The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 026

EP.26 The Game I Was Playing Was Reality (2)

Celia gazed at the place where her master had disappeared.

“Indeed, Master…”

It was the first time Celia had come face to face with her master, and she was taken aback.

“You haven’t even fully regained your strength yet…”

The current state of her master’s power was still incomplete. Perhaps he had exhausted even more of his strength by releasing himself from the seal. But his determination was extraordinary.

“Truly, a great being!”

Finally, her master had ordered her to offer everything.

“Now you’re going to start in earnest.”

A great being, an incomparable being, her master with all these titles was preparing to move forward in earnest.

And then it happened.

– Thud, thud.

–

The entire dungeon trembled.

This was a familiar sight to Celia. Her master was expanding the dungeon by using his own abilities.

“I can’t just stand here while my master is in motion.”

What she needed to do now was to clear the path for her master.

That’s why she couldn’t sit still in her current position.

“First, let’s deal with this.”

Celia took out the inventory artifact she had received as a reward for helping in the Incubus Dungeon.

Although it looked like a small box on the outside, it could hold numerous items. And it was the same now.

Several pieces of equipment came out of the small box.

“It certainly looks different.”

The Incubus Dungeon was located in a different dimension.

She had heard from Azmo, the owner of that dungeon, that there was a dimension called Earth, and she had heard stories about the hunters from there.

“Hunters are like adventurers here.”

However, they were a more specialized. It was a different story for Celia, who had only lived on the El Dorad Continent.

And the equipment she had now was what the hunters on Earth used.

There were weapons like swords, bows, and spears, as well as armor to protect their bodies.

Celia thought about how to handle these items.

After a brief contemplation, she decided.

“I’ll give the hunter equipment to the goblins.”

“Mr. Denver, please call the goblins from Area 2.”

As Celia gave the order, Denver promptly left.

The current combat capability of the goblins was quite low.

Even if they received weapons from the demon merchant, it wouldn’t make a significant difference.

However, the hunter equipment was different. The quality alone was clearly superior.

Celia thought to herself that she wanted to visit Earth someday.

“But what’s this?”

Among the equipment, there was something Celia had never seen before.

It had a long, staff-like shape, and there was a handle-like part attached to it.

“It’s not a spear, and it feels similar to the poison spike stick that goblins commonly use…”

The weapons commonly used by goblins were simple in structure, with a cylindrical shape similar to a wooden stick.

They would put poison spikes inside and blow them out with their mouths. It was easy to make and efficient as a long-range weapon.

And the staff-like equipment that Celia had brought out seemed similar, except it was made of metal, making it stronger.

Celia examined the end of the staff, where there appeared to be a hole.

“Hmm…”

It seemed empty, but when she inspected the handle, she found a circular ring-like part protruding slightly. Celia pressed it with her finger.

– Bang! –

Suddenly, with a deafening noise, flames erupted from the end of the staff.

Celia was startled by the abrupt sound, but she quickly regained her composure.

“So, it works this way.”

Then she turned her head in the direction the staff had shot.

In that place, goblins that Denver had brought were gathered. Among them, one goblin lay on the ground, bleeding from a hole near its heart, seemingly a recent casualty. The remaining goblins trembled in fear.

“Oh… I wish you happiness next time, Mr. Goblin.”

Celia turned her attention back to the equipment, leaving the fallen goblin behind. It was not a simple weapon. It contained a power greater than a bow.

To estimate its power, celia placed her palm on the end of the staff and shot it.

– Bang! –

“Hmm.”

The power was certainly impressive. There was even magic in the attack, though Celia didn’t understand how it worked.

It was a swift and powerful piece of equipment. However, it had its limitations. It could provide useful hits to goblins, but Celia felt no impact herself.

“Where is the limit of its efficiency?”

After a brief thought, celia decided to give this long staff-like weapon to the Goblin Lord.

If goblins were to be armed with hunter equipment, it would be strange if the Goblin Lord had nothing.

The staff looked quite elegant, somewhat resembling the staves carried by mages, making it suitable for the Goblin Lord, who was the middle boss of Area 2.

Celia handed the weapon to the Goblin Lord.

====

***

====

Usually, when you wake up, your head is foggy.

During this process, you initially vividly remember the content of your dream. Then, a few seconds later, the details become blurred, and no matter how hard you try, the only question that remains is, ‘What kind of dream did I have?’

“…”

And even now, as I dreamt, the details were gradually fading away. Only the last part of the dream was most memorable.

“Ah.”

I felt embarrassed.

Why did I confidently say, “Offer everything as a sacrifice” in my dream, using a tone I rarely used? It made me cringe.

“But was it really a dream?”

I had vague memories.

“Is the game I’m playing actually a reality?”

It was a nagging feeling. Maybe I already knew the answer, but I just needed solid proof.

“Shall I check?”

All that remained was my abilities and the game on my smartphone.

