Dungeon Maker

"The head of the House of Randolt was already anticipating that I would come. To tell you more specifically, he knew I would come with a surrender advice written by the Mamon family."

That was what Yong-ho expected. So, he asked back, "What is their reaction?"

"They were relatively calm. Here is the reply from the head of the House of Randolt."

Ophelia took out a letter from her inside jacket. It was sealed more strictly than the one Gusion sent to Scathach.

Instead of handing out the letter to him, she pulled it toward her chest and said with a serious expression, "It's an ordinary letter imbued with no magical power. However, maybe there is something like poison on it. Please allow me to open it first."

Just because magic existed, it didn't mean that all traps should be set only by magic.

It was possible that somebody could have put a poisonous powder inside the letter, or they could have poisoned the corner of a letter.

Remembering the letter poisoned with anthrax in the news some time ago, Yong-ho frowned because he didn't like the fact that Ophelia was to check out the letter at the risk of her life.

But Ophelia had a determined expression on her face. So, he eventually nodded.

"Okay, go ahead."

"Thank you."

She took out a knife. She cut the envelope itself and examined the letter very closely. It was almost 10 minutes or more after Yong-ho received the letter from her.

"He is demanding a duel with me?"

What's written in the letter was very concise. To summarize it, it was as follows.

<Let's have a one-on-one duel between the families without their subordinates.

We don't have to take each other's lives.

The loser becomes the winner's subordinate.

The duel can take place anywhere in the wilderness between the Mammon and the Randolt residences. You can decide on the location.

If you reject my duel offer, all the members of the House of Randolt will defend the dungeon with all their might, fully prepared to sacrifice their lives.>

Reviewing the letter after Yong-ho, Eligos narrowed his eyebrows and said, "So, he wants to have it out with you in a duel."

"He is determined to fight to the end if I reject, right?"

The head of the House of Randolt's challenge to a duel was something Yong-ho didn't expect at all.

Reading the letter last, Rikum said, "Well, it's my own guess, but don't you think he has offered the duel merely to save his face?"

"Saving his face?"

"Yes, because it isn't good for the Randolt family head to surrender without any fight. His pride might feel offended in that case."

Rikum had a point to some extent.

As he said, it was quite understandable that the loser would become the winner's subordinate.

"What do you think of it, Ophelia?"

Ophelia bit her lower lip before answering right away. She did so whenever she said something somewhat negatively.

After taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "As I reported to you the other day, the head of the House of Randolt is just stuck in his own dungeon, so much so that he is called too timid. But I don't think he offered you a challenge to duel to save his face without any chance of defeating you. Requesting a duel is a double-edged sword to him."

What she said also made sense. Nodding at her, Rikum added, "She has a point. He might want to try to prove his strength or worth by throwing down the gauntlet."

Obviously, he sought to prove his worth, not to save his face.

Ophelia also nodded this time and said, "I think he might want it. Anyway, it's true that he is strong enough to challenge you to a duel."

All things considered, it was logical to think that the head of the House of Randolt threw down the gauntlet, 'knowing he would be defeated.'

Nonetheless, Yong-ho could not readily accept it.

At that moment, Catalina, who was watching them silently, raised her hand timidly and said in a soft voice, "Isn't it something like a trap?"

For example, the House of Randolt head's offer that Yong-ho could choose the duel location could be a trap to make him feel complacent.

So, Yong-ho once again read the letter from him. His writing was concise but elegant.

"Or he might really want to have it out with me."

Deciding the final victor in a duel? No shedding useless blood? "Ophelia, do you know something about his fighting style or his strength?"

Knitting her brows, she said, "Well, his fighting style or strength is not widely known because he is stuck only in his dungeon, but there is quite a bit of fragmentary information about it, given his long activities as the family head. To tell you some certain things, he's got three horns, and he seems to rely on magic rather than physical skills. He may be stronger than Foras or Jungceros, but I think he is absolutely below Agares."

"Is he a wizard?"

"Yes, so maybe he is an easier opponent to you because you can read the flow of magical power. Perhaps, you can read most magic in advance. Accordingly, you will be able to evade, defend, or disturb him easily."

Anyone who was good at magic could read the flow of magical power.

However, Yong-ho could discern the color and properties of magical power, and he could even read the movement of magical power even during battle.

