Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

Inside the outer wall of the Grand Citadel, a few hundred entry points away from where the two newest Lords entered, a Demonic Servant receives a ping from Safezone 022089.

"Finally, that nuisance was taken care of..." the Servant whispers under his breath while confirming the legitimacy of the scan of the serpent's scale provided.

This 2nd Class Beast has been causing havoc in some of the lower-class zones for months, and routines have been posted across multiple safe zones this admin oversees.

So, confirmation is sent back into the wilderness to grant the party that took out this threat a hefty reward.

–

The receptionist's eyes move back and forth as ether commands shift behind the counter, but it doesn't seem bothered by our appearance.

While rare, having random races come through other safe zones probably does happen sometimes.

All of the receptionists have three crowns above their heads, varying from one to two filled. They seem like normal Lords just like everyone else in this town. None of the other four look our way, simply staring ahead, awaiting other customers to help.

However, as we wait in silence, the eyes of the adventurers in the room dig into the back of my head as they stare at us, watching one of the highest-paying quests from the boards disappear.

"Eighty-nine days... it took quite a while for that request to be fulfilled. – And it was a premium 2nd Class payout too."

The Lizardman's eyes turn back to us with a bit more respect than the cold, calculative glare from before. More tapping on ether commands sounds out before strands of white light move toward all five of us.

[100.0 Low Quality Ether Deposit!]

[Add to Ether Pool]

[YES] [NO]

[1 Full Crown Cycle Coupon Received!]

[Directions to Crown Cycle Lab]

The reactions of Ren and Ava tell me they've received the same messages, and then Ava's avatar lights up two more times as the receptionist speaks again.

"There you go. It looks like that 2nd Class quest reward was increased quite a few times. We usually don't give out instant avatar upgrades like that. It must have been a brutal fight..."

I think back to the fight. That serpent did have both of its crowns filled to the max and was a true-cored beast... However, I killed it and the boss of the wolfmen in a single strike. It's hard to gauge how strong it really was.

"And here are your payouts for the troll extermination quests," he adds as Ava telepathically sends me a mental image of her payouts for them, adding up to 5.0 low-quality ether in total.

"Thank you," she responds aloud to the receptionist, and the two wolfmen at her sides become excited.

"Free Crown Cycle Coupon, what's that?" Togi asks, but Xaden looks over to him. "Boss saved the pack, and we get upgrades! We can become big like Boss!"

I, for one, have seen the upgrades done in Ellipsia, and know that having avatar changes doesn't alter one's physical appearance. It only gives access to more complex ether commands. A system-level rank-up is necessary for that, but I don't care enough to explain the difference.

The receptionist responds to their misunderstanding in a similar way.

"Indeed. Each of you can visit the Crown Cycle Lab to receive the next rank of your avatar free of charge." His yellow eyes track over to Ren. "It looks like you could get two full upgrades in a single visit."

This prompts me to remember the Lord's Memories—staring into a lake's reflection—and one of the repeated phrases: never turn in your crowns.

Based on the heavy feeling of anxiety and fear starting to build up in the frail Lord by my side, I can tell this oath certainly still holds true, even if it's free.

I grin and look toward the receptionist. "What if I don't want an avatar upgrade? Can I sell this back to you for something better?"

The receptionist's eyes widen, and even the other four receptionists who were uninterested before turn my way.

I can feel the intensity of the gazes on my back grow hotter, and a few people stand up from their tables.

"Five hundred ether!" a Lizardman's voice calls out from behind me.

"Six hundred!" a horned rabbit from a table on the other side of the room replies.

"Seven fifty!"

"Eight hundred!"

"Nine—No—One thousand—"

"Two Thousand!"

I turn around and cut them off as more Lords start chiming in, raising the price.

"I take that as a yes... This Crown Cycle Coupon is more valuable than the serpent itself... but—your ether is worthless to me."

I let out a chuckle and scan the room, eyeing the 3rd and 4th Class Lords, along with the quests floating around them for average payouts of 1-2 Ether for an entire party's full day of work.

The receptionist's voice responds in a calm manner to the quiet room of shocked Lords.

