The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices - Chapter 143: Illusion and Reality (1)

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 143

EP.143 Illusion and Reality (1)

Ethan was pierced in the heart by Kaleido’s staff. Just before Ethan’s breath ceased, the Death Knight stabbed his heart once more with a sword.

“Krurrrk.”

Moments later, Ethan, now transformed into a ghoul, rose from his place. The Death Knight handed a pickaxe to Ethan, who had become a new member of the crew. To shorten the construction period, it was indeed effective to recruit manpower directly from the field. The Death Knight left with a satisfied smile.

“……”

Kaleido silently watched the Death Knight’s figure. It was then that Necros approached.

“Tick, Tick.”

“Welcome, Lord Necros.”

Necros, the de facto master managing this dungeon, ‘Nest of Corruption’. Kaleido looked at Necros with eyes full of respect. Recognized by the master for his incredible work efficiency, Necros had been promoted at an astonishing speed—a living legend.

‘Ah, perhaps not living.’

Regardless, Necros was someone Kaleido deeply respected. He had no doubt that if he worked hard, he too would rise to great heights someday.

“As you can see, all preparations are complete.”

Raymond, who was exploring within an illusion, would now be interfered with in the world he was exploring. Necros nodded.

“Tick, Tick, Tick?”

“Of course. Everything is proceeding without a hitch. Even if the human returns from the illusion, he will be confused with reality.”

Raymond said with a sinister smile. With this, all preparations were complete. Now, they only needed to slowly expand their influence. This plan would benefit Necros, who ruled the underworld, and Celia, the de facto ruler of the Sael Kingdom. Ultimately, it would aid the great one who encompassed them all.

“Tick.”

The real game was about to begin.

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Raymond blinked in confusion at the changed surroundings and muttered, “Where on earth is this?”

As he looked around, a beautiful landscape, as if straight out of a fairy tale, unfolded before him. The emerald-green meadow swayed gently in the soft breeze, and a clear stream flowed cheerfully. In the distance, he could see the cozy scenery of a village. Raymond held his breath at the peaceful and wondrous sight.

“Is this a dream?”

Just moments ago, he had been drinking with Ethan. They had drunk heavily and wandered the streets at night. He remembered Ethan offering to show him the arena, and they had entered a building together. Yes, and then he had looked for the restroom?

Before watching the arena match in earnest, he had first looked for the restroom.

‘I thought it was the restroom when I entered….’

The place they had entered was not a restroom. It was an inexplicable location. And then…

‘Ah, Kaleido…!’

The figure who claimed to study illusion magic had appeared. His name was Kaleido, a scholar. In that moment, Kaleido’s words flashed through Raymond’s mind.

Now, you will explore the illusion I have created.

Could it be that the place he was in now was an illusion?

“No way… Is something like this even possible?”

Though it was hard to believe, the scene before him felt incredibly vivid. The warm sunlight, the fragrant scent of flowers, and even the soft texture of the soil in his hands were all palpable.

“Sigh.”

He was definitely not seeing things due to drunkenness. For some reason, ever since he arrived here, the headache and nausea he felt from the alcohol had completely vanished. In disbelief, Raymond pinched his cheek with a trembling hand. As expected, he felt the pain. It wasn’t a dream.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t they say I’d get gold coins if I explored the illusion?’

In hindsight, he hadn’t accepted the offer blindly. He had agreed because they promised gold coins upon exploring the entire illusion. So, what should he do now?

Raymond pondered how to begin his exploration. As he wandered momentarily, a translucent window suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Welcome to the world of illusion.]

[Mr. Raymond, you will be exploring this world of illusion.]

The message that appeared before him confirmed it.

Indeed, this was the world of illusion. The window continued to appear.

[Complete the tasks given during your exploration to receive rewards.]

[However, be careful not to be consumed by the illusion. The boundary between illusion and reality is more ambiguous than you think.]

[Your first task is assigned.]

[Task 1: Head to the village.]

“So, this is the exploration he was talking about.”

Fortunately, a task had been given. Having a marker was better than having no information at all.

“Let’s go for it.”

The village was visible in the distance. Since it was the only village around, perhaps he could find some clues there? Raymond’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he surveyed his surroundings. Then, he slowly started walking.

