Chapter 99

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The appearance of the dungeon temporarily halted the conflicts. Each faction was surprised by the sudden abnormal situation and refrained from external military actions. Even the terrorist organizations, which had been actively operating, followed this trend, indicating the shock it caused.

However, in countries where the government's control was still lacking due to the impact of conflicts and civil wars, it was impossible to fully restrict entry into the suddenly appearing dungeons.

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"What is this?"

"Who knows? There shouldn't have been anything like this here yesterday."

"…Let's go in and check it out, at least."

"Wait, wait. Entering a place like this without any preparation is dangerous."

"Then, you stay here. I'll go in and take a look."

In front of the entrance to the dungeon that appeared on the hillside, two men were arguing about whether to enter or not. The young man, driven by curiosity, wanted to investigate inside, while the middle-aged man argued that it was better not to get involved with something unknown. After a while, the young man, frustrated by the disagreement, left a word with the middle-aged man and quickly entered the dungeon.

"Hey! Wait, don't go in alone!"

Trying to dissuade the young man from his reckless action, the middle-aged man hastily put down his belongings and rushed into the dungeon to follow him.

"It's so dark…"

"Stop! We're getting out of here right now!"

"If you want to go out, go by yourself. I'm going to explore a bit before I leave."

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go."

"Ah, you're so annoying…"

The young man, ignoring the middle-aged man's warnings, ran down the corridor leading deeper into the dungeon. The distance between them grew, and by the time they turned the first corner, they were quite far apart.

"Damn! Which way did he go? …This way!?"

Chasing after him, the middle-aged man turned a few more corners but lost sight of the young man. Standing at a three-way intersection, he couldn't tell which way the young man had gone, so he decided to follow his instincts and took the left path.

"Really, cautious or overprotective… that guy. Still, this place is amazing. Who built these stone-paved corridors?"

After the middle-aged man left, the young man, who had been watching from the right path, appeared at the intersection. He sighed lightly, then began to observe the dungeon as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

The uniformly sized stone blocks, the perfectly flat stone pavement with no unevenness, and the lamps placed at regular intervals clearly indicated that this corridor was not a natural formation but an artificial one.

"This level of craftsmanship isn't something someone just threw together…"

As he touched the floor and walls, the young man examined them and noticed that his fingers remained free of dust.

At that moment, a scream came from the direction the middle-aged man had run.

"Aaaaah!"

"What the…!?"

The young man, who had been observing the dungeon's interior, quickly ran in the direction of the scream. When he arrived, he saw the middle-aged man submerged in a pool of blood.

"Hey! Hang in there!"

"Ugh, ugh…"

"!"

The young man rushed over and helped the middle-aged man up, and he responded weakly. However, a large hole in the middle-aged man's abdomen was bleeding profusely, and it was clear that his internal organs and major blood vessels were damaged, indicating a fatal wound.

"What happened! Who did this to you!? Hey, stay with me!"

"…"

"What? I can't hear you!"

"Usa… usa…"

"Usa? Usa, what!?"

The young man continued to call out loudly while pressing a cloth against the wound, trying to keep the middle-aged man conscious. He needed to gather information about the situation, but he also feared that the middle-aged man would die if he lost consciousness.

Just as the young man was about to call out again, he noticed something moving at the edge of his vision.

"Is that… a rabbit? Could it be, that thing?"

"…"

In the fading consciousness, the middle-aged man caught a glimpse of the rabbit and nodded slightly in response to the young man's question. Upon closer inspection, the rabbit's horn was covered in a large amount of blood.

The young man, feeling intimidated, took a step back, and the rabbit, with its horn pointed at him, began to move. It gradually accelerated and leaped at the young man from about 5 meters away, aiming to impale him.

"Aaaaah!"

"Smack!"

The young man instinctively swung his shoulder bag, striking the rabbit's side forcefully. The rabbit, unable to avoid the counterattack, was thrown against the wall with a dull thud. The impact broke the rabbit's horn, and it stuck to the wall, bleeding a different blood from the middle-aged man's.

The young man stared at the scene in shock for a moment.

"…Ugh"

"…Huh! Hey! Hang in there!"

"…Water"

"Water!? Ah, just a moment!"

As the young man stood in shock, the middle-aged man weakly asked for water. The young man hurriedly tried to take out a water bottle from his bag, but…

"Damn, it's broken!? Probably from when the rabbit hit the wall!?"

The water bottle in his bag was damaged and had spilled its contents. There was no way he could fulfill the middle-aged man's request.

"…Water"

"…Sorry. …What's this?"

A bottle he didn't recognize rolled to his hand. When he picked it up, he could see a liquid inside, though it was hard to see in the dim light. He opened the cap and sniffed, but there was no smell.

"…Here, it's water"

"…"

After a moment's hesitation, the young man brought the bottle to the middle-aged man's mouth and tilted it, letting him drink the mysterious liquid. There was no other option to fulfill the middle-aged man's final wish. The middle-aged man swallowed the liquid with a slight movement of his throat.

And then…

"…"

"Damn! Damn!"

The middle-aged man's body went limp and stopped moving. The young man, blaming himself for his reckless decision to enter the dungeon, shed large tears.

But then…

"…Huh?"

"Aaaaah! Ah, you! Weren't you dead!?"

The middle-aged man, who the young man thought was dead, suddenly sat up, causing the young man to scream and back away.

"Unfortunately, I'm still alive. I don't know why, though."

