“Kana, do you think that grandma was a swindler?” Suri asked, her voice low as they sat side by side in the carriage.

  Kana looked out the window for a moment before replying. “I don’t think so. She didn’t take a single coin from us.”

  “True… Should we bring her the item we found?” Suri offered, brightening up.

  “Yeah. We’ll see if she’s telling the truth.” Kana nodded.

  Suri giggled. “Do you think that guy will ever get ungrounded?”

  They both burst into laughter. Around them, their mothers and several villagers smiled softly, used to the two girls' odd yet endearing rhythm.

  That night, Kana and Suri made another trip to the dungeon.

  The entrance remained closed, its stone arch half-collapsed and its magic seal flickering faintly.

  “Still not recovered,” Kana said with a sigh.

  “Should we try another dungeon?” Suri asked, tilting her head. “Maybe the one you told me, the low-mid one?”

  Kana rubbed her chin. “There’s one a bit farther out, but we’d get home late.” She hesitated, then shook her head. “Not worth the trouble today.”

  Instead, Kana focused on pushing her physical limits for the next few weeks—running laps around the fields, sparring with adults, doing archery and testing her agility on makeshift obstacle courses. Her efforts paid off. In just a few weeks, she challenged and outmatched nearly every fighter class in the village.

  The village chief even gave her a playful new title: The Strongest in the Village.

  Suri wore it like her own badge of honor too, following Kana on her daily routines and occasionally summoning her illusion for fun—or minor mischief.

  Boris eventually rejoined them after a few weeks of punishment. Though still tasked with chores by his father, he was allowed out enough to tag along with their adventures—though he grumbled about every minute of it.

  ….

  One of the village kids blinked in confusion as he passed by the trio slumped on a bench beneath a tree. Their hair was wild, their eyes shadowed with exhaustion, and they seemed lifeless.

  “Are… are you guys okay?” he asked cautiously.

  “We’re not,” all three muttered in unison.

  The boy wisely backed away.

  The night before had been a disaster. Determined to reach the low-mid level dungeon, they’d picked up their pace, knowing it was far. The issue wasn’t the distance—it was the cursed cliff blocking the final stretch. Slippery, steep, and far from forgiving, it had taken them ages to climb. And by the time they stood panting before the dungeon gate, they realized they had no time to enter.

  They turned around and raced back toward the village like fleeing criminals—hoping to make it home before any adults noticed.

  They barely made it in time.

  Suri stretched and stood up, brushing dust from her skirt. “Why don’t we ask her?”

  “Her?” Kana and Boris echoed, blinking.

  “The old woman in town. The [Analyst]. She seemed like she knew a lot.”

  Kana slowly nodded. “She might help.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  They’d intended to bring the strange ring they’d found in the dungeon to her weeks ago—until Boris’ father had confiscated it after the incident.

  ….

  As the current titleholder of “strongest in the village,” Kana’s presence brought relief to the village chief. With Suri's summon proving invaluable as a reliable scout, the two girls made a formidable team on any trip. Boris, unfortunately, had been left behind—his father citing unfinished chores and a “need for discipline.”

  When they arrived in town, they went straight to the old lady’s shop. Suri came prepared.

  “This is for you, Grandma,” she said, handing over a small bundle of snacks tied with twine.

  The old woman’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, dear. Let me guess—you’re here to pay that one gold coin?”

  “Of course not,” Kana and Suri said in perfect sync.

  The old woman laughed heartily. “Worth a try.”

  Kana stepped forward. “We actually came to ask about a dungeon. The one near our village was cleared, and… it hasn’t regenerated.”

  “Ah, yes,” the old woman nodded. “A cleared dungeon takes at least a year to regenerate. Sometimes longer if the core is damaged.”

  Both girls sighed, visibly deflating.

  “But…” the old woman said, her tone shifting, “I might have something that could help.”

  She reached beneath the counter and pulled out a crystal the size of a fist. Its glow had long faded, leaving behind a faint dull shimmer.

  “Behold—a dead dungeon core.”

  Kana and Suri leaned in, curious.

  “Back in the day, adventurers used to destroy or extract dungeon cores before we understood their regenerative properties. This one’s long dead. But if you place it near a recently cleared dungeon entrance, the living core might absorb it.”

  “What would that do?” Kana asked.

  “It accelerates regeneration,” the old woman said, “maybe ten or twenty times faster. Rare cases report that the dungeon even adopts traits from the consumed core.”

  Suri’s eyes sparkled. “Like stealing a personality?”

  “Something like that,” the old woman chuckled.

  “How much?” Kana asked, already bracing herself.

  “No charge. In exchange for those delicious snacks,” she winked. “No one buys dead cores anyway. Too old-school.”

  “Thank you, Grandma!” both girls said, bowing gratefully.

  ….

  Kana, along with Suri and Boris, snuck out once again under the cover of night. With the dead dungeon core in hand, they returned to the quiet clearing where the entrance to the old dungeon once stood.

  Suri’s summon—small, foxlike, and glowing with soft blue light—dug a hole near the center of the faded dungeon gate.

  “Like planting a seed,” Suri said as the summon gently placed the core inside and covered it with soil.

  “Will that do?” she asked.

  Kana knelt down, inspecting the spot. The ground pulsed faintly once—just once.

  “I think so,” Kana nodded, satisfied. “Let’s just hope it grows back… and fast.”

  With nothing left to do and the night still young, Kana and Boris decided to spar while Suri kept watch.

  As expected, Kana emerged the winner—but it was no easy fight.

  Boris fought smart, not aggressive. He stayed on the defensive, controlling distance with his spear. His form was tight, his stance firm. Kana found it difficult to close in. Her dagger strikes were often parried or blocked with minimal movement.

  “You’ve improved,” Kana admitted between breaths, wiping sweat from her brow. “What did you do?”

  Boris leaned on his spear, breathing hard. “My Da locked me in a room with no light for almost a week.”

  Kana blinked. “What?”

  “I thought I’d go mad, so I started fighting you… in the dark. Over and over. A thousand times in my head.” He grinned weakly. “Guess it helped.”

  Kana didn’t laugh. She studied him.

  “I thought I was going to beat you the next time we spar,” Boris sighed, “but you’ve grown again. Stronger than before.”

  Kana didn’t answer right away. She had noticed something too—something beyond simple levels or training. Maybe it wasn’t all about experience points or combat drills. Maybe growth came in other forms too—through obsession, hardship… maybe even isolation.

  She looked at Boris with a new sense of respect.

  “Let’s both keep getting stronger,” she said at last.

  He nodded.

  Behind them, Suri stared quietly at the soil where the core was buried. For a moment, she thought she saw it shimmer—just a flicker of light in the dark but they decided to go home, Boris might not be able to leave their house ever again if they were caught sneaking in the night.