Date: 19/05/2021, Wednesday
Location: GDA Central Command, Geneva, Switzerland / The Grand Summit Hall
Three years had passed since 'The Glitch'. Over these three years, the entire world order had been turned upside down, and today, the absolute epicenter of that shift was The Grand Summit Hall in Geneva.
Inside the sprawling hall, the world's most powerful S-Rankers and the heads of every National Dungers Association (N.D.A) sat in their designated seats. A heavy tension hung in the air. Whispers rippled through the crowd, speculating about the nature of the emergency that prompted the GDA to convene a global summit so abruptly. Fear gripped the faces of several N.D.A. heads; they suspected that after three years, another 'Fracture' was imminent, or that Richard Vance was about to warn them of an even greater catastrophe.
Then, the main doors of the hall swung open.
Richard Vance walked in, clad in his signature dark trench coat. He offered no greetings, no introductions, and no welcoming speech. He walked straight to the main podium and, without uttering a single word, activated the massive holographic screen behind him.
A pin-drop silence instantly fell over the hall. Eyes widened in absolute shock.
The screen did not display scenes of destruction. Instead, it projected a colossal mountain of dungeon resources—radiant Mana Stones, glowing Amber Essence Crystals, and massive heaps of monster anatomy. It was a level of wealth no one had ever dared to imagine.
"The GDA has extracted these materials from Dungeons over the past two months," Richard's cold, icy voice echoed through the hall. He didn't give them a second to process their shock before continuing. "We will no longer simply loot mana cores and essence stones. The time has come to squeeze the Dungeons completely dry."
The people in the hall were still struggling to believe their eyes. Suddenly, David Wilson, the head of the USA's NADA, stood up from his seat. His voice carried a mix of arrogance and deep confusion.
"When did you do all this?" David demanded bluntly. "You were the one who originally told us that extracting resources and materials from a dungeon was practically impossible because standard tools explode under the mana pressure. So what is all this?"
Richard met David's gaze with emotionless eyes. "It was impossible, David. It isn't anymore. We now possess 'Magitech Tools,' forged by the GDA's R&D department strictly for harvesting these materials. With these tools, we can extract resources without damaging their mana integrity."
David was still not satisfied. He cross-questioned immediately. "And what about the Boss? If you start a mining operation, how does the Boss stay quiet? It will sense the mana flow of the tools and the Dungers and attack. And when it does, we either have to kill it or stop it... and stalling an enraged Boss is almost impossible."
Before David could even finish his sentence, Richard cut him off with a frigid tone.
"We no longer need to worry about the Boss. The GDA's Chief Architect—the only S-Rank Architect in the world—has developed a 'Magitech Barrier Machine.' With it, we can effortlessly trap any Boss behind an invisible spatial wall. The mountain of wealth you see on this screen is the direct result of that technology."
Hearing this, David was left utterly speechless. He quietly sat back down. His ego and his calculations had been entirely crushed.
Then, another N.D.A. head stood up. "Alright, we can extract these resources using your barriers and tools, but what is their actual application? Tell us, what use do we have for glowing rocks and monster bones?"
Richard simply signaled Aris, who stood at the side of the stage. Aris swiped his tablet, changing the screen's display.
Detailed information, charts, and lists of resources and materials now flashed across the holographic display. The S-Rankers and N.D.A. heads stared in sheer disbelief. The screen read:
Veined Iron-Ore & Monster Bones: Directly utilized to forge high-tier Magitech weapons and virtually unbreakable armor.
Amber Essence Crystals: Processed into 'Absolute Healing Potions' capable of healing lethal wounds in a matter of seconds.
Glowshards: Function as an infinite light source, capable of illuminating entire cities without relying on a power grid.
Mana Stones: Used directly as fuel for specialized engines, paving the way for limitless clean electricity in the near future.
The list was extensive, and every single item represented a billion-dollar industry on its own.
"I will send this comprehensive list directly to all of you," Richard stated calmly. "And this is merely the beginning. We will conduct further research and elevate Magitech to unprecedented heights in the near future."
All traces of fear had vanished from the hall. Upon hearing Richard's words, a strange, intense gleam appeared in the eyes of every S-Ranker and N.D.A. head present. Greed had completely hijacked their minds. Dungeons were no longer seen as terrifying pits of death; they were now infinite sources of power and unfathomable wealth.
Richard stood perfectly still on the stage. He had successfully planted the seeds of both fear and greed. Now, the next step was to bind their newly awakened greed within the chains of the GDA.