"It is possible to sell your coupon... but... this has never happened before. Especially out in a Lower Class zone like this. In the wilderness, upgrading your avatar is the only way to become stronger. How could you refuse—no, why would you—"

I shrug, reading the gleam in this Lizardman's eyes, realizing even he wants this coupon.

"Does it matter why?"

"Well no, of course not, but if Ether is not what you want, then what could possibly be more valuable?"

"I heard information could be bought and sold here. I want more data on my map to be filled in." Then I grin and look back toward the adventurers that were bidding earlier. "So, whoever can bid the most biomes of our surroundings can have my coupon. It's that easy."

Before I even finish speaking my offer, almost half the room rushes out of the hall, and yells from the remaining parties start up again.

"I have a full map of the three regions around us!"

"That's all? I have seven full biomes, all past the Rabbit's Snow Mountains."

"Eight!"

"I have eight as well, but it'll come with all the data on the wild beasts and their hunting patterns!"

"Nine!"

I start to block out their words and place a hand on Ren's shoulder to sink into a mental link between the three of us.

"Drive the price up, then I'll offer mine next, right?" Ava's words come in, and my grin grows wider. "That's right."

Ren doesn't speak for a moment, but eyes the door as one of the rabbit-eared receptionists on the side of the room offers ten biomes, only to be scolded by his partner beside him—"We're not allowed to make private offers while on shift!".

"The bids are about to get much higher. The Lords that left all went to the trading center to buy up as much information as they could..."

Just as these words hit my inner ear, a tidal wave of Lords comes rushing through the front door of the adventurers' hub, with a few familiar faces but also many new Lords that weren't here before.

"Twenty-five biomes, all in the surrounding area!"

"Thirty-one!"

I see a few races unfamiliar to these parts pop in the door next, all of varying crown levels, 5th to 3rd. A few Orcs, a humanoid Red Ant creature, and even a party of 4th class humans walk through the front door. Though, the majority are Wolfmen, Horned Rabbits, and Bronze Lizards.

"Fifty-five! All surrounding this area. There are connections to twelve other safe zones included."

"Seventy-four! Two black zones are included, but the rest are rated safe for 3rd Class Lords!"

The numbers keep going up, and the crowds of Lords piling in don't stop for a full two minutes.

Over sixty Lords have gathered into this adventurers' hub, and it's safe to say the entire safe zone is aware something is going on. Yet, there are only three main bidders still spelling now, as everyone else can't compete any longer—two of which are Lizardmen.

"Eighty biomes, plus three black zone locations, but no proper data on them," the 3 meter tall Red Ant Lord yells out, its beady eyes staring across the room at me. Whispers fill the rest of the room as it appears no one can do better than his offer.

Even the receptionists look disappointed that they don't have the means to bid higher.

I step forward and nod, pulling the small white ticket packed with ether commands from my mental inventory and staring at the 3rd Class Lord's visible trade request floating in the air.

"Deal."

I do not know the market price for these coupons, but considering the bidding war that just ensued, I'm confident eighty biomes' worth of data is a fair price. While I could wander around and safely find this data for free myself, I'd rather save the time and get a better vantage point of where we are right now.

If it was that easy to fulfill a premium 2nd Class Quest and receive this Full Crown Cycle Coupon, I'm sure it won't be hard to farm more if I end up wanting another one.

Strands of white commands connect our avatars, and the trade is initiated instantly.

The Antman's antennae wiggle with excitement as it receives the coupon, and my subconscious floods with information about tons of territory surrounding these parts.

The data seems to all be coming in a semi-straight line, from the direction of the center of the wilderness—where that Demonic Servant showed me a massive pillar housed the inner city. A few of the zones are blacked out, just like the Lord said they were... but the Ant turns around and leaves right out the door the instant the coupon hits his system.

"I'll be selling mine too. Same offer! I want as much information on the surrounding biomes as possible." Ava yells out loud.

The crowd and the receptionists' disappointed looks immediately grow hopeful again, and another bidding war starts for her coupon.

While Ava attends to the crowd, I send a telepathic message to Ren, showing my minimap in our advanced mental link and zooming in on certain biomes that do not show any data.

"What are these black zones that Ant Lord was talking about?"