Dungeon Maker - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Declare War

The history of Mammon’s Arena was over 1,000 years old.

During that time, many owners had challenged the Arena and Gusion had watched all of them.

“Yeah, they didn’t seem to have that much trouble completing that floor…”

Gusion mumbled. He placed his hand on his chin and rolled his tongue in his mouth.

Truthfully, there weren’t a lot of owners like Kaiwan that struggled on the first floor and then somehow managed to complete the first floor.

It took a really long time for the House of Mammon to fall.

During the King of Greed’s reign, the House of Mammon was strong, so “fall” was the best way to describe it. The house had failed when the previous two owners were ruling the House of Mamon.

Objectively speaking, the owners of the House of Mammon were pretty powerful figures.

In the demon world, when a house has power, it meant that they had a powerful dungeon and owner.

That’s why, excluding Kaiwan who challenged recklessly, owners usually started feeling frustrated on the fifth or seventh floor.

‘But even if I take that into consideration.’

Gusion was looking at Yong-Ho, who was standing in the center of the stadium by himself. He was consuming Mammon’s mana with his eyes closed.

Yong-Ho beat the second floor Floor Master with one blow. He must’ve had experience fighting it before because the fight ended a lot cleaner than when Yong-Ho was fighting the Steel Ox.

‘Of course being able to control Aamon is cheating…’

There were a lot of owners that succeeded thanks to their equipment. In that sense, Yong-Ho wasn’t anything special since Aamon was helping him based on his skill level.

‘He’s good. He’s courageous too.’

His fighting senses were good. He used both fire and coldness really well and when his opponent charged, he didn’t close his eyes or flinch.

A warm smile appeared on Gusion’s face. Yong-Ho was the first one after Mammon to have the ability to naturally control the Power of Greed and this made Gusion quite happy.

While Gusion was judging Yong-Ho, Yong-Ho was slowly catching his breath. While he was consuming the mana, he had a similar, but different thought from Gusion.

‘I was lucky.’

The Floor Master of the second floor was the fiery figure.

He fought against the fiery figure when the distortion appeared, so Yong-Ho had used the same method and was thus able to beat the Floor Master with ease.

The Floor Master was definitely stronger than the figure that jumped out of the distortion. But Yong-Ho has grown a lot stronger since then.

‘Is her strategy useless?’

Kaiwan was extremely detailed. In her journal, she wrote all the Floor Masters that she encountered along with their information and attack strategies. It wasn’t for her. She made it for her younger brother, who will someday become a competitor after completely recovering from the sickness.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out like she had written in the journal. He made that assumption when the Floor Master of the first floor was different, but the Floor Master of the second floor was different as well. It seemed like spirits with similar levels were randomly placed as the opponent .

Anyways, it was an easy win. Yong-Ho gladly consumed Mammon’s mana and looked at Gusion. Yong-Ho was urging him and after Gusion smirked, he stood up and immediately approached Yong-Ho. He waved his finger while grumbling and three boxes of light appeared in front of Yong-Ho.

“Okay, choo…”

“This one.”

Just like before, Yong-Ho picked a box before Gusion finished his sentence.

Gusion grumbled again.

“Hey, owner. Why do you think there are several boxes?”

“I don’t know. I’m not interested.”

According to Kaiwan’s journal, the quality of the rewards inside the boxes weren’t equal. When she was lucky, she would continuously get good gear, but when she was unlucky, she would either get a small amount of gold or useless items.

But that didn’t apply to Yong-Ho. Greed helped him choose the best one.

“You have a talent for picking.”

When Gusion grumbled again, Yong-Ho immediately felt quite satisfied.

He tapped the box of light with a satisfied smile and grabbed the item that was inside it.

“Glove?”

“It’s a magical glove. It can also grow. It’s only the second floor and you managed to pick the best one. If you picked it just based on your instincts, then…”

“Is it like an armor?”

