The Dungeon lord : Women, power and monsters

The first thing they saw was the city.

Tolu had expected Ilebi to be large.

He had heard the stories.

He had heard people describe its enormous markets, its powerful cultivators, its academies and great families. He had even tried to imagine what it would look like.

None of that prepared him for what stood before them.

The caravan had been traveling for most of the morning when the road finally rose onto a gentle hill.

The driver slowed the horses. "There’s Ilebi."

Tolu looked up.

For a moment, he thought the man was joking.

Then he saw it.

The city stretched across the horizon.

And it didn’t seem to end.

Buildings filled the distant landscape as far as his eyes could follow. Roads cut through the enormous settlement like veins, carrying people, carts and carriages in every direction. Tall structures rose above the surrounding buildings, some several stories high, their silhouettes visible even from this distance.

Beyond them were towers.

Some belonged to wealthy estates.

Others were likely academies, administrative buildings or places Tolu couldn’t even begin to identify.

The farther he looked, the more there was.

He turned his head slowly to the left.

Buildings.

He looked right.

More buildings.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to find the end.

Nothing.

"Where does it end?" Temi whispered.

Akin laughed quietly. "I was wondering the same thing."

Ore stared ahead. "I can’t even see the walls."

"There aren’t any," the caravan driver said.

Tolu looked at him. "What?"

The driver smiled. "Ilebi doesn’t have a single city gate."

That surprised all four of them.

"No gate?" Akin asked.

"No gate."

"Then how does anyone enter?"

The driver laughed.

"You’re looking at it."

He gestured toward the road ahead. "This is the outer city."

Tolu looked ahead again.

The road continued directly into the city.

There were no massive gates.

No enormous checkpoint.

No guards stopping every caravan and questioning everyone who entered.

The city simply swallowed the road.

The transition was so gradual that Tolu almost didn’t realize they had entered.

One moment there were scattered buildings along the road.

The next, there were shops on both sides.

Then more roads appeared.

More people.

More carts.

More carriages.

More noise.

The wilderness had simply disappeared behind them.

They were in Ilebi.

And the city was alive.

People filled the streets.

Merchants shouted from stalls.

Children ran between adults.

Carriages squeezed past one another.

Cultivators walked through the streets wearing weapons openly.

Travelers carried packs much larger than anything Tolu had seen in his hometown.

Some people wore expensive-looking robes.

Others wore armor.

Some carried bows.

Others carried swords, spears or strange weapons Tolu couldn’t identify.

There were even people leading creatures he had never seen before.

Tolu stared.

"Those are beasts," Ore said.

"I know."

"You’re staring."

"I’ve never seen them before."

Ore smiled. "Neither have I."

Akin leaned over the side of the wagon.

"Look at that shop."

Temi followed his gaze.

A massive building stood several streets away, its entrance crowded with people.

"What do they sell?"

Akin shrugged. "I have no idea."

Tolu looked around.

Everything was unfamiliar.

And yet there was something strangely exciting about it.

The city didn’t feel dangerous.

Not immediately.

It felt busy.

Warm.

Alive.

There was food everywhere.

The smell of grilled meat drifted through the streets.

Spices filled the air.

Fresh bread.

Herbs.

Roasted vegetables.

Something sweet Tolu couldn’t identify.

A merchant walked past carrying a tray of steaming food.

Akin’s stomach growled loudly.

Temi laughed. "We haven’t even found somewhere to stay."

"I didn’t say I was hungry."

"Your stomach did." Tolu laughed.

Akin folded his arms. "My stomach has its own opinions."

Ore smiled.

The caravan continued deeper into the outer city.

Tolu couldn’t stop looking around.

The difference between Ilebi and their old town was almost impossible to describe.

Their old town had felt like a place where people lived.

Ilebi felt like a place where the entire world had gathered.

There were merchants from distant regions.

Travelers.

Cultivators.

Soldiers.

Students.

Hunters.

Craftsmen.

Children.

Old people.

Rich people.

Poor people.

People who looked powerful.

People who looked completely ordinary.

And somewhere among all of them were people far beyond anything Tolu had encountered.

Masters.

Perhaps even people stronger than that.

The thought made him straighten slightly.

He remembered what Tobi had once told him.

There were levels of power he hadn’t even come close to touching.

