The Big Shot Juniel
“We’re entering all three dungeons. We’ll aim for first place in every single one we can. If we do that, we should be able to find the Hero, right?”
I had already confirmed the entry rules while talking with the rat-headed informant. In previous “games,” there had been a player who thought the same way I did. He was a summoner, but greed blinded him. He split from his summoned creatures and entered separate dungeons. The result was a bad end. They were supposed to create synergy by staying together, yet once separated they floundered helplessly and all died.
Anyway, the important part was that summons could enter as long as the entry fee was paid. Which meant my girls could each enter a dungeon if they simply paid the money.
With a voice heavy with worry, Si-eun asked, “T-then… do we each have to enter separate dungeons? W-will that be all right?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. For starters, all of your stats are already higher than most people’s. Unless someone has a three- or four-star class, there won’t be many who can overpower you. Besides…”
You don’t die. I swallowed the words before they left my mouth. It felt too callous. Instead I continued, “Besides, there aren’t many people with as much real combat experience as you three. So even if we split up, each team should be able to rack up solid results without any major problems.”
Jiyoon and Si-eun nodded, seemingly convinced.
“Then, oppa…” Jiyoon glanced at me nervously. “How exactly are you planning to divide the teams?”
“Hmm. I haven’t decided yet. All three event dungeons have completely different rules.”
The details I’d heard from the rat-headed guy “Su” were as follows.
The first dungeon was a straightforward hunting ground. It was packed with goblins and goblin warriors. Your score was determined by how many monsters you killed.
The second was a raid dungeon. The system combined every participant’s stats and summoned an appropriately powerful mid-to-large monster. Everyone worked together to bring it down, and scores were based on contribution.
The third—and most problematic—was a treasure hunt. While the first two pitted you against monsters, this one felt deliberately designed to make humans fight and kill one another. The rules were simple: ten treasures were scattered randomly across the map. You had to find them and hold onto them until the event ended. Your final score depended on how many you possessed when time ran out.
Of course, the first two dungeons would still see plenty of human-on-human casualties. Scum who preyed on others existed everywhere. But the treasure hunt was openly built for people to slaughter each other, so I figured it would be the most dangerous.
After listening to my explanation, Si-eun spoke with a stiff expression. “Oppa… which dungeon are you planning to enter?”
“The third one. It suits me best.”
“Suits you best?”
“Yeah. Honestly, in the third dungeon, protecting the treasures will matter more than finding them. Keeping them away from competitors won’t be easy. But for me, once I obtain a treasure, guarding it becomes extremely simple.”
I could just shove it inside the Cradle of Rest. I wouldn’t need to stay up all night guarding it; I could simply sleep inside. It really was the perfect dungeon for me.
“So… I’ll only take one person with me into the third dungeon. That person will be…”
Both Jiyoon and Si-eun stared at me with desperate eyes. They clearly wanted to be chosen. After thinking it over carefully, I made my decision.
“All right. I’ve decided. Juniel will take the first dungeon alone. Si-eun and Jiyoon will handle the second. Jisoo and I will enter the third.”
Jisoo flinched and looked at me. She tried to hide it, but her eyes were sparkling. She seemed… genuinely happy? That was unexpected. I had assumed she would hate the idea of being alone with me.
Meanwhile, Si-eun and Jiyoon openly wore disappointed expressions. I told them, “This is the best arrangement. Juniel is strong enough to solo an entire dungeon and still take first, so sending her alone makes sense. Also, the combination of Jisoo, Si-eun, and Jiyoon is honestly perfect—melee damage, tank, and ranged damage. I don’t really want to break that up… but I can’t go alone. I’m a frail necromancer, after all.”
Even if all my stats were over forty. I was still frail, damn it.
“The person who’ll protect me and help secure treasures… Jisoo seems like the right choice. So please don’t be too upset, okay?”
Jiyoon and Si-eun nodded. Still looking reluctant, Jiyoon asked, “I understand, oppa. But… if Jisoo goes with you, it’ll only be me and Si-eun unnie. Is it really safe for just the two of us to run a raid dungeon?”
“No, sending you two alone doesn’t put my mind at ease. I’ll assign someone to act as a meat shield and handle close-range damage for you.”
“…Is there someone like that? Who?”
“My thralls aren’t limited to just you girls, you know?”
Both Si-eun’s and Jiyoon’s faces darkened instantly. Si-eun muttered, “…Can’t we just go by ourselves?”
“Bear with it this once. That uncle gets pretty strong once he powers up.”
“That’s true, but…”
I stroked both their heads and said gently, “I’m counting on you. Can you endure it for my sake?”
Si-eun and Jiyoon stammered, flustered.
“O-oppa, don’t say it like that. Asking us as a favor…”
“Exactly. We’ll do anything you want, oppa. You don’t have to call it a favor.”
I pulled the two embarrassed girls into my arms. Our team’s pretty duo never failed to satisfy me.
...
To be honest, keeping Jisoo, Jiyoon, and Si-eun together would have been ideal. Their balance was excellent and they already had great teamwork from talking so much. But if I did that… I would have to enter a dungeon alone with that Daejang-ajeossi. No thanks. Why the hell should I share a dungeon with that smelly old man?
So this time, Jiyoon and Si-eun would have to make the sacrifice(?).
