer it. I’m pretty sure I dispatched her to provide assistance. Perhaps I should check again.

I confirmed that it was indeed a dungeon support mission. It had transformed into a content that instantly increased the strength of my dungeon in the nearby region, instead of providing support to other dungeons.

‘Was this Celia’s original image?’

The Celia I had in mind was obedient and intelligent.

Ah, this might be how a father feels when his daughter enters her rebellious phase. It made sense, sometimes, a little diversity was necessary.

If everyone had a predictable mindset, it wouldn’t be fun. Unconventional events like this might actually make Celia’s character stand out more.

Celia had been doing well up to now, so I understood. Sometimes it’s not a straight path.

‘Speaking of straight paths, that’s what Death Knight is.’

Death Knight, my first 5-star from a gacha. What happened to him after that?

He was virtually non-existent, silently guarding the dungeon. He might still be silently protecting it.

– Death Knight has successfully conquered the ‘Giant Spider Hatchery’ dungeon.

–

– Six giant spiders have joined the ‘Nest of the Evil God’ dungeon.

–

“……”

Hmm.

Maybe I’m not keeping up with the game.

Why did Death Knight leave the dungeon? Even if he could leave the dungeon, I never gave that command.

At least I dispatched Celia directly. But Death Knight left the dungeon without permission and conquered another dungeon.

“Ugh…”

That meant, for a brief time, my dungeon was defenseless.

Sure, there was the Goblin Lord, but what if an unstoppable force came? Is this how they adjust the difficulty with such unexpected events? Ultimately, it worked out well.

However, I should pay more attention to this in the future.

– Administrator ‘Celia’ has submitted a report to the owner.

–

Coincidentally, an alert popped up that Celia had submitted a report. I quickly touched the alarm to examine it.

“Hmm… “

After checking, the general contents were as follows. The reason the Goblin Shaman requested assistance was that the number of Holy Knights in the vicinity had increased recently.

‘Holy Knights?’

On the El Dorad continent, there were only Holy Knights inside the White Order. However, the Order occupied the southern region of the continent, while my dungeon was located in the Sael Kingdom’s mountain range.

Since the Sael Kingdom was in the northern part of the continent, the distance to the Order was considerable. Moreover, holy Knights were operating in the mountains, which weren’t part of the kingdom.

‘Why have they come here?’

Celia’s report also inquired about how to deal with the Holy Knights when they appeared nearby.

Once again, I was impressed by Celia. She’s indeed an adept.

‘Holy Knights, huh…’

If it were yesterday, I would’ve undoubtedly ordered their annihilation. However, the uneasy feeling I had earlier made me hesitate.

Maybe it was just a delusion, but I was already leaning towards a more lenient order.

The command was made by typing instead of choosing from options. I began typing as I touched the screen.

– When you encounter the Holy Knights, don’t kill them. Show them mercy and let them live. Got it? –

After composing this command, I almost pressed ‘confirm’ but had a sudden thought.

‘Sacrifices, right?’

The game had previously notified me twice about offering sacrifices.

All the sacrifices had been people. So, I added another line to my command.

– Oh, for sacrifices, offer an artifact instead of a life.

–

I hadn’t paid much attention to sacrifices until now. So, this time, I ordered them to offer an artifact instead of a living being. It was a double-check, just to be safe.

“Ugh…”

Even I found it quite baffling. But it was the right thing to do to dispel my uneasiness.

– I trust you’ll always do well. Good job.

–

I pressed the ‘confirm’ button, and the “Good job” message was just to satisfy my feelings. It’s more like giving orders to a Administrator, don’t you think?

Before closing the game, I entered the shop and purchased 20,000 gems. That was equivalent to 220,000 won. Interestingly, the game automatically improved the dungeon even when I wasn’t playing, using up gems in the process.

“This should be enough.”

For a while, I will be busy.

My A-rank trait, Magic Sensitivity, felt quite unfamiliar. So, I needed to adapt. I planned to train for a few days to adapt to this trait. Once I fully develop this trait and acquire the right skill, the rest of my life should be smooth sailing.

