Chapter 181
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 181
"The circumstances are different, sir. Completely different."
Patrick desperately pushed Swallow from behind, who was doing everything in his power to avoid work. Rene, however, had come along with him, her arm linked through Swallow's. Judging by the exaggeratedly relaxed smile on her face, she was intent on showing the Yaksha Sisters from the very start that her position was secure.
In contrast, Melju, who actually had every right to be confident, made a quiet entrance. She approached silently, as if using stealth magic, and before anyone realized it, she was standing right behind Swallow.
Her small hand tightly gripped the hem of his coat. A glance at the mana dispersing around her feet confirmed it—she really had used stealth magic to get here.
I'm going to lose my mind.
Why wasn't there a single soul here who did their job properly?
Swallow’s slacking off was nothing new, but Rene… she had been perfectly normal at first. Ever since she ran away and came back, though, it was like she’d lost a screw. The shy girl who used to watch from behind a wall had developed a strange new habit of trying to win him over with her cooking and charm. The cause, undoubtedly, was Swallow. What on earth had he said to make her change so drastically?
Even Melju, who he thought would be the most sensible one, looked completely lost, as if she didn't even know why she was here.
At this rate, Mr. Tentacle is the most reliable one here.
Was the fact that a brainless creature was the most dependable member of his staff proof that this place was already a total mess?
Since there were two vacancies in the Great Evil Caves, maybe he should take this opportunity to establish a new one. He would recruit only diligent members for it. With that thought, Patrick glanced at the papers in his hand. It was time to stop drafting resignation letters and start drawing up concrete plans for a new dungeon.
"Why am I even doing this…?" Swallow grumbled but kept walking. Since he’d already been dragged all the way to Room 1, his best bet was to get this over with as quickly as possible.
Climbing onto the stalagmite where Patrick had been standing, he looked down at the 291 monsters staring up at him.
Hmm.
No, "captivated" was a more accurate description. They weren't just looking; they were focusing on him with all five senses.
Finding their intense focus somewhat amusing, Swallow let out a soft chuckle and turned his head toward Patrick.
"Patrick, there are too many of them."
"Wait, wasn't it you, Boss, who ordered me to bring as many as possible?"
"And you just scraped together anyone who looked remotely strong, didn't you?"
"I beg you, please don't say such things right in front of them."
Swallow turned back to the monsters and scanned the crowd, which remained dead silent.
"Since they're not denying it, I guess I'm right."
"Boss, please."
Unable to say more out loud, Patrick whispered into Melju's ear. A moment later, a telepathic message rang in Swallow's head.
[Sir Patrick asked me to convey: "Please don't do that. Just give them a proper word of encouragement…"]
"A proper word, huh."
"You're asking for something pretty difficult," Swallow muttered softly before turning back to the monsters.
"You lot."
If a voice could have a temperature, his would have frozen the entire dungeon solid. The sudden tension was plain on every monster's face.
Swallow slipped his left hand into his coat pocket, grabbed the back of his neck with his right, and gave it a light stretch.
With everyone's attention locked on him, he continued.
"From this moment on, kill each other."
"Stop! Hold it! Everyone, just a moment!"
"Ah, why?"
Patrick scrambled forward and slapped a hand over Swallow's mouth, then forcefully twisted his head to face him.
Crack!
In his panic, Patrick had used too much strength, and Swallow's neck turned at a completely unnatural angle.
"What? You told me to say something."
"Boss, are you out of your mind? Kill each other? What do you mean, kill?!"
"Since ancient times, this has been the most effective way to choose the strongest. The last one standing becomes the manager."
We're not just hiring one!
"Then let's change the rules. Fight each other, but stop just short of killing. How's that?"
"Are you planning to run a dungeon with a bunch of cripples?"
There was no answer. Patrick looked at Swallow's face, which was perfectly serene. That made it all the more terrifying. Gripping Swallow's shoulders, Patrick spoke in a thoroughly exhausted voice.
"I'll… just… do it myself."
Only Patrick failed to see the victorious smile playing on Swallow's lips as he stepped back.
"As you all know, after a series of incidents, the Primordial Core is currently facing a shortage of personnel. You must have already heard the news from the Leprechaun Merchant Guild, so I'll keep this brief."
In front of the monsters, Patrick held up two skeletal fingers.
"First, we need managers to oversee Room 1 and Room 2."
He extended his other hand.
"Second, the monsters from Room 1 to Room 4 have been completely wiped out. And before long, humans might invade."
He gauged the atmosphere. Despite the brief commotion, the monsters were completely focused. It was all thanks to a misunderstanding—those unfamiliar with Swallow simply dismissed his antics as the casual demeanor of an ancient monster.
"The saying 'offense is the best defense' is no lie. At least among humans, it's considered a highly credible tactic. Of course, most humans will try to save their own skins, but out of the countless subjugation squads, some will inevitably invade this place."
It had always been this way whenever a major event occurred. Some were blinded by a foolish sense of justice, while others were scapegoats caught in the political games of the nobility. Occasionally, there were even unarmed sacrifices dragged here to appease Swallow's wrath. Then there were the private subjugation squads, sent by lords with the sole intention of defeating the gatekeeper.
In any case, the humans are coming. And if they arrive to find Room 1 and Room 2 completely empty, and realize there is only a single manager left in Room 3 and Room 4…
That would be problematic.
"Because time is short, we have brought you here—those who are already strong and need no special preparation."
Patrick lowered his hands and lightly scanned the crowd.
