.....
Inside, After Max shook away the dizzying sensation, a wide smile spread on his face uncontrollably as he examined the surroundings.
"Lucky me!."
He was excited because this place was definitely a high-tech dungeon.
He was standing inside a dark blue metallic corridor, right in front of a door made out of what seemed to be solid orange light.
And after a quick check using telekinesis, Max confirmed it was solid.
The walls had certain patterns to them, and Max guessed it was to convert energy.
Next to the light door, a small holographic panel floated up.
Walking closer to the door, it dissipated on its own as Max approached it.
Past it, the Corridor kept going, with a few metallic doors on the sides.
"Wow, this place feels like a spaceship."
Max already made the decision to first find the boss of the dungeon, then ignore it and start dismantling everything within sight.
Only after all of his space rings were full will he go after the boss to clear the dungeon.
Any random parts from this place should be worth a fortune, and who knows? He might find something useful.
Max went forward cautiously, keeping an eye out for any enemies.
Reaching the first side door, Max tried to open it, and it was tightly closed.
He couldn't even find a good grip to pull it open by force because the door was smooth.
Looking around, Max didn't see anything resembling a key or a panel, so he went with the second option.
Taking his hammer out, he slammed down.
Dang! Dang!.
With two hits and the sound of colliding metal, Max successfully opened the damn door.
Still, the noise would've alerted whatever is inhabiting this dungeon, so Max pulled his twin pistols and waited.
And waited…
And waited…
After five minutes, Max had a strange look as he tried to locate any enemies.
Finding none, he just shrugged and walked into the room.
Inside, it wasn't much different from the rest of the place other than a single pod in the middle.
It looks like those sci-fi deep freezing pods or something similar.
One more interesting object was an inactive robot at the side, which was quite different from the trashy robot he had encountered in the previous dungeon.
This particular robot appeared to be more agile. Its design was intended for close combat, with flexible limbs that had a slightly curved humanoid form.
It was equipped with long, sharp, metallic claws and a set of pointy, razor-edged tails.
Max was afraid this thing would ambush him, so he kept it locked with his telekinesis, just in case.
He got closer, wanting to store it, but after trying, he was met with failure.
All it takes for a Space Storage item to fail is the slightest amount of either physical or mental resistance.
Because storage equipment needs to first lock on the specific special coordinates of the item, and that small amount of resistance is enough to make the process impossible.
And since this robot was posing resistance, it only meant one thing.
"I guessed that you were pretending. I mean, I didn't have to guess since your eyes are literally glowing, which means you don't lack power. "
Max received no response from the motionless robot, but he didn't mind and hammered it down.
Dang! Dang!
After, he just stored the parts and went to explore.
On the way, he found a few more robots, but none of them moved, which made Max rethink his guesses.
Max kept going, but this place was like a ghost ship, and it slightly got on his nerves.
"oy, I am supposed to be clearing the dungeon, and you, whatever you are, should be trying to stop me.
And frankly, you're doing a shi*** job at it. "
Max didn't expect to get a response, and headed straight to the center, which should be the boss's room to check the situation there.
The corridor ended at what looked like a real spaceship's cockpit, but nothing resembling a boss was in sight.
Max was vigilant, holding his twin pistols, but looking around the place, he couldn't help but be amazed.
"am I really inside a spaceship?"
"you are correct."
Max immediately aimed at the direction of the voice, just to be completely stunned as he looked at what he assumed to be the boss of this dungeon.
It was an alien, having a striking resemblance to The Big Head Alien in men in black 2, or simply any other alien earth's culture.
This one was much taller, gray skinned and had a strange aura to it.
As Max was in a Daze, the strange alien kept speaking.
"Not shooting immediately is a good sign.
I'd go straight to the point since I believe that going around the bush might end up badly for one of us.
I kept the robotic defenses off because I wanted to make a proposal for cooperation, if you might call it that. "
The alien stopped speaking and started observing Max's reaction to his words.
Max shook his daze away and took a moment to process what was going on.
"what cooperation? As far as I know, either I kill you to get out, or you kill me to help the dungeon break open faster for you to get out. "
Even though Max said that, he still lowered his pistols in interest, his mind racing.
"first I have no issue with you killing me, since this is nothing but a clone body, currently I am not even inside this dungeon.
As for cooperation, how about we start with introductions,
You can refer to me as Xrak since my full name is hard to pronounce for you humans. "
"clone, huh ?
The name is Max. Good to make your acquaintance.
One question though, why me? Do you invite anyone or how does this work? "
Asked Max, trying to confirm something.
"No, we don't…
in fact, my people don't care much about lower rank dungeons.