With a hopeful vision of the future, I ended the game.

“I guess it’s time to head home.”

I’ve already had my coffee and cake. As I was getting ready to leave my seat, someone approached me.

“Excuse me.”

I turned my head and saw a woman standing beside me.

“ah.”

Did I make too much noise? I was so engrossed in the game that I hadn’t paid attention to my surroundings.

“Sorry, I was a bit noisy, wasn’t I?”

“Yes?” The person tilted her head in response to my words.

“No, no, it’s not like that. I wanted to ask you about something you mentioned earlier.”

What did I say earlier? I couldn’t remember. I frowned for a moment, looking at her.

“Oh! I’m Hunter Jung Ye-rin from the Phoenix Guild,”

she introduced herself while bowing slightly. She handed me her business card, which had the Phoenix Guild logo and her name, Jung Ye-rin, on it.

“I don’t have a business card, so… I’m Lee Kang-hyun.”

“It’s okay! I’m sorry for bothering you when you’re busy.”

She bowed her head again. An angel?

“You mentioned something about the Goblin Lord earlier?”

Goblin Lord? Right, I talked about it while playing the game. The penalty for the Goblin Lord was just ridiculous.

I stared at her without saying anything.

“Well, actually, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. But the Goblin Lord suddenly appeared in this dungeon, and I thought…”

“Huh?”

What should I say? ‘It’s just a game, right?’ But her expression was dead serious.

What to do? While I was thinking…

“I’m sorry for making such a difficult request! I’m sorry for bothering you!”

She bowed her head again. This person must also play the game, right? When she introduced herself as a hunter, I thought her business card was about real monsters, not in-game ones.

“If you don’t mind, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”

I gestured across the table.

“Take a seat.”

A newbie asking for advice in the game is always welcome.

====

***

====

Celia gazed at the dungeon with a satisfied expression. She had successfully executed Master’s command.

“It’s only natural.”

She was a faithful Administrator of Master, obligated to succeed in any command. Failure was not an option.

“Indeed, you are a great person.”

Celia had initially struggled to decipher Master’s intent when receiving the command. She was already quite busy conquering surrounding dungeons, so being suddenly sent to assist was unexpected.

I had a moment of doubt, but it was Master’s command. I decided to help with the dungeon mentioned. However, when I thought about it, did Master simply give that command? If so, he wouldn’t need me.

From that moment on, celia kept thinking. What could be Master’s intent? As she pondered, she came to one conclusion.

“Helping with another dungeon means rescuing it from a difficult situation.”

Rescue meant Master’s mercy, and mercy meant being welcomed into Master’s embrace.

In Celia’s mind, a strange formula had been established.

“Help with another dungeon, join our dungeon.”

“I understand perfectly, Master! Today, too, celia feels a step closer to you!”

Simultaneously, she reported to Master about her conversation with the Goblin Shaman.

“Indeed, the holy knights are quite formidable.”

the Goblin Shaman had said. Lately, holy knights had appeared in the vicinity, and their motives were unknown. But it was clear that they had no good intentions.

As the Administrator of the dungeon, celia had an obligation to ask Master how to deal with them. Master’s response was as follows.

[Mercy, Forgiveness, Eternal Life]

[Artifact]

[Do your best for the future glory.]

“Indeed, I am deeply grateful for your mercy, Master.”

Master advised being merciful to the holy knights.

Mercy meant being taken into Master’s embrace. Despite being members of the order, Master was willing to embrace them.

Celia paid special attention to the last word, ‘Eternal Life’.

“Make them into ghoul.”

The command implied. They would enjoy a comfortable life within Master’s embrace forever. Celia muttered that she needed to cooperate with Death Knight in this regard. It was a crucial moment for deciding the holy knights’ fate.

“But what about the artifact?”

There had to be a suitable artifact for Master. It couldn’t be just any artifact.

“I’ll try to obtain a legendary artifact! Please wait, Master.”

Today, once again, celia faithfully followed Master’s command.