Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 48
As I stepped into the Dungeon, an empty Lobby greeted me.
After a few more paces inward, a damp and chilling presence brushed against my skin.
‘Is this what the air of a Dungeon feels like?’
Surely it was the distinctive ominous aura created by the accumulation of Demonic Qi emanating from the monsters over a long period of time.
The darkness around me obscured distant vision, and my hearing grew correspondingly sharp.
The clang of metal striking metal, the sound of footsteps on stone, the occasional ragged breathing—
Each of these sensations told me that beyond the darkness, other beings existed alongside me.
Beyond the Lobby, as I ventured deeper into the passage, a massive iron door loomed into view, blocking my path.
Through the thick, weighty door, a faint presence emanated.
‘The moment I open this door, combat will begin.’
My mind was braced for it, but that didn’t chase away my tension entirely.
The palm gripping my sword had already grown damp with sweat. I steadied my breath, then pushed against the door with all my strength.
Crreeeeak—
The heavy iron door scraped against the floor as it swung slowly open.
And through that gap—
“Kee-kee-kee. Heheheh.”
A chilling laugh spilled forth, accompanied by the sound of bones clattering against one another.
‘Monsters!’
The first to emerge from the darkness was a Goblin.
It towered over an adult human in frame, with long, gangly limbs. Across its dull greenish skin, veins and gaunt bone joints protruded sharply.
The pointed ears and nose, and the way saliva dripped from between its sharp teeth, was far more grotesque than anything I’d seen in drawings.
“Uuurgh….”
The creature crouched low, gripping a Club and a crude wooden Shield in its hands.
Even in the darkness, its yellowish eyes gleamed with hunger as it fixed its gaze upon me—like a beast that had spotted prey. I nearly looked away instinctively.
And beside it stood a Skeleton, cobbled together from human remains as if they’d been forcibly sewn back into shape.
A pristine white skull devoid of any flesh, ribs, and gaunt limb bones were somehow connected to one another by an otherworldly force.
Each time it moved, its bones rattled and clacked against each other, while a faint blue light flickered within the hollow sockets where its eyes should have been.
It too held a wooden Club in its bony hands.
‘At least the weapons don’t look particularly threatening.’
This was my first time seeing actual monsters with my own eyes rather than in book illustrations. The pressure was overwhelming.
‘They look far more terrifying than I imagined.’
Without thinking, I stifled an inward cry and tightened my grip on the sword.
‘Just do exactly what Father taught me.’
There were three monsters in the room total: two Skeletons and one Goblin.
I rushed forward toward the monsters, which had begun to gauge the distance between us.
The instant I swung my blade at the nearest Goblin—
“Kee-ek!”
It retreated as if it had been waiting for this moment.
My stance faltered from the empty swing, and in that instant, the Skeletons on either side moved.
Whoosh!
Wooden Clubs came flying at me in quick succession.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
I blocked one with the flat of my blade, but the other I couldn’t evade. The impact struck my shoulder, and my body staggered backward.
‘What was that just now?’
I quickly opened up distance between us.
There was something oddly at odds with what I’d imagined of how monsters fought.
They weren’t simply rushing forward with weapons swinging wildly.
When I attacked, the Goblin blocked in front while the two Skeletons seized the opening to swing their Clubs from both sides. Conversely, when I targeted one of the Skeletons, the Goblin would intercede to disrupt my strike.
They moved as if their roles had been predetermined.
‘These creatures—are they actually coordinating with each other? Have these monsters been trained?’
It was a ridiculous thought.
‘They’re only low-rank monsters, after all!’
I raised my blade again and charged back in. But the battle unfolded nothing like I’d anticipated.
Whenever I cornered one, the other two would cut in to support it. When I fell back to avoid an attack, the Goblin would move forward again to block my path.
Their coordination was remarkably refined.
Smack!
“Hkk!”
Eventually, a club caught me across the ribs.
‘Damn it, why won’t this end?’
The battle I’d expected to finish quickly dragged on far longer than anticipated.
My breathing grew ragged, and strength drained steadily from the hand gripping my sword.
