Golden Experience

Chapter 160: “Golf Club”

The interior of the building, I don’t remember which town it was, but it doesn’t seem much different from the mercenary guild I visited during the closed beta test.

However, there is an unusual atmosphere.

The cause is the players. Those who enter the building and head towards the back room are still fine, but the problem lies with those who stand still in the lobby, staring into the void. They are definitely dangerous individuals.

“…Could it be that they’re watching the forum right now? Does it look like that to others too? I need to be careful.”

I came to the mercenary guild to catch a suitable player and inquire about the location of the teleportation service portal.

But it doesn’t seem necessary.

After all, that back room looks suspicious.

I had vaguely thought it existed somewhere independently in the city, but it seems to be inside the mercenary guild.

Thinking about it, players who are combat-oriented and have business in dungeons would likely visit the mercenary guild, so it makes sense.

But if that’s the case, I’m curious about how the NPC working in the guild perceives this.

Since teleportation is a one-way process, players who enter the room will never come out again. To put it mildly, it’s nothing short of a ghost story.

I decided to casually—or rather, directly—ask the middle-aged man at the reception counter.

“Excuse me, may I ask something?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I want to teleport to a dungeon. Do you know where I should go?”

“A dungeon…? Oh, the monster territories. In that case, go through that door at the back. There are others like you going in with those guys. Just follow them.”

“Thank you. But what exactly is the principle behind teleportation?”

“I have no idea. Rumor has it that it’s the same principle as that storage facility or something. Beyond that, I don’t know anything. Someone said it’s similar to a special skill for storage, but apart from that, who knows?”

So the term ‘teleportation’ is casually accepted. It seems like an unknown technology, but people just ignore it because they can’t understand it.

Unknown principles, like the player’s inventory, are already present, and they are accustomed to things like bizarre ecology of monsters and mysterious skills.

However, the mercenary guild seems to have a headquarters.

I’m very curious about how they communicate with the headquarters, how they coordinate with the headquarters and other branches, but it seems futile to investigate.

The fact that there is no dedicated thread on the forum probably means that someone tried to investigate initially but failed. Perhaps there is an answer in the “frequently asked questions” section, saying something like “We cannot provide an answer”.

Or maybe there is no actual headquarters, and a dedicated AI prepared by the management controls a dedicated avatar, claiming to be from the headquarters, and communicates directly with the branches, as in the case of this update. It could be a scam.

Anyway, the teleportation device is in the back room.

I decided to go there immediately.

I thanked the middle-aged man at the reception and headed towards the back room with Rare.

When I opened the door, there was a corridor, and beyond that seemed to be a backyard. And in that backyard, there was something like a monument. Seeing players gathering around that monument, it seems that the teleportation device is related to it.

“This isn’t a room… Well, did anyone say it was a room anyway?”

As I approached the monument, I could hear the voices of the players around me.

“How is it?”

“Wait… still ?1. I’ve been checking regularly, but it’s been ?1 all along.”

“So, becoming ?5 was just for a moment. What was that about?”

“That infamous event boss was there. I don’t know what kind of event it was, but it was a troublesome story.”

“If it’s still ?1, should we go check it out?”

“Seriously, what if it’s still there?”

“If it became ?5 for a moment and now it’s back, it should be okay.”

“But when we were getting beaten by the raid boss, it was ?1 apparently. It was when you were posting. Well, it was considered trolling because of that.”

“So, the boss and difficulty level are not related?”

“No, the fact that it briefly became ?5 afterward is true. According to the verification thread, it seems that the event boss invaded the dungeon, and it became ?5 after the invasion was completed.”

“Ah, since the event boss was also invading, the difficulty level of the dungeon didn’t change when we encountered them. So if it’s ?1 now, the event boss has either left or moved on to the next one.”

“…Sorry, can you explain it so that I can understand?”

“It can’t be helped. Listen, okay? In other words…”

I thought I recognized their faces from somewhere; they were the ones who were scattered by Sugaru earlier in the morning.

Listening in, they seem to be generally thinking along the lines of my plan.

Though, thinking along the lines or not, it’s just a fact.

I can’t help but envy their position, where they can reach conclusions based on hypotheses without going through the trouble of verification like Rare.

In the end, it seems that the players decided to go and check it out.

I hope they succeed.

Since they acquired this city and advertised the appearance of the calamity, there is no meaning beyond maintaining the lives of NPCs in this city’s context. But having customers is always a good thing.

Moreover, it’s only now, at the beginning of the game, that they can recklessly head towards a place where they might die.

Once they get used to earning more experience points, they won’t be able to afford such reckless actions.

Inspired by the party that teleported first, other players began teleporting one after another.

The backyard quickly became deserted.

I touched the now-empty monument. Since my current avatar is that of an NPC named Kerry, it would be problematic if there were any unexpected reactions from players. It’s convenient that no one is around.

<<Please choose your destination.>>

<<The character activating the device and the authenticated player do not match.>>

<<Warning: Only the character [Kerry] touching the monument can teleport. Character [Rare] will not teleport. Is that okay?>>

“Of course, it doesn’t matter.”

<<Please choose your destination.>>

I thought an error would be flagged due to the message, but it seems like I can still proceed with teleporting.

