[Completed: You have your first intruder on the second floor. Kill or drive away the intruder.
Reward: 20,000 soul coins]
Argon saw his soul coins jump from five thousand to twenty five thousand. He smiled from ear to ear, it felt good seeing so many soul coins in his account. Just like his payday in his last life, then after a couple of days, back to being poor again.
'Now that you think about it, I need to raise the cultivation of one of my subordinates' His smiley face faded right away.
To raise one of his subordinate's cultivation to the Golden Core Realm, he needs twenty thousand soul coins for an early-stage golden core realm. If he wants to upgrade them to the middle stage he needs to pay twenty five thousand soul coins, and thirty thousand for the next stage. He basically needs to add five thousand soul coins for every realm.
And for him who was always a poor man, was a nightmare.
"System, is there a way to earn soul coins, aside from killing people?"
Although he doesn't mind killing people, it was too slow for him. If he can massacre the three kingdoms and harvest a huge amount of soul coins, he doesn't mind doing it. But for now, he doesn't have such capabilities.
Although he has four Golden Core monsters, Argon doesn't even think he can take on a place the size of the earth. That's right, the whole place of the three kingdoms was as big as the earth. So, you can imagine how many people he needs to face. He can't possibly take on billions of people, even their saliva will be enough to drown the four monsters. Furthermore, regular monsters can only stay outside for a day.
And Argon doesn't believe that there were no hidden experts in the three kingdoms.
[There is if the host buys an exchange floor, the soul coins that all the people accumulate by killing the monsters in the dungeon will get activated.]
Argon's eyes widened in surprise, "An exchange floor? What's that?" he asked the system, intrigued by the idea.
The system explained, [The exchange floor is like a trading hub, where the host can put an item and put a price on it, and the people can also put their items to sell, and the host can get twenty percent of the overall price.]
"So, if I buy an exchange floor, I can earn soul coins by simply facilitating the transactions between the people? That means I can earn a lot of soul coins without even lifting a finger." Argon asked, feeling hopeful.
[Yes, that's right. And if the host can promote the exchange floor well, it can become a popular place for people to trade, and the host can earn a substantial amount of soul coins.] the system confirmed.
Argon thought about it for a moment. "How much does an exchange floor cost?"
[The price of an exchange floor varies depending on the level and quality of the exchange floor. However, a basic level exchange floor can be purchased for around one hundred thousand soul coins.]
Argon sighed, feeling a bit disappointed that he didn't have enough soul coins to buy it right away. "I guess I'll have to keep killing monsters and accumulate more soul coins until I can afford it," he said to himself.
Just as he was about to ask the system if there was anything else he could do to earn soul coins, Argon suddenly remembered something important. "System, has the cooldown for attacking the outside world already ended?" he asked.
[Yes, the cooldown has already expired. The host can now attack the outside world once again.] the system replied.
Argon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Perfect, I have a plan," he said, rubbing his hands together. "I will raise the cultivation of Tan Zong and use the four undead monsters to wreak havoc in the three kingdoms."
"If all goes well according to my plan, we can use this to make the dungeon known to all three kingdoms at once," Argon grinned.
"Since Dryden knows the four undead monsters, he will immediately recognize that the attacking monsters come from the dungeon. And if Dryden announces that they come from the dungeon, people will believe it immediately," he explained. "And for why I chose Tan Zong, it's because he is the city lord of the Eternal City, if he wants Tan Zong to remain as a city lord, he needs to make him stronger."
"Not only will we receive soul coins, but we will also gain free advertising, killing two birds with one stone," he said with a smug face.
As they waited for Tan Zong to arrive, Argon sent a message to him to come as soon as possible. While waiting, he couldn't help but wonder why Dryden was teleported straight to the second floor when he entered the dungeon. So, he asked the system for an explanation.
"System, why was Dryden teleported straight to the second floor of the dungeon when he entered?"
The system replied, [It is because Dryden is a Golden Core cultivator, and the second floor of the dungeon is designed for cultivators of that level and above.]
Argon nodded in understanding. "I see. That means the dungeon is capable of identifying a cultivator's level and teleporting them accordingly."
[Yes, that's correct,] the system confirmed.
'Well, that make sense. Because, if a high-level cultivator, starts from the lower stage, they will just gonna abuse the monsters of the lower floor.' he thought.
Tan Zong finally arrived at the dungeon, and Argon wasted no time in teleporting him to his side.
Shortly after,
Just as he finished his thought, Tan Zong appeared in front of him. "My lord, you summoned me," Tan Zong said, bowing respectfully.
"Yes, Tan Zong. I need to talk to you about something important," Argon said, gesturing for Tan Zong to come closer.
Tan Zong approached him and waited for him to speak.
"I need to raise your cultivation level to the early-stage of Golden Core," Argon said, getting straight to the point.
Tan Zong's eyes widened in surprise. "My lord, are you serious?" he asked, unable to believe what he just heard.
Argon nodded. "Yes, I am. And it's not just because I want to make you stronger, but because I have a plan," he said, explaining his idea to Tan Zong.
Tan Zong listened intently to Argon's plan and nodded in agreement. "I understand, my lord. I will do my best to help you achieve your goal," he said, determined.
"Good. Now, prepare yourself." Argon said.
Argon asked the system and paid twenty thousand soul coins to raise Tan Zong's cultivation level to the early-stage of Golden Core.
Tan Zong felt a surge of energy flow through his body as his cultivation level increased. He closed his eyes and focused on the changes happening inside his body.
When he opened his eyes, he felt a new sense of power coursing through his veins. "My lord, I can feel the difference. Thank you," he said, bowing again.
Argon nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Now, let's wait for Cambion and Ma Kong first."
As they waited, Cambion and Ma Kong entered the room, both of them surprised to see Tan Zong's new cultivation level. They could sense the power radiating from him, and they knew that he had become much stronger than them.
"You've become a Golden Core, Tan Zong," Cambion said, impressed.
This is their second time seeing each other, however, because they were all subordinate of Argon, they respect each other. Of course, there was still tension between the three, the competition to who was more useful to Argon.
Ma Kong nodded in agreement. "Indeed, you have. But why did you need to raise his cultivation level, my lord?" he asked, curious.
Argon explained his plan to them, and both Cambion and Ma Kong listened carefully.
Argon wanted them to go to the three kingdoms and find a place to let the four undead out. These undead were powerful beings, and these creatures were enough to give chaos in the three kingdoms. However, they needed a place where they could unleash them.
"I want you three to go to the three kingdoms and find a place to let the four undead out," Argon said, his voice serious. He continued, "Here is the map of the location of the other two kingdoms."
The map appeared on the table in front of them, and Argon pointed to the location of the Oland Kingdom. "This is where we are right now," he said. "The second kingdom is here, and the third is here." He pointed to the other two locations on the map.
"This will not be an easy task," Argon warned. "The kingdoms have their own defenses, and they will not take kindly to outsiders coming in and causing trouble. You will need to be careful and avoid drawing attention to yourselves."
"Especially you two Cambion and Ma Kong, since Tan Zong is needed in the Eternal City, I can only place him in the Oland Kingdom, and you two to the other two kingdoms."
"Yes, My Lord." The three said in unison, with solemn voices.
Argon nodded, satisfied with their response. "Good. Remember, you must keep a low profile and avoid attracting any unwanted attention. Once you find a suitable location to release the undead, contact me immediately. Understood?" he said, looking at each of them in turn.
They nodded, understanding the gravity of their task.
"Very well. You may leave now and prepare for your journey," Argon said, dismissing them.
