After having received Diane’s warning, I made sure to keep my stealth activated the entire way to the city. It took me a little under an hour to complete the trek, as the city was just on the edge of the horizon when I entered the dungeon. By the time I arrived, I saw Diane waiting for me. Perhaps it was a sign of my skill’s growth, but she didn’t immediately seem to notice me when I approached, not until I was within ten meters of her.
As soon as I got that close, her head turned and stared at me. With a nod, I deactivated my stealth, and she led me into the city. “Talk as we walk.” She said simply. I could tell that her equipment had been updated once again, having changed to a black leather and cloth attire that tightly hugged her body, including a cloth mask that only revealed her piercing purple eyes.
“So… what is this key, then?” I asked, following along behind Diane, who turned her head to shoot me a look.
“Dungeon key, rare loot. It only drops once per dungeon, according to forums. That’s why first clears are so special, because the longer the dungeon’s been going, the more likely it’s been cleared. Dungeon keys have two functions, but owning one essentially means you own the dungeon.”
I blinked in surprise, glancing at my inventory screen briefly. “Own a dungeon?” I asked in shock, having never heard of anything like that.
“Not directly, but yes. The first function lets you open and close the entrance of the dungeon. This is also why most want it. If they control who gets into the dungeon, they control the supply of dungeon loot, and can sell access.”
My eyes went wide when I heard about this function. Just from that description, I could understand why the existence of these keys weren’t publicized. If the dungeon was forcibly closed, and left closed over a long period of time, then opening it would cause a sudden surge of monsters flooding out. “What’s… the other function?”
Diane sent me another look. “The second function… if a monster is brought into the dungeon and killed, and the key is used on its corpse, the type of monsters in the dungeon can be forcibly changed. However, if you do this, the key breaks, and you have to try to get a new one from the new boss. Also, you only choose the general monster type, not the loot or specific variations.”
Is that how the different cities all have their specialties for skill types? They reset their dungeons until they had one type of skill dropping? I nodded my head, thinking that assumption could be correct. “In that case, what do you do with it?”
“City lord.” Diane explained, leading me towards the very heart of Decashear, which was a large town with busy streets. Knights could be seen on constant patrol, watching for any trouble. “Players found the keys a few days ago, and there are a few ways to deal with them. First, sell them to a guild, who will manage the dungeon. Second, sell them to the city lord in charge of the territory. The city lord pays better, but players will kill if they know you have the key, wanting it for themselves.”
“Right… have you found any keys yourself?” I asked, to which Diane shook her head.
“I haven’t been to any new dungeons. Everything that I want comes from already existing dungeons. Speaking of which… shadow skill, quest?”
I blinked, taking a moment to interpret the request. “Ah, right.” With the serious nature of the discussion, I had completely forgotten to create the quest for her to gain the Animate Shadow skill. Thinking of the skill’s theme and difficulty, I created a quest for her to kill fifty monsters with no more than a five level difference in a dark environment.
When Diane saw the quest, she seemed satisfied. I didn’t know what level she was at the moment, but I knew from experience that she trained quite fast. Despite her Chosen being more on the timid side, she was able to progress at the start far faster than I had.
The two of us approached a large mansion, a pair of guards stepping forward to block the path with their spears. “What’s your business with the lord?” One of them asked in a firm tone.
Diane glanced at me, signaling for me to speak up. “I found a new dungeon, not far from the city, and obtained the dungeon’s key.” I answered honestly, to which Diane nodded her head.
The guards glanced at one another, and the one that had previously remained quiet turned to enter the mansion. “The lord will be notified. When he calls for you, answer in as much detail as you can about the nature of the dungeon, including the terrain, monster type, and drops.” The remaining guard instructed. When I heard that I would be coming to see the city’s lord, I had assumed that such an inquiry would take place.
Soon, the second guard emerged, guiding Diane and I inside. We were led through the halls, and to a reception area where a woman with short, white hair and green eyes sat on a brown couch. She wore a sleeveless, black dress and glasses, tucking her hair behind one ear. “My apologies for the delay.” She smiled, gesturing for the two of us to sit down across from her. “My name is Clara Deshear, and I am the lord of Decashear.”
When her hair parted, I was able to catch a glimpse of a burnt-out mark, indicating that she was also a Fallen, though it was hard to tell what level she was. “My name is Drake, and this is Diane.” I introduced the two of us, and Clara nodded her head.
“I was told that you conquered a new dungeon, and obtained its key?” She asked in interest. Realizing that now was the time, I explained my encounter, how I had found the hidden dungeon’s entrance with one of my skills, what monsters were in the dungeon, as well as the boss monster’s skills.
When I got to its trait, Clara looked over at me in surprise. “You obtained a trait scroll from the boss?” She asked, to which I nodded my head.
