Jasmine and Keshav and other representatives sat up, their attention now fully focused on Mr. John. Taxes on their earnings was a subject that could significantly impact their financial situation, and they needed to know what they were dealing with.
Mr. John decided "As you know its been nearly a month since dungeons appeared and its taking a lot of resources and money of government to keep them surroundings for keeping people safe so government has decided to do some adjustments to tax system and include earning from dungeons as well"
There were murmurs of surprise and concern from the representatives. Jasmine and Keshav were bracing themselves for the impact of this new tax on their earnings.
John continued "As many players abilities are linked to cold weapons and many companies had set up prodution of it, tax rates of these weapons will be same as firearm."
This was going to significantly decrease earnings of other players, as now prices of their weapons will increase. But it does not concern keshav and jasmine as they don't use weapons, they had just bought 1 in past for show.
John continued "As for earning from dungeons, government has decided to impose 30% tax"
The room was buzzing with discontent, the representatives clearly unhappy with the proposed tax rate. Jasmine and Keshav were taken aback, the prospect of losing 30% of their dungeon earnings was not something they had factored in.
John said "I know all guild representative are dissatisfied that they need to spend their own money and resources to clear dungeons that no other players are interested in, so government has decided that independent players will need to pay 10% extra i.e. total 40%. The extra 10% will be distributed to guilds that needed to clear dungeons that others did not. The distribution will be based on number of times they were forced to take action"
"This was a tough pill for independent players as they will have to pay extra tax but it was beneficial to guilds."
The room burst into whispered conversations, the representatives trying to make sense of these new regulations. Jasmine and Keshav were caught in their own thoughts, contemplating the financial impact on their guild.
John continued "All guilds will be informed of dungeon they are needed to take care of through player association form."
Jasmine and Keshav exchanged a glance, knowing that these notifications would drastically change their routine. The weight of responsibility and taxes was heavy on their shoulders.
John continued "There is few things that government had hidden from you and public that government decided to reveal now, although i know some of you would have idea what government is hiding."
The representatives tensed, their curiosity piqued. The thought of hidden information was disconcerting.
John continued "Except first dungeon to disappear that was in our city that we don't know the reson of, many other dungeons world wide disappear after they are cleared a certain number of times. Stronger the dungeon, more times it is needed to be cleared for making it disappear. But new dungeons are also appearing constantly. So whenever a dungeon assigned to a guild disappear, a new one will be assigned to them"
This information was a game-changer. Many representatives looked visibly shocked, and the room was filled with whispers of surprise and speculation. Jasmine and Keshav were trying to process the implications of an endless cycle of dungeons appearing and disappearing.
John continued "Another thing government is hiding is that many people of military also awakened. Maybe due to there fitness the percentage of people becoming players was much higher that civilians like you guys. After becoming player most of them continued to serve their countries. They have been clearing dungeons in remote areas where guilds are not present and raising their levels. So don't think that after becoming player there is no one to keep you guys in check. Criminal rules like murder and robbery still apply on you. If you break them you will be hunted by military players."
The room was eerily silent, the representatives grappling with this knowledge. Jasmine and Keshav were taken aback by the fact that military personnel had also become players, and these players were out there, watching and potentially ready to take action.
John continued "All of this will be announced publicly later."
Jasmine and Keshav felt a sense of unease. With the government's secrets coming to light, they couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the situation than what they were being told. As the meeting continued, they hung on every word, desperately trying to piece together the bigger picture.
John said at last "Is there anything anyone wants to ask."
The atmosphere in the room was tense as the representatives considered their questions. Jasmine and Keshav were both curious about one particular thing, but they waited for others to speak up first, not wanting to draw too much attention too quickly.
A few moments passed, and no one spoke up. Finally, Mr. John, who was getting ready to leave, noticed Jasmine and Keshav deep in thought, and said "Anything you two want to talk about?"
Jasmine and Keshav shared a look, clearly deciding whether to ask their question. Finally, after gathering their courage, Jasmine spoke up. "Yes, we do have a question," she said, her gaze fixed on Mr. John.
John nodded, his eyes now fixed on them as well. "Go ahead," he said, inviting them to ask their question.
