[D'sP] Got Instances? - Chapter 286 (Patreon)

Jeremy sighs, “The question is, do we want to risk climbing down this wall?”

Kellinger takes another look over the side. “So I’m guessing you wouldn’t have any problem climbing down, but I’m just as likely to fall and break my neck.

“Which thankfully isn’t quite as much of a death sentence as it used to be. However, we only have so many of the potions which will allow someone to fully recover from that kind of injury.”

Kelly sighs, “We haven’t even seen the first monster on this floor and we might already be defeated.”

Jim shrugs, “Better to know our limits and live. We’ll just come back tomorrow with a rope and some climbing tools. This isn’t some magical cliff from what I can see so that should help a lot.”

Jim turns to Jeremy, “At least, I presume you and your wife have that kind of stuff? Seems on brand for you two.”

Jeremy nods, “We do have some stuff, though for this we shouldn’t bother. Any equipment put in the walls to make it easier will vanish between runs. For this, we are better off just using the right knots.”

Jim, “Fair enough. Anyway, it looks like we’re turning around. More than anything else, because I don’t want to be target practice for anything that might be at the bottom of this pit. Those giant mushrooms would be more than able to hide a number of ranged monsters.”

And with that, the group turns around and leaves.

Suffice it to say, Doyle and Ally are more than a little disappointed. Though they understand why. Also, the disappointment doesn’t last long as Doyle gets a system message he had been waiting on for a good bit now.

{Delvers detected having visited a boss floor for the first time...

Instancing for all floors before the tenth floor unlocked

10 additional instances available for use among all unlocked floors}

Doyle, ‘Huh, I can use the instances on all the unlocked floors. I can’t remember if we talked about that bit. Anyway, I have an idea of how I want to divvy out these things.’

Ally, ‘What’s the plan? Just going to throw all the new ones at the sixth floor?’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘That would work, but I’ve got a few other concerns besides that. And top of the list is the fifth floor boss. She’s doing alright and I did put in some stuff to stop the whole swarm tactic thing. However, I’m sure someone is going to try it again at some point so I’m going to be tricky.

‘If I just put an extra instance on the boss floor, they’ll know about it. Instead, I’m going to throw an extra instance at floor seven. I wasn’t planning on doing that since most people don’t hang around there too long. Except that’s perfect for my plan.

‘By putting the instance in a place that it isn’t needed, if I noticed a raid group trying for the fifth floor, I can switch it over real quick to split the party.’

Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Well that is a nifty plan, except I don’t think you should bother. Playing around like that is the sort of thing which makes a dungeon untrustworthy to delvers. You aren’t the first to come up with this plan, even unawakened dungeons stumble across it occasionally.

‘It doesn’t spread because people stop visiting those dungeons since people can’t trust anything. A dungeon changing is normal. A dungeon changing while people are delving as a response to them? Especially to finish a group off?

‘People will understand of course, but they also understand spiders and yet they still scare people.’

Doyle tilts back, ‘That, that is a good point. I guess I’ll scrap that plan.’

Ally shrugs, ‘You can still put an instance on the fifth floor. It just won’t be a surprise.’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘No, there isn’t enough traffic to make it worth it. In fact, since I’m changing things up, I’m going to redistribute them all. If I’m honest with myself, only the first and sixth floor need them and even the first floor not so much.’

Ally nods, ‘That does tend to happen with any dungeon that allows short cutting. Otherwise you end up with a pyramid of use and need them more on the early floors’

Doyle, ‘Fair enough. Anyway, I’m thinking three to the first floor and seventeen to the sixth. There are still a good number of groups delving the first floor, but most of them are there because the sixth floor is taken.

‘Once the sixth floor has instances up and running, I expect all but the newest groups and those who haven’t beat the fifth floor yet will stop delving the first floor. Just four spots should be more than enough to handle things.’

Ally nods, ‘Once the sixth is more accessible things will definitely move more smoothly. You might even manage to eliminate the line they always have out there. Though don’t forget to automate the sixth floor. I know the farm does a lot of work, but running so many instances would be a nightmare if you’re not careful.’

Doyle, ‘Good catch, I’ll do that first. In fact, it is almost night. Might as well wait till then to make the changes so people don’t get too excited right before closing. Though I do have to wonder.’

Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Wonder about what?’

Doyle laughs, ‘Will this crash the food market?’

Ally rolls her eyes, ‘There isn’t a food market to crash. It probably hurts them to admit this, but basically everywhere else is living at subsistence level right now. No one has a surplus except Wolf’s Rest.

‘At least not that we know of. I’m sure there are more than a few places with dungeons of their own that are feeding them. Just not in this settlement group.

