GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

"Now you understand that this is a gamble for the gods. The portal can sense the hostility and intent of whoever enters it and more than that, the dungeon can sense the fate of whoever enters it. If someone sympathetic to the cause of the gods enters, then they will face fewer challenges until they reach the last room. The boss might not even fight them and allow them to use the core straightaway."

"The opposite will occur to those that will destroy the core if they get access to it. The dungeon will throw everything in its way to stop them. Even if they succeed against all odds and reach the core. The dungeon will tempt them with the benefit of becoming the god-king of the new landed gods. Imagine that, the power of gods plus lordship of gods without the weakness of suppression in the plane. That is power equal to an Origin god without any problems."

They finally understood that the transformation of the divine plane isn't only for the gods to eke out meager lives but to have another chance at a glorious future. The gods hope to return as landed gods. No matter how many gods are killed, more will be able to ascend if they are allowed to become landed gods. The war against the gods will never end then and their era will continue forever.

They also understood that there is no guarantee that all their effort will bear the fruit they want. A child at the vitality core stage will no doubt be tempted with power. Someone might not lack money, influence, or control. Even if they did lack one of these things, power can help them acquire what they want.

The journey of refinement is filled with dangers and uncertainties. It is not certain that someone will have the talent or fortune to become an Origin god. But the reward of betraying the path of perfection for the path of divinity will grant them immediate powers.

So all their effort to clear out the dungeon might just benefit the gods instead. They had been disdainful of the gods until they realized the real extent of their plans. Now they were wondering why the son of legends allowed the war to turn into something like this.

The Son of legends smiled and said, "That is the extent of the problems we are facing. But not to worry. Yes, the gods have created a dilemma but it is not unsolvable. The gods have played their cards and this is all they have. The ball is in our court now. We have secured the entry point into the dungeon, so the fanatics and believers will not gain access to it. That means we get to screen and field only those we are confident of."

They relaxed, but only a little. The reason for securing the portal might have become known but it hasn't reduced the difficulty of clearing the dungeon.

"These youths will come from the recognized bloodline families here. You can warn them of the consequences of betraying the plane. Power at the level of an Origin god is only similar to that of one. It doesn't make one an Origin god. It doesn't make one truly immortal. Even if it does, there are ways to deal with one. That will warn off the greedy ones. It won't stop the foolish ones. That's why only the vitality core stage from vetted royal bloodlines will be allowed to enter. We can trust those to have the basic common sense to understand the repercussions of their decision."

The people agreed with the decision. Only their direct descendants could be trusted with such a responsibility. A vagrant vitality core stage might not be able to overcome the temptation of such a power.

Families without a royal bloodline will hold such power in high esteem. The worst part is that such a fool doesn't need to be strong. He just needs to enter the dungeon, be scanned, and then be granted entry towards the last level. How could someone who is aspiring to become transcendent and will be content with that achievement be able to pass off an offer to receive such power and privileged?

Some people don't even know what a titan of law truly is. They have only heard about that power level but have never made contact with one. A normal battle sage monkey without a bloodline has probably never met anyone above a transcendent. This is because such people are either on the ancient battlefield or in special cities with Origin energy. They don't usually come in contact with those without bloodlines. They are worlds apart.

"Restricting access to the dungeon will reduce the amount of vitality core stage refiners we can use to clear the dungeon. We shouldn't consider it a burden but see it as an opportunity for the youths of our family. The era of conquest will arrive soon and by that time we will need commanders for our army. Most of our fighting force will be transcendents and the vitality core youths of today will have reached that level."

They still weren't convinced. They have heard a lot about the challenges but no reward that would make it all worth it.

"I know some of you are wondering why we didn't storm the divine plane when we could. I wanted something that can only be acquired by completing this divine dungeon. There is a reward that will be given to whoever fights his way into the last level and liberates the plane."

They perked up. Everyone wanted to know why the divine dungeon will be worth its stress.

The son of legend continued. "It is beyond the level of a consolation prize. A rare gift that only a handful of individuals have ever won. The title of a child of the plane. It is the precursor to the position of realm lord but that seat has already been taken."

His declaration riled up the crowds immediately. They began communicating fervently. They were using their divine sense so the meeting was mostly silent. The mention of such a title moved them. Someone couldn't help but raise his hands for a question. The son of legends beckoned to him to speak.

A brightly glowing battle sage from the Sun Empire asked, "Does this title really exist?"

It was a thing of myth. The child of the plane is a title given to someone born of the plane by the will of the plane for contributions that will change the course of development for the entire plane. There can only be a single child of the plane for each plane. Few have ever had that title, so it is largely unconfirmed.

The son of legends answered with certainty. "Yes, it does. I have seen it. I'll keep the detailed information about the benefits of such a title a secret. It will up to whoever wins it if he or she wants to speak about it or not."

The brightly glowing Origin god clone still wasn't contented. The child of the plane might be real, but the difficulty of getting it is still high.

So he asked. "Can nothing be done to ease the difficulty? Even 100 vitality core stage cannot take on someone of that power and skill. It is simply impossible."

The son of legends nodded. "Yes, something can be done."

Guntu spoke up. "The divine dungeon is an intricately designed construct of energy and divine will, but it has lost its majesty. It has left its position on high. I can simply flood the structure with my energy and destroy it. That will make Origin energy pour into how plane."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Is that possible?" Another battle sage monkey asked.

"Yes, that's possible, but we will lose the chance of acquiring a child of the plane. And we will need one for the era of conquest. Brute force is not an option I would want us to take. But the availability of one proves my point. The gods have lost all leverage in this war. It is up to us to determine how we want to beat them."

Ghoto would also have to pay a very hefty sum for causing damage to the plane. There's no way he will be able to destroy the divine dungeon without there being consequences on the pay. Frankly, he doesn't want to destroy it because of the hefty fee he has to pay for it.

"Then how are to beat them? They played a good card. It may be their last card, but it is their trump card. How do you propose we beat them?" Another one asked.

"There is another reward. It isn't as relevant as being a child of the plane but it is more tangible and will encourage the youths of your family. Every kill performed in the dungeon will provide the killer with a boost to their refinement. This means a vitality core can grow stronger and break through in the dungeon as long as they make enough kills. It will make the fight with the boss easier."

The declaration eased off most of the tension they felt about the dungeon. The dungeon can be used as a training ground for their youths. Fighting and killing things in the divine dungeon will cut down in their refinement requirement and also expose them to the art of war. And if things don't work out, they can pay a heavy price to destroy the divine plane.

It isia win-win situation for them. They can try to reap the rewards or just destroy the game entirely if they fail to clear the divine dungeon. They felt more confident now that they have nothing to lose. It wouldn't even matter if the child of the plane doesn't exist.