Chapter 35
“Unlimited supply?”
“Right. If it’s unlimited, isn’t this basically a Gate where we can rake in Star Relics like they’re inexhaustible?”
At my words, Zephyros laughed heartily.
“If things in the world... no, in dungeons worked that way, how easy would the Hunter industry be?”
“You mean it’s not unlimited?”
“There’s probably a fixed total quantity. The system wouldn’t make it easy to obtain relic-grade materials like that. You haven’t seen Seonggwang Group’s internal report, have you? Of course you haven’t.”
“... No, where did you get to see that, sir?”
“The Hunter Association’s old-timers get asked to review things like that. Anyway, according to that report, by the time Seonggwang caused the incident, the mining yield had already fallen to about a third. Ah, that’s confidential, so keep it secret.”
“Yes, of course.”
“But did you know this?”
“... Honestly, whenever you ask me that, I never know the answer.”
“Good. I’m glad you know yourself so well.”
“Thanks for the compliment. So, what is it?”
“Dungeons have already been studied quite extensively. Among the hypotheses researchers have developed, there are certain ‘laws’ that generally hold true. One of them is the hypothesis of a dungeon’s total quantity.”
The hypothesis of a dungeon’s total quantity?
“When a dungeon is generated, it always forms from the same constituent materials. Only their arrangement changes each time. And any of those materials that appear in the form of an ‘item’ won’t regenerate or be rearranged once they’re taken outside the dungeon.”
“... Then the Star Relics...”
“They’re items, so they won’t be rearranged.”
“No, I mean... you’re saying the same total quantity is inside the dungeon every time it’s generated?”
“That radioactive material was the Star Relics, wasn’t it? Some of the uncontaminated ones must have been rearranged onto the surface when the dungeon regenerated, and that’s what they mined.”
“Do you think the Russians knew?”
“They probably did. And... the contaminated material likely wasn’t worth much.”
Now I understood why Russia needed to reset the dungeon to its original form after each clear.
The Star Relics were useless while contaminated, so the only ones they could mine were the uncontaminated ones rearranged during the process of clearing and regenerating the dungeon each time.
“So the operation’s profitability kept dropping.”
“That’s right. The Russians probably don’t consider the Star Relics themselves all that valuable, either. They raised your share to 50% because, in effect, they considered the mining finished. They may care more about the by-products, like rare metals and the pacification effect.”
So I didn’t need to get hung up on that 50% share after all.
By the way... I wonder if bacteria could purify contaminated Star Relics.
If that worked...
**
The conversation I’d had with Zephyros came back to me as if it had happened just moments ago.
A resonant BWAAANG sounded behind me, and I spotted the Star Spirit bound to No. 2, which was caked in layers of bacteria.
It strained to break free, as if it were about to tear me apart at any moment, but there was nothing it could do while bound by hundreds of billions of No. 2s.
If I kept just one restrained, I could mine safely until the next spawn without triggering the clear.
And the Star Relics I mined...
“I can just use them for upgrades right away.”
As I’d said, dungeon environments were unpredictable, and no one outside could see what happened inside.
Even if I cleared it and the Gate suddenly reverted to a Stage 1 dungeon with all the Star Relics gone, Russia could only suspect me. They’d have no grounds to complain.
I’d even spelled it out in the contract, so there was nothing they could do legally.
“Then, right away...”
[Star Relic Fragment]
[Quality]: Star Legacy
[Description]: A fragment containing the essence of the stars.
[Details]: A precious material used to repair or enhance relic-grade items and certain special items.
I picked up a purified Star Relic fragment that had been exposed on the surface.
How should I use it?
Maybe I should touch it with my staff?
The moment I touched it with the staff in my hand...
It flashed with light and was absorbed completely.
[Scepter of the Constellation Abicenna]
<Current Remaining Composition: 0.03%>
It had originally been at 0.01%, so it had gone up.
But it barely went up at all.
If it only increased by a little, I could just absorb all of it.
First, I touched the staff to the exposed vein itself.
Then the entire vein blazed with brilliant silver light, and in an instant, it lost its glow and turned into a mass of rock.
<Current Remaining Composition: 5.27%>
It absorbed quite a lot.
As I looked around to see if there was more, messages appeared from all directions saying the purification was complete.
Ordinary Hunters would have a hard time even digging down to where the Star Relic veins were...
But I had the best miners in the world.
“No. 1, let’s open a path to the next vein.”
At the same time, hundreds of billions of No. 1s in mist form clung to the valley and began carving out a massive hole.
**
“... How long has it been?”
“About two hours...”
“And there’s still no clear notification, and the dungeon’s still occupied?”
Arina’s expression as she watched from outside turned grave.
In an instanced dungeon with a player limit, if someone entered without forming a party beforehand, no one could enter while the dungeon was occupied until the person inside came out.
The Gate wasn’t glowing to indicate that entry was permitted. Its light was off, proof that it was occupied.
“Has anyone ever lasted more than two hours in that dungeon?”
“No. Nivali, the Level 50 Hunter who was purged in the past, died after about an hour and twenty minutes.”
Nivali, a Level 50 Hunter who had been involved in pro-democracy activities.
One day, the news broke that Nivali had gone missing in a dungeon, but no one believed it.
Though Nivali was a high-level Hunter, Romanov’s henchmen subdued them and forced them to enter this dungeon.
