The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices - Chapter 121: Meeting in the Darkness

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 121

EP.121 Meeting in the Darkness

Once again, desperate screams echoed through the depths of the dungeon.

“…Please, spare me! I really don’t know…! Aaaagh!”

The man, who was once a noble of the Sael Kingdom, now only screamed for mercy in his pitiful state. When Elena took control of the Sael Kingdom, she captured most of the nobles. Those captured were sent to this dungeon managed by Celia. Since they were all as good as death row inmates, no one cared about what happened inside the dungeon.

“What should we do? Won.”

“One, the manager said to keep torturing him.”

This was second floor Area 1 of the dungeon. It was the space occupied by the two-headed ogre brothers, ‘One’ and ‘Won’. Though they were called brothers, they shared one body. Instead of two bodies, they had one body with two heads, each capable of independent thought and reasoning. The head on the left was called ‘Won’, and the head on the right was called ‘One’. The main difference between them was that Left had only one eye.

Left growled and spoke.

“Human. Answer. Where is the organization?”

Celia’s command was simple, uncover information about the underworld of the Sael Kingdom. It was about gathering intelligence on the organization that controlled the dark side of the kingdom. The existence of the organization had already been confirmed by Count Bearton. However, due to its highly classified structure, it was difficult to grasp its exact nature.

Although the Sael Kingdom had been conquered, it couldn’t be considered truly subdued without controlling the underworld. Therefore, other captured nobles were also being tortured to extract any information they had. Once the organization was exposed, Celia planned to deploy Necros.

“I really don’t know… Please, spare me….”

Unfortunately, the man knew nothing. He just trembled in fear, shaking his head. But such excuses didn’t work on the ogre brothers.

“Won, this is bad. Human. Knows nothing again.”

“Don’t worry. One. This time, we pull out nails.”

“Oh, good idea! As expected, Won! So smart!”

With the ogre’s brute strength, a fingernail was ripped from the noble’s finger.

Naturally, screams echoed throughout the dungeon. Each time a fingernail was pulled out, his body convulsed in agony.

“I-I really don’t know…!”

But it was useless.

The ogre brothers immediately moved on to the next fingernail. The other nobles, witnessing the ogres’ brutal actions, shuddered in fear. When they were told they would be sent to the mountains, they had held onto a sliver of hope, but the reality was cruel. At this point, death seemed preferable.

– Clap. –

At that moment, Celia clapped her hands, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“We’re taking too much time. All of this is for our master. We need to finish quickly.”

At Celia’s voice, the ogre brothers flinched and responded.

“What should we do, Won? The manager is angry.”

“One, I agree. We need something stronger.”

The tortured man fell into despair. It had already been hell, and now it wasn’t even over.

“I-I swear… I don’t know anything… sob.”

This time, the ogre held a slime in its hand. Just as they were about to bring the slime to the man’s face, a skeleton knight approached Celia.

“Clack! Clack clack.”

“Mr. Dhampir has arrived?”

The skeleton knight reported that the Dhampir had visited the dungeon. Celia had previously ordered the Dhampir to build his reputation as an adventurer. But now, the Dhampir had returned to the dungeon.

What could have happened? At this critical time, any unexpected variables were unacceptable.

“Continue the interrogation. Don’t kill him.”

Celia instructed the ogre brothers and turned away.

“Understood. We won’t kill him.”

Killing the nobles at this stage wasn’t part of the plan. The priority was to continue torturing them to extract all possible information. Therefore, a quick death would be problematic.

The nobles’ cries of agony continued to fill the air.

====

***

====

Contrary to Celia’s concerns, nothing extraordinary had happened.

“So, a human with a peculiar taste posted a request for a zombie, and Mr. Dhampir took it on?”

“Yes, and now my name is Dambi.”

“Ah, I see. That’s a good name.”

Having registered as an adventurer, the Dhampir had adopted the name Dambi.

“A zombie, huh…”

Celia mulled over Dambi’s words, tilting her head slightly. She hadn’t expected him to take on a request to bring back a living zombie. The request claimed it was for research purposes, but Dambi had heard a different story. The guild receptionist had discreetly shared the truth with him.

“Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, Celia nodded.

“Well, human tastes are indeed varied. It’s not something I can’t understand. For some, even zombies can be objects of desire.”

Celia was a succubus. Before being sealed by the White Order, she had spent a long time in a succubus dungeon. There, she had received extensive theoretical education. Although she had never practiced it, she knew just how diverse human preferences could be.

Celia briefly reminisced about the past. But that was a long time ago, and her memories had become blurry. What had happened to the succubus dungeon, or whether the succubus queen was still alive, no longer concerned her. Her sole focus was serving the master who had saved her from the abyss.

Dambi’s activities as an adventurer were an extension of her service to the master. There would come a time when Dambi, established as an adventurer, would be needed. For now, she was merely planting the seeds and waiting for that day.

