The knight was named Alric—a disciplined and proud warrior who carried himself with a quiet authority. Though only at the adept level, his noble lineage and polished skills made him a respected figure within Westlite Academy. He had a reputation for strict training and high expectations.

Lyra's group moved cautiously, weapons ready, but there was no sign of danger. Fifteen minutes passed, and still, they hadn't encountered a single monster.

"This is… strange," Calen muttered, scanning the dense foliage. "Usually, you can tell what kind of monsters you'll face by the dungeon's environment. But this one feels… mixed."

Just as they began to wonder if the place was empty, movement flickered at the edge of their vision. Out from between the trees stepped a small pack of sleek, catlike monsters. Their fur glistened faintly with a greenish sheen, and their eyes shone bright yellow in the filtered light.

Behavioral Note: Pack hunters typically patrol small territories.

"Felines," Lyra murmured, reading the display. "Low on the hierarchy. Barely more dangerous than wild dogs—if you're prepared."

The pack suddenly froze, ears twitching. Their heads snapped toward the group, pupils narrowing to sharp slits.

A low growl rippled through the air. One of the larger felines arched its back, tail lashing as its fur bristled.

"They've noticed us," Lyra muttered, lowering into a defensive stance.

Without warning, the first beast lunged toward the group. The rest followed, moving in a coordinated rush, their movements quick and predatory.

Calen nudged his canine beast forward.

"Go!" he commanded. The hound-like creature bolted ahead, its claws digging into the soft earth as it met the charging felines head-on.

Aria drew her sword with a sharp shing, planting her feet. Her stance wasn't flawless, but her grip was steady—enough to hold off an opponent at her level.

Lyra's hands moved quickly, weaving basic runes into the air. A small flame flickered into existence at her fingertips, growing just enough to form a fireball the size of her palm—hardly a devastating spell, but enough to burn fur and flesh if it hit.

The pack didn't hesitate. Three of the cat-like monsters fanned out, trying to circle them, while the largest pounced straight for Calen's beast. The two animals collided in a blur of fur and teeth, snarls echoing through the greenery.

Aria stepped forward, steel clashing against the claws of an incoming feline, sparks flying as she barely deflected its swipe. Lyra gritted her teeth, her spell building as she searched for a clear shot.

The fight dragged on longer than any of them expected.

Calen's beast lunged, clamping its jaws around the largest feline's throat, twisting until a sharp crack ended its thrashing.

Aria's blade flashed, carving a deep gash through another attacker's side. The monster staggered, tried to pounce again, and was met with a finishing thrust to the chest.

Lyra's fireball slammed into the smallest of the pack, the heat scorching fur and flesh alike until it collapsed in the dirt, unmoving.

One by one, the rest fell under their combined assault.

When the last creature hit the ground, the clearing was silent but for the three of them, panting and spattered with blood.

After some time of struggling, they managed to kill the first group of monsters. When the bodies settled, they collected the monster cores—low-grade ones, but still worth something. This time, they got three in total.

Wanting to recover quickly, they brought out potatoes from their supplies and started cooking a simple meal. The rich, earthy aroma filled the air as they ate. The vegetables worked fast, restoring their mana and easing their fatigue. Calen, after finishing his portion, was surprised at how effective it was. He couldn't help but think the price Rowen charged for potatoes and tomatoes was completely worth it.

Once they had rested, they pressed deeper into the forest section of the dungeon, hunting more of the cat-like monsters. By the time they were done, their stock of potatoes was empty. With no more supplies to restore their mana, the group decided it was best to leave.

Exiting the dungeon, they made their way to the exchange post.

After leaving the dungeon, their group headed toward the exchange post. They ran into a few fellow students along the way, all carrying their own monster cores.

Inside, the place was crowded. Many students had gathered—some waiting to exchange their loot, others just wanting to see which group had a good harvest.

Calen's group moved toward the counter where monster cores could be traded for mana stones. When their turn came, Lyra stepped forward and set a cloth bag on the table.

The clerk untied it, and a small pile of round, faintly glowing monster cores rolled out. "Fifteen cores," the clerk said after counting.

A small ripple of talk ran through the crowd.

One boy muttered to his friend, "How's that even possible? Even with five people in our team, we only got three cores."

From the other side of the room, a student wearing the Westlight Academy emblem scoffed, "What, a low-level school can kill that many monsters? How is that even possible?"

Another added in disbelief, "Yeah… even with expensive mana recovery potions, we can only hunt six or seven monsters at most."

Even Clark, the clerk at the counter, looked stunned. This was the highest number of monster cores he had received from students all day.

Clark then took out the total of 30 low-grade mana stones and gave them to Lyra's group.

(1 low-grade monster core = 2 low-grade mana stone)

As Rowen finished counting—twenty low-grade mana stones in total. He slid them into the wooden drawer beneath the counter, a small satisfied smile tugging at his lips.

From the counter, Rowen glanced up at them without a word at the A small group of students stepped inside the shop, their eyes darting around the cramped shop. Curiosity was written all over their faces. They exchanged hushed whispers, clearly trying to piece together why Darian's group had come here in the first place.

Shade, who had been lounging lazily on the shelf, lifted her head at the sound. The black cat's tail flicked, and she gave a low, questioning meow, as if noticing the unfamiliar scent of newcomers.

The students huddled together near the entrance, their voices low but excited.

"...That was definitely Darian and Lyra buying something just now."

"And Aria too. If they're spending here, it has to be worth it."

"But… vegetables? With effects written on tags? Focus boost… mana recovery… I've never even heard of that."

One of them glanced at Rowen behind the counter. He was calmly closing the drawer after tucking away the mana stones, his expression as steady as always.

"...It's Rowen. He's not the type to scam people." "Yeah. If anything, he was always too straightforward back in class."

Their hesitation began to fade. If Darian trusted this shop enough to trade mana stones, and Rowen was the one running it, then there had to be something real behind it.

And if it was real—then they had just stumbled onto a secret far bigger than they expected. Potions with similar effects cost ten times as much, well beyond what most of them could afford. But here… these strange tomatoes and potatoes were priced at a level even lower-town students could scrape together.

"…If this is true, then we can finally afford recovery and focus items for ourselves." "Yeah. This… this could change how we train."

They finally stepped closer to the counter, their curiosity turning into resolve.

They exchanged one last look before one of them cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Uh… Rowen," he began, a little awkward. "Those prices on the tags… are they real?"

Rowen glanced up from behind the counter, his hand still resting on the wooden drawer he had just shut. "Yes. What's written there is correct."

The group shifted uneasily. None of them had ever seen him lie, and he didn't look nervous now either.

Another student piped up, his eyes flicking between the baskets. "So… you're saying one of these tomatoes can actually help with mana recovery?

Rowen gave a small nod. "That's right. Their effects are no weaker than the recovery or focus potions you're used to. Sometimes… even better. The difference is that they're natural, not brewed like potions."

The students froze, wide-eyed. That kind of claim would have sounded ridiculous from anyone else—but this was Rowen. He was too straightforward to make up something like that.

"…You're serious?" one whispered.

Rowen only looked back at them calmly.

Their doubt cracked into excitement. Potions cost more than most of them could ever afford, yet here in front of them sat baskets of cheap vegetables with the same effects.

"…Then we'll buy," one finally said, almost breathless.

Rowen waited silently as the three students dug into their pouches. After a bit of hesitation, one of them placed three faintly glowing stones on the counter.

"Two for potatoes, one for tomatoes," the boy said firmly, trying to sound confident even though his hand trembled slightly.

Rowen glanced at the stones, then at the group. Their clothes were plain, and from the way they

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