Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Planned Slave Rebellion (1)
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The banquet hall was in the full swing of the auction.
And in the administrator's seat with a clear view over it all, someone sat quietly.
Unlike the heated atmosphere of the auction hall below, this place was utterly silent.
Serinu, an executive of the Demon Realm Merchant Guild and the demon currently leading the banquet.
His black hair was neatly combed.
The black glasses sharpened his gaze, making it even colder and more ruthless.
Wearing a frigid expression, he adjusted his glasses once.
"So, it seems the Arch Lich and that entity are connected?"
"Yes, Lord Serinu."
Serinu responded to his subordinate's report.
In his rush to prepare for the auction, he'd overlooked one key detail: the link between the mysterious entity and the Arch Lich.
Before the auction began, the unidentified entity had approached the Arch Lich first, and the Arch Lich had greeted it in turn.
Now, sure enough, the entity was seated right beside the Arch Lich.
The unidentified entity.
Its entire body was shrouded in a black mask and robe, and even now it exuded tremendous power.
Just looking at it was enough to make one's legs tremble from the sheer force radiating outward.
"Hoo..."
Serinu leaned back against his chair's headrest and let out a long sigh.
This banquet had brought several unforeseen variables, which meant holes had formed in the Merchant Guild's intelligence network.
The first was the Arch Lich's presence.
It had definitely been reported as a succubus dungeon at the outset.
The Guild's audit team had investigated, so the intel should have been highly accurate.
Yet the arrivals from the succubus dungeon were an Arch Lich and an incubus.
The incubus was high-ranking, but the Arch Lich had caught Serinu off guard.
'No way they had a 5-star.'
Official records of ranks above 5-star dated back ages.
There had been 7-stars, of course, but those tales were dismissed as legends now.
In the dungeon world today, 5-star was the ceiling.
The balance with humans held because even at equal ranks, monsters and humans differed vastly in build.
Monsters had evolved purely to kill and plunder from the start. Humans were fragile by nature.
They needed armor for protection, weapons to slay foes, plus all manner of enchanted accessories—not to mention the finely tiered ranks earned by mages and knights through their achievements.
So even "equal rank" didn't mean a fair fight.
That was how equilibrium had been maintained until now.
The real issue came next.
'Where did the breach happen?'
The Demon Realm Merchant Guild was colossal.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say they had eyes on every dungeon.
Yet they'd botched this one completely.
'It wasn't even a succubus dungeon to begin with.'
A 5-star Arch Lich emerging meant the dungeon's master wasn't some succubus.
'That 5-star Arch Lich must be the true owner.'
The succubus "master" was just a smokescreen.
Serinu briefly ordered a subordinate to dig up more intel.
Even the Guild's handler for that dungeon had believed the owner was a succubus.
'Daring to mock the Guild...'
How low did they think we were?
It was revolting.
Even a precious 5-star was worthless without backing dungeon forces.
Otherwise, why had Baalcherit fallen?
Even as the Guild seized her dungeon's management rights—practically declaring it—they'd stayed silent.
A dungeon master's personal strength mattered, but so did the scale of forces under their command.
In the end, Baalcherit had lost her dungeon army.
And now her power was being whittled away by the White Church.
One wrong move, relying solely on personal might, and you'd get your comeuppance.
But the Arch Lich had crossed the line.
Serinu believed those who overstepped needed a harsh lesson in reality.
That's why he'd roped in Arcaneya, one of the banquet guests.
Everyone knew serpent jealousy was a terrifying thing—easy to exploit.
He'd also gotten to the slaves up next in the auction.
"Yes, everything was smooth sailing up to this point."
It was all geared toward landing a solid hit on the Arch Lich.
Once they felt the Guild's overwhelming might and their own powerlessness, they'd make fine business partners going forward.
Serinu's outlook was optimistic.
But then another variable cropped up.
'Black Mask...'
Serinu's eyes shifted to the figure in the black mask and robe.
Commonly called Black Mask.
"What's the chance Black Mask is the actual dungeon master?"
A 5-star Arch Lich was trouble enough, but now an even more powerful being had shown up.
And the Guild knew nothing about it.
What if they hadn't held this banquet?
'Horrifying to even imagine.'
Serinu voiced one possibility.
What if Black Mask was the real dungeon lord?
It would explain things, in a subtle way.
But his subordinate shot it down.
"You know as well as anyone, Lord—the invitations we send aren't ordinary. We confirmed only the Arch Lich and incubus attended from that dungeon."
"Hmm..."
Then where the hell had Black Mask come from?
Not invited, yet it slipped past the Guild's security and appeared out of nowhere.
'Is it really some off-the-charts freak?'
He felt an urge to rip off that robe and uncover its identity right then.
But Black Mask's aura was far from ordinary.
'Terror, chaos, despair...'
As a demon, Serinu could sense the familiar bouquet.
But with the info at hand, nothing concrete.
No matter how he turned it over, it was all speculation.
"What about the investigators?"
While the Arch Lich reveled below, Serinu hadn't been sitting idle.
He'd dispatched Guild-affiliated mercenary monsters to probe the dungeon.