This dungeon is under my command. At first, I want to set it up quickly, then leave the clone to handle it.
But after I saw you, I had the feeling you were different from other humans. More profit oriented, which led to our current conversation."
Max's guess was confirmed as he smiled, although he could actually feel it slightly. His passive had a small effect on this alien.
Barely enough to leave a good impression. This was how his passive reacted to individuals who are much stronger than himself.
Now that he knows the cause of the matter, Max relaxed.
His thought process was instantaneous, as Max stored the twin pistols while keeping a smile on his face.
"your guess is correct, my friend, profit always comes first.
Now let's talk about business.
What do you want?, and what's in it for me?. "
The alien smiled back, or at least, that what Max assumed he did, as the normally scary face became straight up horrifying.
"There are certain humans that need to be neutralized.
I can give you the location of a certain dungeon. In there, you'll find a device that can pinpoint those targets but only after they enter a dungeon.
You will either enter behind them, or wait outside to track assassinate or ambush.
Also, we can call you in to a certain dungeon to discuss urgent missions and such.
Of course, you'll do it for the right price. "
Max listened closely but didn't respond immediately. No matter how he thinks about it, it was a shi*** job, and Max didn't want to do it.
You want him, Max, to run around the continent hunting some nobodies for some small profit.
Max already refused the idea, but not the cooperation. Instead of doing some small jobs like a handy boy, he was more interested in going all in, for some real profit.
Max assembled his thoughts as he spoke.
"My new friend, how about you forget about that for now?
Let's talk about some real business.
How about I let you out of here, not only you but also your race, friends, or anyone you know on the other side? "
The alien was stunned, it's not that he didn't want to propose such a thing, the problem is that other humans that cooperated with dungeon races will always refuse or keep delaying such subjects, he never expected a human to be the one suggesting it first.
Still, he didn't agree immediately since such a thing was easier said than done.
" An interesting proposal, but how would you achieve it? "
"well the first method is the easiest, which is for me to seal you and your friends.
And since sealing can count as defeating, the dungeon will be cleared and I'd be able to take you out easily by releasing you outside…. "
The alien shook his head, interrupting Max.
"It's not doable. You have to understand that with every dungeon cleared, a small part of our world is absorbed by your world.
Haven't you ever wondered why your world was just too gigantic? It was because of the years of absorbing land from different worlds?
In simple words! The price we have to pay for this out ways the gain. "
"Well, that's only the first option. If you're unwilling, so be it.
The second one is for me to protect the dungeons from human parties until they break open, in fact I can even tie them up and throw them inside to quicken the dungeon break.
However, you'll still need to meet a certain condition for this method to work."
Max stopped talking, observing Xrak's expression, not gaining much since reading alien expressions wasn't within the classes he took.
Xrak on the other side, even with all of his mental capabilities, was stunned by Max's words.
His race was smart enough to realize such an easy method, but while they did cooperate with certain human factions, the cooperation was basic and the humans always refused such proposals, even with the price offered being extremely generous.
Still, Max didn't seem too strong, but just from his attitude, he was a worthy investment, so Xrak planned to cooperate.
"What condition do you require? "
Max smiled confidently.
"let me inform you first that I am confident I can even defend B-rank dungeons.
On the condition I pick where you open dungeons, if that's possible. "
Max knew it was possible, but there was no need to reveal his extensive knowledge.
Xrak was truly stunned this time.
"How? "
Max shook his head.
"Just Don't doubt me."
Xrak was silent for a moment, before his demeanor changed, becoming more serious about the matter, as a bold idea crossed his mind.
Since this human was willing to go big, then why won't they go even bigger?.
"Give me a few minutes to discuss with the other council members, the other leaders of the race, I mean. "
Xrak made sure to clarify his words, waiting for Max's response.
"Please do." Nodded Max.
Xrak's eyes blanked out for a few seconds before regaining focus.
"I am back."
"huh ? So fast? How did things go?".
" us, the strong ones of our race, don't need to communicate using words thus, not a lot of time is needed.
As for the result, it surprisingly went smoothly.
We will be cooperating hopefully.
But first let me ask you how deep are you willing to go in our cooperation. "
Max scratched his chin. He could tell that Xrak had some ideas about changing things, most probably make it even more interesting and even more profitable.
Max smirked. "my new friend, if you're going big than I am all in, with the right price of course. "
Xrak also smiled.
"In that case, let's discuss. "
Xrak moved his hand, and two floating chairs came to them.
One normal size for Max and one larger for himself.
And a metallic floating platform took its place between them as a table.
Max sat down and took out the hot coffee he was about to drink before coming in.
Looking at this, Xrak waved his hand, and one of the inactive robots moved, bringing a large cup of blue liquid to him.
