Gamers of the Underworld

In the dimly lit Eternal Kingdom, Brainiac brought the plump Hamsters to Entrance No. 3. The three Hamsters each carried a small piece of luggage. Big Boss walked out.

“Thank you for your hospitality. The Dungeon is pretty good, though I don’t have much of an impression. Did we pay?” Big Boss asked in his helium voice.

Brainiac nodded but didn’t speak.

Second Boss stood behind Big Boss and said, “Big Boss, let’s hurry. Why did we come here for a tour? We’re looking for Lord Sherlock.”

Fat Otaku dragged his luggage and asked, “Did we have a full meal? Why am I hungry?”

The three Hamsters dragged their luggage and left Eternal Kingdom. Entrance No. 3 was immediately sealed.

The gamers didn’t discover the Hamsters leaving as Brainiac had made them invisible.

This was what happened.

Brainiac was working in his Burial Hall early in the morning. His main job was listening to the gamers speak trash and reviving their corpses.

Sherlock came to find him to send off the three Hamsters via Entrance No. 3.

Hence, Brainiac was at Entrance No. 3 to send off the Hamsters.

Brainiac looked at the distant Hamsters and wrote in his journal:

“201: Lord Sherlock didn’t want the Hamsters to recognize him.

202: I have to pretend not to know the three Hamsters if I meet them.

203: Lord Sherlock’s background is even more mysterious.

204: Fat Otaku is a glutton. I would like to research…”

Brainiac stowed away his journal properly before proceeding back to the Burial Hall.

Sherlock was sitting in the Dungeon Lord Main Hall, and Eggface sat by Sherlock’s legs and filed the nails of his own front claws.

Evelynn was holding a list and reporting to Sherlock.

“Death compensation for 40,000 warriors, damage compensation for 50,000 sets of armor, expenses for 10,000 units of medicine, alchemy and raw materials for Magical Items. And… and…”

“And a hundred Beetlemons,” Sherlock added as he raised his hand.

“Sorry, Lord Sherlock…” Evelynn lowered her head apologetically and said immediately,

“I’ll work harder the next time. I’m very happy you’ve assigned me to negotiate with Winterfell!”

“I’ve always trusted you, and you’re capable. I feel that you’ll have no problem handling this issue. You’ll do a good job. Don’t worry, I’ll help to disguise you for the whole journey,” Sherlock said as he sipped his bloody chrysanthemum tea.

“Lord Sherlock…” Evelynn lowered her head and wiped her tears.

“Did I say something wrong?” Sherlock looked puzzledly at Eggface.

Eggface lifted his head bewilderedly and said, “Ah? My eternal foe! Why did you ask me such a question? The Ruler of Darkness is only a two-year-old small Black Dragon.”

“No, Lord Sherlock, don’t be mistaken. You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s just that… nobody has praised me since I started schooling. Lord Sherlock, you’ve always been helping me, taking care of my job and giving me a place to stay. And you trust me enough to let me help. I’m really…”

Evelynn took out her fragrant handkerchief and blew her nose.

“It’s nothing much. I’ll praise you more in the future, now go and do your work. Oh, and remember to record down the issues of Underground Forest No. 3,” Sherlock reminded Evelynn.

Evelynn bowed and left.

Eggface had finished filing his own nails. He stood on his hind legs and straightened his coiled body with difficulty.

“Are you putting on weight?”

Sherlock frowned as he looked at Eggface.

“The King of Darkness is taking in the essence of the world. I have to maintain the rapid growth to handle the power in my body!” Eggface said solemnly, then his stomach started growling. Eggface left the Dungeon Lord Main Hall and shouted, “Servants! My loyal servants, come and feed me!”

A group of gamers rushed forward and escorted Eggface out noisily.

Sherlock watched the door closing slowly, then he went into deep thought.

“Why are you keeping this Black Dragon, Lord Sherlock? I feel it’s a losing venture,” Bru said in a tone that suggested he was taking delight in Sherlock’s misfortune.