"We're curious about the first dungeon that disappeared," Keshav said, cutting to the point. "You had mentioned that it disappeared without a trace. We were wondering if the government has any leads or theories on what might have caused it to disappear?"
John's expression turned serious as he considered their question. "The disappearance of the first dungeon has stumped us all," he admitted. "We have our best minds from scientific organizations working on it, but so far, we don't have any concrete answers or leads."
Keshav nodded, but Jasmine leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "But there must be some speculation," she ventured. "Any theories, even if they seem far-fetched?"
John paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on them. "We do have some theories," he admitted, "but none of them are concrete. Some speculate it might be a glitch in the system or a higher power playing with reality itself. But those are just theories. We're still investigating, and we hope to uncover the truth soon."
Hearing his response keshav and jasmine wwere secretly relieved, as both of them know that the dungeon disappeared because in fear keshav cutted everything in front of him in dungeon making it destabilize and destroying it.
Jasmine and Keshav kept their expressions stoic, not wanting to give away their relief. The fact that the government was still struggling to find answers about the first dungeon eased their worries.
John said "If nothing else, then this meeting ends here and guilds will be soon informed of dungeons they needed to take care of through Player Association's website. Also some of them are on verge of experiencing dungeon break soon so i ask guilds to please make haste."
The room was filled with a sense of urgency as the representatives started to leave, discussing amongst themselves the new information they had received. Jasmine and Keshav stood up, their minds still racing with the implications of the meeting. They exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging that they had a lot to discuss and plan for.
As they made their way out of the room, they noticed some representatives from other guilds whispering amongst themselves, casting wary glances at them. The dynamics and power balance within the player community were shifting, and Jasmine and Keshav knew they needed to be cautious.
Jasmine and Keshav headed out to their car (which they had bought from their earnings from dungeon), and once they got in, they let out sighs of relief. The drive home was quiet, both of them mulling over in their heads, still processing everything that had happened at the meeting.
First thing they did was to open player association website to check which dungeon they had been assigned.
Jasmine and Keshav navigated to the Player Association website, their eyes fixated on the screen as they waited for the page to load. The website was a central hub for all information related to players and dungeons, and they needed to know which dungeon they had been assigned to take care of.
Maybe because they are guild of only 12 members (10 of whom are fake but no one else knew) government does not have high opinion of them, they assigned a popular dungeon to them that might not need them to intervene until that dungeon disappear. Popular dungeons like this one were still assigned to small guilds in case of emergency. They exchanged a glance, both silently knowing that this meant a relatively peaceful assignment, at least for now.
Keshav said "Lets go home and discuss everything that happened "
Jasmine nodded in agreement, and together, they made the drive back to their house. The journey back was filled with silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Once they arrived, they immediately headed inside and made their way to the living room.
Jasmine and Keshav settled on the couch, their eyes weary from the day's events. Keshav spoke up, breaking the silence. "Well, that sure was a lot of new information," he said, his voice betraying a mix of exhaustion and intrigue.
"No kidding," Jasmine replied, leaning back against the couch cushions. "I never thought I'd be dealing with taxes, dungeons disappearing, and military players all in one day."
Keshav chuckled, a weary smile crossing his face. "Neither did I," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It's like we just got plunged into a whole new world of responsibility."
Jasmine nodded, her expression pensive. "But we asked for it, didn't we?" she said, a hint of resignation in her voice. "We wanted to start a guild, to make a name for ourselves."
Keshav reached out and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "We did," he affirmed. "And we're doing our best. We just need to figure out how to manage all these new responsibilities."
Jasmine said while being a bit sad "But government don't think highly of us as we only have 12 members even though they don't know 10 of which are fake"
Keshav nodded, understanding her frustration. "Yeah, they probably think we're a small guild that can't handle much," he said, his tone reflecting a mix of irritation and determination.
Jasmine looked up, her eyes meeting his. "Well, we'll just have to prove them wrong," she said, a spark of resolve in her voice. "We may be small, but we're not weak."
Keshav said confidently "You are right. With our cheat skills we will be easily able to become strongest."
Jasmine nodded in agreement, a hint of excitement glinting in her eyes. "Exactly," she said, her tone growing more serious. "We have unique and strong skills. We just need to train hard and keep growing."
Keshav said while lifting her chin "But i want to do something else right now"