I launched the game while holding my smartphone in my hand.

Yes, it was definitely after playing this game.

I trusted my intuition.

“How much money do I have right now?”

The money I earned as a porter before obtaining the ability

‘Magic Sensitivity.’

Originally, I had been saving up to buy skill books, but now skill books seemed less important.

Maybe there were more critical things to consider.

For some reason, I felt that my intuition was speaking to me.

“Let’s check.”

As soon as the game launched, I immediately entered the shop. I had only one goal in mind, to buy gems.

– Payment successful.

–

– 5,000 gems will be delivered by mail.

–

I made another purchase.

– Payment successful.

–

– 5,000 gems will be delivered by mail.

–

And another one.

– Payment successful.

–

– 5,000 gems will be delivered by mail.

–

I continued to purchase gems.

When I had bought 1.1 million won worth of gems, I received a warning message.

– There is a risk of altering causality.

–

– You cannot purchase additional gems at this time.

–

“What? Why is causality affecting gem purchases?”

This game wasn’t like this before.

It was clear that the game had changed from trying to encourage in-app purchases to now preventing them.

Is there a game that stops users from making in-app purchases? Well… this is going to be interesting.

Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be futile? If the game company prevents it, it won’t make any difference in the end.

My original plan was to buy all the gems and go all out in the dungeon.

“For now, let’s stop here.”

I had just over 100,000 gems at the moment.

Originally, I had intended to buy all of them. This game was clearly not an ordinary game, and if my guess was correct, it was fate that brought it to me.

“Besides, there was nothing strange about gaining status and abilities. It was a benefit. I had nothing to lose.”

However, a few questions came to my mind.

First, the utility of this. I knew one thing for sure. Sacrificing in-game items made me stronger. It was a strong guess, and I wasn’t entirely convinced. I wanted to verify it once more.

If sacrificing an item could make me stronger, was the utility of this sacrificial item limited to just one use?

Second, why me?

I was a half-baked hunter, often referred to as ‘half-hunte’, with no status and originally a human.

And the beings I managed were ultimately monsters.

Why did I, a human, receive such a fate? What was my ultimate purpose? These questions kept circling in my mind.

Eventually, I raised my head.

“For now, let’s go with it.”

I now had a means to become stronger in my current situation. I had no power at all.

There was nothing disadvantageous about it. I had no reservations, but a few doubts. I thought that if I gave offerings, I would gain strength in return.

If this guess were to be confirmed, was there more to it than just gaining strength through offerings? Maybe I could gain power by other means, and this was just one way.

I considered the morality of the situation.

My strength seemed to be derived from offerings, and this required someone to offer them.

My status window and abilities were likely the results of this process.

However, what was done was done.

If this speculation turned into certainty, I could slightly adjust my thinking.

To maintain moral principles, offerings could be obtained from those who were not virtuous, such as criminals.

It seemed too naive to completely give up this good fate. Until now, I would use any means necessary.

I thought about past events for a moment. It was a world of survival of the fittest.

Yes, if I couldn’t get stronger, the current world was one where I would be the prey.

Compared to that, I was now a gentleman. Occasionally, there were hunters who made contracts with demon-type monsters.

Although the process of making a contract was not pleasant, they gained immense power instantly.

At first, I had doubted if I was cut out for this type of thing.

But what about me now? I was fine. I had never been at a disadvantage so far, except for my bank account.

“If you really think about it, it’s a matter of ethical conscience.”

In any case, the source of my power was offerings, and offerings were a condition that came into effect when someone offered something.

My status window and abilities were likely the result of that process.

But it was all in the past. And even when this guess became certain, I could simply change my perspective.

At least in order to maintain a sense of morality, I could obtain offerings from those who were not virtuous, such as criminals.

It would be too naive to completely give up on this good fate. For now…

“Well, shall we begin?”

Even if I couldn’t purchase additional gems, I still had just over 100,000 of them. It was time to strengthen the dungeon from now on.

====

***

====

Rain began to fall from the sky.

The already gloomy atmosphere of the mountain became even colder and darker. Raindrops sprinkled the trees and the ground, soon forming a thick mist.

“Achoo!”

And there was someone who was right in the line of fire from those raindrops. It was the vampire, Aren.

“Hng…

”

Aren felt gloomy. She had thought that she would enter the demon realm as soon as she crossed the mountain, but reality presented another mountain for him to navigate.

She had been wandering for days, and now it was raining on top of everything.

“Ugh, it’s so cold…”

Her body started to shiver. Until now, the weather had been fine, but the rain currently falling showed no signs of stopping.

“Let’s quickly find shelter from the rain. Rabbit friend, you go your way.”

Aren made up her mind to find shelter first. She then placed the rabbit, which she had been holding in one hand, on the ground.

As she pushed through the trees, Aren suddenly spotted something.

“Oh, found it!”

Through the dense trees, she could see a cave.