The morning passed quietly.

Fern had already pulled out the latest batch of harvested vegetables, a fresh load of potatoes and tomatoes, still warm with residual mana from the soil. Rowen stacked them carefully onto the wooden shelf by the window, separating them by type and size.

"I'd like fifteen tomatoes," she said simply.

Rowen nodded, counted them out, and handed them to her in a small bag.

Lyra looked away for a second, then sighed. "I didn't want to bother you. You've been working hard on your own studies, and I figured… I could handle it."

Lyra looked away for a second, then sighed. "I didn't want to bother you. You've been working hard on your own studies, and I figured… I could handle it."

Talia's expression softened, but her voice stayed firm. "Lyra, you're my sister. I suppose to help you learn to fight in the wilderness so you can't make the mistake I did when I was younger..."

She paused, then added in a quieter tone, her eyes just a little red around the edges, "I don't want you doing everything on your own."

Lyra hesitated. She opened her mouth, then looked at the tomatoes in her sister's hand and was about to ask something when she spotted new tomatoes on the shelf.

When she came early, there were only potatoes available. She didn't know there were tomatoes too. Then she understood that someone should have bought them early because she only saw the tags of tomatoes that time.

"…You bought these tomatoes from here?" She asked slowly to her sister.

Talia gave a small nod. "I did. I found something useful here. Something that can help me improve focus for 15 mins."

Just as she was about to ask what that was,

Rowen spoke.

"I just harvested a new batch," he said from behind the counter. "Tomatoes with a focus boost effect. They're on the second shelf."

Both Lyra and her friend turned toward the shelf, eyes catching on the fresh tomatoes now labeled with simple handwritten tags.

FOCUS (10–15 min)

Talia watched Lyra quietly for a second, then said, "If you want to buy some, I can cover it. You don't have to keep stretching your own supply of mana stone."

But Lyra shook her head immediately.

"No need," she said, already pulling a few mana stones from the pouch on her belt. "The potatoes I bought earlier… they worked. I lasted longer in the field today. Took out three low-tier beasts before I even needed to rest."

Her voice was calm, but there was pride in it.

Talia raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You made that much off one trip?"

Lyra nodded. "Enough to cover this and still save some."

She glanced at her friend and added, "When I was leaving the exchange center, she spotted me. Asked how I pulled in so many cores this time, so I brought her here."

Her friend stepped forward with a small wave. "I wanted to check it out myself," she said, then smiled. "I'm Aria, by the way."

Rowen gave a small nod in return.

"She awakened as a knight," Lyra added.

She glanced at the shelf, her eyes settling on the potatoes. "I'll try those first," she said, already fishing out a single low-grade mana stone.

Rowen nodded silently and handed her three potatoes in a paper wrap.

Lyra didn't hesitate either. She pulled out two low-grade mana stones and placed them on the counter.

Rowen passed over her order, and she tucked them neatly into her side pouch, eyes already gleaming with plans.

Focus boosts meant faster spell learning. More efficient mana control when learning new techniques.

For someone aiming to break into the trainee level before the annual exams, it was a game-changer.

Behind her, Talia just watched her sister for a moment, relieved but still quietly worried.

Then she looked at Rowen and gave a small nod.

With their purchases in hand, the three of them made their way toward the door.

Then the bell above the door rang again as they stepped out, the soft click of the door closing behind them.

Fern floated above the basket, still annoyed with the name.

Rowen ignored him. "If more vegetables are mature, harvest them."

Rowen sat back behind the front desk.

After some time, Fern returned with fresh potatoes and tomatoes. Now there were more in the shop, and Fern had also planted a new batch.

Now that everything was in place, Rowen just sat there, waiting for today's first customer.

After some time, no one came. Rowen felt bored, so he took out his mobile and turned on M-Net for news.

After opening M-Net, he went to the news section.

There were too many news posts, so he filtered it to his region—Border Town.

There he saw something. The first news caught his eye, and to his surprise, it was about a newly discovered dungeon.

You know dungeons can appear anywhere—inside a city or out in the wilderness. This time, the new dungeon had appeared in the wilds. That was good news for him; it meant there would be more traffic through town.

The report said the dungeon was likely rated Level E, which meant apprentice- or trainee-level people could explore it and find something valuable. New dungeons were especially profitable since no one had taken anything from them yet.

The news also said the Federal Government would send a low-level team to explore and see what kind of dungeon it was. The appearance time was recorded as today, early—around 12:30 a.m. That was just before he had found Shade, wounded, near the alley by his shop.

He hadn't thought much about it at the time. No beast could pass the defense system of the eastern border gate, and this cat seemed harmless enough.

After some time, the shop's front bell rang, breaking the quiet.

Rowen glanced up from his seat behind the desk, stretching his shoulders a little.

It had been a slow morning, so the sound felt louder than usual.

He set his phone down, pushing the M-Net screen aside, and leaned back slightly to see who had walked in.

Fern floated a little higher, his glow brightening just a bit in curiosity.

Rowen's eyes widened in surprise.

Stepping through the door was his old friend, Calen.

He looked about the same as Rowen remembered—maybe a little sharper around the edges—but what caught Rowen's attention was the small beast trotting at his side.

It was a dog-shaped creature, lean and alert, with the look of a hound but a faint shimmer in its fur that said it wasn't just any normal animal.

Rowen gave a small grin. "Good morning."

Calen nodded back. "Good morning."

Rowen tilted his head. "Shouldn't you be in school right now? Annual examinations are coming up, aren't they?"

Calen smirked like he'd been waiting for that question. "Don't you check the news on M-Net?"

Rowen blinked, then remembered. Right—the new dungeon that had appeared in the wilderness. The one the federal reports said was E-rank and fresh, perfect for apprentice and trainee levels.

Rowen frowned. "And what's that got to do with you?"

Calen's grin widened. "Field trip. School's sending a bunch of us to check it out. Teachers say it's 'practical experience' before exams."

Calen went on, "You know, this time Westlite Academy's students are coming too."

Rowen raised an eyebrow. "Westlite Academy? Them too? That's going to make things more interesting... or complicated for lower town school students."

Calen nodded. "Yeah. They always try to show off, acting like they're better than the rest of us. But honestly, I'm more curious about what we'll find inside the dungeon."

Fern drifted closer to Rowen's shoulder, his glow dimmer now, sensing the rising tension.

Rowen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of monsters or treasures it holds. E-rank means it's not too dangerous, but still... you can't be too careless."

Calen's dog-shaped companion let out a low, alert bark, its shimmering fur flickering in the morning light.

Then, out of nowhere, Shade—the small cat that Rowen had found wounded near the alley—hopped lightly onto the counter.

The dog suddenly let out a low whimper, backing away slightly, ears flattened and tail tucked. It was clear the dog was afraid of the cat.

Calen looked embarrassed and gave a nervous laugh. "Well, this is awkward... my dog's scared of a cat."

Rowen smiled, reaching down to stroke Shade behind the ears. "Don't worry. This little one's harmless. This is the newest member of my family—Shade."

Shade flicked her tail nonchalantly, clearly used to being the boss around here.

Calen chuckled again. "Looks like Shade's running the show already."

Rowen grinned. "Seems like it."

Calen glanced back toward the door. "Anyway, if you change your mind about coming along, you know where to find us."

Rowen nodded. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

Rowen shook his head with a small laugh. "I'll pass this time. Someone's got to keep things running here."

The bell above the door jingled again as another customer entered, breaking their conversation.

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