"A-ahem, anyway… back to the topic at hand."
After the two prominent Adventurers had chewed Richard Lysth for a considerable length of time, and had gotten their fill, he could finally proceed with his pertinent discussion.
"First things first, after this meeting, all three of you will be publicly declared as Heroic Rank Adventurers."
They already had their badges, but this was an unavoidable ceremony.
"Now, for the important issue for discussion. I already briefly spoke to Britta and Noah about it the other day, but with all five of you here… I'd like to talk about the Dungeon Conquest."
Even though it would be impossible for none of the parties present to not have heard of the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon already, Richard reiterated it for all to hear.
There were various kinds of Dungeons, classified in the order of difficulty; Normal Class, Special Class, Chaos Class, Disaster Class, Calamity Class… and the final one… Grand Calamity Class.
The Royal Dungeon in the Capital was estimated to be around the level of a Disaster Class Dungeon, as most top-ranked Dungeons were.
Calamity Class Dungeons were rare, but there were quite a few of them. They had a similar status as Dead Zones, so most Adventurers never passed the first couple of Floors to grind Levels.
With the appearance of the first Grand Calamity Class Dungeon in over three centuries, it was pertinent to make a swift decision regarding it.
"Nearly a thousand Adventurers have already ventured inside as we speak. None of them have been heard from since. It's safe to say that it's a very dangerous mission."
Of course, the Adventurers who ventured in could be considered fodder compared to the likes of Heroic Rank Adventurers. They were simply desperate for some kind of benefit and wished to try their luck.
No high-ranked Adventurer worth their salt would be so careless.
"In order to maximize the benefits of this Grand Calamity Class Dungeon, and prevent any further unnecessary deaths, it's better we organize a Dungeon Conquest where we go in massive numbers and take on the Dungeon."
In order to account for the number of participants, and to ensure it wasn't too crowded, Richard would have recommended that only five thousand of the most competent Adventurers participated, but that wouldn't work.
A lot of new blood would want to join as well.
"We can't stop the people that desire to try their luck, so we can only ensure that the mission yields the highest amount of results."
Richard already did the numbers, and he estimated that about nine thousand to ten thousand Adventurers would participate in the Conquest.
'There's safety in numbers… even though most of those numbers are fodder.'
As a general rule, Dungeon exploration was a selfish task—every man for himself. That meant the participants were responsible for their lives.
Party members only assisted one another because not doing so would be detrimental to their own survival. It was a harsh truth about the trade, so even if the fodder were to join the Conquest, no one would be too distracted by them.
There would be no such thing as them being 'slowed down,'
Anyone who couldn't keep up would be abandoned. Those who were weak would naturally be culled.
"Is that really alright? I mean, wouldn't that reduce the overall number of Adventurers in the City?" Sebas asked with a raised brow.
In response to this, Richard and the two older Adventurers cracked a smile.
"You're right. But it won't get to that point." The Guildmaster answered.
"How so?"
"The Dungeon is always open for those who desire to leave. I actually stepped in myself, and I watched others do the same. The doors remain open regardless."
Since that was the case, once the weaklings realized how helpless they were, and that they couldn't possibly keep up with the strong… they would dip.
Such was the nature of the weak.
"They just have to witness it with their own eyes or they'll keep trying. The goal is to make them experience enough despair to stay away."
Of course, this plan would still have casualties, but they were necessary sacrifices. These people chose their path, despite knowing what kind of Dungeon it was, so they had to be prepared for the consequences.
"And what will you do about the Miasma?" Jet asked, his arms folded
"Well, it hasn't been confirmed to be Miasma since that is really rare and can come in various forms."
"But what if it is?"
As he pressured the Guildmaster, the older man knew he would have to answer the question.
"We'll make add that to the announcement, telling people the details and possibilities of Miasma. If they don't want to get Miasma Poisoning, then it's up to them to take the appropriate measures."
The Adventurers Guild wasn't some sort of parent, so they weren't responsible for the Adventurers in the City. In the same vein, the Adventurers didn't really answer to the Guild.
Other than activities involving the Guild, Adventurersdidn't need to have any kind of interaction with the body.
All they had to do was pay their dues, and the symbiotic relationship continued.
"Miasma Poisoning is very rare and difficult to cure—especially in severe cases—but it's pretty easy to prevent."
Since the poisoning occurred when Miasma—that is, corrupted Mana—entered a person's body and interfered with the natural flow of Mana within them.
If a person had a higher amount or density of Mana compared to the Miasma that invaded the body, then they were safe.
The Miasma would simply be purified by their internal Mana, the same way the Immune System protected the body from germs and diseases.
However, just as with the Immune System, the problem arose when the resistance level of an individual wasn't as strong as the infection.
If that happened to be the case, they would fall sick.
There were, however, ways to prevent this situation from happening.
"If they take the proper measures, then we should be fine."