LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 99: Dungeon Corporation (1)
The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 099
EP.99 Dungeon Corporation (1)
A powerful force swept through the dungeon.
The aftermath, like a storm, left deep craters in the ground and parts of the ceiling collapsed.
Even the undead monsters, who usually guarded the dungeon’s areas without any emotion, were now unsettled.
And their gaze was fixed on one being ‘Arch Lich’.
Arch Lich appeared as usual.
He wore the azure high-grade robe bestowed by great one and held a fountain pen and a notebook in his hand.
Outwardly, there was no apparent change in his appearance.
But something was different.
Exactly, something had changed since the recent event.
For one, the power coming from Arch Lich had grown stronger.
With every step Arch Lich took, the surrounding air trembled slightly. The momentum of his power had clearly intensified.
Moreover, the concentration of mana in this dungeon had also become denser, as an added bonus.
By now, everyone could realize.
All these changes were brought about by Arch Lich.
It meant that he had taken another step closer to becoming the master of the dungeon.
All the undead monsters knelt on the ground, showing reverence to Arch Lich and great one.
“…”
But Arch Lich himself showed no interest in the actions around him.
First, he bowed his head and examined his own body.
Outwardly, he appeared the same as usual.
But even he realized that something special had occurred within him.
Arch Lich raised the hand with only bones left.
As he exerted a bit of force, a purple light enveloped his hand.
The magical power he could wield had become much stronger than before.
It was a power he hadn’t felt before.
At the same time, he sensed that he and the dungeon had become more closely connected.
It was precisely dominance.
“Tick!”
After confirming the emergence of power, his next action was to open the notebook.
Moments ago, the notebook had floated in the air.
He quickly grabbed it with his hand, but there was a possibility that the notebook had been damaged.
Arch Lich flipped through the pages one by one, checking if there was any damage.
And he found one changed part.
It was the section where additional content had been added to the notebook.
“Tick?”
It wasn’t something Arch Lich himself had written during observation as an dungeon inspector.
It was newly written information about the mid-bosses in each Area of the dungeon.
[1st Floor, Area 1 Mid-Boss]
– Death Knight (★★★★★)
[1st Floor, Area 2 Mid-Boss]
– Goblin Lord (★★★★★)
[1st Floor, Area 3 Mid-Boss]
– Vacant
[1st Floor, Area 4 Mid-Boss]
– Vacant
Although it was only recorded for the 1st floor, it was still impressive.
Now, there was no one here who could stand in his way.
Ah, except for the great one and the General manager, of course.
Arch Lich continued to stare at the notebook.
A vague memory seemed to be surfacing, on the verge of being recalled.
What was that memory again?
Arch Lich desperately shook his head.
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– Arch Lich has been designated as the [Guardian of the 1st Floor]. –
– The abilities of Guardian Arch Lich have increased. –
– The dominance of Guardian Arch Lich has been enhanced. –
– The [Guardian of the 1st Floor] manages all Areas of the 1st floor. –
Endless alarms rang out.
It was about Arch Lich becoming the Guardian of the 1st Floor and his abilities increasing.
Not only that, his dominance had been strengthened as well.
Thanks to this, a significant change occurred.
– The [Guardian of the 1st Floor] can recommend candidates for the appointment of mid-bosses on the 1st floor. –
“Is this how the dungeon manages itself?”
As Arch Lich became the Guardian, another authority was bestowed upon him, the recommendation for the appointment of mid-bosses.
It meant that even if the number of monsters increased, I wouldn’t have to personally ponder over whom to appoint as mid-bosses.
“If Arch Lich recommends, all I have to do is approve.”
I manage the dungeon as well.
But I can’t manage everything forever.
Most importantly, the monsters living in the dungeon would understand its ecosystem better than me, who merely observes it through screens.
My role was simply to select monsters and occasionally intervene.
“By the way, soon there should be mid-bosses for Areas 3 and 4 as well, right?”