The monsters were still staring at him. However, everything Patrick had said so far was common knowledge. He was intentionally dragging out the conversation with facts they already knew, building the tension to its absolute peak.
The core of the matter was the selection method.
Although it had been a joke, Swallow had told them to kill each other—which, in a way, was the most standard method. In a dungeon ruled by the law of the jungle, a test of strength was the most definitive way to decide a leader.
But hadn't Patrick rejected that idea? If so, what other method did he have prepared?
Just as the monsters were all harboring the same question—
"First of all," Patrick said, pulling a sheet of parchment from his robes and unfurling it.
The monsters in the back rows swallowed hard.
"We will begin the assignments immediately."
—An entirely unexpected answer.
"First, regarding Room 2. The Yaksha Sisters will jointly manage it. In the event of their deaths, Mr. Simur will succeed them. As for Room 1…"
Silence fell over the crowd once more, but it didn't last long before a murmur broke out.
This was unacceptable to most of them.
From the crowd, Adug, the monster with a thousand hands, questioned Patrick.
"Is there no test? Is this really it?"
"What do you take me for?"
At Patrick's reply, more than half of the monsters, including Adug, stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
Only the Older Yaksha Sister in the front row burst into laughter.
"It seems you were all expecting some grand selection process, but I haven't been doing this for just a day or two," Patrick said. "I hate to say it, but I can estimate your strength at a single glance. Since I already know, there's no need to waste time."
"Are you telling us to just accept this?!"
"Ah, you were going to be disqualified anyway, so there's no need to squawk like that."
"W-What?! I'm disqualified?! Are you saying I'm weak?!" shouted Ragedre, the Lizardman shaman whose skin was made of other monsters' flesh.
Patrick looked at him and replied in a mocking tone, "Mr. Ragedre, do you honestly believe you are among the strongest here?"
At his question, the surrounding monsters turned their gazes on Ragedre. Feeling the pressure of countless eyes on him, the shaman clamped his mouth shut.
"As I thought. Not manager material. Mr. Ragedre, you cast various high-tier spells depending on the ambient temperature, but this is a cave. The temperature is consistently low—a completely different environment from your home. We can't change a room's temperature for anyone but a manager… so what's your plan? Surely you don't intend to fight using only a single attribute of high-tier magic?"
"..."
"I might not have eyeballs, but my eyesight is excellent. There's something written on your head. Ah, it says '0'. That's the number of humans you'll kill before you're defeated."
At this blatant provocation, the monsters began to stir. Swallow leaned comfortably against the cave wall, watching Patrick's performance with interest.
"I have a question."
Amidst the confusion, a Dullahan—a knight holding his severed head under his arm—quietly raised his hand. Patrick pointed at him.
"I'll take your question."
"The fact that you're taking my question must mean I've passed your initial screening," the Dullahan chuckled. His voice didn't come from his severed head but echoed from within his armor, from which thick, ink-black smoke billowed. "I am Hyeong-ak of the South."
"You are famous. It is an honor to meet you in person."
There was no hint of mockery in Patrick's tone. Indeed, Hyeong-ak was a highly renowned monster in the southern regions, likely even stronger than Masham.
"I understand your intentions, but I reject your judgment," Hyeong-ak said. "You claim to have measured our strength, but you cannot know us completely. True strength is tested in battle. If you have ever tempered yourself with a blade, you should understand what I mean."
"A fair point."
"Second, there was an error in your words. You spoke as if we only need to find two managers and fill the rooms, but there are monsters here whose goals lie elsewhere."
The Dullahan drew his sword, its tip pointing directly at Patrick. At this sudden declaration of war, Patrick let out an impressed sound.
"In the past, I was offered a position as one of the Ten Calamities by Erebos, the boss of 'Where Corpses Die.' I have no interest in a managerial position in the Primordial Core. What I desire is the position of gatekeeper," Hyeong-ak declared. "And among us, there are others who, like me, are close to the level of a gatekeeper. The Primordial Core is a dungeon built to protect the ancient monster, so it is only natural that the strongest should take the role of gatekeeper."
"Hear, hear!" "He's right!" the other monsters chanted in unison.
It was like watching a popular uprising. This time, Swallow, who was watching from behind, let out a chuckle. Immediately after, Patrick also failed to hide his amusement and scoffed.
Ah.
They spoke as if strength were everything, but if they were truly confident, they would have attacked instead of wasting time chanting. How foolish. All bark and no bite.
Above all…
It's going exactly as expected.
Having plenty of experience, Patrick knew this well. Monsters who believed they were strong had a tendency to overestimate themselves. Whenever the number of gathered monsters exceeded a hundred, there was always at least one like Hyeong-ak who would voice such opinions.
This was exactly what Patrick had been aiming for.
Since they were the ones making the demands, they would have only themselves to blame for what happened next.
"I suppose it can't be helped. What Mr. Hyeong-ak says is not wrong."
Patrick nodded, pretending to agree.
He glanced at the Yaksha Sisters. As the originally assigned managers of Room 2, they might have felt slighted, but instead, they seemed to be enjoying the situation. Then again, if they had wanted special treatment, they would have come along when Scobina entered. In any case, they didn't seem to need any special favors now.
"Very well. Since that is your opinion…" Patrick said, putting particular emphasis on the last two words. "I will reassign the positions after directly testing your skills here."
At the same time, he turned and gestured with his hand. Melju, who had been crouching in the back, stood up.
"In return, I will choose the event. In a rational way, of course. Since you will be defending the dungeon, it would be best to test your defensive capabilities to see how well you can guard it."