After repeating the same grueling exchange again and again, I finally broke through their defense.
I gritted my teeth and charged headlong at one of the Skeletons, accepting a hit to do it.
“Haaaah!”
Crack!
My blade shattered its ribs and brought it crashing down.
The moment one fell, the taut balance between us shattered.
I finished off the remaining Skeleton, then beat the stubborn Goblin down with several more cuts before finally ending the fight.
“Hah… hah….”
I collapsed where I stood, gasping for air.
I’d won. But it was nothing like the clean, decisive victory I’d imagined.
I thought I’d manage it far more decisively than this.
‘……Well, it was my first fight, after all.’
I forced myself to rationalize it that way, staring at the fallen monsters.
Then reality sank in.
This was only the first room.
“Damn….”
Clatter.
Something fell to the ground with a soft sound.
I turned to see a stone Key lying among the corpses of the monsters.
“A Key? Is this what I need to open the next gate?”
I pocketed the Key and struggled to my feet.
I stepped over the monsters strewn about like the dead and made my way to the next room.
With each step, unease coiled upon itself in my mind.
‘How many rooms like this are even in this Dungeon?’
I’d already burned through considerable stamina. If I had to repeat fights like this several more times, I might collapse from exhaustion before I ever reached the Treasure Room.
What bothered me most, though, was how strong the monsters had been.
‘Those creatures were far tougher than I expected—so just how powerful is the Boss?’
I wasn’t sure I could even face the Boss. The confidence that had filled me moments ago was beginning to crack.
It was as I stepped out of the first room and into the Corridor leading to the next that something felt wrong.
“…….”
I stopped and surveyed my surroundings.
The Corridor stretched ahead with nothing visible—no monsters, no places to hide.
It was clearly just an empty passageway, yet an ominous presence seemed to permeate it.
Gulp. I swallowed hard, tension knotting in my throat.
“This doesn’t look like a place meant for combat. So it should be fine.”
I murmured the words to no one in particular, trying to steady my nerves.
And when I carefully took another step forward, it happened.
Click.
“…Huh?”
A subtle sensation traveled through the sole of my foot.
The stone floor, which should have been solid, seemed to sink slightly beneath me.
‘What is this?’
The moment I lowered my head to look—
Rumble!
“Ah!”
The stone floor directly beneath me collapsed entirely.
“Aaaahhh!”
As my body plummeted, I thrust my hands upward by instinct.
Thud!
I barely caught the edge of the floor that hadn’t crumbled.
“Ugh, ah…!”
My suspended body swung wildly in the void.
My heart hammered like thunder.
When I cautiously tilted my head to look down, a chill ran down my spine.
A pit so deep the bottom was lost to shadow.
And far below, dozens of razor-sharp spikes jutted upward like teeth.
‘If I fall like this, I’m dead!’
With thorns piercing through his body in a dozen places, there was no doubt he would lose his life.
He threw all his strength into his arms.
But from the fierce battle mere moments before, his stamina had been drained so thoroughly that his body barely climbed at all.
Instead, his fingers slipped inch by inch.
“Ugh, please…!”
He tried to hold on by any means, but he had reached his limit.
Slip.
At last, his grip gave way completely.
“No, I don’t want to die like this!”
His body plummeted downward in an instant.
Wind scraped harsh against his ears, and the thorns in his vision rushed closer at a terrifying speed.
‘This can’t happen.’
The moment he braced for impact and squeezed his eyes shut.
Thud!
Contrary to what he expected, he did not feel the horrible pain of thorns piercing through his entire body. Only the shock of falling from such a height transmitted fully, and a heavy ache spread across his limbs.
Yet he no longer had the presence of mind to lift his head and check his surroundings.
As if all strength had drained from him, he couldn’t so much as twitch a muscle.
‘What…is this?’
His consciousness began to fade rapidly.
Beyond his dimming vision, a faint bright light seemed to glow.
“…Confirmed…. Administrator, the scenario is now complete.”
Just before losing consciousness, it seemed he heard a voice whose meaning he could not grasp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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