CHAPTER 21: NEW DUNGEON

Fern floated above the basket, still annoyed with the name.

Rowen ignored him. "If more vegetables are mature, harvest them."

Rowen sat back behind the front desk.

After some time, Fern returned with fresh potatoes and tomatoes. Now there were more in the shop, and Fern had also planted a new batch.

Now that everything was in place, Rowen just sat there, waiting for today’s first customer.

After some time, no one came. Rowen felt bored, so he took out his mobile and turned on M-Net for news.

After opening M-Net, he went to the news section.

There were too many news posts, so he filtered it to his region—Border Town.

There he saw something. The first news caught his eye, and to his surprise, it was about a newly discovered dungeon.

You know dungeons can appear anywhere—inside a city or out in the wilderness. This time, the new dungeon had appeared in the wilds. That was good news for him; it meant there would be more traffic through town.

The report said the dungeon was likely rated Level E, which meant apprentice- or trainee-level people could explore it and find something valuable. New dungeons were especially profitable since no one had taken anything from them yet.

The news also said the Federal Government would send a low-level team to explore and see what kind of dungeon it was. The appearance time was recorded as today, early—around 12:30 a.m. That was just before he had found Shade, wounded, near the alley by his shop.

He hadn’t thought much about it at the time. No beast could pass the defense system of the eastern border gate, and this cat seemed harmless enough.

After some time, the shop’s front bell rang, breaking the quiet.

Rowen glanced up from his seat behind the desk, stretching his shoulders a little.

It had been a slow morning, so the sound felt louder than usual.

He set his phone down, pushing the M-Net screen aside, and leaned back slightly to see who had walked in.

Fern floated a little higher, his glow brightening just a bit in curiosity.

Rowen’s eyes widened in surprise.

Stepping through the door was his old friend, Calen.

He looked about the same as Rowen remembered—maybe a little sharper around the edges—but what caught Rowen’s attention was the small beast trotting at his side.

It was a dog-shaped creature, lean and alert, with the look of a hound but a faint shimmer in its fur that said it wasn’t just any normal animal.

Rowen gave a small grin. "Good morning."

Calen nodded back. "Good morning."

Rowen tilted his head. "Shouldn’t you be in school right now? Annual examinations are coming up, aren’t they?"

Calen smirked like he’d been waiting for that question. "Don’t you check the news on M-Net?"

Rowen blinked, then remembered. Right—the new dungeon that had appeared in the wilderness. The one the federal reports said was E-rank and fresh, perfect for apprentice and trainee levels.

Rowen frowned. "And what’s that got to do with you?"

Calen’s grin widened. "Field trip. School’s sending a bunch of us to check it out. Teachers say it’s ’practical experience’ before exams."

Calen went on, "You know, this time Westlite Academy’s students are coming too."

Rowen raised an eyebrow. "Westlite Academy? Them too? That’s going to make things more interesting... or complicated for lower town school students."

Calen nodded. "Yeah. They always try to show off, acting like they’re better than the rest of us. But honestly, I’m more curious about what we’ll find inside the dungeon."

Fern drifted closer to Rowen’s shoulder, his glow dimmer now, sensing the rising tension.

Rowen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of monsters or treasures it holds. E-rank means it’s not too dangerous, but still... you can’t be too careless."

Calen’s dog-shaped companion let out a low, alert bark, its shimmering fur flickering in the morning light.

Then, out of nowhere, Shade—the small cat that Rowen had found wounded near the alley—hopped lightly onto the counter.

The dog suddenly let out a low whimper, backing away slightly, ears flattened and tail tucked. It was clear the dog was afraid of the cat.

Calen looked embarrassed and gave a nervous laugh. "Well, this is awkward... my dog’s scared of a cat."

Rowen smiled, reaching down to stroke Shade behind the ears. "Don’t worry. This little one’s harmless. This is the newest member of my family—Shade."

Shade flicked her tail nonchalantly, clearly used to being the boss around here.

Calen chuckled again. "Looks like Shade’s running the show already."

Rowen grinned. "Seems like it."

Calen glanced back toward the door. "Anyway, if you change your mind about coming along, you know where to find us."

Rowen nodded. "Thanks. I’ll think about it."

Rowen shook his head with a small laugh. "I’ll pass this time. Someone’s got to keep things running here."

The bell above the door jingled again as another customer entered, breaking their conversation.

The bell above the door jingled again, breaking their conversation.

Rowen turned his head and saw two familiar figures step inside—Lyra and her friend Aria.

They had both come by just yesterday to buy some of his vegetables.

Lyra gave him a warm smile. "Morning, Rowen. Thought we’d stop by again before heading out."

Aria nodded, her eyes bright and confident. "We just finished a successful hunt. Wanted to get some more of those tomatoes you recommended."

Rowen smiled back. "Good timing. I just harvested fresh ones this morning."

Fern floated nearby, watching them with mild curiosity.

Lyra glanced around the shop, then looked at Rowen. "So, anything new? Heard about that dungeon appearing?"

Rowen nodded. "Yeah. Just saw it on M-Net. It’s rated Level E.

Aria raised an eyebrow. "That means more opportunities for treasure."

Rowen’s eyes twinkled a little. "Exactly. I was just talking to Calen about it."

Lyra smiled knowingly. "You’re all gearing up for it, huh?"

Rowen shrugged. "For now, I’ll keep the shop running. But I’m curious about what you all are going to find in there. Please do share some news with me after exploration."

Aria picked up a basket of tomatoes and held them out. "These are really good. We’ll take a few more."

Rowen packed the vegetables carefully, the shop feeling a little livelier now.

Calen watched quietly, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

"This school topper’s been here before?" He muttered under his breath.

Rowen glanced at Calen but said nothing.

Calen’s eyes flicked to the price tags on the baskets. He leaned closer to take a better look.

His face shifted from curiosity to shock.

"No way..." Calen whispered, stunned. "Is Rowen actually charging this much? People are going to bite him for scamming."

Rowen caught Calen’s expression and laughed softly.

"You don’t have to worry," Rowen said. "The quality matches the price."

Calen still looked doubtful but said nothing more, watching as Lyra and Aria exchanged a few pleased words and paid without hesitation.