Ezra, Saber, and Ilyana arrived in front of a large establishment. After selling the kobold brain to an alchemist, Saber deftly led them through a set of alleyways towards the aforementioned tavern. A set of wooden swinging doors allowed a glimpse of the debauchery taking place inside.

Gruff men and hardened women of all breeds drunk cheap booze and ate cheap food, while gambling away with their cohorts to earn enough for an extra drink. The waitresses wore black maid uniforms that covered too little while emphasizing too much, serving flirtatious looks or bending down too far near a wide eyed adventurer for an easy tip.

Ezra was shell-shocked and looked back at the title of the building, The Aromatic Gentlewomen. It seemed more like a whorehouse than an actual inn, and when has the food ever been trustworthy from such an establishment?

“What’s the big deal, go in Ezra?” With a slight jeer, Saber pushed Ezra forward into the building as he found himself making eye contact with a large hulking beast of a man.

Muscles flexing in areas Ezra didn’t know possible, and a heavily scarred tanned face, Ezra would have turned away immediately if he didn’t have to maintain his dignity in front of Ilyana and Saber.

With a sadistic smile, he sauntered over as he looked Ezra up and down like a piece of meat. His body towered over him, and Ezra knew within seconds this man could (and probably would) crush him with his bicep alone for pure enjoyment.

“Ye can look at the women all ye want, but any unwanted contact or ye start a scene and I’ll throw ye back whence ye came from.”

“Don’t worry Vince, he’s with us. He won’t try any funny business he’s a decent guy, unlike some of the people that normally come in.” Saber and Ilyana followed him inside, their presence turning the man’s scathing glare into one filled with amusement.

“Fresh talents from the Adventurer Academy, yer graduation class is most impressive this year. Try not to die too lamely and show how the academy is a waste of tax credits.” Although the message seemed angry, Vince and the duo seemed as if they were sharing banter.

As Vince moved out of the way, Ezra was shocked by how large the interior was despite the mishmash of tables in the middle forming a miniature labyrinth. The richer customers seemed to reside in posh private rooms with some of the waitresses, or in one of the booths stationed on the edges of the room.

Lanterns adorned the patterned wallpaper giving the room a low glow, and the checkered stone tiles were surprisingly clear of any dirt or grime. From the outside it looked like a regular dirty tavern, and Ezra wrongfully assumed the interior would be just as messy.

Appearances truly were deceiving.

Trying to get past the collection of tables, all varied in shape and size, proved difficult without nearly angering one of the patrons. Ezra was astounded how Saber, Ilyana, and the waitresses deftly avoided bumping and colliding into the tables. In comparison, Ezra moved with as much grace as a feral goblin.

If it weren’t for the presence of the hardened adventurers, the tavern would have had a warm, inviting atmosphere and possibly turned into a modest restaurant. Instead some of the stress and tension from the dungeon was visible on their faces, as they drunk and gambled their problems away.

If they were lucky enough to attract one of the waitresses’ attention, then another method of stress relief was a possibility.

There were guards stationed near the private rooms, the bar, and in each corner of the room. They were all just as bulky and intimidating as Vince, and the reason for their presence quickly became apparent. Any of the drunk adventurers trying to get too touchy with one of the waitresses was promptly thrown out of the establishment.

The trio sat down at a wooden round table, as a red headed waitress came by with beautifully designed menus before attending to the other patrons. After she left, a flowery perfume lingered near the table as it filled Ezra’s nostrils.

Aromatic indeed.

Opening up the menu, Ezra was shocked by the variety of meats ranging from bears, wolves, and other animals. Water, juices, and mead were listed but the majority of the people in the room seemed to prefer the alcoholic drink.

It was all moderately cheap too. The alchemist bought the kobold brain for 5 silver credits, split five ways and they each earned a silver. The most expensive thing on the menu was around 700 copper credits, leaving them with a measly 300 copper credits.

Too bad he already had to pay out of pocket to repair his leather armor. There was considerable damage on it making repairs cost 15 silver, but Saber and Ilyana managed to haggle it down to 10 silver credits.

Since Claire would have to get the same repairs on her armor, their total funds shot down to around 77 silver credits due to other purchases.

“Don’t let its appearance deceive you, the food and booze is mediocre at best. Still it’s one of the better spots in the city, as they try to appear classier than others. Despite the fact the waitresses double as prostitutes.”

Another eye opening experience that made Ezra feel more sheltered than his peers. Ilyana, Saber, and even Sonja were around their age yet they’ve experience so much more compared to himself. Everything seemed crude compared to what Ezra was used to, refreshing appetizers of fruit and drink followed by sumptuous venison and pork with freshly squeezed wine.

