Of course, there was no way I’d try to take on the dungeon myself. Instead, I wanted to head to the mission boards. They were virtual but required local access in order to view. In other words, you had to actually be at the dungeon in order to use them. It seemed dumb to me, but it was hardly my area of expertise so I wasn't about to cast stones.

My best bet of finding someone who would hire a beginner Dungeon Maker like myself was to look at the people who operated in the Public Dungeons. They'd likely be individuals not beholden to any corporation, as the corporations would otherwise have them operating in their private dungeons.

I left my dorm and began to make my way off the campus of the school, heading towards the center of the city. The city bustled as people went about their business. Hovercraft swooped through the sky above. A kid standing on a hoverboard zoomed past me on the sidewalk, drawing a curse from a nearby elderly gentleman who shook his gravcane at the kid. However, as he did so he must have accidentally activated it as he began to drift upward slightly. He quickly brought it back down and adjusted it, floating down to the ground. He muttered grumpily as I passed.

I could have hailed a taxi to get there faster, but I was in no rush. Not to mention every penny counted right now. I couldn’t afford to waste money on nonessentials.

Contrary to traditional architecture, the closer I got to the heart of the city, the smaller the buildings became. Instead, what dominated my view was a massive tree. Standing taller than the tallest skyscraper, the tree towered above me. Even from this distance it’s branches covered the streets in shade as it blotted out the sun. Squinting up towards it I thought I could see some flying shapes near the lowest hanging branches. Wyverns most likely.

The dungeon was formed inside of the tree. The amount of effort and materials that went into producing a core that could form such a dungeon was astounding. Even a level 1 core seemed like a lot to me. I’d heard rumors that the tree had over 100 floors to it. And that was just to get up through the trunk to the branches. Supposedly the truly rare monsters were up there.

I shook my head. Thinking about something like that was way beyond me right now. I needed to concentrate on the task at hand. After another 15 minutes of walking I finally arrived at the base of the Public Dungeon. A strict perimeter had been established around it, with fencing and guards posted along it. Ironically, though it might make the dungeon seem more dangerous, the true purpose of the perimeter was to prevent people from getting inside without paying the fees and from leaving without paying the tax on whatever materials they brought out.

A number of street vendors had set up outside of the perimeter, peddling their wares to the adventurers who came.

“Torches, get your torches here! You don’t want to find yourself going up against monsters in the dark!”

“Antibiotics, bandages, antidotes, medglue, all your healing supplies! A small price today ensures you’ll be able to return alive tomorrow!”

“Knives, swords, axes, we have it all! If you need something to poke a hole in your enemies, you’ve come to the right place!!”

A cacophony of sales cries blasted my ears as I approached. I looked around, searching for my target, and quickly found it. A large crowd of people decked out in kevlar and homemade armor, holding a variety of weapons. They gathered around a large hologram of a board. Different “posters” were shown on the board, indicating various tasks that could be completed for payment.

In theory, anyone who went inside could sell their products. However, reality was never that simple. Companies typically went through trusted suppliers, people who ensured the quality of the materials they provided. Private individuals sometimes sought out different materials for their own usage, whether to come up with the “next big invention” or simply for home usage. Wanted to use fresh Slime jelly for your kid’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Put up a task. If you had the money to afford it, then might as well.

I made my way towards the board. I planned on putting up a task of my own, one seeking collaboration in creating a dungeon.

Before I did, I wanted to check the board for similar advertisements. After all, in order to figure out what I should charge, I needed to do some market research. I quickly realized that trying to read through the various missions on the board would be inefficient. I wondered how the rest of these people were doing it. When I looked around, though, I noticed that most people weren’t actually looking at the board. They’d pulled out their holophones or other devices and seemed to be scrolling through tasks on there.

I tapped the shoulder of a guy in armor that looked like it had been fashioned out of pots and pans. “Excuse me, how can I see the tasks on my phone?”

He looked up from his phone and glanced at me. “You new? You better get some armor if you’re planning on going into the dungeon.”

I shook my head. “I’m just looking for now. But about the tasks?”

The guy shrugged. “Just download the app. It’s all on there.”

I followed his advice and quickly downloaded the Public Dungeons app. It had a surprising amount of information in it, including changes in different floors, advisory warnings about changes in monster behavior, and so on. I ignored most of the information and quickly found where the tasks were listed. It even had a search option, so I could narrow down what I was looking for.

I looked over at the man. “One more question. If you can use the app to find tasks, then why is everyone gathered over here.”

The man seemed a little annoyed at being dragged away from his phone again, but he turned his head. “People come here so they can find parties looking to do similar tasks. It’s the most common gathering point for those who are looking for a party.”

I nodded my head in understanding and thanked him before striding away. There was no point in staying within the crowd, as I wasn’t looking to form a party.

I found a street vendor that was selling refreshments. He had tables and chairs set up by his stand, so I walked over, got myself an overpriced berry drink that supposedly came from berries grown on the 20th floor of the dungeon, and sat down as I began to search through the tasks.