The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices
Chapter 83: Dungeon Social Circle (1)

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 083

EP.83 Dungeon Social Circle (1)

They all witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Clearly, it was a skeleton, an undead monster.

Yet from within the skeleton, a divine power could be felt.

Indeed, the bones of the skeleton emitted a faint light.

An undead monster imbued with holiness.

Upon seeing the mysterious light up close, even Riana couldn’t speak.

“……”

It’s an unbelievable story.

Certainly, it’s a paradoxical and absurd tale that nobody would believe.

Yet, a paradoxical scene was unfolding before their eyes.

The events unfolding now were all real.

Have you ever seen records of such beings before?

No.

Then have you ever heard stories about them?

No, not that either.

From the start, the notion of a dark creature possessing holiness was never recorded anywhere, and nobody knew about it.

This is undoubtedly a miracle.

If this isn’t a miracle, then what is?

As she is now, she had no choice but to believe it.

The Holy Knights around her felt the same way.

That being in front of them was undoubtedly the envoy sent by the goddess.

That envoy led them into trial.

At the same time, instilling strong faith in them.

Yes, otherwise there would be no way to explain the current situation.

Even now, the envoy of the goddess stood with arms outstretched.

It was an inviting gesture, as if beckoning them into her embrace.

“Ah…”

Tears flowed from Riana’s eyes.

And she regretted.

Why the envoy of the goddess had descended to the earth could be understood without even pondering.

‘It is to punish us.’

In the hands of the envoy was a sword.

A black sword emitting a daunting aura just by looking at it.

Riana quickly realized that the sword was a demon sword.

But why would the envoy of the goddess wield a demon sword?

The meaning of that demon sword is punishment.

Punishment for us.

Furthermore, it’s punishment for the White Order.

She had spent considerable time in the Order.

Thus, she knew well about the current Order.

Riana was raised by the Order from a young age.

The Order took her in as an orphan after she lost her parents early.

She grew up there, receiving various educations.

She could learn basic manners, ethics, beliefs, along with faith in the goddess.

Fortunately, she also had talent in swordsmanship and joined the Holy Knights of White Order .

That’s how she came to her current position.

For Riana, the Order was her entire life.

It was certainly so.

But at some point, the Order changed.

The higher-ups moved only for their own gain.

Even the lower ranks were blinded by greed.

Can the Holy Knights of White Order be considered clean?

Not at all.

Starting with the commander, they pushed their subordinates to their limits under the pretext of training.

A prime example was the former vice-commander, Werther.

Currently, he and nineteen other Holy Knights were missing.

Even when faced with such sights, Riana turned away.

If the Order could grow, she thought, a few sacrifices were inevitable.

But seeing the envoy of the goddess changed her mind.

‘The goddess has undoubtedly answered that our direction is wrong.’

This thought led to one conclusion.

‘The current Order must change.’

And it was obvious how she should act in the future.

Riana cautiously spoke up.

“Um…”

Emotions surged, making it difficult for her to speak.

Still, she strengthened her voice.

“My name is Riana. How should I address you…?”

First, Riana introduced herself.

Then she asked what to call the being that could be considered the representative of the goddess.

It couldn’t go on forever by calling ‘you’.

“Tick?”

But Riana didn’t understand his words.

All she heard was the sound of bones clashing.

As she hesitated for a moment.

“Riana, he is a ‘saint’.”

Someone appeared from behind.

He was clearly armored and armed with a sword of a Holy Knight, and Riana knew him well.

“Eric, is that you…?”

Eric, one of the nineteen Holy Knights who disappeared along with Vice-Commander Werther.

It was natural for Riana, who was then the commander’s aide, to remember him.

“Why are you here…”

Riana thought Eric was already dead.

Her pupils trembled.

In fact, Eric was being manipulated by Banshee, but Riana didn’t know that.

Normally, she might have noticed, but the presence of the divine being clouded her judgment.

“I have been chosen by a great one, unlike others.”

Eric smiled and slowly moved his steps.

Here, the great one referred to is Lee Kang-hyun.

“The goddess’s choice…?”

However, Eric’s words sounded differently to Riana.

Unlike others, Eric was the only one chosen by the goddess.

That’s why he survived in this mountain range.

“And according to his will, he sent me here to assist the saint.”

It meant that Celia, the manager who follows the Great one, had sent it here.

The purpose was to support Maru.

“So that’s how it happened.”

Riana nodded her head.

Eric, chosen by the goddess, must have been given the task of assisting the saint.

Hearing Eric’s words, Riana became even more convinced of her own thoughts.

