Chapter 110
Chapter 110
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Demon's Descent Upon the Kingdom (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Quite some time had passed since the high-society event hosted by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild ended.
I only participated in the auction held midway through the banquet and then returned to Earth.
I'd hoped for a brief rest, but after coming back, my days were filled with nonstop busyness.
'There's more to handle than I thought.'
First up was checking the items I'd bid on at the auction.
After the auction ended, I could take the winning bids back to Earth as rewards.
It was limited to two items, but that was fine.
'I knew exactly what I needed from the start.'
The first item I brought to Earth was equipment.
The Cloak of the Corpse Harvester, to be precise.
This cloak wasn't just simple gear. It allowed the wearer to store the corpses of enemies they'd killed within the cloak itself—an artifact functioning as a corpse-only inventory.
'It pairs perfectly with my traits.'
One of my traits was "True Master of the Dungeon," an EX-grade one essential for strengthening my dungeon.
But to use it, I needed sacrifices.
And those sacrifices? Corpses, naturally.
Of course, I had no intention of wearing the cloak myself.
I could just absorb corpses directly with my abilities, so I didn't need it.
But if Maru wore it, that changed everything.
Purely in terms of stats, Maru's hunting speed far surpassed mine right now.
It had to be that way.
'He's 5-star, and a Skeleton Holy Knight, after all.'
In Earth hunter terms, that made him A-rank equivalent.
So having Maru collect corpses from his hunts in the cloak was incredibly efficient for me.
When Maru returned, I could simply absorb them all.
'It's basically auto-farming.'
Thanks to that, I didn't have to move around myself. That alone saved a ton of time.
The second item I chose wasn't gear or an item.
It was a living being.
'An elf.'
Her name was Ciel.
And she was a whopping 4-star.
I didn't even hesitate.
At first, I worried if living beings could be selected as rewards, but it was unfounded.
Elves were rare to begin with, and more importantly, I needed to boost my power on Earth.
Not just personal strength—building my own faction was crucial too.
And for that, I needed my own party.
Not just anyone, but partners I could truly trust with my back.
'The world is a dangerous place.'
Let my guard down, and even my current allies might stab me in the back.
That could only end in death, so constant caution was key.
I'd be entering and hunting in countless dungeons ahead. Reliable party members were a must.
'I'll fill my party with my dungeon monsters.'
At least they wouldn't betray me.
The downside? Most of my dungeon's forces were on the Eldorado Continent.
I wanted to bring monsters from continental dungeons to Earth, but there were limits.
'With the current altar level, 1-star monsters are the max.'
I needed to keep upgrading the dungeon altar using my "True Master of the Dungeon" trait.
Higher altar levels meant higher-grade monsters I could summon to Earth.
Right now, with my altar level, 1-stars were the ceiling, so meaningful gains were limited.
In that context, Ciel the elf was like a godsend.
(4/5)
I'd summoned a total of four monsters from the Eldorado Continent to Earth.
Maru had started as a 1-star Skeleton Soldier before evolving via the demon sword into what he was now.
But Maru alone still felt lacking.
That's why I brought a 4-star elf to Earth.
It was obviously a huge boon for me.
Or it should have been.
"So she's still not talking?"
"Clack."
Maru nodded at my words.
Of all things, after bringing her to Earth, Ciel barely spoke.
It wasn't that she couldn't talk at all.
She was just an elf with extremely few words. To the point where I wondered if she was mute.
"This is tricky."
My happy visions of adding an elf to my party were already creaking.
A party's main goal was exploring dungeons and hunting together.
For smooth operations, communication between members was essential.
But Ciel hardly spoke at all.
"Hmm..."
Were elves naturally the quiet type?
I'd have needed to see a lot of elves to know the average, but sadly, I hadn't.
The silver lining? Even with few words, she handled instructions adeptly.
Especially housework—she was incredibly efficient.
"But this is such poor cost-performance..."
Using high-end talent like an elf just for chores felt wasteful.
Look at Maru.
He guarded me as my knight, hunted efficiently, handled backlog housework and laundry after dungeon runs, and even cooked when I was hungry.
I wanted to turn Ciel into a similarly versatile asset.
But as the saying goes, haste makes waste. I planned to take it slow.
'Yeah, let's go steady.'
Things were still awkward with Ciel.
Rushing could ruin the relationship.
I'd gone through trouble to get an elf—no mishaps allowed.
