The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 027

EP.27 Holy Knights Caught in Their Own Trap

Aren immediately leaped into the cave. She hadn’t thought about what might be inside the cave from the beginning. Her only priority was to escape the rain.

Inside the cave, the walls were illuminated by torches hanging on them. It seemed like the rain had something to do with it. The walls, the ceiling, and even the stone floor were damp.

Aren carefully advanced, making sure not to slip, thanks to the weight of a large sword she had tucked in her bosom. The interior of the cave was silent, disturbed only by the occasional dripping of water from the ceiling.

“Ugh… I’m not scared.”

Aren felt a little frightened but bravely continued to sing as she moved forward.

“Come on, little friends, gather here.”

Though she didn’t know the rhythm, singing certainly improved Aren’s mood. How long had she walked? Soon, she came across a fork in the path.

“Three paths?”

She hadn’t expected a situation like this.

“Which way should I go?”

Aren pondered and then took a squirrel from her pocket and set it down. It was one of the friends she had made to keep her company on her journey.

As soon as the squirrel touched the ground, it became startled and darted away. Aren watched where it went.

It went in the direction of the rightmost path among the three.

“The squirrel went that way!”

Aren clenched her fist and followed the direction the squirrel had gone.

After a bit of walking, a wide meadow appeared.

“Wow!”

Aren exclaimed as she looked at the meadow. Although there was no sunshine, various kinds of flowers were in full bloom across the meadow.

It was as if these beings in the meadow were trying to tempt anyone who entered, but Aren focused her attention elsewhere.

“Oh, the squirrel friend…”

On the grassy ground, the squirrel she had set free earlier was lying there. It was the same squirrel she had released a while ago.

Above it, numerous butterflies were fluttering, sucking the squirrel’s fluids.

The true nature of the butterflies was blood-sucking butterflies, monsters.

Aren nodded as she watched them.

“Seems like butterfly friends like squirrel friends too.”

Hehe. Aren smiled and approached the blood-sucking butterflies.

When she did, one of the blood-sucking butterflies flew over and bit her arm.

Aren screamed, “Friends are the best!” and opened her mouth wide, swallowing the blood-sucking butterfly in one gulp.

Each bite caused the butterfly to explode, and blood spilled out.

“From now on, butterfly friends are Aren’s important friends!”

Aren had taken a liking to the blood-sucking butterflies.

As she was admiring the numerous butterflies fluttering around, something caught her eye from the corner.

In the distance, several giant spiders were staring at Aren with their eyes glinting.

“Ugh.”

The spiders were much larger than Aren. They had multiple hairy legs and their fangs were moving.

“They are not friends…”

Aren murmured, about to take a step back when a voice called out from the other side.

“Oh my, a lovely young lady has come. Are you lost by any chance?”

Someone approached from across. Aren turned her head to see where the voice came from. There was someone there, and it was Manager Celia, who had been in charge of managing this dungeon.

“What a beautiful lady!”

For Aren, who had just seen something unimaginable moments ago, the current situation was incredibly joyful. Aren herself saw Celia as being very pretty.

Moreover, the luxurious red dress Celia was wearing made her stand out even more.

Aren ran straight toward Celia, her savior.

“You’re a beautiful sister, and you’re Aren’s friend!”

Saying that, she buried herself in Celia’s embrace.

“Are you a lady with vision?”

Celia flashed a beautiful smile and patted Aren’s back a few times. Then she looked Aren in the eye and spoke.

“Why did our little lady come here? You’re even carrying such a precious sword with you.”

Celia recognized that the sword Aren was carrying was no ordinary sword.

“It’s probably a Demon Sword.”

It was known that pulling out a Demon Sword granted power to the user, but it also brought about disastrous consequences. It was best to avoid pulling out a Demon Sword whenever possible. The Demon Sword was a dangerous item.

But why was a vampire like Aren carrying such a dangerous item, and where was she heading with it?

Celia was curious about what had happened, how Aren had ended up here, and what her purpose was.

‘Always remember what the master told us.’

Prioritize information. Information is power. Information can crush your opponent.

Celia had taken the master’s orders to heart. Her mission was to conquer this world with the power of information.

“If you don’t have anywhere to go for the time being, how about resting here? What do you think?”

Celia smiled and held Aren’s hand.

“Yes!”

Aren cheerfully shouted in her current situation, not knowing how to get to the Demon Realm and with the rain pouring down.

“In that case, I’ll guide you this way.”

Celia gently held Aren’s hand and led her out through the entrance opposite to the one Aren had entered.

The dungeon was vast and mysterious.

As they walked, Aren looked around in amazement.

They soon arrived at a location with a large lake. Along the lakeside, goblins were carrying buckets of water, and skeletons were soaking themselves in the water. It was a peaceful place.

“Wow…”

Aren admired the lakeside. She wanted to drink the water, so she dipped her hand in the lake.

However, a monster leaped out of the water.

“You are not allowed here.”

