Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Master of the Fake Dungeon (1)
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Dungeons are always bustling.
Since they never know when intruders might come, they must prepare meticulously every time.
Thanks to that, the chief administrator Celia was still handling her duties even late at night.
All of this was for the great being she served.
As Celia focused on her work, someone came to see her.
"What brings you here at this hour, Nariel?"
Nariel the elf.
She had come to Celia.
Currently, Nariel was staying in Sector 3 of the dungeon managed by Celia.
Her main job was managing the plant monsters in Sector 3.
Of course, it wasn't something Nariel did out of her own desire.
'I have to save Isrin no matter what.'
Isrin, Nariel's friend.
A talented mage and the only human friend who had treated her, the lone elf, without discrimination.
Isrin had been captured by Celia while adventuring for her sake.
And the Celia before her was using Isrin's life as leverage to exploit her.
But in her current situation, all Nariel could do was obey Celia's orders.
It was an unavoidable choice if she wanted her friend Isrin to survive.
Nariel suppressed her boiling rage and spoke to Celia.
"Th-there are intruders. They're still far away, but..."
It wasn't a direct intrusion into the dungeon.
But the trees had reported that some entities had entered their territory far off in the distance.
"Do you know who they are?"
Of course, Celia had also sensed the intruders' presence.
But to know exactly who they were, she needed Nariel's answer.
"There are twelve in total."
As an elf, she possessed the ability to communicate with plants.
A typical elf could do just that, but Nariel's abilities were far superior.
If given enough time, she could even overhear communications between plants, not just individual ones.
Thanks to that, she had detected these distant intruders by listening to the plants' exchanges.
Celia valued Nariel's abilities highly and had arranged for her to communicate with the plants near the dungeon.
"Th-the nearby trees said there's a group that looks like c-cats? Some kind of similar monsters, and one with black skin."
Celia closed her eyes upon hearing Nariel's words.
Impressive as Nariel's abilities were, they were limited to overhearing and relaying plant communications.
That meant there was a time lag between the events and when the information reached them.
It took considerable time for stories from distant plants to propagate here.
In fact, the intruders' movements were constantly changing.
"Hm."
Celia let out a slightly pleased hum.
She had been short on offerings for her master lately, so if they came willingly, it was all the better.
"Understood. You may retire and rest now, Nariel."
Nariel bowed to Celia and left.
Celia opened her eyes.
There was one thing that bothered her.
"That said, there's been no report from the scouting party?"
She had definitely expanded the goblin scouting party's range.
Yet the goblin scouts hadn't noticed the intruders.
That was why Celia had stayed put even after sensing them.
It was a test for the goblin scouting party.
But no word from the goblins yet—instead, Nariel had come to report.
'What a shame. It would be wonderful if Nariel truly belonged to our dungeon.'
But Celia knew better.
Nariel's goal was to save her friend.
She was merely pretending loyalty to the dungeon for that purpose.
"Well, that's something to consider slowly..."
That wasn't the issue right now.
What if neither she nor Nariel had been here?
They would detect intruders eventually, but the speed of detection determined the response.
Early detection was crucial.
"Looks like I need to bolster the scouting party."
Of course, reinforcing the scouts could wait.
For now, she needed to prepare properly for the current situation.
Celia muttered softly and turned her head.
"Bring Goblin Lord."
At her command, a nearby skeleton knight darted out swiftly.
Darkness blanketed the forest.
The chirps of grasshoppers slowly echoed through.
Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting faint light into the shadowed woods.
In that dim glow, the trees' shadows stretched deeper into the darkness.
Snap—
Then, uninvited guests appeared in the quiet forest.
A single small sound shattered the silence that had settled over the woods.
The grasshoppers chirping away suddenly fell silent all at once.
The intruders tread carefully through the forest, stepping on the undergrowth.
The rustling of crushed grass continued to spread.
The intruders weren't alone.
They were a pack.
And all were armed with simple weapons.
Their heads resembled hyenas.
They were the monsters known as gnolls.
"This is odd."
The pack leader at the front halted and spoke quietly.
"Aren't there too many goblins in this forest?"
The gnoll leader, Crimdor, voiced his doubts.
Suddenly, from some point on, the number of goblins had increased.
They hadn't been spotted yet, but it was slowing the gnolls' advance.
Confronting the goblins would be the worst option.
Including leader Crimdor, there were eleven gnolls.
Against that, the goblins numbered beyond counting.
Moreover, they couldn't act first without knowing the goblins' affiliation.
At least their stealth specialization allowed them to slip here undetected.
"Spread out the map."
At Crimdor's order, one gnoll behind him promptly unfurled the map.
It was hard to see in the dark, but lighting a fire would reveal their position to enemies.
They examined it using the moonlight as best they could.
The map detailed the nearby forest terrain, which they used for navigation.
Then, the gnoll holding the map spoke up.
"Leader, something's off with the map."
The gnoll raised a question to leader Crimdor.
"Not just the goblins, but look at the dungeon locations—they're too contrived."
The gnoll pointed at the map as he explained.
There were five dungeons marked on the map.
The problem was their positions—utterly bizarre.
