The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 179

EP.179 Vampire and Minotaur Dungeon (2)

Jung Ye-rin led her team members into the Minotaur dungeon with a determined look in her eyes.

As they entered the dungeon, a damp and unpleasant air greeted her team.

Fortunately, torches were hung on the walls at regular intervals, ensuring visibility.

If there was another problem besides that, it was the fact that this dungeon was a maze.

‘Let’s stay focused.’

In maze-type dungeons, getting lost was a much bigger problem than monsters.

It was easy to become lost in the dungeon if you let your guard down for even a moment.

That’s why they mobilized all the hunters with pathfinding abilities.

As everyone was preparing to enter the maze in earnest, one team member quietly approached and asked.

“Um, Team Leader. Can we really clear this dungeon by ourselves?”

The voice of the person asking the question was tinged with fear and doubt.

Jung Ye-rin shook her head and answered firmly.

“Have faith in our abilities. If it seems dangerous, we’ll pull out immediately, so don’t worry and just follow me closely.”

Minor injuries or damages didn’t matter anyway.

After all, Ye-rin, the team leader, was a B-rank healer.

Thanks to her ability, the team members had been able to carry out their missions intact so far.

However, the question just asked had two meanings.

The first was, literally, whether they could conquer this dungeon.

This Minotaur dungeon had a maze-like structure.

Moreover, it wasn’t even confirmed what was lurking at the end of the dungeon.

They were only estimating it to be a B-rank dungeon because the Minotaur monster was B-rank.

‘In reality, it’s probably higher than that.’

Considering the environment of the maze with its many variables, it was easier to think of it as an A-rank dungeon rather than B-rank.

And the second meaning was.

‘It must be about Kang-hyun.’

It was obvious.

There was a hint of regret about the absence of Advisor Lee Kang-hyun.

Advisor Lee Kang-hyun had clearly demonstrated his skills by clearing the Stone Golem dungeon alone.

Naturally, the team members’ perspective had changed.

Many felt disappointment that he couldn’t be with them now.

Although they didn’t know how Advisor Lee Kang-hyun had cleared the Golem dungeon, if he were here, they could probably clear this dungeon easily too.

Ye-rin knew this fact as well, but she excluded Kang-hyun from this conquest.

Certainly, if Kang-hyun were here, she would have felt much more at ease than now.

‘Although we did bring a summon…’

Of course, Kang-hyun had provided his summoned skeleton.

Even now, his summon was accompanying Ye-rin.

‘Its name was Maru, wasn’t it?’

However, Maru was just a summon.

The skeletons summoned by ordinary necromancers were so weak that they might as well not exist.

‘In the end, the real strength lies with Kang-hyun.’

Yet, there were several reasons why she didn’t bring Advisor Kang-hyun along.

First, the moment they relied on Advisor Kang-hyun, an imbalance would occur in the team’s strength.

Hadn’t they taken down the A-rank monster, Goblin Lord, even when Advisor Kang-hyun wasn’t around?

However, the moment they relied on one person’s strength, the team’s overall power would instantly decline.

Of course, that was just the surface reason, and the real reason was different.

‘Jung Tae-young…’

Ye-rin muttered the Vice Guild Master’s name inwardly as she glanced behind her.

She caught sight of Yoon Tae-kyung, who was suspected to be in Vice Guild Master Jung Tae-young’s faction.

This was an internal struggle between Ye-rin herself and the Vice Guild Master.

‘I don’t want to drag Kang-hyun into this.’

She didn’t want to involve others in this fight and cause them harm unnecessarily.

Since he had already joined the team, it was already a bit precarious, but it could be seen as just on the line of a business relationship.

But if she were to involve Kang-hyun further here, the Vice Guild Master would start to check them in earnest.

‘I can’t let Kang-hyun suffer because of me.’

For now, Ye-rin was determined to go as far as she could with her own strength.

Having finished her thoughts, she began to lead her team members to explore the dungeon.

How long had they walked?

“Everyone, halt!”

One corridor split into two paths.

Immediately, the hunters with pathfinding abilities scanned the paths, but they couldn’t find any traces.

‘…There’s nothing.’

Ye-rin examined the walls, but there were no clues on the walls covered with damp moss.

They even tried to break the walls, but it had no effect.

‘This is troublesome.’

Even the hunters with pathfinding abilities couldn’t determine the direction.

It wasn’t for nothing that the guild’s reconnaissance team had failed to explore the dungeon.

If there was one hope, it was that the more difficult the dungeon, the better the rewards.

‘The problem is if we can clear it, though.’