“……”

The path cutting across the meadow was like a scene from a fairy tale. Wildflowers of various colors bloomed on either side, and butterflies fluttered about. It was a truly beautiful sight.

As he continued walking, he soon entered a small forest. Far between the trees, he could see the shimmering ripples of water.

“…A lake?”

As he walked further, he felt thirsty. Raymond slowly passed between the trees.

“Oh…”

What met his eyes was a beautiful lake sparkling in the sunlight. Even though it was a world of illusion, the landscape was breathtakingly beautiful.

He even thought it would be nice to stay here forever.

“No, I can’t. Get a grip.”

However, Raymond shook his head and regained his composure. Hadn’t he been warned earlier? He was told not to be consumed by the illusion. This must have been the kind of thing they were warning about.

Raymond, now fully alert, tried to walk towards the lake but stopped in his tracks.

“……”

There was someone there.

‘A little girl?’

A small girl stood by the lakeside. But she wasn’t alone. Beside her was a horse-shaped monster made of water.

‘…A monster!’

Although Raymond wasn’t an adventurer, he knew well enough that monsters were dangerous. However, the monster before him did not harm the girl. On the contrary, they seemed to be playing together.

Is that even possible?

He slowly approached the girl and called out.

“Hey there, little one—”

The girl looked startled at Raymond’s voice.

“……!”

After a moment of silence, the girl began to run into the forest.

“Hey—!”

At the same time, the horse-shaped monster blocked Raymond’s path, as if to protect the fleeing girl.

“Yikes!”

Raymond stepped back in surprise. The girl had already disappeared, and the monster vanished into the lake.

“…What on earth was that?”

Monsters usually harmed people, didn’t they? But the one he just saw seemed to be protecting the girl.

“Is this possible because it’s an illusion?”

Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make any sense. He reminded himself once again that he was in an illusion.

“Huh?”

As Raymond walked past the lake, he noticed something sparkling.

‘A necklace?’

The beautifully crafted pendant had an unknown floral pattern engraved on it. Raymond picked up the necklace. He was on his way to the village now. Perhaps the girl lived there too.

“I should return this to her if I meet her.”

Raymond carefully put the necklace in his pocket and quickened his pace.

“Time to get going.”

The village should appear soon. He needed to focus solely on completing the tasks and exploring the illusion. And, of course, on the gold coins he would earn.

After walking for a while, he finally arrived at the village. The village was smaller than he had expected.

As he arrived in the village, the window reappeared.

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“This isn’t so hard after all.”

The new task didn’t seem difficult either. If things continued like this, he would finish the exploration quickly.

‘And all those gold coins will be mine.’

The thought of acquiring numerous gold coins brightened Raymond’s expression. With a joyful heart, he passed through the village entrance and headed towards the square. However, the village streets were eerily quiet.

‘What’s going on?’

Feeling something was off, Raymond walked slowly. Although it was his first time in the village, finding the square wasn’t difficult. The empty streets suggested that people were gathered in one place.

‘Is that the square?’

Raymond quickly moved towards it. As he entered the square, he noticed something unsettling.

‘What’s with this atmosphere?’

The atmosphere was tense. People whispered with dark expressions, occasionally glancing at the center of the square.

[You have completed Task 2.]

[Task 3: Speak with the village chief.]

Raymond ignored the window that appeared. Instead, he pushed through the crowd to see what was at the center of the square. He was shocked by what he saw.

In the middle of the square, a pile of firewood was stacked, and a woman was tied up on top of it.

The woman’s clothes were soiled with dirt and mud, and her disheveled hair obscured her face. Though Raymond didn’t know who she was, it was clear she was in danger.

At that moment, an old man with a white beard stepped forward from the crowd. With a solemn expression, he addressed the villagers.

“As the village chief, I am ashamed that such a thing has happened in our village.”

The old man was the village chief.

“Everyone, this woman has bewitched our innocent men. She must be a witch in league with a succubus!”

Raymond was dumbfounded by the chief’s words. Even more shocking was the reaction of the villagers.

“That’s right! She must be a witch! She tried to seduce me!” one man shouted, prompting others to join in.

“That filthy woman deserves to die! She dared to touch my husband!”

“She must have succubus blood running through her veins!”