Sherlock didn’t reply to Bru but asked, “How was the assimilation of the Winterfell Dungeon Core?”

“Perfect, Lord Sherlock. Do you know the feeling of a Level 2 Dungeon Core swallowing a Level 4 Dungeon Core? Tsk, tsk, it felt like a child eating an elephant. I’ll need time to assimilate. I tried upgrading to Level 4, but I failed. There is no way for a Dungeon Core to jump levels. It’s a pity, but don’t you worry, Lord Sherlock.”

Bru quickly said, “Though I’m unable to upgrade to Level 4, I’m not wasting the excess Dungeon Core. In fact, I’ve used it to create various assistive functions.”

“Assistive functions?” Sherlock frowned.

“That’s correct. The assistive functions of ‘Dungeon: Eternal Kingdom’ according to the gamers. As you know, their souls were summoned from the otherworld. In other words, their existence is dependent on our existence. Compared to the recruitment of natives, this kind of summoning method has many benefits. We can modify their appearances but not their bodies.”

Bru said, “This will allow them to feel that this world is more like a game and elevate their gaming experience. For example, a small live map on the upper right corner will show their explored area in real-time. Unexplored areas will be in the dark. Their explored maps will be kept in my database. Besides the Map System, I have created the assistive Combat System to reduce their training period significantly. It is equivalent to a loophole that allows them to accelerate their combat learning experience. Then there are the Mana System and Bow System. These integrated systems will allow the gamers to have a higher level of combat experience.”

“Yes, they are necessary. They were ineffective against the Ancient Gods believers and died many times, didn’t they?” Sherlock nodded and said, “If they are that weak, it’s not beneficial to me.”

“That’s correct. In addition, Eternal Kingdom has expanded to twice its original size. Lord Sherlock has to come up with new excavation plans. If you wait until the Third Beta Testing, the Dungeon will be unable to accommodate the gamers with our current size,” Bru suggested.

“How many gamers can you summon?” Sherlock asked.

“For the Third Beta Testing, I suggest 10,000 gamers with our existing functionalities,” Bru replied quickly.

“Ten thousand? That’s more than I expected. Then assign more daily excavation missions. Concentrate on the Living Quarters and delay excavations for the other areas,” Sherlock said.

“I understand. Lord Sherlock, I have a suggestion. We’ve constructed the Medicine Concoction Platform and Magical Items Creation Platform. Once the Mana Area is completed, we’ll be able to commission its use. The Medicine Concoction Platform will be operated by Little Fairy and Raintea. For the Magical Items Creation Platform, only Brainiac is a suitable candidate for its operation, so we have to reduce the workload of Brainiac.”

Bru continued saying, “My suggestion is to overhaul the Revival System that reduces two different methods of Revival into a single direct Revival using flesh regeneration. Only the gamers with a constitution upgrade will be able to choose the flesh regeneration Revival. This will reduce Brainiac’s workload, but it will use more of Lord Sherlock’s Mana.”

“Hmm… let me consider it.” Sherlock pondered.

“In addition…” Bru said with concern, “Lord Sherlock has to find an additional Mana source. With 10,000 gamers in the Third Beta Testing, Lord Sherlock may be able to cope, but when it comes to the Fourth Beta or the Open Beta, there may be tens of thousands to millions of gamers. Even if a few Satans were to combine their Mana, it wouldn’t be sufficient.”

“I suggest building a Mana Pool or a Sunwell to store excess Mana. When Mana is required, the Mana storage can be used. Is there such a possibility?”

“No,” Sherlock said frankly,

“I can’t create such facilities. Though there are Mana storage devices, to supply Mana to 10,000 gamers requires too much money and resources. Unless we can plant a Yggdrasill or rob a current Yggdrasill.”

“That is extremely difficult.” Bru sighed and asked, “Lord Sherlock, I have a small question. Do you know the son of the Grand Duke, Alexandria?”