The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 127: From Despair to Hope, From Hope to Despair

Chapter 127: From Despair to Hope, From Hope to Despair

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 127

EP.127 From Despair to Hope, From Hope to Despair

Baalzerith ran with all her might. She crossed the twilight-covered fields at dawn, desperate to escape the danger. But the road ahead was long. The golden wheat fields stretched endlessly across the plains, reaching the distant horizon where a misty, small mountain was faintly visible.

“Haa… ha….”

If she could just get past that mountain, she would reach the Free City Union, beyond the borders of the Kalen Empire. Baalzerith panted heavily but kept running. Her desperate flight had one purpose, escaping from the Demon Merchant Association.

She was fleeing in the dead of night because she couldn’t repay the money she had borrowed from the Association.

“How did I end up in this mess….”

Baalzerith was a vampire, and a high-ranking 5-star one at that. She once had a following and was treated with special regard by the Demon Merchant Association. But her life had been shattered by the White Order.

“…Damn those Order bastards.”

For some reason, the Order had suddenly moved against her, using cowardly surprise attacks to slowly erode her forces. To counter the Order, Baalzerith had sought help from the Demon Merchant Association, a move that proved to be her downfall.

As her situation worsened, the Association, which had previously treated her with respect, suddenly turned on her.

“Those bastards are really despicable…!”

The Association exploited her desperate situation by setting exorbitant interest rates. They lent her money at high interest, and though she knew their intentions, she had no choice but to accept. But by the time she borrowed the money, her situation had already deteriorated beyond repair.

Her vampire dungeons were exterminated, and those who survived abandoned her. In the end, all Baalzerith had left was an empty dungeon and a mountain of debt owed to the Demon Merchant Association.

As the repayment deadline approached, the Association turned on her once more. They openly demanded the management rights to her dungeon, indicating they wanted to take it over. However, Baalzerith refused the Association’s proposal.

The moment she handed over the management rights, she would become nothing more than a puppet of the Association. Baalzerith resisted as long as she could, but eventually, she crumbled under the Association’s relentless threats.

In the end, she signed the contract, officially transferring the dungeon’s management rights to the Association. Despite this, Baalzerith refused to become their puppet.

“Do they expect me to be their puppet? They must be joking!”

Baalzerith muttered angrily as she ran.

“To think they would dare to mock someone with royal vampire blood…!”

She vowed to repay this humiliation someday. When that day would come, even she didn’t know. For now, escaping the Association’s grasp was her priority. She had even abandoned her cherished dungeon to make this midnight escape.

But she wasn’t fleeing without a plan.

‘That presence… it was the same as the voice’s!’

During a social event hosted by the Association, Baalzerith had encountered a mysterious presence. Though she couldn’t see their identity, the aura was similar to the voice that once told her to become a slave.

“It must be them!”

In that moment, Baalzerith saw a glimmer of hope. She decided that she would rather seek another chance with that mysterious figure than live as the Association’s puppet.

“If I had known it would come to this, I would have followed the voice’s advice….”

She regretted her decision, driven by pride, to refuse back then. Now, she felt deep remorse. Despite feeling dejected by her current state, she gritted her teeth and steeled her resolve. Meeting that figure again would make her current suffering worthwhile.

Firm in her belief, Baalzerith continued to run. Her destination was the Sael kingdom. She had heard news of a calamity appearing there recently. For some reason, she felt a strong connection between the calamity and the owner of the voice.

There were two ways to reach the Sael kingdom from her current location in the Kalen Empire. One was to cross the Silent Mountains, which would lead directly to the kingdom. The other was to travel through the Free City Union and then enter the kingdom.

The shortest route was to climb the Silent Mountains. However, Baalzerith dismissed this option. The mountains were likely swarming with the Association’s agents, waiting to capture her. Instead, she chose to travel through the Free City Union to reach the kingdom.

After a while, Baalzerith, who had been moving forward, suddenly stopped. She turned her head and scanned her surroundings. Could the Association’s pursuers have already caught up to her? No, that wasn’t it.

– Growl –

Her stomach growled, and she stopped because she was hungry.

“Ugh, I’m starving….”

Baalzerith looked around for something to eat. But there was nothing except the endless wheat fields. In the past, her subordinates would have brought her fresh blood without her having to lift a finger. Now, she had to fend for herself.

“Hmm….”

She continued walking, trying to ignore her hunger. After some time, she caught the faint scent of blood.

“It must be over there!”

Following the faint trail of blood, she found the carcass of a dead animal. Zombies were feasting on it. The hunger was so intense that even the blood from the carcass seemed appealing. In the past, she wouldn’t have touched anything that wasn’t fresh, but now things were different.

However, there were already others present. As a descendant of the vampire royalty, she felt the need to maintain decorum.

“Ahem.”

She cleared her throat to get the zombies’ attention.

“Lowly beings, a noble one has arrived. Would you mind sharing what you’re eating?”

Baalzerith felt proud of herself for addressing strangers so politely. However, the zombies, bewildered by the absurdity of the situation, looked at each other.

“Grooo?”

(What’s up with her?)

“Grooo.”

(She seems a bit off.)

“Groo, groo.”

(It’s best if we leave.)

The zombies exchanged a brief conversation and then disappeared, leaving the animal carcass behind.

“See? Being polite works wonders!”

Having only ever interacted with her vampire followers, Baalzerith found these lowly beings fascinating. She picked up the animal carcass and resumed her journey, clinging to the hope of meeting that mysterious figure.

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‘This is strange….’