The square was filled with accusations, curses, and words of condemnation. Those involved with the woman seemed to shout louder, as if punishing her would ease their own guilt. The woman, standing on the brink of death, panted desperately, her eyes pleading for help. She seemed to want to say something, but a gag in her mouth reduced her to mere whimpers. Her eyes darted around, seeking someone to defend her, but no one stepped forward.

“……”

Raymond stood there, blankly observing the situation. After all, this wasn’t reality. It was just a story within an illusion. So, he didn’t intervene. He just wanted to complete the tasks quickly and collect the gold coins.

To do that, he needed to speak with the village chief, but the atmosphere made it impossible. He inwardly wished for this disgusting and infuriating situation to pass quickly. While Raymond was lost in thought, the villagers continued to scream and hurl curses at the woman.

Then, as the village chief opened his mouth, everyone fell silent as if on cue.

“A witch in league with monsters is our enemy! To spare such an immoral witch is to plant the seeds of disaster! Therefore, in the name of the gods and as the village chief protecting this village, I hereby pass judgment!”

“That’s right!”

“The chief is absolutely right!”

The atmosphere grew increasingly intense. Soon, the chief gave his command.

“Witch, I sentence you to death!”

At the chief’s proclamation, the condemned woman lifted her head with great effort to look at the crowd. Her eyes were filled with fear, despair, and resentment. At that moment, a torch was lit, and the pile of firewood began to burn. Her silent scream was soon drowned out by the roaring flames and the villagers’ shouts.

Witnessing the execution, Raymond was horrified. His heart pounded, and cold sweat formed on his hands. Even though it was an illusion, enduring such cruelty was not easy. He couldn’t find words to speak.

Raymond himself had been on the run, wanted for fraud, and had seen many atrocities in the underworld. Yet, the madness here was on a different level. The chilling atmosphere left him speechless.

Suddenly, someone nudged Raymond’s side. He turned to see an old woman staring intently at him. She glanced around before leaning in close to whisper.

“Isn’t that woman pitiful? It’s an everyday occurrence in this village. Tsk.”

Startled by the old woman’s words, Raymond looked around. Fortunately, amidst the surrounding clamor, he was the only one who heard her.

“……”

Raymond hesitated, unsure how to respond to the old woman’s statement, and eventually kept his mouth shut. After all, the old woman was a resident of this village. Speaking carelessly could bring trouble.

Despite Raymond’s lack of response, the old woman continued speaking.

“That woman did nothing wrong. She was merely an unfortunate target of the men’s desires…”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Raymond’s eyes widened. If what the old woman said was true, this village was rotten to the core.

“You should be careful too. Just because you’re an outsider doesn’t mean you’re safe. Heh heh.”

The old woman said her piece and then disappeared into the crowd.

‘…This isn’t going to be easy.’

He had dismissed this as just an illusion and thought too simply about it. However, everything he felt here was so vivid. It was a world indistinguishable from reality.

‘Perhaps…’

He began to think that this illusion itself might be a trap designed to erode one’s emotions.

‘Stay focused.’

If he became too engrossed, he would be consumed by the illusion.

‘This is definitely not reality.’

Raymond gritted his teeth and steadied his mind. As the execution neared its end, he locked eyes with the village chief approaching him.

“A new face. What brings you here?”

The village chief asked with a curious look. Unlike the earlier atmosphere, he was now being polite. Raymond had been wondering how to approach the chief for his mission, and now the opportunity presented itself. To lower the chief’s guard, he hesitated briefly before calmly responding.

“I am Raymond, an adventurer exploring the world.”

It wasn’t entirely untrue, given that he was exploring this illusion.

“An adventurer, you say… How interesting.”

The chief nodded and continued.

“As an adventurer, you must know that monsters are our natural enemies.”

Raymond nodded along with the chief’s words.

“Have you been to the forest over there?”

The chief pointed to the forest Raymond had passed through. It was the place with the beautiful scenery and where he had encountered the mysterious girl.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

Raymond felt a sudden sense of foreboding. The old woman’s words from earlier kept nagging at him. His unease soon became reality.

“In that forest, there is a child. I would like you, as an adventurer, to kill that child.”

[You have completed Task 3.]s

[Task 4: Accept the village chief’s request and kill the girl.]