Taking sips of their drinks, the discussion started.
"Max, let me first point out that the method you mentioned, even if achievable, is inefficient. "
Max nodded in acknowledgment. It was just something he thought of on the spot. He did plan to improve on the idea later, but Xrak seem to have a different idea.
"Do you have any suggestions? ".
"Matter of fact, I do.
You see, in this dungeon game, in this war, the rules are biased to your world, but not completely.
Over the years, we were able to obtain some useful items and some special permissions.
One of those items can solve all the problems our simple cooperation has.
It is called the beacon. Once deployed in your world, dungeon worlds can detect it and choose to open dungeons near to it.
It also has the effect of decreasing the time required for a dungeon to break open. "
Max vaguely remembers reading something similar.
"than just give it to me and we're good to go."
"It's not that simple, my friend.
First, let me insinuate the value of this item.
Only the strongest dungeon worlds had the opportunity to obtain one, and not all of them did.
It is a strategic item of significant value. "
Max had a strange look on his face.
"And you're willing to trust me with that?".
Even Max wouldn't trust himself with a single potato-chip, let alone a strategic item that can shift the balance of the War.
Xrak nodded.
"We are willing to gamble. The other option is to let it rot in our storage. "
Max nodded solemnly, with a single thought on his mind.
'My passive is too awesome'.
Xrak continued speaking.
"Also, you can only use it in a spot where you're invisible to certain entities, exactly at a certain border between human territory and some dungeon's territory. "
Max knew he was referring to the will of the central world. He also knew about the location he mentioned.
It was a place without a will of a world ruling it, exactly between human territory and a territory where a powerful dungeon broke open.
A small zone kept empty in order for the wills of the two opposite regions, specifically the will of the central world, and the will that took over the piece of land where the dungeon broke, simply not to clash unnecessarily and consume themselves.
...
"Not sure I follow, but I just have to use it in a specific place, right?
Just Tell me where exactly, and I'd tell you if I can manage. "
A 3D Holographic map rose from the floating table in front of them, showing a C-rank danger location within the beast Forest to the far east from Kain-city.
Max just nodded, anyway his plan was to escape there after Kain-city got demolished.
"No problem on my side. Can I get the Beacon now? "
Xrak shook his head.
"We can't give it to you.
You have to obtain it from a dungeon with certain parameters, but before that, we haven't discussed your payment yet, and we need to clarify certain matters.
Since you are willing to deal with us, then you're willing to deal with others.
We don't have a problem with you using our beacon for other dungeon worlds, but worlds that are hostel with us must be banned from using the Beacon.
Second, we hope you can start operating within the upcoming 5 months because we have certain goals to achieve.
Third, after individuals of our race leave the dungeon, we'd like you to provide some assistance like temporary accommodation at the least. . "
Max scratched his chin. Now that all the cards were on the table, it was time to discuss payments and such.
"I can agree to all your conditions.
In fact, I can start operating sooner on my side, just give me three months maximum.
As for payment, first tell me how to get the Beacon. "
"There's a dungeon that would open in around two weeks. It's a cooperative C-rank dungeon where us and our allies mixed our different expertise to guarantee that the dungeon will break open successfully.
And after it broke open, certain individuals from each race will escape in the chaos, with certain items or plans or such.
However, with you in the picture, the plan has changed.
It was originally an impossible dungeon to clear with just C-ranks. Now the difficulty will be lowered and the Beacon will be placed in the boss's room.
The bad news is that special dungeons like this one will be detected before it even appeared, thus you will have to enter with other humans.
That's good, because we need this to look like a normal dungeon clearing, but you have to figure out a way to obtain the beacon from the boss without alerting the others.
By the way, only the boss will be aware of the plan, most probably a clone of mine.
All others are mere Canon fodder. "
The 3D map changed, showing a different location, while Max was deep in thought, looking at it.
"alright all good on my side.
Just give the boss a mirror and I'd handle the rest. "
"a normal mirror ?"
"yes."
Xrak nodded, not asking much.
"one more reminder, although the dungeon's difficulty will be lowered. It will still be dangerous, so be careful.
We prefer not to interfere in order not to raise suspicion around you. "
"alright I'd handle it. "
"your payment? "
"hmm, it's a lot of work and risk on my side, so for you I'd take knowledge items or services equivalent to the rank of the dungeon I safeguard.
But I need a clear list to pick from. I can't just get random items.
This price is only for you though, since the Beacon is yours. For others it would be one grade higher than the dungeon's, and please help me get the word out in your Circle.
Since without high income, I can't continue on such a dangerous job. "
Xrak nodded. Max's demands were fair enough.
