Gamers of the Underworld

“Respectable Devil Lord Sherlock,

We have received notice from the Special Talent Recruitment Center that your friends intend to apply as combatants and participate in the graduation research of the Liches in the new semester.

Our college is treating this with the highest priority, and we have sent a staff member to Winterfell. We look forward to discussing the details with you and your friends. We hope that you will confirm the meeting time and location.

The following is the contact address of our college’s staff member.

Winterfell Old District No. 777, Black Shop Hotel, Room 213. Professor Bacon, Academic Deputy Director, Specter College.”

Sherlock thought that the Special Talent Recruitment Center and the Specter College were very efficient. It was less than half a day, and the Academic Deputy Director had already arrived in Winterfell.

Sherlock asked Bru to manage the Dungeon while he used the Teleport Scroll to travel to Winterfell. After leaving the Teleport Portal Reception Hall, he looked for a Hades Horse Carriage that had a valid license.

“Winterfell Old District No. 777, Black Shop Hotel. Please use the meter, thank you!”

“Pa!”

…

“Pa!”

The horse carriage behind Sherlock cantered off when the Gnome coachman cracked his whip over the Hades Horses. In front of Sherlock was a hotel with the signboard “Black Shop.”

At the hotel entrance, an Orc who was scantily clad looked askance at Sherlock.

Sherlock wasn’t bothered. He walked straight into the hotel.

“I’m looking for Room 213, Professor Bacon,” Sherlock said to a Gnome receptionist who was busy filing her nails.

“Okay, please register your name, then proceed to Level 21. The right-hand lane is the fast lane,” the receptionist said courteously.

Sherlock was taken aback. He registered quickly and headed towards the right lane.

At the end of the right lane, there was a Gnome in a service suit waiting. When he saw Sherlock, he perked up and asked in a shrill voice, “Devil Lord, which level are you going?”

“Level 21, thank you.”

The Gnome slapped on the wall, which then started to quake. A hole opened in the middle, and a sticky liquid was stretched into thin lines.

It wasn’t a wall but a mouth or container that looked like a wall. The inside of the container was covered with wooden planks, and there was a magical lamp.

Sherlock walked into the container, and the “Mouth” closed immediately. After a loud bang, it started a free-fall exercise as it plunged for five seconds before stopping.

The “Mouth” opened up, and Sherlock looked at the corridor before him. The numbers 21 were on the sides.

Sherlock peered out from the container. Room 213 was within a stone’s throw.

“Do you want to go down? My mouth’s tired!” the container complained in a muffled voice as Sherlock was peering around.

Sherlock walked out, and the container shut itself, looking just like a wall.

“Pa Ta.”

As Sherlock was about to knock on the door of Room 213, the door opened by itself. A scantily clad Orc and Gnome walked out of the door while casting flirty gazes inside the room.

“You’re so interesting, Professor. Do call us again.”

“We leaving. Thank you, Professor, for your hospitality~”

Both of them left the room. When they saw Sherlock, they appeared nervous and walked close to the wall. They stood waiting at the fast lane behind Sherlock.

Sherlock felt weird, but he walked to Room 213 and knocked on the door.

“Did you forget your stuff? My little precious…”

The room door opened, and a Skeleton who was emitting black smoke appeared behind the door. He stopped halfway through his speech and looked stunned when he saw a Devil by the door.

“Apologies, you are?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Devil Lord Sherlock.” Sherlock took out the letter from the Specter College and passed it to the Skeleton politely. “I found this place according to the address indicated on the letter. Are you Professor Bacon, Academic Deputy Director of the Specter College?”

The Skeleton looked at Sherlock and gazed at the Orc and Gnome waiting at the fast lane. Then he looked at his own Skeleton frame, and his cheekbones blushed.

“Do come in, Lord Sherlock.”

Professor Bacon made way for Sherlock to step in.

The room was quite high class, with a living room and a bedroom that were filled with a pungent smell. Bags filled with mud were scattered by the tea set. The sofa had a sizeable Orc pillow, and the bed was a mess. It looked as though there was a pillow fight.

“Apologies, I just arrived and am too tired to clean up. You should have informed me earlier so that I could have prepared. Please take a seat while I change my clothes,” Professor Bacon said as he entered his bedroom. He came out of the room with a bathrobe.

“Those two just now…” Sherlock pointed outside the door.

“Those were my sponsored students whose families are poor. They are good students with bright futures. I don’t wish to see them disadvantaged because of their poverty. They knew I came to Winterfell and came to thank me. Do you understand me?” Professor Bacon said as he brewed a cup of blood chrysanthemum tea for Sherlock. He sat on the sofa and threw the pillow behind him as if nothing had happened.

“Understand, I fully understand.” Sherlock nodded and said sincerely, “It’s rare to find a Specter like Professor Bacon, someone who is compassionate and has high integrity. It’s good to help destitute students. Now, let’s discuss the combatants of the Liches’ graduation research.”

“Yes, yes, yes, let’s discuss the important affairs. How many of your friends will be taking part in the graduation research?” Professor Bacon extended his hand and pressed his thumb and index finger together as if he was squeezing something. “In our recruitment notice, we stated that there’s danger, just a little bit of danger. Creatures lose their lives every year. Our college has a limited budget, so high remuneration and compensation are out of the question. Don’t worry Lord Sherlock, the remuneration won’t be that low either.”

“I know those from the Special Talents Recruitment Center. I would like to know how many creatures your college is recruiting, how much they are paid, and how long it lasts?” Sherlock asked.

“As the college is the largest Specter organization in the northern Underworld, more than half of the Liches graduate from our college. Every year, there are many graduates, so we intend to recruit a thousand creatures, and the remuneration is a hundred Magic Stones. The duration is ten months to completion, assuming there are no deaths. If all of them perish, then we would have to recruit again, and the duration would be off.”

Professor Bacon sighed.

“The recruitment of these talents takes up a lot of time. Even the Surface Wars and the Underworld Wars take a shorter time. For the past tens of years, there has been no successful completion within three months, and the annual graduation is dragged on for a long time. The longest time was over ten years. It’s not easy being an Academic Deputy Director.”

“It is indeed hard on you,” Sherlock said with empathy.

“How many of your friends are applying? If the number is large, I can apply to the college to pay you commission, Lord Sherlock,” Professor Bacon said as he lifted the cup of bloody chrysanthemum to his mouth. The chrysanthemum flowed down the mandible and dripped on the sofa and floor.

“To be honest, I would like to undertake the entire recruitment requirement for this year’s graduation research. If possible, I would like to create a long term collaboration with your college. The scope of the collaboration wouldn’t be limited to research,” Sherlock said earnestly as Professor Bacon gaped in astonishment.

He was stunned for a long while before saying, “Lord Sherlock wishes to undertake the recruitment requirement for this year’s graduation research? Perhaps Lord Sherlock didn’t understand my intention. We don’t accept powerful creatures since the graduating Liches are far inferior to mature and experienced Liches. If the combatants are too strong, the Liches might not be able to fend for themselves, and then we would be unable to assess their capabilities. Hence, we would like to recruit Orcs or Gnomes. A superior Devil like you might not be a suitable candidate.”

“Apologies Professor, you have mistaken my intention. I’m not participating. My friends are taking part,” Sherlock shook his head as he replied.

“Pardon my question, but who are your friends? Gnomes? Orcs? Are there enough of them? Don’t they require death compensation?” Professor Bacon asked worriedly.

“My Goblin friends,” Sherlock answered.