"But, but. You had a huge hole in your stomach and were bleeding a lot! It was clearly a fatal wound!"

"Yeah, I thought I was dead too… Wait, the hole is closed?"

"Huh?"

When the middle-aged man lifted his jacket to check the wound, the large hole that had been fatal was completely sealed, though it was still soaked in blood.

"…It's true"

"Hey, did you do something to me?"

"Huh? No, not really… Oh!"

The young man, surprised by the middle-aged man's sudden movement, searched for the bottle he had dropped. He found it quickly, but most of the contents had spilled on the ground, leaving only a small amount, less than a teaspoon.

"…Is this it?"

"Ah, yeah. I think this is what caused the recovery, since you woke up right after drinking it."

"…"

The middle-aged man took the bottle and looked at the small amount of liquid left at the bottom.

"I don't know what it is, but…"

"…Alright. Let's get out of here quickly. We don't know when the next one will come."

"Ah, yeah."

The man, feeling a moment of disgust at the blood on his clothes, decided that escaping was the priority and ran back the way they came, with the young man following, wondering how the middle-aged man could run so energetically.

Finally, after a few minutes of running, they emerged from the dungeon without encountering any new monsters. Relieved to have escaped safely, the young man reflected on the events of the day. The sudden appearance of the mysterious structure, the rabbit that attacked with lethal intent, and the mysterious liquid that healed a fatal wound—all were clearly extraordinary events.

The young man, realizing the gravity of the situation he had caused, felt a chill and was tormented by guilt for his rash actions. He bowed deeply to the blood-soaked middle-aged man and apologized.

"Because of my reckless actions, I put you in danger. I'm really sorry!"

The middle-aged man, looking at his blood-soaked self and the bowing young man, sighed and spoke.

"…Well, since we made it out safely, I'll forgive you. But next time, listen to people's advice, okay?"

"Yes! I'm really sorry!"

"Then, it's kind of gross being covered in blood… Let's go home?"

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man, accepting the young man's apology, retrieved his dropped belongings and headed home with him. After returning home, he explained the situation to his family, who were shocked by his blood-soaked appearance. They informed him about the existence of the dungeon, and he realized how dangerous it had been to enter so casually, breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought of their good fortune.

However, this was an extremely rare lucky case. Most of those who entered the dungeon were killed or injured by monster attacks or traps.

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As the news spread that treasures could be obtained from the dungeon, small-scale armed conflicts began between government forces and armed groups. The dungeons were scattered widely, regardless of borders or territories, and each faction, seeing them as a source of funds, moved to secure them. Fortunately, the conflicts mainly took place in remote areas like mountains and deserts, so there were few civilian casualties.

However, a few months later, a certain announcement changed the situation dramatically.

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In the office of a certain country's president, the room's occupant was facing a sudden change in the world situation.

"…The support from Europe and America is starting to lag?"

"Yes."

"Ridiculous! They supported us because they wanted our oil, didn't they!? If they cut off support now, the stability of the oil-producing regions we control will be at risk! What are they thinking!?"

"…It's probably related to the announcement Japan made recently."

"…Core Crystal Power Generation."

The secretary's comment made the man sitting at the desk grimace.

"Yes. The announcement from Japan has shaken the value of oil as an energy resource…"

"Damn! I never thought we could get something like that from the dungeon!"

"Core Crystal is far superior to oil as an energy resource."

"…If Japan's announcement is correct, it apparently even surpasses nuclear power."

"Yes. Moreover, while oil can only be obtained from limited regions, Core Crystal can be obtained from dungeons scattered around the world, making it much easier to secure."

If it can be obtained worldwide, it's easy to imagine that countries that have relied on imported energy resources will shift their focus to Core Crystal power generation. From the perspective of environmental protection, which has been a major concern recently, Core Crystal power generation, which is said to be completely pollution-free, is likely to become the leading next-generation energy source, and the decline of fossil fuels is inevitable.

"Damn, so they're starting to cut off aid to us!"

"While the importance of oil as a raw material for chemical fibers and other products remains unchanged, its value as an energy resource will definitely decline. We can't expect the same massive demand as before."

By the way, about 70% of crude oil is used for power generation and fuel for vehicles.

"If that happens, it wouldn't be surprising for Europe and America to cut ties with us, given our complicated situation. They can import the necessary amount from more stable oil-producing regions…"

"Complicated situation… It's the seeds they sowed in their desire for oil! Now they want to abandon us!?"

"But, considering the examples of Iraq and Iran, it's not impossible."

"…Damn! Damn! Damn!"

Understanding the secretary's point, the president, in frustration, repeatedly pounded the desk with his fist.

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As the value of oil as an energy resource declined and Europe and America began to withdraw from the Middle East, which had become a quagmire, the various factions that had been suppressed by Western influence began to move underground. They started selling items obtained from the dungeon through black markets, using the funds to purchase weapons and strengthen and expand their forces. As the support from Europe and America dwindled and the government's control weakened, it became increasingly difficult to hinder the movements of the factions, and the quagmire deepened.

About a year after the appearance of the dungeons, the fragile peace maintained by the factions' mutual deterrence finally broke down. The outbreak of armed conflict, triggered by a violation of the ceasefire agreement, marked the beginning of the turmoil in the Middle East.

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This is the Middle East chapter.

The appearance of Core Crystal power generation has caused a change in the response of Europe and America, leading to confusion. In the midst of the chaos caused by the appearance of the dungeons, the withdrawal of aid is only making things worse.