Contrary to expectations of quick results, contact with the first batch of trolls had gone dark.
So he'd immediately sent in the official investigators.
When Guild mercs lost contact, there was only one explanation.
Something had happened to them.
A merc breaking contract and fleeing was possible but vanishingly rare.
No one was ignorant of the consequences for reneging on a Demon Realm Merchant Guild pact.
And killing Guild members was an equally grave offense.
Even temporary contractors like mercs weren't exempt.
Contact severed meant they'd likely met foul play—which meant someone had struck at the Guild.
Hence the swift dispatch of investigators.
They were efficient and precise; conclusions should be in by now.
"Yes, Lord Serinu. We just heard back."
As expected, the investigators moved fast.
Serinu nodded slowly, a satisfied smile forming.
"They confirmed the trolls were all killed by wandering goblins in the forest. The case is closed, and they'll recover the bodies for examination."
"Already wrapped up?"
Serinu voiced his unwitting doubt at the report.
Had the investigators ever concluded this quickly before?
"Is it truly confirmed as wandering goblins?"
Shouldn't they verify it wasn't someone masquerading as them?
Their actions smacked of undue haste to close the book.
"......"
But Serinu couldn't meddle in the investigators' conclusions.
Different departments, and they operated with guaranteed independence.
Still, something felt off.
Why the rush to judgment?
Outside interference?
'No way the succubus?'
Come to think of it, that dungeon had a succubus.
Pretending to be the owner or not, it was still a monster capable of charm magic.
And the trolls had died not far from the dungeon.
'No, that doesn't hold.'
Investigators were pros.
With full Guild backing, they'd never fall to some succubus's mind tricks.
Serinu dismissed the notion.
'Then was it really just a fluke, as they claim?'
It nagged at him, but the chaos unfolding here was already overwhelming.
With Arch Lich and Black Mask demanding attention, he couldn't afford more headaches.
"Fine, drop that case. Let me know if the investigators revise their stance."
Even as Serinu spoke, the auction raged on below.
"Hahaha! Yes, 300 magic stones! The two dungeon-less Water Reapers go to the Arch Lich!"
The host's booming laughter reached Serinu's ears.
Water Reapers: monsters like frogs with bat wings.
Their tails carried mild poison, making them ideal for scouting or basic alerts.
"Come to think of it, since the slave auction kicked off, only the Arch Lich has been winning bids."
Serinu perked up at his subordinate's observation.
"It's taking every last slave?"
Serinu was stunned to learn the Arch Lich was monopolizing them all.
Auction slaves were typically dungeon monsters who couldn't pay debts, kidnapped wanderers, or humans who'd botched raids.
They weren't cheap.
Not exorbitant, but sweeping the lot was another matter.
The two Water Reapers just now? 300 magic stones.
And it hadn't even been competitive.
Bids hit 100 stones before the Arch Lich jumped straight to 300.
"Insane!"
How flush with cash do you have to be to drop that on a pair of mere scouts?
Even with deferred payment, could they handle it?
"Hoo."
Today was full of shocks for Serinu.
But it wasn't a loss.
The auction was a staple event anyway, and this was a prime chance to gauge the Arch Lich's wealth.
The bidding pressed on.
"How about this gargoyle? It hardens into a statue normally but strikes at intruders. The more mana you pump in, the fiercer it gets! Perfect foil for human adventurers, eh? Kekeke."
"Yes! 1,500 magic stones! Gargoyle goes to the Arch Lich!"
Gargoyles ranked 1-star.
Bottom-tier, but rare as artificial lifeforms.
Few could craft them.
The Guild even bartered gargoyles for payment from creators.
Fuel them with mana, and they lived immortally—endless utility.
Even at 1-star now, potent mana would skyrocket the rank.
For the moment, the Arch Lich's pick was spot-on.
With its mana reserves, 3-star status was a given in no time.
"Next up, ogre! Not the brightest, but loyal with the right incentives. Their raw strength is unmatched—one could shore up any dungeon nicely, right?"
Ogre next.
Two-headed bruisers: dim but powerhouse strong.
Of course, the Arch Lich snagged it.
"......"
At this point, Serinu was at a loss for words.
And the next item was the one he'd been waiting for.
"Attention, esteemed participants! Next lot: a human pack!"
The host bellowed to hype the crowd.
"But not just any humans! These are Church affiliates! Two priests and seven holy knight trainees! Auctioning all nine, but..."
The host glanced upward briefly.
Serinu met his eyes and nodded.
"We'll take a quick break before resuming the auction!"
Serinu's lips curled into a sly grin at the announcement.
"Relay to the slaves: hit not just the Arch Lich I mentioned earlier, but the Black Mask beside it too. On success, freedom as promised—plus gold."
The plan was to smack the Arch Lich using human slaves.
Bonus: get a peek at Black Mask's power.
Mere slaves as pawns.
"And kill every last human, success or failure."
But if the humans got caught, it could trace back to the Guild.
Safety measure required.
Slay them to seal lips.
A slave revolt? Instant execution was standard from the Guild's view.
So the humans died either way—win or lose.
That's the nature of empty promises.
Now the real show began.