Lux fidgeted, his nerves fraying like a tattered rope as he awaited Novgar’s estimate on collecting monster cores. Fortunately, Novgar didn't leave him hanging for long. “If Novgar and Silver can find ten monsters like the Crooked-Winged Shattered Horse, then it will not take long,” he proclaimed. Lux exhaled a sigh of relief at the straightforward answer.

  His relief was short-lived, however, as Novgar continued, “But finding monsters with large energy cores that are easy to kill is not as simple as just strolling around and stumbling upon them.” Novgar paused, his brow furrowing in thought, until his eyes suddenly lit up. “But that won’t be a problem for Novgar’s Lucky Charm!”

  Lux felt his eye twitch. “I’M NOT A LUCKY CHARM!” he exploded, his voice rising with frustration. This "lucky charm" nonsense was testing his patience. He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down. “Novgar, I’m just a regular human. Coming across all those things was merely a coincidence.”

  Novgar’s expression made it clear he didn’t buy a word of it. Lux pinched the bridge of his nose, incredulous that he’d ever considered Novgar clever. Instead of letting his irritation grow, Lux decided to pause and think things through.

  He needed to complete this dungeon, shake off these two, and finally enjoy his holiday. That meant filling the damn book with monster cores, which, he suddenly realised, required only placing the cores in the book, not fighting the monsters himself. Hope sparked inside him. Maybe, just maybe, he’d survive this after all.

  “Okay, let’s make a plan.” Lux fixed the pair with a determined look. “Since only I can hold the book, I’ll be needed to complete the dungeon. You’ll need me alive for this. So, I propose you take me to the closest settlement where I’ll be safe, and you can bring me monster cores to put in the book.” Lux felt like a genius. He could finish the dungeon and still enjoy his holiday!

  “No.” The flat refusal came from Silver.

  Lux gritted his teeth. Why was Silver shooting down his perfect plan?

  Novgar cleared his throat. “Novgar thinks Silver is worried about your safety in a city. What if something happens to you while we’re out collecting cores?”

  Silver nodded at Novgar’s words. “Yes, safety. Fragile human.” The calm reply only made Lux more annoyed.

  Lux’s elation fizzled out as he glared at Silver. Why had this silver-eyed man suddenly decided to become a chatterbox? He preferred him silent!

  Novgar scratched his chin, glancing between Silver and Lux. “Novgar has a thought. What if we take him to that place? Then the Lucky Charm would be safe while we hunt.”

  Silver weighed Lux’s irritated stare. “Will you go?”

  Despite his irritation, Lux felt a surge of happiness. They were offering him a safe place! “Okay! I’ll go to the safe place!”

  “Then it's decided, we will head to Silver City.” Silver's laughter rang out.

  Lux’s eyes widened. “No, doesn’t your place only have a few houses? How is that safe?” He wanted walls, lots of walls! He’d already seen how dangerous Mystic Beau could be. There was no way he’d be left alone in a tiny village!

  He’d rather stick with these two crazies than be left in a small settlement. No, wait, why was he even thinking like this? There was no reason he had to help them in the first place!

  Then he looked around at the wilds. Actually, there was a reason. “If I’m going to help, shouldn’t I get something out of this?” Lux decided to try his luck and see if he could get some benefits.

  “What do you want?” asked Silver.

  Lux was surprised at Silver’s willingness to negotiate. His mind filled with visions of monster cores. These two could easily stuff his pockets with the precious orbs!

  “After the dungeon is complete, I want some monster cores of my own.” If he was stuck in this, he wanted something to make his life better on Earth.

  “Done.” Silver’s voice echoed, sealing the deal.

  For the first time since entering Mystic Beau, Lux felt truly happy. He was going to be rich when he got back to Earth! He could finally enjoy his time in Mystic Beau. Now he only hoped Silver City was as safe as Silver claimed.

  “Okay, then let’s head to Silver City.” Lux decided to wait and judge Silver City’s safety for himself, ready to argue with facts if the village was dodgy. That would give him a solid reason to renegotiate for a walled settlement.

  The next two weeks passed with Lux traveling alongside the pair. The scenery wasn’t much different from Earth: forests and meadows bursting with flowers, rolling hills breaking up the flatlands. The only glaring difference was that the wilderness crawled with monsters.

  What surprised Lux most was that monsters weren’t the only things in the wilds; Mystic Beau also hosted plenty of mysterious wildlife. He’d assumed monsters would have wiped out the native fauna, but that wasn’t the case.

  As they travelled, Lux gradually became used to the sight of monsters. He was glad he no longer freaked out at the sight of strange creatures, likely due to Silver and Novgar’s skill in taking monsters down without ever putting him in danger.

  A pang of disappointment hit him when they passed near a real settlement. Lux saw tall white walls and towering buildings behind them. What fascinated him most was that the buildings were all different colours, creating a rainbow effect against the landscape. Lux swore to himself that once he finished this dungeon, he’d visit a city.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  The journey wasn't uneventful in terms of dungeon progress, either. They came across two monster herds and some higher-level monsters. By the time they reached Silver City, the dungeon book percentage was at 23%. Naturally, Novgar credited the monster herd finds to Lux being his Lucky Charm.

