Watching these energetic challengers, Ed, having finished distributing the rewards, quietly retreated behind the crowd.
He's really gone, really. If he hadn't left... the players' anger might have shifted elsewhere.
Ed left the crowd and went to a hotel not far from the church.
He has decided to buy that house.
Now that the church has been converted into Dungeon, Ed needs another location as an office for the White Wax Town area.
After all, he has no immediate plans to "relocate the capital" and still hopes to use the castle as the center for future development.
After much thought, Ed realized that Tiya's father's family-owned inn was quite nice.
Firstly, it's one of the few two-story buildings with an attic in the town, and it doesn't even have any obvious damage; it can be repaired and used immediately.
Secondly, Tiya's father was indeed planning to move, but in the desolate White Wax Town, a house might remain unsold for ten or twenty years without anyone buying it. It would be better for him to take over the house himself and do the other party a favor.
Ed has already decided that this inn will become the castle's office in White Wax Town. The staff can recruit some townspeople from nearby to handle various tasks and sell combat items on the side...
However, it wouldn't be appropriate to actually call it "[ White Wax Town Office]", as that would sound too strange and wouldn't fit the style of this world.
Once again caught up in a brainstorming session about naming a child, Ed suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
He looked at the house not far away and suddenly found it pleasing to the eye.
It's decided! From now on, this place will be called -- [ White Wax Town Adventurers' Guild ]!
That's just right!
As the most free-spirited players in the entire universe, they didn't pay much attention to Ed's existence after the mission was completed.
"Let's go, brothers!"
Player [Xiexie Huigu] waved his hand and led his team to the church with its doors tightly closed.
He pushed the door but found it wouldn't budge. Someone next to him patted his shoulder and gestured for him to look at two or three Aberration plants that looked like old-fashioned video game consoles next to the door.
What is this?
[ Xiexie Huigu ] gaze begins to sweep from left to right.
The first plant was square and neat. He placed his hand on it and found that a sales panel had appeared in front of him...
Oh, is this right?
I glanced at the goods inside this "vending machine":
[ Vine Bandage Pack ], [ Paralysis Bomb ], [Cocoon], [ Seed of Rest ], [Limb Removal (Optional)], [ Deadwood Vine Larva], [ Strangler Fig Larva]...
[ Xiexie Huigu ] nodded in satisfaction – Yes, yes, these things should be sold at the entrance of the Dungeon.
Although there's a suspicion of profiteering from the war, the prices here seem to be the same as Ed's. As expected, the Guide wouldn't cheat us; the prices haven't increased at all. He's truly a conscience of the industry.
He then looked at the second special plant, placed his hand on it, and a hole with a diameter roughly the same as the player's body slowly opened. [Xiexie Huigu] looked at the prompt in front of him for a while and understood what it was.
"Self-Service Resurrection Machine" Shared Version!
That's interesting. He's so considerate of the players; he feels like he's about to fall in love with the guide.
Finally, there was the third plant. He reached out and pressed his hand against the surface of the plant to the left of the door. His right hand was immediately entwined by vines, and a text box appeared in his field of vision:
[Activate the Dungeon [ Gloomy Sanctuary ]?]
So this is the plant responsible for opening the Dungeon...
[ Xiexie Huigu ] decisively selected [Yes].
Please select the activation method:
1. Costs 20 silver coins.
2. Consumed 50 kg of Aberration tissue.
3. Consume 1 Dungeon Challenge Ticket
[3]
[Please verify the player list and number: (Total 15 people) Team Leader: [Xiexie Huigu], Members: [Easily Soluble in Water], [Concrete Mixed with Spaghetti], [Second-Class Biscuit]...]
[yes]
Please select difficulty:
Easy: Reward coefficient 1.0
Normal: Reward coefficient 1.2
Difficulty: Reward coefficient 1.5
Hell: Reward coefficient 2.0]
"Huh?"
Upon hearing the captain's questioning voice, a player immediately asked curiously:
"Why isn't it open yet? Is there a problem?"
[Xiexie Huigu] said:
"This Dungeon has a difficulty level option, but nobody's ever done it. What do you guys suggest?"
As he spoke, he shared the panel with the others, and the players immediately started talking all at once. In the end, everyone unanimously decided to give Ed some face and play a hard mode first as a token gesture, not for the 1.5x reward.
With the final option confirmed, the church doors slowly opened, revealing the still-magnificent golden statue, while the old, faded wooden benches exuded a sense of history under the afternoon sun.
The doors closed behind everyone, accompanied by a clear chime, and [ Gloomy Sanctuary - Difficult] officially began.
The players who entered the building spread out in the Great Prayer Hall to survey their surroundings. Soon, one player said:
"It didn't seem difficult at all, not even as difficult as when I came in last time."
The other person had a different idea:
"No, I feel like the structure in some places is different from last time, and this quietness is definitely a problem. We should be careful..."
Before he could finish speaking, a "whoosh" sound came from behind the statue. The players were immediately on high alert, only to see four priests carrying various musical instruments emerge from behind the statue.
Although their bodies were intact, their feet did not touch the ground; their entire bodies were suspended from the ceiling, with vines of varying thickness extending upwards from their elbows, wrists, and other parts, manipulating their movements like puppet strings.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the four of them began to play instruments and sing.
The priests wore sinister smiles, but their hands moved with surprising dexterity, and the four of them played with the flair of a small orchestra.
"What... is this?"
The inexplicable music left [Xiexie Huigu] completely bewildered, while [Concrete Mixed with Spaghetti] said:
"Could this be the legendary background music? Come to think of it, this game is so realistic that it never had any background music before, I never expected it to be implemented in Dungeon."
"666! There's even background music like this, they just shove the band right in your face, it's 100% live performance, there's no possibility of it being pre-made."
"I give up, BYD designer."
"What if I don't want to listen? There's no way to adjust the volume, is there?"
"Simple, just cut their heads off."
The lively discussion did not stop the players from continuing their activities.
After a brief discussion, the group reached a consensus: they would spare the musicians for now, and kill them if they caused any trouble. After all, the priests were also highlighted in red, indicating that they were still the players' enemies.