Date: May 13, 2020 - 3:05 pm

Location: West Byzantine

More than twenty people gathered together in a conference room. At the head of the room, beside a projected screen, was one man seated behind a computer in charge of the presentation, and another man standing at a podium. Everyone else was seated around the conference table, and among them were Valentina and Cuore. There were also two others dressed in the same suits that sat beside Valentina, both of whom looked to be Valentina’s younger sisters and also twins. They both had the same slightly curly brown hair and light green eyes. The two twins chatted with each other while Cuore sat in nervous silence and Valentina stared ahead, waiting for the presentation to start. After another few moments, one more person entered the conference room and after he seated himself, the man at the podium cleared his throat.

“Alright, I will begin now.” The remaining chatter died down. “First, I would like to thank you all for coming here. Everyone participating here, today, is doing a remarkable service not for West Byzantine, but the world at large.” The presenter looked at the one by the computer, indicating it was time to go to the next slide. The slide read: Earth Alliance.

“Now, as you are all aware, all member nations of the Earth Alliance have agreed to follow Uniform Guidelines. In addition, many nations have agreed to an even closer level of cooperation, for the sake of more consistent work and safer standards for Dungeoneers.” The presenter paused, as if expecting some audible agreement. There was none. “I am Terry Lundquist, a special representative of the Earth Alliance that also works with Dungeon oversight in West Byzantine.”

The next slide was titled: C-rank Dungeon

“Now, as you should already be aware, this second wave of Dungeons are different from the first. First of all, and most thankfully, these Dungeons were not already in the outbreak stage and no monsters have exited them thus far. Second, the portals that serve as the Dungeon entrances and exits are orange in colour. They are also larger than the red ones. These orange ones, like the red ones, are oval in shape and are above twice as large in terms of width and length. This means they are about 4m at its longest, going up and down, and 3m at its widest, going left to right.”

The slide showed a depiction of the portal and its dimensions.

“Just like the red portals, these orange portals do not show up on any type of photographing or video recording.”

The slide now showed a box next to the portal. The box had the following rows.

Dungeon Information

Rank: C

Max Occupancy: 20

Time Remaining until outbreak: 96 hours

“The 96 hours timer is what we believe to be an accurate estimate. The portal was first discovered yesterday night at around 8pm. Currently, the exact time of the Dungeon outbreak would be May 16 at 7:51 pm. This means we have a little more than 3 days remaining.”

The next slide then updated to show a circle drawn around the number “20”.

“In addition to the time of outbreak doubling, the max occupancy has also doubled. This next assumption is much less solid, but we believe that a C-rank Dungeon is expected to be four times as difficult as a D-rank Dungeon, since both factors in clearing a Dungeon have been doubled. What we do not know is how it would be four times as difficult. Would this simply be a numerical increase in the monsters, or an increase in the Stats of the monsters? Maybe both? Also, would these C-rank monsters have the same build or appearance as the D-rank monsters. All D-rank monsters and Dungeon Bosses were nearly identical, taking on the appearance similar to bears, but having slight differences in their red patterning, according to some reports. Unfortunately, the reports are based on eyewitness testimonies alone as, just like the portals, it was impossible to capture them in photographs or video recordings.”

The next slide came up now, with the title of “Strategy”.

“Now, onto the most important part. The portal has appeared on the second floor of a major shopping mall. All civilians have since been evacuated and the whole area within two blocks have been cordoned off. The military has also been contacted, and they can arrive in time before the time of the outbreak, alongside tanks and other heavy artillery. If absolutely necessary, the West Byzantine government is considering sacrificing the entire shopping mall and everything else within one city block to deal with the potential outbreak.”

“If you are just going to do that, then what do you need us for?” one of the audience members asked.

“I said they were considering this. It has not been approved yet. Also, this is exactly where you Dungeoneers come into play. Due to massive infrastructural damage likely from this course of action, the government and the Earth Alliance would prefer it if the Dungeon could be cleared within the time limit.”

“So, you want to send us in blind to avoid losing a bunch of money from blowing up the mall?” a different person asked.

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“No, no, it is not like that. There is a good reason to consider this alternative. First, as reported from the D-rank portals, the common monsters behave less aggressively than during an outbreak. This makes hunting them easier and more efficient. Second, there is something like a safe zone within the Dungeon immediately around the portal’s area. If the monsters prove to be too much to handle in the Dungeon, you may immediately retreat back to the safe zone and exit when the time limit runs out. As we have already seen from some failed attempts at D-rank Dungeon clears in the past, this is possible. Clearing the Dungeon also removes the possibility of monsters escaping the containment and potentially reaching civilians.”

“It still just seems easier to just let the outbreak happen so the military can deal with it. We have no idea what’s in there so who knows if we could run away in time. But, for the military, I’m sure they can handle it if they can bring in a bunch of tanks. I mean, there’s three whole days this time. No rush for them, right?” a different person asked.

“Of course, we have no issue if those are your thoughts on the matter. Dungeoneer safety is a priority for the Earth Alliance. At no point do we want any of you Dungeoneers to think you are being forced into a dangerous situation.”

“Just get on with it. What’s in it for us, here?” Terry Lundquist cleared his throat before answering.

