Episode 275: Dream in the game becomes reality

59. New rules (5)

Although he was tempted to attack right away, Major Lee Geun-seok, recalling the memory of having almost died once due to a wrong choice, exercised his utmost patience and asked the party members.

"First of all, let's start with the report, right?"

The companions nodded to him.

Just one person.

"Shouldn't we at least do some internal investigation and report?"

Among the people on Rondel's side, Nicole Brown, a member of the first generation of Youngjaewon, said so.

Now only 17 years old, he was a boy Adrian met during the first war he participated in. He was accidentally noticed while selling adult magazines and was taken away.

To him, Adrian was the benefactor of his life.

When it came to loyalty, he was not pushed aside by anyone in the talent pool, and he was willing to give up his life for Adrian.

Adrian was worried about whether to participate in this experiment because he was still young, but he decided to participate by providing sufficient preparations for safety due to Nicole's desire to help the master as soon as possible.

"Don't we have a defense artifact and a space movement artifact for escape that our lord gave us? So, if you look around for a moment and think it's dangerous, you can come out right away, and if hunting is surprisingly easy, you can just continue exploring."

"hmm… … ."

"Even as we are thinking about it, the time for the benefit of first discovering a dungeon is decreasing."

He was so eager to help Adrian that he tended to overdo things.

So sometimes my perspective gets narrowed, but it's only because I'm still young and have little social experience.

In times like this, the role of adults is to guide the boy in the right direction... … .

The problem was that even colleagues from the same gifted academy found Nicole's presence difficult.

There was only one reason: Adrian cared very much for the five first-generation students at Youngjaewon.

The leader of the party was Major Lee Geun-seok, but the party members were watching young Nicole knowingly or unknowingly.

"Well, shall we do that then?"

Party members couldn't help but agree with Nicole's remarks.

Of course, we are not blindly thrusting our necks into an unknown threat.

When hunting monsters, if you use an artifact, items such as magic stones will not drop like when using a firearm.

However, if you say this in reverse, it means that if you give up acquiring the item, there are no restrictions on using the artifact.

They have received various artifacts from Adrian in order to survive.

In other words, Nicole's claim was not something she made without thinking, so others also agree.

"great. "Then let's go in."

So Major Lee Geun-seok decided to lead the party and enter the dungeon.

The entrance to the dungeon was narrow.

If you don't pay attention, it feels like an animal's den.

However, once inside, the space grew rapidly.

It was large enough for three adult men to stand side by side, and soon a large space emerged where all party members could spread out.

"uh? Wait, this is... … ."

But their interest was not limited to expanded space.

A spiritist belonging to Youngjaewon, a former miner who made a contract with an earth spirit, revealed the identity of the dungeon.

"Here is the Mithril Mine!"

"yes?"

"Is that really true?"

"There's a mithril mine on Earth."

When the Spiritualist shouted as they looked at the white pattern engraved like waves on the wall of the cave like veins of gold, all those who came from Rondel swallowed their breath and were astonished.

"Is it good?"

"You can only say it's good!? "It is a metal dozens of times more expensive than the same weight of gold!"

"her… … ."

Adrian is a basic Dragonborn, and he only makes equipment with Adamantium in Orichalcon, so no one except Adrian and Arcia has that much treasure.

Therefore, mithril was considered the best metal in Rondel and boasted a very high price.

"Moreover, because it is a key material for Vanguard and Sky Fortress, it is treated as a strategic material in Rondel. At this level, the content is very high. "Maybe there's crystallized mithril inside."

"Metals crystallize?"

"Yes, Mithril is like that. In particular, crystallized mithril is very expensive due to its high purity. "If you find even one piece and sell it to Rondel, you can easily make over several billion won."

"Oooh!"

"W-Is that really true!?"

The eyes of Korean soldiers, including Major Lee Geun-seok, lit up at that.

Is there anyone in this world who hates money?

When he heard the story about Mithril, he showed enthusiasm as if he had never been reluctant to enter a dungeon.

Recently, rondel minerals such as mana stones and mithril have been discovered in the earth's poisonous regions, but this is the first time that a mithril vein of this size has been discovered.

