Ch.247247. Dungeon (3)

Bahamut himself might have scolded people for panicking and rushing over trivial matters, but objectively speaking, his unnecessary perfectionism had made this situation much bigger than it needed to be.

To be honest, until now, Awakened training had been nothing but unscientific, haphazard methods without any scientific basis. This was the first time that the Dragon God’s training ground had been announced as a space where practitioners could level up with the Dragon God Bahamut’s personal guarantee.

“But this isn’t the first dungeon! They might not be common in Asia, but overseas, dungeons are everywhere!”

Of course, sufficient leveling up was possible by exploring and conquering dungeons, as seen in overseas cases. However, that wasn’t training but rather real combat with blood and flesh flying—putting one’s life on the line. The risk of leveling up while risking one’s life was extremely high. Not to mention that not every Awakened was willing to walk the path of suffering, pursuing strength at the cost of their lives.

“If you can level up safely without risking your life, you’d pay money to use it. Would you really want to go on expeditions to dangerous dungeons?”

“Don’t you want to level up with a safety margin?”

Yes, life was precious, and for those who valued their lives, the Dragon God’s training ground was inevitably attractive. To level up higher, one had to throw themselves into endless struggles in places of war or conflict, and only by surviving those struggles could one become superhuman.

Considering that the Yamato Union, a neighbor of Seorabeol, had sacrificed hundreds or thousands to produce a single superhuman but failed to produce even one, it was extremely difficult to level up at higher levels. One needed both talent and effort to reach the realm of the superhuman, and talented Awakened were few, while untalented ones were many.

“And isn’t this essentially an educational institution that allows you to level up in a safe place?”

For such Awakened, this could be a sanctuary where they could level up without dying. Unlike overseas dungeons, the dungeon developed by the Dragon God automatically healed critical wounds inflicted by monsters during training, and even if those constraints were exceeded and one’s life was in danger, forced teleportation to the dungeon entrance was possible. Moreover, if a practitioner expressed a desire to return, there was an automatic return function, providing basic convenience of movement.

“There’s plenty of food and water inside the dungeon too. It’s really perfect for training, isn’t it?”

The dungeon interior didn’t even look like a dungeon—it showed a naturally breathtaking landscape with a sunny, wide plain and undulating grasslands with gentle breezes. Those who witnessed this endless natural environment for training couldn’t help but say this was truly a space for Awakened granted by the Dragon God. Most Awakened participating in the Awakened project had already begun efficient leveling up at the Dragon God’s training ground under Bahamut’s guidance.

That efficiency was gradually being proven through the Awakened participating in the project, and essentially, Bahamut had put his own name on that efficiency. Moreover, if one saw the dedicated barbecue zone, outdoor hot springs, and temporary sleeping tents prepared for the convenience and accommodation of novice Awakened, the atmosphere was so relaxed that one might naturally ask, “Is this really a dungeon? Aren’t we just camping?”

“Wait, isn’t this a business opportunity?”

Even Kim Tae-hyun, who had the chance to witness this scene firsthand, thought it was a golden opportunity for a new business.

“What do you mean, a business opportunity?”

“Think about it. While it’s luxurious by dungeon standards, the barbecue zone is actually quite basic—you just cook ingredients you bring from outside. The outdoor hot springs are just bare hot springs with no facilities you’d expect at a hot spring, and the temporary sleeping tents are just ordinary cheap tents sold in Seorabeol.”

Honestly, the conveniences and facilities provided by the Dragon God were truly basic, with none of the conveniences one would find in a city. This meant there was bound to be some inconvenience in using the facilities, and while this might be top-tier in a dungeon environment, if such services were offered outside the dungeon, they would be considered low-quality services deserving of negative reviews or accusations of being a shady merchant.

But since it was originally a place for training, Bahamut had to prioritize, and he had focused on the training rather than the practitioners’ amenities. However, from the users’ perspective, complaints could arise!

“Right? But isn’t it all free, so they should be grateful?”