“Of course, there will be adequate compensation provided should you decide to participate in clearing the Dungeon. As this is the first C-rank Dungeon, and no information is available on what lies inside, every participant will receive $5,000 at base. This will be paid to you regardless of whether or not you succeed in clearing the Dungeon.” There was no reaction from the audience for this. “In addition, the special tax on all item drops will be waived for this Dungeon clearing attempt.”

“Oh!” one of the audience members suddenly blurted out.

“Hold on, for item drops, is it just for whoever gets the item? What if something hogs all the kills?” This particular audience member seemed to be looking at Valentina when she asked her question.

“Isn’t it obvious that the ones who do the most work receive the most rewards?” Valentina responded.

“Although I can understand that sentiment, Miss…”

“Giocondo.”

“Miss Giocondo…” Terry seemed to recall who she was now, “The Earth Alliance wants to promote as much friendly cooperation among Dungeoneers as possible. Therefore, before the Dungeon raid, we will require all participating Dungeoneers to allow the other Dungeoneers to view their Inventory.” There was a clear sound of dissent from some of the audience. “This is so we can record the Inventory of each Dungeoneer. Then, after the Dungeon is cleared, all participants must allow the other Dungeoneers to view their inventory again so that any changes can be recorded. The total increase in any new item drops will then be evenly divided amongst all Dungeoneers. Where the amount can not be perfectly divided, the difference will be made up based on the current market value of the items.”

“What if it’s a new item that has no current market value?”

“All participating Dungeoneers may bid on the item, and whomever bids the most can effectively buy the item and retain its ownership, but only after paying the bid price to all remaining participants. With the exception of their share, of course. Also, to reduce the chances of someone winning merely because they have more cash on hand, in this instance, the amounts to be paid to the others can be done so within 30 days, providing time for the bidder to earn more money from selling off their other items or to obtain a loan.

The slides skipped forward to that section.

“What if nobody wants to buy the item?”

“Is there really a magic item that you would not be willing to pay even a dollar for?”

“Uh,” the audience looked prepared to argue further, but after thinking for another few seconds, decided to not.

“What if we die?” The slides skipped forward again but the presenter took a moment before answering.

“Of course, the death of any participant is the result we wish to avoid the most. But, if such an unfortunate accident were to occur, you will still be paid as if you were still alive, but the amounts would be paid to your estate. And, in this special circumstance, there will be no taxes paid on these amounts transferred from your estate to your beneficiaries. Although, I would normally advise against thinking about the possibility of your death, you may wish to take some time to think about leaving a will or amending your current will.” There was a moment of silence.

“You said that the base pay was $5,000. Does that mean there is more if we clear the Dungeon?” Valentina asked.

“Uh, yes.” More flipping of slides. “You will all receive additional compensation for each monster the entire party hunts. For a successful clear, you will receive an additional $20,000 each.”

“That seems awfully cheap considering the alternative would be blasting down the whole mall with tanks.”

“We expect the bulk of your compensation to come from the item drops,” was his response.

“As far as I am concerned, the item drops should naturally be ours. They wouldn’t even exist if you killed the monsters outside of the Dungeon.” Before the presenter could argue back, the man who came in late spoke up.

“That’s right, you are hardly giving us, shit. Whatever we go in to fight with is coming out of our pockets, isn’t that right?”

“The base pay will be provided to the participants in advance of the raid for them to buy whatever supplies they will need in the Dungeon.”

“And how much is that going to get us? A camping set?” The presenter tried to counter, but the man continued. “You want us to take care of this situation for just half a million? For just half a million, you don’t have to send in tanks or blow up a mall. How cheap can you get? Forget it, I’m out.” The man stood up to leave.

“W- wait!” the presenter stammered as Valentina got up as well.

“This has apparently been a waste of time.” Valentina’s siblings got up as well, Cuore being a bit slower on the uptake than the others. “Well, I guess it’ll still be fun to see you guys blowing up that mall on the news in three days.” The late man waited by the door as the other four came along.

“I’m not dying for nothing, either!” someone else said as they stood up. A few others nodded in agreement and also prepared to leave.

“P- please! Don’t leave! As we have explained, your safety-”

“Isn’t guaranteed at all,” Valentina interrupted. “You said it yourself, you have no idea what could be in there. Would you step out onto another planet without any equipment for just $5,000?” There was hearty agreement from almost the entire audience. The Dungeoneers left the room amidst the presenters ignored pleas. All except for one. After the rest left the presenter put his hands into his face. After a few moments, the lone, remaining Dungeoneer spoke up.

“Um, will the clear attempt still be made if I am the only one?” he asked. The presenter pulled his hands off his face.

“W- well…a full twenty Dungeoneer party isn’t required…especially since all previous Dungeons only had a max occupancy of ten. Although, after several incidents, a mandate for having ten Dungeoneers before a clear attempt has been incorporated into the Uniform Guidelines…”

“So, we would at least ten?’

“Technically, yes…um, are you suggesting that you could clear the Dungeon by yourself?” The presenter had a glimmer of hope. “What’s your record? Your name?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think I could do it myself. I’ve only been to one and my name is Luigi Gallo…I just could use the $5,000.” The presenter slumped onto the podium.

“I need to make a call,” the presenter muttered.

After several phone calls and a lot of yelling, arrangements were made. The Dungeoneers were then informed that the base pay had been increased to $20,000, and the bonus for successfully clearing the Dungeon increased to $180,000. With twenty Dungeoneers now willing to participate, the raid attempt was set for tomorrow afternoon.