The Devil's Cage

As Kieran stared at the [Special Dungeon: The Shaman’s Partner], the system provided the dungeon’s details.

[Final Player Rating SSS, Acquired Special Dungeon]

[Special Dungeon: The Shaman’s Partner]

[The Shaman’s Partner: Your performance in Alcatraz Prison has caught the attention of a shaman on the West Coast. You have been invited by the shaman to work as his assistant to solve several puzzling mysteries...]

[Main Mission: Starts after entering the dungeon]

[Remark 1: The Shaman’s Partner and Prison on the Island exist in the same universe.]

[Remark 2: The Special Dungeon will not be counted towards the dungeon entries of the player.]

[Remark 3: The Special Dungeon difficulty will be the same as the dungeon where the player acquired the Special Dungeon.]

[Remark 4: The Special Dungeon requires the player to clear a single player or team dungeon. After the cooldown resets, it will automatically begin.]

[Remark 5: The Special Dungeon has a single player or team dungeon option. A team dungeon will grant all teammates the same authority. They will work on the same side as the initiator and the Main Mission difficulty will be determined according to the different dungeon entry numbers of the players.]

[Remark 6: If the player fails the Main Mission of the Special Dungeon, they will have to suffer a penalty equal to the player’s current dungeon entries.]

...

The lines of description that appeared in Kieran’s vision made him raise his eyebrows.

The acquisition of the Special Dungeon had been totally unexpected, but Kieran was still aware of its value.

The line that said ‘The Special Dungeon will not be counted towards the dungeon entries of the player’ was enough to convince Kieran.

Even without the benefit of that specific line though, the fact that the Special Dungeon difficulty was the same as the level of difficulty of the dungeon where the player had acquired the Special Dungeon was a big enough advantage.

For example, if a player had acquired the Special Dungeon in their fourth dungeon, and then went into cooldown, the player would enter a Special Dungeon of fourth-time difficulty with a fifth-time strength and power. No doubt, that was good news for all the players.

The same applied in Kieran’s case. He had entered the fourth-time team dungeon with his second-time dungeon strength and power, so when the Special Dungeon was available, Kieran would enter a Special Dungeon of second-time difficulty with a third-dungeon strength and power.

It was delightful news. Kieran knew that according to the previous example, after a player cleared a sixth-time single player or team dungeon, initiated the Special Dungeon and cleared it, they would have the rating of a sixth-time player and when they entered the seventh official dungeon, thanks to the remark ‘The Special Dungeon will not be counted towards the dungeon entries of the player’, the difficulty of the official dungeon would still be that of a sixth-time dungeon.

Obviously, given the right chance and timing, if a player cleared a Special Dungeon, they would have an extra advantage on their next dungeon.

A Special Dungeon could actually trigger a beneficial long-term growth pattern.

But was that really possible?

Kieran recovered from his surprise and carefully read the first line, which stated that ‘The Shaman’s Partner and Prison on the Island exist in the same universe’.

The term "same universe" had already caused many speculations to form in Kieran’s mind. He naturally he remembered that he had taken two light machine guns with him when he’d left the dungeon.

If he entered a dungeon in the same universe, they would definitely cause him some unwanted trouble.

Kieran had the confidence to handle it though, so it would not be a big deal.

In fact, it also served as a reminder for him. He had only taken two light machine guns this time, so he had lots of ways to deal with the consequences, but what if it had been something of incredible value and he’d come across his remaining enemies again?

There would be an unpredictable situation once Kieran went back into the Special Dungeon, and old obstacles might cause a chain reaction and increase the difficulty of the Main Mission.

"So is that one of the disadvantages of the Special Dungeon?" Kieran mumbled.

The thought of the bronze coffin popped in his mind once again.

"So I still have a chance!"

Kieran smirked a little, his mood improving.

If there was anything that Kieran regretted from the last dungeon, it was that he had missed the chance to investigate the inside of the bronze coffin. If that opportunity was presented to him again, he would be very happy.

