After a restless night filled with excitement over his new skills and possibilities, Twig woke up early alongside his friends.
With his increased attributes and skills, his health and metabolism were now working much more efficiently, meaning he didn't need as many hours of sleep. When he got up, he already felt completely restored — just like the others.
A quick sneak to their little hideout for a secret breakfast, followed by a casual walk to their morning chores — all to avoid suspicion from Saul. That was their new routine now: wake up, eat in secret, finish chores to not raise attention, and, whenever possible, escape to the forest to enter the dungeons and continue their grind and leveling.
By early afternoon, they arrived at the forest.
Aron and Jenny, already familiar with the process, each grabbed one of Twig's hands. He closed his eyes and contacted the Kafra assistantto request teleportation.
This time, however, he was caught off guard.
"Young master, unfortunately, there aren't enough coupons. You only have two, and teleporting all of you for free requires three."
"Aw, great… that's going to hurt my wallet," Twig thought. "How much will the missing teleport cost?"
"Well, young master, that depends. Now that you've reached level 10, you've unlocked the Level 10–15 Dungeon. This one costs 500 zeny for the trip there and 500 zeny to return. Unlike the Forgotten Cave (Lv. 5–10), this new dungeon contains stronger monsters and better rewards — hence the higher price."
Twig rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Wow… 500 to go and another 1,500 to come back... that's around 2,000 zeny total. But maybe this higher-level dungeon will bring better rewards. I just hope my friends don't get hurt. No, it's fine. It's worth the investment — good for scouting ahead. And they're not alone; I'll be with them."
Before confirming the teleport, Twig called his friends and explained the situation, asking if they were afraid or ready to face a more dangerous dungeon.
Aron didn't hesitate for a second.
"Let's go! The stronger the enemies, the stronger we'll become — that's how it works, right?"
Jenny, a little worried but still confident, nodded in agreement.
After using the last two coupons and paying the remaining cost in zeny, the three were engulfed by the familiar bright light that carried them into the dungeons — vanishing from the forest in an instant.
When they opened their eyes again, they realized this was no cave. The scene before them was entirely different — a desert.
The sand blew higher than their heads, and visibility barely reached five meters ahead. If not for the Kafra standing nearby, they might've thought they were hallucinating.
"Aliane! What dungeon is this? This isn't a dungeon — it's a desert!" said Twig, shocked.
His two friends looked equally lost. They'd never seen a desert before — well, they knew what one was, but they'd never imagined they'd actually set foot in one.
"Hey… did we end up in Dorne? That's insane! I didn't know we could travel to other parts of Westeros!" said Aron, amazed.
Before anyone could speak further, Aliane, the Kafra employee, calmly replied:
"Young masters, this is the Cruel Desert, the next dungeon you will face. And no, this is not Dorne. This desert stretches endlessly. Beware of the creatures that inhabit it — they are extremely powerful. Merciless enemies await you."
A chill ran down their spines.
"Are there any new items available in the shop, Aliane?" asked Twig.
"Yes, young master. With this new dungeon, additional items have been unlocked. Would you like to view the list?"
"Yes, please. What's available?"
Aliane projected a shimmering menu in front of them:
LVL 5–10 STORE
• Basic Red Potion – 25 Zeny
• Sword [3] – 150 Zeny
• Adventurer Suit – 250 Zeny
• Green Herb – 250 Zeny
LVL 10–15 STORE
• Red Potion – 50 Zeny
• Falchion [3] – 1,500 Zeny
• Blade [2] – 2,900 Zeny
• Guard – 500 Zeny
• Sandals – 400 Zeny
• Wooden Mail – 2,500 Zeny
"Looks like the options have expanded…" Twig thought. "This time I'll have to buy a Green Herb — deserts must have scorpions or venomous creatures. Better be safe."
"I'll grab a few Red Potions too. It's going to be rough fighting in this heat with limited visibility."
He rubbed his chin.
"Should I buy a new weapon? No, too expensive. Better save zeny first, then upgrade later. But I think I'll invest 500 zeny in the shield — now that I'm a swordsman, I can equip one."
He looked at the scorching ground beneath his feet.
"This sand is burning hot. I'll buy some sandals for the others — those cloth boots won't last."
"A wooden armor… maybe later," he muttered.
After finishing his choices, Twig paid and handed the items to his friends.
"What's this?" Aron asked, puzzled.
"Sandals," Twig replied with a grin. "Put them on. Ditch those awful old boots — these are much better."
When everything was ready, Twig asked,
"Aron, Jenny, are you ready? I've organized our supplies. Let's move out?"
"Let's go!" said Aron excitedly.
Jenny hesitated.
"Guys… if we wander through the desert, how do we find Aliane again?"
Twig blinked, realizing she had a point.
"Aliane, how do we call you back when it's time to return?"