The monster had the form of a serpent, but it had arms on its upper body and even held a large spear in one hand. It was a Naga.

“It’s a long one! But something seems different…?”

The Naga had the form of a snake but had arms on its upper body. It even held a giant spear in one hand.

Celia assured the Naga that he was fine, saying, “He’s one of the invited guests.”

The Naga lowered its head toward Celia and then returned to the water.

Everything was mysterious to Aren. It was her first time seeing a dungeon with such a variety of beings, different from the one where only vampires lived.

Aren’s eyes were filled with wonder. At that moment, she even considered that living here might be better than going to the Demon Realm.

“All of this is created by our great master.”

He created the extra path out of the two, and this vast lake area. Everything was the result of the master’s power.

Celia approached Aren, who was in awe of everything.

“Beautiful sister, you’re not the master, are you?”

“I manage the dungeon, but the master is separate. He is a noble and great being.”

Celia was just a deputy of the dungeon, but Aren interpreted her words differently. Since she had lived in a dungeon, she knew that there was always a master, and the master had another master.

The other master was a very powerful vampire, as her parents had told her. The managed dungeon was also larger than the one she lived in. So, Aren understood Celia’s words as there being a separate master.

“Uh-huh! I see!”

Aren laughed and followed Celia.

As they walked around the large lake, another corridor appeared.

This was the center of the dungeon.

In the central area, there were several facilities. Near the dungeon’s core, often referred to as the heart, unknown individuals in large robes were guarding the vicinity. There was also a space that looked like a prison, with a human sitting inside. Aren wasn’t particularly interested, so she turned her attention elsewhere.

Further along, a sophisticated facility became apparent at first glance.

“This is where I live,” Celia said.

It was her office, the Manager’s room, where she conducted her daily duties.

Beside the office entrance, skeletons with swords at their waists were standing guard.

“These are also the mercy of our master,” Celia gestured towards the skeletons. They were 3-star monsters, known as Skeleton Knights.

Celia’s master, Lee Kang-hyun, could perform a significant upgrade by making multiple rolls in the lottery. This resulted in the creation of 2-star monsters, the Skeleton warrior, by combining 2-star monsters. Even the dress Celia was wearing had transformed from her usual maid’s outfit into a luxurious red dress.

All of this was thanks to the master’s gifts. Now, the Manager’s room was guarded by Skeleton Knights instead of the usual Skeleton Soldiers. Even someone who knew nothing about it could tell that the Manager’s room was important.

“Hey, little lady, how about enjoying some sweet treats together?”

“Sure!” Aren, excited, put down her Demon Sword and rushed forward.

Celia, leading Aren, entered the Manager’s room.

“There are desserts obtained from the Incubi that are still left.”

====

***

====

Werther Leo Bane.

He was the second son of the noble Leo Bane family of the Kalen Empire and currently held the position of Vice-captain of the White Order Knights. He was currently leading the Holy Knights in pursuit of vampires. There was only one of them, but it was more important to Werther than anything else.

So even on a rainy day, he led the Holy Knights in pursuit of vampires.

Naturally, there was discontent among the Holy Knights, but he used his authority as Vice-captain to suppress their complaints.

He wasn’t doing this in miserable weather just to catch a vampire for no reason. He was doing it because the one he was pursuing had the Demon Sword.

Werther came here with only one purpose in mind: to obtain the Demon Sword.

Once he had the Demon Sword, he would gain incredible power. The notion that it brought miserable consequences was for weaklings. He was different.

Once he became the rightful owner of the Demon Sword, he would obtain immense power. And the tip of that sword would be aimed at his own family, the Leo Bane noble family. He had been deprived of the position of heir solely because he was the younger son.

His less competent elder brother had become the heir, and his father, the head of the family, had chosen his elder brother as the successor. He couldn’t forgive it as a member of the family.

The head of the family must choose wisely. The position of the head should always be given to the one who fits it the most. Considering such conditions, his father, who didn’t know how to judge people, was not fit to be the head. Similarly, his elder brother also lacked the qualifications to become the head.

A true head must support the family, and that’s how it can thrive. Families that don’t have a true head have disappeared into the annals of history. At least, werther knew that much. So, if Werther were to possess the Demon Sword, the blade’s tip would be aimed at his own family.

It wouldn’t be a rebellion against the family but rather a rescue.

“Vice captain, we found traces!”

One of the Holy Knights who was searching the area had discovered a rabbit lying on the ground.

“It’s a vampire’s trace.”

There were bite marks on the rabbit’s body, unmistakably the work of a vampire.

“Search the area thoroughly!”

Upon seeing these traces, werther immediately ordered all the Holy Knights.

And soon enough, they found it, the hidden cave among the trees.

The rain was pouring heavily. The vampire probably had no choice but to seek shelter from the rain.

“Yes, the path leads to the cave.”

Werther smirked.

“I’m incredibly lucky.”

With the Holy Knights in tow, werther headed towards the cave.

He was already consumed by greed.