Gamers of the Underworld

Moroes and the Goblins came back safely with a struggling Underground Spider. The Dungeon broke into waves of wild cheering and applause. The gamers were welcoming them like heroes. There was Moroes, Arthur and… NotWearingPants’ corpse!

“Dungeon Lord! Dungeon Lord! Help him to revive! We brought back a corpse!” BurningChestHair stood outside the Dungeon Core Main Hall and shouted.

Sherlock had been planning for the Dungeon’s Interrogation Room. He had been imagining how he would lure the Surface adventurers to the Dungeon, capture them, interrogate and torture them for unlimited Magic Stones! His daydream was interrupted by BurningChestHair’s shouting.

Sherlock walked out of the hall to take a look. The gamers were surrounding NotWearingPants’ corpse outside the Main Hall.

Sherlock glanced at NotWearingPants, whose stomach was impaled by a broken Spider Leg. He had perished during the mission.

Moroes came back with a sense of guilt mixed with astonishment. Sherlock understood just by looking at him—Moroes was taken aback by the gamers’ fearless and devil-may-care attitude.

Sherlock observed that all the Goblins with the exception of Arthur were all smiling merrily because of a successful mission. Moroes was most likely dumbfounded by the gamers’ attitude. Normally, the souls of dead Goblins would be trapped in the Spirit World, but the souls of the otherworld’s gamers stayed in the Dungeon Core. If there was a corpse, the Goblin would be revived. If there was no corpse, Sherlock would summon the Goblin using Mana. The otherworld called this “Recreate new character”.

Sherlock thought for a while before healing NotWearingPants’ corpse. Then, NotWearingPants revived in front of Moroes. The gamers gathered together and celebrated the completion of the first special mission. They surrounded the captured Spider and observed it, as most of them had not seen an Underground Spider before.

Sherlock called Moroes into the Dungeon Core Main Hall. Moroes was bewildered and needed answers from the Dungeon Lord.

“As you witnessed, my servants can be revived. Their souls need not go to the Spirit World. Even if their corpses are missing, I can summon them back. Don’t ask further. As I’m a superior Devil, you won’t be able to understand the intricacies,” Sherlock said as he sat down and supported his chin.

Moroes was full of strong emotions and was about to speak when Sherlock raised his hand to cut him off. “Don’t say a word. I know what you’re going to say. You won’t be able to revive like the Goblins because you don’t meet the requirement. My Dungeon is different from the others. If you wish to stay here, I’ll welcome you to train them and you can complete the probation. If the Goblins have frightened you, you may choose to leave.”

Moroes immediately knelt down and shouted, “Dungeon Lord! I am unable to express my admiration with words. I’m willing to sign a Soul Contract with you and serve you forever!”

Soul Contract was the highest degree of contract which was equivalent to a slavery deed. He would become the Dungeon Lord’s closest servant. Of course, the salary was still the same, but it would not be easy to leave. It was unlike normal servants who could leave if they were unhappy. To leave, he had to absolve the Soul Contract and erase some sensitive memories that were related to the Dungeon Lord’s secrets.

Moroes was excited, but Sherlock did not intend to sign the Soul Contract with him. Besides, the Soul Contract was out of fashion and was troublesome to terminate. The new generation Devil Lords depended on generous benefits and outstanding charisma to attract his servants. Everyone obtained the same benefits and it was mutually beneficial. That was how it worked.

Sherlock was not interested in signing the Soul Contract with Moroes. As a Devil, privacy and a sense of mystery was important. Bru would frequently speak to him in his mind and that was unavoidable. But if Moroes were to intrude on his privacy, Sherlock would not be able to bear it.

Sherlock understood Moroes’ intention. He was envious of the gamers’ ability to revive. Who would not be tempted by unlimited revivals? Souls of normal lifeforms would be trapped in the Spirit World. Not everyone could be a superior Devil.

“Soul Contract is unnecessary. You have a wife and a family. I know it’s hard to earn money. You have to be strong. Do not sell your soul unnecessarily.” Sherlock helped Moroes to stand up and sent him out of the Main Hall. Sherlock said, “If you want to stay here, you may work without worry. Once our Eternal Kingdom develops, the benefits like insurance and Rest Chambers will be provided. You may even bring your family over in the future. Wasn’t Winterfell slowly developed over the years too? Good, you may continue your work. I have high expectations for you.

When Moroes came out of the Main Hall, the gamers gathered around him and raised up their bronze coins in a bid to purchase training time.

Moroes surveyed the surrounding Goblins. He had initially thought that Sherlock was a rich Dungeon Lord to have employed that many Goblins. But now, he discovered that Sherlock was rich and gifted with revival power. Could he be the legendary Satan?!

Moroes used to look down on these Goblins and treated them as novices. But now, he did not look down on them as they could revive. Moreover, they were that close to Lord Sherlock. Their future achievements were unimaginable!

Sherlock had said that he did not meet the requirements because he was not loyal enough! Moroes firmly believed that once Lord Sherlock understood that he was a loyal and hardworking servant, Lord Sherlock would treat him like the other Goblins!

To achieve this accolade and accompany Lord Sherlock on his journey, he had to follow Lord Sherlock’s instructions and train the Goblins to become qualified warriors!

“Let’s go! Let’s go for training! The next training will cost you a hundred bronze coins per session!” Moroes said to the Goblins.

Sherlock watched Moros lead the gamers to the Training Ground for training. Bru said, “This arrangement will ensure Moroes’ loyalty for a long time. I thought the Dungeon Lord would tell Moroes about the Goblins coming from the otherworld. Are you hiding the truth from Moroes in exchange for his loyalty?”

“That is only one consideration. It’s mainly to prevent my secrets from being divulged,” Sherlock said. “Bru, I don’t think there’s a second Dungeon Core like you who can summon servants from the otherworld. The gamers are easier to manage than the Underworld creatures. If the other Dungeon Lords discover this, how long can I hold against them?”

Bru said with certainty in a jovial tone, “Dungeon Lord, you could run away while I would be conquered since I have nowhere to go.”

“Exactly.” Sherlock shrugged his shoulders and looked at the Dungeon Map as shown by the Dungeon Core. Sherlock made plans on the map and said, “We have to boost up our capability fast. How many of the otherworld’s gamers can you summon?”

“My limit is a hundred. To increase the number, Dungeon Lord has to increase my level,” Bru said. “Of course, we have to publish an announcement on the official website for a second Beta Testing to recruit the required number. We have to increase the number of opened areas and playing methods to attract them. The playing methods refer to job variety!”

Upgrading the Dungeon Core required the assimilation of another Dungeon Core. That would require money or conquering another Dungeon. Sherlock was unable to do either of them, so he had to put aside his Goblin recruitment drive.

“Forget it. The hundred gamers are sufficient to help me develop the Dungeon. Let’s see if I can find Magic Stone Ores.”

Sherlock looked outside the Dungeon Core Main Hall. Most of the gamers had spent their bronze coins to learn combat skills. A small number of gamers were mining ore, carrying bricks and paving stone slabs. The “Raintea” gamer was still caring for her newly planted seeds at the flowerbed. The distant Fairy was curled up in a corner of her bed while she watched discreetly. Since she had arrived, she had not moved around. Sherlock did not imprison her in a cage as he did not see the need.

Sherlock watched the little Fairy in a daze when a mining gamer shouted, “Holy cow! Come take a look! See what I found while mining!”