Twig's return to the inn came in the afternoon of the day following his failed attempt in the fiery, dragon-infested dungeon. The trip had taken more than a full day of travel because, along the way, he made several stops to grind — alternating between the higher-level dungeon, to gain experience for his Knight and Merchant classes, and the low-level 5–10 dungeons, expanding his Omnibook collection.
Aron was walking through the woods when his heightened senses caught the distant rhythm of hoofbeats. Who could that be? he thought. He leapt effortlessly to the top of a tree — an extraordinary feat for ordinary people, but for him, routine.
"Hmm… that's Twig, isn't it?" he murmured, spotting his friend leading three horses along the road. "Haha, he did it," he said with a grin spreading across his face.
In a series of quick jumps between branches, Aron reached him. Twig slowed his pace as he approached.
"Aron, you found me," said Twig, smiling.
"Yeah. I saw you from afar — and heard the horses before that."
"Wow, impressive. You could tell I was coming long before I even got close. Look, Aron — the horses I got for us."
"I can see that. Nice work, Twig. Mind if I ride one?"
"Of course not. Which one do you want?"
"Hmm… I'll take the spotted one. The light brown one looks a bit tired."
"Hey, don't judge him! He's been on the road for two days — and he's the oldest of the three."
"I see. In that case, he's probably the calmest too. Perfect for Jenny."
"Let's hope she likes him. I haven't named any yet — wanted to hear your opinions first."
Aron mounted the chosen horse with ease. "Then I'll name mine Breeze."
"I'll name mine Artax," said Twig proudly.
Aron raised a brow. "What kind of name is that?"
"Ah, it just came to me. You don't like it?"
"Didn't say that," Aron chuckled. "Just… never heard it before."
They rode back toward the inn, talking along the way. Twig told him briefly about his travels — just the essentials: a few encounters, news from the kingdom, small curiosities. Aron, in turn, complained about the monotony of the past days — no dungeon runs, no fights — but said he had finished building the stable.
"My father scolded me at first," Aron said. "Asked why I was wasting time with it."
"And what did you tell him?" Twig asked.
"I said it'd be useful for guests to keep their horses — and for when we got our own."
Twig laughed. "And Saul believed that?"
"He thought the second part was nonsense," Aron said, shrugging. "But he let it slide. The stable's standing."
"Perfect! That means Breeze, Artax, and Jenny's horse now have a home — no need sleeping under the rain."
"Exactly," said Aron, grinning.
"Hou about a bet? Let's race to the inn and see who gets first." Aron shouted, leaning forward as Breeze bolted ahead.
Twig smiled, tightened his grip on the reins, and spurred Artax into motion — the older horse trotting behind on the lead rope. The wind lashed his face as hooves thundered across the dirt path, the silhouettes of two riders racing through the amber glow of sunset toward the inn.
Twig's return with the three horses went largely unnoticed. There were no cheers or fanfare — it was as if he'd never left. Quietly, he and Aron led the animals into the stable.
Twig examined the structure his friend had built — solid, organized, and sturdy enough to withstand both rain and wind. Not perfect, perhaps, but more than good enough. Each horse had a dry stall, a trough for feed, and even a small corner for fruit.
Jenny, upon seeing the leftover horse, was thrilled — not the least bit disappointed that it was the oldest.
In fact, she was delighted just to have one of her own. She named him Argos, after Xena's horse — the one from the stories Twig had told her before.
It took Saul a few days to even notice there were horses in the stable. He rarely went outside, spending most of his time running the tavern. By the time he did, the animals were already settled and comfortable.
When he asked the trio about them, they merely shrugged. "They were already here," they said, claiming the horses must belong to some traveler who'd left them behind and would surely return someday.
Saul scolded them. "Three horses don't just appear out of nowhere!"
Twig assured him they weren't stolen — even wagered that no one would ever come looking for them. To calm Saul down, he took full responsibility: feeding, care, and any future trouble.
Weeks passed — no one came.
Eventually, Saul stopped worrying about the horses. A new concern took their place: winter.
It came without warning — no herald, no invitation.
One morning, the sky turned to stone grey and the first flakes fell upon the inn's roof, carried by a biting wind. Winter had arrived.
The three youths, largely unaffected by the cold thanks to their boosted attributes, turned their attention to the animals. They covered Argos, Breeze, and Artax with blankets, improvised heavy cloaks, and sealed every gap in the stable to block the drafts.
While Jenny boiled water and carried bundles of dry straw, Twig and Aron worked to reinforce the structure: plugging cracks with mud and rags, nailing extra planks over exposed spots, adding a slanted roof extension, and layering hay across the floor to keep in the warmth.
Within hours, the stable became a proper shelter against the freezing gusts.
But as the horses settled, Saul's worries deepened. Winter crippled more than crops — it froze the roads. With few travelers on the move, the inn's income dwindled. He spent his days pacing and muttering, chewing at his nails.
Yet, something odd caught his attention.
The pantry hardly emptied.
Flour, salt, dried meat — almost untouched. And yet, there were now four people to feed — himself and the three youths — plus chickens, and now three horses.
"Something's not right," Saul thought more than once, inspecting the barrels.
He didn't know that Twig, Jenny, and Aron had been eating almost entirely from dungeon loot: fine meats, ripe fruits, fresh roots, all gathered from that other world. Even the horses' feed came from there — bright fruits and sweet-smelling carrots.
That was why the pantry never ran out: they barely touched the inn's stock at all.
Through the long winter days, the trio focused on clearing low-level dungeons again — unlocking new monsters, gathering crafting materials, and diversifying their skill sets.
Twig explained to them that the next dungeon tier would be far more dangerous: fire-spewing beasts, creatures close to dragons of old themselves.
"We can't just rush in swinging swords and spears like before," he said. "That'd be suicide."
"Before we take the next step, we need to go back to the beginning. Study every drop, every skill, every item. Build a solid foundation first. Sometimes one step back is what lets you take two forward."
Winter days felt shorter — the sun rose late and fell early — but inside the dungeon, time flowed differently.
With the forest buried in snow, they no longer used the old teleport spot. Instead, they operated directly from their hidden base — the same secret shelter Jenny once used to stash food from the kitchen. It had now become their small operations outpost.
Twig had a plan.
He wanted to equip himself and his friends properly before challenging the higher-tier dungeon.
Since the enemies were dragon-type, he aimed for gear, cards, and items that boosted damage against that race. And because those creatures wielded fire, he also sought equipment that strengthened resistance to that element.
"If we're going to fight dragons," Twig said, "we'll need to hit harder — and burn less when they hit back."
One major reward Twig discovered after completing all monsters from the 5–10-level dungeons was the title [Novice Collector] — which granted +1 to all stats for him and his party members, like a passive aura.
That discovery turned completing collections into his top priority.
According to the System, the [Collector] title would evolve with each completed dungeon tier — Level 10–15, 15–20, 20–25, and so on — granting progressively higher bonuses until reaching +10 to all attributes at the Level 50–55 range.
By grinding for the materials needed for higher-tier dungeons, Twig was also unlocking permanent power-ups — optimizing both his progress and his team's.
And, of course, every week, they still faced a random Boss Challenge, hoping for rare and extraordinary drops.
The snow outside thickened.
The inn stayed quiet.
And inside their little hideout, three young adventurers worked relentlessly — preparing for the next chapter of their growing legend.