Rayven's stomach growled after a few moments.

"Ahhh. I guess that made me hungry…" He muttered with a tired chuckle.

Rayven stretched his arms as he felt a bit sore in his muscles before he finally decided to leave the dueling arena.

It was almost sunset as he got out of the Adventurer's Guild.

The market outside was lively. Since it was already time for dinner, he could already hear many sizzling pans, fragrant spices, and hawkers yelling their daily specials.

He stopped in front of a small wooden eatery near two larger inns. The sign was faded, the stools were uneven, and the menu board was hand-painted in rough chalk.

It doesn't look the nicest eatery around the area.

But the scent drifting from inside had savory broth and grilled meat. It was irresistible.

"Perfect…" Rayven murmured and walked in.

The place wasn't crowded. A few adventurers were eating stew while chatting loudly about bounties they had and the situation within the 17th Dungeon...

Behind the counter, a middle-aged woman wiped her hands on her apron and looked up as Rayven entered.

She glanced at his mage robe and the wooden staff strapped to his back.

"A mage, huh? Rare to see one here…" she said with a friendly smile. "What'll it be, young mage?"

"Uh… just the daily meal…" Rayven said, taking a seat near the corner window.

Well, there were only three types of food being served here anyway.

"And a cup of warm tea, please."

"Coming right up."

She didn't question his modest order, but her glance lingered on his plain coin pouch when he placed it on the table. Mages were supposed to dine at high-end inns or drink imported wine, not settle for stew and rice in a small corner shop.

Still, she shrugged and served him the food a few minutes later.

A simple bowl of pork stew, some sautéed greens, and soft bread.

Soon, steam rose from the bowl, carrying the smell of ginger and garlic.

Rayven liked this taste. He would always come here not wearing his Mage Robe and Staff, so he wasn't surprised that no one recognized him.

Rayven picked up his spoon and took a sip.

The flavor was strong, earthy, and just a little bit salty, but to him, it was heavenly.

After all, it had been days since he last ate a proper hot meal.

'I ate too many sandwiches these days.' Rayven muttered as he recalled how he tried so many flavors of Mayonnaise.

He ate slowly, savoring every bite… But at this point, everyone already realized that a Mage was dining with them.

"Hey, isn't that robe and staff for an Initiate Mage?" whispered by a man wearing a miner's vest.

"Yeah… I've seen it before. That's the standard robe of a Mage Initiate. He's not wearing a family crest though."

"Probably one of those self-funded mages," another said, while lowering his voice.

"Still… they say even the cheapest mana crystal they use costs more than a week's pay. And he's here eating a sixty-copper meal?"

They chuckled softly, trying to be discreet.

Rayven, of course, heard all of it.

He didn't mind. If anything, it amused him.

"I should hurry up…" he muttered under his breath, dipping the bread into the stew.

Still, the chatter in the small eatery gradually shifted to a different topic.

The miners, porters, and mercenary helpers started gossiping about the situation in the Dungeon.

"Did you hear?" one of the miners started.

"The Arcanum Circle's group finally defeated the first dungeon boss yesterday. However, the next path was blocked by some kind of magic… It took them half a day and five mages to open it."

A younger porter nodded as he also heard of this. "I heard it was sealed with layered arrays… even one mistake and the whole passage could've collapsed. I'm ready to run that the moment I feel anything unusual at that time."

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you've got royal mages lurking around…"

A few chuckled as he had a deeper meaning in that..

"What about the Magicblade Order? I saw their camp when I delivered the supplies this morning. You wouldn't believe how disciplined they are, every knight in perfect formation. Their Captain's the one they call Sir Fred the Ironflame. Heard he's a Master Swordsman."

"That's the one who split a large golem in half in just one move, right?"

"The very same. The man's a monster."

"They're saying the Alchemist Association found a fragment of the dungeon's heart crystal… It shouldn't be that long before the exploration finds the true Dungeon Core." Another porter said casually.

"Still, there's a lot of precious materials inside. That's why so many miners from the east came over."

The older miner grunted. "Hmph. They can keep their shiny stones. I heard three porters died yesterday when a corridor flooded with miasma. It's not a dungeon, it's a grave waiting to swallow weak people like us."

That silenced the group for a moment.

Then, one of the younger men who looked like a porter spoke again. This time, he lowered his voice, careful of his words.

"You know who's arriving tomorrow? The Crown Prince's Chosen Unit… I heard they're also planning to recruit porters aside from local mages and swordsmen… I hope they'll pay us well."

That immediately drew everyone's attention. Even Rayven subtly paused mid-bite.

"No way. The royal family's really sending them here?"

"Yup. They're escorting someone important from the capital. Word is, the Crown Prince wants something within the dungeon. They wanted it secured before any other faction got their hands on it. The Arcanum Circle might've opened the dungeon deeper, but once the royal banner shows up, everyone has to step aside."

"Tch. Figures… Still, I heard the Crown Prince's mage is someone terrifying. He used to study under one of the Eight Archmages."

"Once they fully take over the dungeon, the guild will probably lose all authority around the 17th Dungeon. No more free contracts. No more share system. Everything'll go through the royals or their minions."

"Eh, that's fine by me… As long as they pay us by the day, I don't care who signs the contract." The old miner said.

Laughter followed after he said this.

Rayven, on the other hand, just quietly sipped his tea, listening to every word.

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