Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

67 – Inspector Ark Lich’s Journal

The head of comrade Gregto fell to the ground.

“…….”

Adventurers watched the scene in silence.

Some shed tears at the tragic sight, while others were filled with regret.

Everyone mourned in silence.

“W-What on earth….”

Isrin murmured in disbelief.

Gregto, someone.

A giant boasting an enormous physique and possessing formidable strength, not to mention being a reliable comrade despite his gruff demeanor.

Moreover, he was an adventurer of silver rank.

Could an orc or the like really bring him down?

Normally, orcs are 2-star monsters.

Even a silver-ranked adventurer is more than enough to handle a fight with a 2-star monster of the same rank.

But the outcome now was entirely different.

Isrin looked around.

Just by observing the numerous monsters surrounding them, the truth became clear.

They were poised in anticipation, waiting only for the command of the orc who had brought down Gregto.

“Indeed, that orc seems to be controlling the monsters in the vicinity.”

Not just an ordinary 2-star grade orc.

It was higher.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have intervened in the battle a little while ago?

If she had used magic, at least Gregto might not have died.

“No, that’s not it.”

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But she shook her head.

Even if that had saved Gregto, what about the remaining monsters?

Would all those orcs and goblins have just stood there quietly?

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no clear answer.

Perhaps others had suffered because of the rampaging monsters.

Of course, that didn’t mean the current situation was okay.

Ultimately, Gregto lost to that orc, and the fate of the remaining survivors was unknown.

If there was any consolation, it was that the orc who faced Gregto had intelligence.

At least communication was possible, and there might be room for negotiation.

Isrin gazed at the orc.

He had mentioned his name was Scol.

It hadn’t been long since the end of the battle.

Scol, the orc, seemed strangely nonchalant, even though he was expected to be out of breath.

Instead, he leisurely gathered the spoils.

“A weapon once wielded by an honorable warrior… I shall use this!”

Scol picked up Gregto’s greatsword and shield from the ground.

“Woooo-!”

As he raised the weapons, the monsters around him cheered.

“What should I do?”

There was simply no answer.

Others were in the same predicament.

“How, how should we…”

Nariel, who had been trembling beside, spoke up.

But Isrin couldn’t think straight in the current situation.

She merely stared at the Scoll in front of her.

Scoll was undoubtedly different from the other orcs.

Not only in his massive stature but also with scars covering his face.

And what about those flowing red hair strands?

His mere presence seemed highly threatening.

“Can I survive this?”

In the current circumstances, could she really escape unharmed?

Isrin kept a vigilant eye on Scoll, searching for any openings.

Conveniently, Scoll was inspecting the weapon he had acquired.

“I’ve decided to respect this warrior!”

“Woah! Woah! Woah!”

Monsters around responded to every word Scoll uttered.

Scoll glanced at the lifeless body of Gregto on the ground.

“The honor of this warrior must be known to all!”

After uttering these strange words, he unexpectedly lifted Gregto’s head.

What on earth was he doing?

“….”

Isrin and the adventurers silently waited for Scoll’s next move.

But what followed was truly a horrifying scene.

Scoll didn’t just lift Gregto’s head; he started attaching it to a looted shield.

“Huh?”

Someone voiced their doubt.

Perhaps everyone shared the same thought.

Scoll attached Gregto’s head to the looted shield.

And then, proudly raised the shield.

“Uwaaah!”

Gregto’s head hung from the shield.

Ugh-

The adventurers were nauseated by the spectacle.

Meanwhile, the surrounding orcs cheered even more enthusiastically.

He had clearly mentioned honor.

He had declared the honor of Gregto.

“What kind of honor is there in that place?!”

Isrin couldn’t understand.

In an instant, she found herself shouting without realizing it.

The ones who had cheered at her shout fell silent.

And everyone’s gaze turned toward Isrin.

“I-Isrin, miss….”

Terrified Nari stuck close to Isrin’s side.

But fortunately, the monsters didn’t move.

Scoll only raised his head slightly and opened his mouth.

“I have recognized this warrior! This is a sign of respect coming down among warriors!”

Isrin couldn’t comprehend Scoll’s words.

But she had no intention of continuing the argument here.

It was a waste of time.

Above all, now that it was their turn, she mentally prepared herself.

‘Should I launch a preemptive attack, or should I just run away no matter what…’

Various options appeared in her mind, but all of them were reckless methods.

The adventurers, too, were all caught in panic.

Especially after witnessing the bizarre sight.

They, too, were not significantly different from Isrin’s thoughts.

– We have to run away.