“Then the reason the saint descended to the earth…”

“Yes.”

Eric nodded his head.

His expression was determined, with a sense of readiness.

“It’s the will of the great one. The great one desires absolute loyalty from the continent.”

“Ah…”

Riana interpreted Eric’s words in her mind.

The great one must be the goddess.

There was no doubt.

And the goddess desired that everyone on the continent follow her.

Absolute loyalty meant to strictly adhere to the goddess’s words.

In other words, it also meant not to lose one’s faith due to indulgence and greed.

That must be the case.

In the end, the saint descended to the earth according to the goddess’s will.

It was to alert the corrupt and greedy Order.

Up to this point, it made sense.

But there was still one question that remained unanswered.

What was their reason for coming all the way to this mountain range in the first place?

They came to find the missing subordinates.

And why did the Sael Kingdom block access to the mountain range?

Riana asked this question.

“Clack-Clack-Clack-?”

(We’ve dealt with those three, but I’m not sure about the mountain pass?)

As Maru responded to Riana’s question, Eric, who was beside her, assumed a prayer posture.

“……”

And then he fell silent for a moment.

He had been thinking about how to answer Riana’s question earlier.

He knew very well that he couldn’t just give the same answer Maru did.

“Hmm…”

He closed his eyes for a moment, pondering.

For Banshee, controlling Eric was the biggest challenge in his monster life.

If he misspoke here, it would distort the manager’s plan.

And besides, he didn’t know how the great one would feel about it.

After much thought, Banshee spoke through Eric.

“Do you happen to know that the kingdom’s nobles sent adventurers into the mountains?”

A completely different story emerged.

“Adventurers? But the mountain pass was closed….”

“Originally, yes. But….”

As Riana asked a question, Eric briefly explained what had happened.

[There are noble factions in the Sael Kingdom currently seeking to weaken the king.]

[The nobles disobeyed the royal order and sent adventurers to the mountains on their own.]

[And the royal princess is already under the embrace of the great one and controlled the mountains according to her will.]

All of this came from Celia or from his own experiences.

And in addition, he added one more thing.

“It’s possible that the disappearance of our brothers was the work of the nobles.” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the N0ᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Eric’s words were ambiguous.

The missing brothers.

He didn’t say they were the three Holy Knights who disappeared this time.

Perhaps it was a suspicion that even the priests and Holy Knights who disappeared earlier might have been the work of the nobles.

As Riana listened to his words, she turned to look at the saint in the form of a skeleton.

“So that’s how it happened.”

The royal princess was already under the embrace of the great one.

This meant that the Sael Kingdom’s royal family was already within the grasp of the Order.

Regardless of why they controlled the mountains, if it was the will of the goddess, there was no reason to hesitate.

‘In that case…’

Riana remembered the Count she met before climbing the mountain.

He was someone who aimed to weaken the king’s power by borrowing the Order’s strength.

His desires were evident on his face.

If all of this was his conspiracy from the beginning?

‘He played us…!’

Riana’s face contorted in anger.

In the end, all of this was the doing of the noble factions attempting rebellion.

But the target of that rebellion was the royal family of the Sael Kingdom.

The important thing here was that the royal family was already under the embrace of the goddess.

This meant that those audacious nobles had dared to raise their swords against the goddess.

Riana’s face contorted in anger.

Seeing Riana’s expression of anger, Eric’s expression softened.

And he assumed the prayer posture once again.

‘Surely, the note Celia gave me…?’

While praying, he secretly unfolded the note Celia had given him.

[Instruct Princess Elena to place skeleton knights in the nobles’ mansions as spies.]

These are purchases from the black market, so there’s no risk of being traced back.

Gifts sent by Celia after her contract with Princess Elena.

The gifts were none other than skeleton knights armored in the kingdom’s knight armor.

And a few days ago, she ordered Princess Elena to secretly place them in the mansions of the nobles.

The nobles who sought to overthrow the kingdom with the support of the Order.

Now, it would be the Order’s power that would expel them first.

“Riana, I will now tell you something important.”

Eric’s words began as he looked at Celia’s note.

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***

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The scene on the other side of the screen was very intriguing.

– You have successfully captured the Holy Knights of the White Order! –

At the same time, an alert popped up.

“I’ve never heard of undead possessing Divine power.”

Maru transcended to 5 stars and evolved into a skeleton Holy Knight.

Thanks to this evolution, Maru, despite being an undead monster, gained tremendous Divine power.

There had been no stories of such monsters on the El Dorad continent or even on Earth.

And they were undead.

Beings with opposing elemental attributes.

It’s no wonder the Holy Knights recognize Maru as a special being.

