Holy sh*t!
Three hundred and eighty million!
In his past life as a Tarnished in the Lands Between, forget about money—there hadn't even been a proper currency. Everyone just bartered or used Runes as hard currency. He had lived for so long and slain so many gods and demigods, yet he'd never seen such a massive pile of liquid Rune cash!
If all this money could be converted into Runes for stat points... he could probably instantly create a "Jack-of-all-trades" build and charge straight to the bottom of the Dungeon to arm-wrestle the final boss.
"Ahem."
Standing nearby, the Guild accountant—a middle-aged man with a monocle and impeccably groomed hair—cleared his throat, pulling everyone back from their shock-induced daze.
He adjusted his glasses and spoke in a professional, albeit envious, tone. "According to the terms of the War Game, Lord Apollo designated Mr. Lynn as a target of the wager. Therefore, the total assets will be split equally between you and the Hestia Familia. In other words, you personally will receive one hundred and ninety million Valis, and the Hestia Familia will receive one hundred and ninety million Valis."
He paused before adding, "Of course, in addition to the cash assets, this Mansion of the Sun itself is valued as real estate at approximately one hundred million Valis. The specifics of how to divide this will be for you and Goddess Hestia to discuss and decide."
One hundred and ninety million...
Hestia's eyes had turned into swirling whirlpools. Happy bubbles practically floated from her mouth, and she swayed on her feet. If Bell hadn't been behind her to prop her up, she likely would have fainted from pure bliss.
"W-we... we're... rich?" The little Goddess's voice trembled, filled with a sense of unreality.
"Yes, Goddess," the accountant nodded with a smile.
Lynn took a deep breath, forcing his heart—which was racing at the sight of such a fortune—to calm down. He wasn't like Hestia; he hadn't grown up rich, but he certainly wasn't poor either. He quickly cooled his head and considered the division of property.
"The house goes to you guys."
Lynn pushed the ledger back toward Hestia. "I'm just one guy; I don't need a place this big. Besides, your Familia base is long overdue for an upgrade, isn't it?"
"Eh?! Mr. Lynn?!" Bell was shocked.
"T-that's not right!" Hestia snapped out of her dizzying happiness and waved her hands frantically. "Lynn-kun, you're the one most responsible for this victory! We can't let you take a loss like that!"
"I'm not taking a loss," Lynn waved her off, wearing his usual easygoing smile. "I'll take a hundred million in cash; that's plenty. I have no use for that much money anyway—it's not like I have a family to feed. To me, money is just for swapping gear and items. With a hundred million, I could buy a normal house and live comfortably for the rest of my life."
He spoke nonchalantly, but everyone present could feel a sense of indescribable magnanimity.
Ultimately, at Lynn's insistence, the distribution was settled. The Hestia Familia acquired the Mansion of the Sun and over a hundred million in cash. Overnight, they went from being the poorest Familia in Orario to becoming "real estate moguls" and "cash-rich titans" that even major Familias would envy.
As for Lynn, he walked away with a cool one hundred million Valis, making him the wealthiest Level 2 adventurer in Orario—bar none.
The storm of the War Game gradually settled over the following days, but the legend of "The One-Man Siege," Lynn, only grew more intense.
However, the protagonist of the legend himself couldn't care less. Aside from purchasing some practical armor, he didn't really have anywhere to spend the money. After all, his most expensive weapons weren't items you could buy in a shop.
He did, however, take a small portion of the gold and toss it to a certain bald man who had vanished after the War Game.
Consequently, a few days later, in a prime location on West Main Street, an adventurer item shop named "Patches' Reliable Workshop" opened its doors amidst a sparse crackle of firecrackers.
When Lynn sauntered over to the shop entrance, Patches was dressed in a brand-new, dignified-looking manager's outfit. He stood at the door with a beaming smile, bowing and scraping to every passerby. His fawning demeanor made him look like a mutt that had just spotted a juicy bone.
"Yo, Manager Patches. Business looks booming," Lynn teased, leaning against the doorframe.
"Aiyoo! My great benefactor! My Lord, you've arrived!" The moment Patches saw Lynn, his eyes lit up. He lunged forward with a speed faster than his retreats in the Dungeon. "Please come in, please come in!"
He enthusiastically ushered Lynn into the shop. The store wasn't large, but it was clean and organized. The shelves were stocked with various potions, whetstones, ropes, and other adventurer supplies. It had finally moved beyond the realm of his previous "street-stall" quality.
"Not bad. It looks the part," Lynn noted, scanning the room with a satisfied nod.
"Hehehe, it's all thanks to you, my Lord!" Patches rubbed his hands together, grinning so wide his teeth showed. "What can I get for you today? The shop just got a fresh batch of high-purity recovery potions and some 'Keen' whetstones shipped in from the East. Guaranteed to work! Take your pick—whatever you need from my shop, just take it."
"I just came by to check in," Lynn waved him off, picking up a bottle of recovery potion to inspect it. "Don't give me that routine. I know exactly what kind of stuff you sell."
