Maddy and I looked over the map. Finding the closest level 1 dungeon, we set out for the town beside it. They were the most common variety, but only slightly more common than level 2 and level 3 dungeons. By the late afternoon, we had reached our destination.

We had moved at a brisk pace to arrive before nightfall. It would have taken 2 days of walking to reach here at our usual pace. But as I warned them before we headed out, I was in a rush and from now on we would be moving faster. To their credit, neither of the girls complained.

While we moved fast, I was actually hoping to get here a little sooner. There wouldn't be much time to find everything we needed before the morning. Besides the weapons and armor, I was still insistent on finding a capable fighter to come with us. If a healthy share of the loot wasn't good enough, we still had a fair amount of gold coins.

We hadn't spoke much since our 'little disagreement' this morning. We all felt a certain sense of awkwardness about the whole affair. Maddy and I shared an uncomfortable silence most of the day. Meri on the other hand seemed very comfortable with the lack of conversation. Lucky her.

As the small town started to come into view it became clear the silence we had wordlessly agreed on wouldn't due anymore. It was time to move past the events of this morning and focus solely on the task at hand.

“Okay Bill, we're here. So what do you want to do first?” Maddy spoke up. While I knew what I wanted to do. It wasn't like I had a step by step plan with everything thought out.

“Well, before it gets too late we'll need to see a blacksmith. We need to buy a lot of equipment before entering a dungeon. Besides that, I was hoping to find a guild, but seeing how small this town is, I don't think it's very likely that they have one. Do either of you have any ideas?” Maddy shook her head. Surprisingly, Meri was the one to offer a suggestion.

“I don't know how much it will help, but I've overheard conversations from servants, slaves and guards throughout the years. A lot came from small towns like this one. A few of those towns even had dungeons nearby. I remember one of the guards mentioning to another that every town that boarders a dungeon has a business that exchanges dungeon loot for coin. But I don't know the details.”

That was a good piece of information. I wish she would've mentioned it sooner. I wondered how long I should wait before pushing her to be more vocal when it came to offering up ideas and information. I let the subject drop for now, but tabled it in my mind as something to address later.

“Well in that case lets walk around a little.” I said. “We will look for a blacksmith and a business of the kind Meri named. Whichever we see first.” The girls agreed. As we moved deeper into the heart of the town our conversation began to pick up more. Maddy inquired about my plans for our stay. So I told her what I had in mind.

“I was thinking of making this place our base of operations until we passed the level 10 test. We need to get that done as soon as possible. Within a month if we can manage it. That is if you two really want to go into the dungeon with me. I would actually prefer if you changed your minds on that.”

Maddy was clearly surprised by my bold proclamation. “First off Bill, we already told you. If you're going in then so are we. But don't you think it's too soon to be thinking about the level 10 test? We aren't even level 9 yet. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?” Maddy wasnt wrong. Usually a level 6 person worrying about a level 10 test would be jumping the gun. But this wasn't the usual case.

“If I don't start thinking about it now, it will take too much time to reach my goal. I need to think multiple steps ahead from now on. As for passing that test, I'm also considering the things I'm lacking. I will make it a point to develop those in the next month.” Maddy reflected on my words as she tried to think about her own weaknesses.

Meri was the one to ask the next logical follow up question. “So what did you come up with for the things you'll need to improve?”

I thought about how best to explain my thoughts before answering. “I need 3 things... I think.” I pulled out my sword and pointed it in front of me. I walked for a few paces to make my point before putting it back in its sheath. After my demonstration was complete I continued.

“That's the limit of my range. I'm worthless with a bow and even with a spear my range won't improve much. I need something that can attack enemies from a distance.” From the look on Maddy's face I could tell that she never thought about that. But if I needed it, then so did she. After a slight paused I continued on.

“The second thing I need is a more powerful attack. The best attack I have is the swing of my sword with my full strength. But there's no telling what I may face in the future. I could come across an enemy with a hard shell or that's so large that even swinging my sword with everything i have won't do enough damage.”

None of us had the answer for that one yet. Meri was particularly deficient here. I finished my thoughts and listed the final thing I believed I needed to achieve. “Finally, the last thing I need is more experience”

Maddy gave a smile at that remark. “Well, I have the solution for that. We can spar as much as you need.” I shook my head. She didn't understand.