I examined Maru’s abilities:

<Maru>

Grade: ★★★★★

Race: Skeleton

[Traits]

Agile Movement (F+)

[Basic Information]

Health: A

Attack: S (adjusted to +1 level due to demon sword)

Defense: B+

Magic: B

Divine Power: A+

[Skills]

Knight’s Oath (S): Lee Kang-hyun (activated)

Judgment of Light (A)

With this transcendence to 5 stars, Maru’s abilities have increased.

But what’s important is not just reaching 5 stars.

It was crucial that the weaknesses of undead monsters were completely offset.

“If I use this well, it could be a jackpot, don’t you think?”

Furthermore, there was a presence beside Maru, blowing wind. It was a Holy Knight monster controlled by Banshee, which allowed them to attract other Holy Knights.

But that’s not all. If they used him, Maru wouldn’t need to remain on the El Dorad continent.

This was a tremendous advantage.

“On the contrary, if we keep exposing Maru, his uniqueness might fade away.”

Originally, the first time is special.

Now, everyone approves Maru, but if they continue to see him, they might get used to his appearance.

Even if Maru isn’t on the continent, if needed, they could have Banshee convey the story.

But there was a problem here.

The opponents are fundamentally Holy Knights belonging to the White Order.

If the Holy Knight in front realizes that he’s actually being controlled by Banshee?

“That Banshee fellow needs to be enhance.”

Fortunately, Banshee had gained enlightenment.

Although his grade was 3 stars, he played an important role, so it seemed good to enhance him to some extent.

‘Should I give him Divine power? Or are there good traits available?’

While pondering for a moment, another alert popped up.

– Remarkable achievements have been achieved! –

– Penalties have been lifted. All locked systems have been unlocked. –

All systems that were locked during the dungeon wave resolution were now unlocked.

– The dungeon’s reputation spreads widely due to extraordinary achievements. –

– Those who envy the rising reputation of the dungeon will emerge. –

– The [Dungeon Social Circle] system is unlocked. –

And a new system has been opened.

“The Dungeon Social Circle?”

While trying to touch the relevant system, another new alert popped up.

– Please select the monster to participate in the [Dungeon Social Circle]. –

“Hmm.”

A Social Circle…

Just by looking at the word, it seemed like a gathering where dungeons interact with each other.

In other words, monsters attending here represent their dungeons.

Of course, one shouldn’t think naively just because it’s an interaction.

“It’s probably a place where they gauge each other’s strength and check each other.”

It’s a gathering of dungeons from various places.

It would undoubtedly become a terrifyingly political place.

Sending Celia to such a place would be ideal, but it shouldn’t be thought of lightly.

“Celia is like the final boss of the dungeon right now.”

It’s not possible to reveal everything about my dungeon from the beginning.

“I need someone suitable.”

Someone with enough power yet able to maintain a poker face.

On top of that, it would be perfect to assess the opponent’s strength.

“Hmm… Who could it be?”

After much deliberation, a decision was made.

“As expected, he would be better, right?”

– You have selected Arch Lich (★★★★★) as the monster to attend [Dungeon Social Circle]. –

I selected Arch Lich to attend the social circle.

Currently, Arch Lich is performing the duties of an inspector.

When I saw him last time, he was certainly performing the role of inspector well, keeping records himself.

If it’s Arch Lich, he will surely fulfill his role well even in the social circle.

Moreover, as the main body is a skeleton, emotions don’t show on the surface.

He was a talent specialized for the social circle.

– Please select a sub-monster to attend the [Dungeon Social Circle]. –

“?”

This time, are they sending not one but two?

Well, sending two might put my mind at ease more than just one.

“By the way, a sub-monster…?”

It feels somewhat like a supporting role, doesn’t it?

“Then, who would be good for the next one?”

Arch Lich seems to have a rather stern impression.

In that case, someone with opposite traits to Arch Lich would look good.

Moreover, it would be even better if they had artistic sense.

“Since it’s a social circle, someone with good sensibility would be ideal, right?”

Who could be such a monster?

“Hmm.”

This time, it took a bit longer to ponder.

“Oh! That’s right, he’s the one, isn’t he?”

I immediately found the creature that flashed through my mind and touched it.

“By the way, I wonder if the location is different?”

The dungeon he managed was beautiful.

He seemed to have talent for decorating it.

That is to say, it wasn’t bad to have artistic sense.

“Since he’s an Incubus, he should be good at setting the mood.”

And fortunately, I was able to select him as the monster to attend.

– You have selected Azmo (★★★★)as the sub-monster to attend [Dungeon Social Circle]. –

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