Dustin and the others arrived at another dungeon entrance after walking for another few hours in the wild forest.
[ You have discovered a Dungeon ]
[ Minimum number of people required to enter: 4 ]
[ Minimum level required for each person: 10 ]
[ Maximum number of people allowed at a time: 10 ]
[ Rewards: 1500 points per person, Experience based on performance ]
[ Enter: Y / N ]
This system screen popped up in front of everyone as they stood before the dungeon entrance.
During the long walk, Arina had already explained the situation about the dungeons, the camp, and everything else she knew to Dustin. Gareth had told her to bring him up to speed. In return, Dustin also had to tell them his side of the story and how he had survived alone so far.
Now they were finally standing in front of a new dungeon. This was obviously a low-grade dungeon and not like the high-grade ones that Gareth and his elite team had cleared previously. The reward of 1500 points and some experience could not be compared to what they had received from the harder places. But a gain was still a gain, even if it was little.
The special event was rapidly approaching. Everyone needed all the resources they could get. To Dustin, this 1500 points reward seemed absolutely huge. Unlike these people, he had lived alone these last few days. He knew very little about the environment and the system economy compared to them.
"One thousand and five hundred points!" Dustin said loudly in shock.
"Keep your voice down," a tall man with a heavy shield said from the back of the group. "Do you want to attract every wild beast in this area?"
"I am just saying," Dustin replied as he looked at the glowing text. "I almost died in that last dungeon and it only gave me a thousand points. I am certain we can easily clear this one since we have a lot more people."
Arina smiled a little and shook her head. "That is because this is a basic group dungeon. The system scales the rewards differently when you are not alone. It pays less, but it is much safer."
"Boss, just let us take care of this one," the tall man said to Gareth. He glanced at Dustin with a doubtful look. "This new guy's level is still very low. Fighting here will help him improve as well, since he is going to join us."
"My level is high enough to survive out here alone," Dustin replied flatly.
"We will see about that," the tall man chuckled.
"Alright, that is enough," Gareth nodded and stepped between them. He pointed his finger toward the tall man, another team member, and then at Dustin. "You three take care of it. Killing these low-level monsters will not give much experience to the rest of us anyway. But we will follow closely behind you just in case some mishap happens. The system says it gives 1500 points per person, so we all need to be inside to collect the reward."
"Understood, Boss," the tall man said.
After a bit more talking, Gareth accepted the dungeon entrance request. The glowing barrier faded and they all stepped into the dungeon.
Somewhere else in a completely different dungeon in the forest.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The massive white antelope fell hard onto the stone ground and died on the spot. Dust clouded the air around its heavy body.
[ Dungeon cleared ]
[ Rewards: 3000 points, 23 bonus stat points ]
"Clearing these dungeons is really a great way to level up," Zoran said to his subordinates.
"You hit it perfectly, Master Zoran," the new Swordsman said. He was clearly trying to get on Zoran's good side.
"Of course I did," Zoran replied. He wiped a drop of blood from his cheek with a grin. "This place is truly much more interesting compared to Earth. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen after this tutorial is over. Hahaha."
Three more people had joined his team recently, aside from his original archer. Among these three newcomers, one was a Swordsman, one was a Rogue, and the last one was a Spearman. They all stood around the dead beast while catching their breath.
"Master Zoran," the archer spoke up nervously. "Could you lend me some poisons for the time being? I will repay you after we clear a few more dungeons."
Zoran sat down on a large stone and looked at him with a cold stare.
"Did you not also get points from this dungeon as well as from the last one?" Zoran asked.
"Well, I do have some points," the archer replied in a very low, hesitant tone. He looked down at his boots. "But my gear is getting damaged. I really want to upgrade my bow right now, and I am also finally able to purchase a new combat skill from the shop section."
Everyone in the cavern became totally silent. The tension in the air was incredibly thick.
"Hahaha," Zoran suddenly laughed. The sound was sharp and completely devoid of warmth. "You should have just said so. We are a team, are we not? Here."
Clink. Clink.
Zoran opened his shop section and quickly purchased poison bottles. He took out fifteen bottles of poison and tossed them roughly into the arms of the archer. The archer fumbled to catch them all before they dropped.
"Pay me back with a ten percent interest rate," Zoran commanded.
"Ten percent?" the new Rogue whispered to the Spearman. "That is pure robbery."
"Quiet," the Spearman hissed back softly. "Do you want to be his next target?"
"Yes, I will pay you back as soon as we clear more dungeons, Master," the archer said. He ignored the whispers of the new recruits. He gritted his teeth silently and accepted the heavy load of poisons.
Even though there was no rule anywhere about any interest payment, Zoran was really trying to extort them. The archer only needed five or six bottles of poison for his upcoming hunts, but Zoran intentionally gave him fifteen bottles just to trap him in a bigger debt. Due to the massive difference in their strength, the team members could not do anything to stop him. They simply forced themselves to smile slightly towards him and accept the unfair deal.
But none of the team members could do anything about it. They had all seen his terrifying power firsthand. Even if they all fought him together, there was a very high chance that most of them would die in the process. Not to mention, they did not trust each other enough to stage a mutiny. Survival under a tyrant was still survival.
DING.
[ Special event to start soon ]
[ All survivors are informed that the special event will start in just a few days. Everyone must prepare well. ]
[ The Special Event is called: Choose A Cicada ]