"Look at this dungeon first. It's the one ruled by a succubus."
The dungeon marked with an X in the center.
According to the Demon Realm Merchant Guild, a succubus ruled it.
And it was their destination.
The mission from the guild—"Investigate the Dungeon"—targeted the central dungeon on the map.
"The issue is that the other four dungeons surround this succubus dungeon."
The subordinate gnoll continued methodically.
"The distances between them are considerable, but the four are positioned exactly east, west, south, and north of the succubus dungeon."
Connecting them formed a perfect cross.
Crimdor nodded at his subordinate's explanation.
"Indeed."
He hadn't noticed anything strange when first receiving the map from the guild.
But hearing it explained, the dungeon placements felt artificial.
The central succubus dungeon.
The other four forming a cross around it.
'It looks like someone deliberately arranged the dungeons.'
But Crimdor knew how absurd that thought was.
Dungeons formed naturally.
They weren't something anyone could create or position at will.
So, this layout was just coincidence upon coincidence.
"No previous maps?"
Crimdor asked his subordinate again.
Even these five dungeons covered a vast territory.
There was no way only five dungeons existed in such an area.
"The guild's audit team says the previous maps were lost. This is the only one we have."
"The guild's handling is sloppy. With so many departments, maybe it's unavoidable."
Crimdor shook his head with a sigh.
The guild hadn't told them much when assigning the mission.
—Investigate the succubus dungeon and its master.
Just that.
They could use force if necessary.
The guild could have investigated via their audit team, but they hadn't.
They must suspect something fishy about this dungeon.
'That's why they sent us.'
Crimdor and his pack were monster mercenaries hired by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild.
Temporary contract or not, they were effectively guild affiliates now.
Their job was to follow orders.
And the mission was to investigate this succubus dungeon.
But obstacles had appeared.
The goblins.
"Syless, can you figure out which group the goblins belong to?"
Crimdor now addressed another member.
This one wasn't a gnoll.
Dark skin, black hair.
Overall dark tones made her blend into the night.
But one feature revealed her identity.
Pointed ears.
Only one race had pointed ears and dark skin.
Dark elf.
Syless, whom Crimdor called, was a dark elf—another monster hired by the Demon Realm Merchant Guild.
"Give me a moment. I'm peering into the nearby trees' minds..."
Syless's hand was already on a tree.
Dark elves, like elves, could communicate with plants—a perfect skill for identifying the local goblins.
Trees root in one spot for life.
They observed the surroundings most thoroughly, so he expected quick answers on the goblins.
But.
'Why...?'
Syless could only tilt her head.
'I'm not mistaken.'
Attempts to communicate with the tree kept failing.
At first, she thought it was her error.
But placing her hand again yielded no response.
'It's not a failure.'
The tree was unilaterally refusing her communication.
Syless removed her hand from the tree.
She bent down and touched the grass below.
Same result.
"I feel nothing."
The plants were rejecting her touch.
And not just that.
They all feared something.
'What in the world...?'
Plants feeling fear—this was a first.
'What exactly is in this forest?'
A chill ran down Syless's spine.
But regardless of her reaction, Crimdor raised his voice slightly.
"Nothing? Does that even make sense?"
They needed to know if the goblins belonged to a dungeon or were just forest wanderers.
It was critical—if dungeon-affiliated, no issue for Crimdor.
He was technically guild-affiliated.
Most dungeons bowed to the guild.
Revealing his affiliation would leave them helpless.
But wild goblins posed a risk.
He meant to order her again, but Syless acted faster.
"I'm pulling out."
"!"
The gnolls were stunned by her declaration.
"Why?!"
Crimdor snapped in anger.
Realizing he'd shouted, he scanned the surroundings.
Fortunately, no goblins.
He tried to persuade Syless while calming himself, but she ignored him.
Before he could say more, she turned and walked away.
"......"
Soon, Syless was gone.
The others just stared in the direction she left.
"What now, leader?"
One subordinate—the map-holder—asked.
The dark elf was gone.
Just one, but her abilities made a big difference.
"......"
What to do now?
Crimdor silently scanned the surroundings.
"Hm?"
Moments later, he noticed a change.
"...The goblins are gone?"
Crimdor and his pack cautiously swept the area while moving.
After a few minutes of checking, he was certain.
"The goblins have definitely vanished."
The hordes guarding the forest had suddenly disappeared.
Even closing his eyes detected no presence.
He didn't know why, but this was an opportunity.
"Everyone, move fast!"
In Crimdor's mind, the dark elf was long forgotten.
Without goblins, she wasn't needed.
That thought proved right.
Without goblins, they reached the destination swiftly.
"This the place?"
Crimdor spotted a cave presumed to be a dungeon, checking the map.
No special aura.
'Is this really a dungeon?'
It seemed like an ordinary cave, not a dungeon.
"Doesn't matter anyway."
Crimdor sent his subordinates in first.
No risk either way.
Even if caught, he was guild-affiliated.
All dungeons were subordinates to the guild.
Just revealing that would render them powerless.
'Nothing can go wrong for me.'
With that thought, Crimdor stepped into the dungeon.