“That's not what I mean. Take for instance my fight with you just now. I lost because you showed me a move I've never seen before. Now I’ve seen everything you have to offer. You can help me hone that which I already know. But I won't be able to learn anything new from fighting you.”

She had a number of sword masters in the past, so she probably couldn't see things from my point of view.. Her and the single guard who trained me made up nearly all of my fighting experience. The rare times that I had the chance to fight against others is when I grew the fastest. I gave her a case in point to hammer the idea home.

“Take my duel with Timothy for example. Most people would say I won 3-2. In reality, I clearly lost. He got the first blow and it was a lethal one. In a real fight, I'd be dead. It was only when I saw him do the same thing repeatedly that I came up with an answer. In real life you don't get 3 chances. But it was because of that experience that I now know how to deal with such an attack. I need to put myself in more situations that are new to me, so that when the real fights start, I don't get myself killed.”

Maddy considered my words. She was no doubt thinking about what she needed to improve herself. I knew she wouldn't stand for being left behind while I went on ahead of her.

While it was my path that she was walking down now, she always had the heart of an adventurer. During our talks at her estate, one of her favorite things to discuss in our free time was swordplay and adventurers of the past. I think she still had an overly romanticize notion of the whole thing. But who was I to criticize someone for that?

Meri realized during my explanation that she had the biggest issues of all. Her skills were good as part of a party, but the worst as an individual. She looked down at her fingers and saw she hadn't cut her nails since she left with us.

They were strong enough to be weapons and would only grow longer and more dangerous. Maybe a sword wasn't for her, but she had other ways to attack in close combat. They almost had a claw like quality to them. Maybe she could figure out how to use them effectively, If she could work up the nerve to do so. The more i thought about her the more worried I became. Maddy might have the right temperament for this life. But I was far from convinced that Meri did.

We passed the entrance of the dungeon on our way into the town. It wasn't even a half mile between the two locations from my guess. It didn't look intimidating, yet. But when I tried to imagine what it would feel like going inside of it I could help but notice my heart rate increase and the start of a cold sweat down my back. People died in dungeons all the time. Even level 1 dungeons.

I thought of all the fantasy novels and online stories I read over the years and recalled the scenes involving people adventuring into their first dungeon, only to be killed, ripped apart and raped. Usually they didn't happen in that preferable order. Going from what I've seen of this world so far, it wouldn't be any different here.

Now that we were in town we officially began our search for the things we needed. It didn't take long before we saw a business with a sign that had the face of a dead goblin, along with coin on it. Under the symbols it simply read 'dungeon outpost exchange'. At least that part was pretty easy.

We looked at each other before we entered, with no one knowing what to expect. It didn't look much different from the few taverns I’d seen. The only things that would make someone realize this wasn't a tavern was the lack of beer barrels and the bored looking boy who stood behind the counter.

i thought that it was understandable why the boy was so bored. The place was completely empty and didn't have the look of a business that was frequented much. The kid had badly cut dirty blond hair, cheap clothes and the look of a 50 year old who had been stuck in a dead end job for the last 25 years. He gave us a look over, not seeming very impressed by our merry band.

The actual words he said were, “Can I help you?” But it came out sounding more like 'what the fuck do you want?' I had to tell myself that trying to teach him a thing or two about courtesy would serve no purpose. I answered the words and not the tone.

“We want to learn about how you're business operates. We're also looking for a member to join our team for a dungeon raid tomorrow, if there's anyone you can recommend.” He let out a sigh and an annoyed look. If I didn't know any better, I would say he was acting like we asked him to do something that wasn't part of his freaking job. Damn brats.

“We operate with a system based on fix rates, no bartering. You hunt monsters and bring back the desired parts. Some monsters have valuable parts and some don't.” He grabbed a piece of paper from under the counter and showed us a list of items with pictures on it. There were various monster parts listed. I guess we would need to cut them off and bring them back here. I could understand how some people might be bothered by the idea, but no one in my party looked to be. At least we weren't squeamish, so we had that going for us!

The monsters were marked by level. I imagined that level 1 dungeons either had mostly or exclusively level 1 monsters. The items we could get in a level 1 dungeon didn't look to be worth all that much.