“No, Awakened have a lot of money! From the perspective of wealthy Awakened, they’d want to spend more money for more convenient services.”

That’s precisely what Kim Tae-hyun was targeting—that weakness. Awakened had money. In reality, being an Awakened was a profession that earned more than an ordinary household, and especially early Awakened or those supported by guilds naturally accumulated money.

Moreover, if they had gained entry to the Dragon God’s training ground, it meant they had broken through fierce competition to obtain an entry ticket. Considering that even overseas Awakened were participating in this training ground, they certainly wouldn’t be short on money. If you asked whether wealthy Awakened who were used to luxurious treatment would suddenly want to enjoy poor asceticism in the name of training, they would naturally demand higher quality and service by paying money.

“…That’s true.”

Even reporter Kang Jae-wan, who had been quietly listening to Kim Tae-hyun’s logic, was convinced that if quality services were placed in the Dragon God’s training ground, people would be willing to pay for them.

“While I can’t claim ownership of the hot springs since they belong to Bahamut, I could place professional massage therapists and skincare staff near the hot springs. For the barbecue zone, I could provide room service-level meals for Awakened who find cooking troublesome—they’d pay good money for that! Moreover, there are only training grounds but no entertainment facilities, so if I secure those early, that could be quite profitable too.”

“I’m understanding this quickly! Tae-hyun!”

The private sector fills what the state lacks. Kim Tae-hyun had already thought about services to provide to Awakened entering the training ground and was beginning to make investment plans. Even Kang Jae-wan standing beside him was convinced it was a business with plenty of potential.

“In other words, the Dragon God’s training ground has the chance to become a tourist attraction!”

This signaled the revival of Ulsan’s tourism industry, but as mentioned earlier, Bahamut himself had used it as a means to improve the quality of Awakened rather than for economic effect. Yet as time passed, there was only news of economic benefits for Ulsan’s economy, while the actual reason for the dungeon’s creation wasn’t being heard much.

That’s not to say the Dragon God’s training ground had become a useless dungeon.

“Finally, I’m leveling up.”

For Awakened who had been stuck at their level, it was truly a necessary dungeon. Especially deep inside the dungeon, powerful monsters were prepared for high-level Awakened, and Awakened could level up by hunting monsters inside the dungeon.

Baek Jong-hwi, the guild master of Hwacheon Sword Tower, one of Seorabeol’s three major guilds, had finally reached level 19 after being stuck at level 18 for a long time, leaving him just one step away from the realm of the superhuman. Yes, the realm of the superhuman! All Awakened in the world desperately wanted to surpass level 20, a realm that talented Awakened reached after countless struggles and efforts.

“Ah, what a shame. They said level 19 is the limit here.”

The disappointing part was that while it guaranteed up to just before the superhuman realm, it didn’t guarantee the superhuman realm itself. Nevertheless, Baek Jong-hwi was satisfied with finally reaching level 19 after being stuck for so long.

And considering that not just himself but other guilds and Hwacheon Sword Tower guild members would use this training ground, and everyone would emerge as high-level Awakened, this policy of Seorabeol was one that pleased the three major guilds. There were even rumors that the Seorabeol cabinet had proposed this to Bahamut to cooperate more closely with the three major guilds, so not just the three major guilds but all private guilds established in Seorabeol unanimously praised this policy.

“So this is where the free profit ends.”

Above all, the biggest advantage of the training ground was that one could earn significant profits while training to level up. Yes, when hunting monsters that appeared here, while one couldn’t obtain monster by-products, one could obtain items called magic stones—condensed magical power. Moreover, these were magic stones imbued with Bahamut’s magical power, and Awakened like Baek Jong-hwi who conquered the deepest parts had opportunities to obtain top-grade magic stones, making them a priority item to farm if one reached the deepest part.

“I’d like to farm more here, but I’ll be forcibly ejected from the Dragon God’s training ground in 30 seconds.”

Their price was incomparable to magic stones dropped by ordinary monsters. Just the term “magic stones imbued with the Dragon God’s power” had shocked not only the Seorabeol Mage Society but also the Yamato Union, the United States, the European Union, and even Seorabeol itself.

