DMS Chapter 154

Olivia, the four children, David, Arcios, Keero, and Violet, along with Olivia’s three employees from the shop, arrived at the tower compound at around six in the evening. Christopher and Ambrose were not with them, as they were still training.

As expected, the only people around were the cooks and their assistants, since Flinx and the others were still inside the Dungeon of Mara. There was no danger of anyone entering the compound without permission, as Pondy guarded the place and Flinx’s fellow Earthlings had cast several protective spells around the property.

The moment they arrived, the four children immediately ran to their rooms to take a shower so they could jump into Pondy afterward.

Olivia proudly gave her employees a tour of the compound. She first brought them to her room, where they would all be sleeping for the night. After they had left their belongings there, she proceeded to show them the rest of the place.

Olivia’s employees admitted that the compound was so beautiful that she could charge people admission just to see it. They told her that her home felt like a magical place and that they could hardly believe such a location existed within Ilioven.

If Flinx had been there, he would have explained that their home was exceptionally beautiful because the Earthlings had grown up watching movies filled with CGI-generated landscapes and fantastical environments. They had simply drawn inspiration from those images when designing the compound.

“You still haven’t experienced our magical lake yet,” Olivia told them mysteriously.

Olivia herself had to admit that their lake was truly extraordinary. Thanks to Pondy, it felt magical in a way that was difficult to describe.

After taking a shower, Olivia and her employees jumped into the lake and finally experienced Pondy’s magic firsthand. They had already witnessed some of its wonders during their tour, as the four children had been playing in it the entire time. Despite all the splashing and activity, the water remained perfectly crystal clear.

The water also emitted a faint glow, and the lights around the compound had begun to illuminate the surroundings. Together, they created an atmosphere of wonder, making the entire place feel like a realm that existed only in fairy tales.

Olivia’s employees were startled when they entered the lake. The water was pleasantly warm, as though they were being embraced by a loved one. When Olivia explained the various commands they could give to the water—such as asking it to keep them afloat or provide soothing massages—they finally experienced what it felt like to be thoroughly pampered.

Meanwhile, the cooks and their assistants had prepared an enormous feast on the table beside Pondy.

Soon, Christopher and Ambrose arrived and joined everyone in the lake. Whenever someone became hungry, they would leave the water and gather around the table to eat.

“Why is there so much food?” one of Olivia’s employees asked.

“The owners of the towers will be returning soon, and there are twenty-one of them,” Olivia answered. “They’ll all be hungry after spending the day delving through dungeon floors.”

Olivia noticed that her employees became slightly apprehensive upon hearing that so many men would soon arrive. However, they at least knew who Flinx was, as he was the true owner of Olivia’s shop.

After eating, they returned to swimming. The experience was so relaxing that the girls soon forgot their concerns about the men who would be arriving later.

Before long, everyone returned from the dungeon.

Olivia’s employees discreetly studied the adventurers who owned the beautiful towers. They found it strange that every one of them looked completely clean. Normally, adventurers returning from a dungeon would be dirty, exhausted, and covered in grime. Yet these men looked as though they had just stepped out of their rooms. Even their clothes were spotless.

The men headed straight for the dining table and began devouring the food. The cooks and their assistants became extremely busy, continuously bringing out more dishes from the tower.

Soon, Flinx and Peter arrived and joined the meal. Once everyone had finished eating, they gathered to discuss their experiences inside the dungeon. Fortunately, the outdoor gathering tent was far enough away from Pondy that those swimming in the lake would not overhear their conversation.

In addition, they had already dispelled the Tongue spell and were now speaking English. Even if someone overheard them, the locals would not understand a single word.

The first to speak were Mark and the others who had spent the day on the nineteenth floor of the Dungeon of Mara. They discussed their mana stone earnings, which had been respectable. However, they acknowledged that they still needed to curb the extravagant spending habits they had developed shortly after arriving in Ilioven. While they could still afford some luxuries, they would need to spend more wisely if they wished to save their mana stones.

As for experience gains, the group’s resident number cruncher had calculated that they would reach their next level in approximately six months if they consistently cleared the nineteenth floor twice a day, six days a week. It was an improvement over the thirteenth floor, which would have required roughly eight months.

Flinx realized that Peter’s earlier estimate had been inaccurate when he claimed they could level up in six months on the thirteenth floor.

Although Flinx felt somewhat dismayed by how long the process would take, everyone else appeared motivated instead.

When it was Peter’s turn to report, everyone was surprised.

Peter explained that if he consistently accompanied Flinx on runs through the final floor of the Dungeon of Mara, completing four runs per day for six days a week, he would likely reach his next level in only two months.

The revelation confirmed that having someone carried through the dungeon by Flinx was an effective way to level up much faster.

Flinx chose not to reveal his own experience gain rate. He did not want to discourage the others, knowing that nothing destroyed morale faster than unfavorable comparisons.

Peter then handed over the two items Flinx had looted from the bosses and informed Mark that anyone interested in purchasing them would need to pay the guild tax. Otherwise, the items would simply be sold.

“You’ve looted two items already? Why haven’t we received any items?” Samuel complained.

Since none of them knew the answer—not even Flinx—they simply ignored the complaint.

The discussion then shifted toward whether Peter should continue accompanying Flinx or whether the opportunity should rotate among the group.

The argument was simple. Even if the carried position remained focused on Peter, his leveling speed still would not come close to Flinx’s own rate of advancement.

Flinx admitted that there was a strong possibility he would reach the required twentieth level in both of his classes within only a few months.

Because of that, Peter himself suggested rotating the position among everyone.

He explained that being carried by Flinx was surprisingly boring. Watching Flinx annihilate monsters with powerful spells had been entertaining for the first few hours, but spending an entire day doing nothing except observing quickly became tedious. If Peter had been actively fighting, he would have enjoyed himself more. Instead, he spent most of his time simply watching.

He could not even browse the internet comfortably because he was constantly worried that a high-level monster might attack him if he became distracted, despite the fact that one wind elemental was carrying him while another protected him.

After hearing Peter’s reasoning, everyone agreed that the position should rotate. The order would be determined by drawing names from a hat.

Once the matter had been settled, it was finally time to relax.

The entire group headed to Pondy and decided to enjoy a swim while receiving the lake’s soothing massages.