"Young master," she replied calmly, "unlike the previous dungeon, the Cruel Desert has no fixed entrance or exit. Once you move away, I will not remain here. To return, simply call my name — and I shall appear wherever you are."
"Phew! That's a relief," Twig sighed, wiping his forehead. "I thought we'd have to walk miles through this place."
Feeling reassured, only one concern remained — what dangers awaited them ahead.
"Which way should we go?" Twig asked.
"Does it matter?" Aron shrugged.
"Let's just pick a direction," said Jenny.
"Yeah, good enough," Twig agreed. "Let's go that way."
The three set off, scanning the dunes for their first opponent — and it didn't take long.
Twig's eyes sparkled. His heart raced. Pure excitement lit up his face.
"What happened, man? Why are you so hyped?" Aron asked.
Twig pointed ahead, nearly trembling.
"A Baby Desert Wolf! A Baby Desert Wolf!"
His friends turned and saw what looked like a small, dusty puppy wandering the sand.
"It's just a dog," they said, unimpressed.
"You don't get it," Twig insisted. "That's a Baby Desert Wolf!"
"And what's so special about that?" Jenny frowned.
"You'll see soon enough. Let's go!"
Twig charged forward with all his might. The pup didn't even know what hit it — one clean sword strike and it was over.
[Ding!] You gained 30 BASE EXP and 22 JOB EXP
Before Aron or Jenny could react, Twig's hands were already sweeping up every item that dropped — before they even touched the sand.
Without hesitation, he used Appraisal.
[Appraisal]
Ding!
Meat – A leg of meat cooked to near perfection. Recovers a small amount of HP. Sell price: 25 Zeny.
Orange – A round citrus fruit with sweet-acidic juice. Sell price: 150 Zeny.
Animal Skin – Hide used to craft clothes or coverings. Sell price: 18 Zeny.
"Yes! Yes! Finally! I got meat! Real meat again! I can't believe it—ah, I'm so happy!"
Twig waved the meat proudly like a trophy.
"See?! That's what I meant! If we defeat these wolves, we get meat — real meat!"
Aron and Jenny's eyes widened, their expressions lighting up with joy.
"Meat! Meat!" they shouted together.
And there they were — three young adventurers in the middle of a scorching desert, jumping and cheering "meat!" like maniacs.
Not far away, another Baby Desert Wolf was wandering aimlessly — unaware of the doom about to fall upon it. One of them spotted it, pointed, and in a heartbeat, all three dashed forward, swords drawn, like debt collectors chasing a gambling addict.
The poor creature never even saw what hit it.
After gathering the drops, they pressed on — in search of more meat, or rather, more enemies. Many wolves fell, and their loot piled up, to everyone's delight.
Then, after Jenny struck down another wolf, something unusual happened. A bright light enveloped the corpse, and far more items appeared than usual. It seemed her Lucky Strike ability had activated — dropping every possible item, including something ultra rare: a card.
Twig was stunned — beyond stunned. He immediately used Appraisal.
[Appraisal]
Ding!
Cotton Shirt – A simple, sturdy cotton shirt. Sell price: 5z.
Phracon – Metal used to strengthen Level 1 weapons. Sell price: 100z.
Asura [3] – A legendary dagger said to be gifted by the gods. MATK +10%. Sell price: 1500z.
Adventurer's Suit [1] – Light, comfortable gear for young adventurers. Sell price: 500z.
Baby Desert Wolf Card – INT +1. No sell price.
"Oh my gods! We got a card!" Twig shouted, eyes shining.
"Too bad it only adds one point of intellect… but still, we got it!"
He flipped through his inventory excitedly.
"And look! An Adventurer's Suit with a slot! If we ever get a good armor card, we can use it here!"
He frowned at the next item.
"This dagger's amazing… but I can't use it. Not a sword — what a waste. I'll have to sell it to Kafra. At least it's worth a good amount; it'll cover the teleport costs."
He picked up the metal piece.
"Hmm… what do I do with this Phracon? Maybe Aliane will know if it's useful. If not, I'll just sell it too."
Then he turned to Jenny with a grin.
"Since Jenny dropped it, she should get the cotton shirt. The card has no value, so I'll keep it for now — who knows, maybe it'll come in handy someday."
Aron, watching his sister receive the shirt, asked curiously:
"How did you get all that from one monster?"
Twig thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, it seems Jenny's got crazy luck. The items we get depend heavily on that. Some monsters drop rare stuff, but if you defeat enough of them, you'll eventually get it. Like that dagger — it's super rare from these wolves, but she pulled it off."
Aron smiled, crossing his arms.
"Nice one, Jenny. Congrats."
Back to the hunt, the trio kept slaying more wolves under the blazing sun.
When they finally killed another one, something special happened — the bodies of Aron and Jenny glowed brightly, their clothes transforming into new sets, identical to the ones Twig had received the day before.
They exchanged surprised glances, staring at their new gear in awe.
Twig smiled proudly.
"They finally became [Swordsman]… just like me."