Now that I’m back in the dungeon proper, I’ll need to look for my companions. They’re probably wondering where I went and started looking for me. I’ll just extend my mana in a direction and start sweeping through the dungeon. After a couple of minutes, I finally see a stone golem walking around with an imp on his shoulder, a couple of rooms down. I start making my way towards them, and as soon as I’m in range, I connect to Pim and Vulcan to talk to them.

  ?

  “Hey, Pim. I’m back and making my way towards both of you.”

  ?

  “Oh, what’s up, Willow. How was getting to talk to the dungeon master?”

  ?

  “It went fine, I think. Wait, how did you know I was talking to the dungeon master?”

  ?

  “Well, you disappeared so suddenly that there were only two possibilities. Either you died on the spot from something that I couldn’t see, or the dungeon master used his powers to move you to him instantly. He’s the only one who could do that. Even the dungeon managers have to walk through the dungeon if they want to get somewhere. So, what did they want to talk to you about?”

  ?

  After that bit of conversation, I had finally made it back to them, and they looked the same as I left them. Then, I answered Pim’s question, telling him about everything: the dungeon master’s race, that he’s allowing us to continue levelling up, the restrictions that come with that permission, and their evolution condition. Both of them nodded along with my explanation, but I don’t know if Vulcan understood everything. Eh, it's probably fine. I also shared with them why some restrictions on where we could fight people were put in place, specifically about severe retaliation. Once I was done, Pim stated his thoughts on my explanation.

  ?

  “Yeah, that makes sense. I’ve only been alive for a bit, but there've been a few strong groups of intruders that’ve passed by. I don’t know how strong the rest of them are that don’t invade the dungeon, but if the dungeon master thinks it would be a problem, then he’s most likely right.”

  ?

  “You trust the dungeon master’s judgement that much?”

  ?

  “Sure, you gotta be smart and strong to survive against all those strong intruders that make us look like slimy food. If he says something is a certain way, then he’s probably right. But with this group we’ve got going, I’m sure we’ll survive as long as he has and become just as strong and smart, no doubt about it.”

  ?

  I don’t have the heart to tell Pim about the complex relationship between humans and dungeons, so I’ll let him keep his view of De’gon. He’s pretty reasonable, so it should be fine either way. As long as I can keep them in line and follow the rules we need to follow, we’ll be good to go. To ensure our continued success, I propose a training plan for us to level up our skills, now that I can see what skills they possess. At the same time, I can level up my skills, especially ‘Identify’, so I can plan around our strengths and weaknesses.

  ?

  “Until the next group of people come by, we should train together to improve our skills. You and Vulcan can spar together, so you can level up your ‘Spear Mastery’ and Vulcan can improve his regenerative abilities. I also think there’s a chance Vulcan can earn skills related to fighting with your fists. He could also pick up some throwing skills or start to wield a stone club. I can help train both of your reflexes and speed by creating glowing targets around both of you with my mana. This way, we’ll all be able to improve our skills and fighting ability at the same time.”

  ?

  “Sounds like a plan. We’ve got nothing else to do until the next group comes by, so better than nothing. I don’t know exactly what you meant towards the end, so I’ll just follow your lead.”

  ?

  “Great, what about you, Vulcan?”

  “Train… good”

  ?

  It looks like we’re all in agreement, so we start our training in earnest.

  ?

  …

  ?

  Mayor’s POV:

  ?

  In the human town, nearest to the dungeon, lived a mayor, and it was home to a now-retired dungeon delver. These two were now in a meeting, concern on the old delver’s face, and weariness on the just-as-old mayor's face. This conversation was taking place in the mayor’s office, sitting across from each other with a messy desk covered in finances written on parchment. Tea was placed in front of each of them, yet the delver’s tea remained untouched, cold from sitting for far too long. Finally, the delver broke the silence hanging between them.

  ?

  “Gerard, please, I’m worried about them. They should have come back from the dungeon already. We need to hire dungeon delvers to go out looking for them. What if the worst comes to pass, or they’re trapped in the dungeon, unable to make it back for help?”

  ?

  “Garrus, calm down. You personally trained those three from childhood. They should be able to handle the first floor easily enough with everything you taught them. If you’re that worried, you can go check for yourself. You’ll probably run into them while they’re on their way back. They’re still young, so they’re probably just extending their time there for as long as they can. You were like that too, back in the day.”

  ?

  Garrus, mentor to that group of three, looked down at his missing hand. He lost it in one of his last adventures, trading it to slay the beast that had taken his companions. He tried to continue to adventure, despite his injury, but his spirit for adventure quickly died with each subsequent trip, until he finally settled down in his home town.

  ?

  “I’ve tried to teach them to be better than I was in my youth, but I’m worried there’s still some unchecked pride that’ll cost them dearly. Please, even if it’s just a small group, it’ll be worth it if we can bring them back. Talents like Lerissa pop up in small towns like these once in a hundred years, so please.”

  ?

  Sighing, the mayor issued his final statement on the matter. “I understand your concerns, but it simply isn’t in the budget to hire even a new party. The whole kingdom is coming into hard times, so we can’t spare any funds we may need for food or tools. The most I can do is ask the guild to post a notice to be on the lookout for those kids. But I’m sure they’re fine. Have faith in their skills and their teacher. You can scold them once they turn up, and train them until they regret worrying you to death.”

  ?

  “Haha, you’re right, old friend. I just can’t stop worrying about them like they’re my own kids. But thank you, I appreciate what help you can offer.”

  ?

  “Of course, I’ll just be getting back to all these documents. Problems never stop piling up, but the least we can do is handle them one by one, until eventually they’re all gone. Goodnight, my friend.”

  ?

  With that, Garrus left the mayor’s residence, travelling back to his house on the edge of town. His worry for his students still persisted, but hope started to tinge the edges of that worry. With all of his heart, he hoped that he really was just worrying too much over nothing, so that he could yell at those dumb kids for nearly sending him to an early grave. He looked in the direction of the dungeon closest to town, eyes full of hope for the best, yet anxiety still pervaded the core of his being. Unfortunately, his anxiety was correct, for the three students he had trained for so many years had already met their fate at the hands of a wisp; a fact he would eventually find out, but not this day.