The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

EP.22 Misunderstandings and Misconceptions

Jung Ye-rin.

She was a B-rank Hunter.

Simultaneously, she possessed the Healer trait.

Being a B-rank Healer was no small feat. She could heal most injuries and enhance the party’s endurance in dungeons to the limit. That’s who Jung Ye-rin, a B-rank Healer, was.

But that wasn’t the only impressive thing about her; it was her guild.

The guild she belonged to was the “Phoenix Guild,” one of the largest guilds in South Korea, counted among the top five. Being a Healer with a rare trait in a major guild, what a combination it was. If anyone else saw it, they’d surely envy her and consider her a role model.

However, Jung Ye-rin herself felt that all of this was futile.

If she were an “ordinary” guild member, she might have enjoyed the current moments. But alas, she was not just an ordinary member of the Phoenix Guild.

The guild’s leader was her father.

And she had two older brothers.

Her father was the guild leader, and her eldest brother held the position of vice guild leader. Unless something unexpected happened, he would most likely inherit the guild from their father.

Her younger brother had similar privileges. Although not as powerful as the eldest, he had authority over the dungeons and personnel of the guild. Both her father and brothers were A-rank Hunters.

As a B-rank Healer, she had no room to interfere. To others, this situation wouldn’t seem like a problem at all.

What’s wrong with having your father as the guild leader, and your brothers running it? You’ll get to enjoy the benefits without doing much.

This was how most people perceived her.

In reality, she was leading a team with the title of a team leader. But unfortunately, the happiness that people perceived was far from her reality.

Both of her brothers saw her as a thorn in their side. Eventually, they saw her as a presence that needed to be removed.

They knew she was different from them because they had different mothers. Even if their mothers were different, things could have been different if they had been kind and considerate, but the world was not that forgiving.

Due to her mother being different, both her brothers treated her as an eyesore. Someone who needed to be eliminated at some point. That’s how her brothers saw Jung Ye-rin.

Of course, in a well-governed nation, openly eliminating someone was illegal. So, they indirectly caused her problems, assigning her dangerous dungeons on purpose.

This situation was still ongoing.

‘Goblin Lord in the dungeon… That’s just perfect.’

A Goblin Lord was added to the dungeon assigned to her team. To make matters worse, it wasn’t just any Goblin, it was an A-rank monster, Goblin Lord.

“Ha…”

All she could do was sigh. Goblin Lord was a leader monster that commanded all goblin-type creatures. It was the natural leader of the goblins in the dungeon. As befitting a leader, it was a monster that differed from the ordinary goblins.

That alone was enough of a headache, but there was an even bigger problem.

Goblin Lord strategically commanded the numerous goblins under it, making it even more challenging to defeat. As a result, many Hunters struggled to clear dungeons with Goblin Lord.

If her teammates were of a higher rank, she wouldn’t have been so concerned. Unfortunately, among her team members, she was the highest-ranked B-rank Hunter. The other team members were a mix of C-rank and D-rank Hunters.

The problem was that she was a Healer with no combat abilities. To take down Goblin Lord, she was severely lacking. She had to inform the guild about this and give up on the dungeon. The consequences would be negative for her and her team, but it was better than risking their lives.

‘Could it be that they assigned me this dungeon on purpose?’

She knew very well that her brothers considered her a nuisance. Still, she wanted to believe that the dungeon assignment was just a coincidence. She didn’t want to think they would go to such extremes.

As she contemplated this, she sat in a cafe. And then, at that moment, she heard a man mumbling nearby.

“Goblin Lord’s weakness…”

The sound reached her ears entirely by chance.

“Goblin Lord?”

She looked around in a hurry.

There was a man at the nearby table, diligently holding a smartphone and doing something.

‘What is he doing? More importantly, claiming to know Goblin Lord’s weakness?’

It sounded unbelievable. Based on the situation so far, it was generally accepted that Goblin Lord had no weaknesses. Typically, Hunters relied on powerful area attacks or strong Hunters to deal with Goblin Lord.

So, the words she just heard were easy to ignore. However, in the corner of her heart, a glimmer of hope flickered. After all, if she gave up this dungeon, the guild would surely impose consequences. Her position within the guild would be shaken. Such an outcome would raise doubts about her leadership qualities.

‘Absolutely not.’

That’s what her brothers wanted, for sure.

“Let’s give it a shot,” she decided. She clenched her fists.

They were going to lose anyway.

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***

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That’s how Jung Ye-rin found herself facing Lee Kang-hyun.

“Goblin Lord appeared?”

Lee Kang-hyun questioned Jung Ye-rin.

Goblin Lord… Lee Kang-hyun hesitated for a moment. He had been playing a game just a while ago, discussing various stories involving Goblin Lord. But then, someone suddenly brought up the topic of Goblin Lord. Perhaps they had mumbled to themselves while playing the game.

‘So it’s about the game, then?’

It certainly seemed that way. Lee Kang-hyun’s question was whether Goblin Lord had appeared in the game’s draw.

“Yes, I was surprised, but this time Goblin Lord did appear,” Jung Ye-rin replied.

“Well, I guess it’s the boss if it’s Goblin Lord.”

Goblin Lord was a 5-star monster in the game. It could be designated as a mid-boss from at least 4-star.

“That’s why I’m troubled. I don’t see how we can handle this. All my team members have low ranks, and there’s no way out,”

Jung Ye-rin said, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

At the moment, there was no solution with their current strength.

“Ah,”

Lee Kang-hyun nodded as if he understood.

Even if a 5-star monster appeared, it would become a nuisance if there were no monsters to form a party with.

He had managed his own dungeon, and through multiple draws, he had a decent combination. But this was his story. To a newbie in front of him, it would be a challenging problem.