[1st Floor, Area 3 Mid-Boss]
– Vacant
[1st Floor, Area 4 Mid-Boss]
– Vacant
Until now, there had been no mid-bosses in Areas 3 and 4.
Of course, since Areas 1 and 2 were robust, it wasn’t an immediate issue.
But it still felt lacking for some reason.
“I need to acquire more 4-star monsters.”
To designate mid-bosses, monsters needed to be at least 4-star grade.
But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
Sometimes, even using monster gacha, only 3-star monsters appeared, let alone 4-star ones.
Of course, there were 4-star monsters available.
The recently born half-goblins were also 4-star monsters.
And the Dullahan obtained through Death Knight in the past was also a 4-star monster.
“Hmm.”
But there were many problems in designating them as mid-bosses.
Firstly, the half-goblins were too young to be considered as mid-bosses.
And as for Dullahan, who wandered outside the dungeon with a fabricated story, I hadn’t seen much of him.
It seemed like he spent most of his time in the forest, so it was difficult to observe him.
Similarly, it was awkward to designate such a creature as a mid-boss.
“I should try spinning the lottery.”
Currently, the dungeon had expanded beyond the 1st floor to the 2nd floor.
More Areas were expected to be created and expanded into more floors in the future.
“Someday, guardians will be needed for each floor.”
As such, more mid-bosses would be needed for each Area, requiring more monsters.
Especially, guardians of the floors could be designated from 5-star monsters onwards, unlike mid-bosses.
“I’ll need a lot of high-grade monsters.”
Come to think of it, at this point, there might not be a need to insist solely on the lottery.
Haven’t I experienced it at the banquet?
Even just looking at auctions, the cost-effectiveness was much better than gacha draws.
Of course, the meaning was different when the monsters obtained through auctions showed loyalty to me.
‘Let’s ask Celia about this later.’
If it’s Celia, she’ll surely solve this concern.
“Should I stop here for now?”
I’ve been working non-stop since returning from the auction.
Above all, I hadn’t had a chance to talk to the elves I brought from the auction yet.
Just as I was about to turn off the smartphone screen.
– Arch Lich has remembered the lost name. –
– The original name of Arch Lich is ‘Necros’. –
– Necros transforms into a unique monster. –
– Necros’s abilities have slightly increased. –
Other alarms rang out.
That was indeed Arch Lich’s real name.
“Necros?”
It was a name that suited Arch Lich quite well.
This fact was immediately reflected in the system.
Subsequently, in the alarms that followed, the name displayed was Necros instead of Arch Lich.
[Guardian of the 1st Floor]
– Necros (★★★★★)
After all, I couldn’t keep calling him Arch Lich forever.
Especially now that he had become the Guardian of the floor, it didn’t make sense for him to lack a name.
“I guess this fellow will continue to be the Guardian of the 1st Floor.”
Initially, I had some thoughts about changing the Guardian if another 5-star monster appeared.
But after seeing the alarm indicating that Arch Lich, or rather, Necros’s abilities had increased and the emergence of his name, my thoughts changed.
“Yeah, it’s not good to change commanders too often.”
I hoped Necros would manage the 1st Floor well, so I let this matter go.
Now, the dungeon was gradually taking on a more dungeon-like appearance.
“Should I finally have a conversation with the elves?”
Just as I was about to get up from my seat.
– Azmo has attained enlightenment. –
– Azmo’s [Dungeon Monster Enhancement System] has been unlocked. –
– Azmo, who has attained enlightenment, suggests creating a group similar to the Demon Merchant Association on Earth. –
“?”
What’s this situation now?
It seemed like there would be no rest today after all.
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At the heart of the Incubus Dungeon.
There, Azmo sat with a face full of contemplation.
Azmo was currently deeply immersed in thought, which was directly related to the Social circle.
“True beauty was there.”
Suddenly, he exclaimed in admiration.
What he admired was none other than that.
The beauty of the Social circle’s open banquet hall?
