VIP Chapter 138: The Source of the Enchantment Stone?
Actually…
Will had already completely forgotten about it.
He was as surprised to discover items identical to game assets in this world as he was quick to forget about it once he realized S was a beautiful young girl.
What a big deal, right? Just some game assets mixed in.
Was it a bigger deal than his long-time bro actually being a cute girl?
…
No, wait!
This was a really big deal!
How could the original world, the world of the Original Work, possibly contain original materials adapted from it?
“Um, Shuna, you said the dungeon was here? Then… then we have to investigate quickly. Which dungeon is it? Hmm… my level might not be enough, but if Shuna has already reached S Rank… umph!”
Will’s hasty words were cut short as Shuna fed him a mouthful of grilled fish, effectively silencing him.
Not bad, the grilled fish really did taste good.
“Don’t rush. That dungeon did appear here, but it’s already… been cleared.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. If such a terrifying, unreasonably overpowered monster appeared, it would definitely accelerate the process of clearing it. Your family might even have gotten involved. Oh, I was actually part of the clearing team back then. That Emperor guy was super weak.”
Shuna made a lot of sense.
This was related to the Adventurer’s Guild system of the Hysterm Family nowadays.
Compared to the past, where they cleared various dungeons aimlessly, suffered sacrifices in new areas, unreasonably fought against stronger foes, and top teams hoarded high ranks in the Adventurer’s Guild by staying safe in low-level dungeons…
It was better to rationalize risks and control them.
Now, not only were individual Adventurers ranked, but entire Adventuring Teams and Dungeons were also ranked. The levels had also become more numerous, ranging from C to S, with several ranks in between.
Cross-rank challenges were now forbidden by the Guild. S Rank dungeons required strict review and confirmation of external rescue teams before entry. High-ranking Adventurers were also not allowed to enter excessively low-level dungeons.
There were also restrictions on the most important aspect, the cleared floors. Because every ten floors cleared granted a recognizable stone from the dungeon, they now basically required a report every ten floors, or the Guild would come to apprehend people.
Because of this, even the weakest Adventurers could now get by in some dungeons with particularly low rankings, which led to an increasing number of Adventurer teams.
In fact, the dungeon that served as the beginner’s stage was already close to B5 Rank. Most newly formed teams could still enjoy themselves in C or even D Rank dungeons.
“Then that means this lead is cut off…”
“Not at all. Actually, that dungeon in Nov, the one called Green Wilderness Trace? I found that thing too—it always feels awkward to call it without a proper name. Since it’s a green, strange stone, how about calling it Green Ghost Stone?”
…
Upon hearing this, Will’s mind was flooded with a massive amount of information.
“You’re not telling me something this important sooner?!”
Will didn’t really care about the name.
What to call an enchantment material was basically a matter of drawing it and handing it to the copywriters, letting them come up with a name.
Uh…
However, the names they usually came up with were a bit better than Shuna’s taste in naming.
“Little Will, don’t demand too much from someone who was drunk…”
Shuna said, reaching for the beer bottle on the table.
Why was there beer?
Grilled fish without beer was an unforgivable sin!
“…You should drink this today. Explain it clearly to me.”
Will preemptively swapped his orange juice with that bottle of alcohol.
This was strange. Shuna seemed to be drinking for the first time last night, yet she acted like a seasoned drunkard!
“There’s a reason I didn’t say anything. Unlike last time when I could still find a complete Green Ghost Stone…” Shuna fumbled in her pocket, and from the pocket where she kept her illustrated guide, she pulled out a tiny fragment of stone, no bigger than a fingernail. “After the fight, only this much of the stone was left.”
Will took it and examined it carefully under the light.
Indeed…
The color could still barely indicate it was of the same kind, but without a shape or texture, even Will couldn’t be sure if it was the same.
Moreover, perhaps because it was shattered, some chalky, calcified marks could be seen on the edges of the fragment, making it even more different from the complete stone.
“If it weren’t for the fact that the Green Mane Lion was indeed enhanced by it, and the fight became a bit awkward, I probably wouldn’t have discovered it.”
“Hmm…”
Will fell into thought.
Before seeing this, he had envisioned a more plausible reason.
The existence of such an enchantment stone in only one dungeon could be explained by this world’s dungeons constantly evolving and digging them up.
The word “digging” was quite apt. In reality, the continuous downward expansion of dungeons was also related to the efforts of the monsters. In places unseen by humans, they built deeper dungeons in their own way.
Dungeons inherently contained all possibilities of this world, so it wasn’t strange for them to dig up enchantment stones that closely resembled those from games; it could be considered like a single pull gacha for an SSR.
But…
“There’s the same thing in more than one dungeon? But it’s not among the general output materials of the dungeons, such a thing…”
“Yes, and what’s strange is. Guess what kind of dungeon was here before?”
“…A coastal city, if we go by stereotypes… related to the ocean?”
“That’s right. There were many jumping dolphins and drifting seaweed. You should understand what I mean—”
“Green Wilderness Trace is a dungeon with a clear forest theme.”
Will and Shuna exchanged glances.
Although this was only their second day meeting, years of correspondence and their shared knowledge of dungeons meant they understood each other’s unspoken thoughts with just a glance…
“Dungeons that are vastly different are even less likely to produce the same special material.”
“Exactly. I came to that conclusion all at once back then too.”
Shuna placed the small stone on the tabletop. Despite her usually frivolous demeanor, she placed it down gently this time.
“You think, within the dungeons, there might be… some kind of trading network? That way, things could be passed between them?”
“This… this is a bit…”
Will dared not answer.
Not because he didn’t know, but precisely because, as someone who had read the “Original Work,” he understood very well—
Dungeons not only existed but were possibly far larger and more complex than she imagined.
He dared not answer simply because this was a secret setting of the Original Work, “knowledge that should not be known by those outside the dungeons.”
It was like forbidden books, something that should not be spread among humans.
“Perhaps.”
“Speaking of which, I’m quite curious about the inside of dungeons. Since we have the Adventurer’s Guild for clearing dungeons, perhaps the dungeons also have some kind of ‘Anti-Adventurer’s Guild’ to exchange information about Adventurers, or even tag super strong, difficult Adventurers like us with ‘high-risk’ titles?”
Good lord, Shuna’s casual speculation was getting closer and closer to reality.
