The content of the novel comes from-DIDIDA Novels
A website on the web suddenly appeared. It was a simple one, with a few words engraved on it. However, the moment it did, it captured the public's attention. A few posts were all it took for the website to go viral as the new front of the famous guild, Ascent.
The guilds of the world were ranked into five basic categories. It was easier than the awakeners ranking, as it comprised five letters. Those letters were S, A, B, C, and D. Further down the list were the Starter-Guilds, who have yet to conquer any dungeons.
After a Starter-Guild conquers ten dungeons, it can be listed in the database and earn the right to purchase dungeons. Before that, they must either conquer Public Dungeons or Unassigned Dungeons.
Once a dungeon has been identified, several things can happen. If the dungeon appeared in an area purchased by a guild, like a city, neighborhood, or wilderness, then it belongs to them. If the dungeon forms in the wild or land belonging to the kingdom or government, it can either be auctioned or sold to a guild.
The unassigned or public dungeons are those that couldn't be conquered or reached by the owner guilds. This is where things get interesting. If a guild fails to conquer a dungeon in time and a dungeon break happens, it loses ten dungeon records from its record.
This is to say that if a D-Guild with fifteen dungeon records fails to conquer one in time, this lowers their ranking to a Starter-Guild. Therefore, once a guild realizes they can't beat a dungeon, they assign it as Public. This allows any awakeners to enter it. Examples of these include the Furlair, Avarice, and many more.
As for the unassigned dungeons, those were located in locations that the government had no jurisdiction over. This includes Mountain Range Rovero, a great expanse of land that the kingdom couldn't clear.
Therefore, Ascent was growing rapidly without any real achievements. A dungeon can be conquered and recorded by purchasing a device recording the surrounding fluctuations and spatial fabric.
As this device enters a dungeon, it can detect if that space collapses after clearing the dungeon. Then, the gates to the other world open, and this causes the space between the two worlds to collapse. After the device records it, it sends a signal to a website that records every guild in the world.
This website was used to organize and automate the work of guilds. It was called Glory List, comprising a list of every dungeon worldwide. This website's owner was no one, as it belonged to every nation in the world. Instead, they worked together to keep it running to govern the guilds.
After the website belonging to Ascent appeared, it had an announcement that the guild was going to start conquering dungeons around the world. This was the moment that the world had been waiting. Was this guild another contender for the top, or was it a flame that burned brightly before disappearing?
Ascent has been quiet so far about their work. However, the powerful awakeners seeking to join it wouldn't do so just based on its fame. Arthur Silvera defeated a calamity, but could he run a guild?
On the website, beneath the announcement, there was a countdown. It was seventy-two hours until the first conquer of a dungeon. As for their target, its name wasn't shared. Finally, however, the ranking of the dungeon was released.
"Breaking News: Is Ascent Biting More Than They Can Chew?"
"Breaking News: Ascent Targets Its First Dungeon, Rank…"
"Breaking News: The Guild That Knows Nothing."
These kinds of headlines filled the world in a matter of hours after the website appeared. Glory List authenticated the website as the official website of the guild. Therefore, the world knew that Ascent had gone mad.
"A C-Rank Dungeon! This guild thinks that fame equates to power! Any Starter-Guilds would go after the unranked dungeons, like Furlair, where Arthur Silvera was born, but not this guild. It wants to topple the sky with a single strike!"
"This is what happens when the idiot gains power. They don't know the limits of their power. Arthur Silvera used the powers of the White Fairy and several Astra-rankers to win against the calamity, and now he thinks he is a god as well?"
"The world is going absurd lately. This guild doesn't know the real terror of dungeons. If you are an awakener, please stay safe and check the arsenal of weapons in my shop. Use "ASCENT" to get free shipping on your order."
The last one was a promotion by a desperate shop owner, but such opinions spread on the web. The shop owner made a profit in the end by riding the waves of news. However, everyone agreed. Ascent was overestimating itself.
The official website said the guild has yet to take any new members. The current count was seven. Any new guild would have at least twenty members before starting, but this one seemed different.
Ascent made no effort to refute the news. Instead, the countdown kept ticking down, making the world sit on the edge of its seat. Can a rookie guild like this break the record of the smallest guild to conquer the C-rank?
***
"The world is going wild," said Julia while resting one leg over the other next to Arthur. "Your choice of conquering this dungeon might bring us more fame than we expected. First, however, how did you find it?"
"I have several methods to do so," said Arthur with a smile. "Soon, I can create artifacts that show the surrounding dungeons and their levels. Then, we can distribute them to the rest of our guild."
"What rest? We are just five!" said Julia with a speechless face. "I gave you the applications of a thousand members, but you didn't pick any of them. Is there a reason?"
"There are some promising ones, but their answers aren't interesting," said Arthur with a sigh, still holding the stacks of applications and reviewing them. "I created the artifact that shows us the powers and potential of the tester. Therefore, I can tell that some of these high-potential individuals lack ambitions."
"The questions you gave them cannot be answered easily," said Julia with a fed-up face. "Most people don't think about anything when killing?"
"Is that the same for you, Oren?" asked Arthur, the two people sitting beside the lake. Oren turned toward them with Selena next to him. Then, he pondered.
"I think about the fate of these creatures."
"That doesn't make sense," said Julia as she leaned back in her chair. "You bought two deme-rankers instead of one, so I was happy about new members. Now, it feels like you don't want anyone to join."
"That is untrue," Arthur said as he placed the papers. The four sat in front of a lake, enjoying the breezing afternoon. "I could have asked them why they want to join, and they would give me a dozen reasons. However, I want to know their thoughts when they kill."
"…give me a break. I miss Runera and my runes."
"It is not that complicated. I want to know how they feel about advancing through life and how they see themselves. Some of these answers mention guild, and others mention protecting their world. A few ambitious ones mention becoming the strongest, but only one caught my eye."
Arthur raised the application sheet, and Julia snatched it from his hand. She seemed eager to grow their guild after accepting joining it. As her eyes fell on the paper, her face crumbled.
"This is… a neo-ranker with non-existing potential," said Julia with a frown. "How is this the one who caught your attention?"
"Read the answer they gave me."
"I think about… nothing?" read Julia aloud with confusion. "I mean, some people don't think anything about killing monsters. It's not uncommon."
"A killing machine is not uncommon. I would pick those who tried to express their regrets of killing over someone who kills without thinking."
"And why did this catch your attention?"
"No one admits that they are a psychopath." Arthur smiled as he closed his eyes. "If this person wants to join my guild, they would do their best to impress me. However, they didn't do that. They were being honest."
"Honesty doesn't mean anything!" Julia threw away the application paper with frustration. "I don't want to do this anymore. I just wanted to make things go smoothly, but I'm the only one working here!"
"Our turn has just arrived, don't worry," Arthur said before he glanced to the side. At that moment, a portal opened, and three people came out. It was Li, Yuran, and Alan. Arthur jumped from his chair and landed in front of them like a feather. "Let us conquer a dungeon, then."
The three nodded and followed after Arthur into the lake. The water began to split apart to reveal a path and a temple at the bottom of the lake. This was the C-rank dungeon they wanted to conquer.