Still, she held onto hope.

In a situation where they couldn’t know the path, it was right to take the direct approach.

‘Left or right…’

Just bluntly choosing one path and moving forward.

As they progressed, the path would become more complicated, but there was no other suitable method.

Originally, to save time, splitting the team would have been the best option.

But the dungeon they had entered now lacked too much information.

There was a risk of total annihilation if they carelessly split the team.

In the end, Ye-rin decided to choose one path and move everyone together.

‘Right.’

Without hesitation, Ye-rin chose the right path and led her team forward.

But the journey was arduous.

They encountered dead ends consecutively and had to turn back, or some places were full of traps.

There were even places strewn with unidentifiable bone fragments and broken weapons.

Each time, Ye-rin boldly returned the way they came.

And she chose different paths while being cautious about safety.

Thanks to this, there were no casualties, but the team members’ fatigue kept building up due to constant movement.

“We’ll definitely find a way out. Let’s hang in there a bit longer!”

Ye-rin encouraged her team members, but the dungeon’s structure only kept getting more complex.

As everyone’s expressions were hardening, only one person had a faint smile.

It was Yoon Tae-kyung.

‘It’s fine since that bastard Kang-hyun isn’t here. All I need is for Ye-rin to fail.’

He inwardly rejoiced.

For him, who was hoping for Ye-rin’s failure in conquering the dungeon, the current situation wasn’t bad at all.

It was clear that even Kang-hyun wouldn’t be able to clear a dungeon like this.

‘The size is beyond what I imagined.’

Tae-kyung was a B-rank hunter in his own right.

It was a dungeon with an enormously large maze, even though no monsters had appeared yet.

If they could clear a dungeon like this, the chances of getting good rewards were high.

‘I should report as soon as we get out.’

He planned to report to the Vice Guild Master to reclaim this dungeon since Ye-rin had failed to conquer it.

‘This time, I can make up for my failure.’

A few days ago, Kang-hyun had cleared the Stone Golem dungeon alone, bringing considerable benefits to Ye-rin.

Because of that, Tae-kyung had been severely reprimanded by the Vice Guild Master.

After all, he had handed over the dungeon without causing any harm to the team.

But now it was different.

The team’s morale was gradually dropping.

No matter how good a team leader she was, she had to take care of her team members.

Soon, Ye-rin would have to give up on conquering the dungeon.

As Tae-kyung was waiting for that moment.

“……!”

A Minotaur appeared in front of them.

A monster with a massive body and the head of a bull.

But this was no ordinary Minotaur.

“Mi-Minotaur Chieftain! Everyone, prepare for battle!” Jung Ye-rin shouted.

An A-rank monster, the Minotaur Chieftain, had appeared.

It was a being much larger than a regular Minotaur, wielding a huge double-bladed axe.

‘This is bad!’

Ye-rin’s team had no A-rank hunters.

They thought it was just a complex maze dungeon, but to think an A-rank monster would appear here.

It was the worst possible situation for her.

They quickly assumed battle positions, but there was no guarantee of victory.

Tension filled the air.

The only fortunate thing was that the enemy monster remained stationary in its place.

“……”

But something seemed odd.

The monster truly just stood there, not taking any action.

‘What’s going on?’

If it was the Minotaur Chieftain, it must surely be the master of this dungeon.

But how should they interpret the dungeon master taking no action in the face of intruders?

‘Could it be seeking a deal?’

Intelligent dungeon masters sometimes proposed deals to hunters.

Though the details were unclear, if it really wanted a deal, it wasn’t a bad situation.

Whatever the other side might offer, they could continuously reap necessary benefits while leaving the dungeon intact.

Not just Ye-rin, but everyone tensely watched the Minotaur Chieftain.

Soon, the bull’s head opened its mouth.

“Grrrr, Lord Baalzerith wishes to see you. Follow me.”

Saying just that, it turned its back and began to walk.

“…Baalzerith?”

The Minotaur Chieftain alone was more than enough to be the dungeon master.

Yet such a monster mentioned another being.

And even used an honorific term at that.

Though she wanted to ask for details, the Minotaur Chieftain kept walking.

At that moment, Maru, who had been quiet, made a sound.

“Clack clack, clack clack clack.”

(Baalzerith is on our side. Let’s follow.)

Unfortunately, Ye-rin and the other hunters couldn’t understand Maru’s words.

Ye-rin simply took courage from Maru’s bone sounds.

“Alright, we need to do something.”

Though it felt unsettling, staying put wouldn’t solve anything.

“For now, we’ll follow. It might be a trap, so stay alert!”