In North Ulsan, each country had already established branches and entered into diplomatic battles and interest competitions just to purchase these magic stones, which was also having a significant impact on Ulsan’s revival.

“This isn’t what I wanted!? Seriously! It was supposed to be a place for Awakened to undergo hardship!?”

Of course, this was absolutely not the direction Bahamut had wanted, and in terms of economic effects, it seemed this foolish dragon had no sense of moderation. Still, given the situation, Bahamut could finally realize the value of the training ground he had created.

“Since there’s a level restriction, I can’t hunt anymore.”

To prevent unfair gains, each floor had a level limit for hunting, and once that level was reached, one couldn’t hunt monsters anymore. This meant that depending on the Awakened’s talent, the magic stones they could acquire were predetermined. Talented Awakened could rise quickly but couldn’t obtain many magic stones, though they could aim for the superhuman realm through rapid leveling up.

Conversely, relatively untalented Awakened could sit in the training ground for a long time, mining magic stones, and if they reached level 19, they could save up a substantial amount with the magic stones they had patiently collected, so they had no complaints. Would there be any complaints?

“It’s legal coin mining!”

“Let’s get that rice money!”

Guilds had even emerged that targeted only the magic stones dropped in the Dragon God’s training ground. For them, magic stones imbued with Bahamut’s magical power were a stable and certain source of income with excellent liquidity, so it was determined that just mining and selling these magic stones was a viable business that could sustain a livelihood.

This led to the emergence of magic stone mining Awakened who exchanged the magic stones they dropped for cash to sustain their livelihood—colloquially known as “rice-eating” Awakened.

“Here’s a monster with high experience. You just need to catch this one!”

“Are you… okay with that?”

“Of course! This tiny monster is enough for me.”

Professional magic stone acquisition formulas were already being rapidly spread within the training ground, as guilds that smelled money were not just one or two. They completely forgot it was a training ground and began hunting monsters two levels below them, or even monsters that couldn’t be used for experience, essentially becoming miners inhabiting the training ground to obtain magic stones.

Bahamut, sensing a crisis, imposed a penalty that prevented hunting monsters once a certain level was reached, but this was insufficient to stop the rice-eating Awakened.

“We only pick monsters with low experience! And we pass high-experience monsters to Awakened who want quick graduation!”

While they couldn’t mine magic stones from monsters that couldn’t be used for experience, the method of hunting large numbers of monsters two levels below to obtain large amounts of magic stones hadn’t been blocked yet.

As a result, the market price of magic stones began to fluctuate dramatically, and other events that even Bahamut hadn’t anticipated began to occur one after another. However, he couldn’t choose the option of firmly nerfing the hunting of monsters two levels below as well.

“Damn it! I can’t penalize Awakened who hunt monsters two levels below for safety reasons!”

That’s because the purpose of the dungeon was to level up safely, not to seek unnecessary hardships or difficulties. The Rice-Eating Group… no, the Magic Stone Group meticulously targeted this point to create a structure where they could earn magic stones for sustenance, and this magic stone mining structure began to spread beyond guilds to the private sector.

With news of the Magic Stone Group safely obtaining high-efficiency profits…

“Let’s get that rice money!”

“Who needs a one-time jackpot! What’s important is a job that can support you for life!”

With rumors that it was a high-income job that could support half a lifetime as long as the importance of magic stones didn’t decrease, even those who had no interest in Awakened began to show interest.

“I hate humans!”

It was truly disappointing for a dungeon created to train Awakened to end up like this, but ultimately, it was Bahamut’s fault for designing the reward distribution poorly, given that profits could be made from monsters caught in this training ground.

Huh? If there’s no reward at the end of a challenge, no one would do it? Well, that’s Bahamut’s responsibility for not properly designing the reward system, but it’s certainly not the private sector’s responsibility.

After all, the root cause of all this was Bahamut, who created the best rice-eating structure without any thought! Or maybe not.