Chapter 587. A Dungeon Master is Better than a Landlord
Translator: Boko
Kang Oh dealt with everything he'd put off.
His soul dungeons came first.
Once he was recognized as the strongest, very few players challenged him for ownership of his dungeons. Thus, they were fine without him, even if he ignored them for two months.
"Master, it's been so long. Why didn't you come to visit?" Teynos whined resentfully.
"Sorry, sorry. I went to a place really far away. Could you give me the soul stone?"
Kang Oh went through all of his soul dungeons starting with Moss Cave. He received his long overdue dungeon rewards, and used his repel points to expand the dungeon, add more guardians, or reinforce the primary guardian.
Kang Oh possessed fifty soul dungeons in total.
Plus, the Kang Man Group managed and sold more than 100 dungeons. That's why 'dungeon' was added to his nickname, resulting in many people calling him the Dungeon Predator.
In any case, Kang Oh came to the Melmoth Underground Ruins. This dungeon had thirty underground floors, and contained various monsters between level 200 and 400.
There were plenty of rare materials that could only be found here. Plus, the monsters not only yielded a ton of experience and proficiency, but they also respawned extremely quickly.
Moreover, every floor contained different named monsters, and there was a field boss every 10th floor.
The dungeon was also easily accessible. It was located east of the large city, Alkrama, and was about a ten minutes walk away.
Countless players came to this dungeon.
It was so popular that if you were to select the game's top ten dungeons, this would definitely be on the list. That's just how popular it was.
The dungeon originally belonged to Dark Moon (a large guild), but Kang Oh had seized it by defeating their guildmaster in a Sacred Duel.
"Give me the soul stone."
"Understood."
The dungeon's guardian was the Monster Elephant, Indra, which played a huge role in the Battle of the Nazrak Plains.
Indra pulled out the soul stone with its long trunk. Kang Oh immediately opened the Dungeon Management Window.
[Repel Points: 324,210]
[Maintenance Fee: 100,000]
[Next Dungeon Expansion: 500,000]
The cost of expanding a dungeon came in increasing increments.
[100 > 1,000 > 5,000 > 10,000 > 50,000 > 100,000 > 500,000]
Kang Oh had already expanded the Melmoth Underground Ruins six times. The dungeons rewards were obviously amazing.
[Dungeon Rewards (Monthly Payment)]
150,000 Gold.
1,500 Red Fang Wolf's Fur.
1,200 Congola's Tendon.
900 Fire Ox's Tongue.
...
6 Gold Box.
1 Indra's Summoning Scroll.
Gold kept depreciating in value, so now 1 gold was equivalent to 1,000 won.
Despite that, 150,000 gold was still worth 150 million won ($150,000 USD).
Plus, the materials were worth a total of about 200 million won ($200,000 USD).
The Gold Box was basically a loot box. There would be random items inside. Opening these was quite fun.
There was a reason people said that dungeon masters were above landlords.
Of course, this dungeon was an exception; most other dungeons didn't give him this many rewards.
He had expanded it six times, and it was popular enough for him to pay the maintenance fee.
There were no more than ten dungeons in the entire game that were like this one.
Maintaining these dungeons obviously required power. With Kang Oh at its helm, there was no one that could oppose the Kang Man Group.
"Hum-hum-hum." Kang Oh hummed. The more money you had, the better, right?
He invested the repel points in guardians, who'd make him even more in the future, and also set up several traps.
Kang Oh streamlined the path through the dungeon, and added lights in dark areas. Plus, he added rest areas here and there for players.
He also added several incentives that would draw people in.
For example, Kang Oh increased the monsters' experience, their respawn rate, and their item drop rate. He also increased the likelihood that rare materials would appear!
Players determined the future of the dungeon, after all.
If players didn't come to soul dungeons, then it'd be difficult to make a profit out of them.
"Let's enter the dungeon ranking's top three."
Recently, the gaming network, VG, had added a new corner to the Ranking Show.
It was called Dungeon Ranking!
The show would rank the dungeons based on the amount of players that visited them.
Belmoth's Underground Ruins was ranked 7th.
It was originally 5th, but it had dropped two spots since Kang Oh was busy in the underworld.
Kang Oh invested almost all of his repel points, keeping only the bare minimum for the maintenance fee.
"Here." Kang Oh returned the soul stone to Indra. Then, he collected all of his rewards and exited the dungeon.
His next and final dungeon was the Saul Graveyard. It was where Bone Dragon Akite resided.
* * *
It had been some time since the Goddess's Land had become a hunting ground for the game's elite. There were plenty of players that came to precious locations like the Saul Graveyard.
The named Chaos Knight had a low chance of dropping the 'Chaos Blade Forged in Hellfire'. In order to procure this blade, several players came to this dungeon.
Although it was an undead-only weapon, it could be remodeled, turning it into an S-rank, level 500 blade.
News that it was a soul dungeon had already spread far and wide. Plus, players knew that the soul dungeon's guardian was Bone Dragon Akite, as well as the fact that they'd become the new owner if they spent 1 million gold.
However, players remembered Bone Dragon Akite from the Siege of Saw Rock Fortress, and no one in their right mind would spend 1 million gold on a soul stone.
After all, they would still have to defeat Kang Oh in a Sacred Duel, and no one in the game could beat him right now.
"Nice!" Kang Oh took the soul stone, opened the Dungeon Management window, and smiled.
[Repel Points: 2,743]
[Maintenance Fee: 100]
[Next Dungeon Expansion: 1,000]
Kang Oh immediately expanded the dungeon.
[You have expanded the Saul Graveyard.]
