The past few days had been uneventful.

  Manfred’s party hadn’t returned to the dungeon. Apparently, Blondie was still waiting for her ordered explosives to arrive. Meanwhile, Cedric and friends were chilling in town, waiting for Mommy to give the word. And although more and more adventurers were arriving in Daelin, none came close to matching the prowess of these two parties, so for now, there were probably no other contenders capable of reaching the water realm.

  Viktor did appreciate this lull though, as it gave him and his dungeon more time to get ready for whatever storm was coming.

  He was standing in front of a food stand that had just opened today. Behind him, there was a long line of people, drawn by the smoky aroma of roasting meat blending with the scent of exotic spices and herbs. Hungry and curious, everyone eagerly waited for their turn to taste the dishes this new shop had to offer.

  The owner was a burly, brown-skinned man from the South, who was rotating long metal skewers over the flame of a large stone hearth, each one loaded with thick chunks of marinated beef. Fat dripped from the meat onto the fire below, consumed by the ravenous flame that danced higher with each drop, while the beef slowly caramelized, its edges gradually turning a rich golden-brown. Occasionally, the man sprinkled a handful of unfamiliar herbs over the skewers, releasing a tantalizing scent that made the crowd’s stomachs rumble even louder than the crackling fire.

  With a heavy, curved blade, the man cut the cooked meat from the skewers before arranging it on a piece of round flatbread. He piled on slices of tomatoes and onions, drenched the mixture in a pink-colored sauce, then wrapped everything into a neat package.

  “Three copper, please.” The burly man flashed a broad grin as he handed the bundle to Viktor.

  A quarter-silver, huh? A bit pricey. That was the equivalent of one full day of Claire’s pay, and that already included the bonus she was receiving for the long, grueling overtime hours she had been subjected to recently. Nevertheless, he had no lack of money, so it only made sense to reward himself from time to time like this. As long as he didn’t overspend, no one would question where the coin came from.

  Viktor paid the man and walked away with his meal, heading toward the town center. As he strode down the street, he realized that it wasn’t just this new shop. More and more new businesses were opening in the vicinity. The square, once merely an empty patch in the middle of the town, now buzzed with life and energy.

  After settling down on a wooden bench, he brought the wrapped meat to his mouth, his fingers gripping tightly around the warm flatbread, and took the first bite. The flavors exploded in his mouth as his teeth sank into the tender beef, releasing a burst of savory juices that mingled with the exotic spices that he had never tasted before.

  This is heaven! Viktor thought as he chewed, inhaling the smoky aroma. Who doesn’t appreciate good meat? And speaking of meat, he recalled the conversation he had with Sebekton. The Crocodilian had always been a reliable ally who treated him with utmost respect, so he felt it was only right to prepare a feast to reward his loyal Guardian. I hope Manfred’s party makes it to the water realm soon. The merfolk and froglings had been diligently training on the battle plans he had prepared for them. They were ready.

  While he didn’t watch how the man and his women made their way through the maze on the first floor, Celeste had informed him about their abilities afterward.

  It turned out that the leader, Manfred, was an aeromancer, who preferred to fight as a swordsman instead. He used his wind-manipulating power to boost his speed, allowing him to move quickly across the battlefield and strike his foes with lightning speed. Viktor wasn’t sure whether that was the best way to fight, though. For a mage, keeping distance and attacking enemies from afar should have been a much better and safer approach. But he guessed Manfred was more interested in being a flamboyant duelist than in fighting effectively.

  Nevertheless, it was unwise to underestimate the man just because he was a show-off. Being an aeromancer gave him access to a lot of tricks. For example, Viktor believed he could fly. He hadn’t done so on the first floor due to the cramped environment, but Viktor was sure he would once the party reached the third.

  Brunette, Manfred’s favorite, though Viktor doubted she was anyone else’s favorite in that party, served as the healer of the group. He didn’t expect that at all, since nothing about her outfit suggested it. There was not a speck of green on her. After all, the Emerald Order had a strict rule that required all of its members to wear something immediately recognizable, so that people in need could spot them quickly and come asking for help. And once asked, the Emerald Mages were duty-bound to aid them to the utmost of their abilities. But it seemed Brunette had decided those rules didn’t apply to her. Probably dropped the whole obligation thing the moment she landed herself a rich boyfriend. Anyway, just like the rest of her Order, she had some useful but boring abilities to support her companions. In combat, she could cast a spell to enhance the physical capabilities of Redhead, making her stronger and more resistant to damage.

  As for Redhead, she was, unsurprisingly, the frontline fighter. Even without Brunette’s enchantment, she was already very strong and competent in her role as the party’s muscle, preventing the minions from reaching and attacking her more vulnerable allies. Furthermore, her axe—the Reliquary—allowed her to attack from a distance, making her dangerous no matter where she stood on the field. Once her physical capabilities were boosted, her blow struck much harder, and she could even take a hit to the unarmored parts of her body. Of course, that led to the brilliant idea of not wearing armor around her belly to flaunt the chiseled midriff that she was undoubtedly most proud of.

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  Blondie, much like when she attacked Noi’ri, used her metallic birds to fight. Viktor still hadn’t figured out how it worked. While the immediate thought was that she used Aeromancy to make the birds fly, he quickly abandoned that line of reasoning. The constructs soared through the air by flapping their wings, just like real birds. They also had fire breath, which suggested Pyromancy. However, if she were a fire mage, throwing fireballs at her opponents would be a more straightforward and effective approach. And she didn’t seem able to manipulate the flame after it was shot out; otherwise, she could have cornered Noi’ri more effectively.

  Nevertheless, even though Viktor was curious about the underlying principle, it ultimately held little practical significance. Just like Manfred and Redhead, Blondie fought with an emphasis on showmanship rather than efficiency. Compared to Lahmia’s phoenix, her metallic birds were inferior in every way. Their firepower was unimpressive. While the flame breath could be deadly to a normal opponent, if it was used against someone like Sebekton, he would just laugh it off. Also, the birds could be knocked out of the sky by normal projectiles, as Fiora had demonstrated, making them quite easy to disable.

  All in all, while the members of this party were stronger than most adventurers in Daelin currently, and Viktor was not going to underestimate them, he was confident that if they ever faced Sebekton, the Crocodilian was going to have a full belly.

  Huh?

  Speaking of the devils, he spotted the three women from Manfred’s party entering the town square. They walked toward an empty bench and sat down.

  This is new.

  Usually, it was either all four of them together or Manfred would split off with his favorite, leaving Blondie and Redhead to pair up. Viktor wondered where the man was now.

  It didn’t take long for him to get his answer.

  Shortly after his party members, Manfred himself entered the square, and he was not alone. Walking side by side with him was another redhead, someone Viktor knew. It was Jeanne.

  Wait, what?

  They strolled toward a different bench, paying no heed to the three women nearby. After sitting down, they began to talk. Or, to be accurate, it was Manfred who did most of the talking, while Jeanne only nodded or shook her head in response from time to time, her freckled face showing no emotion.

  Is he trying to recruit her to his party or something? Viktor wondered. It seemed the playboy was not satisfied with just three pretty faces and had decided to add one more to his collection.

  He turned to the three women on the other bench. Even though there was quite a distance between him and them, he could see that they were glaring daggers at the pyromancer who had captured their man’s attention. They shifted restlessly in their seats, their eyes narrowed and their lips pursed, jealousy practically oozing off their bodies.

  After a while, Manfred stood up, a broad smile on his face. He leaned in to say goodbye to Jeanne before leaving. As soon as he departed, the three women scrambled toward the man, trailing behind him. Jeanne, on the other hand, remained on the bench, deep in thought.

  Viktor waited until the group disappeared from the town square before walking toward the red-haired woman.

  “Jeanne,” he called out.

  She looked up, eyebrow arching in surprise. “Oh, Quinn? You’re here?”

  If she had paid even the slightest attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed him as soon as she entered the square. But something must have occupied her mind, keeping her attention elsewhere.

  “Yes, I’ve been here the whole time. I saw you talking with that Silver-ranked adventurer. His name is... Manfred, right?”

  “Yes.” Jeanne nodded, then let out a sigh. “So you saw us, huh?”

  “Was he trying to recruit you or something?”

  “Yes, but no, not really,” the woman said, shaking her head. “He wants me to accompany his party on their next expedition to the dungeon as a temporary member.”

  “Oh?”

  That might have been Manfred’s tactic. Instead of immediately inviting Jeanne to join, the man started with small steps first, testing the waters to gauge her interest before fully committing.

  “So, what was your answer?” Viktor asked.

  “I haven’t given him a response yet,” Jeanne replied, furrowing her brow. “To be honest, I don’t really like him, and I don’t know if I’m ready for dungeon delving yet. But the pay he offers is good.”

  “I see.”

  “Speaking of which, I still haven’t paid you for the roasted meat I had last time.”

  “Forget about it,” Viktor said, waving a dismissive hand. “As I told you, you don’t need to worry about that.”

  Jeanne frowned. “No, that won’t do. I’m going to pay you in the next few days,” she insisted.

  He wondered what choice the woman would make. Given her financial troubles, it was likely Jeanne would accept Manfred’s offer despite her hesitation. The thought of joining a group of four Silver-ranked adventurers was certainly appealing, especially for someone like her, who had been struggling to find a party.

  If that were the case, the next time Manfred and his lot set foot on the third floor, Jeanne would likely be with them. And... what if she perished in his dungeon?

  What would it mean to me?

  On the one hand, he had known Jeanne for quite a while, so she was not just another adventurer to him. Yet, on the other hand, they were not friends. At best, she was an acquaintance of someone who was not his real sister. He had no reason to care whether she lived or died.

  In the dungeon, the strong lived and the weak died. It was as simple as that. There was no need to give anyone special treatment. Whether she could survive or not was up to her own abilities. If her fate was to end up in Sebekton’s stomach, then so be it.

  “If you say so,” Viktor said with a shrug. “I just don’t want you to risk your life over some pieces of meat. But if you still decide to enter the dungeon, take care.”

  “I will,” the woman replied, smiling. “Thanks for your concerns!”

  I... am not.

  He said goodbye to Jeanne and left the square. Whatever came next, it was on her.