“Then, we should get you a zombie, right? Follow me.”

The request Dambi had taken on required him to capture a zombie in good condition. Each request he completed would contribute to his record, influencing his adventurer rank. Therefore, Celia decided to provide a zombie for Dambi.

Celia led Dambi to Area 1 of the first floor.

Area 1 of the first floor was where the Death Knight served as the mid-boss, and it was home to undead monsters, including zombies.

Currently, Area 1 was quiet. The undead had no need to eat or sleep. They simply remained in place, making the area feel as if time had stopped.

“We recently received additional zombies and ghouls,” Celia mentioned.

After the situation in the Sael Kingdom was resolved, the master had bestowed more monsters upon them. Although the number was smaller than before, it was sufficient for Dambi to take a zombie with him.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Dambi approached a zombie with a chain he had prepared in advance.

“Grrr?”

The zombie growled as Dambi approached. Without hesitation, Dambi secured the chain around the zombie and began to lead it away.

“Grrr…”

The zombie made a strange noise but obediently followed after catching Celia’s stern gaze. With this, Dambi had achieved his goal. Since his mission was to operate as an adventurer, there was no need for him to stay any longer.

“Then, I’ll be off now, Lady Celia.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for good news. Take care, Mr. Dambi.”

They exchanged brief farewells. Dambi immediately turned towards the dungeon exit, dragging the zombie behind him.

“……”

Once Dambi’s figure disappeared, Celia moved deeper into the dungeon. She spoke quietly,

“Sir Necros.”

Necros, who had been concealed in the shadows, revealed himself at Celia’s call. He was on standby, as they still lacked complete information about the underworld organization.

“I’ll assign skeleton knights to you. Investigate the quest Mr. Dambi is undertaking.”

Celia’s expression changed.

====

***

====

Cold darkness engulfed the room. The air was heavy, and magic had been cast to prevent ordinary people from approaching. In the room stood a large round table, around which six figures were seated.

They were the representatives of the ‘Black Hand,’ the organization that controlled the underworld of the Sael Kingdom. The Black Hand was a coalition bound by the ironclad rule that betrayal meant death. Rather than a single organization, it was more of an alliance of six different factions, each led by one of the figures present.

Therefore, instead of trust, they were filled with distrust towards each other. To prevent backstabbing, they strictly enforced rules against betrayal. They changed the meeting location each time and had a rule that no one could bring anyone else along, which was a unique method born out of their mutual distrust.

Despite this, their alliance allowed them to firmly grasp the underworld of the Sael Kingdom. However, today, the atmosphere was different.

“Hehe, why is everyone so gloomy? It’s been a while since we had a meeting, so let’s smile a bit, hehe.”

The one who broke the silence was Malcolm. His large, red, hooked nose disrupted the balance of his face, making him look even more unattractive. Nevertheless, Malcolm grinned as he looked around at the others.

“Malcolm, how can you laugh in a situation like this?”

Laila sighed and glared at him.

Although they controlled the underworld of the Sael Kingdom, the current atmosphere in the kingdom was not good. After the 7-star disaster was stabilized, most of the nobles were arrested. Among the nobles were many who had generously supported the Black Hand. The loss of noble support was a problem, but more importantly, Laila’s business had come to a halt.

Laila was notorious for kidnapping women and engaging in human trafficking. She had rapidly expanded her influence through this business, but now the timing was bad. Increased security throughout the kingdom made human trafficking much more difficult. The longer this situation persisted, the more damage she would suffer, making her understandably sensitive.

“Just ignore him. By the look on Malcolm’s face, he probably collected some high-quality zombies. Zombie freak.”

Another person spoke up, Annabelle.

“What? Is that true? In this atmosphere, you still had to get your zombie fix? Well, I suppose it makes sense.”

Laila looked at Malcolm with a disdainful expression after Annabelle’s comment. However, she understood. With Malcolm’s grotesque face, dating a woman would be a bigger issue. If such a thing happened, it would be one of two scenarios, the woman would either try to assassinate Malcolm, or she would have a bizarre preference for orc-like men.

“Sigh, Malcolm has no worries, does he? Meanwhile, I’m completely ruined this time.”

Annabelle, who had called Malcolm a zombie freak, sighed deeply. Her main business was drug cultivation and distribution.

Thanks to her business, Annabelle was the wealthiest among them. Her entire body was adorned with jewels, showcasing her immense wealth. Even her attire was extravagant. Despite lavishing herself with money, her expression was grim.

The reason was the trouble in the territories she had invested in. The nobles she had connections with were being arrested one after another, and their lands were being confiscated by the royal family.

“Damn it! Do you know how much I invested in that land?!”

