Chapter 8

Even two months after the dungeon appeared, a large number of female knights still flocked to the hot spring dungeon every day.

However, nowadays, female knights were mostly accompanying nobles who wished to enter the hot springs, rather than coming to bathe themselves.

Naturally, with so many people's skin and hair visibly improving, it was almost impossible to keep the hot spring's effects a secret. The rumor of the hot spring dungeon quickly spread through the noble society, and many noble ladies began to request entry into the dungeon.

However, the dungeon was a very dangerous place, teeming with monsters that could kill people. No matter how much the noble ladies and their daughters wished to enter, it was not something that could be easily permitted with a simple "Of course, my lady."

As a result, an incredibly excessive number of guards had to accompany them all the way to the baths.

The costs for this, of course, were borne by the nobles. There were not enough knights alone, so skilled female adventurers and mercenaries were also recruited to serve as guards for the hot spring dungeon.

The first floor's bath had grown to accommodate about 5,000 people. Compared to the dungeon part, which was a small cave, the hot spring part was like a huge pond, making it a bizarre dungeon.

When the queen entered, hundreds of knights would guard her tightly, ensuring not even a mouse could get in.

Due to the excessive number of guards and the high costs, the price for guard services gradually decreased day by day, but the number of volunteers for guard duty hardly decreased. This was because, in return for guarding, they were given the right to enter the hot springs themselves.

Nobles, in turn, found that by allowing their guards to enter the hot springs for about an hour, the guard fees would significantly decrease, so almost no one rejected this request.

There were a few mercenaries who chose money over beauty and refused to lower their fees, but such types were also valued for their role in patrolling the area while everyone bathed, ensuring everyone's safety.

"Ah, your hair is so beautiful. Did you go to the second floor's hot spring?"

A viscount's daughter, with her skin glowing, asked a baron's daughter.

"Yes... and you must have gone to the sixth floor's hot spring. Your skin is incredibly beautiful."

"Ho ho ho ho, you really can tell, can't you?"

Well, your skin is beautiful... I'll admit that. But you should find a beauty-enhancing hot spring and take a bath to one-up me, you hag. The baron's daughter, while praising the viscount's daughter's skin and trying to please her, cursed in her heart.

At the same time, she thought, I must definitely go to the sixth floor and bathe in the moisturizing hot spring someday.

Thus, one after another, the noble daughters became captivated by the desire for beauty that the hot spring dungeon produced.

In reality, securing a safe escort for non-combatants to the sixth floor was a significant expense, even for high-ranking nobles. If the number of guards was minimized and they failed to protect themselves, resulting in a permanent injury to the face, it would be counterproductive. Already, there were cases of daughters who aimed for the sixth floor with minimal guards and ended up with severe injuries.

Just as many were lamenting and grieving over the scars on their faces, the eighth floor appeared.

The knight orders immediately began investigating the eighth floor, and those who bathed in the hot spring found that the numerous old scars on their bodies from past battles gradually disappeared.

The hot spring on the eighth floor was a scar-removing hot spring.

After this information spread throughout the country, the resolve and enthusiasm to explore deeper into the dungeon began to rekindle in the hearts of the daughters who had been despondent over their scars.

However, to reach that point, it was no longer possible with the current system of hiring individual guards. To ensure safety, nobles with the same desire had to pool their exploration funds and support the search for the hot spring dungeon. In return, they would gain the right to join the massive guard contingent of the royal family and ensure their safety.

One painful failure after another fostered a more pragmatic mindset among them.

Thus, the exploration of the hot spring dungeon transcended the individual pursuit of desires and began to transform into a massive investment business, with great nobles forming agreements and pooling their resources.

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**Current Knight Order Exploration Report**

The effects of the hot springs are as follows:

1st Floor: Beauty-enhancing hot spring.

2nd Floor: Hair-luster hot spring.

3rd Floor: Spot-removing hot spring.

4th Floor: Youth-restoring hot spring (effect lasts once, reducing age by about 3 years).

5th Floor: (Effect unknown).

6th Floor: Moisturizing hot spring.

7th Floor: Fine-wrinkle-removing hot spring.

8th Floor: Scar-removing hot spring.

The strength of the monsters in the dungeon is below average. While there are many natural hazards, no malicious traps have been observed, making the overall difficulty of dungeon exploration extremely low.

However, there are reports of a particularly high-difficulty boss monster appearing on the 5th floor. The boss respawns quickly, within a few days.

With five guards, safety can be almost guaranteed up to the 2nd floor, but from the 3rd floor onward, non-combatants risk severe injury or death if they are unlucky. Without proper preparation, it is advisable to turn back at the 2nd floor.

Additionally, it has been confirmed that the water from the 1st floor's hot spring retains its effects even when taken away. I recommend selling the 1st floor's hot spring water as a beauty product to other countries to create a new source of revenue for the nation.