The First Legendary Beast Master

Karl's group retreated to their room before dinner, in order to make plans for the upcoming days.

"Do we have enough local money to get by? I know Karl said he had made and sold some items today." Tessa asked, ever the practical one.

Karl nodded. "Yeah, I've got about a thousand Gold coins left. If we keep spending like this, I might have to make more rings soon, but now that Rae has cleared out a designer shop, our basic costs even staying at the Laughing Dragon would take years to go through that.

But I suspect that sitting around all day is going to get boring quickly.

We could also check out the Dungeon, and see if it helps our power levels grow.

I have some hope that if we keep practising, one or more of the beasts will be able to activate an Overlord Rank skill long before they have grown to advancement. The extra combat power or defensive abilities would put us in a good spot."

All four women nodded, and Tessa spoke for them. "That's what we were thinking. The way that the locals speak of it, being in the dungeon helps you grow faster. It might only be true for Demons, but the Dungeons are System relics. So, logically, it should help everyone with a fully active System grow as well.

I know that Thor loves his job, but we would rest easier if we didn't actually need his protection most of the time. We would still gladly accept it, but it would be best if it were just an extra layer of safety."

Then Lotus smirked. "Plus, who knows what the Dungeon might give us? It's like a random treasure box."
Enjoy new adventures from empire

Cara wholeheartedly approved of that idea.

The smell of fresh bread wafted up to their room from the kitchen below them, and they all headed down to get some additional information, though they weren't particularly hungry after loading up on cake at lunch.

There was a younger lot of sailors in the tavern tonight, along with quite a few soldiers, but none of the old guards who had been cycled off-duty.

Karl took them to a table along the back wall, away from any chaos that might happen, but with sailors and soldiers all around them.

"Oh, it's the new arrivals. Have you ladies had a chance to see the city yet?" One of the guards asked.

"We went to the boardwalk and did some shopping today. We were thinking about trying the dungeon tomorrow. Anything we should know?" Ophelia replied with a toothy grin.

The burly demon smiled back at her. "Well, it's a water realm Dungeon, so everything is swampy. The dungeon is full of Ogres, though. Kind of a strange setup, but at least the running water makes them smell a bit better than usual.

There is a five-gold coin per group exit fee. The last lot charged it on the way in, but we found that it's much easier to charge it on the way out. At least on the way out, they'll be guaranteed to have money, and nobody can accuse us of robbing a dead man."

A tall blonde man that almost looked human, except for his eyes, whose eyelids operated in the wrong direction, nodded in agreement.

"It's a five-person run, and you can go in every day if you're feeling spicy. I don't think anyone really does, except that one group of adventurers from Drurkor, and they're trying to save money to buy a farm.

If you clear everything, it usually nets you about three gold a member, plus loot, so the fee is only a third of the average income, and even if you skip half the mobs to go for the boss drops, you'll still at least break even."

Ophelia nodded in understanding. "Then it should be good for us. With two clerics and plenty of combat power, it should keep our bar tab funded."

The guard laughed. "Now, you make it sound so easy. The bosses are all Monarchs, and they're no pushovers. Not heavy on the magic, but Ogre Lords can be pretty nasty even without the Dungeon making them unreasonably durable."

Karl motioned for Beth to bring a round of drinks to the guards in exchange for the useful information, right before one of the other guards chimed in with a bit of interesting information.

"We got a lot luckier than those poor bastards in Bara, the Capital of Nabibun. We stopped there on the way back from the Northern Island, and they got themselves an Overlord Ranked dungeon that's nothing but bloody spiders and Dark Elves. The whole bloody place is cursed, I swear."

One of the sailors began to laugh and nod in agreement. "And in a city full of Dwarves, no less. I swear they'd brick over the entrance if it wouldn't start a riot."

They were sitting and drinking, waiting for dinner, when an Overlord in a Guard uniform strutted in, looking excessively proud of himself.

"Hey boys, look what I found at the Royal Jeweller." He called, holding out his hand with a very familiar looking ring on it.

"Got yourself Married? Congratulations. Was it old man Magos, or his sister?" One of the guardsmen teased.

"I'm not married, you idiot. They got a whole batch of Royal Rank strength rings in today, and I got my hands on one before they sold out.

Now, it took a fistfight and twice the asking price, but look at this, thirty percent strength increase on top of my base." He boasted.

All the ladies looked at the bracelets on their wrists, then turned to look at Karl, who was trying not to laugh.

The guards whistled in appreciation.

"Now that's a good strength ring. Is it on your personal base, or on the Royal Rank base?" One asked.

"Mine personally. I checked it once I bought it. With the increased base strength Warriors get, this thing is no joke by the time you get to Overlord Rank." The Captain confirmed.

The Jeweller might require some sweet-talking next time Karl came in to make a sale. After this round caused fist fights in his store between Overlords, there was no telling how he would react to a Monarch Ranked item or two.