"I found something. I'm not sure, but it looks like silver." Anna disclosed with a grin on her face.

Fedor went over and had a look at the metal nuggets Anna had found. He weighed it in his hand and then nodded.

"Yes, seems to be silver, around four pounds of it. There is some other ore, too." He said while looking at the inside of the chest Anna had found behind the goblin chieftains throne.

"I don't know how much silver is worth here. But, wasn't an ounce of silver on earth worth around 30 dollars? That would mean our bounty would be around five thousand dollars. Not very much of a bounty for three persons risking their life for more than a week." Daniel commented.

"There is some ore in the chest, too. Maybe, it is worth more than the silver." Anna responded hopefully.

"Hopefully, but if not, we should have at least earned enough to get some supplies after we leave here." Fedor acknowledged and crushed the silver nugget with his mace. Then he split the parts equally.

"Take the ore Fedor. If we have to haggle with some merchants, you have probably the best chance to motivate them to give us a good price. At least, you can look the meanest." Anna suggested jokingly.

"Yes, with our damaged clothes and without armor, Anna and I look more like homeless persons and not like adventurers. I think we should leave the dungeon for now. Then, outside, we can have a look at the surroundings and make decisions about our next elements and classes." Daniel proposed.

"Ehmm, I'm still level 9." Anna informed her teammates a little embarrassed.

"We should make another run on this dungeon, if possible. The last fight was fun and a little more loot should come in handy. Oh, and maybe we check the second level?" Fedor proposed.

"Maybe, we check the situation outside first and wouldn't it be better for your broken arm to heal before?" Daniel asked the large Russian.

"Yes, sure, good idea. It’s weird, but my arm doesn't hurt a lot anymore. Maybe, my skill helps with it." Fedor acknowledged.

"If I may ask, we never talked about which skills you choose to get." Anna asked curiously. "You may, it is not a secret. I didn't really choose a skill. I just got them. I got a heavy armor skill, one for shields, the clashing weapons you have and I got a pain resistance skill. The last one helped a lot. While I was used to getting hurt from my MMA days, the goblins started to get on my nerves after a while. The skill helps a little and is already at 40% to the next rank." Fedor complained.

Daniel and Anna were stunned for a moment. To level that skill so high, Fedor must have been hurt a lot before they met him. Well, if one looked at the fight where they encountered him, it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"Pain resistance is probably a good idea for your fighting style as a tank. But, I think you should get a skill that helps you to improve yourself." Daniel replied approvingly. Then, he got up and started to look for an exit. There was only one and he got another prompt as he closed in on it.

You can choose to leave or continue your dungeon dive. After leaving, all summoned travelers will be teleported in front of the entrance and the dungeon level will change back to its normal size.

Leave / Continue

"That is interesting. I already feared it would be normal for a dungeon that you have to stray around an endless labyrinth for days. I think that’s good news, but for now let's leave." Fedor said and with the other two agreeing, they left the boss room and were teleported to the dungeon entrance.

It was broad daylight outside and they found themselves on a plateau at the side of a large mountain. It was cold and the area around them was covered in ice and snow. Before they could analyze their situation further, other people started to appear, one after another, out of thin air.

It only took a few moments, but when it stopped 23 people had arrived next to them. All but a young woman and a beardy man were below level four. Most of them were level one. Only a few seconds passed before the first ones started to complain. Some even started crying.

Great, Daniel thought. This was going to be annoying as hell. Before he could say anything he heard Fedor's loud voice.

"Shut the fuck up you weaklings. We don't care who you are or what kind of problem you have. We just cleared the dungeon and as a result you were able to leave there without being eaten by goblins. I suggest that if you don't have anything useful to say, you keep your mouth shut." Fedor shouted, annoyed by the bickering and the pain that remained from his broken arm.

That stopped most of the noise, but two persons kept nagging.

"Who do you think you are? We need to elect a committee to decide what to do. It is only fair, if everyone has a equal voice. We are civilized people. I'm putting myself up for election as the leader of the council. Someone as uncivilized as you, wearing heavy armor full of blood and gore will not speak for us." A young man in a suit proclaimed. Fedor only started to laugh.