[You have used 1,000 repel points.]
[The maintenance fee has increased to 1,000 repel points. If you do not pay the monthly maintenance fee, then you will not receive your increased rewards.]
Rumble!
The Saul Graveyard shook.
Kang Oh monitored the dungeon's expansion via the Dungeon Management window.
Ten 3-story bone towers appeared across the graveyard. They were filled to the brim with undead.
Kang Oh added undead-type guardians at the top of them, and used the rest of his repel points on incentives in order to draw more players here.
Finally, he took a look at his new and improved dungeon rewards.
[Dungeon Rewards (Monthly Payment)]
40 Dragon Scales.
20 Dragon Bone.
20 Dragon Skin.
9 Dragon Claws.
4 Bottles of Dragon Blood.
1 Dragon's Heart Shard.
1 Akite's Summoning Scroll.
The dragon skin had gone up from 30 to 40, and the bone had increased from 15 to 20. Everything else had increased as well.
"Give me my rewards."
"Got it."
Kang Oh stashed the pile of dragon materials (2 months worth) inside his inventory.
* * *
There were countless attractions in Altein. For example, there was the Holiseum, the Mage's Tower, the Altein Palace, etc.
However, the Artist's Hill, Arnesia, and the Gold Dragon's department store were the most popular places as of late.
Due to the Great Change, a river and several streams flowed through the eastern district of Altein, and there were many hills that arose in the west.
Arnesia was a city of water located near the riverside in the eastern district, and was modeled after Venice. It was a beautiful place that was popular as a dating location, and Kang Oh and Asu had been there before.
In the west, if you went up the ascending path, then you'd find yourself in front of murals, pictures, statues, etc. It was famous for the works of several artists, and was called the Artist Street.
Lastly, there was the Gold Dragon's department store.
It was the largest building in Altein, aside from the palace, the Mage's Tower, and the Holiseum.
There was a banner outside the building that said...
- Gold Dragon Department Store! Anything you want, we have!
Several people came in and out of the wide open doors.
Kang Oh, who disguised himself with beginner clothes and a mask, went inside.
Flowers were sold on either side of the entrance, and there was a guide in the middle.
"Hmm."
Once he smelled the sweet fragrance of the flowers, he felt a lot better.
Kang Oh immediately headed for the top floor, which was Man Bok's office. The top floor was a restricted area, so there were guards there, but they would let Kang Oh pass if he showed him their face.
"Oh, Mr. Kang Oh." Man Bok, who'd gotten even fatter than before, opened his arms wide. His face and his general vibe were like a comfy blanket. He made people feel at ease.
"How was your trip to the underworld?"
"It was fun."
"Did you bring anything from there?"
'Even better if it's something valuable.'
"Unfortunately, you can't bring anything back from the underworld."
'Aside from what you went in there with, and your body.'
"I'd like to go there too."
"I'm sure you'll get your chance. Anyhow, I assume the Kang Man Group is doing fine?"
"Geumsan, no, Gold Heart must have gotten a way to procure dragon materials."
"Is that so?"
"It's nothing compared to how much we have to work with, but they started showing off products made out of them."
There was no guarantee that the Saul Graveyard was the only place you could get dragon materials.
"Then?"
"It's time to use our secret weapon."
The Master Blacksmith, Hoffman, created countless products out of dragon materials. Amongst them, there were some extremely valuable pieces.
Man Bok only sold a portion of those goods so that he'd have a card to play at a time like this.
Once he revealed these goods, Gold Dragon's fame and popularity would skyrocket again.
When it came to dragon equipment, this would prove to be an unbridgeable gap between them and the Geumsan Store.
"If you need me, just let me know."
"Understood. You can at least rest assured that Wang Seorim won't break any rules."
These rules dictated that businessmen fought with strategy, not with their fists. Wang Seorim never broke this ironclad rule.
That was made clear by the fact that they joined forces with a production-focused guild rather than a guild known for its power like Breaker or Storm. Wang Seorim was intent on defeating the Kang Man Group by controlling production and distribution.
Indeed, Wan Seorim was a merchant at the core.
Man Bok also had no intention of using Kang Oh's power to force them to capitulate. He wanted to defeat Wang Seorim with his abilities as a merchant, not piggyback off of Kang Oh's strength.
"Why did you come today?" Man Bok said.
"I have a lot of goods that I need to get rid of. I'll take them to the storehouse like last time. There are a bit too many items for me to get rid of them here."
"Understood."
"And I'm going to challenge the dragon again."
"Hoh, is that so?" Man Bok's eyes gleamed.
"I'm confident this time," Kang Oh said firmly.
"I'll help you to the best of my ability."
There were few ways that a merchant could help. They could procure information and provide the customer with any goods they may require.
"I'll contact you again after I've assembled my team."
"Alright."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Kang Oh headed downstairs to the Gold Dragon's underground storehouse, and dropped almost all of his dungeon rewards there.
'Ah, I feel much better now.'
He briskly walked out of Gold Dragon.
* * *
Kang Oh spoke to the Goddess of Death again with Cyndia's help.
He asked her permission for Valan to enter the underworld. Of course, he wasn't asking her to do this for free.
Kang Oh would sweet talk her by offering up the most expensive/valuable manpower in the world: Valan.
"Use him as you see fit. You could use him to destroy Soul Eaters, or ask him to deal with another task. If you allow him entry into the underworld, then he won't refuse, no matter what you ask of him."
"Alright," the goddess agreed.
'Nice!'
Kang Oh clenched his fist.
With this, one member of his dragon extermination team had been decided. To think he'd get Valan on his team! Getting him was the absolute best decision.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