Lonely Swordsman shared the soda he had obtained with the others.
"Ahhh—so refreshing!"
The moment the ice-cold soda slid down their throats, the sharp, fizzy stimulation unique to carbonated drinks surged straight from their spines to the tops of their heads.
Even Kanzaki Ren felt that the soda produced by this dungeon tasted even better than it had in his previous life.
And as for the adventurers—when had they ever experienced anything like this?
Each of them was both shocked and delighted.
Nekomi Momo asked eagerly, "Lord Ren, what exactly is this? I've never tasted a drink this good before. Is it a specialty of this dungeon?"
Kanzaki Ren replied calmly, "It's called cola. In the dungeon's world, it's a fairly common beverage. And this isn't the only specialty—this dungeon's content and materials are far richer than you imagine."
"That's amazing!"
"I didn't expect you to be such a generous lord!"
The adventurers' eyes lit up.
While many adventurers enjoyed the thrill of adventure itself, pleasant experiences alone were not enough in the long run if there were no tangible rewards.
The surface world was heavily polluted.
It was impossible to obtain enough food and clean water to sustain the population.
Adventurers were the world's primary producers. Without stable, long-term output, how could they maintain their livelihoods?
People needed food, water, and basic necessities.
Adventurers were no exception.
They still faced birth, aging, sickness, and death on the surface, and required various supplies to survive. Any dungeon capable of long-term operation had to provide reasonable output.
Even if it was nothing more than basic food and water.
And this crate of soda was a top-tier beverage.
If taken to the trading market of Blackrock Town, it could likely be exchanged for at least a full month's worth of drinking water.
Apocalypse Frenzy was not only fun.
Its returns were excellent.
The three adventurers decided to continue challenging the dungeon.
Adventurers consumed Stamina when entering secret realms, and the amount of stamina was tied to their level.
Yes—
just like players.
Adventurers could also level up.
The process, however, was complex and the requirements extremely strict.
Nearly all of Blackrock Town's hundred thousand adventurers were First Rank.
Black Stone Hammer King, Nekomi Momo, and Lonely Swordsman were no exception.
However, even within the same rank, strength varied greatly.
As newcomers, Black Stone Hammer King and Nekomi Momo each had only five stamina points per day, allowing them to challenge dungeons at most five times.
Lonely Swordsman was already close to Second Rank.
He was considered a top-tier adventurer within Blackrock Town, possessing eight stamina points and the ability to challenge dungeons eight times per day.
At this moment, all three made the same decision.
They would spend all of today's stamina challenging Apocalypse Frenzy.
And so—
[Adventurer 'Lonely Swordsman' has died. Mental Power +1. Soul Crystal +1!]
[Adventurer 'Lonely Swordsman' has died. Mental Power +1. Soul Crystal +1!]
[…]
[Adventurer 'Black Stone Hammer King' has died. Mental Power +1. Soul Crystal +1!]
[Adventurer 'Nekomi Momo' has died. Mental Power +1. Soul Crystal +1!]
The three adventurers took turns challenging the dungeon, slowly pushing their progress forward.
Through grueling effort, they thoroughly searched the initial building and located most of the material storage points.
Not only that—
they also discovered the underground parking garage.
From this relatively safe underground area, they managed to leave the most zombie-infested streets behind and conduct a certain degree of exploration of the surrounding area.
The difficulty of the game was brutal.
Zombies were everywhere.
And new undead could spawn at random.
The slightest mistake meant instant death.
Yet the three adventurers were having the time of their lives.
The tension of exploring an unfamiliar world, combined with the excitement of discovering new supplies and environments, made it impossible for them to stop.
On top of that, the dungeon offered solid returns.
They obtained beer, soda, candy, chocolate, and other supplies.
These basic resources—
were extremely valuable in this world.
As the adventurers found their rhythm, they even discovered a MAC-10 silenced submachine gun in their final run.
They experienced the exhilarating thrill of mowing down enemies as bullet storms tore through hordes of undead, sending flesh and blood flying.
"This is insane!"
"How is anyone supposed to resist this?"
"I can't stop!"
"With this weapon—"
"Tomorrow, we'll definitely break out of this place!"
"Ahhh, I still want to play, but I'm out of stamina!"
"Lord Ren, your dungeon is incredible—but there are too few dungeon crystals. Can you add more? I'm planning to bring all my buddies here tomorrow, but a single crystal just isn't enough!"
