The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices - Chapter 101: Merchant Vetter's Dungeon Visit

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 101

EP.101 Merchant Vetter’s Dungeon Visit

On a day when the wind blew lightly,

In the middle of an abandoned lot stood a small, shabby building, lonely.

It used to be a bustling place of business, but now it was nothing more than a haunted place.

Even the remaining windows of the small building were shattered, and the walls were stained with the shame of time.

Being so secluded, people’s footsteps naturally ceased to approach.

Only scattered office supplies and furniture on the floor testified to the bustling history of the past.

In short, it was a place where time had stopped.

 

Of course, there was no management.

 

Some people occasionally used this place as a place of escapade, but no one paid any attention to it.

As a result, as time passed, only a desolate atmosphere pervaded.

If you walk past the litter strewn on the floor, you can see a lone dead tree standing at the end.

But upon closer inspection, the tree seemed already dead.

The trunk of the tree had turned black, and the branches were withered. Only torn dry leaves hung damply on it.

There was no sign of life coming from the tree.

But if you carefully examine the shadow cast by the tree, you’ll see an unknown landscape, as if connected to another dimension.

The massive roots of the tree.

If you look closer, a vast space unfolds beneath it.

It was big enough for an adult male to easily enter.

Following the path of the spreading roots leads to an underground space, where small sparkling stones and crystals push back the darkness of the interior a little.

Even a small piece of stone was intricately crafted, giving the impression of meticulous care by someone.

And just then, someone emerged from within.

“The first trading place is the Kobold Dungeon. It’s not far from here, so let’s head there, Maru.”

Covered in a robe, Maru nodded in agreement to Vetter’s words.

Vetter, the master of transformation, perfectly reproduced the appearance of Hunter Ji Seong-min.

At the same time, as advised by Azmo, he wore a gold necklace around his neck and various rings adorned with diamonds and gems on his fingers.

‘The more I see, the more impressive you are.’

Vetter couldn’t help but admire inwardly as he moved forward.

The more he saw, the more he felt the greatness of his abilities.

Just looking at Maru next to him, it was clear he was a being of tremendous power.

And yet, the great master treats him casually.

Is that all?

Even the current location of the dungeon was originally elsewhere.

The master moved the dungeon from another location to here.

‘The ability to freely move the dungeon’s location…’

It’s an incredible ability.

But it’s not the ability that’s frightening.

There was a true fear elsewhere.

‘The master has tremendous insight.’

When the monster wave occurred and the dungeon was moved, he thought it was just a punishment.

But that wasn’t the real intention.

Just by looking around, one could see that this place was abandoned.

Whatever this place used to be in the past, now it was just a deserted lot full of garbage.

‘Thanks to that, there are hardly any humans around.’

Perhaps the reason for moving the location here was not out of consideration for free activity.

‘It’s likely that master has been thinking about the Association since then.’

If I think about it that way, everything makes sense now.

“Hmm.”

From this point on, the Association begins to flourish……

As Vetter looked around, he realized that this place was indeed a good spot.

The already dilapidated small building seemed salvageable with just repairs.

Perhaps the building would also be utilized as part of the Association.

All of this must be the master’s scheme for disguise.

Vetter’s expression was filled with admiration and reverence.

But the more he thought about it, the more worried he became.

‘Can I follow his thoughts well?’

Vetter shook his head inwardly.

He must make an effort to understand his thoughts.

No, he must understand and follow them unconditionally.

Disappointing him was absolutely out of the question.

Vetter clenched his fist tightly and was determined to fulfill the master’s orders.

Deep in thought, Vetter continued to move with Maru.

As they walked, people started to appear.

But people didn’t even glance at Vetter and Maru.

To anyone, Vetter looked like a hunter, and Maru seemed like a familiar tothe hunter.

As they walked further, the number of people suddenly decreased drastically.

Before they knew it, there was no one on the street except for Vetter and Maru.

Slowly, it meant that the dungeon was nearby.