He had once thought becoming an Adept would make him strong.

Then he had fought the Mirefangs.

He had seen what Level Two creatures could do.

He had survived a dungeon war.

Now he was entering a city where people like that were not legends.

They were simply part of the population.

Tolu smiled.

For the first time in a while, he felt genuinely eager to grow.

Not desperate.

Not frightened.

Just eager.

Ore noticed his expression. "You look happy."

"I am."

"Why?"

Tolu looked at the enormous city ahead.

"Because I think we made the right decision."

Ore followed his gaze. "So do I."

Akin nodded. "Same."

Temi smiled.

The caravan continued forward.

No gate stopped them.

No checkpoint demanded their names.

No guard asked why they had come.

Ilebi simply accepted them.

The city stretched endlessly before them.

And somewhere beyond those streets were the families, academies, army barracks, dungeons and powerful cultivators they had only heard about.

Tolu didn’t know what place he would eventually have in this enormous city.

He didn’t know how long it would take him to rise.

He didn’t know what enemies he would make or what allies he would find.

He didn’t even know where they would sleep that night.

But as the caravan carried them deeper into Ilebi, he couldn’t help smiling.

Their old life was behind them.

Their new life had finally begun.

.....

The caravan finally came to a stop.

Tolu had been staring at the city for so long that his neck had begun to ache, but even now he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

Ilebi was enormous.

They had spent most of their journey imagining what it would be like to live here, but now that they were actually standing inside it, every expectation seemed embarrassingly small.

The driver climbed down from his seat and stretched. "This is where most caravans stop. If you’re looking for an inn, you’ll find plenty around here."

Akin jumped down first. "Finally."

Temi followed, stretching her arms.

"My legs are numb."

"You were sitting."

"My legs don’t care."

Ore stepped down after her, adjusting the strap of her pack.

Tolu remained on the wagon for another moment.

He looked at the road behind them.

The town was long gone.

Then he looked ahead.

Ilebi.

He climbed down.

"So," Akin said, looking around, "where do we start?"

"An inn," Temi answered immediately.

"Food," Akin said at the same time.

Ore laughed. "Those two things don’t have to be separate."

Tolu smiled. "Let’s find somewhere to stay first."

They began walking.

The outer city was even busier from the ground than it had appeared from the caravan.

People moved in every direction.

Merchants pushed carts loaded with goods.

Caravans came and went constantly.

There were travelers carrying weapons, families carrying bags, craftsmen transporting materials and people dressed in clothing Tolu had never seen before.

Nobody seemed surprised by the sheer number of people.

To everyone else, this was normal.

To Tolu, it was overwhelming.

He kept turning his head.

"Stop staring," Ore said.

"I’m trying."

"You’ve been trying for the past twenty minutes."

"I’ve never seen anything like this."

"Neither have I."

"Then why aren’t you staring?"

Ore smiled. "Because someone has to make sure you don’t walk into a cart."

Tolu looked forward just in time to see one passing several steps away. "I would’ve seen it."

"You almost walked into that one."

"I was looking at the building."

"Exactly."

Akin laughed behind them. "He’s hopeless."

"You’re the one who almost got lost five minutes ago," Temi reminded him.

"I wasn’t lost."

"You asked someone where the road was."

"I was confirming our location."

"Sure."

They continued until they found a row of inns.

The first one looked expensive.

The second looked even more expensive.

The third had a sign hanging crookedly above the entrance and looked considerably more modest.

Tolu stopped. "This one."

Akin looked at the building.

"You sure?"

"It’s not too expensive."

"That’s your standard?"

"For now."

They entered.

The innkeeper looked up.

"Rooms?"

"Four,"

Tolu said.

The man shook his head. "Three rooms at most."

Akin frowned. "Why?"

"Only three rooms are available."

Tolu looked at the others.

Ore shrugged. "We can manage."

The innkeeper named the price.

Tolu reached into his pouch.

The coins inside clinked softly.

He counted them again.

Twenty-three silver.

The money had come from selling the remains and materials of the creatures killed during the dungeon war.

For people from their town, it was a small fortune.

Tolu had never carried that much personal spending money before.

He placed the required amount on the counter.

The innkeeper took it without looking particularly impressed.

Ninety bronze!