If a lifestyle empty of the amenities he’s grown used to was what awaited him, Ezra dreaded the forthcoming months. Although he wasn’t one of those rich snot-nosed nobles, budgeting was still a somewhat foreign concept he’d have to get used to.

Seeing as he was severely out of his league, Ezra followed Ilyana and Saber’s example, ordering a slab of beef served with crude mead. It all came together at 400 copper credits, and after thinking about future expenses Ilyana started some small talk.

“So would you care to explain your newfound abilities and class Ezra? As far as I’m aware this is a never before seen class. The Adventurer Guild will probably question you about its origins once they find out about it.”

At first Ezra was reluctant to share his secrets, but ultimately changed his mind as Saber’s previous words came to mind.

“Well the Mystic class offered me a choice of two skills when I originally obtained it. [Aura Reading] and [Soul Bolt], of which I picke-”

“Wait a minute. You were only offered two skills, and one of them happens to be [Aura Reading]? That’s a skill gained from Level 2 Fighter classes, a shame you didn’t pick it…although your choice saved our lives.” As Saber finished interrupting him, Ezra took the opportunity to ask his own questions to the young man.

“Was I supposed to get more than two choices of starter skills? You both obviously know more about this dungeon and status stuff than me. What’s the difference between levels and ranks?”

“Normally when you obtain a new class, you’re offered a choice of three basic skills in its parameters. The fact you only got two choices means you obtained a basic skill already.”

“Levels are a static baseline of overall skill, and are the best way to judge someone’s strength. For example, a Level 1 Fighter is obviously weaker than a Level 2 Warrior. Ranks on the other hand, are an indicator of the experience, both system experience and general experience, you’ve accumulated during a Level. When you’ve gained enough experience, you’ll be able to level up to another class.”

“A Fighter could still kill a Warrior though right? How about someone with the same class, but there’s a gap in their ranks?”

“Between levels it’s very hard for a lower level to kill a higher level, although not impossible, as the Warrior would have more stats, skills, and battle experience compared to the Fighter. A difference between ranks isn’t as bad, as the only deciding factor would be their skills and ingenuity.” As Saber finished his explanation, Ezra was left with more questions than answers.

How did [Soul Bolt] compare to other skills at his level? It seemed awfully effective against the shaman. Ilyana, Saber, and Sonja were more experienced than him, yet they struggled to even harm the elite monster. Ezra knocked it out with a couple blasts of [Soul Bolt] with the only downside being extreme nausea.

“What’s an Elite ranked monster and how strong are they?”

“Well first off the official Adventurer Guild created a ranking system to categorize monster strength. There are normal ranked monsters whose strength is based on the floor you’re currently on. Although there’s nothing noteworthy about them, they’re still monsters that have the ability to harm and kill you if you’re not careful.

Then there’s elite ranked monsters, typically creatures who’ve gone through some form of mutation and have become much stronger. They’re enough of a threat that it’d take a combined effort of a whole party to defeat them alone. That’s not including the fact that they can, and usually will, spawn with similar creature types. Think of them as a mini boss of sorts.

The last type are boss monsters, who spawn on every tenth floor and their purpose is to prevent us from going deeper in the Continental Dungeon. They’re extremely powerful creatures capable of wrecking parties of adventurers by themselves. When we get to the 10th floor, we’ll have to team up with other parties to even have a chance of defeating the boss. After they’re defeated powerful rewards are given based on contribution and the boss type, and we’ll be allowed to delve further into the dungeon.”

This was valuable information about the inner workings of the dungeon. As Ezra was about to continue explaining his class, a man’s furious curses brought their table’s attention.

“Fuck off you useless bastard before I snap one of those twigs you call an arm.”

A group of three men laughed and mocked an older man who stood near their table. He had shaggy brown hair, a misshapen stubble adorning his face, and wore a set of glasses clearly too small for him.

He was extremely thin and wore clothes that could nearly be considered rags. After going through another failure, the dirty man walked towards their table.

“Excuse me folks, my name is Rodney, and if you fine adventurers need someone to pick up your loot I’m your guy! For only 50 copper credits I will take care of all of your porter needs.”

With a monotone voice and bored expression, it seemed as if Rodney already expected a bad outcome. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes in response, as adventurers would usually throw their trash at him for disrupting their meals. Otherwise they would trample upon the little dignity Rodney had left.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and was shocked that the three youths in front of him viewed him with no obvious scorn or disgust. As their de facto leader, Ilyana took the lead with the conversation.

“Why are you so desperate to become a porter? 50 copper is way below the usual price…”

“I need quick credits for my family and look at me…” He gestured towards his weak frame as if it was a sufficient answer.

“Could you give us a moment, I’d like to discuss with my companions before we make a decision.”