Now, the situation called for everyone to fend for themselves to survive.

But this was a mountain range.

Even if they tried to escape, could they safely get away after passing through so many orcs and goblins?

Attacking first was also a foolish choice.

It was better to run away in different directions, even if only some of them survived.

As the adventurers pondered, the situation continued to unfold.

Scoll’s mouth opened.

“Now, you are no longer needed.”

“?”

What did that guy just say?

Isrin’s thoughts momentarily halted.

“Don’t you hear? You are no longer needed. You can leave.”

It wasn’t a misunderstanding.

Scoll, as if truly unnecessary, took only the shield with Gregto’s head and weapons, leaving in a different direction.

Monsters followed him.

The suffocating gazes from moments ago disappeared in an instant.

“Phew-“

“W-We survived?! Are we okay?”

As the orcs and goblins left, the adventurers hesitated in their places.

They were lucky.

“….”

Leaving behind the adventurers who sighed in relief, Scoll moved forward.

Then he spoke to the presence beside him.

“Tell the administrator! Inform them that Scoll handled one adventurer honorably!”

It was a shadow.

The shadow listened to Scoll’s words and promptly disappeared.

Confirming that the figure had completely vanished, Scoll muttered to himself.

“Indeed, is the master testing us?”

Scoll saving those adventurers wasn’t merely for amusement.

It was a direct order from the head administrator, Celia.

The order brought by the shadow was clear.

If adventurers were to come, do not kill them all.

Before this, an inspector had come.

Perhaps the masters were assessing their utility.

“I must stand by the master, no matter what.”

Even if others didn’t understand, Scoll himself would stay by the master’s side.

To pledge loyalty to a ruler who respects warriors is as honorable as it gets.

In any case, the objective had been achieved.

This much effort should earn Scoll high marks from the ruler.

Scoll, carrying a shield adorned with the head of an honorable warrior, stepped into his dungeon.

* * *

The surviving adventurers walked on and on.

What had happened a little while ago was truly a stroke of luck.

Isrin pondered, recalling the recent events.

“Could it be that the monsters just let us go?”

Upon closer inspection, it didn’t make sense for an orc to propose a one-on-one duel.

Fortunately, they had overcome one obstacle, but the problem lay ahead.

What should they do next?

Isrin glanced behind discreetly.

The other adventurers had long lost their resolve.

Perhaps there was some insight into why the Seil Kingdom prohibited entry into the mountains.

“Could it be the appearance of mutated monsters…?”

Certainly, the orc named Scoll from earlier was no ordinary orc.

A monster that gained power for some reason.

A so-called mutation.

It was an unforeseen problem.

And there was another problem lurking.

Firstly, the fact that everyone, knowing this, couldn’t bring themselves to leave the mountains.

They had already accepted a substantial amount of money and accepted the commission.

It would be nice to give up here, but the concern about the penalty still lingered.

The contract explicitly stated that abandoning the mission midway would result in various disadvantages.

At that time, they had no intention to give up, so they signed without hesitation.

However, reality was different.

In the current reality, everyone’s spirits had already crumbled.

“Should we run away?”

Unfortunately, all of them were officially recognized adventurers.

If they were of noble status, they would have probably checked the backgrounds of the adventurers here before entrusting the commission.

If they flee now as they are, they won’t receive normal adventurer requests in the future.

Nobles were such beings, and adventurers who had lost trust seemed as useless as discarded tools.

Though it was a confidential commission, entering the mountain range was currently prohibited.

In any case, losing trust as an adventurer was the same.

In the end, it was a forced situation.

They had already received the payment.

So, they couldn’t just give up on the commission.

No matter what, they had to complete the remaining period of the commission.

“Isn’t it better to just hide somewhere for the remaining time?” someone suggested.

It was an opinion to hide somewhere during the remaining period.

Some adventurers nodded in agreement with that suggestion.

After all, everyone knew that the current situation in the mountain range was far from normal.

So, it made more sense to be cautious.

Nariel and Isrin also had no choice but to agree with that statement.

The current situation was not favorable.

Moreover, the sun was setting.

The worst situation was to face the night without any preparations.

Everyone wanted to find a place to spend the night for now.

How far had they walked?

Nariel pointed forward.

“A cave…? No, is it a dungeon?” Isrin said as she approached.

For now, they needed a place to stay.

Even if it was a dungeon, it would be better to spend the night inside after subduing it.

Isrin and Nariel led the adventurers into the designated location.

“It’s dark in here.”

The cave was dark.

And it was too humid.

As they ventured further inside, the temperature rose.