"It's a monster."

How long has it been since you started exploring the dungeon?

As the road was single, those who kept moving forward saw a white skeleton in their eyes.

There are numerous hunting grounds on Earth, but there are only a few undead type hunting grounds.

In particular, it was their first time dealing with skeletons since there were none in Korea.

-Slap!

However, skeletons are monsters that are higher than goblins or lower than orcs.

They fought with as much caution as possible, thinking they might not know, but they also had a priest of the Sepia Church, and since they were the party that had been catching the Minotaur until just before, they crushed the skeleton without any danger.

"Awesome, it's a weaker monster than an orc, but it gives you as many magic stones as two orcs."

"The bonus for first discovering Duncheon is more than I expected."

The skeletons were in a group of up to 10, and they fought by killing half of them due to the attacks of the wizard, elementalist, and priest.

Thanks to this, I became more confident, and my steps forward became lighter.

"This time it's Skeleton Warrior and Skeleton Knight."

"Do you count?"

"Warriors are greater than orcs and less than orc warriors, and knights are greater than orc warriors and less than trolls."

"I guess that's enough to deal with."

Next, when the Skeleton Warrior and Knight appeared, the amount of magic stones earned was significant.

Even when compared to the Minotaur hunting ground, which was previously thought to be the most efficient, the yield compared to the time was 5 times higher.

This was because, excluding the first discovery bonus, the density of monsters was high, and the compatibility of the party including the priest with the undead dungeon was good.

"Even if the first discovery bonus disappears, I guess I'll have to keep hunting here?"

"Haha, that's right."

The situation we are facing now is all reality.

But is it because the system is so game-like?

They all looked excited as if they were into the game.

but… … .

It didn't take long for that expression to distort.

-Quaaang!

"Tsk!"

"Well, what is it? "Suddenly the level of difficulty increases."

"Let's step back!"

"They keep following me?"

This is because in the section following the appearance of the Skeleton Warrior and Knight, the dragon infantry Spartoy and Lich, which are reinforced versions of the Skeleton, appeared together.

The Spa Toys were a mixed unit of warriors and archers, and three Liches who used level 6 magic supported the Spa Toys.

Naturally, Major Lee Geun-seok's party fled in panic.

Of course, it was a systematic escape, not a life or death, but the problem was that the monsters continued to follow as if they would not back down until they killed the intruder.

To make matters worse, the monsters on the path they passed regenerated and blocked their escape route.

In the end, Major Lee Geun-seok, who held his tongue, spoke to Nicole, who was much younger than him.

"Let's use that."

"All right!"

Nodding quickly, Nicole held out the ring she was working with.

"Grand Shield!"

Then, the 8-circle shield unfolded and surrounded the party members.

-Quaang! Quang!

-thud! thud!

-Kiaaaaa!

In the process of running away, the aggro of numerous monsters is attracted and you are surrounded by hundreds of monsters.

But they were not embarrassed.

No matter how powerful the Spatoy was or how destructive the Lich's magic was, it was never enough to break through the 8th Circle's defense shield.

So everyone was relieved and talked.

"Even though I didn't get the crystallized mithril, I think I did enough exploring. "I also earned a lot of magic stones."

"I agree."

"Then shall we just check out the dungeon and go back to report?"

Everyone nodded at Major Lee Geun-seok's proposal to return.

This time, Nicole had no disagreement.

Once again, Nicole held out her ring-wearing hand.

The ring had a teleportation gate magic built into it.

"Teleport."

[Space movement magic cannot be used inside the dungeon.]

Nicole attempted to teleport to return to the unit with her companions.

But didn't that message appear in front of everyone?

"… … ."

Everyone looked dumbfounded.

This was a completely unexpected pattern.

"Te, teleport!"

[Space movement magic cannot be used inside the dungeon.]

"Blink!"

[Space movement magic cannot be used inside the dungeon.]

"Warp!"

[Space movement magic cannot be used inside the dungeon.]

Nicole, embarrassed, tried using different types of space movement magic one after another, but the dungeon did not allow anything.

Only then did they realize the seriousness of the situation and their complexions turned pale.

-Kiaaaaa!

