Chapter 50
Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Second Lieutenant Draw (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It had only been a few days since that special mission.
The alert signaling the success of that special mission popped up.
"Oh."
As expected of Celia.
This one was another smashing success without even needing to check.
Having made Princess Irena's acquaintance in the Sail Kingdom, it would surely prove helpful someday.
"Now it's about time to do a draw, right?"
Perfectly completing the mission was great.
But with it came a new dilemma.
'I've been overworking Celia too much.'
If the [Eldorado] game I was playing was just an ordinary game, I would've focused on raising Celia without a second thought.
But this wasn't an ordinary game.
No, before it was even a game, this was stark reality.
"I need to raise the others too."
Celia was strong.
But you couldn't rely on just one person for everything.
What if she was away on another errand when I needed her?
The blow would be pretty significant.
"Yeah, I should recruit another lieutenant."
Right now, I had a 5-star Death Knight and a Goblin Lord.
And just recently, after completing an additional mission, I'd evolved the Lich into a 5-star Archlich.
Of course, evolving the Lich had cost a pretty penny, but it wasn't my money anyway.
It was funds I'd seized after turning the tables on Ji Tae-hoon and his son Ji Sung-min, who had tried to kill me.
Ji Tae-hoon had met his end in the process, and Ji Sung-min was currently in Azmo's dungeon. What could I do about it?
They had to pay the price for attacking me.
Anyway, that wasn't the issue now.
Even with three 5-star monsters at my disposal, they were different in nature from lieutenants and handled different tasks.
They were far removed from dungeon management to begin with.
I looked at the dungeon with the Death Knight and Archlich.
The dungeon managed by Azmo himself.
Ever since I'd dispatched the Death Knight and Lich there last time, the two had stayed in Azmo's dungeon.
"It's an Archlich now, though..."
A dungeon with two full 5-star forces.
I hadn't bothered recalling them to the home dungeon.
Azmo's dungeon was currently woefully short on firepower.
I knew the dungeon existed on Earth, but with its current forces, it felt like a sandcastle.
And since I didn't know its exact location—and couldn't exactly scout it—I planned to keep them there as insurance for the time being.
"For now, let's leave them here a while longer."
The home dungeon had enough power to spare without them right away.
I immediately opened the shop window.
The lieutenant draw I'd done at the very start of the game.
It had been ages since I last clicked on it.
Unlike the free one last time, this required a whopping 10,000 gems.
And it wasn't even a 10-pull—it was a selection draw.
Once you locked in one, that was it for the draw.
"Shall we get started?"
I'd already swallowed up the money Ji Sung-min left behind.
I'd bought a ton of gems with it.
And with that, I kicked off the 'Lieutenant Draw' right away.
"Whoa!"
The first one was a 5-star.
Great luck right from the start.
But when I saw who it was, I grimaced.
"Ah..."
Blood Predator, Baalcherit (★★★★★)
A high-ranking demon and descendant of vampire royalty. Expert in blood manipulation, having overcome all vampire weaknesses over time.
Appoint as lieutenant of 'Nest of the Evil God'?
[Yes] [No]
I remembered.
The time I'd excitedly picked this one when a 5-star first appeared.
5-stars were rare, sure, but this draw had a trap.
"They probably never imagined I'd refuse."
My joy at the 5-star was short-lived—I'd already been burned by the vampire Baalcherit once before.
So my decision didn't take long.
"Pass."
I selected 'No'.
Tapped the screen and moved to the next draw.
The second was a bat-like monster.
Blood-Sucking Bat, Woss (★)
A bat. Loves the dark, flies around sucking blood from targets.
Appoint as lieutenant of 'Nest of the Evil God'?
[Yes] [No]
"Uh..."
A question arose here.
The first one, Baalcherit, and my current head manager Celia were both intelligent beings.
Even if Baalcherit was iffy, Celia was an outstanding talent who'd managed the dungeon and completed missions successfully.
But this second candidate was a bat.
"Can this thing really handle lieutenant duties?"
Honestly, probably not.
I passed on this one too.
Tapped the next draw immediately.
Wisp (★)
Hellhound (★★)
Mimic (★)
Mini Stone Golem (★★)
And so on...
Up to the ninth, none were to my liking, so I rejected them all.
"Draws are tough, huh."
And finally, the tenth lieutenant candidate appeared.
"......"
The creature on screen was wriggling like an earthworm.
"What is this...?"
Small Wyrmling, Squirmy (★)
Baby wyrm specimen. Crawls through the earth.
