Chapter 251 – Losing the Rabbit (4)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
Over time, the value of legendary grade items had increased beyond description.
And the value of A+ rank dungeons, where one had a high chance of obtaining them, also increased beyond description.
Naturally, the number of people who secretly possessed A+ ranked dungeons also increased steadily.
The Lightning King was one of them.
No, it was inevitable.
“The scariest thing about the Lightning King’s Thunderbird, was the fact that there were no better partners than them when it came to doing something illegal.”
In order to possess a dungeon, and be somewhat of a dungeon broker, one first needed the ability to deal with the monsters coming out of the dungeon, and the ability to remove the evidence afterwards.
When it came to 1 and 2 Floor dungeons, this wasn’t much of a problem since these dungeons could be killed with normal a.s.sault rifles.
However, 5 Floor dungeons and above were naturally different stories.
When the Ogres had appeared in Paris, France, they needed to use anti-tank mines and anti-tank rockets to deal with them.
“Because Thunderbird could even give you an Apache helicopter as long as you could afford it.”
Thunderbird was the only place in the world where one could use such a level of military power privately.
“More importantly, the Lightning King was not negligent when it came to building connections.”
In addition, by using Thunderbird, the Lightning King was able to create connections with many powerful people around the world.
“And his connection with the United Kingdom was particularly deep.”
the United Kingdom was also among them.
Just like j.a.pan, when the world was transformed to a game, the United Kingdom also feared isolation, which was one of the limitations to being an island.
Furthermore, by 2020, when the world became a game, the United Kingdom had already left the European Union. (TL: the author said the ‘eurozone’ but the UK was never a part of the eurozone so I changed it accordingly)
With its political and economic relations with mainland Europe entering a delicate stage, the United Kingdom sought to secure a new route of activity and a new stronghold. (TL: Just gonna use ‘the UK’ from now on…)
And they chose Thunderbird as their partner in the process.
“In fact, they’ve already established a territory for the UK in Brazil. Although it was just a verbal agreement.”
For the UK the region of South and Central America, where the government function had been practically paralysed, was bound to be very attractive.
In any case, the Lightning King had become deeply connected with the UK and had even planted a number of his own subordinates there.
“With such a strong relations.h.i.+p, the Lightning King was pretty lucky to get his hands on a treasure chest.”
And because of this, the Lightning King was able to acquire a treasure chest that appeared in the UK.
“A+ rank 7 Floor dungeon, Land of Dragons.”
A treasure chest where the chance of obtaining a legendary item was almost guaranteed.
“The moment he found the dungeon, he bribed the official in charge and hid it as a C rank 5 Floor Dungeon.”
After hiding it, he simply waited for the time when he was strong enough to clear it himself.
“I’m truly grateful for the inheritance the Lightning King left behind.”
However, the Lightning King had died, so the dungeon naturally fell into the hands of Kim Woo-jin.
“But it’s really not easy to inherit.”
The problem was that it wasn’t possible to inherit it naturally from Kim Woo-jin’s perspective.
There were only two options.
“Well, we could attack it secretly, but…”
One was to attack it secretly.
“The merit is low.”
Unfortunately, there were many problems that came with attacking the dungeon secretly.
Firstly, it would be impossible to release the information to the public.
Regardless of whether the Lightning King was the one who hid it or not, the dungeon was without a doubt a British a.s.set.
“On the other hand, it’s very risky.”
If they were to be discovered, it would certainly be a large blemish on the Saviour Guild’s reputation.
“An open flaw for at least two months would not be ignored.”
More importantly, the Messiah Guild would definitely not miss the flaw created by attacking the dungeon.
It was the same as showing a weakness to a strong predator.
“The other option is to reveal it to the public and bid for it.”
If not, then there was only one other option.
Inform the world about the dungeons existence and take the proper steps to acquire it.
In other words, win the bid through the bidding system.
Of course, even with this option, the Messiah Guild would not stay still.
“But this way is more complicated. The Messiah Guild would be really determined.”
Rather, it was obvious that their eyes would light up with desire and they would rush to bid for it.
It was to be expected.
“Even if the opponent wasn’t the Saviour Guild.”
Symbolism aside, the merit of this dungeon was too large.
A Dragon, a creature that was infinitely more powerful than the Hatchling, had a value that was second only to or maybe even more than that of a legendary item by itself.
