Thanks for the chapter!
Seems Ah-Nee hasn't realized that this might not be a low level testing dungeon. Also, for a 200+ level Player she should know better than to close her eyes during a fight. Must be feeling really weak or have really low combat capabilites as was worried about opponents at least 1/4 her level. On the other hand, are a few stories where high level parties were wiped by lower level opponents usually could beat easily due to having guard down, being ambushed, and tapped out from previous fights.
Looks like American capitalism has become a universal fact! That or the system picked the most wide spread paper currency in the world other than precious metals to give as loot. But that's almost as bad as counterfeiting! If dungeon explorers keep shoveling out large amounts of American currency the value of the dollar will drop! Also, all the people in charge of printing American currency will be out of a job unless the dungeons keep up with the latest anti-counterfeiting techniques applied like water marks, special blend of inks and paper used, etc. Basically part of what makes something valuable is the rarity or only a certain amount being circulated. So if players start bringing out large amounts of American dollars and gold it can damage the economy because instead of a limited set amount of either, it's now both are as common as the leaves on trees and stones on the ground. For example, after Soviet Union collapsed heard story where someone brought a wheelbarrow full of rubles to a store. Foolishly left it outside while went into store to make a purchase, and when came out to get rubles to pay for it he discovered someone had stolen the wheelbarrow after dumping the rubles on the ground.
Btw, hasn't been mentioned but the dungeons themselves might be living beings that give off and feed on mana. Also, right in considering the altars as traps. Or more like bait of a trap. The stereotype on dungeons is that reagents, items, and loot are offered to explorers as bait to get them to come in. After all, except for the occasional lost soul who'd enter a dungeon with no benefits right? So by offering bait people will come in and provide the dungeon with something it needs. Maybe it's mana/life energy/energy given off by spells or radiating from Players like heat and light from the sun, components from bodies that fall and get absorbed, or worst case souls of the fallen. So a balance is usually derived between making things challenging enough for Players to come and exert themselves and feeding the dungeon while easy enough to encourage Players to keep coming and tell other Players about the place so they come too. That, and creating items, monsters and maintenance takes a fair bit of resources so there are limitations on how big dungeon can be or how powerful monsters are.