Chapter 83 : Preparing

Chapter 83: Chapter 83 : Preparing

Tolu returned to the manor later that afternoon with a strange expression on his face.

He had expected the shop to do well.

He had not expected it to sell almost everything before noon.

Even now, the thought was difficult to believe.

They had opened the doors in the morning with shelves filled with herbs and minerals, and by the time the sun had climbed high into the sky, most of the stock was gone.

Worse—or perhaps better—depending on how he looked at it, they had received more orders than they could immediately fulfill.

Tolu entered his room and closed the door behind him. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

He stood there for a moment.

Then he slowly sat on the edge of his bed.

"That went well."

Very well.

He had money.

Real money.

And more importantly, there was demand.

If they could continue supplying the shop, the business could grow far beyond what he had initially imagined.

Tolu leaned back.

His thoughts eventually shifted toward the dungeon.

He needed to speak with the Dungeon Heart.

He needed to discuss the next harvest.

Especially now that the shop had proven that the herbs and minerals could actually be sold.

He closed his eyes and focused.

"Dungeon Heart."

The familiar feminine voice answered inside his mind.

"Yes, my Lord?"

Before Tolu could respond, his bedroom door opened.

He immediately opened his eyes.

Folami walked inside.

Tolu sat upright.

"Folami?"

Folami closed the door behind him.

"We need to talk."

Tolu immediately became cautious.

"About what?"

"Your stock."

Tolu’s expression remained still.

"What about it?"

Folami walked farther into the room.

"You need to show me where you’re getting it."

Tolu stared at him.

"I told you."

"You haven’t."

"I have a farm."

Folami stopped.

"A farm?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Outside the city."

Folami looked at him.

Tolu maintained a straight face.

"I’ve been growing the herbs there."

Folami continued staring.

Tolu lasted several seconds before adding.

"Some of them."

Folami’s expression didn’t change.

"You haven’t left the manor in days."

Tolu’s face went blank.

Folami folded his arms.

"You’ve been training here, going to the shop, returning here, and occasionally disappearing into your room."

Tolu looked away.

"I could have gone out secretly."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I would have noticed."

Tolu sighed.

He knew he wasn’t getting out of this.

Folami had already figured out that something was wrong.

"Fine."

Folami waited.

Tolu looked toward the floor.

"You’re not going to believe me."

"Try me."

Tolu took a breath.

Then he told him everything.

He started with the day he and Ore discovered the cave.

How the tremors had led them to the hidden entrance.

How the ring had reacted to the strange stone.

How they had entered the dungeon.

How the crystal had spoken.

How he had been chosen.

He told him about the Dungeon Heart.

The dungeon.

The creatures.

The herbs.

The ores.

The first dungeon war.

The creatures that had fought and died.

The victory.

The growth of the dungeon.

The strange connection between his cultivation and the dungeon’s levels.

He didn’t leave anything out.

Folami listened without interrupting.

At first, his expression was skeptical.

Then curious.

Then increasingly serious.

When Tolu finished, Folami remained silent for several moments.

"So you’re telling me you’re a Dungeon Lord."

"Yes."

"And you’ve had an entire dungeon beneath the city this whole time."

"Yes, but it’s more like in an independent space."

"And the herbs and ore we’ve been selling..."

"Come from there."

Folami rubbed his chin.

"Interesting."

Tolu stared at him.

"That’s all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don’t know."

Folami gave a small shrug.

"You’ve already told me."

Tolu sighed.

"The dungeon is currently Level Two."

Folami’s expression sharpened.

"Level Two?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

Tolu explained the relationship between his cultivation and the dungeon.

Novice.

Level One.

Adept.

Level Two.

He explained that reaching Adept had allowed him to teleport directly into the dungeon.

Folami immediately caught onto something.

"You can teleport there?"

"Yes."

"From anywhere?"

"Not exactly."

Tolu explained the conditions.

Folami thought about it.

"Can you take someone with you?"

Tolu paused.

"I don’t know."

He closed his eyes.

"Dungeon Heart."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Can I bring someone with me when I teleport into the dungeon?"

There was a brief pause.

"You can."

Tolu opened his eyes.

"Really?"

"As long as the person is in contact with you during the teleportation."

Tolu looked at Folami.

"It will require more dungeon energy than transporting you alone."

Tolu repeated the answer.

Folami nodded.

"Good."

He stepped closer.

"Show me."

Tolu hesitated.

Then he nodded.

"All right."

Folami placed a hand firmly on Tolu’s shoulder.

"Ready?"

Tolu focused on the connection.

The world around them suddenly seemed to blur.

For a brief instant, Tolu felt the familiar sensation of his body being pulled through space.

Then—

They arrived.

The difference was immediate.

The air felt different.

The ground beneath their feet was rich with dungeon energy.

The surrounding earth was healthier than the soil outside.

Plants grew naturally across sections of the dungeon, their leaves carrying subtle traces of energy.

The space itself felt alive.

Folami slowly looked around.

He didn’t speak.

Tolu watched his reaction.

"Welcome to my dungeon."

Folami looked at him.

"This is a Level Two dungeon?"

"Yes."

Folami walked forward.