‘To put it in perspective, you were meant to be feeding two large tutorial towns. That is why they started out so close together when compared to everywhere else. Dungeons are a source of goods, always. It might not always be food they provide, but your very existence is based around people coming into your dungeon and taking things out.

‘Now, if they try to run things the way they used to? Well, suffice it to say, that isn’t going to work. Dungeons and magic mean that so many of your old laws and norms are moot or unenforceable.’

Doyle sighs, ‘My planet is going to have a very rocky time of it, aren’t they?’

Ally shrugs, ‘Eh, I’ve seen worse. At least they aren’t one of those false utopias. Here, people still worked. Of course, it would be better if people only had to work if they wanted to and weren’t held hostage by things like health care being tied to employment, but there are certainly worse places out there.

‘Some places advanced enough that they created societies where there was no money, yet did nothing to replace its function. This generally also included not having any real jobs that needed to be done, even if someone wanted to work. Those types of places tend to be quite brittle and the second they get hit with the fact that so many people died, they break.

‘From there, they either turn into savages or choose not to continue as a species. Now, the system could probably rehabilitate them, but they sort of failed at life already so it lets them choose.’

Doyle tilts to the side, ‘Failed at life? I certainly have a goal now, but last time I checked, there wasn’t really a failure state to life outside of dying.’

Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Not even 42? Though more seriously, there isn’t, not really. However, life is struggle. Those civilizations? They lost that struggle and in doing so became shells of themselves.

‘I’m not saying everyday needs to be life or death. However, if you don’t even have the chance to think hard about something? If the most you are allowed to lift is a spoon? What even is the point of your life?

‘Like, I’m talking about civilizations where even something like a crossword puzzle is more difficult than anything they’ve been allowed to do in their entire lives. Every task automated down to the smallest action. They don’t even get forks because they’re too dangerous. Now, they’re not always quite at the point of being basically installed in hover chairs that do everything for them, but walking is rare.’

Doyle, ‘That sounds boring.’

Ally nods, ‘Some people might dream of that kind of thing, but only after having worked hard. Even then, if they manage something close, they generally can’t help but give it up. It is like how your world had people who would retire only to go back to work because they were bored.

‘Of course, that is stupid as well. Their problem was they made work their lives and so not working equaled not living to them. They needed a hobby outside of work. Work shouldn’t be your life if it is being imposed on you from the outside.

‘Though just as equally, that saying about if you make something you enjoy your job, you never work a day in your life? Utter hogwash. Work is work for a reason. You have to push yourself in some way. In a normal society, only the children of the rich get to truly experience never working a day in their life. They’ll claim that they made their hobby a job, but when the “job” is constantly losing money and they don’t care? Not a job. Of course, not all children of the rich end up like that.

‘In fact, one thing the system will do, is at least force some degree of competence out of them to inherit. After all, you aren’t going to inherit when your dad isn’t going to die for another hundred years if you’re lucky.’

Doyle laughs, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it. Why would someone rich like that even bother with having the kid inherit?’

Ally, ‘For the same reason rich people the multiverse over have done even crazier things. To live longer. Money, clout, and even power is meaningless once you die.

‘The rich always have access to better life extension options than the poor for a reason. Anyway, what the rich parent will do is hand off all the responsibility to the kid. Then, taking their piles of cash, that parent will go hard on leveling to extend their life even more.

‘It is kind of hard to focus on leveling yourself and your skills if you’re having to deal with a business. Even when their skills are focused on doing business, it isn’t the same. Skills need to be used in novel ways to grow while a business needs consistency. You can’t go out and make crazy deals day after day or you’re soon going to go bust.’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘I don’t know. My world had its fair share of crazy rich people and they were always doing some sort of nonsense or another, yet never seemingly running out of funds.’

Ally shakes her head, ‘They were just playing. If you still have your base position, all the money you spend is just pocket change. That won’t budge a skill anymore than trading a handful of normal dirt back and forth would.

‘No, I’m talking about crazy deals that touch that nest egg. The kind of thing that if you come out on the losing side, you might not even have your shirt left. Of course, they still have their family to fall back on, but they aren’t able to just recover like it was nothing.’

Doyle tilts to the side, ‘But I’m not exactly defying death or bankrupting myself right now to improve my skills?’

Ally laughs, ‘You don’t even have a skill in the triple digits. Those old guys are dealing with quad digit skill levels. Besides that, your skills are inherently more danger filled.

‘Unless it is a black market trade skill, moving beans from one town to another isn’t dangerous. As a dungeon or anyone with a combat focus, the skills you practice are for defending against death or bringing death to others.

‘Still, as an example, sparring will only take a weapon’s skill so far. Even if you find a high level teacher, that can only raise it so far. So at the top end, increasing your skill level is always going to involve something crazy.’

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