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Chapter 79: PMC
🕑 Added 2025-05-16 16:21:39 +0000 UTCJames kinda knew there were others that raided dungeons, but he didn’t know they formed guilds. He thought they would only form teams like him with Sanders and Kouki. He was correct—most survivors did just that. Only a few had gone all the way to establish their own guilds in their own countries, and these guilds had a connection with the main guild where James came from.
The countries also didn't support more than one such guilds. they merely created it for national prestige.
“Yes, there are other organizations that behave like the guild. The guild you were in was called the Central Guild, or UN Guild. Since most of this guild’s members were from the United States, other countries tried to make their own, and some certainly succeeded,” Ryan said.
“Well, none were as successful as yours, of course. In fact, there are open invitations for dungeon raiding for you from Heaven Dragon from China, Black Samurai from Japan, and European Legion from the United Kingdom. Are you interested? They certainly left a blank check if you joined them.”
“No. I’m already rich, and I refuse to be controlled by others,” James said.
“As you wish, Mr. James,” Ryan said.
“Let’s see. This is the list of weapons I have.” James handed him the list.
Equipment:
Leather armor set (+10 DEX)
Dustmail
Helm of Darkeye
Lightning War Axe
Lightning Longsword
Spear
Crossbow ×6
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag
Cloak of Dark Night
Dungeon Core ×1 (Sphere)
Blue Gem ×10
Nirvok’s Golden Shield
Black Sword of Yailaituh
Cursed Bow of Yailaituh
Halberd of Yailaituh
Mount: Gallus Deinochorus
Remington 700 CDL
Mana Shot Ring
Life Ring
“That’s quite a lot. All these items are registered to the system, right? Which ones will you bring to your next raid?”
“I need an axe, sword, and a bow for weapons. On top of that, I’ll also have my Dustmail and Darkeye Helm. I think I’ll leave the rest. Including the leather bag.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I can make bags of my own with my skill. Can this bag even be sold?”
“Mundane items like that are the most important. I shall see what I can do.”
“I will also take the Life Ring. It might save my life one day. For armor, I will take my Dustmail and a helmet. The leather armor set was getting old.”
“Old?”
“They don’t have skills and had lower stats. Well, I don't think any armor is worth shit in dungeons. Most weapon skills cut through these like paper. But they did something against normal strikes, arrows, and magic, so they did something,” James said.
“I see. You won’t take the gun? This rifle is kind of a classic. Even the normal one without a system is still sold today.”
“Bullets are expensive. The bullets can’t be reused, and there are no skills associated with it,” James answered.
“Does it really need a skill? Wasn’t the gun strong enough? There’s a reason why knights in armor were outclassed by muskets,” Ryan asked while examining the gun James had brought from the guild office. James was certainly treated like a VIP. A single call was all it took for a guild employee to bring his things to the store. Ryan then let his own employees set up the display cases. The guild employee helped them before returning.
“Well, it doesn’t. But if a crossbow with a skill has about the same penetration power as a gun, which one would you choose? And the ammo is almost five times as expensive.” James answered.
Weapon skills were the meta. James was the living proof. He had been shot by bullets before and it only caused flesh wounds. With enough stats, guns were no longer an instant kill weapon.
“I see. If you say so, then it must be correct.” Ryan frowned, trying to estimate the price. If this gun really had such demerits, no one would even buy it.
“What about the range? A normal crossbow only has 100 meters of range while this gun can hit up to 500 meters. Were the dungeons you raided that cramped?”
James widened his eyes. He then looked over at the new gun. “Hm… this gun is new. The previous gun I had was a handgun… Well, let’s see what it can do. I will bring it on the next raid.”
“I see. Well, I’ll see what I can do if you ever decide to sell it. Guns can still kill monsters, right?” Ryan asked.
“They couldn’t kill bosses, but they could kill any weaker monsters in one hit if you aimed at the head. It was perfect for beginners who hadn’t gotten their status yet,” James answered. He then reminisced about his dungeon adventure with Sanders and Anderson. “Well, it was so expensive for beginners though. If you do find some buyers, here are some bullets that are registered by the system. These bullets can be brought into a dungeon.”
“System, buy 5 bullets of each type.”
[Done. 5 rifle ammo and 5 handgun ammo crafted for 100 coins]
James then gave them to Ryan. Light bulbs popped in Ryan’s head at once. Humans could only be declared survivors once they killed a monster. Only then would they obtain status and skills. The first kill was what mattered.
“You won’t bring the lightning axe?”
“The halberd and sword are better,” James answered.
Ryan frowned. To him, the halberd and the sword looked like normal weapons painted black. Visually speaking, the lightning sword was more impressive. However, James knew that it was merely a visual aesthetic.
It hadn’t helped him so far. Moreover, James had no resistance against lightning. If, by some chance, he was drenched, there was a possibility that the lightning sword and axe could electrocute him instead. Meanwhile, the black bow and sword would deal curse damage. As long as James didn’t harm himself with them, he would be safe.
“Hmm. I didn't see what this helmet did.”
[Helm of Darkeye
Grants curse resistance. All curse damage will be reduced by half. In addition, physical damage received will be reduced by 5%.]
James had never seen curse damage. He wondered whether it would appear in the future. As he looked at Ryan, who was busily arranging his weapons to be the decor, he pondered.
“Hm… I had never seen curse magic. That means it was strong.” James was a simpleton—through his game knowledge, if he had never met something, that meant it was a new mechanic in the game and it would be used. He assumed curse magic would be similar.
