Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Merchant Veter's First Contract
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The yellow stone and purple stone displayed by the owner of the Kobold Dungeon.
They were undoubtedly gold and magic stones.
'I have to seize this no matter what.'
A dungeon rich in gold and magic stones...
That alone provided more than enough justification to do business with this dungeon.
Veter straightened his posture.
"Well, shall we discuss the details of the deal?"
With that, he quickly pulled a document from his pocket.
It was a contract.
Veter began adding or modifying the necessary clauses on the prepared contract form.
Even as he drafted the contract, Veter's mind raced through memories of his past.
Veter had originally been a slime monster.
The lowest of the low, without even the capacity for thought.
Then one day, he was kidnapped by a group of humans who invaded the dungeon.
That marked a turning point in Veter's slime existence.
The slimes, including Veter, were confined to a research lab for a long time after their abduction.
Inside the lab, they were subjected to various experiments by the humans.
One by one, the slimes from the same dungeon perished under the strain of the experiments, but Veter was uniquely resilient.
He was the only one to survive the ordeals.
As the prolonged experiments continued, changes began to manifest in Veter. The first was the acquisition of intelligence—the ability to think.
With that, he could finally grasp the dire situation he was in.
But he didn't let it show.
The second change was the ability to transform into other beings.
Of course, Veter kept that hidden as well.
Concealing his newfound abilities, he quietly bided his time.
The researchers in the lab gazed at the ever-surviving Veter with astonishment, but that was all.
Since he deliberately hid his transformations, he appeared to be nothing more than exceptionally durable.
Still, the experiments pressed on.
As time passed, the researchers grew careless, discussing various matters in Veter's presence—a golden opportunity for him to learn about the world.
Thanks to that, virtually all of Veter's current knowledge came from the lab.
'Magic stones...'
In truth, gold held little value to Veter as a monster.
From the researchers' conversations, it seemed gold was mainly for superficial adornment.
Still, it could be sold to humans for profit.
But magic stones were different.
As he drafted the contract, idly moving his hands, Veter glanced at the magic stone.
The stone gleamed with a purple hue.
It might look that way to kobold eyes, but magic stones were said to be the rarest of gems.
Even the lab researchers handled them with utmost care.
They were that vital a resource.
'Their applications are endless, for sure.'
A phrase from the researchers suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
Dungeons threatened humanity but also offered new opportunities—resources.
Unlike Earth's finite supplies, dungeons kept emerging, brimming with materials unseen on the planet.
Humanity had leaped forward once more because of them.
Magic stones, in particular, were exceedingly rare.
Demand was high across multiple fields, but supply was scant.
Their price dwarfed even gold.
And now, such magic stones had appeared in the Kobold Dungeon?
If word got out, others would come running with fire in their eyes.
Veter had discovered this dungeon's value first.
It was an incredible opportunity.
"There, I think that's the contract sorted. Care to take a look?"
Veter finally finished revising it.
The framework was already there, but this was no ordinary dungeon—it produced magic stones.
Veter wasn't foolish enough to shove a standard contract at it.
The kobold began reviewing the contract Veter handed over.
"......"
The kobold's expression shifted in real time as it read the contract.
"Th-this is..."
It looked as if it had seen something it shouldn't have.
"Hard! Too much content!"
Unfortunately, the kobold lacked the intelligence to comprehend the contract.
But even seeing that, Veter wore a faint smile.
Having worked in sales, he decided to explain it kindly to the kobold.
"It's not complicated. We'll protect this dungeon like our own lives—'for life.' In return, the dungeon owner just needs to give us the yellow and purple stones 'for life.'"
Veter pointed at the stones in the kobold's possession with his finger.
The kobold nodded at Veter's straightforward explanation.
Verbal breakdown made it easy to understand.
"I see! Totally get it now!"
Thanks to that, the kobold's face brightened.
Protecting the dungeon for life—what a fantastic deal.
And all it had to do was hand over these yellow and purple stones.
"Merchant Guild is really nice place."
The kobold signed the contract on the spot.
Watching this, Veter smiled and said,
"Now, we're practically family. Welcome aboard."
"Family!! That's good!"
Veter and the kobold rose and shook hands.
With that, the contract was sealed.
"I'll bring forces here as soon as possible."
This dungeon had to be protected at all costs.
No way he'd let such a prime spot slip to others.
He wanted to deploy a massive force immediately, but reality made it impossible.
The Merchant Guild was newly established; its operations were still rudimentary.
'I need to deal with the Black Sun Guild quickly.'
Though a slime, Veter currently used his abilities to assume a human form.
His target was Hunter Ji Sung-min from Azmo's Dungeon.
And he planned to track down the Black Sun Guild that Ji Sung-min belonged to.