The difference between reading the flow of magical power in a calm state and reading it during a life-threatening battle was like night and day.

"Is it possible that the House of Randolt head will break his promise?"

"There is little possibility that he will. It's so important that only a few reviews of this case are enough, but that's how I have felt it from my face-to-face meeting with him," said Ophelia sharply, just like a former veteran tavern owner.

Yong-ho closed his eyes for a moment and organized his thoughts.

The duel certainly carried great risk. With a stronger power, Yong-ho didn't need to take the risk.

But he didn't need to shed useless blood. Also, he could own the Randolt family without big backlash

Yong-ho fully appreciated the concern of his subordinate spirits. He felt a strong sense of trust in them.

They were loyal servants who would firmly support him, no matter which choice he would make.

So, Yong-ho made the decision. Opening his eyes, he said, "Ophelia, I'm sorry to say this, but can you visit the House of Randolt once more?"

"Ophelia, Endelyon's daughter, will follow the order of the head of the great House of Mammon."

Not only Ophelia, but also Catalina, Eligos, and Skull expressed their due politeness to him.

Yong-ho stood up from his seat then revealed his decision.

***

It took four days for Ophelia to leave the House of Mamon, visit the House of Randolt, and receive a second reply from them.

And again, three days later, Yong-ho sat in the special seat of the arena and gulped.

Although the arena was familiar to him because of his frequent visits, he couldn't hide his anxiety as he did on his first visit.

In the arena, there was a deadly battle going on between Catalina and the floor master on the first floor.

Gnoll Chieftain, the floor master on the first floor, was so huge that it couldn't even be compared with ordinary Gnolls. Moreover, he was very quick and clever. The Sword and Jorah took control of the space by using two different weapons at the same time.

Of course, Catalina was faster than Gnoll Chieftain. The blade of the black magic that she could now freely use also boasted its terrifying attack power.

Comparing the two's strength objectively, Catalina had the upper hand.

Gusion admitted it, and Yong-ho could confirm it, too.

However, fighting was not judged by rivals' objective capabilities alone.

About ten minutes after the fighting started, Gnoll Chieftain finally fell to the floor. At that moment, Yong-ho sprang to his feet and rushed to the arena without asking for Gusion's understanding.

"Catalina!"

Catalina won. Gnoll Chieftain fell on the floor with his body stabbed by her black sword.

However, Catalina didn't emerge safely. Her whole body was covered with blood and sweat. And more than half of them belonged to Gnoll Chieftain.

When Yong-ho reached the arena, she couldn't hold up and sat down. She was breathing roughly. Moreover, the wound areas on her body swelled black as if she was poisoned.

The fighting in the arena looked like an actual one, but it was not real.

Accordingly, no matter how severely one was injured, one was supposed to recover after the fight. It was like how the floor masters of the arena revived even if they died in a fight. Of course, they could not be said to have been resurrected because they had never been killed. However, Catalina was different.

She was one of the Twelve Spirits of the House of Mammon, not its head. So, some harsh rules, which were different from Yong-ho's, were forced on her.

All of Catalina's injuries were real. A spirit like her, not the house head, had to really fight to obtain the arena's rewards. Death in the arena meant real death in her case.

Catalina couldn't open her eyes properly. Perhaps, it was because she actively fought without knowing she was poisoned. It seemed that the poison already spread all over her body.

Yong-ho tried to stay calm. He gently laid her on the floor and put his hands on her abdomen—the most injured part of her body. Then he activated the power of evolution.

This was why Yong-ho set today for her challenge in the arena.

Assuming the full evolution EXP was 100, Catalina's EXP right before she challenged the first floor was 99.

Whether she won or lost, she could not fill her evolution EXP fully. Yong-ho could cure most of the wounds thanks to the effects of the power of evolution.

It didn't matter even if the wounds were so serious that they could not be treated with the power of evolution, for he could still buy enough time to take the injured to the Garden of Life where Scathach resided.

Fortunately, Catalina's wounds could be healed with the power of evolution.

Her expression gradually became calmer. She passed out as if she was exhausted, but her face shone with joy and a strong sense of accomplishment.

Only then did Yong-ho feel relieved. Approaching them from behind, Gusion laughed heartily and said, "Congratulations on breaking through the first floor."