Chapter 8: It Will Definitely Surprise You

Bed City, outskirts.

Hood shadowing his face, the furtive Jack carried a great sword tightly wrapped in cloth, making his way through the dense forest.

What was he going to do?

A seemingly abandoned watchtower; that was his destination.

Jack rhythmically knocked on the wooden door, which creaked open, revealing a desolate scene covered in dust.

But when he pressed a certain mechanism on the fireplace, the stony ground automatically opened up, revealing a passageway leading underground!

And through that tunnel lay a vast secret base.

It turns out this was a meeting place for black market traders!

Those shady items, strictly forbidden for sale in Bed City, circulated right here.

As a Stealth with decent skills, Jack could only offload his ill-gotten gains on the black market, naturally joining the small group of black market traders.

"I need to see the boss, got some great news!"

Soon, Jack was led to a secret chamber in the deepest part of the base, where a fat man with a belly sat opposite him, his face full of intimidating scars and his shrewd eyes shining cleverly.

Sekman, the most seasoned and powerful black market trader in the vicinity of Bed City, everyone called him "Boss".

Jack didn't make small talk, simply placing the great sword before Sekman and said mysteriously, "Found it in the Sain Dungeon, have your men pick it up and try it."

"What's this, all this secrecy? What good stuff can you old fogey even bring out? Looks like just an ordinary sword to me."

Sekman sneered, casually grasping the great sword.

"Oh oh oh, this, this is!"

Moments later, the secret chamber was packed with people, all crowding around the appraiser, anxiously waiting for the appraisal result.

"Indeed, it is a miraculous weapon," the appraiser regretfully put down the great sword, "I've lived so many years, never have I seen a weapon that could bestow Combat Skills on its wielder."

"Has there never been such a thing in history?" Sekman pressed on.

The appraiser shook his head, then nodded slightly "Perhaps... only a Divine Artifact in the legends could do that."

Divine Artifact!

Everyone's breath paused for a beat, exchanging glances full of surprise and delight in each other's eyes.

Sekman slapped the table hard, his fatty flesh trembling as he laughed.

"Damn it, we're going to be rich this time!"

"We're getting rich!"

"Old Jack, you've done great, done so very well!"

Becoming the center of attention, Jack felt for the first time what it was like to be the focus of thousands, and immediately raised his hands high, calling out excitedly:

"Let's organize the teams quickly, I'll lead the way! It's finally our turn to strike it rich!"

Years of conning, robbing, stealing, and evading city management have forged an unusual type of "kinship" among these black market traders, one of empathy that's closer than that of real relatives!

When there's a chance to make a big score, everyone joins in the gain! The risk is shouldered by all!

Jack and his group had already become the first gang to realize the "value" of the Sain Dungeon.

Before others discovered this value, they must swarm into the Dungeon, to make enough money for a lifetime of ease!

Apart from the excited group of black market traders, some "official" folks were also starting to investigate the Sain Dungeon.

"Last check of the equipment, we're about to enter the Dungeon,"

Steeran shouted to the team of several people behind her.

"Do you think this group can make it? They all look like they've never been to a Dungeon," Huynh, the Sword Shield Warrior, whispered, and the rest of his companions also looked worried.

Steeran spread her hands helplessly and said, "After all, it's a commission from the Bed City Lord, let's take care of them a bit, and try not to let them die too early."

"I've emphasized to them how dangerous the Sain Dungeon has become, but this bunch insisted it was no big deal and insisted on following, what could I do?"

The news of the Sain Dungeon undergoing a horrific alteration spread like wildfire throughout the whole Bed City after the entire day yesterday, causing a huge commotion.

Many adventurers who wanted to challenge this place were scared off, but even more people were stirred up with fighting spirit because the ultimate goal of doing this business is adventure!

The Count Bed, who rules over Bed City, is making a killing with a constant influx of new adventurers!

Apart from profiting off adventurers, the Bed Family developed a Potion named "Blood Healing Potion," which is competitive in the market due to its unique effects and relatively low price.

The main ingredient for producing the "Blood Healing Potion" is a unique red ore called "Blood Essence" found only in the Sain Dungeon.

Every day, hundreds of miners belonging to the Bed Family enter the Dungeon, exclusively mining Blood Essence.

But yesterday's alteration caught them off guard, and all the miners who entered the Dungeon were wiped out, resulting in a production of zero Blood Essence for the entire day!

This wouldn't do, the Blood Healing Potion was the Bed Family's lifeline, they simply couldn't give it up!

Thus, Count Bed commissioned the Silver Rank adventurer teams in the vicinity, asking them to lead his mining experts to re-explore Sain Dungeon.

To see if there were any changes in the production, quality, and distribution areas of Blood Essence after the alteration.

A total of four Silver Rank adventurer teams took on the commission, each team counting the mining experts numbered up to ten people, which is the limit for the number of people that can enter a Dungeon through a Teleportation Gate at once.

The Dungeon has a very magical mechanism—

[A maximum of only ten people can explore together]

So, what about the others?

The answer is that other people can also explore normally, exploring the same Dungeon, yet it's somewhat different.

Simply put, the Sain Dungeon that each person explores is a different "mini-world," and these mini-worlds are indistinguishable from one another, the only difference being the explorers themselves; these worlds do not interfere with each other, and the rewards collected and monsters killed can be regenerated after a one-day cooldown (CD) upon exit.

If the Dungeon is likened to a "Instance Mechanism" of an online game, then it's easy to understand.

And the Dungeon's Teleportation Gate can automatically identify who are teammates and who are not, hardly ever will there be mistakes where someone enters into someone else's world.

"Why is it that the mining experts protected by other teams are all polite and trouble-free, but only the ones we encounter..."

Steeran looked back at the "experts," who were so jovial they seemed to be on an outing, and couldn't help shaking her head.

These aren't experts at all, they clearly seem like rich kids on vacation, and I can even see Count Bed's eldest son and second son among them.

This expedition probably won't be too comfortable.

"Let's move out! Put those bottles away! I've said not to bring things with a strong smell!"

The tall and burly Huynh shouted, and only then did the people behind reluctantly put down their bottles, which Steeran saw and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

"Stay close to me, and don't get scattered,"

Steeran led the way, being the first to walk into the Teleportation Gate, and the rest hurried to follow.

When the last person came through and bumped into the backpack of the person in front, he complained, "What's the deal? Why isn't the person in front moving?"

"I don't know, the leader seems to have frozen, these country bumpkin adventurers always get all excited over nothing,"

At the very front of the team, Steeran was staring blankly at the scene in front of her, mouth open but no sound coming out, her delicate body trembling slightly.

Huynh, her fellow traveler, spoke for her, the words that were stuck in her throat:

"Why the hell has this place changed again!?"