ASPARTA: the land of intelligence

The protagonist of this novel is John, a 25-year-old man from Seoul who proposes to his girlfriend for the eighth time, only to be rejected by her father who wants someone unconventional for his daughter. John attempts to go on an adventure to find something that will please her father. He decides to go on a trip to the underground dungeon which is surrounded by rumors and mysteries, including the fact that it was the last place John's parents visited. He turns to his grandfather who summons a friend who gives John an old book belonging to a person who had previously visited the dungeon, but the book is incomplete. John enters the dungeon and after a long journey, an collapse occurs, and he finds himself in a barren desert where he meets two people who guide him to a nearby city called Asparta, which was celebrating its special day, Asparta Day. John enters the city and meets two friends who tell him about the laws of Asparta and how people deal with intelligence units instead of money, and how the poorest (dumbest) person in the city is sacrificed on Asparta Day. When he decides to leave, they tell him that the door he entered from has been closed and will not open until the next year on Asparta Day.