Since Nivali was going to be purged anyway, they were used in human experimentation to see how long a high-level Hunter could last in a radioactive environment.
The result was one hour and twenty minutes.
But now, someone had lasted two hours.
A mere Level 19 Hunter.
They’d gone in just to assess the situation. What on earth had happened in there?
Dungeon environments could change unpredictably, and since this one had been left alone for a long time, there was no way to know what was going on inside.
“Maybe I should’ve stopped them.”
Her father had said they weren’t someone who could be talked out of it anyway, but she still regretted letting them go.
How could you tell what someone was like just from a brief look at their eyes?
If someone was this strong at Level 19, they’d reach Level 50 in no time.
In just a few years, they could join the ranks of the world’s strongest—and might even become a Hunter who surpassed Ahmad.
Kaiser. Ahmad.
The United States was already the world’s strongest country, but how much had France benefited as a nation from Ahmad alone?
There was no reason Russia couldn’t do the same.
But right now...
“At the very least, they’ll come out a cripple.”
“I suppose.”
Hunters were more durable than ordinary people and could last longer, but they weren’t immune to the effects of radiation exposure.
Even if they could somehow endure an hour, after two hours...
“They’d already be walking around dead.”
They’d be in a dead man walking state.
“Even so, it’s astonishing.”
“... I agree.”
Nikolai, her bodyguard and a Level 53 Awakened.
He tried not to show it, but he was stunned.
Without extraordinary willpower and ability, it was impossible to endure that hellish environment.
Even if they hadn’t cleared the dungeon, lasting two hours alone was reason enough to earn respect.
“They must be enduring incredible pain.”
At that very moment...
A golden radiance burst forth.
At the same time, both of them stared in astonishment.
**
After searching for veins for a long time, I’d dug up the entire valley.
There had been a moment when a landslide put me in danger, but...
[Evolutionary Mutation: Caulobacter Cementus]
─Description: An evolved and mutated form of Caulobacter Crescentus. It secretes a stronger adhesive substance, Cementum, which remains even after the bacteria disappear. Once separated from the bacteria, the adhesive substance releases heat and hardens rapidly.
─Details: The adhesive’s sticking power increases. Once the adhesive substance is no longer under the bacteria’s influence, it quickly hardens. Hardened material cannot be restored to its original state.
With the help of the reinforced No. 2s, which produced cement, I carried out repairs and managed to stop the landslide.
And finally...
“Could this be the last one?”
I absorbed the Star Legacy from the final vein with the Scepter of Abicenna.
It happened in that instant.
[The Scepter of the Constellation Abicenna has been restored to over 20%, unlocking its second function.]
[Scepter of the Constellation Abicenna]
[Quality]: Legacy of a Constellation
[Description]: The staff the constellation Abicenna always used when they were human. It symbolizes their authority. Some of its composition has been restored, allowing it to exert a little of its power. Restore more of its composition to unlock sealed functions.
[Details]:
─The proficiency of all your skills increases by one level.
─You can use the skill ‘Sacrificial Offering.’
─This function is sealed.
─This function is sealed.
─This function is sealed.
<Current Remaining Composition: 20.89%>
I’d feared as much.
Even after absorbing all the Star Relics remaining in the dungeon, there’d been no sign of the seal being released, and I’d been worried.
I’d barely managed to pass 20%, and it unlocked just one function.
I’d scraped together 20% through sheer luck. Could I even buy enough to get it to 100%?
Since I’d gone through so much trouble to get this skill...
Let’s see what kind of beast came with it.
[Sacrificial Offering (Usable Item Skill)]
Description: Your subordinates are ready to sacrifice even their lives. Their sacrifice will not be in vain. As long as you survive.
Details: Sacrifice undead units to negate attacks aimed at the caster. Defense increases in proportion to the number of units sacrificed.
“... No, this...”
Right now, I had more than enough attack power, crowd control, and even some healing and buff abilities.
The only thing I lacked was tanking.
I’d been trying everything I could to shore up my defense...
Even the hat I’d tried to buy but couldn’t get was a defensive item.
No matter how strong I was, what good was being a glass cannon? This wasn’t a game where I could respawn. If I died once, that was it.
And now... I’d gotten a skill that addressed exactly what I lacked.
Of course, I’d have to test how much defense I could gain by sacrificing a certain number of units...
I was still a little dazed, mulling it over, when...
[Remaining Star Legacy: 0%]
[All Star Relics inside the Gate have been consumed.]
[The Star Spirits have been freed. Star Spirits will no longer appear in this Gate.]
A system message appeared, and the Star Spirit I’d been restraining slowly crumbled into dust and disappeared.
Then...
[You are the first to clear the Stage 17 Gate, ‘Mutated Star Spirit Valley.’]
[As a first-clear reward, some of your class’s primary stats have increased.]
[Control has increased by 5%.]
[You have completed the Emergency Mission, and the Gate has changed into the Stage 1 Gate, ‘Perfectly Purified Valley.’]
[Legendary Achievement! You are the first human to liberate a Gate.]
[You have received the title ‘First Gate Liberator’ as a reward.]
[The title ‘First Gate Liberator’ increases all stats by 5%.]
A whole string of messages appeared afterward, but they didn’t really register.
Instead, only ‘Sacrificial Offering,’ which was clearly an overpowered skill, kept running through my mind.
In that state, I began to be expelled from the cleared Gate.