No wonder more people in this world didn't choose to go into dungeons. You didn't make much until you got to a higher ranking dungeon. To risk your life for this amount of money would only make sense if you had very few options or were confident in your ability to rise through the ranks and make it a profitable venture. The boy continued his explanation.

“If you have any paper you can copy this, but I can't just hand out free copies. Also, don't make any marks or spill anything on it. If you do, then you'll be charged a replacement fee. As for people to join your party there's only one guy in town right now that I know of. He tends to be a regular here.”

Well if he was a regular that means he at least had experience.

“Do you know where he's staying right now?” We would need to move quickly to the Inn to see him. We still needed to see the blacksmith before he closed up for the day unless we wanted to have to wait around for him to open up in the morning. The boy answered while taking the paper back and placing it under the counter.

“Yeah, I know where he is. He's at the tavern on the other side of town getting drunk and hitting on a barmaid old enough to be his mother.”

Meri chimed in, trying to be friendly with the boy. “That must have been a funny sight to see. What was he wearing when you saw him there?”. I noticed that she seemed more comfortable with kids. Maybe because in some ways, she was still like a child herself.

He put his head in his palm and yawned as he placed his arm against the counter. He was now looking in the opposite direction of where we were standing. “I haven't seen him in the past two days. But that's where he is and that's what he's doing.”

This didn't sound like a promising situation. But it wasn't like we had a lot of options. If he wasn't any good to us, maybe he could point me to someone who was. We crossed the town in less than 3 minutes by my count. Luckily, it was the only tavern in town and easy to find. Even before we entered, I heard loud rowdy voices coming out of the tavern.

“Come on June, how about I take you out tonight? You've never even given me a chance.”

“Where the hell would you even take me out? This is the only place that is open at night in the whole town.” The barmaid shook her head. The man paused at that before answering.

“What's wrong with here? If you work here then you must like it.”

She rolled her eyes at his remark. “No woman would ever consider going on a date at a the tavern she owns. On top of that, I'm the only one who works here, so who would serve us? Besides, I can't go out tonight. I need to stay and fix up some things.”

He looked at his beer and then back up to her. “How about I come by at 8 then, since you'll already be around?”

“To come by later would mean you have to leave. Are you going to leave? Please tell me the answer is yes.” She tried her best to ignore the drunken lecher as she rubbed down the bar top.

He looked down at his empty mug. “One more for the road.”

“You said that two drinks ago.”

He laughed loudly with a red face. “Well it's a hell of a long road.” He shook the empty mug at her. She filled it and then hurried to the other side of the tavern to wash tables. In part to be farther away from him I was sure

I was already doubting how useful this guy could be. Well, beggars can't be choosers. I should at least explore the option. I whispered to the girls to stand back by a table. I was worried they would become more of a distraction than an asset with the way this guy was acting. They were more than happy to comply with my suggestion. As they moved away, I sat beside him.

“Hello, We're going to be entering the dungeon tomorrow morning and are looking for a competent fighter to join us. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

He gave a half laugh and half 'tch'. “No can do friend, I'm on vacation.” He drank half of his cup before putting it back down and smacking his lips. I didn't care for the dismissive attitude from a guy who looked to be a useless drunk. I pushed my anger down and continued to be polite, for now.

“How much longer are you going to be on vacation for?”

He brought his hand to the purse tied to his waist and felt the weight of it in his hand. He shrugged. “Three more days; give or take.” He took another drink. Well if this guy would be no help, then maybe he could point us to someone that was.

“Are there any other people around who would be willing to join our party? This is a very important matter and we need to get going as soon as possible.”

“Nope.” He took another drink.

I freaking hate one word answers. At least act like you think we are worth the time it takes to say a complete sentence. My anger was getting the better of me as I felt my eyebrow start to twitch. I stood up quickly and mumbled as i was about to take my leave. “Fine, a drunk like you will probably just get in our way.”

He laughed at that as he finished the rest of his drink and then turned towards me. “Some greenhorn like you has balls to talk to me like that. I could beat you and your damn whole party with one hand tied behind my back, even if I was twice as drunk as I am now.” He showed his Status Screen.

