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The next morning arrived with the cheerful songs of birds drifting in from the jungle. Sunlight slipped through the holes and cracks our battles had torn in the canopy, finally reaching my face and annoying me as I opened my eyes.
"Ah…" I yawned, noticing Fenrir still beside me, diligently licking his paws. For some reason he was as hygienic as a cat, always grooming himself and staying impeccably clean. "Good morning, big boy."
"Waf," he replied with a cute little sound, then licked my face.
"Hehehe, come here!" I grabbed his massive head, ruffled his long mane, and planted kisses on his forehead. "Mooch, mooch! My cute baby!"
"Woof!" He grew excited, tail wagging furiously, he loved being praised and pampered.
"Are you hungry?" I chuckled. "Alright, let's have breakfast then!"
No one else was awake yet, so I moved quietly from one sleeping form to the next, gently waking them. They all looked exhausted, but nothing a hearty meal couldn't fix.
I reheated the leftover from yesterday and prepared a huge stew, combining Sunlight Pears, Forest Wyvern meat and blood, Hydra meat and bones, giant mushroom slices, Myconid queen mushroom flesh, aromatic herbs I had gathered, and edible roots.
Among them were some thick, fresh spirit roots from the dungeon, fatter than the rest and clearly edible. I had seen dinosaurs munching on them. Once peeled, they revealed a crisp white interior that tasted like potato mixed with radish.
I diced them into cubes, added a generous pinch of salt, and soon the heavenly aroma filled the air, rousing everyone.
"Hmm, that smells delicious," Ylva said, already drooling. "Is it ready yet?"
"Yeah!" I nodded. "Let's eat properly."
I pulled out a table, chairs, and everything else from my inventory, and we sat down together for a proper breakfast.
"Hm, Brunhild, your cooking is splendid," Ivar said with a gentle smile. "It reminds me of the stew my mother used to make…"
"It has so many wonderful new flavors," Ylva added excitedly. "I'm sure the entire village will be thrilled to discover them!"
"Yeah… gotta admit, this is a damn good breakfast," Veldr nodded, finishing his plate. "I want seconds!"
"Me too!"
"Me too…!"
"Okay, relax," I chuckled. "There's plenty for everyone."
This journey had become far more than just hunting. It had bonded us in ways I hadn't expected. We no longer felt like strangers, we felt like true friends.
Once we polished off the entire pot of stew, we packed up and prepared to depart. I tested my new axe on a few unlucky Roseraptors; it cleaved through them effortlessly.
"Woah, this thing has incredible sharpness!" I said.
"That's because I polished it…" Veldr groaned.
"Oh, thank you," I replied. "I'll make you a better sword anyway, so don't worry."
"What? Since when can you make weapons, dumbass?" he asked.
"I'll learn! Anyone can learn, you know?" I swung the axe and felled an entire tree in one stroke. "Let's gather a lot of lumber while we're here. Jungle Lumber resists both fire and cold—perfect for buildings."
After that, we hunted another couple dozen monsters, including a T-rex that I swiftly dispatched by clashing against it and then cleaving its head clean off.
Whew. After those level-ups, the new trait, the evolved skills, and… my new bloodline, I felt stronger than ever, stronger than I thought possible.
We explored the later strata again, gathering hundreds of Sunlight Pears, Edible Spirit Roots, aromatic and medicinal herbs. This entire jungle was practically a garden of treasures.
And since it was a dungeon, all these resources would regrow within a couple of months, renewing endlessly.
If it weren't so far from home, we'd come here regularly…
In the second stratum we hunted more Myconid and harvested as many giant mushrooms as we wanted.
Finally, in the first stratum we dealt with a few more annoying moles, took down three Mithril Moles with ease, and made our way back to the surface.
"Ah, fresh air!" Ylva sighed, breathing deeply.
"It's nice," Veldr nodded.
"Yeah…" Ivar agreed.
"I agree," I said, looking around. "Looks like winter hasn't fully arrived yet, it's sunny today. Let's head home."
We nodded in unison and began our journey back, climbing slopes and watching the sky through Huginn's eyes. He had accompanied us the whole time, mostly hiding behind us, occasionally snacking on fruit, and more.
"Goodbye."
"Huh?"
As we moved far enough that the Spirit Forest Root was barely visible, a small voice echoed behind me.
For a moment I froze, startled, it sounded like a ghost. When I turned around, I saw nothing unusual.
But there was a large gathering of spirits at the dungeon entrance, tiny particles of light drifting independently before slowly merging into a slightly larger figure.
It resembled a fairy.