"Hehehe..." Patches scratched his shiny bald head awkwardly, knowing his little tricks wouldn't fly with Lynn. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly lowered his voice, leaning in with a mysterious air. "My Lord, have you heard? Something strange has happened in the Dungeon recently."
"Oh?" Lynn raised an eyebrow, interested.
"I heard," Patches whispered, glancing shiftily toward the door, "that on the eighteenth floor, near the Safe Zone, a new mine has opened up out of nowhere!"
"A new one?" Lynn's brow furrowed. "Isn't the Dungeon fixed? How can a new 'hole' just open up?"
The structure of the Dungeon would change slowly based on monster activity, but that usually happened over the course of years. For a new area to suddenly pop up like this was almost unheard of.
"That's exactly what everyone is saying!" Patches slapped his thigh, his expression exaggerated. "Because it's so unusual, a lot of adventurers have rushed over to check it out! They say the quality of magic stones found in there is exceptionally high, and some even claim to have seen ores they've never seen before!"
"And then?" Lynn pressed. He sensed that things weren't that simple.
Sure enough, Patches' expression turned a bit odd. He scratched his head and said hesitantly, "And then... it gets weird. Plenty of people went, but not a single one could actually get inside."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... they walk into that mine, and as they're walking, their vision blurs, and they find themselves inexplicably back at the entrance!" Patches gestured wildly. "Several regular customers mentioned it when they came in for supplies. They say it feels like... like the cave doesn't want to let people in and just kicks them out. But they didn't feel any signs of an attack or magic!"
Being "kicked out"?
Lynn's eyes lit up instantly. "Where exactly is it?"
"On a side wall not far from the entrance to the nineteenth floor on the eighteenth floor. They say the entrance is covered in glowing moss—easy to find." Patches answered honestly, then added with a worried look, "My Lord, I'd advise you not to go. That place reeks of something sinister. If something happens..."
"Alright, I've got it," Lynn interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Patches. This info is useful."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Hey, my Lord!" Patches scrambled after him. Seeing he couldn't talk Lynn out of it, he gritted his teeth and fished something out from under the counter, shoving it into Lynn's hands.
It was an old-fashioned, brass-crafted lantern that could be hung at the waist. The shade was made of some sort of translucent crystal, and it looked quite aged.
"This is?" Lynn weighed the lantern in his hand.
"This is an old relic I scavenged back when I was still in the Lands Between. It's called a Guiding Lantern," Patches explained with a pained expression, as if parting with it hurt his soul. "They say it stays bright forever. Since that mine is so strange, it might come in handy. You've given me a new lease on life, my Lord, and I have nothing else to repay you with. You must take this!"
Looking at Patches' face, which was a mix of sincerity and reluctance, Lynn found the man almost funny. However, the lantern did indeed pulse with a faint, weak magical vibration.
"Fine, I'll take it." He didn't stand on ceremony and hooked the lantern to his belt.
Leaving Patches behind—who was still bowing and practically shouting "Safe travels, my Lord, please come again!"—Lynn didn't dawdle and headed straight for Babel.
Nothing excited him more than a fresh dive into the Dungeon.
The Eighteenth Floor: The Safe Zone.
Unlike the damp, dark, monster-infested upper floors, this place felt like a paradise. Massive blue crystals hung from the cavern ceiling, emitting a soft light that illuminated the entire floor as bright as day. The air was fresh, and there were even babbling brooks and green vegetation. Many adventurer parties had set up camp here to rest and resupply, creating a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.
Lynn's arrival didn't cause much of a stir. While the heat from the War Game was high, not every adventurer had seen him in person.
He expertly bypassed several parties chatting around campfires. Based on Patches' intel, he quickly found the legendary mine on a rock wall near the path to the nineteenth floor.
The entrance wasn't large—just wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. The surrounding rock was covered in lichen and moss that emitted a faint, eerie green glow, making it stand out in the bright cavern and giving it a sinister feel.
A few adventurers were standing dejectedly at the entrance. One of them spat on the ground in frustration.
"Bloody hell, it's cursed! I didn't believe the rumors, so I tried seven or eight times. Every time I get ten meters in, my vision blurs and I'm back at the start!"
"Me too. It's like a ghost wall. You don't feel a thing, you're just... out."
"I think we should just forget it. This place is wrong. Probably some ancient curse."
Listening to their chatter, Lynn understood. It seemed Patches hadn't been lying. He ignored the adventurers who were preparing to pack it in and walked straight to the entrance.
"Hey, you over there. Don't waste your breath, you can't get in—"
A well-meaning, bearded adventurer started to warn him, but the words died in his throat. Lynn didn't stop for a second; he strolled in as if he were taking a walk in a park, vanishing into the darkness of the cave without a hint of resistance.
The adventurers outside stared at each other, rubbing their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.
"He... he went in?" "How is that possible?! Does this damn hole pick and choose who gets in?"
Inside the entrance, it wasn't pitch black for Lynn. A familiar, faint flame flickered ahead. A stone Site of Grace sat quietly there. In the corner of his vision, a translucent prompt appeared.
[Trial Tunnel discovered. Site of Grace touched.]