Having made up her mind, Ye-rin led her team members to follow behind the monster.

===

**

===

After following for quite some time, a wide open space came into view.

It was the end of the maze and simultaneously the center of the dungeon.

And when Ye-rin saw the being at the far end, her eyes widened.

“A… a child?”

Sitting on a throne surrounded by Minotaurs was a small girl.

With pale skin and red eyes, the being was clearly not human.

Moreover, it didn’t fit the scene of a Minotaur dungeon at all.

Yoon Tae-kyung was equally bewildered.

“Uh, we didn’t enter the wrong place, did we? What on earth is going on here!”

But no one could explain this bizarre situation.

It was that out of place.

‘Just what is this creature’s identity?’

To Ye-rin’s eyes, it looked like an ordinary child, yet the Minotaurs seemed to be showing absolute loyalty.

One Minotaur was even kneeling beside her with its hand raised.

“……”

The more she looked, the more confused she became.

As everyone stood dumbfounded, the child broke the silence first.

“Hmm, welcome to my dungeon. I am called Baalzerith.”

Only then did Ye-rin recall what the Minotaur Chieftain had said earlier.

‘It definitely said Lord Baalzerith.’

Ye-rin, coming to her senses, shouted to her team members.

“Everyone, put away your weapons!”

Then she bowed her head towards Baalzerith and greeted politely.

“L-Lord Baalzerith. I am Jung Ye-rin, leading a team from the Phoenix Guild.”

A slight tremor could be heard in her voice.

It couldn’t be helped.

The aura emanating from Baalzerith was overwhelming.

‘This is no ordinary A-rank! Just what kind of race…’

A single gesture from that small hand could annihilate the entire team.

It seemed better to use the current atmosphere while the other side was being friendly.

“Um, does the dungeon master perhaps have any desires…?”

Ye-rin’s body trembled.

Seeing this, Baalzerith smiled faintly.

Baalzerith was pleased to be called the dungeon master after so long.

“Well, I don’t want anything in particular. I was just told by the voice’s owner to conquer this dungeon.”

The voice’s owner? Conquer the dungeon?

Ye-rin became even more confused by Baalzerith’s words.

But she couldn’t just stay silent.

Saying there was nothing they wanted could also mean they could attack us at any time.

With their current strength, they were outmatched even by the Minotaur Chieftain.

Ye-rin made her move.

“If there’s anything you desire, please just say the word. We’ll prepare it right away.”

“Hmm, for a worthless human, you’re quite perceptive.”

Baalzerith’s voice tone rose.

She was in a very good mood, as someone who would flatter her had appeared after a long time.

It felt like being compensated here for all the years of being looked down upon by Celia.

‘I want to stay here…’

Baalzerith had taken a liking to this dungeon.

She didn’t want to go back to where Celia was.

“Then, I want to eat fresh blood!”

Baalzerith demanded blood with an innocent expression.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ye-rin took out a dagger and cut her own arm.

Then she began to fill an empty container handed to her by a team member with blood.

Starting with her, other hunters also cut their arms to draw blood.

There was no hesitation, knowing they would die if they upset that being’s mood here.

“Oh! What admirable ones you are!”

Baalzerith was pleased by the sight of humans drawing blood to offer to her.

‘So there are friendly adventurers too.’

She had thought all adventurers were hostile to dungeons, but these humans were different.

‘Which country’s adventurers are they? Surely not from the order…’

Come to think of it, their attire was unfamiliar too.

It was something she had never seen in the El Dorad continent that Baalzerith knew.

There was one familiar thing, though.

‘Those weapons are exactly the same as what the Goblin Lord has!’

They were adventurers carrying weapons identical to those the Goblin Lord liked to use.

As she was examining them one by one for any other elements, she noticed a skeleton monster next to the human called Ye-rin.

“…Huh?”

She felt a familiar aura.

Similar to Celia’s aura?

No, perhaps more like the aura of the mysterious voice’s owner?

That wasn’t all.

The sword the skeleton was holding also seemed familiar somehow.

“Hmm… Is it just my imagination?”

Baalzerith lost interest.

If that skeleton was related to Celia or the voice’s owner, it would have taken some action instead of just standing still.

But since it was still motionless, it seemed she had just misperceived.

The sword must have seemed familiar because it was ordinary.

“……”

Contrary to Baalzerith’s thoughts, Maru was faithfully following his master’s orders.

– Maru, even if you meet Baalzerith in the dungeon, don’t act like you know her and just stay still. Got it?As ordered, Maru turned his head away from Baalzerith. –