Saying that the Guild was in an uproar was an understatement.

  Everyone was shocked when Cedric’s party returned with the news of the discovered dungeon.

  At first, they received it with full skepticism. The adventurers refused to believe the story; after all, the last known dungeon in the region had vanished centuries ago, back when there was still an empire. However, this phase of disbelief quickly passed when Cedric presented the gold they had brought back. The glittering coins etched with symbols no one recognized were the undeniable proof that silenced any lingering doubt.

  Then, the news spread like wildfire. Soon, a large crowd gathered at the Guild, pressing in from every road and alley, scrambling to catch a glimpse of the fabled party. The Guild’s employees struggled to maintain order, so in the end, they had to deny entry to anyone who was not a registered adventurer.

  Some people decided to make a quick dash ahead of everyone else. After inquiring about the location of the cave, they immediately set out, intent on getting there as fast as possible to see if there was any treasure left. The existence of such reckless fools was to be expected, so Viktor had given instructions to Celeste beforehand. After Cedric and his companions left, the dungeon’s full defenses would awaken anew, and Sebekton would slaughter anyone who set foot on the second floor with extreme prejudice.

  Now he sat at a table in the corner of the mess hall, watching the drama. Technically, since he was neither an adventurer nor an employee of the Guild, he shouldn’t even be allowed here. But he had already been inside the building before the commotion began, and now with the Guild besieged by half the town, he couldn’t go home anyway. So he leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the room to check what everyone was doing.

  Claire was talking with her colleagues. They all looked tired and stressed, perhaps because they had just been suddenly thrown into a situation they didn’t really know how to handle.

  Noi’ri, Lucian, and Fiora were sitting at a table, casually sipping tea as if nothing had happened. Even though they were among those who had found the new dungeon, not many people approached them, probably deterred by the gnoll.

  Cedric, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The poor boy had been dragged to a separate table, buried under a crowd of twenty to thirty adventurers, who were bombarding him with questions. That was the price he had to pay for being chosen to be the protagonist in a story written by a certain Dungeon Master.

  Viktor chuckled. Well, since I’m responsible for this, I’ll help you out a bit. So he stood up from his chair and walked toward his “sister.”

  “What’s it, Quinn?” Claire asked while rubbing her temples.

  He pointed at the crowd surrounding Cedric. “I don't think they should keep pestering him like that.”

  “You’re right,” Claire said. Then, the woman elbowed her way into the crowd, and after a few startled yelps and muttered curses, she emerged dragging the boy by the arm. “That’s enough. I know you have many questions, but they’ll have to wait until tomorrow. He needs rest.”

  There was grumbling, and a few sour looks, but no one pushed any further. As the adventurers melted away, Cedric let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you!” he said, looking at Claire.

  “I’m just doing my job,” she replied with a smile.

  However, just as the boy was about to return to his friends, someone else approached him. A red-haired pyromancer, someone both Viktor and Claire knew too well.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

  Claire frowned. “No, not you too, Jeanne.”

  “That’s not it,” the woman said, shaking her head. “What I want to ask about is that sword. Where did you find it?”

  Sword? Viktor’s gaze dropped to Cedric’s belt. The boy’s own blade was there, where it should be, but next to it hung another, sheathless and covered in dirt. Ah yes, he remembered now. It was looted from a fallen goblin during the skirmish.

  “This?” Cedric grabbed the item in question. “I found it in the dungeon. A goblin had it.”

  Jeanne’s face darkened.

  Now that Viktor was paying more attention, he realized that the weapon was clearly not the sort of junk a typical goblin would carry around. Not with that long, straight blade. Despite its terrible condition at the moment, the sword still looked far more refined than anything those creatures were able to produce. Also, it was oddly familiar.

  Don’t tell me...

  “What’s the problem, Jeanne?” Claire asked.

  “That’s Jake’s sword,” replied the pyromancer.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Oh, I see. Viktor recalled that he had let his goblins keep the loot when they searched the belongings of that party. So a goblin had used Jake’s sword to attack Cedric, and now it had come back here.

  Around them, the hall erupted into murmurs about the unexpected revelation.

  “Jake? The guy whose whole party just disappeared recently?”

  “How did his sword end up in the dungeon?”

  “Then what about Hans? And Petra? What happened to them?”

  Jeanne let out a long, heavy sigh. In a resigned tone, she stated the obvious conclusion she had already reached. “They must have found the dungeon by accident. They went in... and never came out.”

  Well, if you remove the “by accident” part, then yes, that’s exactly what happened.

  “But,” an adventurer said, “according to them, the dungeon is not very dangerous. How could an entire party be wiped out?”

  “Actually, on the second floor, we found a...” Cedric turned to his friends. “What’s it called again?”

  “Crocodilian,” Lucian replied.

  “Yes, a Crocodilian,” Cedric said. “It was a towering, muscle-bound monster with the head of a crocodile and an axe the size of a tree trunk. We decided to retreat, taking the gold we found on the first floor with us. However, if this Jake and his party had decided to fight the beast...”