“And if we follow the standard method, the Saviour Guild would never beat the Messiah Guild.”
What was very clear to the Saviour Guild was that they had no hope of competing against the Messiah Guild head to head.
That was why they needed to play a trick.
They made the Messiah Guild sink their teeth into a large catch so that they would be unable to catch any other prey.
“And that’s everything that’s happened so far.”
Lee Jin-ah quietly glanced at the golden skill page resting on the table while listening to Kim Woo-jin’s explanation.
“Then was obtaining this Death Knight skill page also part of the plan?”
“I was just lucky.”
At that moment, Lee Jin-ah once again came to a realisation.
‘I can never borrow money from the guy. I’m never going to owe him anything.’
One should never obtain Kim Woo-jin’s resentment.
Kim Woo-jin then spoke to Lee Jin-ah.
“Now, let me explain the next plan.”
“The next plan? Aren’t we just attacking the dungeon?”
“Then the profit wouldn’t be too big.”
“Profit?”
“If you can suck it out, you have to aim for the marrow.”
Lee Jin-ah couldn’t help but feel that Kim Woo-jin was the most frightening and dangerous hunting dog.
…
[The Messiah Guild is set to attack the A- rank!]
[The Messiah Guild beats the Saviour Guild in the compet.i.tion for the bid!]
[The French government does the Messiah Guild a favor!]
Just as the news of the Messiah Guild’s victory spread around the world…
[A 7 Floor dungeon appears in the North York Moors National Park in the UK!]
[The Dungeon is A+ rank!]
As if it had been waiting for that moment, the news of the appearance of an A+ rank 7 Floor dungeon was made known to the world.
[The Saviour Guild bids for the dungeon in the UK!]
[Kim Woo-jin is dispatched to the UK as the Saviour Guild’s representative!]
Soon after, the news of the Saviour Guild’s bid appeared.
The meaning of this was simple.
-Wow, this is how it happens.
-If it’s like this, then the Saviour Guild will probably win the bid for the UK dungeon.
-It can’t be helped since the Messiah Guild has to attack the dungeon in France.
-The Saviour Guild is being helped by the heavens.
That this was the best opportunity for the Saviour Guild.
And that it was the Messiah Guild’s bad luck.
“This is such a headache. It’s driving me crazy.”
The expression on Park s.h.i.+n-hye’s face was definitely not good.
Her expression alone was probably enough to kill a weak willed person.
But even with that look on her face, she didn’t vent her anger.
This was because although she was extremely angry at that moment, she knew that nothing good would come from losing her composure.
“Tell me, is there any way for us to stop the Saviour Guild?”
Furthermore, she knew that the most important thing at that moment was to figure out a way to prevent the Saviour Guild from obtaining the right to attack the dungeon.
At her question, one of her subordinates who had gone to France with her spoke up.
“Currently, we are communicating with the remaining four of the top five guilds.”
“Communicating?”
“To get them to bid for the UK dungeon. If they are given numerous candidates to choose from, the UK government will have no choice but to take some time to decide. The more candidates that step forward, the longer this screening will take.”
Park s.h.i.+n-hye pointed with her chin, gesturing for the subordinate to continue.
Therefore, the subordinate didn’t stop.
“We would at least be able to buy some time. I believe we can make it take up to a month at best.”
It was a reasonably smart method.
As her subordinate had said, since the dungeon had appeared officially, it now belonged to the UK government, and the UK government would have no choice but to carry out a bid for the dungeon following normal procedures.
“The problem is…”
Of course, there was a fatal problem with that plan.
“Whether they can attack a 5 Floor dungeon or not.”
Currently, apart from the Messiah Guild, the members of the top five guilds had never attacked a 7 Floor dungeon.
So common sense dictated that it was incredibly reckless for them to attack an A+ rank 7 Floor dungeon from the start.
“Communicate with them properly. If necessary, use our insiders to let it flow more smoothly.”
But that wasn’t something that the Messiah Guild had to keep in mind.
“If necessary, make them join forces.”
After all, the four guilds could join forces to form an allied team.
“And if possible, include us as well.”
If the Messiah Guild also decided to partic.i.p.ate, then it would become an alliance formed by the top five guilds. Something that would definitely be able to compete against the Saviour Guild.
