A few hours later, the Dungeon, Codename Dungeon Spire, has finally fully emerged from the Sea of Japan, growing at a frightening height of more than fifty thousand feet, extending as far as the troposphere and peeking through the clouds up above. This dungeon was probably the largest one to ever spawn, and the Japanese Government as well as the Superhero Association Organization were a bit bothered by it.
"Sir, we've already summoned every hero we can contact, including the top ten." One of the personnel called out to Fury who had been making a phone call. He wasn't in the best of moods, that's why he was wearing a disgusted face as he nodded to the lady who just informed her about the summon. The lady 'eek'ed in response even though she knew that his frustration wasn't really directed at her. Fury waved his hand, dismissing the lady, before recalling the phone call that he had just received.
Apparently, the phone call was directly from the White House in America. Since Fury has a high position in the SAO, he has direct contact with government leaders all across the globe. That doesn't mean he gets to decide whenever though, there are still the board members of the SAO voting alone if a suggestion had been made. Notwithstanding, Fury has a great influence when it comes to the SAO, and he was even the one handling all contacts, so it's obvious that whatever it is that he suggested, the majority was bound to agree.
Right now, America came to a proposition that Japan hand over Dungeon Spire to them, not because they wanted to hog all the resources and items inside for them (that's part of their ulterior motives though, of course), but because it was obvious that Japan couldn't handle such a dungeon. Based on appearances alone, Dungeon Spire is the biggest dungeon to ever spawn throughout the history of dungeons spawning, and also it had been proven that the overall levels of the monsters inside the dungeon are greatly affected by the size of the dungeon itself. If that were the case, then there's a huge possibility that Japan wouldn't be able to handle it.
One week.
America has given Japan one week to clear the dungeon. If they can't do it then America will step in. While Fury didn't really approve of their proposition, he knew that America wouldn't sit through the entire situation. As far as he knows, they might probably be doing commentaries about Japan, telling their citizens that they can't handle it. If this goes on, then the one-week deadline will be decided by the masses and not the government of Japan itself.
And if the people were to want America to clear the dungeon, then Japan has no choice but to hand it to them if they are unable to clear it. It was a simple publicity agenda. Let the people decide, and even the most solid act or bill or treaty will go right out the window.
Fury clenched his fists. He was in a tight spot and so is the entire organization. Of course, whatever resources and items were found in the dungeon, they badly needed it. It would be a great addition to the country's financial reserve, not to mention the great number of countries who'd want an auction to be organized for the items, which in turn would rake in more money. If America forced them to clear the dungeon within one week, then they should accomplish it without question.
After clearing his throat, Fury went to the conference room where all the available top superheroes were summoned. The moment he stepped foot inside, silence befell the room. It wasn't the awkward silence type, but a silence that portrayed great respect and admiration towards Fury. While he may only be one of the many members of SAO holding a high position, the superheroes actually respected him. His decisions were top-notch, after all, and he was able to stop many calamities just by his plans alone. Needless to say, the superheroes greatly trusted him.
"So, you're all here. I presume the lot of you are already aware of the recent calamity... or should I say, opportunity?" A brief smile appeared on Fury's face as he tried to hide the nervousness within. He knew that there are a couple of superheroes in the room that could read minds. If he so much thought about the recent phone call he received from the White House, then everyone would be aware of the pressure thrown on them. He didn't want that, at any cost, and that's why he put all those disturbing thoughts at the back of his mind while he discussed the mission at hand.
"This dungeon, code-named Dungeon Spire, is confirmed to be the biggest dungeon to ever spawn on Earth. With that fact alone, I assume all of you already have a firm grasp on what to expect, right? Stronger monsters, unpredictable traps and rooms. Some of you might even die exploring this dungeon." Fury continued as the projector lit up, projecting an image of Dungeon Spire captured by a drone.
"But!"
"Those are not the only things that we should expect. With great difficulty comes great rewards. if we were able to clear this dungeon, then the rewards will be massive. We don't know what to expect inside such a dungeon but one thing's for sure, the rewards are relative to the difficulty level and the size of the dungeon. In other words, we can expect great rewards."
"And while the government advised us to tag everything discovered in the dungeon as government property, we refused the offer. The terms of the dungeons are still the same, and that means anyone who accepts this mission would be rewarded an item of their choosing from the dungeon itself."
A series of 'oohs' could be heard from the crowd. Of course, aside from the huge sum of money they'll receive for risking their lives, the added bonus of an item of their own choosing is something that everyone looked forward to. What if there's an item there that would greatly complement one's superpower? In the world of competitive superheroes, no one wouldn't want that.
Hands are raised, and as expected, there were more volunteers than Fury had initially thought.
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