“I did, but I used it myself already, since it is very compatible with my own skill set. The trait was called Trained Physique, three stars, and increases the effectiveness of physical enhancement skills.” Her eyes widened slightly when she heard that, seeming to think it through.
“What else did you get from the boss?” She asked, though I shook my head.
“All I got from the boss, as well as the chest afterwards, was the trait scroll, a contract, some gold, and the key.” Honestly, I was thinking whether that was too much or too little. I knew that a contract’s market price was ten gold, so my total earnings from just the boss were almost forty gold, if the trait was counted.
“I see… that makes sense. You said that the boss was level fifty. Contracts do have a low chance of dropping from bosses starting at that level.” Clara placed her hands in her lap, seemingly lost in thought as she considered the key’s value. “There are two ways that we can proceed here. First, you sell me the key directly, and the dungeon is regarded as a public dungeon, just as most are. I can offer you a price of five platinum coins for this transaction.”
My eyes went wide in shock, and I looked at Diane for confirmation, but she only shrugged. It seemed that she was also unaware of the market price for keys. Seeing this exchange, Clara smiled knowingly. “A normal dungeon that has a boss level of fifty can only be sold for one platinum coin at most. However, the situation changes when one of the common loot drops in the dungeon is currency. Typically, the value for any key is the equivalent of running the dungeon fifty times, to account for any rare loot that you are forfeiting by giving up the dungeon rights..”
“From the estimate you gave me, I can assume that a normal dungeon run could earn, on average, ten gold per participant if they opened every chest for the first time. Thus, the price of five platinum coins is well deserved.”
“The other transaction I can offer is also due to the dungeon dropping coins. This transaction will have a lower down payment, but will continue to accrue over time. You could consider this as loaning the dungeon to the city’s guards. In this way, the dungeon will not be open to the public, and will be used as a training ground for my troops. In exchange, you will have one tenth of the coins supplied by the dungeon deposited into your account, and one twentieth the total value of any non-currency loot.”
I had to admit that I was tempted by the second offer. A steady source of income over time would make things a lot easier in the future. Depending on how many people are sent in for each dungeon run, that could be enough for a normal person to retire and live a comfortable life. However, what I needed more at the moment was a larger up-front payment. Additionally, if I took the second option, I wouldn’t be able to enter the dungeon myself to try for any of the other skills or loot that could be offered.
“I think I’ll go with the up-front payment.” I answered with a nod, taking the key from my inventory and setting it on the table between us.
Clara seemed somewhat surprised, but nodded her head and removed five shimmering coins from her own inventory to place on the table as well, their color brighter than typical silver. “Most players I’ve heard about lately chose the second option when they could.”
I gave a small chuckle, unequipping my helmet. When she saw the burnt out brand, her eyes went wide with realization. “I see… would you like me to introduce you to a realtor? With this much money, you could quite easily afford a house in the city.”
I shook my head, putting the helmet back on. “I appreciate it, but I don’t think I’m done just yet.” Clara gave an understanding nod at that, not saying anything else as she placed the key in her inventory, and I did the same with the coins. Now that I had platinum, I’d need to get an account with a system bank before I left the city.
Diane and I left the lord’s manor, and she glanced over at me. “So, why are you missing gear?” She asked, pointing at my chest, covered with only a simple shirt. It… certainly made me look out of place with the rest of my set.
“Can’t help it.” I shook my head. “The back of my breastplate was caved in during the boss fight, so it’s not convenient to wear it right now. I was thinking of visiting a blacksmith to get it repaired, but… maybe it would be better to completely upgrade my equipment?” I had only just gotten this equipment when I left Arcanhide, so I was somewhat reluctant to part with it already. However, it was a simple fact that it wasn’t able to properly protect me in a high level fight. I could put my Shadow Plate skill on a new armor set, anyways.
“I know a guy.” She said, guiding me away from the mansion. “Are you wanting heavy or medium armor?”
I thought about that for a moment. “I’d be fine with medium armor, as long as it comes with a decent shield. Also, I need a new bow.” My existing bow had an innate poison effect, but it was only a drop from a level thirty-five monster, after all. If I had a strong enough bow, I would not have suffered so much during the previous boss battle.
Diane paused, before seemingly remembering the bow that I had offered her previously. “He should be able to help with that.” She nodded her head to confirm. Soon, we could hear the sound of metal being struck as we approached a shop.
After opening the door, she led me inside to what appeared to be a player shop, noted by the fact that it sold both weapons and armor of various types in the same place. She walked to a door leading to the back room and knocked on it. “Hey, Hammer! I got a customer!”
After she said that, the sound of metal being struck paused, and she took two steps back. The door flew open, and a dwarf with shaggy brown hair and blue eyes stepped out. “Oi, someone say customer?” He asked with a wide grin, and Diane jerked her thumb towards me. Were there already players able to handle such high level materials?