Shortly afterward, the sight of the dungeon came into view for Vetter and Maru.

The ground was covered with rocks and gravel, and a small mountain rose steeply behind it.

And the dungeon Vetter was looking for was right in front of them.

“This is the first trading place, the Kobold Dungeon, Sir Maru.”

The exterior of the dungeon looked shabby.

The appearance of a burrow was revealed among the rocks and small stones. Moss gathered around the entrance, creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere.

Looking closely at the burrow, rough stairs made of stone caught the eye.

“Tsk, it seems like it’s not well-maintained after all.”

Vetter clicked his tongue and muttered.

The stairs were also poorly maintained, with heaps of dirt and dust piled up.

The faded appearance of the dungeon made Vetter suspicious.

‘Can we really make a normal trade in a place where even basic maintenance isn’t done?’

Even if they do trade, it’s doubtful whether it will be profitable.

But Vetter had no choice.

Because this was the first trading place that heralded the beginning of the Association.

And there was no other place where they could trade immediately.

“…..”

In fact, Vetter had been busy yesterday.

Following the master’s orders, he visited the Awakened Center, and then started his business by visiting various dungeons.

But the results were all rejections.

Well, that’s to be expected.

There was no concept of an Association here like on the El Dorad Continent.

And even if they were the same monsters, who would trust Vetter for the first time and trade with him?

In the end, Vetter’s business ended in failure.

To be precise, it was on the brink of failure, but the last dungeon he visited listened to Vetter’s words.

This was precisely the Kobold Dungeon.

“Well then, shall we head down? Sir Maru.”

Just as Vetter and Maru were about to enter the dungeon,

“Wait a moment!”

Suddenly, someone appeared and blocked their path.

How dare someone block their path while attempting to carry out master’s orders.

In response to the opponent’s sinister actions, Maru raised his hand to his demon sword.

But the opponent’s words came faster.

“This is a dungeon! Are you a hunter trying to enter, despite it being dangerous for the unawakened?”

The person who spoke was a human man, and he seemed to have no hostile intentions.

“As you can see.”

Vetter responded briefly to the man’s words.

Instead of asking why he was blocking their path, Vetter stared intently at the man’s face.

“Uh, please show your hunter certification.”

After hesitating for a moment, the man reached out his hand to Vetter.

Since Vetter and Maru were not official hunters, there was no reason for them to comply with the man’s request.

But now they were disguised as hunters.

So, Vetter took out the hunter certification from his pocket.

The certification belonged to Hunter Ji Seong-min, whom Vetter had transformed into.

Suddenly, a remark from the researchers came to mind.

When Vetter lived as an experimental subject in the past research facility, he heard many stories through the mouths of the researchers.

And one of them was about the identity verification for hunters trying to enter dungeons.

It was clearly a measure to prevent a major disaster.

Vetter took out the hunter certification and showed it to the man in front of him.

“Ah, you’re an F-rank hunter? You may enter the Kobold Dungeon.”

The man quickly checked only the hunter certification handed to him by Vetter and returned it.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

When the man bowed his head in gratitude, Vetter and Maru entered the Kobold Dungeon.

As Vetter and Maru disappeared down the stone stairs, the man smirked sinisterly.

Then he took out his phone from his pocket and made a call to someone.

The call connected quickly.

“Yes, boss. Just now, two suckers entered the dungeon. Hehe.”

The man continued speaking with a smile.

“Yes, yes, I checked and one was an F-rank hunter. He had only one sword, and the other one was covered in gold and jewels from head to toe, you know? They just entered, so it seems like a good opportunity to follow them. Yes.”

The man’s call continued.

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The Kobold Dungeon was located quite deep.

After descending the stone stairs for a while, a corridor appeared.

The walls of the corridor, illuminated irregularly by small torches, stretched into the darkness.

Strange symbols and unreadable characters were carved into the walls.

In the faint light of the torches, there were spaces on the walls where small kobolds were resting.