  When Lux finally saw Silver City, his fears were confirmed. He stood, jaw slack, as ten log cabins and a crooked sign greeted him. The cabins were so poorly built they looked like a stiff breeze would knock them over.

  The little settlement was ringed by trees and lush grass. No farms, no roads, no walls, not even a water source. How did anyone here eat or drink? And this was supposed to be the safe place?

  Lux turned a look of disbelief on Silver. “How is this a safe place?” He instantly regretted wasting two weeks coming here. He never should have trusted the silver-haired man.

  As he spoke, a group of people emerged from the cabins. “Silver, you finally made it back.” The beautiful woman leading the group beamed. Her gaze landed on Lux, and her brows shot up. “A human? Why did you bring a human here? You know they’re weak, right?”

  Lux was awestruck. The woman had long fiery red hair and golden eyes. A silky red dress hugged her shapely figure, with a few freckles dusting her nose and cheeks. She was gorgeous! Lux felt his cheeks heat up and immediately reconsidered staying in Silver City.

  While Lux was still staring, Silver answered the woman’s question. “Important human.” Silver pointed at Lux. Then he turned and looked at Novgar, expecting him to explain further.

  Lux was used to this. After their talk about the dungeon and Silver City, Silver barely spoke anymore. It was as if he’d used up his quota of words for the month. Lux’s curiosity had gotten the better of him during the journey, and he’d asked Novgar why Silver rarely spoke. Novgar explained that Silver only talked if it was important.

  Lux understood the man a bit better after that and didn’t take being ignored personally. So, as Silver turned to Novgar, Lux did too. Somewhere along the way, Novgar had become Silver’s unofficial interpreter. “Lucky Charm, Silver City has a magical ward, so you will be safe if you stay inside its borders,” Novgar explained.

  Now Lux understood. That’s what Silver meant by “safe.” And he had a feeling this new group wasn’t ordinary either. Even without walls, he felt confident he wouldn’t get eaten by wandering monsters.

  Relief flooded him. After sixteen days in Mystic Beau, he’d finally be able to walk around on his own! He could actually start enjoying his holiday. Lux grinned at Novgar. “That’s great news!”

  “Novgar is glad his Lucky Charm is happy! Now which way should Novgar go to find a monster herd?” Novgar waited, eyes shining with excitement.

  Lux could only sigh. During the journey, he’d realised Novgar would never stop calling him Lucky Charm. The two monster herds they’d found had only cemented Novgar’s belief. So Lux did the only thing he could: he randomly pointed in a direction.

  “Haha!” Novgar’s booming laugh echoed, and he immediately sprinted off in the direction Lux had pointed, Silver right behind him. Lux watched them disappear, astonished they hadn’t even said goodbye.

  When he came back to his senses, he realised he didn’t know a single person here. What was he supposed to do now? Lux stared at the beautiful woman and managed a stuttering greeting. “H-hello, my name is Lux.”

  The woman’s golden eyes swept over Lux before she turned to one of her companions. “You take care of it.” Lux knew he was being brushed off and felt a flicker of annoyance, but it quickly turned into delight, no more running around with that crazy duo!

  A young man with twigs sprouting from his green hair beamed warmly at Lux. “Hello, Lux. I’m Twiggs.” His large amber eyes sparkled as he approached, and Lux was thrilled to see they were the same height; no need to crane his neck for conversation.

  “Hello, Twiggs.” Lux took in the man’s unusual appearance with ease, having expected all sorts of beings in Mystic Beau. “Twiggs, where will I be staying?” Lux’s thoughts drifted to practical matters. He was tired of sleeping on the ground and longed for a real bed tonight.

  Twiggs smiled. “The two houses at the end are free.” He started walking, and Lux counted the cabins as they went. When they stopped in front of the ninth cabin, Twiggs gestured with a flourish. “You can take this one, I live next door.”

  As Lux opened the door, it creaked ominously. He hesitated, half-expecting the floor to collapse, but only the door groaned. His footsteps echoed on the wooden planks inside.

  The cabin was a single room with just a wooden bed and a desk. Lux was overjoyed at the prospect of sleeping on a real bed.

  He couldn’t help but flop onto it, laughing aloud as he sank into the mattress. He buried his face in the warm blankets, letting exhaustion and relief wash over him. For the first time in days, he felt real comfort and safety, almost enough to make him forget he didn’t know a soul here.

  Lux rolled around joyfully. “Ah, this is heaven!”

  A chuckle made him pause. Twiggs watched him with a twinkle in his eye. “I’m glad Lux, the important human, is happy with his house. Do you want to rest now or see the rest of Silver City?”

  Lux raised an eyebrow at the offer. There was more to Silver City than just ten shoddy cabins? “I want to see the rest of Silver City, please.” He hopped off the bed, eager to discover what else the place had to offer.