Thanks to Balak, Lowell made a swift return to the city.
The moment he woke up in the church, he shared all the information he had with his fellow senior heroes.
And, as expected—
"I-I'm in! I wanna go too!!! A tavern run by a buff werewolf?!"
"No, Lowell, it's not that we don't trust you, but..."
"A merchant inside the dungeon?! What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Look at this purity... Can you even call this a low-grade elixir?"
"Gulp..."
Laiter was in an uproar.
Even the items packaged inside the dungeon had been shattered by Balak's power before submission.
But because Lowell died first, they made it safely to the church intact.
The heads of major factions, leaders of the joint investigation teams, and the imperial official were hastily summoned to the conference room.
Bang!!!!
"Is this real?!"
"Now, now, calm down."
"N-No! How can anyone stay calm?! We don't have time for this! To that dungeon, right now!!"
But the moment the meeting began, one elf was freaking out in extreme excitement, not knowing what to do with himself.
And for good reason—among the catalog items was one boldly listed:
｢Spirit Tree Seed｣
So, what exactly was this Spirit Tree Seed?
It was none other than!
"The World Tree... again!!!"
The seed of the massive World Tree that once stood in elven territory!
Back during the Great War, some entity's magic had incinerated the colossal tree completely.
Even its seeds had been consumed by some magical effect, burning away entirely.
Because of that, the elves seemed forever parted from their glorious past era...
But now, they could face it once more.
A fragment of that radiant age.
In the verdant citadel teeming with life, a gigantic tree piercing the heavens, its canopy shading the land.
Countless branches draped in a veil of mystical mist, flowing gently.
And whenever the wind brushed that massive tree...
Pale green waves rippling over the clouds—the nostalgic sight they yearned for.
Thus, they realized.
They could nurture that majestic World Tree—which embraced and blessed the entire world—with their own hands.
But reality was cruel.
"I understand your reaction, given you've longed for the World Tree so much... but this costs tens of millions of coins, doesn't it?"
"Th-that... price..."
"And if what Hero Lowell brought back in that manual is true, you'd probably have to die tens of thousands of times more. It even says you can't get these coins if you keep dying in the same room consecutively."
The Spirit Tree Seed in the current catalog was ridiculously expensive!
The reason it was so outrageously priced?
It was because the corrupted tree spirit, Karsein, had rigged it that way!
Thanks to mending relations with the Great Spirits from the previous incident, Karsein could now produce Spirit Tree Seeds himself.
He'd regained enough power from the spirit realm for that.
And knowing elves would swarm the first floor and mini-dungeons—and that they'd check the catalog later—Karsein had anticipated it!!
"How dare those who burned our forests and treated our children like weapons come crawling back for a contract? Make 'em suffer, then."
That's right!! He'd jacked up the price just to screw over the elves!
There were only three ways to earn coins in the dungeon right now.
How you'd cleared the rooms Balak made.
If in a team, what contributions you made while passing through rooms.
And finally, how quickly you cleared them.
Now, looking at these three methods, there's one odd thing.
The prerequisite for earning coins!
"You must clear the rooms to obtain these Abyss Coins in full."
"Damn it!!!"
Bang!!!!
You had to 'clear' the meticulously crafted rooms by Balak and then die to get them.
Truly coins for those challenging the impossible!
Coins earned from repeatedly clearing the same room would dwindle.
Only by challenging Balak without shortcuts would the count reset!
Reaching a dungeon rest area did ease the requirements somewhat.
But for elves to scrape together enough? It'd take an eternity!
Intentionally dying or killing in the dungeon?
Your coins would go negative!
The other floor bosses—far too competent—had already sealed every exploit for earning coins.
No honest raiding, no rewards.
Even if you got them, problems galore!
"Ugh... The only place to spend or withdraw these Abyss Coins is one spot..."
"You're talking about that dungeon rest area, right? But can you even reach it?"
"The doll that wiped out two raiding parties in seconds—including ones with heroes."
Currently, only one place to withdraw or spend coins.
The dungeon rest area.
To get there, survive a brutal fight with a combat doll.
Plus, breach the Mad Realm and Iron Labyrinth along the way.
A hopeless situation, for sure.
But the fiery inferno was worth diving into.
"We've got analysis results on those elixirs!"
"Right, how do they stack up?"
"It's... unbelievable."
"Human! Stop dragging it out and spill already!"
"Y-yes, sir. Compared to elixirs on the market, their quality is... they have less effect than standard low-grade ones circulating now."
"What? So it's a scam?"
"Yeah, it was weird. Elixirs that take years to make, sold like that—"
"But these are elixirs you can take infinitely."
"What?"
"Normally, the intense potency limits you to 3-5 before your body gives out, right? These? Infinite!! O-of course, past a certain level, they stop working... but this... this! Revolutionary! Pure revolution!!"
Was it because the bosses indulged too deeply in their hobbies?