Yong-Ho naturally interrupted Gusion. Gusion explained with a frown on his face.

“Wear it. It can be used as an armor and as a weapon. I happen to have a similar item, so I’ll show you a demonstration.”

Gusion took off the white suit jacket and gave it to the male wearing the beast mask. The silver glove couldn’t exactly be called a gauntlet, but Yong-Ho wore it on his left hand.

“When you pour your mana into it, it’ll react. The final form of a magical glove is different for each one, but…this is what it generally looks like.”

Gusion released his mana. It wasn’t the same as the time when he tried to oppress Yong-Ho. The mana remained on both of Gusion’s fists.

The red metal covered both of Gusion’s arms and shoulders. Even though it was made out of metal, it was different from ordinary armour. His muscles looked like they were made out of metal. His hands were almost two times bigger and he spoke while clenching and unclenching his fists.

“A growing magical glove. Horus, the Divine Punisher, was one of Mammon’s spirits and he made it. The magical glove grows when the owner grows, just like when the spirits grow when the owner grows.”

Yong-Ho understood what he meant when he said it could be used as an armor and a weapon. Yong-Ho poured his mana into the glove.

The glove looked like it was made out of thin chains and on top of it, there were silver plates. The glove covered his wrist and since the metal covered his fingers and the back of his hand, it felt firm and gave a combative-like feeling.

‘It’s light.’

He could barely feel the weight. The sharp feeling that he got made it seem like the glove was part of his skin.

Yong-Ho looked at the glove with a serious expression and Gusion spoke while looking at Yong-Ho with a satisfied expression.

“You completed the second floor without any issues. How about it? Want to try the third floor? The punishment is…looking at your most disgraceful memory. I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t really a punishment.”

Yong-Ho imagined Mammon having a good time while watching his descendant’s most disgraceful moment. He didn’t know why they even made a punishment like that, but his life wasn’t on the line. Like Gusion had stated, this couldn’t really be considered a punishment.

Yong-Ho looked at Catalina, who was standing within the crowd. Since she was an Elf, she had good hearing, so she must’ve heard what they were talking about because her expression was telling him something.

‘Sorry.’

He was greedy. Since it was different from when he completed the first floor, Yong-Ho nodded his head.

“Sure. But, can I take a break?”

“Of course. Should I get you a waiting room?”

Gusion gladly agreed. Yong-Ho nodded since it would be best to get as much rest as possible. He waved his hand and signaled Catalina to come.

And within that short moment.

Yong-Ho looked at the group that was sitting on one section of the seats and then looked back at Gusion. He hesitated for a moment and then asked.

“Can I ask a question?”

“I’m only going to accept one question, like you have stated.”

Gusion looked as if he wanted to get revenge on Yong-Ho for being so blunt. Because they were constantly quarreling like this, the oppression and fear Yong-Ho felt disappeared.

Yong-Ho looked at the audience again. Gusion looked at Yong-Ho and recalled the information about Kaiwan.

How many level did Kaiwan complete?

Are those people in the audience former owners of the House of Mammon?

Those were some of the questions he was expecting.

Which one was Yong-Ho going to ask?

Yong-Ho turned around again. Gusion, who was quick-tempered, prepared the answers and waited for Yong-Ho.

Yong-Ho opened his mouth. The answers in Gusion’s head got erased immediately.

“Gusion, do you know a woman named Sitri?”

Gusion couldn’t answer right away. It was totally different from what he had experienced before and after putting on a fierce smile, Gusion spoke.

He answered Yong-Ho’s question.

***

The Free City can be divided into three big powers.

Ophelia was the owner of the pub and also the head of courtesans, gamblers and wanderers.

Run away spirits and mercenary soldiers were part of the outlaw group.

While the workers’ guild was made up of people that produced and worked in the manufacturing industry in the Free City.

The three groups wasn’t hostile towards each other and instead of creating unnecessary fights, the leaders would often come together and negotiate.