A look of pure delight and nostalgia appeared on Lynn's face. "I knew it... you old troll, it really is you," he muttered, his mood instantly lifting.
No wonder others couldn't get in. This wasn't a native area of the Dungeon at all—it was a trial dungeon generated by his system. Without being in his party, entry was impossible.
Lynn rested at the Site of Grace to ensure he was in peak condition. Once ready, he lifted the Guiding Lantern at his waist and officially stepped deeper into the tunnel.
The lantern emitted a warm, gentle light that chased away the darkness. The scene inside the tunnel came into view. The walls weren't ordinary rock; they were encrusted with crystal clusters of various sizes that reflected the lantern's light in a dazzling array of colors. The rhythmic clink-clank of pickaxes echoed from deep within, as if someone were hard at work.
He followed the sound around a bend.
The path opened up into a small excavation site. Three humanoid creatures were facing away from him, mechanically swinging pickaxes against the rock walls. They were thin, with skin that had a greyish-white metallic sheen—as if they were a hybrid of stone and metal.
[Crystal Miner]
The names of the monsters surfaced automatically in Lynn's mind. He didn't attack immediately, opting to observe for a moment. Their movement patterns were extremely monotonous: swing, strike, repeat.
"Looks about the same as back home," Lynn whispered. He drew the Bloodhound's Fang and crept up on them.
When he was less than two meters behind one of the Crystal Miners, the creature finally seemed to sense something and slowly turned around. But it was too late. Lynn blurred behind it, the tip of his blade flashing with cold light.
Clink!
To Lynn's surprise, his backstab failed to pierce the skin. Instead, it produced a sharp, metallic "clink" as the blade bounced off.
The other two miners noticed him now. They let out a piercing screech that sounded like grinding metal and charged with heavy, slow steps, pickaxes raised. Lynn retreated a step. As one of the pickaxes swung down with a whistle, he dodged with a light sidestep.
Thud!
The pickaxe slammed into the ground where he had just stood, kicking up sparks. Seizing the massive opening after the attack, Lynn slashed back.
Clang!
Another sharp metallic sound. The edge of the Bloodhound's Fang hit the miner's arm, leaving only a faint white scratch.
"So hard that it deflects blades?" Lynn raised an eyebrow and immediately changed tactics.
With a flick of his left hand, his Glintstone Staff was ready.
"Glintstone Pebble!"
He didn't even need to aim. Three ethereal blue magical projectiles whistled out, striking the three miners squarely in their heads.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Like watermelons hit by a sledgehammer, the Crystal Miners' heads exploded instantly, and their bodies shattered.
"The physical resistance of these guys is basically 100%, isn't it?" Lynn muttered, stowing his staff and moving deeper.
The rest of the path was a one-sided slaughter. In the labyrinthine tunnels, Crystal Miners popped up from every corner—sometimes in groups of three or five, sometimes swarming eight at a time. But against Lynn's expert positioning and efficient magic, these slow-moving, pick-swinging monsters posed no threat at all.
Soon, he had cleared most of the first floor of the mine. At the deepest point of a tunnel, he found a weathered wooden treasure chest.
"Heh, the classic reward phase." Lynn rubbed his hands together and opened the chest.
There was no golden glow inside—only a few dusty stones and a rusty key.
[Obtained Smithing Stone x5] [Obtained Miner's Key]
"Smithing Stones?" Lynn picked up a stone. The familiar texture made his lips curl into a smile. "Good stuff. I wonder if there's a smith in Orario who can use these."
The moment he stowed the loot, a sudden surge of magical energy erupted from the rock wall behind and to his side! Lynn's internal alarm blared. Without even turning his head, he instinctively lunged to the side.
Almost at the same time he dove, a muffled explosion rang out behind him.
BOOM—!
A Crystal Miner holding a crystal staff, a head taller than the ordinary ones, had emerged from the shadows of the rock wall. It slammed its staff heavily into the ground.
"Shatter Earth!"
Along with the guttural sounds it uttered, the ground where Lynn had just been standing exploded. A violent magical shockwave surged from the earth, creating a persistent, lethal zone where nothing could stand.
Lynn rolled across the ground to steady himself, looking back at the still-exploding earth with lingering fear. "Sh*t, I almost lost my legs!"
If his reaction had been even half a second slower, he would have been skewered into human kebabs. The mage miner, seeing its first strike fail, raised its staff again, the crystal tip glowing with a dangerous light.
"Again?"
Lynn's gaze turned cold. Before the enemy's magic could form, he raised his Glintstone Staff.
"Glintblade Phalanx!"
Four blue glintstone swords instantly manifested above Lynn's head. With a flick of his mind, the swords whistled through the air, shooting toward the ambushing mage miner. The mage miner clearly hadn't expected such a rapid counter; it hurriedly tried to cast "Shatter Earth" at its own feet to interfere with the blades using the explosion.
But the speed of the glintblades far exceeded its casting speed!
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
Four muffled sounds of blades entering flesh rang out. The four glintblades accurately pierced the mage miner's limbs and torso, pinning it firmly to the rock wall. The mage miner struggled for a moment before dissolving into a cloud of light.
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Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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