-bang! Quang!

Monsters were still rampaging outside the shield, and what seemed like nothing before became increasingly scary.

"ha… … ."

Nicole must have thought that this situation was caused by her, so she sighed deeply and massaged her temples in a way that was unbecoming of her young age.

"You don't have to be upset."

And he consoled his agitated colleagues.

A calm demeanor that is not appropriate for a young person.

That action was considered to mean that there was a part of him that believed.

The group looked at the boy as if asking what to do now, and Nicole responded by flopping down on the floor.

"There are two ways."

"What is it?"

When I told them there were two ways, everyone's expressions brightened.

"The first thing is to use 7th or 8th circle attack magic to wipe out the monsters."

You can use the Firestorm and Hellfire artifacts he has.

But there was a problem... … .

"And what are you going to do if the dungeon collapses?"

This is it.

The risk of being buried alive is high.

This is a gambling game based on luck and should be used as a last resort.

Still, when I said there was another way, people just stared at Nicole.

Nicole said with a bitter smile.

"The second thing is to wait."

"yes?"

"I hate causing trouble as much as dying, but my lord, I am sure you will find me."

The second way is to quietly wait for rescue.

Thanks to this, the party members placed their palms on their foreheads.

* * *

The summit was conducted cautiously.

Everyone was watching their mouths as they watched me.

But only two people.

There were people who didn't pay attention to me.

"We, Rondel, are willing to recover and restore the land that Earth has not been able to recover. Of course, the people living in the area are also taken care of. Instead, we will manage the area in the future."

"Please open Earth's hunting grounds to Rondel. If that happens, we will transfer the technology and knowledge that the district wants."

They were the two emperors of the Bringham Empire and my home country, the Reinharts Empire.

As if to prove that they were not the leaders of a great nation for nothing, the two led the meeting as they wished.

For now, I watched the meeting in silence.

Then, one by one, other people began to voice their opinions.

"This is ridiculous! Is Rondel planning to force us to make a unilateral sacrifice!?"

"It's not because you don't have the ability to clean up the abandoned land! "Then you should have taken care of the survivors!"

"That's just a pretext for invasion, isn't it? After all, this is Earth's problem! "It's not something to argue about in Rondel!"

"Now the two worlds are inseparable. "This is so irresponsible."

But in the end, it developed into an argument filled with shouting.

Rondel attacks, Earth defends.

It was a debate in which defense was inevitably more disadvantageous than offense.

There is only one reason: the Earth is being pushed out of power and has even been suppressed.

I was just listening to the story in silence, and when someone even mentioned predicting an armed conflict, I leisurely raised my hand and joined in the conversation.

"First of all, I have no intention of acknowledging any plans to colonize Earth that are already underway or planned to be carried out in Rondel. No matter how abandoned the land is, it is not the land of the Rondel countries."

"However, there are many people living a difficult life in that land. "Isn't it natural for the international community to come to the rescue?"

"Then we can rescue him. "Why are you taking over the land?"

As I defended them, all the people on the Earth side shook their heads loudly.

But you have to listen to the story until the end.

"The area will be managed by an international organization that integrates the Rondel Peace Organization and the Earth's United Nations. And we will help revive the nation that existed in the region."

When they suddenly declared the launch of an international organization encompassing both worlds and said they would collectively manage controversial areas, the complexions of the Earth leaders turned pale.

"No, how is that different from the proposal of Rondel's leaders?"

"It's different. "It doesn't belong to any one country, and in the end, the old country returns in its place."

"No matter how much the country is revived, I think it will be difficult to escape the influence of the international organization you say you will create?"

"That is something to consider at that time. So, let's just leave it there and do nothing?"

Everyone looked shocked at what I said.

To them, it will feel like the meeting is being conducted as a three-way match, including me, rather than a two-way match between Earth and Rondel.

I shamelessly ignored people's comments, suppressed them with force, and forcibly enforced their opinions.

How long did the meeting last in such a one-sided manner?

"Your Highness, I have news to tell you."

While I was busy, I received an unexpected report from a member of the Korean government.

"Major Lee Geun-seok's party has lost contact. "I think he got caught up in some kind of incident."