'She's got her reasons for being captured by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild, too.'
Auction prizes like her likely had backstory she couldn't speak of.
No need to stir up trouble.
It wasn't urgent, so I'd just observe for now.
"Alright, for the time being, have Ciel help with housework alongside Coco."
"Clack!"
Maru nodded and left the room.
By the way, Maru had been incredibly busy lately too.
'Maybe even busier than me.'
Maru's busyness stemmed from Azmo.
Azmo, the 4-star incubus.
Manager of the Earth dungeon "Temptation of Illusions"—not on the Eldorado Continent.
'Who'd have thought he'd plan something like that.'
Two more monsters had attended the Demon Realm Merchant Guild event with me.
Ark Lich "Necros," the new 1st-floor guardian, and incubus Azmo.
Azmo was so impressed by the event that upon returning to Earth, he proposed something to me.
He wanted to create a group here on Earth like the Demon Realm Merchant Guild on the continent.
I approved immediately.
A merchant guild was a faction in itself.
And Azmo's growth meant mine grew too.
I especially liked the guild's unique nature.
The Demon Realm Merchant Guild traded with various dungeons, profiting from info and deals.
If I played it right, I could rake in profits too—resources, gear, items.
Plus, valuable intel.
I supported Azmo's plan and helped as much as I could.
"Help" meant dispatching Maru, but Azmo was overjoyed, thanking me profusely.
And Maru didn't return empty-handed, so no loss for me.
He filled the Cloak of the Corpse Harvester with monster and villain corpses, sparing me outings.
'Seems Azmo's guild is still issue-free.'
I didn't know the official name yet.
Azmo had been busy lately; reports were sparse.
I'd left it entirely to him, so I just cheered from afar.
'What was it again? He found a support group?'
Once, Azmo reported finding an organization to assist them.
As a monster, Azmo faced activity limits.
I'd worried about that, but he'd found a solution neatly.
'Allied with other monsters?'
He did have a lieutenant: slime Beter, skilled in transformation.
But even with Beter, manpower had limits. Azmo must've scouted carefully, so I didn't fret.
His initiative made things easier for me.
"Guess I'll check the dungeon."
Not going out myself.
Just tap the smartphone app.
Azmo handled things well, so my main job was managing via phone.
"Managing" mostly meant Celia handled it all.
I just confirmed operations ran smoothly and approved her occasional requests.
Lately, Celia's main ask: strengthen the monsters.
Not anyone could use monster strengthening—only those with enlightenment.
And Celia's requests were all eligible.
'Mostly granting holy power to undeads.'
Probably to offset undeads' biggest weakness. No better investment than plugging holes.
My dungeon monsters growing stronger benefited me, so I approved them all.
'Celia really makes it easy.'
Come to think of it, she'd cleared a special mission days ago too.
It involved Sail Kingdom's Princess Irena, who was apparently lost.
I assigned Celia as her mentor to resolve it.
Result: smashing success.
Of course, the reward was modest.
'What good is a princess's loyalty?'
If it were the king, maybe.
But someday she'd rule Sail Kingdom. It was far off, but building goodwill early wasn't bad.
"It's just for the fun of clearing special missions."
These system-like missions were pure profit—no downsides.
"If everyone were like Celia, I could handle way more dungeons."
Celia managed the continent, Azmo handled Earth—minimal effort from me.
That freed me for future plans.
"Priority one: upgrade the dungeon altars."
Higher altar levels let me bring higher-grade continental monsters to Earth.
Current Earth summons from Eldorado: Maru, Ciel, Coco the Skeleton Soldier, and Gargoyle.
Skeleton Holy Knight Maru was self-explanatory; Ciel was still adjusting.
Coco helped with housework too.
"Not bad."
Last, the Gargoyle—like Ciel, from the guild auction.
1-star, so easy to bring over.
'Gargoyles have their uses.'
Gargoyles differed from other monsters.
Normally stone statues, inanimate and exquisitely sculpted—mistakable for art.
But intruders triggered transformation into living fighters.
Hence, common as dungeon guards.
Their demonic faces instilled fear; bat-like wings expanded range.
Though 1-star now, infused mana grade raised theirs too.
Not super useful yet, so it sat in the living room.
While checking the dungeon via phone...
A new alert popped up.
- Special mission generated!
"Back-to-back like this?"
It had appeared days ago too. Great for me.
Special mission rewards were decent.