However, the terms used, such as “device” and “monument,” are not consistent in the messages. It might be an unexpected case.

Teleportation services have only been implemented for two days. There may still be some bugs.

For the destination, I chose the “?3 Golf Club Mine” in the Shape Kingdom.

I don’t know if it’s because of the name or if it’s genuinely excellent as a dungeon, but it seems to be relatively popular as a ?3 dungeon in the Shape Kingdom.

This teleportation is the first since the first event. Just like back then, the scenery changed in an instant. The sensation is similar to when I Summoned myself somewhere.

There are several players in front of me. It seems they are waiting for their party members to gather in the safety area.

Similar to the previous [Summon Summoner], I was able to move my entire consciousness this time as well. With this, except for the inventory, I can almost completely be considered a player.

A beastman player who made eye contact with me casually greeted me.

“Oh, are you alone? We still have room in our party, want to join?”

“Sorry. My companion is waiting inside.”

“Ah, I see. Got it. Be careful.”

Politely dismissing them, I quickly headed towards the mine.

The place that seems like a safety area looks like a rest area on a mountain trail. Perhaps because the mine is built into the mountainside.

Beneath tarps stretched by ropes that extend from stake-like objects protruding from the mountain rock, benches made by laying flat rocks are placed.

Several of them are lined up, and players who have fallen asleep on the benches, wrapped in blankets, are there. They are players who are logged out. They use this place as a base to attack the dungeon.

Even after leaving the safety area, there is still a bit of distance to the mine. However, there are no obstacles along the way, so I’ll reach it quickly by walking.

“…’My companion is waiting inside’—this isn’t a family restaurant. There’s no way that’s true.”

It was easy to brush them off, but maybe it was a bit too casual.

Inside the mine, it’s cool, and dark everywhere.

Examining the walls, remnants of what seems to be magical lighting are visible.

The favorite cover stories of the players are unknown, but the appearing monsters are of the goblin type.

Most likely, the mine was either abandoned because it was taken over by goblins, or goblins settled in the abandoned mine.

Walking along the wall, I handed control back to Kerry at a suitable location.

Immediately, through the friend chat, I instructed Kerry to remain vigilant and wait. After confirming again that there is no one around, I then flew back to Kerry’s location with my own body.

“…Alright, thank you for your cooperation. The conditions are now set.”

“You’re too kind, Boss.”

My own body has the [Demonic Eyes], allowing me to see the surroundings clearly.

Within the visible range, there are no players.

In the distance, a group resembling goblins can be seen, but they’re not of any concern. Despite the mine tunnel stretching straight ahead, there is still a considerable distance. They seem unaware of our presence.

“Kerry, you stay here and remain vigilant for a while. [Summon: Gaslark].”

Following the summoning command, a robust goblin general named Gaslark appears.

“Oh? Your Majesty, this is…?”

“This is the mine tunnel where you’re assigned to work from now.”

“Understood. I am ready. Anytime you command.”

“Good. From now on, we will operate this dungeon as our own farm. I entrust the establishment and management to you. If anything happens, contact me.”

“I humbly accept the duty of farm management.”

Gaslark respectfully kneels.

“Our objective here is to gain experience points. In other words, attacking hostile forces. It’s safe to assume that anyone from a different faction within this tunnel, besides us, will resurrect if killed. In other words, our prey will never run out.

However, if you manage to kill the dungeon boss, this whole endeavor will end, so be careful not to do that.”

“I understand.”

“Also, the same applies to us. Therefore, there’s no need to overly focus on defense, but you mustn’t die either.”

“Yes!”

“Since the original inhabitants of this tunnel are goblins, it shouldn’t be a big problem if the players’ adversaries change from native to non-native species like you guys. First, deal with the goblins here to some extent, and then, based on their strength, engage with the players.

Being certified as ?3 suggests that the goblins here may have at least the strength of the guys in La Colinne Forest. Be careful, especially since we are just ordinary goblins in our natural state.”

They should be somewhat strengthened with the granted experience points. If that’s still not enough, I instruct him to apply for additional enhancements.

“This will be one of the model cases for future farm management. Therefore, there are currently no effective manuals. You’ll create them. Everything is trial and error for now, and it’s okay to fail.

After all, it’s someone else’s dungeon. Even if there is a failure in difficulty adjustment and customers stop coming, it won’t be a problem. At that time, just hunt the goblins here for profit instead of the players.”

There is no response to this.

The implication is probably that there is no intention to fail.

It would be great if things went well, but it’s also okay if they fail, as mentioned.

It’s not good to be too eager, but even if there is a failure, it will be a valuable experience.

“I leave the rest to you. If you decide to create your base somewhere, let me know, and I’ll send worker ants to assist. I don’t know of any race that can dig holes better than them. Good luck.”

“Leave it to me!”

Leaving it to Gaslark, Rare returned to the Old Hiers Royal Capital.

Using Kerry, I used [Summon Summoner] myself and returned to the town of Rifure. Even though it might be okay to leave it alone as long as there is a lord, it might be good to let her get used to living in the town. Observing players can also provide good stimulation.

Finally, I can take a breath.

It was a busy day flying around here and there, but occasionally, it’s not bad.

From now on, things should work out on their own.

If I observe for a few days, customers should start coming to this Old Hiers Royal Capital.