Or were the bosses just that skilled with their hands?
Normally, the fierce potency meant rationing or dying.
But these let you keep consuming up to a point, steadily growing stronger.
No potency buildup, no issues no matter how many.
They couldn't even figure out the ingredients—too perfect to replicate!
So if low-grade elixirs were this good, what about the rest?
The catalog brimmed with weapons, magic tools, potions, elixirs, furniture—tons of items.
Even...
｢Chainmail Armor Made from Dragon Scales｣
｢Dagger Crafted from Dragon Claws｣
｢Sword Forged from Dragon Fangs｣
"""..."""
The old man on the 100th floor swapped his claws and fangs for new ones with various treatments.
Or shed worn scales while scratching his back.
Seeing catalog items from Zarkan's infinite byproducts, they began eyeing each other silently.
A massive greed stirred in their hearts.
********************
Days after the meeting ended.
The quickest to act? The elves.
Elves roaming the city found the best way to get coins.
Naturally, buying from the heroes who'd spent the most time grinding the dungeon!
They hauled dozens of massive crates to where the heroes and their comrades gathered.
Then got straight to talking.
"Heroes. We have a proposition. You've heard about the coins, right?"
"Our junior filled us in. Elixirs, weapons... nothing but tempting stuff."
"The currency to visit a tavern run by a buff, fluffy werewolf in stylish gear!"
"You're focused on that?! A-anyway! We get the gist."
"No need to explain, then. Those coins... we'll buy them all."
"""Pardon?"""
"How much?"
Clang!!!
The elves had gone mad for the World Tree seed!
Post-meeting, swift letters to their homeland spread the word.
Their realm was chaos.
Squeezing every ounce of national power, elves scrambled for coins!
So, with elves moving fastest and most aggressively, this was the cheapest moment—
"Hey? You got here quick."
"Y-you guys?!"
"Hey, heroes. Ignore those pointy-ears—chat with us instead? Heard your parties' weapons suck lately~."
Sadly, elves weren't the only quick movers.
The dwarves had lost it over the catalog items too!
Even low-grade elixirs were that good.
The diverse magic tools and weapons—expected to be overwhelmingly superior—were exactly what they needed to advance their tech.
And they were the artisan race!
Even if behind, still ahead of others.
So, beyond money, they came with hero-party-melting conditions!
Now, a showdown between two races—
"Oh, you're all here too?"
"""?!"""
Oh no.
The imperial official had shown up.
Were all minds alike?!
Soon, the official offered heroes massive perks for coins.
And they weren't alone!
Laiter teemed with spies from world's factions, hungry for direct Abyss intel.
Lowell blabbing his experiences everywhere let spies snag full catalog details.
Their masters drooled too!
"Hair loss cure?! And growth serum?! Th-this stuff actually exists?!"
"I could become an ultimate beauty!"
"Chance to boost the family influence."
"Ooooh!!! Elixirs!! Eliiiixiiiirs!!"
"This is the trend. Move fast!"
Major noble stewards.
Envoys from kingdoms near Altria Empire.
Merchant guild reps, etc...
They swarmed the heroes—highest chance to reach the rest area, most coins.
But... tragically, hero parties weren't swayed by money.
"""Sorry."""
"""Huh?"""
Right! Money couldn't pry their coins loose!
Sure, if money failed, it was just not enough cash.
But no surer hook for their hearts.
Why? They were just as obsessed!
Weapons, gear, elixirs!
Dragon gear, no less?
How could they resist?!
Items any aspiring powerhouse craved.
Ones they could earn through 'effooort'!
Balak's intent worked—hero parties' challenge fever exploded!
Promises of territory?
Mountains of gold?
Titles?
No dice.
So they thought:
Damn! Then force it viole—
...As if that'd fly!
Gods above watch!
Mess with them and die?
'Why'd you touch the hero parties?'
'W-well... honestly...'
'Liar?'
Aah!! Yes!
Lying to gods?
Think that's viable?!
Unless you wanted the afterlife wrecked, no touching them!
Same for other races.
This world's gods were all family, tight-knit.
Harming their apostles—cherished heroes—meant your race's afterlife got trashed.
Hero parties? Untouchable!
Demand skyrocketing, supply ultra-limited.
Coin prices exploded.
"900 gold per coin?!"
"No... It's not even circulating— this is insane."
"Bubble much? Competition's overheated— this could crash hard..."
"Gazuaaaa!!!"
"To the moon gazuaaaa!!!"
"Ahh!! Is this the adventurers' era?! Our time has come!"
"You there!! Treat these heroes to booze and babes!!"
"Adventurers finally have our own path!"
Thus, the shop crafted by Balak and the bosses.
Made not just Altria Empire's elites frantic—but the world's power players.
Spurring even more into the dungeon.
The Great Coin Era's curtain rose!
Episode 3: Coin Frenzy. END
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