I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

"An adventurer?" Renn frowned, muttering, "Doesn't seem like it. Why would someone be standing alone at the dungeon entrance in the middle of the night... Could it be a monster?"

Arthas was silent for a second.

No.

She is not a monster.

Judging from the magical energy flowing around the woman, her strength is at least equivalent to that of a mid-to-high-level demon.

In the continent of Ashu, monsters are divided into low-level, mid-level, mid-high-level, high-level, as well as unique and legendary. Among them, unique and legendary monsters have their own names and are special beings.

"We'll go our own way," Oris made a decisive decision: "Let's not create any unnecessary complications."

"Okay." Ryan nodded.

Just as the three were leading their horses past, the silver-haired woman suddenly turned around.

Under the moonlight.

The woman's face was cold and refined, like a statue carved from white jade. Her gaze passed over Renne and Oris and landed directly on Arthas.

A barely perceptible flicker of doubt crossed those pale blue eyes: "You... are an adventurer?"

Before Arthas could answer, Renn stepped in front of him, saying, "We are all adventurers from Graystone Town! Madam, isn't it unsafe for you to be alone in a place like this so late at night?"

The silver-haired woman did not answer, and her figure gradually became ethereal.

The next second, they vanished without a trace.

"Teleportation?" Renn's eyes widened, and he took a step back. "That's a spell only high-level mages can use, right?"

"..." Oris removed her hand from the quiver, her gaze still fixed on the spot where the silver-haired woman had disappeared.

Arthas remained silent.

It's not teleportation.

Because he could see it clearly, the woman was still in the same place, her figure "blurred," like a drop of water merging into the ocean, silent and without a trace.

He had only seen this ability once.

The elves possess a natural ability to conceal themselves, but pure-blooded elves have not appeared in human kingdoms for a long time.

"Never mind," Ryan said casually as he mounted his horse. "I don't care who she is, it's none of our business."

"Hmm." Oris mounted her horse, glanced at Arthas, and asked, "Do you want to ride?"

"No need, I can walk."

"Alright." Renn pulled on the reins and headed towards the dungeon. "Then stay close and don't get lost."

The three of them walked towards the entrance of the underground city.

The heatwave from the lava river hit us.

The crystals in the eyes of the two black dragon statues seemed to come alive, and the red light grew stronger as the group approached.

This was the first time in a long time that Alsace had stood at his own front door; it felt like a lifetime had passed.

Seeing this, Renn patted Arthas on the shoulder: "Don't be afraid! Follow me, and I guarantee you'll safely witness the splendor of a legendary dungeon!"

Oris didn't speak, but nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on Arthas for a moment.

"By the way," Renn asked as they walked, "Dick, did you bring enough magic crystals?"

"Magic crystals?"

"No way? No way! You're planning to force your way in?"

Upon hearing this, Arthas looked puzzled.

What does it mean to force your way in?

He certainly knew the setup of the first floor—a goblin tribe, with the boss being a goblin chieftain who had evolved six times, and about three hundred minions under his command. Following the normal walkthrough, adventurers would need to fight their way through the tribe to find the chieftain's room and defeat him to reach the second floor.

But the difficulty he designed was clearly "nine out of ten chances of survival for bronze-level adventurers".

"I... I didn't bring much," Arthas asked tentatively. "What would happen if we forced our way in?"

"Force your way in?" Renn looked at him like he was an idiot, surprised. "Why force your way in? It's a completely thankless and futile effort!"

"So you mean...?"

"Pay up! Fifty magic crystals, just for the toll. Once you pay, you can go straight to the second floor. The goblins will even throw you a welcome party, and you can choose any equipment below excellent quality."

"..."

Arthas's temples throbbed.

Choose one?

What equipment can be chosen?

How come he didn't know that the dungeon offered this kind of service?

"Is this your first time in Dark Hemcas?" Renn asked with the air of someone who'd been there before. "The first level of this dungeon is a 'paid level,' with clearly marked prices and fair rates for everyone."

"A paid tier?"

Arthas repeated the unfamiliar word.

"Yeah, right!" Rein said matter-of-factly, "It's just a toll of fifty magic crystals anyway."

He counted on his fingers, his tone even carrying a hint of admiration: "To be honest, the operational strategy for this underground city is really good. Although its reputation isn't great, it's stable. Look at those traditional underground cities, you have to risk your life, and if you get injured, you have to rest and recover, which is such a waste of time."

Arthas remained silent.

"Fifty magic crystals, not expensive." Oris looked at Arthas, "but this time you don't need to pay."

Renn paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"We won't pay this time, let's give it a try." Oris's gaze swept across the area ahead, and she smiled. "I think we can handle the goblin leader."

"Force their way in?" Renn's eyes widened. "Sis, that's over three hundred goblins plus the goblin leader!"

"There are a total of 372, of which 37 are elites, and the goblin leader has evolved six times."

"You know that, yet you still chose to take the risk?"

"So what? Doesn't mentoring newcomers have to start with combat?" Oris looked at Arthas and asked, "What does Dick think? You seem pretty calm the whole time."

Arthas narrowed his eyes. He could sense that this archer named Oris was quite skilled, definitely not at the level of a bronze adventurer.

The problem is, Arthas is now very curious about what the goblin leader is up to.

"Um... I'll pay."

"You're going to pay?" Renn exclaimed in surprise. "One hundred and fifty magic crystals! Where did a newbie like you get so many?"

"I saved it up," Arthas replied without changing his expression. "I've been saving it up for a long time for this strategy."

Of course it's a lie.

The magic crystals in the bag were just something I grabbed from the dungeon vault before leaving. I didn't count them when I took them, but there were probably a few hundred.

Humans and monsters have different economic systems. Humans use gold coins to trade, while magic crystals are the money of monsters.

In any case, Arthas planned to deduct the magic crystals he handed over directly from the goblin chieftain's salary!

No matter how you calculate it, he's not losing out.

"If you're willing to take me, I'll pay for it."

"Are you sure?" Renn still couldn't believe it: "One hundred and fifty magic crystals isn't a small amount..."

"I'm sure."

The three stopped talking and walked into the underground city. It was unusually quiet, and there wasn't even a goblin in sight.

There are no monsters...

Those lazy green bastards!!

Arrive at the BOSS area.

Arthas suppressed his anger and strode towards the massive wooden door in front of him.

A wooden sign hung crookedly on the wooden door, with a few lines of text written on it in Common Language:

Welcome to the first level of Dark Hemkas – the Goblin Tribe

Toll fee: 50 magic crystals per person

Group ticket: 150 Magic Crystals/4-person team

Newbie Ticket: 25 Magic Crystals/person

Note: A Black Iron-level Adventurer's Certificate is required.

Friendly reminder: Pay safely.

—Goblin Leader (signature)