Max extended his arm with a smile to confirm their cooperation, and the alien shook his hand.
"let it be a profitable cooperation for both sides. "
Max nodded.
"it will, but I have a small matter that I am embarrassed to discuss.
You see, it's quite dangerous on my side of the deal. I'd hope for some sincerity on your side to calm my heart. "
"Please speak. As long as it isn't too much, we won't reject you. "
"It isn't, I simply require some hacking tools capable of hacking into governmental networks."
"Can you even get access to their devices? "
"Don't worry about that. I believe I can reach their computers."
"I see, but even so, we can't help.
We don't have such basic tools, only ones with multi-functions and although they can do the job, they require at least B or A-rank dungeons to move out. "
"Can't you make me something on your side?".
"We are banned from manufacturing. We have a small quota to build items and we can't waste it on a simple tool. "
Max scratched his chin. He didn't know that the void Battlefield band such a thing, but it made sense since if it wasn't banned, they would abuse it, making some dangerous, unusable high rank items and use them as rewards.
"Can't you make it inside a dungeon?".
Xrak was stunned for a moment. He forgot he was dealing with someone with abnormal thinking.
They were supposed to be enemies by nature, and the dungeon was the battlefield.
But here they are negotiating, plotting against Max's world, and he even asked him to make him something inside the dungeon.
"in fact, we can, exactly how I made this clone.
And There's a dungeon that would open close by to this one.
We didn't have any hope for it, simply to meet the quote that we have to, although it doesn't have all the equipment and materials necessary to make such a tool.
And it's already set, one day from now. We can't make too many changes now. "
"not a problem, my friend. Name them and I'd buy them from the outside and bring them with me. " spoke Max excitedly.
Xrak was speechless for a moment, but nodded eventually.
Next, he and Max discussed the finer details of their cooperation: dates & locations, things to be wary of, and the things he needs to get.
After two more hours, they were finally done.
.....
Max stood up, looking around.
"so how do I leave? Do I really need to kill you? "
"It's not an issue. I'd end the clone myself, but before, I have to apologize because of the quality of the reward of this dungeon. "
As he spoke, he handed a small gray Metal Ingot to Max.
It was barely 5 cm big.
Max took it with curiosity.
"That's an extremely valuable metal that you humans have no capability of utilizing."
"so since it was useless to us, you gave it as a reward. "
"Exactly, but don't worry, we can forge it for you or use it to make the hacking tool more advanced.
I also hope you can leave the robotic parts you took behind. In its stead, I can add one more small reward. "
Max cooperatively threw everything he took away. It's not like those things were useful to him anyway.
"But why do you want me to leave it here?"
"part of it will go back to our world while most of the place will be disintegrated and merged with your world as energy or pure metal.
But if you take it out and sell it to the other humans, they will be able to advance their technology using it, even though this is all junk to us.
I hope you can understand. "
"oh yeah, not a problem on my side, just curious. "
Xrak waved his hand, and the holographic projection changed into a list.
" Those are the items I can add to this dungeon. Please pick. "
Max looked through it. Apparently, Xrak couldn't add anything useful to this dungeon because it was just some D-rank equipment and some miscellaneous items.
But something caught his eye.
It was a strange looking dark green key.
"This is? "
"As you can see, it's a legacy key that can open a legacy dungeon. We obtained it by chance and had no use for it. "
Obviously, dungeon races can't use such items, so its only use is to put it as a reward.
"I'd take it."
"Are you sure? This one's value is quite questionable.
Most probably, you'll find nothing. "
"Well, it's not like the other choices were appealing, so I'd just take it. "
Xrak didn't speak further as the arm sized key appeared in his hand.
"See you soon, my friend. "
As he handed the key to Max, Xrak collapsed on the ground, green blood flowing out of his dead body as the exit gate appeared next to Max right after.
Max took the key and left.
Outside, Max looked around as he noticed a drone in front of him.
The Drone ignored Max and scan the dungeon. After judging it was disappearing, it just flew away.
This was the protocol they use when someone already entered the dungeon before it got recorded.
By law, the dungeon is his to clear, but if he fails, then they needed to know about it.
Max looked up at the sky, deep in thought.
He always thought he would start some criminal business in this world even if it was just to pass the time, but smuggling aliens, that's something that didn't cross his mind.
He smirked while addressing his pets.
"you heard all that boys! We stopped being jobless? We're part of society now, respectable smugglers. "
A party was being held inside Max's pet space as he flew towards the city, planning to buy whatever he needs before the dungeon opens.
...
Title: alien Smuggler.
Author paylink :
https://www.veem.com/pay/refcode-yaVvxEvLW
If you can't cpoy it you can do it from royal road same chapter.