"That man is an idiot. We need to get things done, not to form a council. We are in the wilderness and it looks like we need to travel a long way before we can find civilization. I am a police officer and as a representative of the government, I am the natural choice for a leader. It is like in a disaster, where every citizen has to obey the directives of a government official." Another man in a suit that was also level one declared and he even showed his police badge. Daniel couldn't help himself.

"Hey, Mr. I am the law, I don't know if you noticed, but we aren't in Kansas anymore.” That made some people laugh. The self-aggrandizement of the cop probably didn’t sit well with a lot of them. So, he went on.

“The people here are from all over the world and not US citizens. I know the US is trying to assert its influence all over the world. In a lot of cases, that may even be a good thing. But, I don't think we are on Earth anymore and even if, you are just some police officer with a delusion of grandeur and that doesn't give you any special power here. You are level one. That means you stayed in the safety zone and probably didn't even fight a single goblin." Daniel rebuked the pompous asshole.

It didn't work as planned. Instead of putting the man in his place, it just angered him and he drew his gun and pointed it at Daniel.

"Sir, I need you to drop that sword and put your arms behind your back. I'm arresting you for resisting a lawful order by a member of the police force." The man declared in an arrogant tone.

Daniel looked at his teammates. Anna looked concerned, while Fedor only laughed even louder. He sighed. Then, he used his more than human speed to sidestep outside the direction the gun was aimed at. Before the cop even reacted, Daniel was next to him. He grabbed the gun and punched the prick hard in the stomach. The man went down immediately and started to throw up. Daniel put the gun into his inventory and removed the extra magazines from the man's belt. He paused for a moment, before he took the cuffs, too. Then, he turned around and looked at the gathered people.

"Next time, if someone else tries to threaten my life and aims a gun at me, I will kill him." Daniel declared in a cold tone.

Fedor turned to the first man in the suit that was so civilized.

"Hey you, Mr. suit. You asked me who I think I am. You just saw what Daniel over there did. I'm at the same level and we slaughtered our way through hundreds of goblins to clear the dungeon floor. You are level one, that means you are probably a coward that stayed in the safe zone. Nobody cares what you have to say. This is a new world and I will do whatever I want and you don't have the power to do a damn thing about it." Fedor proclaimed while he was glaring at the man who went pale under the derision.

"While I would say it in a more diplomatic way than Fedor, he is right. On Earth, people were more or less equal. Here, with the system, we are not. A person at level 30 can probably kill as many level one people as he wants and there is not a thing they can do about it. Our party will do what we want and you can do what you want. But, I would suggest that you try to adapt to this world and the system. Maybe form a party and go into the dungeon to level up. It's cold outside and there are no trees in sight. It’ll probably be a long march through high snow until we can reach civilization. Having a higher level should give you a lot better chance of survival." Anna summarized their situation polite, but straightforward.

On that comment, Daniel started to look around. He didn't have a lot of time to do that, before the situation had escalated. Anna was right. It would take a long time to reach possible populated areas. In front of the plateau, he could see a large snow covered valley. It was wedged in between two mountain ranges, with spires so high, that they were above the clouds. The good news was that he was able to spot a small river in the valley. If they followed it, they should be able to reach lower altitudes and warmer temperature and at some point civilization or the sea. He turned to Fedor.

"Fedor, you were a soldier and have been deployed in mountainous terrain. What do you think about our situation?" Daniel asked him.

Fedor looked around and then answered.

"If it wasn't for the system, I would conclude that we’ll all die. We have no winter gear, no snowshoes and no tents for staying at night and there is no fuel to burn. It will be very taxing to fight our way through the snow. While both of us may be able to, someone who hasn't increased their endurance and regeneration will not last very long. I think our best way forward is to go back into the dungeon. We should see if we can eat goblin meat. If we can, we could gather it for food to give us enough time to train so we can make the trip." Fedor summarized their situation in a grave picture. The other people listened and were very quiet as the graveness of their situation slowly settled in.