The adventurers began to shed their outer garments one by one.

Continuing inward, a presence suddenly sprang forth.

“Bubuo!”

The first to greet them was a slime.

Not just any slime, but a large one.

“King Slime…?”

Behind the King Slime, several other slimes appeared.

Slimes of various colors lined up and approached the adventurers.

“Kwii! Ppong!”

Though it seemed like the King Slime was saying something, unfortunately, it couldn’t be understood.

Fortunately, they seemed friendly towards the adventurers, if anything.

Following the slimes, the adventurers delved even deeper.

“Oh? It’s a hot spring!”

A place with warm water bubbling up came into view.

Indeed, it was a hot spring.

One adventurer, overjoyed, leaped into the water.

Before the nearby companions could stop him, the deed was done.

“That fool…!”

Isrin scolded the adventurer who had jumped into the water.

In dungeons, one must be cautious of everything.

Missing even the smallest detail could lead to a swift demise.

Hence, such actions as just now were truly beyond foolish.

Nevertheless, they were fortunate.

Nothing happened to the adventurer who jumped into the water.

“Come on in, too! It’s warm and wonderful!”

He even gestured towards the other adventurers.

Starting with his words, one by one, they cautiously entered the water.

Nothing untoward happened.

The warm springwater mixed with the slimes, creating an even more pleasant sensation.

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The fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day completely melted away.

Gradually, more adventurers leaped into the water.

As if the worries they had just carried were lies, everyone wore happy expressions.

Isrin and Nariel simply observed the scene.

“Isrin, aren’t you going in…?”

In response to Nariel’s question, Isrin just nodded.

Then, she soon sank to the bottom.

This was undoubtedly a dungeon.

Therefore, one must remain vigilant until the end.

While others may not know, Isrin was determined to stay focused until the very end.

Nariel also took her place beside Isrin.

They sat quietly, watching the adventurers underwater.

* * *

“So, is this the report?”

Celia frowned as she looked at the thick notebook extended by the shadow.

The thick notebook was something Ark Lich used to carry around.

She had instructed the shadow to bring Ark Lich’s notebook after hearing the interim report…

“Why are only positive stories written in here?”

Is this an evaluation record?

“….”

Moreover, everything came out as positive.

– Slow information processing. Although this is a deduction point, steadfast pursuit of the aesthetics of slowness in a rapidly changing dungeon is commendable.

– As the dungeon owner, attempting division rather than harmony. Good attitude.

– Well-maintained weapon during normal times. Good.

– No problems with the Red-Haired Tribe Dungeon.

“….”

With a slight hope, she turned to the next page.

– Roaring like a dungeon owner is rough.

Poses a significantly threatening appearance to adventurers.

– Sticky Puddle Dungeon, no issues whatsoever.

Even here, it was so simple that only a few lines were written.

“Is this record really accurate?”

Celia was skeptical.

Perhaps Shadow had brought the notebook mistakenly?

Even the back pages of the notebook were filled with praises for the master.

– The great, noble, and magnificent master bestowed a robe. This is an extraordinary gift and will be cherished for a lifetime.

“….”

Celia found herself speechless today.

Assessing things in this manner made it difficult to objectively assess the dungeon’s power.

She pondered whether it was right to continually entrust the role of overseer to Arch Reach.

Of course, entrusting the role of overseer was the will of the great master, but she could still make suggestions.

Shortly after, a shadow handed Celia another document.

She immediately checked its contents.

The contents were straightforward.

[Skoll defeats adventurers]

Skoll, who leads the dungeon ‘Red-Headed Tribe,’ reportedly defeated the adventurers.

It was even said that he defeated an adventurer estimated to be of silver rank.

“Indeed, one must display a form befitting the mercy of the great one.”

If one harbored the master’s will, it was appropriate to handle such matters easily.

Celia nodded her head.

Simultaneously, her assessment of Arch Reach slightly improved.

At least for Skoll, it seemed she evaluated without bias.

But even if that was the case for Skoll, the evaluation for the next dungeon seemed too meager.

The ‘Viscous Pond’ dungeon.

Celia checked the next content of the document.

[Melting adventurers who entered the water with slime’s acidic substance]

The report was also concise.

It was even mentioned that most adventurers died in this process.

It seemed that, in his own way, Arch Reach had provided an objective evaluation.

But all of this isn’t because Mr. Ark Rich handled it well.

Was it not the magnificent lord who assigned the role of inspector to Mr. Ark Rich?

“Indeed, you are the master.”

Celia felt awe in the presence of the great one’s insight.