Malcolm, the representative of the Black Hand and operator of the monster arena, sat in his seat with a terrified expression.

‘Something is really strange.’

Something felt off.

‘…Why am I in the waiting room?’

This was the waiting room where participants gathered before their matches. Yet here Malcolm was, sitting and selecting a sword.

‘Why… why can’t I move my body?’

He couldn’t even open his mouth. Malcolm’s body moved on its own, picking up a sword from the rack.

“……”

He could still think, but his body wouldn’t obey him. Malcolm stood up, though it wasn’t by his own will. He couldn’t control his movements.

At that moment, someone entered the waiting room. A white mask. Yes, it was Necros, his business partner. Malcolm wanted to speak to him, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. For the first time, Malcolm felt genuine fear.

‘That’s right. Necros brought a woman with him, didn’t he?’

Suddenly, he remembered. After the successful opening day of the monster arena, Necros had brought someone who expressed interest in investing.

‘What was her name…?’

He couldn’t recall her name, but Malcolm didn’t need any investments. The audience’s reaction had been positive, and once word spread, the business would thrive without external funding. Malcolm was one of the key figures controlling the underworld. He had enough resources and connections to handle everything on his own.

Considering the arena’s growing popularity, Malcolm had planned to deal with Necros soon. He had no intention of sharing such a lucrative business with anyone else. After eliminating Necros, he intended to capture more monsters using his own manpower. Although they wouldn’t be as cleanly captured as Necros managed, it didn’t matter. The audience wouldn’t care if the monsters were injured or scarred, they just wanted to see blood and thrilling fights.

Malcolm had been optimistic about the future. But when Necros brought the investor, something felt off.

“Please tell me everything about Mr. Malcolm’s personal and professional connections.”

A captivating woman in a red dress. She was the investor. As soon as she arrived, she asked such probing questions. Who would willingly answer such sensitive questions? Malcolm had intended to call security immediately.

But his mouth had started answering her questions on its own.

“Good. You’re doing very well. Now, for the next question, tell me everything you know about the Black Hand.”

His mouth had moved on its own again to answer her next question. At that moment, Malcolm realized she wasn’t an ordinary human. But there was nothing he could do. The woman had vanished after getting all the answers she wanted, and Malcolm’s memory had gone blank after that.

“……”

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in the waiting room. But he still couldn’t move his body.

‘It feels like my soul is detached.’

He could only watch as his body acted on its own.

Malcolm’s gaze shifted to Necros’s white mask. This wasn’t by his own will. As he stared at Necros, the latter slowly raised his hand to his mask and began to remove it.

‘What…?’

Beneath the mask, Necros wasn’t human. Instead of a face, a skull was revealed.

‘A monster?!’

Had he been able to control his body, Malcolm would have fled immediately. But he was forced to keep watching Necros, fear gripping him as he stared. He wanted to scream, to demand answers about Necros’s true identity and the woman he had brought.

But his mouth wouldn’t open. Though his body didn’t move, he could feel it trembling with terror. Then, slowly, Malcolm’s body began to move toward the iron gate leading to the arena.

‘Please… spare me….’

Against his will, Malcolm, holding a sword, walked toward the gate. As it opened, the roar of the crowd filled his ears.

– And once again, the lucky Cale has survived! How far will his luck take him? –

The announcer’s voice echoed as Malcolm entered the arena.

– This match is a special one! Malcolm himself, the operator of the arena, will be participating! –

The crowd booed loudly. The idea of the arena’s operator participating in a match seemed suspicious. They assumed he must have rigged it somehow. The audience showed no interest in what they perceived as a lackluster fight.

Malcolm walked to the center of the arena, the boos ringing in his ears. He raised his sword high into the air, prompting even louder jeers from the crowd.

“That bastard’s just putting on a show! He’s not gonna die!”

“Boo! Just die like a man!”

But for Malcolm, it was a living nightmare.

‘Damn it! Please, someone save me!’

No words escaped his lips.

There was no chance to run.

But then, an orc appeared before him.

‘Don’t come any closer! Please!’

He begged inwardly, but the orc slowly approached Malcolm. The proximity to death was palpable, draining the blood from his face. The orc closed in on Malcolm.

“Ha ha…”

A hollow laugh escaped Malcolm. His body finally moved on its own accord. But it was too late.

– Thud. –

The orc’s axe swiftly found Malcolm’s head, ending his life. The fleeting hope he had harbored turned to despair.

– Oh! How can this be! –

The announcer was at a loss for words at Malcolm’s sudden demise. He, like everyone else, had assumed it was all a show. But this was no act, it was brutal reality. The orc continued to hack at what remained of Malcolm. Meanwhile, the crowd went wild.

“Yeah, that’s what we wanted! Amazing! The best!”

The audience had thought it was all scripted, but the arena operator had been gruesomely killed. Following that day, attendance at the arena skyrocketed.

And watching the scene with satisfaction were Celia and Necros. They didn’t speak of Malcolm. There was no need to concern themselves with a dead man. They had already extracted all the information they needed from him. Malcolm had managed a hollow laugh before his death, and that was enough for them.

“By the way, the arena’s profits are substantial. Necros, please continue to manage the arena. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Clink!”

Celia sipped her tea while reviewing documents.

“And the master is very interested in the arena.”

Celia’s smile was ominous. She pointed to a document with her finger, and it was labeled ‘The Black Hand.’

“The master will want everything, not just the arena. Prepare everything for our great master, Necros.”

The arena was just the beginning. It was time to seize everything else for their master.