To smoothly deploy forces not just here but to various dungeons ahead, he'd need human help.
'Borrowing isn't the right word, though.'
This was a world where the Great One would one day reign supreme.
'Utilizing humans' fits better.
By leveraging humans, couldn't he secretly transport large forces?
To that end, he needed to locate the Black Sun Guild's base where Ji Sung-min was affiliated.
Once found, he'd bring their organization under his wing.
But the plan hit a snag from the start.
Didn't Ji Sung-min say it himself?
The Black Sun Guild was a cell-structured organization, making it hard to find other members even if you were one.
Veter smiled while gripping the kobold's hand, but he kept pondering how to locate the Black Sun Guild.
And at that moment...
"Whoa—what's all this?"
Intruders appeared in the Kobold Dungeon.
They were armed, weapons in hand.
Hunters.
True to form, some carried the bloodied corpses of dead kobolds.
The intruders' faces were twisted in sleazy grins.
"Check out that necklace and ring on the bastard. Jackpot!"
One man at the front remarked, eyeing Veter's necklace and ring.
"Haha, see, bro? Told you it was a big one."
The guy next to him rubbed his hands greedily. Veter recognized him.
It was the one who had checked his hunter ID before entering the Kobold Dungeon.
He'd thought it was just a routine check, but it was a trap.
Still, to Veter, these intruders posed no real threat.
But with the dungeon owner present, it was a variable.
"Intruders! Intruders are here!"
The dungeon owner, the kobold, bellowed at the sight of them.
Fortunately, unlike before, Veter was now in the dungeon.
And even more powerfully, Maru was there too.
"Maru, sir..."
Veter glanced back at the shouting kobold and turned to Maru.
Maru met his gaze and nodded.
Their real concern wasn't the intruders.
Rather, they worried the intrusion might jeopardize the Kobold Dungeon contract.
And sure enough, the feared scenario unfolded.
The intruders spotted something.
"Huh?"
Someone voiced doubt.
Their eyes locked onto the kobold's hand in unison.
The one who had inspected Veter's ID spoke first.
"Bro, that... magic stone—"
But his words never finished.
"Maru, sir!"
Veter shouted immediately.
The magic stone's existence couldn't be revealed to the kobold.
Realizing this, Maru swiftly drew and hurled his demonic sword.
The thrown sword pierced the speaker's throat.
"Such things happened, huh?"
In the dungeon's core.
Celia was diligently handling her duties as usual.
The dungeon had recently expanded in size.
With that came the need to contemplate future operations and direction.
At the same time, intelligence from the Sail Kingdom kept pouring in ceaselessly.
As chief administrator, Celia compiled this information and pondered their next moves.
That was true loyalty to the Great Master.
The document before her now was a letter from Azmo.
Its contents were straightforward.
He was currently executing the Master's orders on Earth, another dimension—establishing a merchant guild.
But this guild was no ordinary venture.
According to Azmo, the Master seemed intent on creating a guild to encompass the world.
"As expected."
Even on the Eldorado Continent, there was the Demon Realm Merchant Guild that dealt with dungeons.
There were rogue merchants too, but all primarily traded with dungeons.
Occasionally, monsters bartered with humans, but dungeons remained the main focus.
Yet the Great Master was anything but ordinary.
"He plans to truly reign over the world."
The Master had begun to move.
This thrilled Celia, but it also pressed upon her.
The Master's direct involvement was joyous.
But it also meant they had fallen short of his expectations.
"I can't just sit idle."
As his first servant, she absolutely could not remain passive.
She had to act.
Fortunately, Azmo's letter held the answer.
'An organization to devour the world.'
The guild Azmo mentioned was mere camouflage.
Celia could see it clearly.
The Master sought not just a guild, but an entity to control the world.
"Clack!"
At that moment, a skeleton knight entered beside Celia.
"Clack clack clack—!"
The skeleton knight chattered something and brought humans in tow.
All were armed adventurers.
More precisely, banshees puppeteering adventurers.
Celia gazed at them and spoke softly.
"The Great Master's command has come down."
All focused on her words.
"From now on, you will transcend the dungeon's walls and venture into the human world."
Most monsters, Celia included, were restricted from exiting certain zones.
But through her experiments, Celia discovered that humans controlled by banshees could bypass those limits.
"Our devotion and loyalty shall bring glory to the Great Master."
The skeleton knights outside handed each a pouch of gold coins.
"Whether royal court or adventurer guild, it matters not. Prove your worth there. Climb higher."
For now, they were mere seeds.
But what if those seeds grew mighty?
"Until the day the Master calls you back—"
As Celia's words ended, the adventurers began marching out of the dungeon.