Kobolds typically had a dark gray skin tone and long, large ears.

Their small stature allowed them to move easily in narrow spaces. But Vetter couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

‘Being so careless in a situation where intruders could arrive at any moment…’

What if they were the intruders this time?

With a furrowed brow, Vetter continued down the corridor.

Soon, they reached a large room where a kobold holding a weapon was visible at the far end.

Compared to other kobolds, this one was slightly larger in size.

He was the dungeon’s master who had accepted Vetter’s business request yesterday.

“Welcome?”

The dungeon’s owner kobold greeted them clumsily.

His pronunciation was slightly muddled, but Vetter didn’t think much of it.

He recalled from past researchers that kobolds weren’t known for high intelligence, so it made sense.

As Vetter remained silent, the dungeon’s owner kobold continued speaking.

“We, danger. Many hunters come!”

It seemed that the dungeon was in danger.

Indeed, the terms of the business request included providing reinforcements or protection for the kobold’s dungeon.

Vetter nodded as if urging him to continue speaking.

“We ask for reinforcements. Will give anything.”

The kobold earnestly requested help.

However, the situation in the dungeon was dire. Most items were broken or missing, giving the impression of a fierce struggle having taken place.

Considering all this, it seemed there was hardly any treasure to be had in exchange.

“Hmm…”

Vetter was once again deep in thought.

If this wasn’t their first deal, he might have fled the dungeon immediately.

But Vetter calmly held his ground.

As they would operate the Association in the future, they would visit many dungeons.

Judging solely by the appearance of the dungeon was not wise.

After a brief pause, Vetter spoke again.

“Master of the dungeon.”

Vetter’s tone was blunt and firm.

“We understand the request you’ve made. That’s something we can resolve promptly.”

Vetter implied that they could easily handle the kobold’s request.

“But what can you offer us in return?”

Manager Azmo emphasized the importance of mutual benefit in dungeon interactions.

Of course, it was important.

But it had to be somewhat balanced.

Vetter envisioned the Association as a group primarily seeking profit.

Otherwise, it would only be volunteer work without any return.

At least there had to be a give and take.

But this was a dungeon in disrepair, barely managed, and on the verge of collapse.

Even though it was their first deal, did they really need to pay attention to such a place?

‘Why bother.’

Little did Vetter expect the kobold to offer anything.

There probably wasn’t much to offer anyway.

As this realization dawned on Vetter, he slowly rose from his seat.

“That was a pleasant conversation. We’ll be on our way then.”

Vetter glanced at Maru and nodded.

There was nothing more to see here.

As Vetter and Maru got up from their seats, the kobold was taken aback.

“No. I can give. Payment to you.”

Then, he rummaged through his worn-out clothes’ pockets.

Soon, the kobold produced something from his pocket.

“We. Can only give this. Yellow stone. Will give this…!”

It was gold.

And not just any gold, but a substantial amount.

Maintaining his composure, Vetter sat back down.

“Now we’re talking. Surely this yellow stone isn’t the end of it?”

“No. More! In our dungeon. Many yellow stones underground. Can mine more.”

The kobold’s words changed Vetter’s assessment of the place.

As it turned out, this was a decent first deal for the Association.

Vetter began recalculating in his mind.

“…..”

Observing Vetter lost in thought, the kobold misunderstood again.

He thought Vetter wasn’t speaking because he didn’t like the yellow stone.

So, the kobold pulled out something else from his pouch.

It was a purple stone.

“We have many purple stones! Many underground! We can mine more!”

The purple stone he mentioned was magic stone.

As soon as the kobold finished speaking, Vetter grabbed both his hands firmly.

“……?”

Though momentarily startled, the kobold couldn’t shake off Vetter’s grasp.

Then Vetter continued speaking.

“Our Association will protect this place as if it were our own lives. That’s what a Association does to safeguard its deals. Now, let’s start with the exclusive contract here….”

Vetter promptly pulled out a document.