Of course it wasn’t like that in the beginning.

This was possible because the three groups had an equal amount of power in the Free city. And this balance didn’t just happen. This was the result after many struggles and protests.

The three leaders were gathered at the top of the gate.

It’s been about 10 years since the three leaders gathered together in an open area.

Mad Oros, the leader of the workers’ guild, had hands that were bigger than an Ogre’s and had a big cigarette in his mouth while displaying a frown. He had blue skin and was wearing a white gown that had energy marks all over it.

He was a doctor as well as a pharmacist and was the best alchemist in the city.

But that didn’t erase the fact that he was a Troll. He cut more flesh with his scimitar, placed on his waist, than with his scalpel.

Next to Oros was Dargon, the leader of the outlaws. He was wearing a black, magical armor and was considered a very rare type of Ogre since he was an Ogre Mage.

Since he was a magician, he was a lot smarter than ordinary Ogres, but just like Oros, he didn’t forget about his race. Instead of using spells to blow up the enemy, Dargon enjoyed beating the enemies with his mace.

The two males looked like they would reek of blood and between them, a slender, beautiful woman was standing crookedly.

It was Ophelia, the female owner of the pub.

“He’s making us wait.”

Dargon growled while looking below the gate. Ophelia frowned when she felt the hot wind blow through her hair and then she swung her tail violently as if to express her discomfort.

“He’s the only one that answered our call. And it’s not that he’s making us wait…it’s just that we’re impatient.”

Agares would soon attack.

Mad Oros and Dargon had a fixed fighting style, but they weren’t used to attacks that came from outside of the city.

Lack of experience was usually paired up with fear. On top of that, Agares had already shown many times just how strong and brutal he was.

Oros and Dargon were nervous. They were scared and they couldn’t hide their impatient personality.

It’s because they had gathered on top of the gate way earlier than they had originally planned.

Instead of expressing his nervousness like Dargon, Oros kept on smoking.

He didn’t like this situation.

The owner of the House of Mammon was unknown.

According to Ophelia’s report, he did kill Foras and Jungceros.

They knew that the owner was a lot stronger than them.

But they didn’t know how much stronger.

Foras and Jungceros? Oros and Dargon were strong enough to fight against them.

If the city’s leaders increased from three to four, it would be a very significant thing.

But that wasn’t enough. Agares was literally eating the owners in the eastern region and in order to stop him, they needed more.

Oros thought a lot more than Dargon. The owner of the House of Mammon had to be strong, but if he was too strong, then that would be a problem. It was like calling for a tiger to chase away a wolf.

He was done with his third cigarette. Oros took out his fourth one and Dargon had a bigger frown. Ophelia, who standing between them, was slowly swinging her tail while having her arms crossed. While she was trying to hide her nervousness, she spoke.

“He’s coming.”

Ophelia pointed far away. Oros and Dargon quickly looked at the place that Ophelia’s finger was pointing at.

Six large horses were running towards the Free City. In front of the horses, there was a black vehicle that was covered in green smoke.

“Undead?”

While Oros tilted his head without knowing, the horses were still running and getting closer and closer to the city.

A group of Skeletons were sitting on top of the vehicle.

But their outer appearance were different from ordinary Skeletons. They were wearing black armor and released an usual energy. They couldn’t be compared to the few Skeletons that were in the Free City.

Everyone had their eyes fixed on Nightmare as it was now taking the lead.

The five horses that were following behind Nightmare could be considered evil spirits, but one could question whether Nightmare could be called a horse.

Nightmare’s black hair absorbed the light and the green smoke that was around its body suppressed the areas near it.

And the one that was riding on top of Nightmare.

The figure was the same, yet different from the five that were behind them. A red cloak was attached on the back of the black armor and was blowing in the wind. The figure was holding a war hammer and it released a blue lightning bolt.

“Skullllll!”

The Skeleton taking the lead roared. No one would believe that the roar belonged to a Skeleton because the roar was so loud that it even shook the ground.

