When Xu Han entered the Dungeon Core Group Chat, he was greeted with a loud shout.

  “He’s here! He’s finally here!”

  Sensing the impatience of the shouting dungeon core, Xu Han quickly greeted his follow dungeon cores. “Xu Han greet his seniors.”

  “Glad that you’re back. You took your time.”

  Even through the chat, the icy voice of Snowy Grief sends a chill through Xu Han, and he quickly explained the trouble he had with the adventurers.

  “A party of level 40s challenged your dungeon? That’s highly unusual.” Mountain River said.

  “And very suspicious,” another dungeon core added. “Adventurers that high do not challenge new dungeons.”

  A chorus of agreement rose from the group chat, but before anyone could make a further comment, a new voice entered the chat.

  “That might be me.”

  Xu Han focused on the dungeon core who spoke, not quite comprehending.

  “Senior Challenger, what do you mean?”

  “I just released my first dungeon technique, the technique you taught me, and this group entered your dungeon soon after. That might not be a coincidence.” Challenger explained.

  Xu Han looked at the message with some confusion. He did not understand why the release of a new dungeon technique would prompt a group of high-level adventurers to enter his dungeon, but others think Challenger was on to something.

  “I think Challenger is correct,” Mountain River said, “I'm sure that the two incidents are connected. How exactly is still a mystery, but it’s too coincidental not to be.”

  Xu Han mentally shook his head in confusion. He's been a dungeon core for only a short time, and this world was just filled with mystery. There are numerous skills and spells in this world, why should a dungeon technique cause trouble?

  Chattering filled the chat room as the other cores chipped in with their theories, and the room soon descended into its normal chaos. Eventually, it was The Dungeon Master who took the lead. “Enough! We’re not getting anywhere with all this speculation, let’s start with our discussion. Challenger, why don't you go first?”

  “Very well,” Challenger quickly agreed, anxious to inform everyone on his findings. “It was a great success! I've released one of the dungeon techniques, and it worked. The adventurer who got the technique was surprised but he managed to use the technique without any issue. I even saw him using it!”

  “He tested it? In the dungeon?” A dungeon core asked.

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  “Oh yes! He was with a party, one of my regulars, the Howling Blades, and the leader told him to test it. The adventurer did so, and I saw the technique activating without any problem.” Challenger then eagerly recounted the fight between the adventurer and one of its Guardians, and what happened afterwards.

  “How did you feel when the adventurer used the technique or when he got the technique? Any discomfort or loss of power?” Bookkeeper asked after hearing Challenger’s story.

  “No, I did not feel any adverse effect when the adventurer got the technique, or when he was using it. The only time I felt anything was when I was creating the scroll for the technique, it cost a lot of divine power to create it, but that was to be expected as it was my first time doing it.” Challenger answered, an answer that Xu Han felt was off.

  While it was true that it cost divine power to create the techniques, Xu Han didn’t think the cost was excessive. Even though it was his first time doing it, as an older and stronger core, Challenger should feel the cost even less than Xu Han.

  The fact that Challenger mentioned it meant that the cost was noticeable and Xu Han had to wonder why. He wondered if the fact that he was a former cultivator was the reason for the difference in cost or was it more to do with the fact that Challenger was granting a skill. Unlike Xu Han who converts cultivation techniques to dungeon techniques, Challenger used skills he had absorbed in the past as the basis of his dungeon techniques. Would such a difference affect the divine power needed to create dungeon techniques?

  That was something Xu Han need to experiment on. Maybe he should tried converting some of the skills he had absorbed as dungeon techniques?

  “It is good to know about the cost issue, that is something everyone will need to consider when making these dungeon techniques. I assume it cost more power to create the more powerful techniques?” Bookkeeper asked.

  “I would think so, though I do not know for sure. I’ve concentrated on making simple techniques first. Xu Han, what do you think?” Challenger pushed the question to Xu Han who immediately answered.

  “I believe that is correct. My dungeon fairy said that my techniques have an interesting parallel with Skills. So, I think it is fair to assume it will cost more to create more powerful techniques.”

  “There is also wastage to consider. It took me a few tries before I managed to create the technique, and each failure cost me power.” Challenger added.

  “Pity, this means we cannot create the more powerful techniques immediately. We’ll need practice, creating less powerful techniques first, mastering them, before going on to the more powerful ones.” Snowy Grief mused.

  “A good thing in my view,” The Dungeon Master said. “Adventurers, kingdoms, maybe even the Gods, would be worried if dungeon cores start giving away powerful techniques. A gradual implantation of the techniques would be better. No one should release any dungeon technique that requires a level 30 Classed to use till further notice.”

  Xu Ha mentally smiled, agreeing with the elder dungeon core, but the chat descended into chaos as several cores objected to it. Chief among them was Mountain River who immediately fired back.

  “Wait a moment, what do you mean I cannot release a powerful technique? I am the core of my dungeon. I get to decide how my dungeon would look like, what monsters to create, and what treasure to give out. No one tells me what to do in my dungeon!”

  “I never said it was absolute. Of course, a dungeon core may do so as he wishes, but creating a powerful technique is a huge and unnecessary risk at this moment. You will waste power, and we need to consider how people will react to the techniques. We already have some powerful groups and kingdoms controlling entrance to dungeons in order to farm us, so how do you think they’ll react when they discovered a dungeon who can release a level 30 skill? They will control the entrance so tight, you’ll may be lucky to get any delvers at all.” The Dungeon Master explained.

  The explanation calmed some of the dungeon cores, but Xu Han was more interested in something The Dungeon Master mentioned. “Wait, kingdoms can control who enter a dungeon? Doesn’t the Adventurer Guild prevent that?”