“Now that it’s settled… we need to prepare if we want first place in every dungeon. Even if Juniel is fine on her own, we should raise the other three’s stats as much as possible. Especially Si-eun’s. Hers are noticeably lower than Jisoo’s or Jiyoon’s, so let’s focus on boosting her stats first. Sound good?”
Raising stats, of course, meant having sex with me—a lot. Si-eun lowered her head shyly.
Sigh. I had been looking forward to trying two-on-one, three-on-one, four-on-one, and every possible combination… but until the event dungeons ended, we had to prioritize quantity over quality. Better to focus on stacking stats than experimenting with positions.
“Starting today, outside of sleep, I’ll devote all my time to raising one of your stats. While I’m busy, the other three will go outside and hunt monsters. It’s better to gain levels or gold than to sit around doing nothing. Understood?”
Jisoo, Jiyoon, and Si-eun all nodded.
“Good. Then let’s begin immediately. Si-eun is the most urgent, so we’ll start with her today. Juniel, Jisoo, Jiyoon—head outside. Come back at dawn.”
“Yes, oppa.”
“Yes, Master.”
“…..”
I looked at Juniel. “Juniel. Answer properly.”
“…Understood, Master.”
I gave her a light glare and growled, “You’d better behave. Your position here is at the very bottom. Do not cause any harm to the other three girls. Listen to them and follow their orders. Got it?”
“…I wasn’t planning to hurt the unnies anyway.”
Hmm. She had said she liked pretty girls. In that case, I probably didn’t have to worry about her causing trouble for Si-eun, Jisoo, or Jiyoon.
“Oh, now that I think about it—why did you crawl out so early?”
“Crawl out…? What do you mean…?”
“High-ranking demons like you weren’t supposed to appear until much later. Yet you showed up in the very early stages, strutted around, and got killed by me. You said your power hadn’t recovered yet, right?”
“…If I had possessed my original strength, Master would have died with a single gesture.”
“Sure, whatever. So why did you come out with incomplete power and get yourself killed?”
Juniel lifted her hand axe with a gloomy expression.
“…Because of this child.”
“Child? You mean the axe?”
She nodded.
“This child’s name is Demon Axe Granteil. It is one of the Five Great Armaments of the Demon King’s Army. My body can recover its full power over time, but this child is different. It needs to drink blood to regain its true form. Poor thing… forced to remain in this shabby state for so long. Its original appearance was so magnificent…”
Now that she mentioned it, after the axe had stabbed into Jiyoon’s chest and flown back, Juniel had said something similar.
—Oh my. That unnie was stronger than I thought. Our cute baby has grown a little more~?
I had dismissed it as the ramblings of a crazy bitch, but that was what she actually meant.
Still… one of the Five Great Armaments of the Demon King’s Army? Then she wasn’t just any high-ranking demon.
“Juniel, what exactly was your position in the Demon King’s Army?”
She answered gloomily, “My sub-job has disappeared now, but… originally I was the Third Legion Commander of the Demon King’s Army.”
Whoa. A legion commander? As in, roughly three-star level even in the real world? She really was a massive big shot.
A legion commander of the Demon King’s Army had become my thrall…! For some reason, I felt strangely moved.
Wait. Then Juniel must know inside information about the Demon King’s forces—where the Demon King was, how large the army would become.
When I asked, she shook her head. “The Demon King’s Army hasn’t assembled yet. The legion commanders are scattered across the world recovering their strength. Once they regain their full power, they will gather in one place and form the army. Only after the descent ritual summons the Demon King will the real campaign begin.”
“So you don’t know anything about the Demon King himself?”
“Correct. The descent hasn’t happened yet.”
Hmm. Disappointing. Still, wasn’t this game unreasonably cruel to humans? The so-called Hero had to scrape by from the very beginning, barely surviving death after death, while the Demon King could relax until his subordinates finished all the groundwork. What a garbage game.
Juniel continued, “I hadn’t recovered my strength yet, so I planned to avoid humans if possible. I only intended to gather monsters, absorb their blood, and return… but then I encountered Master.”
So that was why there had been a massive monster migration. And why the university had been littered with countless monster corpses.
“Wait, you said you weren’t going to touch humans. Then why did you suddenly throw an axe at me?”
“That was…” Juniel glanced at Jiyoon. “I didn’t like seeing trash like you sticking so close to an unnie of my taste. I figured one worthless man wouldn’t matter.”
Wow. What a crazy bitch.
The crazy bitch bowed her head to Jiyoon. “I’m truly sorry to you, unnie. I never imagined you would throw yourself in front of my axe. I had absolutely no intention of killing you. I swear.”
Watching Juniel bow, Jiyoon stammered in confusion. Come to think of it, when Jiyoon had died, Juniel had said something similar then too.
—Oh my, I wasn’t aiming for that unnie… The pretty unnie died~~? That unnie was my type, though—
So it hadn’t been a joke. Ugh. What a crazy bitch.
I stared at her in disbelief. “You’re not sorry to me?”
“…Why would I be? I’m the one who died to Master. Shouldn’t you be the one apologizing?”
After speaking gloomily, she muttered under her breath, “I should have killed Master back then…”
I can hear you, you lunatic. Clearly more education was required. I had to focus on the other girls’ stat increases right now, so I would let it slide—but we would settle this properly when her turn came.
I looked at Juniel and gave her a smile brimming with anticipation.