"Please come back one day… I'm lonely…"
As the spirit faded away, I stood speechless.
Did I just hear the voice of a high spirit, a fairy?!
"Wow, that was… crazy."
"Indeed," Freyja said. "I never thought you could see them so easily. Perhaps it's thanks to the Spiritual Projection Skill?"
"Ah, you're right," I nodded, rubbing my chin. "She said she was lonely. Maybe I could make her my familiar…"
"Maybe another time," she said dismissively.
"Eh? Why? I could—"
"You already have me."
"…"
"…"
I stared at her after that remark. Freyja avoided my gaze and looked into the distance.
"Master, your friends are getting ahead… hurry."
"Ooookay…"
I walked carefully, one eyebrow raised as I glanced at her.
"Why did you even say that?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Well, I am your fairy spirit already. You don't need any more, right?" she replied with a gentle smile.
"Eh?" I gasped. "W-Were you jealous? Over one little fairy?"
"Jealous?! Why would I ever be jealous, hahaha! You're so funny," she laughed, sounding very unlike herself.
"…Wow."
I never knew she had that side. But perhaps it had developed because she had been so lonely all this time. Well, I'd deal with it later.
After a couple of hours of walking, we finally drew close to the village after being gone for roughly three days.
I prayed to the gods that everyone was safe, and nothing had attacked while we were away. As we approached, we heard no screams or cries, smelled no blood.
Only the lively voices of people cheering, talking, working, and children playing.
"We're finally back! Looks like they survived just fine," Ylva sighed in relief.
"Yeah, I'm relieved nothing bad happened," Ivar said. "We did well coming back early."
"Eh, as boring as always," Veldr yawned. "Now that we're here, we should report to the elders and the chief first."
"Yeah," I nodded. "We're homeeeeee!"
As I shouted, the guards on the wooden watchtowers spotted us and gasped.
"They're back! Open the doors!"
The gates in both walls swung open, revealing the village within. The moment we stepped inside, the entire settlement erupted.
"They're back!"
"The heroes are back!"
"They've returned safe and sound!"
"Did they slay some beast?"
"Did they bring what they promised?"
"Brunhild! Brunhild!"
"Ylva's back, thank the gods!"
"They returned in only three days—did something bad happen?"
"I thought they'd be gone a week…"
"Wait—did you see Brunhild?! She has a horn!"
"And that eye…!"
"One of her hands has red scales! Look!"
"Oh, by the gods! Has she awakened the Ancient Bloodline?!"
"Incredible!"
"H-How did she even do that?"
"I can't believe it—how is this even possible?"
Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire as dozens of people surged around us. We greeted them as best we could until the chief, the elders, and our families pushed through the crowd.
"Silence! Let the heroes rest for a moment, everyone!" my grandfather called. "Welcome back, all of you! I'm glad to see you returned safe and sound! Brunhild… you look different!"
"Ah yeah, a lot happened," I nodded. "But we can all confidently say we've conquered a dungeon!"
"You what?!" my grandfather gasped.
"T-They did?!"
"A dangerous dungeon?!"
"Have they really conquered one? Is that true?"
"Incredible—they're true heroes!"
"What dungeon?!"
"Was it hard?"
"Did you get loot from there?!"
The crowd exploded into an uproar. People of every age pressed closer, begging for details about the dungeon, something most had likely never fully explored.
"Calm down, calm down," I said. "We explored the Spirit Root Forest Dungeon and managed to slay all three bosses! We collected gold, silver, jewels, spirit crystals, mana crystals, and we hunted hundreds of Magic Beasts and Spirit Beasts. We've also brought plenty of new food, exotic spices, fruits, trees, mushrooms, herbs, and meat for everyone!"
"R-Really?!"
"Wooow!"
"W-We've been saved!"
"We were already running low on food again…"
"Incredible!"
"Wooooohhh!"
"BRUNHILD! BRUNHILD! BRUNHILD!"
"YLVA TOO!"
"VELDR AS WELL!"
"IVAR, THANK YOU!"
As I opened my inventory and began showing everyone what we had gathered and hunted, explaining each item, the cheers grew louder and louder, turning into a joyous cacophony.
We had become incredibly popular.
The noise quickly drew our families closer.
"Brunhild!"
"You're back, daughter!"
"Mom! Dad!"
I saw my parents rushing toward me and ran to meet them, throwing myself into their arms. I felt so happy and relieved they were safe. I had grown so attached to them that even three days apart had felt like an eternity.
"I see you conquered a dungeon!" my father said, tears streaming down his face. "Y-You make your father proud! My daughter! My proud warrior daughter!" He kept crying as he hugged me tightly.
