Chapter 27 : Not Yet
Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
....
Tolu stepped out of the guild and found the others waiting nearby.
Akin was sitting against the wall while Temi and Ore were arguing about something neither of them seemed particularly serious about.
Tolu approached them. "What are you two arguing about?"
Temi looked at him. "He’s saying fire is more useful than ice."
Akin immediately defended himself. "I said fire is more destructive. That’s different."
"Which means it’s better."
"No, it doesn’t."
Ore shook her head. "You two have been having this argument for ten minutes?"
"She joined halfway through," Akin said.
Tolu laughed and sat down with them.
For a while, they talked about nothing important. They argued about which weapon was best. They talked about food.
Temi complained about how much her training had hurt. Akin reminded her that he still won most of their spars. She threatened to beat him the next time.
The conversation drifted from one subject to another until it eventually became quieter.
Akin looked toward the road leading out of the town. "You know... I’ve been thinking."
Temi glanced at him. "That’s dangerous for your health."
Akin ignored her. "About this place."
Tolu looked at him. "What about it?"
Akin shrugged. "How long are we actually going to stay here?"
The question made Tolu pause.
Ore looked toward the town as well.
Akin continued. "Most of the adventurers here are Novices and Adepts. There aren’t many Advanced adventurers around."
Temi nodded slowly. "And if we stay here forever...We might never become Advanced," Akin finished.
The words settled over them.
Tolu looked around. The town suddenly seemed smaller than it had before.
The buildings.
The guild.
The familiar streets.
Everything he’d grown used to.
Ore spoke quietly. "We could move to Ilebi."
Tolu looked at her. "The nearest major city?"
She nodded. "I’ve heard there are far more adventurers there. Stronger quests too."
Tolu was silent. He had never seriously considered leaving.
Not until now. He looked toward the forest.
The Dungeon.
His dungeon.
The thought immediately complicated everything.
If the strongest creatures around this region were mostly Level Two, then the ceiling was obvious.
There were probably no Level Three creatures nearby.
At least none that adventurers commonly encountered.
And if his dungeon survived the coming war...
It would eventually grow.
Rank up.
Become stronger.
And when that happened, he wouldn’t just be dealing with Level Two creatures anymore.
A Level Three dungeon would be an entirely different matter.
Tolu frowned. He couldn’t stay here forever.
If he wanted his dungeon to grow, he would eventually need stronger creatures.
Stronger opponents.
Stronger adventurers.
A larger world.
Ilebi suddenly seemed much more important than it had that morning.
But then another thought entered his mind.
Uncle Aremu.
Tolu lowered his gaze.
Leaving meant putting distance between himself and the man who had raised him.
He remembered the lessons. The training.
The countless little things Aremu had taught him.
He wasn’t ready to simply walk away. But staying had its own consequences.
Tolu leaned back and stared at the sky.
He had thought becoming stronger would be simple.
Train.
Hunt.
Grow.
Build the dungeon.
But now he was beginning to understand that getting stronger also meant deciding **where** he wanted to become strong.
And he wasn’t sure he was ready to choose.
Temi glanced at him. "You’ve gone quiet."
Tolu smiled faintly. "I’m just thinking."
"About Ilebi?"
He nodded.
Ore watched him carefully. "Do you want to go?"
Tolu looked toward the forest again. "I don’t know."
For the first time, the possibility of leaving the town didn’t feel like an adventure.
It felt like a choice.
And whichever path he chose, something would have to be left behind.
Akin noticed Tolu’s expression and gave a small shrug. "Well, you can think about it all you want."
Tolu looked at him.
Akin smiled. "We’re still Novices."
Temi nodded. "We haven’t even completed the quota needed to qualify for the promotion exam."
"And even if we had," Akin continued, "I don’t think we’re strong enough to actually pass it."
Temi frowned. "Speak for yourself."
Akin laughed. "You almost got yourself killed by a Mirefang."
Temi’s face tightened. "That was one time."
"One very memorable time."
Ore smiled faintly.
Tolu chuckled.
Akin leaned back against the wall. "So there’s no reason to rush. We’ve got time."
Tolu nodded slowly.
Akin was right.
They hadn’t even completed the requirements to take the promotion exam.
And even if they somehow qualified tomorrow, none of them had the strength to confidently walk into an Advanced-level challenge.
There was still plenty of room to grow.
Tolu looked toward the road leading out of town.
Ilebi could wait.
For now.
He still had the dungeon to build.
And the coming Dungeon War to survive.
After a while, the four of them went their separate ways.
Tolu walked home alone.
The conversation about Ilebi kept returning to his mind.
The idea of leaving the town wasn’t something he had expected to think about so soon.
He could understand why Akin and Temi wanted to become stronger. He wanted the same thing.
But leaving meant something else for him.
Uncle Aremu.
Tolu slowed his steps.
Aremu was the only family he had left.
His parents were gone, and although he had grown accustomed to their absence over the years, Aremu had always been there.
He was the one who taught him how to hold a weapon.
The one who taught him how to carry heavy loads without injuring himself.
The one who taught him little tricks that seemed meaningless at the time but had already saved him more than once.
Even something as simple as building the platform he had used to drag the Mirefangs.
That had come from Aremu.
Tolu looked toward the road ahead.
What would happen if he left?
Would Aremu understand?
Would he think Tolu was abandoning him?
Tolu shook his head. "No..."
He wasn’t ready to leave him.
Not yet.
The thought of becoming stronger and seeing the wider world excited him.
But the thought of leaving the only person he could truly call family behind made his chest feel heavy.
Maybe one day he would have to leave.
Maybe one day staying would become impossible.
But that day hadn’t come yet. Tolu continued walking toward home. For now, he still had a family waiting for him.
And he wasn’t ready to give that up.