Drug cultivation wasn’t a business that could be set up overnight. It required vast tracts of land. The first step was to partner with nobles who would lease such land. Then, she needed personnel to manage the cultivation and guards to protect the fields. It wasn’t a business that could be sustained with just a bit of land and a few people.

Therefore, Annabelle had invested heavily in the nobles’ territories for her drug cultivation operations. But now, those investments had gone up in smoke. Although not all her drug fields had been discovered yet, it was only a matter of time. She wanted to retrieve the drugs before they were found, but the kingdom’s increased security made it impossible.

“Why did the disaster have to strike here of all places?!”

Annabelle lamented her fate, slumping over the round table. Watching her, Ferris spoke up.

“I could solve that problem for you. Just pay me, and I’ll take out the forces in those territories. Then you can smuggle out your drugs.”

Ferris, with his sleek appearance, primarily handled assassination contracts and information. He offered his help in exchange for payment, suggesting that Annabelle could retrieve her drugs during the chaos.

Annabelle was tempted by Ferris’s offer but quickly shook her head.

“No thanks. I can already see how much you’d extort under that pretext. I’d rather abandon the drugs than line your pockets!”

She spoke bluntly and resumed her lamentation. The meeting grew increasingly noisy.

Then, a figure who had been silent raised a hand.

“Quiet, everyone. You’re being too loud.”

Unlike the others, this figure wore a black mask. The chattering members immediately fell silent and bowed their heads.

“Sorry, Master.”

The figure in the black mask, referred to as the Master, commanded respect and fear among them.

No one had ever seen the face behind the mask. Initially, there were complaints about him being the only one wearing a mask, but the power of the Black Mask was undeniable. Even if all five of them attacked together, they couldn’t lay a finger on him. While the Black Hand was technically an alliance of their individual organizations, the true leader was effectively the Black Mask. Over time, they began to call him Master.

The Master stroked his black mask thoughtfully. After a moment, he began to call out the names of the other five members one by one.

“First, Annabelle.”

“Yes, Master.”

“For the time being, cease all drug distribution. There are too many eyes on us. As for the drug cultivation sites, unfortunately, you’ll have to abandon them for now. I will compensate you for the losses.”

“Th-Thank you, Master!”

Annabelle’s previously tearful expression brightened considerably.

“Next, Laila.”

“Yes, Master.”

“The kingdom is still in chaos. It will take time to stabilize. For now, I’m lifting the restrictions. You may now abduct not only adult women but also young girls.”

“I will obey your command!”

Until now, Laila had been restricted to kidnapping only adult women by the Master’s orders. But now that restriction was lifted. Laila smiled and bowed her head to the Master.

“Next, Ferris.”

“Just give the order, Master.”

Ferris, who handled assassination contracts and information, bowed his head.

“I need information on Elena, the new queen. Report on everyone she contacts and meets without missing a single detail.”

“Understood!”

With the Master’s command, Ferris immediately left his seat. Given that the Master had taken control of the meeting, it was clear there would be no further discussions.

“Next, Darkmore.”

“……”

Darkmore, a necromancer clad in a black robe, was the next to be addressed. He merely nodded slightly in response.

“Very well, continue with your work. We have acquired many corpses recently, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Darkmore’s silence was typical, but his acknowledgment was enough. The Master moved on to the final member.

“Lastly, Malcolm.”

“Yes, Master.”

Malcolm, who had been grinning earlier, now listened intently.

“Your task is to ensure the security of our operations. Use your zombies to guard our key locations and ensure no one interferes.”

“Understood, Master.”

With the orders given, the Master concluded the meeting.

“Remember, our strength lies in our unity. Do not let personal grievances disrupt our goals. Dismissed.”

The members of the Black Hand, each with their own dark ambitions and methods, left the meeting with renewed purpose, driven by the commands of their enigmatic leader.

“Yes…”

One member had yet to be addressed.

“Malcolm.”

“Yes, Master! Hehe.”

This time, the Master’s voice lowered.

“Did you acquire the zombie through the adventurer’s guild?”

“Yes! Ah, I used an intermediary, so there’s no need to worry.”

The Master touched his black mask once more.

“I heard the zombie was in excellent condition.”

“Ah…”

The Master already knew about Malcolm’s activities. Malcolm shivered and bowed his head.

“Yes, I was very fortunate this time. A new adventurer brought in a zombie without a single scratch.”

“Hmm. What is the name of this adventurer?”

But Malcolm couldn’t answer the Master’s question.

‘Was it… Dambi? What was it?’

Malcolm was only interested in the zombie, not the human’s name. As the silence stretched, the Master issued a command.

“Find out who that adventurer is. Where they come from, what they did before becoming an adventurer—everything.”

Malcolm nodded, agreeing to the task.

Having said what he needed, the Master stood up. With that, the regular meeting of the ‘Black Hand’ concluded.