I quickly checked the details.
- Princess Who Aspires to Be Queen
- Help Princess Irena so she can ascend as queen.
"?"
What?
A question mark floated in my mind.
"Aspires to be queen...?"
Just days ago, she was wandering lost.
Sudden kingship ambitions?
I didn't know her circumstances, so questions were natural.
The mission felt abrupt.
"Candid camera?"
No other explanation for such extreme change in days.
"No, aspiring to rule means overthrowing her own father, right?"
Princess spouting some wild stuff.
I'd lived two years on Eldorado but had no ties to Sail Kingdom.
Couldn't read her mind.
"Still, jumping straight to wanting the throne."
Wait, could it be...?
Suddenly, a game line popped up: "I'm inheriting the throne now, Father."
Let's think.
Days ago, I sent Celia to mentor the lost princess.
Mission succeeded—meaning her wandering ended.
That meant Celia resolved her dilemma...
"Ah!"
No way, Celia...?
You don't hold major sway in Irena's mindset change, right?
But circumstances suggested high possibility.
"Ha, what on earth did you tell Princess Irena...?"
I sent her to hear a wandering princess's woes, and she turned her into a fiery filial powerhouse.
No, not conclusive yet.
Maybe she was always throne-hungry and wandering over it. Celia just listened—makes sense.
"That paints the princess pretty trashy."
Hmm.
I didn't dwell long.
Eldorado differed vastly from Earth.
Judging her through modern eyes was unfair.
Plus, this mission's reward was solid.
Unlike last time, it specified "absolute loyalty" from Irena.
"Succeed this, and she's no princess—she's queen."
Loyalty from a nation's ruler...
Very appealing reward.
But the real jackpot? Dungeon monsters' range expanding to Sail Kingdom.
"This is huge."
My summoned dungeon monsters had activity limits.
Without special missions, they stuck to dungeon-adjacent forests at best.
Per Celia, externally recruited monsters or banshees mind-controlling others had no range limits.
Still insufficient.
But free access to Sail Kingdom?
Plus a future queen under my thumb?
'My influence skyrockets.'
It also secured dungeon safety—destruction meant my death. Unavoidable priority.
"Alright. Just crown the princess queen."
How bad did she want it to sacrifice a pinky?
Helping such a desire-driven princess made sense.
"But how?"
Details said dispatch my monsters.
But that could backfire for Irena.
Monsters seizing the throne?
"Perfect setup for the Church to target her."
They'd 100% mobilize, branding her a heretic monster-puppeteer.
"What to do..."
My aid options boiled down to monster dispatch.
Five 5★+, hundred under 5★.
Total 105 monsters to the kingdom.
"Hmm..."
Dilemma continued.
Even if Irena queens, Church wipes Sail Kingdom? Pointless.
Deceive Church eyes while crowning her...
"Huh?"
Not impossible.
Azmo's past monster wave came to mind.
It ended with minimal damage.
"Media hailed me and Maru as heroes."
Then, I faced Celia with Maru; hunters witnessed.
Maru, Death Knight, Necros staged a play—Maru swung, they "flew" back dramatically.
Hunters awed by Maru's might.
Media buzzed about hidden me and Maru.
Hunter Association sought us too.
Identities stayed secret, of course.
"Apply that scenario here?"
Thoughts raced.
"Monsters invade Sail Kingdom. Princess repels them."
Plain as is—needs impact.
Add one more.
"Yes—Maru joins her."
Maru: Skeleton Holy Knight, 5★.
"Maru using holy power alongside princess defeats monsters—no Church interference."
Plus, amps her presence.
Lead actors set.
Now villains.
But usable pieces limited.
"Five 5★+ slots."
Maru takes one.
Remaining four...
Normally Celia, Necros, Death Knight, Goblin Lord.
"Absolutely not."
Empty dungeon for one mission? Insane.
Minimum guards needed.
"Goblin Lord stays out—right call."
He commanded goblin scouts patrolling woods.
No him, scouts falter.
Leaves three 5★+ usable.
One slot empty.
"Want all five filled—troublesome."
Any workaround?
Monster gacha popped up.
But 5★+ rare.
"Still, gotta pull."
5★+ odds low—near zero.
But necessary now.
'100 under-5★ slots.'
Decent number.
But all 1★? Useless.
Aim 2★-3★ minimum.
Tapped shop immediately.