Appoint as lieutenant of 'Nest of the Evil God'?
[Yes] [No]
"......"
Its name was Squirmy?
And it was only 1-star.
The description was even worse.
No, is this for real?
Could a worm-like thing actually serve as a lieutenant?
The bat from earlier looked like a fairy princess by comparison.
"Gotta pass on this one for sure."
I went to select 'No'.
Would you like to choose [No]?
"?"
I always thought this, but if it were a normal game, I'd have quit ages ago.
Having finished her contract with Princess Irena of the Sail Kingdom, Celia was spending her days in a frenzy of activity.
She'd equipped the Sail Kingdom knight armors sent by Irena on her skeleton knights.
And infiltrated them into the Sail Kingdom.
Her shadows scouted inside the kingdom, reporting back regularly and assisting Irena.
Celia reviewed and organized the data they brought.
She wished she had ten bodies to handle it all—the work never seemed to end.
Still, Celia pressed on.
This was her master's will.
She couldn't dare defy the noble one's command.
As she continued her tasks with that thought...
She sensed her master's presence.
Celia turned toward the direction of her master's aura.
And then.
Thud-
Something dropped in front of Celia.
Squirm squirm-
A small larva-like worm wriggled on Celia's desk.
Celia placed it on her palm.
"......"
Celia knew.
This was something her master had sent.
Squirm squirm-
The larva continued wriggling on her palm.
It was truly tiny.
Pathetic.
But it was a being bestowed by her master.
"...There must be some profound meaning behind this, right?"
Knowing her master so far, it was surely a message he intended to convey.
"View humans like worms...?"
Hm.
Celia pondered for a moment.
It was undoubtedly her noble master's grand intent, yet ignorant as she was, she couldn't fathom it.
"As expected of this Celia. I still have a long way to go to match my master's keen insight..."
The northern reaches of the Eldorado Continent had long been forbidden to humans.
An unknown land teeming with who-knows-what dungeons and monsters: the Demon Realm.
Fortunately, vast mountain ranges had to be crossed to reach it, naturally serving as a border.
The Sail Kingdom benefited most from this geography. Despite proximity to the Demon Realm, the mountains spared it major worry over monster waves.
The neighboring Free City Alliance and Kalrn Empire reaped similar benefits.
Even if something erupted from the Demon Realm, the mountains and Sail Kingdom would draw attention first.
If not, they'd at least buy time.
To them, the Sail Kingdom was a breakwater.
Still, they had their own concerns.
No worries about the Demon Realm, but dungeons and monsters popped up randomly elsewhere.
The 5-star vampire dungeon in the Kalrn Empire was a prime example.
Baalcherit's domain.
Baalcherit had swiftly expanded her forces with terrifying power.
Absorbing nearby dungeons or folding them into her ranks.
Even the Kalrn Empire and Free City Alliance grew wary of her.
But humans dared not touch her, granting her a peaceful era.
Just when she thought this peace would last a while—or forever...
The Church moved.
"How the hell did this happen...!"
Baalcherit, seated on her dungeon throne.
She clutched her head in despair.
"Those White Church bastards..."
Having enjoyed peace for so long, this situation grated on her immensely.
All because of the White Church.
They'd secretly deployed Holy Knights to whittle away her forces.
Had they come straight for her, she'd have crushed them easily. But they were cunning.
They targeted her subordinate dungeons, steadily eroding her power base.
"Rat bastards. What the hell are they up to?!"
Of course, Baalcherit had moved to stop them personally.
But they were swift and clever.
All she could do was chase their tails.
After repeated chases, even she grew weary.
She wanted to storm their headquarters, but it was beyond her reach.
If the distance were shorter, maybe.
No, even in the past it might've been possible, but not now.
They'd amassed immense power too. Charging in blindly could mean failing to even break even.
Baalcherit agonized.
"...Is there no one to aid this noble one?"
An ally to help her.
And at that moment.
The empty space she gazed at began to warp.
A familiar aura emerged.
One she could never forget.
"No way."
The arrogant bastard who'd once demanded she, a royal descendant, become his slave.
It was unmistakably his aura.
A being on her level—or perhaps higher.
Baalcherit cautiously spoke.
"Perhaps."
The opposing aura grew stronger.
She knew for sure.
This was a being far above her.
Now was the time to swallow her pride.
"Can you help me..."
"?"
With those words, the presence vanished.
As if it had never been there.
"Nooooo!"
Baalcherit's expression crumbled.