The older man backed off, as Ilyana, Saber, and Ezra discussed the pros and cons of Rodney becoming their porter. It was a quick and easy decision, and after inviting the man back they accepted his offer. 50 copper credits was cheap pay for carrying around their loot and dead bodies, and the party saw no reason not to take advantage of his price.

After settling on a meeting time two days later as Sonja had to rest her body tomorrow, their waitress returned with their food. After looking at the food and glancing back at the patrons confirmed Ezra’s thoughts that people came more for the women than the food.

Everyone dug into their meals and although the food wasn’t that good in Ezra’s opinion, it gave him a sense of satisfaction that he survived another day to eat another meal.

“Oh that’s right, you and your sister both need to register at the Adventurer’s Guild tomorrow. They provide people like us with protection against certain legal matters that are out of our hands. Plus you can receive jobs from around the continent, in case you don’t want to enter the dungeon.”

How come Jericho didn’t inform them about this as they joined the guild? Ilyana grabbed his attention before he could continue his line of thought.

“Hey guys, we successfully completed our first dungeon run. No causalities or life threatening injuries amongst us or our friends back at the guild. I know there’s been some disagreements between us…”

Saber and Ezra both coughed as they failed to make eye contact with Ilyana.

“But let’s put that behind us. We’re teammates, and we need to act more like that from now on. Here’s to a better beginning alright you two?”

Raising her mug into the air, it became apparent what she was signaling Ezra and Saber to do. They both followed her example, and clanged cups together before taking chugs of their drinks.

Thinking it was like wine, Ezra swallowed a large amount before coughed profusely as Ilyana and Saber furiously patted his back in an attempt to relieve him. Everyone in the room seemed to laugh at his accident, chanting the name “Greenhorn” as Saber consoled him.

“Slow down there Ezra, you can’t be claiming you’re an adventurer if you can’t hold in a lil’ alcohol.”

Even Saber and Ilyana shared in the rest of the restaurant’s humor, as Ezra tried to hide his embarrassment in the depths of his mug.

After a few moments of laughing at his expense, Ilyana coughed signaling Saber to stop while asking Ezra to continue talking about this class.

“Basically I have this connection to some spiritual plane, and can see spirits although I haven’t seen one yet. My ability [Soul Bolt] seems like a nice skill, but it uses my own soul as fuel and the same could be true about any future skills. I don’t understand why I have these abilities, but if I can protect my sister…and you guys with it too, I’ll try my best.”

“After a sip of mead you finally start to care for your teammates. Who would’ve thought the Greenhorn could express himself like this…” A snide remark from Saber that normally would have riled Ezra into starting another argument only served to emphasize his next words.

“Please stop it’s a terrible nickname…You know you asked me what was keeping me in the city earlier. Before I first got my class, I gained a skill called [Spiritual Dream] that activated involuntarily. It allowed me to view this beautiful savannah filled with beautiful music and these giant tipis.”

Finishing his mug, Ezra motioned for another drink despite his burning throat. As he was distracted watching the waitress, Saber chose the pause in his monologue to interrupt his thoughts.

“Where exactly are you going with this? The skill sounds interesting but currently seems pretty useless.”

“I felt a strange connection within that dream, but abruptly woke up before anything could happen. I probably wouldn’t have gotten this skill without the help of the dungeon, and there’s an instinctual feeling that I have to return there. I don’t know how since the skill hasn’t worked ever since I obtained it, but I’ll figure it out eventually.”

“That is my other reason for staying in the Continental Dungeon, and after mulling over the rest of your words I realized I’ve treated you all terribly. From now on I, Ezra Wilmont, promise to treat Ilyana, Saber, and Sonja with the same respect as my sister, on the honor of the House of Wilmont.”

After standing up and finishing the customary noble pledge of honor, Ezra tried to finish his meal but Ilyana and Saber’s shocked expressions stopped him.

“Do you both have a question for me now?” It was impossible for him to not smirk at both of their shocked reactions.

“So you and Claire are both nobles? If you both happen to die and we are the only survivors, your family won’t try to avenge you will they?” Worry was etched on both of their faces, as Ilyana and Saber struggled to hide their expressions.

“I’ll make sure to send a letter back home during the weekend. Your lives shall face no risk at the loss of our own. I, Ezra Wilmont, promise this on the honor of the House of Wilmont.” Ezra didn’t realize how relieving it was for the both of them to hear those words.

An audible sigh escaped their lips as their previously tense bodies relaxed as the trio returned to small talk and enjoying their meal.

What they didn’t notice was the set of malicious gazes in the back of the room. After whispering to each other for a moment, their forces warped from their evil grins before quickly leaving the establishment.