“It doesn’t matter how you get it done.”
Even if it failed, it was something to consider after it failed.
Now was the time for them to do everything they could.
“Do whatever you can to stop the Saviour Guild from attacking that dungeon.”
‘We can’t destroy the tower that we took so long to build.”
At this rate, the tower that the Messiah Guild had barely managed to build might very well collapse.
“Th-, there…”
“What is it?”
“The Saviour Guild just made an announcement.”
The Saviour Guild responded to her resolute determination.
“What announcement?”
“They’re recruiting partic.i.p.ants to attack the dungeon with them.”
…
The day after the Land of Dragon’s Dungeon appeared, the Saviour Guild declared their bid.
[The Saviour Guild is recruiting partic.i.p.ants to help them attack the dungeon!]
[They are recruiting as much as 400 people, 80% of the maximum number of entries!]
And the next day, the Saviour Guild released news that they would be recruiting people to attack the dungeon.
Naturally, everyone was surprised by the unexpected news.
Then Isaac Ivanov spoke to them directly via a Youtube live broadcast.
“The appearance of this 7 Floor dungeon is said to be an opportunity given to the Saviour Guild by the heavens. I will not deny that. That is why we will do our best to attack this dungeon perfectly. For this reason, we are recruiting players to a.s.sist us this time. After going through our screening and evaluation, anyone is welcomed to help us clear this 7 Floor dungeon perfectly.”
This was an opportunity given to them by heaven, so they would complete it perfectly.
“And after clearing this dungeon, we will immediately target 8 Floor dungeons in the new year!”
And in the year 2025, the Saviour Guild would head to a higher floor.
-As expected of Isaac Ivanov! Perfect!
-Right, this is how a saviour should be.
-This is better than recklessness!
The public was understandably enthusiastic about this fact.
Some even had a certain thought.
-It’s an opportunity for those who never got the chance to attack a 7 Floor dungeon to gain the t.i.tle.
-It’s a bus, a bus. A 7 Floor attack bus!
Those who had never gotten the opportunity to even attack a 7 Floor dungeon would get the golden opportunity to follow Isaac Ivanov and clear one.
-There aren’t any guys who’re planning to step on the bus for free, are there? You’d better pay for your ticket accordingly.
-I think they should at least offer a legendary item.
There was even the public opinion that the applicants should pay partic.i.p.ation fees regardless of their abilities.
What was more surprising was that this wasn’t taken as a joke.
In fact, the big guilds who were faced with this situation, had the same thought as the public opinion.
“This is a great opportunity. In addition to being able to clear a 7 Floor dungeon, it’s a good chance for us to grasp the Saviour Guild’s power.”
“The opportunity to safely attack a 7 Floor dungeon does not come often.”
It was an opportunity for them to experience the peak of 7 Floors when no guild other than the Messiah Guild and Saviour Guild had been able to clear it.
And it was an opportunity that one wouldn’t be able to buy even if they had money.
“It’s not just about skill. You also have to show your sincerity.”
“You have to show a certain level of sincerity.”
So they had no choice but to somehow pay for this thing that couldn’t be bought even with money.
Naturally, there was something they could use to pay for it.
Legendary items!
Isaac Ivanov didn’t tell them that it was necessary to show their sincerity.
Isaac Ivanov also didn’t ask for a price.
“Isaac Ivanov said he would willingly save the world no matter the cost, but I’m different.”
But Kim Woo-jin was different.
In the meeting with the representatives of the large guilds, Kim Woo-jin told them clearly.
“I only believe in sincerity that I can see with my own eyes. Ah, and you know that this is a relative evaluation, don’t you? So don’t forget to show sincerity that’s better than your compet.i.tors.”
Pay the entry fee.
“And you should avoid standing out in the bidding process for no reason.”
Of course, he didn’t forget to threaten them at the same time.
The effect was obvious.
[The Kunlun Guild gives up the bid!]
[The Frontier Guild gives up the bid!]
Of the top five guilds, no one dared to bid against the Saviour Guild when all the other guilds, except the Messiah Guild, wished to ride the Saviour Guild’s bus, so they immediately announced their decisions through the media.
Naturally, the UK government only had one decision to make in this situation.
[The UK government selects the Saviour Guild as the bidder for the Land of Dragons Dungeon!]