HPDBC Chapter 160: Where Gold Flows
Chapter 160: Where Gold Flows
Chapter 160: Where Gold Flows
The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 160
EP.160 Where Gold Flows
While Baalzerith was peacefully going about its daily life, adventurers’ footsteps never ceased in the Silent Mountains. They were all like moths drawn to a flame, following rumors in hopes of striking it rich. Although several days had passed since the rumors spread, no one had found the dungeon where the treasure was buried. Because of this, many people moved towards the mountains with eyes ablaze.
However, the Silent Mountains were not a place to be taken lightly. It was practically connected to the demon realm, and no one knew what kind of monsters might appear. Given the danger, most adventurers climbing the mountains formed parties or were confident in their skills. Of course, being confident in one’s skills and forming a party did not guarantee safety.
“Help! Please, save me!”
A man who had climbed the mountains knelt, begging for his life. He had also come to the mountains after hearing the rumors but encountered an unexpected variable. The variable he encountered was an orc. It would have been manageable if it were just one or two orcs, but he had stumbled upon a horde of dozens.
The leader of the orc horde the man faced was Squall.
“Chwik! Vermin who know no honor have invaded the sacred land of the ruler! In the name of Squall, I command you! Kill them all!”
Squall, the chieftain leading the orc horde and the master of the dungeon ‘Red-Headed Tribe,’ clenched his rugged fist and roared powerfully. His eyes burned with the firm resolve of a warrior, but his mood was far from good. He looked at the man begging for his life with a deeply furrowed brow.
The reason was that the opponent was not honorable.
“Trash like you who don’t even know honor! A warrior should not fear death!”
The sight of begging for life without even fighting was unbecoming of a warrior. A true warrior never gave up easily, no matter how dire the situation. Even when facing an opponent they couldn’t defeat, they would at least try to confront them. That was honor, and that was what it meant to be a true warrior. But to kneel without even fighting?
Squall was furious at the man’s behavior. If the man had at least fought and then knelt, or had shown proper respect by lowering himself, Squall might have spared him. It would have meant that the warrior was willing to tarnish his own honor to treat Squall as a superior. But the weak human before him did none of that. Instead, the man committed an even greater transgression.
He begged for his life while pulling money out of his pocket.
“Please! I beg you! I’ll give you everything I have, just spare my life—”
But before the man could finish his plea, his head was severed.
“How dare you try to sully my honor!”
Enraged by the attempt to degrade his honor with money, Squall swung his axe. In an instant, the adventurer party turned into cold corpses. Squall raised his blood-stained axe high and declared,
“Warriors! I, Squall, am deeply disappointed by the reality that there are so many who do not know honor!”
Woo-! Woo-!
In response to their chieftain’s words, the orcs also raised their weapons high.
“I swear in the name of the tribe! I will not spare a single one who does not know honor! That is the true path of a warrior!”
The tribe members roared in agreement.
Clatter-!
And at that moment, skeletons approached the orcs, making noise.
At the forefront of the skeletons approached Werther, a Dullahan holding his head in one hand. Werther was the leader of the undead assault squad, a unit that, along with the goblin scouts, protected the dungeon. Squall greeted Werther with a smile.
“Did Lord Necros send you? Chwik! I’ll count on you again this time!”
Squall handed over the cold corpses of the adventurers to Werther. The skeletons began to clean up the bodies and traces of the adventurers meticulously. Squall was impressed by the sight.
“As expected! Lord Necros is a warrior who knows honor!”
In an instant, a tremendous roar echoed, and a flash of light burst forth. Blue mana turned into a bullet and struck an adventurer. The head of the adventurer holding a staff shattered into pieces, and red blood splattered everywhere. The adventurers screamed in terror at the sudden attack. However, the Goblin Lord did not stop and continued to fire the mana gun.
Bang- Bang- Bang-
The roars shook the forest. The bodies of the screaming adventurers were torn apart mercilessly.
Bang- Bang- Bang- Bang-
Armor shattered, and flesh scattered. A gruesome scene unfolded among the bushes. Out of the six adventurers, five were dead. The one who barely survived was in poor condition, having lost an arm. The adventurer, missing an arm, fled in a desperate state. The goblins who had blocked the retreat routes tried to chase the fleeing adventurer, but the Goblin Lord stopped them.
“Let that one live. Krrk.”
The Goblin Lord commanded the goblins with a phlegm-filled voice. As Celia had instructed, they couldn’t kill all the adventurers. So, he intentionally let one escape. Since the adventurer had already lost an arm, it wasn’t as if they were letting him go unscathed, making it an acceptable outcome.
“Return to your positions and wait.”
Adventurers would continue to come for a while. The Goblin Lord, while maintaining the mana gun, waited for the next adventurer to arrive. In the meantime, skeletons that had been waiting nearby revealed themselves.
Click-clack- Clatter-
They began to clean up the five corpses of the adventurers hunted by the Goblin Lord. This time, along with the skeletons, Necros and the Death Knight also appeared.
“Click, clack.”
“......”
Necros said something, and the Death Knight merely nodded in response. The skeletons moved busily. They separated the equipment from the adventurers’ corpses. The corpses were offerings for their master, and the decent equipment was intended for the monsters to use. Naturally, all the money the adventurers had was taken by Necros.
However, Necros’s pockets were already filled with gold coins. There was no more space to put anything else. Of course, Necros did not give up. The skeletons assigned as financial managers on the spot separated the gold coins and jewels, reporting the amounts to Necros.
“Click-clack.”
(Five gold coins.)
“Click.”
(Confirmed.)
Necros meticulously recorded the amounts in a thick ledger. The ledger detailed how the funds would be distributed in the future. Among the entries were gold coins set aside as offerings for their master. After completing the ledger, Necros handed some of the gold coins to the Death Knight. The Death Knight, who had been wandering the mountains with Necros, now had his maid outfit pockets full as well.
But who was the Death Knight? Before being the foreman leading the dungeon’s construction, he was the mid-boss of the first layer’s first area. The ghouls brought from the first layer took the gold coins and jewels on behalf of the Death Knight.
“Guooor?”
The ghouls stuffed the gold coins and jewels into their mouths. Although their bodies were decayed, unlike skeletons, they still had flesh, making this method possible. Necros also shared some gold coins with the Goblin Lord. Money was always right.
“Demon... sword. Power. Demon, sword....”
While they were busy taking the spoils, Werther appeared. Werther searched the adventurers’ corpses for a demon sword but came up empty-handed once again.
“...None.”
Losing interest quickly, Werther turned to search for a demon sword elsewhere. Following Werther’s direction, the skeletons and ghouls also began to move.
“Click.”
Necros and the Death Knight followed suit. The mountains were practically flowing with gold coins. It was a place filled with hope. Necros, seeking more hope, continued to move busily today.