Kanzaki Ren smiled faintly.
Tomorrow's business was already secured.
"Don't worry," he said. "Although my dungeon is still in its early stages, the number of dungeon crystals and various facilities will be expanded very soon. Every adventurer who comes to explore will be able to enjoy themselves."
"Good!"
"With that promise—"
"We're relieved!"
"See you tomorrow!"
"…"
The adventurers departed.
Each of them left thoroughly satisfied.
Miracle City experienced its first city closure.
Dungeon cities generally remained open for only twelve hours each day.
Why was that?
It was tied to the fundamental operating rules of the world.
A full day in this world consisted of twenty-four hours.
For twelve of those hours, the underground world was enveloped by Chaos Tides.
During this period, chaotic energy flooded the underground, preventing all dark races from leaving their sanctuaries. At the same time, dungeons could draw energy from the Chaos Tides to operate.
During the remaining twelve hours, the Chaos Tides receded.
Dungeon crystals lost their energy supply and could no longer function, while dark creatures and races became far more active.
These beings were the greatest threats to dungeons.
However, when a dungeon was first established, it automatically generated a protective energy field.
This was known as the beginner protection period.
It lasted for thirty days.
During this time, there was no need to worry about attacks.
Simply put—
Opening the city meant receiving adventurers and operating for business.
Closing the city meant the Dungeon Lord's time to manage, construct, and expand the territory.
Kanzaki Ren reviewed the day's gains.
Today, adventurers were harvested a total of eighteen times.
He obtained 16 points of Mental Power and 18 Soul Crystals.
He activated the Lord Core
and opened the Territory Management menu.
Within it were three sub-options:
[Population], [Construction], and [Administration].
The Population option managed troops and residents. Miracle City had none at the moment, so it was skipped.
Kanzaki Ren selected Construction.
This menu contained two further options:
[Basic Construction] and [Special Construction].
Basic Construction consisted of core facilities provided by the Lord Core itself.
As long as the required Soul Crystals were paid, these structures could be built.
Special Construction involved additional facilities beyond the basics.
Their variety was vast, their functions diverse—but their costs were much higher.
They required not only large quantities of materials, but also relevant blueprints.
Blueprints were mainly obtained by defeating dark races, though they could also be purchased through trade at Lord markets.
Kanzaki Ren opened Basic Construction.
A list immediately appeared before him.
[Dungeon Crystal]: 5 Soul Crystals
[Arrow Tower]: 50 Soul Crystals
[Warehouse]: 50 Soul Crystals
[Mercenary House]: 100 Soul Crystals
[Monster Camp]: 300 Soul Crystals
[Spirit Altar]: 500 Soul Crystals
[Warrior Barracks]: 1000 Soul Crystals
[…]
[Underground Teleport Station]: 10,000 Soul Crystals
There were over a dozen structures in total.
Each served a practical purpose.
Some served adventurers, some increased military strength, others assisted operations, and some functioned as defensive structures.
All were essential components of dungeon management.
At present, Kanzaki Ren could only afford to construct Dungeon Crystals.
Dungeon Crystals were the entrances to secret realms.
A single dungeon hall could accommodate up to one hundred Dungeon Crystals.
If the dungeon hall were compared to an internet café, then Dungeon Crystals were the computers.
Adventurers needed Dungeon Crystals to play, and maintaining them consumed territory resources—much like rent or utilities.
Fortunately,
the cost was minimal.
As long as they weren't forcefully activated during low tide,
each crystal consumed only five Soul Crystals per month.
Although the upkeep per crystal was small, excessive numbers could accumulate into a heavy burden over time—especially if the dungeon lost popularity and revenue declined.
The opposite was also true.
If too few Dungeon Crystals were built,
demand could not be met, harming income and even reputation.
While a single dungeon hall could hold only one hundred crystals, a Dungeon Lord could increase capacity by upgrading the hall or constructing additional halls.
[You are constructing Dungeon Crystals.]
[This construction will consume 15 Soul Crystals. Proceed? Yes / No]
Kanzaki Ren chose Yes without hesitation.
With the original crystal included, his dungeon now possessed four Dungeon Crystals, allowing four adventurers to challenge the dungeon simultaneously.
After this round of construction,
tomorrow's income was guaranteed to multiply.