However, he was also aware that in order to fully investigate the bronze coffin, he would need to have enough strength and power. Given his current power level, even if he went back inside the dungeon, he might not have what it took to investigate it.

He needed to increase his strength, and the quickest way to do that was by using his Points and Skill Points. He brought up his character window right away.

[Points: 18,700; Skill Points: 11; Golden Skill Points: 1; Golden Attribute Points: 1]

His second dungeon rating had replenished his points to a considerable level, yet it was still not enough.

Upgrading Pro Level [Hand-to-Hand Combat] to Grand Master cost 8,000 Points and 4 Skill Points, and upgrading Pro Level [Tracking] to Grand Master required a hefty amount of 12,000 Points and 8 Skill Points. The same went for [Mystical Knowledge], which was on the same special rank as the previous skills.

Kieran had looked up the cost of upgrading [Mystical Knowledge] from Basic to Entry Level, and it was 1,000 Points.

It was much more expensive compared to [Tracking], which belonged in the same category, and even more expensive compared to other normal skills.

If he wanted to upgrade [Mystical Knowledge] to a certain level, the cost would be a big burden.

He still had other skills to upgrade as well, so the Points and Skill Points he currently had were insufficient.

Even Starbeck’s payment could not cover his expenses.

Kieran turned his attention to the newly acquired [WK-22] and the 4 pieces of [Soul Shard]s.

"I hope I can get a good price for these!"

As he thought about it, Kieran opened up his inbox, which had been pinging nonstop ever since he had come back to the lobby.

It was Starbeck and Lawless flooding his mailbox.

Starbeck was expressing his gratitude for Kieran’s services and stating that he would like to collaborate with Kieran again after three months. He had transferred the remaining 10,000 Points and the extra fee of 5,000, so Kieran had gotten a total of 15,000 Points.

Kieran smiled and quickly accepted Starbeck’s generosity.

Starbeck was quite a nice person if one overlooked the cowardly nature that made him an incompetent teammate.

It was not worth adopting the mimosa-like child of another parent.

Starbeck had left the team, and the number of teammates had decreased from the original six to five. There was only Lawless left in the chatroom, spamming Kieran with messages.

No doubt, it was his bragging that was causing the non stop pinging. Kieran turned his chat on, and messages starting pouring in like rain.

...

Lawless: Goddamn it ! I was tricked!

Lawless: That ass trapped me inside one of the dungeons!

Lawless: How did u kill him?

Lawless: When that guy was reincarnated into a half-dead, he was not that bright anymore, but his power level increased like crazy!

Lawless: Not an easy opponent to deal with!

Lawless: I said that I will bring u victory, but I failed!

Lawless: Next time! Follow me and I will bring u victory while u lean back and relax!

(From his concern about the dungeon to his self-boasting BS, this was typical, noisy Lawless. Fortunately, Kieran was already familiar with his personality.)

2567: See how much these are worth.

(Kieran screenshotted both the [WK-22]s and the 4 pieces of [Soul Shard]s and sent them over to Lawless)

Lawless: !!!!!!!

Lawless: I had my eyes on those [WK-22]s from early on! I was planning on grabbing them before we left!

Lawless: That f**king bastard!

Lawless: I hate that half-dead!

Lawless: The Soul Shards are good items!

Lawless: There are veterans that would gladly pay extra Points and Skill Points for them.

(Lawless started to BS him about stuff again, but Kieran stopped him.)

2567: So how much are these worth?

Lawless: The secret bazaar is opening soon. Why don’t u wait for it?

2567: What about the GW between the Steam City and the Iron Chariots?

Lawless: Relax, it won’t go on for much longer. U think that when u start a war within the game, the game won’t tax u? Every hour that goes by costs a heavy amount of points! Those two bastards might be rich, but they’re not stupid. This has been going on for a whole day, so every squabble should be finished soon. Face was lost and goals were met, but everything will eventually be over.

...

At Lawless’ words, Kieran realized what he had to do next.

Between an offer from one person and offers from a group of players, even an idiot would know what was better for business.

"The secret bazaar?" Kieran mumbled in anticipation and curiosity.