It was certainly beautiful. But it hadn’t been enough to warrant such admiration until now.
Then was it that he, who had been on Earth, crossed over to the El Dorad Continent?
It was certainly a remarkable event.
But it was only possible because of the power of the great one.
Sure, it was quite impressive, but given the vast difference in power, Azmo didn’t find it particularly exciting.
Indeed.
In Azmo’s mind, there was no room for admiration for the splendor of the Social circle or the astonishment of dimensional travel.
What made him admire was the Demon Merchant Association.
“Demon Merchant Association…”
For Azmo, the Demon Merchant Association was an incredibly shocking organization.
Their reason for existence was to provide assistance to various dungeons and increase their chances of survival.
Azmo closed his eyes and reminisced about the past.
When he first woke up here on Earth.
Azmo built the dungeon himself without any help.
He thwarted the hunters who invaded the dungeon and developed it while fending them off.
There were dangerous moments in the process.
It wasn’t a friendly world where hunters would overlook the just-born dungeon.
And since there was no culture of interaction among dungeon masters, it was even more difficult.
Ultimately, Azmo fought desperately to survive.
He captured invading hunters and obtained information through enchantment.
He gathered their weapons and built up his strength.
In this way, all the dungeons on Earth operated under their own survival systems.
Capturing hunters gave power to the dungeon masters.
With increased power, everything else would be taken care of.
The dungeon would expand, and the monsters guarding it would increase.
Even without learning, it could be instinctively understood.
But capturing hunters in the early stages was extremely difficult.
“If there were an organization like the Demon Merchant Association on Earth, would things have been different?”
If there had been an organization like the Demon Merchant Association on Earth?
If someone had provided consultation during the early operation of the dungeon to help with its growth?
Couldn’t Azmo have operated the dungeon more smoothly himself?
Then, based on this regret, what if he helped other dungeons?
Surely the survival rate of newborn dungeons would increase.
An increase in survival rate would lead to an enhancement of the dungeon’s power.
‘If the number of dungeons increases, it means hunters can be easily subdued.’
It wouldn’t just stop at expanding power.
‘If that happens, I could dedicate this Earth itself to the great one…!’
There had been times when Azmo had challenged the great one’s will due to his own misguided judgment.
It was during the Monster Wave incident.
Back then, it was simply a way to reveal himself to the great one, but he realized how reckless he had been.
But this plan was entirely different.
As he reached that point of thought, Azmo nodded his head.
“So how can I help?”
Once again, Azmo’s plan returned to square one.
How could he help other dungeons?
The ultimate goal was the Demon Merchant Association.
But even mimicking the Demon Merchant Association right now was daunting.
Capital aside, there was an overwhelming difference in scale.
Even if Azmo were to mimic the Demon Merchant Association right away, it would be difficult to provide substantial help to other dungeons.
“Hmm…”
As Azmo pondered quietly, he once again reflected on his own experiences.
Come to think of it, Azmo was fortunate.
Even after overcoming the initial operation, there were still many crises.
Among them, if you asked which one had the best luck, it would probably be the day he met the general manager Celia.
Celia easily subdued the hunters who invaded Azmo’s dungeon at the time.
Wasn’t he drawn to her power and entered the service of the great one?
And Azmo’s choice was not wrong.
Even afterwards, he received help from Death Knights and Arch Lich, who were under the great one.
And now, she even sent a vice manager to assist in dungeon management.
Azmo found the answer right here.
‘Right now, I can’t follow the Demon Merchant Association.’
But at least, can’t I dispatch monsters?
And not only that.
‘If I could only use the abilities of general manager…!’
general manager Celia’s captivating abilities were exceptionally outstanding.
If I could control hunters using that charm?
I could dispatch hunters to dungeons that need help instead of monsters.
“Haha….”
The outline of the Earth version of the Demon Merchant Association began to emerge.
A smile formed on Azmo’s lips.
He wanted to share his thoughts directly with the great one.
That was the beginning of Dungeon Corporation.