“It’s better not to consider Goblin Lord in the current situation. Even if it’s a 5-star…”

“A 5-star?”

“Yes, it’s A-rank here.”

Lee Kang-hyun continued to explain.

“Even if Goblin Lord is a 5-star… No, an A-rank monster, it has a critical weakness. If it doesn’t have its horde with it, it receives a penalty.”

“A penalty?”

Such a thing existed?

Jung Ye-rin was surprised. She had never heard of such a thing.

“If it doesn’t have its horde, then what happens?”

“In that case, Goblin Lord itself receives a penalty. Its stats are lowered to the level of a 2-star or even a D-rank monster.”

“….”

She was in awe. It meant that Goblin Lord, in the absence of its horde and goblins in its vicinity, became significantly weaker.

‘Is that really true?’

But it was hard to believe such an incredible story.

“Of course, I’m telling you this based on my own experience. If you want, I can show you. It’s better to see it for yourself.”

Maybe Lee Kang-hyun could read her expression. He assured her that he could show her if she didn’t believe it. Showing the game screen directly would be more effective than just words.

As Lee Kang-hyun was about to take out his smartphone, Jung Ye-rin lowered her hand.

“It’s alright. I’m truly grateful. Thank you.”

Bowing to Lee Kang-hyun in gratitude, she thought about his words once again.

‘Think that there’s no Goblin Lord.’

That was the idea. Don’t worry about Goblin Lord and eliminate the goblin horde first.

‘How could he know such a fact?’

The man claimed that he had experienced it himself. His words didn’t seem to contain any lies. He probably went through many trials and errors to obtain this information.

Goblin Lord didn’t just appear because there were a few goblins around.

‘How strong is it?’

At the very least, it must be an A-rank hunter, right?

More importantly, the man said the monster was 5-star rank, using the notation method of El Dorad Continent. In contrast to the alphabet-based notation used here, the continent used a star-based ranking system.

Common hunters would naturally find the term “A-rank” more familiar, but not for the man in front of her.

‘A true powerhouse who’s been to El Dorad Continent…!’

And he must have stayed there for a long time. She, too, had hoped to step onto El Dorad Continent one day and had been studying the basics in that direction. No matter how much she studied, it was obvious which notation felt more familiar.

‘It must not be missed.’

To survive within the guild in this situation, she needed to firmly establish her position. For that, strength was required.

But her brothers already had a tight grip on the guild’s internal situation. In this situation, the man in front of her was a game-changer.

Jung Ye-rin bowed her head again.

“I’m truly grateful. You’ve shared so much information, and I’ve received a great favor.”

Usually, such critical information was kept confidential. Information equaled power and money. But the man in front of her seemed uninterested in such matters. He believed in his own abilities.

“It’s nothing much.”

Lee Kang-hyun responded, feeling proud of the newbie’s gratitude.

“But I’m inclined to teach a little more to someone like you.”

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***

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Twenty Holy Knights were climbing up the mountain.

“Let’s stop here for a moment!”

At the shout of a man leading the group, they came to a halt. The man’s name was Werther Leo Bane. He was the second son of the influential Leo Bane Ducal Family, even in the Kalen Empire.

“After a short break, we’ll resume the search! Everyone, maintain your guard, and you may rest!”

Currently, he also served as the vice captain of the White Order, which led the Holy Knights. They were on a mission to eradicate the vampires, part of the operation being carried out by the Order.

It wasn’t a particularly dangerous mission. Their goal was simply to weaken the power of the vampires by eliminating the less powerful ones.

Baalzerith was a 5-star vampire. A single one could bring destruction to an entire city.

‘If I can capture that one with my own hands…’

Capturing Baalzerith with his own hands would not be just a dream. Even if he had stepped down from the position as the heir due to being the second son, capturing Baalzerith would be enough to secure his family’s position.

‘Even if I’m not the heir…’

He had given up the position of heir simply because he was the second son, but Werther was deeply dissatisfied with this decision.

Werther entered the Order soon after and, thanks to his family’s background, was able to become a Holy Knight and even take on the role of vice captain.

Although he was not the leader, he had made it to the position of vice captain, which was an unprecedented event, considering that he had not initially belonged to the Order.

“Heh…”

Werther let out a sigh.

During the process of exterminating vampires, one of them managed to escape. The current group of Holy Knights was there to capture the fleeing vampire, who had led them all the way to a mountain bordering the demon realm. Not to mention that this place, although seemingly abandoned, was officially part of the Sael Kingdom’s territory, and getting caught here would cause a lot of trouble.

“Um… vice captain?”

Someone addressed Werther.

He was one of the Holy Knights.

“Is it necessary to chase it? An immature vampire who hasn’t even undergone the Rite of Purity doesn’t seem likely to cause significant problems.”

The Holy Knight’s words were true.

In normal circumstances, an immature vampire running away would have been a negligible occurrence.

Capturing an immature vampire wouldn’t contribute much to their achievements. Yet, they had come all the way to a place bordering the demon realm to capture this one vampire.

Furthermore, this location belonged to another nation. In essence, they were invading another country.

The Holy Knights couldn’t comprehend the current situation. But Werther shouted in response, “It’s the duty of us Holy Knights to protect people in the name of the Order!”

It was a way of telling them to shut up and follow orders.

However…

‘That guy had a sword with him…’

Werther noticed something different about the escaping vampire. It was a sword the vampire carried in its arms.

‘It was definitely a Demonic Sword.’

A Demonic Sword granted its user tremendous power. The sword he saw looked exactly like the Demonic Swords he had read about in the Order’s records.

Werther’s eyes glistened with greed.

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