"Aw dad, it's not that big a deal!" I laughed.
"You're too humble!" my mother said. "It's an immense achievement! In our myths, very few have ever conquered a dungeon! It's a clear sign of extraordinary strength!"
"Well done, Brun! I'm jealous, I should've gone with you, damn it," my sister said, patting my head and kissing my cheek.
"Brun!" My brother arrived with several of his pets in tow. "You're back! I'm glad you're safe and sound! Fenrir and Huginn too—and your friends!"
"Bwun!" Wrapped in warm clothes, he carried little Krarlak, who greeted me with tiny waving claws.
"Hi! Brother! And the baby too!" I chuckled, hugging them both. "It's cold out here, huh? Make sure to wear lots of warm clothes."
"Brun!" he giggled.
"I'm glad to be back!" I said. "There's a lot to talk about, things to address, and we really need to start working. First we'll introduce the village to everything we brought—there are new food sources, but they need specific preparation before eating."
We taught the gathered villagers, watching us like we were performers, about everything we had hunted and gathered. We explained how to neutralize poisonous foods with Poison Cure Spells and demonstrated proper handling of items like Sunlight Pears.
"All the food has already been purified!" I announced. "So everything is safe to eat. In the coming days we'll distribute it to every family, free of charge! We're all one big family here, right grandpa?"
"Of course," my grandfather said. "Please don't worry about anything, Brunhild. We'll handle the rest—you've already done more than enough."
"Alright, thank you!" I nodded, hugging him tightly.
"To celebrate their return!" my grandfather declared. "We'll hold a feast tonight! We'll cook new dishes with the ingredients my granddaughter and the heroes brought. Everyone in the village is invited to eat to their heart's content! It will be your rare chance to taste wyvern and hydra meat!"
"OOOOHHHHHH!"
The people erupted in celebration. Everyone seemed genuinely joyful. If there was one thing we all shared, it was our love for delicious food.
But we didn't sit idle while waiting for nightfall. While some began cooking under our guidance, I slipped into my Divine Soul Orb Realm.
There, hundreds of souls drifted everywhere. I stood at the altar and began sacrificing them in bulk, rapidly accumulating Soul Points.
"Phew, that should be enough for now."
With more than half still waiting to be reincarnated, I returned to reality.
[You have reincarnated over 50 Souls!]
[You have earned +16.400 Soul Points.]
"So many?!"
I was stunned, but then I remembered, most of what we hunted in that dungeon was Tier 3 and higher! Fifty souls from that haul were bound to yield a massive amount of Soul Points.
Perfect timing, too, my grandfather called for me.
"Brunhild, the carpenters and workers have already finished the four towers you requested," he said. "Are they sufficient?"
"More than sufficient!" I nodded. "Let's build some Domain Expansion Towers then."
One tower stood in each cardinal direction: north, south, east, and west. I went to the nearest one in the west and placed a large Spiritual Heart inside the container.
"Freyja, what do you think?"
"It's possible!"
"Then let's do it."
With a flick of my hands, green and blue magical energies surged from the tower. Soul Points were consumed as they infused the structure, completely transforming its form and shape.
In seconds it became a sturdy brown tower of ancient-looking bricks, adorned with a Crimson Fang Tribe banner.
At the same moment, an invisible shockwave of energy pulsed outward, claiming the surrounding unclaimed land as mine.
Ding!
[You have exchanged 500 Soul Points and a large quantity of wood.]
[You have successfully built the [Domain Expansion Tower (C Grade)]
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[Domain Expansion Tower (C Grade)]
[Building Type]: [Territory Expansion Building]
[Building Capacity]: [Two Floors]
[Building Durability]: [1500/1500]
[Building Abilities]: [Territory Expansion] [Fertile Land] [Dominion]
[Upgrade Requirements]: [800 Soul Points] [Wood] [Magic Stones] [Spirit Stones] [Spiritual Hearts]
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"It's done! The first of many! Let's finish the other three!"
Without wasting time, I rushed around the village, transforming the remaining three towers into perfect Expansion Towers.
"With this, the only thing left is the Farm. Let's get to it," I cracked my knuckles. "We're having freshly baked bread for winter no matter what!"
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Author's Note:
Hello and thank you for reading so far! I am the author PancakesWitch and wanted to say that this is a novel I'm writing with a lot of love. I will publish 5 chapters a week, or sometimes 4.
There will always be an additional chapter on Patreon though, and you can also join it right now to get +22 Advanced Chapters for only $10! The number will keep increasing every week as well!
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch