The Dungeon lord : Women, power and monsters

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Working

The following morning, the four of them gathered downstairs at the inn.

The breakfast crowd had already begun to thin out. A few travelers remained at the tables, speaking quietly while they ate, while the innkeeper moved between them carrying plates and collecting empty cups.

Tolu sat with his arms folded on the table, staring at the street through the open window.

Ore sat beside him.

Akin was halfway through his second meal.

Temi had been watching him for several minutes. "Are you planning to eat the entire inn?"

Akin looked down at his plate. "No."

Temi raised an eyebrow. "I’m planning to eat the entire city."

Ore laughed.

Tolu finally turned away from the window.

"Can we talk about work?"

Akin swallowed. "After breakfast."

"You’ve been eating for twenty minutes."

"And I’m almost done."

Temi looked at his plate. "You’ve barely touched it."

Akin frowned. "That’s because they gave me too little."

"They gave you enough for two people."

"Exactly. They should have given me enough for four."

Ore shook her head.

Tolu smiled. "Finish eating."

Akin pointed his fork at him. That’s what I’ve been saying."

Tolu leaned back.

They had money.

Twenty-three silver.

A small fortune to them.

But they weren’t stupid enough to believe it would last forever.

They had already learned that Ilebi was expensive.

And if they intended to stay, they needed a reliable source of income.

The man they’d met the previous day had mentioned that independent adventurers could find work without belonging to a family or academy.

So, after breakfast, they went looking for him.

It didn’t take long.

They eventually found him near one of the busier streets, standing beside a merchant’s stall and arguing over the price of something.

The moment he noticed them, he smiled.

"You again."

Akin waved. "We have questions."

The man sighed dramatically. "Of course you do."

Tolu smiled. "We need work."

That made the man’s expression change.

"Work?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"Anything four Novices can reasonably do."

The man looked at the four of them.

Then he laughed. "At least you’re asking for reasonable work."

Akin folded his arms. "We’ve fought monsters before."

"I’m sure you have."

"We’re not helpless."

"I didn’t say you were."

The man pointed down the street. "Come with me."

They followed.

He took them through several streets before they reached a large open market.

Unlike the normal shops, this section seemed dedicated entirely to adventurers.

There were merchants selling maps, weapons, monster materials, tools, supplies and strange objects Tolu couldn’t identify.

But what caught his attention were the boards.

There were several of them.

Not one.

Not two.

Dozens.

Each was covered with sheets of paper.

The man pointed toward them.

"That’s where you’ll find most independent contracts."

Tolu stepped closer.

He scanned the notices.

"Gather ten bundles of moonleaf."

"Escort a merchant caravan."

"Collect venom from..."

He stopped reading.

There were dozens of different jobs.

Some were simple.

Some sounded dangerous.

Others had rewards large enough to immediately catch Akin’s attention.

Akin pointed. "That one."

Tolu looked.

"Kill three Ironclaw boars. Reward: two silver."

Temi stared at him. "You’re excited about two silver?"

"I’m excited about the two silver."

Ore laughed.

The man shook his head. "Don’t choose based on the reward."

"Why not?"

"Because the people who post those rewards know what they’re asking for."

He tapped the notice. "Two silver might mean it’s easy."

He tapped another. "Or it might mean they’ve already lost three teams."

Akin slowly lowered his hand. "Right."

The man pointed at another section. "Start with gathering contracts, escort work and low-level hunting. You’re Novices. Learn the city first."

Tolu nodded. "What about monster hunting?"

"Level One creatures."

"And Level Two?"

The man gave him a flat look. "You’ve been here two days."

"I was only asking."

"And I’m telling you not to."

Ore glanced at Tolu. "You really do have a problem with dangerous things."

"I don’t."

She smiled. "You do."

"I just like knowing what’s possible."

"That’s exactly what I mean."

The man chuckled. "You’ll learn quickly."

They continued examining the contracts.

After a while, Tolu stepped away from the board.

"We should divide what we can do."

Akin looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because we don’t all have the same strengths."

Tolu pointed toward Ore.

"You track."

Ore nodded.

"You can find trails, identify tracks and hit targets from a distance."

Then he looked at Akin. "You handle close combat."

Akin grinned. "Finally, someone appreciates me."

"I said close combat. Don’t get excited."

Temi laughed.

Akin looked offended.

Tolu continued. "And Temi..."

He paused.

Temi crossed her arms.

"What?"

"We’ll figure out exactly where you’re most useful."

Her eyes narrowed. "That sounded insulting."

"It wasn’t."

"It sounded like you forgot."

"I didn’t forget."

"You hesitated."

"I was thinking."

"About what?"

"About how you always rush forward when you shouldn’t."

Akin burst out laughing.

Temi glared at him. "Don’t encourage him."

"I’m not."

"You are literally laughing."

"I can’t help it."

Ore covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Tolu smiled.

The man watched the four of them. "You’ve worked together for a while."

Akin nodded. "Since our town."

"Good."

The man looked at Tolu. "Then don’t throw that away just because the city is bigger."

Tolu’s smile faded slightly. "We won’t."

The man pointed toward a smaller section of the board. "Here."

Tolu looked.

The contracts were simpler.

Gathering herbs.

Delivering materials.

Scouting safe routes.

Hunting specific Level One creatures.

Nothing spectacular.

Nothing that would make them rich.

But nothing that should get them killed either.

Ore read one of the notices. "Moonvine."

The man nodded. "That’s a good one."

"What is it used for?"

"Potions. Some medicines."

"Where does it grow?"

"Green territory, mostly. Some Blue territory if you’re lucky."

Tolu looked at the reward. "Four silver."

Akin’s eyes widened. "Four?"

The man laughed. "Don’t get too excited. The contract is for twenty bundles."

Akin’s expression dropped. "Twenty?"

"You wanted work."

"I wanted profitable work."

"You’ll have to earn that."

Tolu took the notice down. "We’ll take it."

Ore looked at him. You’re sure?"

"Yes."

Akin looked between them. "How difficult?"

The man answered. "Not difficult for a competent group. The problem is finding enough."

Tolu nodded. "Then we’ll do it."

The man pointed toward the map seller across the street. "Buy a proper map before you leave."

Tolu frowned. "We have one."

"Then throw it away."

Akin laughed. "That bad?"

"You have a map of the roads around your old town."

The man shook his head.

"Ilebi’s territory changes too quickly for an old map to be useful."

Tolu looked toward the map stall. "How much?"

"Depends on the map."

Tolu sighed. "Of course it does."

They walked toward the stall.

The merchant immediately began showing them different maps.

Small maps.

Large maps.

Maps of the city.

Maps of the surrounding wilderness.

Maps showing monster territories.

Maps showing roads.

Maps showing rivers and safe routes.

Tolu eventually bought a modest regional map.

It wasn’t cheap.

But he knew it was necessary.

As they left, Akin looked at the money they’d spent. "We’ve barely been here and we’re already spending silver."

Tolu looked at him. "That’s why we’re getting work."

Ore smiled. "And why we shouldn’t spend everything on food."

Akin looked offended. "Food is important."

Temi shook her head. "You’re impossible."

They returned to the inn later that afternoon.

The moonvine contract lay on the table.

Tolu spread the new map beside it.

Ore leaned over his shoulder.

Akin and Temi stood on the other side.

Tolu traced their route with his finger."We’ll leave through the western road."

Ore pointed. "That road?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it leads closest to the green territory where moonvine grows."

Akin nodded. " How long?"

"If we move early, we should reach the gathering area before midday."

Temi looked at the map. "And back?"

"Assuming nothing happens."

Akin laughed. "That’s always comforting."

Tolu ignored him. "We gather what we need and return."

Ore nodded. "Simple."

Tolu looked at her. "Simple doesn’t mean easy."

She smiled. "I know."

They spent the next hour preparing.

Ropes.

Water.

Food.

Basic medicine.

Extra arrows.

Weapons.

Tools.

Nothing extravagant.

Nothing they couldn’t afford to lose.

When they finished, Tolu looked at the four packs lying beside them.

Their first real job in Ilebi.

It wasn’t a grand expedition.

It wasn’t a dungeon.

It wasn’t a battle against some terrifying beast.

It was twenty bundles of moonvine.

And somehow, that made Tolu smile.

For the first time since arriving in Ilebi, their future felt a little less uncertain.

They had a place to sleep.

They had food.

They had a map.

They had work.

And, most importantly, they had each other.

--------------------------------------------------

The next morning, they left the city.

The western road was already busy.

Merchants traveled with carts.

Small groups of adventurers moved toward the wilderness.

Some carried weapons far better than anything Tolu had ever owned.

Others wore armor that probably cost more than everything the four of them possessed.

Nobody paid them much attention.

They were simply another group of young Novices heading out to make some money.

As the city slowly disappeared behind them, Akin stretched his arms. "Feels good to be working again."

Temi looked at him. "We’ve been here three days."

"Exactly."

Ore laughed.

Tolu adjusted his pack. "Stay alert."

Akin groaned. "There he goes."

Tolu looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

They continued down the road.

None of them knew that this small contract would be the beginning of something much larger.

For now, they were simply four young adventurers trying to find their place in a city that was far bigger than anything they had ever known.

And for the first time since leaving their hometown, Tolu wasn’t thinking about what they had lost.

He was thinking about what they could become.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!