A few hours later, the sky above the forest clearing had already turned a soft orange, streaked with gold as the sun dipped behind the mountain ridges. The faint trail of smoke from our campfire curled lazily into the wind, carrying with it the mouthwatering scent of grilled hotdogs.
We'd just cleared a goblin-infested dungeon—third floor, mid-tier, nothing too nasty—but the real reward had been the cluster of glowing magic stones we pulled from the goblins' stash room. It was dusty, cramped, and smelt like rotten cheese... but worth every step.
Kael slumped down onto a log beside me, wiping green goo off his blade. "Goblins, man. Every time I think they can't get uglier, they prove me wrong."
Felix laughed, dropping a small satchel filled with stones onto the ground. "At least they drop loot. Look at this haul. Seventy-seven mid-grade magic stones and three pure cores. We should hit dungeons more often."
Karl, who'd just set down his mana rifle beside a stump, flopped onto the grass. "I'm just glad none of those little creeps tried to nibble my boots this time."
"Hotdogs are almost ready," I called, flipping the skewers over the open fire. "And I brought mamons too—fresh batch from the bakery this morning."
"Butler Raymond," I nodded toward the dapper man who, despite the dungeon dust on his coat, still looked as if he'd stepped from a ballroom, "could you help me brew the coffee? The dwarfin press is in my backpack."
"Of course, my lord," Raymond replied with a smile, "Can I, um, take something from your backpack, my lord?" Raymond asked, knowing that my backpack was a magical, high-grade relic.
"Yes," I replied, "As long as I gave permission, you can access it."
He nodded and already unpacked the portable kettle and enchanted press from my magical backpack. "There's nothing like a good brew after a bit of goblin slaughtering."
He set the pot over a smaller flame, adding roasted beans I'd purchased from a coastal trader last week. The rich scent of dark roast soon blended with the sizzling aroma of hotdogs.
"You know," Kael said, leaning back and stretching with a groan, "I never imagined dungeon diving would lead to such... refined camping meals."
Felix elbowed him. "That's because you never had a commander who brings his own bakery goods and coffee beans."
I grinned and handed each of them a skewer stacked with grilled hotdogs, caramelised on the edges and dripping with sweet-savoury glaze. "Don't forget the mustard and ketchup packets. Imported from my homeland, highly prized."
Karl bit into one and groaned. "By the gods... You should open a diner, Dirk. Not even joking."
"Already have one in mind," I chuckled. "Just need to finish expanding the north district."
Raymond handed out steaming mugs of coffee, and the circle fell into a warm, satisfied silence for a moment—just the crackle of fire and occasional sips.
"You know," Felix said thoughtfully, his mug halfway to his lips, "we could make this a weekly thing. Hit a dungeon, haul back magic stones, eat like kings."
Kael raised his cup. "To dungeon raids and hotdogs."
We all laughed and toasted, the clinking of ceramic and tin echoing through the quiet clearing.
I leaned back, gazing up at the dusky sky. These moments—simple, warm, full of life—they were the reason I fought to build this town. To protect this peace. Not just for me—but for them too.
"We'll go back in a few days," I said. "Once the new team rotation is trained up. We'll need more magic stones once the west tower expansion begins anyway."
Karl grinned. "Just as long as I don't get paired with Felix again. He talks more than the goblins."
"I do not!"
"You absolutely do," Kael and Raymond chimed in together.
The fire crackled louder as laughter echoed under the fading sky, and for a little while, it felt like the world beyond the trees—demons, politics, and prophecies—was a thousand miles away. Then I heard another ding.
System Notification:
Dungeon Discovery!
Name: Heartstone Cavern
Difficulty: Medium-High
Current Status: Cleared (First Floor)
Reward: +200 Reputation, +5000 Gold Equivalent Resources, Heartstone Crafting Blueprint unlocked!
🧿 New Crafting Option Unlocked:
Heartstone Amulets (Rare Tier)
Mana-Reinforced Arrows
Magical Weapon Enhancement (Prototype Level)
By the time we made it back to town, the sun had already set behind the mountain. The main gate guards recognised us immediately and saluted as we rolled through in one of the mana-fuelled transport carts—our haul of goblin magic stones secured in reinforced crates.
I stretched my arms, bones popping from hours of riding. "Let's bring these straight to the workshop vault," I told Kael and Felix. "We'll have the engineers assess them tomorrow."
"But first," Raymond added, brushing dirt off his coat, "might I suggest a warm bath? My back hasn't forgiven me for ducking into that slime-infested tunnel."
We all laughed.
Inside the manor's war room the next morning, we laid out the glowing stones across the long table. The workshop foreman, a broad-shouldered dwarf named Garan, studied them with wide eyes.
"These are mid-grade with minor impurities," Garan muttered, running a tool over one. "But strong—strong enough to power the barrier array for another month. And these three pure cores—by the Forge, you could boost the tower cannons with these!"
Kael leaned over, arms crossed. "Let's focus on the defence grid first. Monsters have been sighted closer to the southern woods. I don't want to take chances."
"I agree," I said, pointing at the blueprint map on the wall. "Divert some stones to the eastern wall's mana anchors. We'll enchant the barrier with shock pulses. Anything that touches it gets zapped."
Felix tapped the map thoughtfully. "We could also use the lesser stones to power the streetlights. Some of the new districts still run dark at night."
Karl entered with fresh coffee and a copy of the construction schedule. "The engineers from Dwarfin Hold are asking if we're ready for the tower capacitor upgrade. If you say yes, they'll begin forging new conduits today."
I nodded. "Tell them to proceed. With these stones, we can not only hold the walls—we can extend the town's magical pulse another kilometre out. That'll give our scouts early detection if anything breaches the forest line."
Garan looked up from his analysis. "And the magic stone residue? Want me to refine it into dust for enchantments?"
I grinned. "Exactly. Save the dust. I want to start reinforcing armour for the town guard. It's time we took enchantments to the next level."
Felix crossed his arms, clearly satisfied. "Hard to believe we were roasting hotdogs in the woods a day ago. Now we're planning a defensive overhaul like seasoned war generals."
Kael smirked. "Well, the hotdogs helped."
Raymond returned, holding a scroll. "Also, my lord, there's a request from the weavers' guild. They'd like to experiment with minor mana infusion to create self-repairing cloaks. They need just one pure shard for testing."
"Granted," I said, smiling. "Let's start encouraging innovation. If we can make our people safer and more efficient, the town thrives."
As the others filed out to oversee their respective duties, I remained behind, staring at the softly glowing cores. Each one was a beacon of potential—not just raw power, but a promise of progress.
Later that night at the manor, Miss Agnes, Ella and Elvie were ecstatic when we explained what happened in the dungeon and that we took dozens of magic stones.
"We can sell enchanted gear!" Miss Agnes exclaimed, already dreaming up shopfront banners.
Elvie smirked.
"Or arm our men better than any noble for miles."
Felix grunted in agreement, sipping a heavy mug of beer I bought from the system as their rewards.
"We'll need stronger defenses if word about this gets out."
I agreed silently, already planning the next moves. Then I halted when I heard a new ding.
New Quests Available:
"Heartstone Legacy"
Set up a Heartstone Refinery Workshop (0/1)
Equip your Guardians with Heartstone Gear (0/50)
Defend the Cavern Entrance (Pending Threats)
Bonus Quest:
"Dungeon Dive Deeper?"
Unlock deeper floors of Heartstone Cavern
Reward: ??? (Hidden Legendary Blueprint)
The Divine Garden had blessed us.
But now it has also given us a dungeon filled with ancient power...
And who knew what else slept deeper within?