He crouched and touched the soil.

He picked up a small stone.

He examined the plants growing nearby.

Then he stood.

"This is more valuable than I expected."

Tolu nodded.

"The dungeon is still small."

"But it can produce resources."

"Yes."

"And you said the dungeon has already fought another dungeon?"

Tolu nodded.

"The first war happened when it was weaker."

He explained how the dungeon war worked.

Two dungeon forces.

Two Dungeon Lords.

Their creatures fighting.

The winning dungeon taking the spoils of victory.

He explained that dungeon wars could result in more energy, territory, resources, and opportunities for growth.

Folami listened carefully.

"So if you win another war..."

"We get more resources."

"Which means more herbs."

"Yes."

"And more minerals."

"Yes."

Folami looked toward Tolu.

"Which means more stock for the shop."

Tolu nodded.

Folami was quiet for a moment.

Then he asked,

"Can I assist you in the war?"

Tolu blinked.

"You?"

"Yes."

Tolu looked toward the dungeon.

Then back at Folami.

He had not expected the question.

He turned toward the Dungeon Heart.

"Dungeon Heart, can Folami participate in the dungeon war?"

"Yes."

Tolu relayed the answer.

Folami nodded.

"Good."

He thought for another moment.

"How many dungeon wars can we initiate?"

The Heart answered.

"As many as you wish."

Tolu’s eyebrows rose.

He repeated it.

Folami’s expression became interested.

"As many as we want?"

"Yes."

Folami continued.

"How quickly can we initiate another one?"

"A few days."

Tolu looked at him.

Folami’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And what levels?"

Tolu asked.

The Dungeon Heart answered.

"At your current level, you can initiate wars against other Level Two dungeons."

Tolu relayed the answer.

Folami nodded slowly.

"Level Two."

He looked around the dungeon again.

His expression was thoughtful.

"If winning a war gives the dungeon more energy and resources..."

His eyes shifted toward Tolu.

"And those resources can be turned into goods."

Tolu understood what he was thinking.

"The shop."

"Exactly."

Folami looked toward the dungeon’s natural growth.

"This changes things."

Tolu nodded.

Folami looked at him.

"How soon can we fight?"

"A few days."

"Then we prepare."

He looked toward the dungeon.

"Dungeon Heart."

The voice answered.

"Yes?"

"When it is time, notify Tolu."

"Understood."

Folami placed his hand on Tolu’s shoulder again.

"We’ll be back."

Tolu nodded.

The dungeon vanished around them.

A moment later, the two stood inside Tolu’s bedroom once again.

Folami removed his hand from Tolu’s shoulder.

Neither spoke immediately.

Tolu looked at him.

Folami looked toward the closed door.

Then he smiled faintly.

"We have a business to supply."

Tolu stared at him.

He couldn’t help but smile.

For the first time, the dungeon and the shop no longer felt like two separate things.

They were connected.

And if Folami was right, the more powerful the dungeon became, the more powerful their business could become as well.

.....

The next few days were hell.

Not because Folami was cruel.

That would have been easier.

Cruelty could be hated.

Folami was simply relentless.

Every morning, Tolu would enter the training grounds with his war hammer resting against his shoulder.

Every morning, Folami would already be waiting.

"Come."

That was usually all he said.

And then the beating would begin.

On the first day, Tolu attacked immediately.

His hammer swept toward Folami’s ribs with enough force to make the air crack.

Folami stepped back.

The hammer missed by barely an inch.

Tolu twisted his body and brought it down from above.

Folami sidestepped again.

The hammer struck the ground.

BOOM!

Dust jumped from the earth.

Before Tolu could recover, Folami’s foot struck his stomach.

Tolu flew backward and rolled several times before stopping.

He coughed.

"Again."

Tolu gritted his teeth.

He got up.

On the second exchange, he lasted longer.

On the third, longer still.

But he still ended the morning lying on his back.

By evening, his arms were trembling.

His ribs were bruised.

There was a swollen spot above his eyebrow.

Folami looked down at him.

"You’re relying too much on the hammer."

Tolu stared upward.

"It’s a hammer."

"That’s not an excuse."

Folami extended a hand.

Tolu grabbed it and stood.

"Tomorrow, use your body."

---

The next morning was worse.

Tolu stopped treating the hammer as something he swung only with his arms.

He stepped into his attacks.

His hips rotated.

His shoulders followed.

His entire body moved with every strike.

The difference was immediate.

The first time he brought the hammer around, Folami actually blocked it with his dagger.

The impact forced Folami’s arm slightly downward.

Tolu’s eyes widened.

Folami smiled.

"Better."

Tolu attacked again.

Left.

Right.

Overhead.

A sweeping strike toward the legs.

Folami moved between them with maddening precision.

Tolu changed direction.

The hammer came around again.

Folami ducked.

Tolu immediately reversed the swing.

This time, Folami jumped backward.

Tolu’s eyes lit up.

He was learning.

Then Folami disappeared from his vision.

A fist struck his chest.

Tolu stumbled backward.

A second strike hit his shoulder.

Then his thigh.

He dropped to one knee.

"Don’t celebrate because you touched me."