Gems were mana stones, but "gems" stuck—screen said so.
- 100 Gems: 2,200 won
- 500 Gems: 11,000 won
- 1,000 Gems: 22,000 won
- 2,000 Gems: 44,000 won
- 5,000 Gems: 110,000 won
10-pull: 5,000 gems.
110k per 10, but Azmo's guild made it pocket change.
'Gem prices rising again?'
Hoped not soon; started charging.
- Purchase successful.
- 5,000 Gems delivered via mail.
(Repeated...)
Kept buying till the limit.
Ha, can't even whale freely in this world.
No choice—system's rules.
Ammo plentiful anyway.
Over 300k gems brought peace.
'Not spending it all.'
Can't recharge now; emergencies needed reserves.
Avoid dumping all into pulls.
Time to pull!
10-pull activated.
Hmm, as expected.
No 1★ feels off.
Gacha never disappoints—in bad ways.
1★s were family now.
Kept tapping.
Legless zombie? What even is that?
Who designs that?
A zombie crawling on hands—grotesque.
"Ha..."
Gacha variety increased, but all 1★.
"Too early to disappoint. First pull."
Gems plentiful.
Continued.
1★ and 2★ fest, occasional 3★.
Finally!
First 4★.
Screen showed small wyrmling hydra.
Snake body, three heads—wyrmling cuteness over creepiness.
'True juvenile stage.'
Still 4★ like Azmo.
Adult potential? Huge.
Status alone showed no pushover.
Weak now, promising future.
"Good. Ride the momentum!"
Luck finally mine?
Next had solid pull too.
"Dhampir?"
Dhampir: half-human, half-vampire.
'Didn't expect one.'
Sapient—immediate combat-ready.
Great haul.
Continued; mostly 1★/2★, some 3★, lucky 4★.
That was it for highs.
Then 1★/2★ parade; burned 250k gems.
250k = 50 10-pulls, 500 monsters.
Zero 5★+.
"Ha..."
Sigh.
More pulls?
50k gems left—save for emergencies.
'Three 4★s salvaged—lucky?'
To maximize, used synthesis system after ages.
Synthesis: fuse two identicals for evolution.
Consuming Zombie (★) x2
Synthesis success! Zombie (★) → Ghoul (★★)
Plenty 1★/2★ for it.
Consuming Ghoul (★★) x2
Synthesis success! Ghoul (★★) → Gast (★★★)
Beyond? No.
Gast (★★★)
4★ synthesis requires 2 same-grade soulstones.
4★+ needed soulstones.
Early on, used them for Celia's upgrade—whaled then.
No packages now.
'If only soulstone farming existed.'
No quick source; synthesis ended.
"Still one 5★+ slot empty..."
Use Goblin Lord? Tempting, but no.
"Dungeon needs defenders—mandatory."
No complacency; reality, not game.
Selected under-5★ first.
100 took time; careful picks.
"......"
Nearing end, status alert.
Gargoyle detected high-grade mana.
"Huh?"
Then, scream from living room.
"Kyaa!"
Maru/Coco couldn't scream—skeletons.
"Ciel."
Rushed out.
"What happened?!"
Gargoyle stirring in living room.
Ciel probably spooked, fell.
"Clack clack."
Maru reported: Ciel cleaning it, it reacted.
"Ha..."
Gargoyle grade ties to mana grade.
Ciel... high mana, huh?
Unexpectedly filled the 5★ slot.
"The great Master has spoken to me!"
Celia spread arms joyfully.
"Now, we shall spread His mighty will across the world."
Before her: 1st-floor guardian Necros.
Mid-bosses Death Knight and Goblin Lord too.
Dullahan Beter, all monsters gathered.
"Goblin Lord, raise dungeon alert to max."
Emptying again.
Soon heading to Sail Kingdom per Master's will.
Dungeon security weakens; Church envoys there, proximity demands prep.
Goblin Lord bowed, exited.
Past experience made it smooth.
First: scout check.
All goblins—on/off duty—to posts.
Swift goblins to four nearby dungeons; max alert there too.
As Goblin Lord fortified, Maru and Gargoyle arrived from Earth.
All assembled; Celia continued.
Master used power to bolster forces for this—mostly solid grades.
Showed importance.
"No mistakes allowed."
Celia's smile vanished.
"Fail, and you'll labor endlessly on dungeon expansions."
All shuddered—save pickaxe-wielding Death Knight.