However, from the description, curse magic seemed similar to life-leeching poison. His bow and sword’s descriptions said so. The problem was that he was already capable of producing a life-leeching poison on his own. His fang produced a life-leeching poison, while his tail produced a paralysis poison.
“Should I really use this? Wait… were they even the same type of damage?”
A few moments later, his phone rang.
“Sir James, I heard you opened up a shop in the Newville district. Has our employee displeased you in any way?” Silas asked. James was amazed that the news had reached out so fast.
“Not really. In fact, I was following your advice. You said I should use my money to open up a business, right? My consultant here said I should display my achievements from the dungeon in the open," James answered. Ryan, who had a keen sense of hearing, jumped at the idea.
“Marvelous! That’s a great idea! Instead of selling these artifacts from the dungeon, we could just turn this whole room into a museum!”
“I see. In that case, you wouldn’t mind if we become one of your customers, right?” Silas asked.
“Of course. Feel free to come by. By the way, did you know about curse magic or curse status debuffs?” James finally asked him.
“Hm… no. I didn't know them. Would you like me to ask other survivors?”
“Yes, please,” James said.
“Right on it. Expect an answer in four days,” Silas answered.
A week passed by unnoticed. James had received a report from Silas that curse damage took your life force bit by bit. Except for needing a different antidote, they weren’t that much different. They even had a similar effective time, just like normal poison would.
“And that’s all about curse damage. By the way, Kouki and Andrew’s group cleared their dungeon. Some casualties are there, but we’re welcoming two new survivors from each group.”
“New survivors?”
“Yes. We put new guys in there. Since their dungeons had a ten-person capacity, we put five new guys in each, and two of them survived,” Silas reported. “By the way, since you often go solo, would it be possible to fill all of the slots for your next dungeon with non-survivors? Or would you rather go with Sanders and Anderson again?”
“Hm… As long as they don’t bother me, I don't care who you send. Just make sure they don’t get in my way,” James said.
“Of course. They are all elites. They won’t be deadweight in battle,” Silas answered. “They are proficient in CQC combat as well.”
“Martial arts mean nothing when you put magic in the mix,” James answered.
“Well, please instruct them, alright?”
“I make no promises.”
“I see. That’s more reassuring to me,” Silas answered.
“Any news from them?” James turned on his phone to watch the news. Kouki and Andrew were certainly there. He widened his eyes, not at them, but at what they were riding. Kouki brought a two-meter dragon with him, while Andrew brought a unicorn. “Holy shit. They brought dragons!”
“Yes, they certainly brought their own mounts.”
“Can they breathe fire?”
“Yes. Kouki’s dragon can breathe fire, while Andrew’s unicorn can cast a blinding light.”
“Damn…” James was jealous. Kouki's dragon was so much better than his mecha raptor. Little did he know that dragons and unicorns needed food, not mana. Moreover, they couldn’t be repaired. If they were wounded, only health potions could cure them.
Only James’ raptor could be repaired by the system. But James didn’t know that.
“Well, I am going to raid my next dungeon. Is there anything I need to know about, except for these new personnel you’re going to assign to me?”
“There is nothing new. We wish you luck on your next raid, James. The next dungeon is a warehouse. Despite not bringing back a dungeon core, we shall deem the previous dungeon you conquered a success. The payment shall be transferred into your account.”
“Alright. I will go to the next dungeon right now. Come and visit my store sometime.”
“We will. It would also be beneficial to us if you catalogued them and gave explanations of what they do,” Silas said. James hadn’t thought that far, but if some non-survivor were to buy them, it would be great if they knew what their effects were.
“Alright. See you in a few months,” James said.
James then wrote a catalogue of his items and ordered a taxi to raid his next dungeon—a warehouse filled with medicine and other equipment.
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 50
Coins: 1500
Merit: 9
Stats:
STR: 158
DEX: 154
MAGIC: 113
MANA: 1060
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 5 (Powerstrike, V-slash, Boomerang)
Novice Sword Mastery Level 1 (Hurricane, Vorpal Lunge)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 8 (Quickshot)
Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
Magic:
Mind Flay
Sense Alteration
Mana Sonar
Class:
Attacker (Level 27) (↑1)
(+10% bonus damage when attacking, STR & DEX +1 per class level)
Shop (Level 2):
Health Potion (100 Coins)
Hematonic Potion (50 Coins)
High Potion (300 Coins)
Antidote (50 Coins)
Sell Function / Repair Function
Bullets (10 Coins / Round)
Grenades (50 Coins / Piece)
Arrow (50 Coins / Dozen)
Metal Pocket Arrow (100 Coins / Dozen)
Merit Shop (10 Merit / Skill)
Unique Skill – Chimera Level 2:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Minotaur Leader’s Left Arm (STR +25%) (Left Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Ratking's Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
Elite Nirvok’s Tongue (2m Appendage, Medium Paralysis Poison) (Tongue Slot)
Land Shark's Ear (Echolocation: 10 meters) (Ear Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Kraken’s Arm Tentacle (Reach: 5 meters, Negative Trait: STR -10%) (Extra Slot 3)
Mana Core (Wind Spells: Wind Gust, Wind Wall, Magic +20, Mana +300) (Extra Slot 4)
Equipment:
Dustmail
Helm of Darkeye
Cloak of Dark Night
Nirvok’s Golden Shield
Black Sword of Yailaituh
Cursed Bow of Yalaituh
Halberd of Yalaituh
Remington 700 CDL
Mana Shot Ring
Life Ring
Mount:
Gallus Deinochorus
