A Week- Look, An Evil Guy

 "How long do I have to guard the village on my own?" Ardent whined. While he did not technically does it alone, Ardent had to handle the tougher threats. 

 Normally, it is divided between the three 2nd Circle Mages. However, with him being the only one left, Ardent have to do the job of three people at once.

 "When will they get back?" he grumbled. The distance between Cruom City and Slurom Village is about 5 days travel time. In a single trip, and not including the return trip.

 Plus, trying to get a meeting with the city lord of Cruom City will take some time as well. Frankly, Ardent did not expect them to return in 2 weeks, the fastest. The longest would probably be a month or so.

 It did not stop him from whining though. Which he believe he has the right to.

 "Well, time to get back to work."

 Let it be known, despite him whining, Ardent will do his job the best he can.

-x-

 "Looks like there should be nothing wrong around here." Ardent said to himself. He had heard from the hunters that they heard noises. One that did not sound like any animals they ever heard off.

 So, Ardent decided to investigate it himself. Normally, he let the weaker Mages handle it, but they all have their own jobs, not to mention they learned of one benefits of diving into the dungeon.

 'To think, by spending some time fighting and meditating in the dungeon will help the Mages improve.' he could scarcely believe it himself when Catlin reported it.

 Only when he spend half a day inside did he find it true. Though, for the weaker Mages, the improvement is more obvious. For example, Catlin's eldest brother, Calais, manage to become a 2nd Circle Mage, with her second brother hot on his heel.

 However, the one that showed the greatest improvement is of course, none other than Catlin, who also manage to follow her brother's footstep and become a 2nd Circle Mage.

 'Though, it make sense because her talent is the highest I've ever seen so far.' Ardent mused.

 Pouring Mana into his eyes, Ardent is able to see the talent of everyone. The ability, which he called Eye For Talent, allow him to see what others greatest talent are.

 For Catlin, it's Ice Magic. For Frank, he possessed the highest talent in term of swordsmanship.

 Speaking of him, Frank and the guards also benefit from the dungeon. By practicing inside the dungeon, not only did they improve their combat skills, but also their ability to use Aura also improved leap and bound.

 'If I have to guess, he should be equivalent to 2nd Circle Mage.' Ardent thought.

 Overall, the dungeon helped improved the power of the village's defenders, and in just a week as well. 

 'I hope the meeting will last longer. Hopefully for a month or two. The village would become a strong force that no one would dare to mess with if that is the case.' Ardent hoped for it, but he also prepare for the worst.

-x-

 "Hhhmm, a dungeon had appear in the middle of nowhere?"

 "Yes, My Lord. There seem to be a village near the dungeon, and they have sent representatives to talk with the City Lord. To negotiate a transfer of ownership."

 "Baahh! The village is in the territory of our Cruom City, we don't need to care about the words of a bunch of bumpkin!"

 "I agree with you, My Lord. But the City Lord has started to discuss it with the two bumpkins. He planned on agreeing to the deal."

 "... That useless fool! We should just our military might and claim the dungeon for ourself rather than negotiating with those useless villagers! In fact, let's take over the village now!"

 "Who should we send then? The Red Stone Bandit or the Circle Thugs?"

 "Hmmm, even the smallest village would have some 1st Circle Mages. And from the looks of it, there should be a single 2nd Circle Mage left behind to guard the village, My Lord."

 "In that case, send in the Red Stone Bandit. They have five 2nd Circle Mage, and even one 3rd Circle Mage. They should be enough to handle the village."

 "Understood, My Lord. I will send in a messenger bird this instant."

 "Good. Oh, and tell them to keep some of the villagers alive. We can always sell them in the slave market of Arkayan Empire after all." 

 "Yes, My Lord."

-x-

 "..." Ardent looked around, trying to find the reason for his spine to tingle for no reason whatsoever. 

 'Is something planning something bad for the village?' he thought. One of the most used cliche, shivering from fear and from sensing danger is rather common in cartoons and anime.

 'I better set up some more scouts. Thankfully, some of the guards show high skill in stealth.' 

-x-

 "Wow, Ardent! You already become a 3rd Circle Mage!" Catlin exclaimed in surprise. Her brothers, Calais and Cameron nodded, sharing the same awe as their sister. So did every single Mage of the village, along with the guards.

 "Spending sometime in dungeon helped my progress." Ardent replied. Though, it is not true. After all, he already a 3rd Circle Mage a long time ago. He only showed it recently. 

 As for why, well, his feeling of unease did not go away, and so, he prefer to reveal his strength to the villagers so they will not ask him question compared to when he reveal it in the middle of battle.

 "Now, get back to work. Regular patrol still need to be done." Ardent reminded them. The Mages and guards grumbled but obey. After all, Ardent is now the strongest warrior the village have now.

 Despite acting stern, Ardent could not hide the smile on his face. 'I don't need to hide my strength in the future. Still...' Ardent could still feel the goosebumps on his spine remained, not leaving despite him wanting it to.

 'Seriously, what kind of danger the village will face?'

-x-

 "That should be the dungeon."

 "Yeah, I can sense strong Mana from it. There also 2 Mages guarding the dungeon, with there should be some inside the dungeon. And several guards, but we don't need to worry about them."

 "Yeah, should we attack them now, Boss?"

 "No. If they sense something wrong, or manage to alert the village, they will flee, and we will not earn as much. We will surround the village first, and then we attack and burn the village to the ground."

 "Got it, Boss."