  “Damn that idiot!” Jeanne cursed. “Why did he have to be so greedy? Because of him, Petra...” She buried her freckled face in her hands, trembling. “Ugh... How am I supposed to break the news to her sister?”

  The atmosphere shifted. The hall, once filled with talk of wealth and glory, now fell into silence. Some people froze, staring blankly into space, while others huddled in corners, whispering to each other in barely audible voices.

  But this quiet didn’t last long. The sound of heavy boots stomping on the wooden floor drew all eyes toward the entrance. Someone strode into the mess hall. A man wrapped in muscle and velvet.

  “Ah, Guildmaster!”

  Tall and broad-shouldered, the man filled the doorway like a landslide blocking a mountain pass. He wore an expensive tunic of deep red, its sleeves rolled high to reveal two large, hairy, vein-bulging forearms. His brown hair, streaked with gray, was swept back, and a thick beard clung to his square jaw. The man looked to be in his fifties, though judging by his build, he would have no trouble snapping the wrist of any challenger in an arm wrestling match. Gideon. That was his name. Claire had once mentioned that he used to be an adventurer in his younger days before retiring to become a Guildmaster.

  “I was told that a new dungeon has just been discovered,” the man said, breathing heavily. “Is that true?”

  It seemed that Gideon was out of town when he heard the news and immediately rushed back here. His velvet was now drenched with sweat, attesting to his hurried return.

  “Yes.” Claire nodded. “What should we do now?”

  “First,” the Guildmaster replied, “we must secure the site. Send men to the location to investigate. Set up camp and have people guard the entrance. Only allow registered adventurers to enter the dungeon, and keep a record of everyone who goes in and out.”

  He paused, drawing breath as his eyes swept the room. “Next, we need to secure the route from the town to the dungeon. Pave the road, so that wagons can roll without any trouble. Have it done as soon as possible. Spare no expense. Then, set up guard posts along the way. Assign sentries and organize patrols.”

  “Understood,” the employees of the Guild said in unison.

  But Gideon was not yet finished. “And that,” he said, “is just the first step. Soon, an influx of adventurers will rush here. We must prepare for their arrival. The Guild, no, everyone in Daelin, must be ready.”

  Viktor could sense the anxiety in the man’s voice, and frankly, he wouldn’t blame him. The worry was more than just justified. After all, the dungeon could be the key to Daelin’s future, but it could also lead to its downfall. Soon, a large number of people would come here, lured by the unimaginable wealth hidden inside the dungeon. The town’s population would multiply several times within a very short amount of time. If the Guild and the town’s leadership failed to manage the situation, they would lose control. Daelin would either be overrun, turned into a lawless hellhole, or taken over by powerful foreign players.

  However.

  If they got it right, if they managed to pull it off, then this discovery would usher in a new era for the town. A true golden age. With the treasure from the dungeons, Daelin would be able to invest in infrastructure, repairing the old road network and clearing the surrounding dense forest. With the influx of new adventurers, the town could eliminate the monsters, wild animals, and other threats lurking nearby. Given its central location, once everything was in place, trade would start flowing. With the right hands on the wheel, Daelin could grow. No, thrive. It would reclaim its former glory and shine as a beacon of prosperity, a jewel in the heart of the continent.

  After receiving the Guildmaster’s instructions, everyone started to move, assigning tasks to each other. Claire would probably stay here late tonight, so Viktor felt there was no need to wait for her. He stood up, preparing to go home. The crowd outside was dispersing, no one blocking his way anymore.

  Just as he was about to leave, Cedric approached him.

  “What’s the matter?” Viktor asked.

  The black-haired boy moved closer, whispering, “Are you sure you don’t want to take credit for being the first to discover the dungeon? We can still tell everyone that it’s you who told us where it was.”

  “No.” Viktor shook his head. “My sister will be very upset if she finds out.”

  “Fine, then.” Cedric nodded. “Nevertheless, I must give you your share of the treasure we found. One-fifth of the gold will be yours.”

  “There’s no need,” Viktor said, waving a dismissive hand. “What am I supposed to do with that? If I try to spend even one single coin, people will know immediately—”

  Wait a fucking minute!

  An idea struck him, so he turned around, looking Cedric in the eyes. “Can you exchange the gold and give it to me in silver and copper?”

  “Of course,” Cedric replied. “But it may take a while to gather such a large amount. There are about one hundred gold coins in that chest, which means you’ll get twenty. And twenty gold coins are equivalent to... well, um...”

  “Four hundred silver,’ Viktor said, “or four thousand eight hundred copper.” He had already done the math in his head. “It’s fine. No need to give me the full sum right away. Just pay me every week with whatever amount you manage to get.”

  Cedric nodded and left.

  Viktor remained in place, his mind completely occupied by the amount of money he was about to receive. Four hundred silver coins. Claire could work for seven years straight and still wouldn’t earn that much.

  He was going to hide his fortune and spend it bit by bit over time. Where? In the Core Room of the dungeon, of course. Who would be able to get there and steal his silver? And then, every day, he would take out a couple of coins, and use them to improve the family’s diet.

  No more bacon!

  Yes, a new era indeed.