The Skeleton didn’t stop there. The Skeleton swung his war hammer and raised it towards the sky. The concentrated lighting bolt was released into the sky, causing sounds of thunder to fill the sky.

They naturally looked up. The three rulers as well as the people that were on top of the gate looked up as the sky was filled with light and the sound of lightning. And something a lot more intense than lightning was in the sky.

A fiery sky tore the the original sky apart. The demon world’s sky was filled with different colors and this helped confirm the owner’s existence.

“Fire Dragon?!”

No. It was too small. But the fire that split the sky was strong enough to remind people of a Fire Dragon.

“Get down!”

Someone yelled. Within seconds, the red flames were right above the gate and it turned into green waves of fire. That blocked everyone’s views. Oros and Dargon took a step back and quickly protected their heads.

The fire disappeared. The wave of fire didn’t hurt anyone that was on top of the gate. Salami flew through the waves of fire using its fiery wings and landed. On top of Salami was a man holding a red lance and a female Dark Elf with white hair.

“My name is Chun Yong-Ho and I’m the owner of the House of Mammon.”

Yong-Ho got everyone’s attention and Oros and Dargon felt suppressed after what they saw, causing them to gulp without noticing.

Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho and she scrunched up her face to hold in her laughter.

***

“First, I’ll say that you…displayed a successful show.”

Ophelia’s bar was located at the top floor of the pub.

Ophelia was behind the bar, just like the first time they met, and she spoke with a slightly mischievous face. Yong-Ho sat between Catalina and Skull and shrugged his shoulders.

“You think so too, right?”

Making a good first impression was important.

The reason why Oros and Dargon extended their hands out to him was simple. They wanted to “use” Yong-Ho.

There was no reason to act unsophisticated in front of them. There was a need to leave a strong impression though.

It wasn’t easy. They probably won’t fall that easily.

Ophelia knew Yong-Ho’s intentions. That’s why she answered seriously.

“Oros and Dargon aren’t naive. They may have been surprised during that moment, but they’re just trying to test the waters.”

Agares wasn’t going to retreat after seeing some fire show in the sky.

In order to kill the opponent, they needed to use an actual sharp knife and not a wedding knife that was used for decorations.

It wasn’t completely ineffective. The fact that Yong-Ho left a strong impression on the two rulers as well as those that were part of the groups was important.

Yong-Ho and Ophelia knew even if no one mentioned it, so after exchanging a few glances with each other, they intentionally kept quiet about it.

Yong-Ho grabbed the glass cup that Ophelia handed and asked.

“Anyways…was it because of that that the meeting was pushed back?”

Yong-Ho assumed he would be in a chaotic meeting with the rulers, but that wasn’t the case. After Oros and Dargon briefly introduced themselves, they returned to their house and pushed the meeting back.

Ophelia, who was officially in charge of taking care of Yong-Ho, shrugged.

“That’s not really the reason…they need to have an idea who you are as well. It’s my job to help the new owner slightly open up through banquets.”

“Ban…quets?”

Yong-Ho looked around as he said it. There was nothing here that was related to that.

Well, of course Ophelia was beautiful, but if this was considered a banquet, then it was quite a bland one and Ophelia probably wasn’t referring to this as the banquet.

“Oh my, so you really want me to prepare one for you? Shall I call the girls?”

Ophelia asked with a smile on her face and Yong-Ho just waved his hand.

“Well, it’s good that it’s just us. We can continue with the work that we’ve been pushing back.”

Ophelia’s eyes widened when she heard Yong-Ho’s answer.

Work that’s been pushed back?

Skull laughed as usual and Catalina stepped back while pouting.

Ophelia blinked her eyes again and came to a realization after tilting her head several times. She jumped over the bar happily and stood in front of Yong-Ho.

“Let’s start the registration.”

Yong-Ho spoke. Ophelia happily showed her respect.