"At least this explains why the dungeon was not visited for five years. Who would want to fight their way through terrain like that, only to fight some goblins?" Anna asked rhetorical.

"Ok, the dungeon it is. The thought of eating goblins is really disgusting. But, it beats dying, probably. Everybody, listen up. We needed to clear the floor to leave the dungeon without losing our gains. Maybe that changed with our clearing, maybe not. The boss we faced was level 15 and had some support. I recommend that you form teams of at least three people. Some people for close combat, others for using magic. The normal goblins are only level two and three and pretty easy to kill. At the start, you level up pretty quickly. If you start to see groups at level six and above, you are closing in on the boss." Daniel explained to the frightened people.

He then nodded at Fedor and Anna and turned to the dungeon entrance. People were beginning to scream that they couldn't just leave them and that they had to save them. But, Daniel ignored them. He was in no position to carry their burden. After all, he didn't know if he would be able to make it himself. At least, there were no elderly and children present. Everyone was an adult and in reasonable shape. They were responsible for their own future.

Before he and his party was able to enter the dungeon again. The young woman that was level four interrupted them.

"I'd like to join your party. I arrived here yesterday and already fought a lot of goblins. I'm a fire mage. My name is Isabelle Lopez."

"Why do you want to join us?" Anna asked.

"Well, you are a hot young woman and you don't look like they tried to rape you. There is no rule of law here. Trust me, I have experienced what happens to people when that happens and they think they can get away with whatever they want. In addition, you people look like you know what you are doing." Isabella explained.

"You have a Spanish accent. From your comment about the rule of law I gather that you are from Central America, maybe Mexico? Ever seen a dead body or killed someone yourself?" Daniel inquired. He himself had been reasonably fast to get used to this new world. But, he had always known that he was a person that wasn't controlled by his feelings.

Isabella hesitated then she nodded.

"Yes, I have killed someone before. A cartel thug raped me and then was stupid enough to fall asleep next to me in my own bed. I slit his throat." She explained.

The party was quiet for a moment and only Fedor replied.

"Good. I mean the revenge, not the rape." He then turned to Daniel and Anna and continued. "I think we should take her with us. Against the boss, another caster would have helped and she has balls to take revenge like that."

Daniel just nodded, they didn't need another person to fight against the groups of weak goblins. But, if she could prove her worth, she may be a real help against the boss. The difference between splitting the experience three ways or four ways wasn't that big.

Anna hugged Isabella. "Welcome to the team. Don't let yourself be intimidated by Fedor and Daniel. They are a lot nicer to people they know and like."

Before entering Daniel paused and turned to the group again. He'd remembered something he'd read somewhere: Hope is stronger than desperation. Right now, the people looked desperate. Fedor didn't seem to really care about these people. Anna was more of an introvert and nobody for grand speeches. Most of the people here had just arrived less than a day ago. They were still in a bit of a shook and weren’t able to fully grasp their new reality, yet. So, he decided it would be best to give them some hope.

"As far as I know, everyone summoned to this dungeon should have had access to at least a basic weapon. If that is not the case, this may help you." He said while he removed his bow from the woman that betrayed him, the baseball bat from the hipster and the long knife from the fat guy. He added some kitchen knives, but decided to keep the pistols and the long dagger from himself. He went on with his little speech to put some spine into the people..

"Right now, you are fearful and desperate, but this dungeon brings hope and opportunity, too. You saw how fast I moved when that cop aimed his gun at me. A week ago, I was a normal college student. Now, I am faster and stronger than every athlete on earth. Think about where you want to be in a week. With the system, you can get there! Work hard and pull your weight. How tough you are right now doesn't really matter. With the system and a bit of time, even a child can become superhuman if it puts in the efford."

With that said, they went into the dungeon.

The first thing Daniel checked after entering was the prompt from trying to leave.

Warning you are leaving the dungeon Goblin Fortress

Are you sure you want to leave? All enemies will respawn after you enter again.

The prompt had changed. It was probably different because the level had been cleared. Be it as it may, it would give the other travelers a much better chance of success.