Malik Turing Age 22 Race Human Class Dark Ranger Sub Class None Level 19 Experience 100% Constitution 28 Dexterity 33 Intelligence 31 Strength 38 Wisdom 30 Charisma 26 Quickness 20 Health Mana

Stamina 80/80 70/70

42/42 Attribute Points 0 Skills 7/10 Swordsmanship

5/10 Archery

5/10 Tracking

4/10 Lightning Cutter

I had to admit, those stats were pretty impressive. I changed my mind. I wanted him in my party. It wasn't like I had any other options if I wanted to start tomorrow. And now that he showed me he was worth a damn I wasn't about to let him get away. For now, I needed to keep him talking. “Why do you have Quickness in your status screen? None of us have that.”

“You don't know shit, do you greenhorn? In my level 10 trial I gained the class of Dark Ranger. Among other benefits, it allowed me to add the stat of quickness. For example.”

In the blink of an eye he grabbed his dagger and stabbed the bar top, right in front of where my hand was placed. If he had tried to stick it into my hand I wouldn't have had a chance to pull it away in time. I don't think I've ever seen anyone move that fast in my life.

“Hey Malik, don't stab my bar! I'm charging you for that now!” The barmaid screamed, seeing what happened.

“Sorry my love!” He pulled the dagger out of the bar and slid it back in it's holder. “The skill works pretty well for swords too, but it's just not as effective with a heavy weapon like that when compared to a dagger. It helps with loosing arrows too. I can get 4 good shots off in 5 seconds now.”

I wanted to keep him talking. I was hoping as drunk as he was, if I kept him talking long enough he would forget why we started talking and just be happy that he made a new friend. “What about your Lightning Cutter skill?”

“As for that, I'll let you imagine.”

He seemed fairly talkative right now. I had to keep that going. “I see you maxed out level 19. Do you need to max that out before taking the test for level 20?” He nodded his head. Too drunk to remember he was suppose to be mad at me.

“You can take it as soon as you max out the level below the test rank. Most people wait a long time after maxing out before attempting the test so they can be sure they're ready. There's nothing more dangerous than a dungeon test after all."

I smiled and thanked him for the information. “That's good to know. I'll be taking my level 10 test in a month.” He nodded.

He lifted his empty glass at me in a toast. “I wish you luck. How long have you been level 9 for?”

“I'm only level 6 right now.”

He put down his drink and gave me an odd smile. “Look at you. Aren't you just a little ball of energy? Well, at least you'll make some lucky undertaker's day.” He laughed at his own joke.

“I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I need to get stronger fast and it can't wait. I want to go down to the dungeon tomorrow. I'm willing to pay you, provided your sober.”

“I make enough money doing what I do now, thanks.” He raised his cup back up into the air to try to signal the owner to pour him another.

I scoffed at his comment. “You mean that you make enough to allow yourself to stay drunk most of the time?”

He gave me a big smile. “That's exactly what I mean.”

It looked like shaming him wouldn't work. That means it was time to try bribery. Thanks for the lesson Jeffrey. I leaned towards him and whispered. “What if I can get the barmaid to agree to go on a date with you?”

He turned his head. “And how exactly would you do that?”

“I'd tell her you're helping me out with my gallant quest, among other things. But I'll need to tell her that you're not getting paid anything extra, and doing it for only an even split of the loot. It would be best if we didn't lie about that. She seemes like the type that would be able to catch on to a lie quickly.

“What do you mean? Why would I do that when I can just go myself and keep it all? If I were to agree to go with you then you should at least pay me a few gold coins for costing me my time.”

I shook my head at his comment. “If you're paid then she'll know you did it for selfish reasons. I doubt she agree to even consider going out with you if that's the case. You need to change how she sees you if you want a chance with her. You'll still get 1/4th of our loot. That's not bad coin for easy work. You won't need to do any fighting ideally. Just make sure we don't get killed is all I ask..”

I read on his face that he was considering it. He gave me a questioning look while he clarified my proposition. “So, you do all the fighting, I get 1/4th the loot, and you get me a date. Is that right?”

“Yes, but you need to be sober when you go with us or no deal.”

Being sober would be a pain in the ass for him, but I could tell he thought it was a pretty good deal all things considered. If I didn't get him a date, he could just take his loot and go back to the bar. As far as he could tell it wouldn't cost him anything but a days drinking. Not bad for the potential gain. There seemed to be no downside.

Of course I was tricking him, and there would be a downside. He should know by now that nothing in this world is ever too good to be true.