Going to the bookstore, I wonder if it will be open today; if not, I’ll just look around the city for a bit to see if anything catches my eye.

To my luck, the bookstore was open.

A small bell rang as I opened the door to go inside. However, I couldn’t tell if this was a store or not because there were piles of books scattered all over the store in an unorganized mess, making it hard to move around.

“How can I help you?”

Hearing a voice, I turn my head in that direction. I saw a girl with green hair and eyes who looked oddly familiar; she waved at me while reading a book while sitting on a makeshift chair made of books.

“I’m looking to buy something; are you the shop owner?”

“Yes, I’m Mila, and what are you looking for?”

“A book, but first, can I ask a question?”

Looking at her hair and eyes made me think of Mable.

“Go for it.”

“Do you know a person named Mable?”

She looks surprised when I mention Mable.

“Wait, how do you know my younger sister?”

Sister, huh… Looking at her, I could see the resemblance. And speaking of sisters, I’m also really surprised that Mable didn’t mention that she has a sister.

Suddenly, getting up from the pile of books she was sitting on, Mila scurried through the store, weaving through the mess of books, making her way to me to ask.

“So, how do you know my younger sister?”

Eyes bringing with anticipation.

“Well, she is the librarian in Farsbarow’s adventurer guild; I often read with her.”

A giant smile appeared on Mila's face, which was a weird sight because her face looked like Mable's.

“So you really are her friend.”

She screeched in delight and gave me a giant bear hug, catching me off guard.

“No wonder you became friends, you’re very much alike. I was worried for her, but it seems like she made a friend.”

After she hugged me, I was again surprised, this time by how Mila was the complete opposite of Mable.

“Since you are a friend of my cute little sister, you get a discount.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, so what book do you want?”

“Then do you have a book about the Dradevow dungeon?”

“Let's see”

After a second or two of remembering.

“Yes, I believe I have one. Please wait a moment; it is somewhere around here.”

She began rummaging around the store, eventually pulling a book out of one of the numerous piles of books in the store.

“Here”

“Thanks”

She handed me a thick brown book, and reading the title, it was what I was looking for.

“How much is it?”

“Since you're friends with Mable, I’ll knock it down to 1 silver for you. When you want another book, just come to me, and if the sign says close, just knock and say your name, and I’ll open the door for you; I’m always inside.”

Always inside, I wondered why she opened the shop when she wanted to, so I asked.

“Oh, I open up whenever I don’t have enough space for my new books.”

That is kind of the answer I expected from her, and I’m starting to get the reason why Mable decided to have her own place in Farsbarow.

“Alright then, I’ll be off.”

After paying for the book, Mila told me to come back any time as I exited the store. I held the book tightly so I wouldn't lose it on my back to my inn.

When I got back, I went straight to my room and began reading until it was late into the night.

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The next day, I was woken up by someone knocking on my door; this time it was Oliver.

I groggily got up from my bed, rubbed my eyes, and got ready for the day. Then I go to the tavern next door, book in hand, to eat breakfast with everyone else.

When I sat down, they got curious, wondering about the book I was reading while waiting for our food.

I told them it was a book about the Dradevow dungeon, and they were surprised when I told them.

“I'm really surprised that you got your hands on a book like that.”

“How so?”

“A book like that is really valuable, you know; it probably would cost a couple large gold coins at least.”

I looked at the book and thinking about it, it was obvious that this thing is really valuable. Then I was surprised that Mila got her hands on this book and that she just gave me it at a massive discount.

“Just wondering, but where did you get it from?”

“It’s called the Ash Thorn bookstore, but I believe this is the only one they have, and the owner tends to open now and then, so you should keep your expectations low.”

“I see. Thanks for the heads-up. By the way, are you going to dungeon dive today?”

“No, I’m not diving today or for the next couple of days.”

The book is quite thick. I’m a fast reader, but I would need some time to read it all.

“Okay. Do you mind lending it to Keith when you're done, then?”

“I don’t mind, Ned, but why Keith?”

“Oh, because I’m the only one who actually likes to read.”

Keith showed some interest in looking at my book as he spoke.

“Oh, I see.”

They listened to me closely as I told them what I had learned while we continued waiting for our food.

The book has 8 chapters; so far, I have read through 4 chapters already.

The first chapter explains what a dungeon is and some general tips for dungeon diving, the second chapter is a history lesson on the Dradevow dungeon, the third chapter is a general overview, and the rest of the chapters cover the different stratums of the Dradevow dungeon, which explain what to expect for each floor.

A stratum consists of sections of floors that revolve around a theme. It depends on the dungeon, but each dungeon can have unique themes or share the same ones.

After telling them about the first four chapters I read, I told them what I had learned from skimming the other chapters. They covered the other stratums of the Dradevow dungeon in order, with each having 10 floors.

The first stratum has a maze-like cave theme, the second is forests, the third is desert, the fourth is large bodies of water, and the fifth stratum is extreme weather.

So far, people have managed to reach the 46th floor because that floor in particular has dangerous thunderstorms.

After the food came, we ate our breakfast, and then I saw them off and went back to my room to spend the entire day reading.

When the sun was about to set, I heard Ned’s party walking in the hallway outside my room. Going to greet them, I asked if they were okay because, looking at them, they all looked haggard.

Keith said it was rough; they all took a deep sigh and explained what happened.

Apparently, they had a rough time going to the 9th floor without me.

“I’m beat, we’re going to bed.”

They went to their rooms, and I continued reading my book.

The next morning, I was woken up by Ned, but he seemed a bit different today like something was on his mind.

We went together with everyone else to get breakfast in the tavern next door, like normal.

After one of the waitresses got our orders, Ned took a deep sigh, as if he had given up on thinking about something.

"Honestly, I don’t get why we had a hard time dungeon diving yesterday.”

I asked what he meant, and he told me how much they struggle fighting the monsters on the deeper levels.

Hearing that, I wasn’t too surprised by their struggle from watching them fight, but I was surprised that Ned hadn't figured it out already; I guess he is still inexperienced. I should tell them since he is stuck on it.

“I can point out a couple of things you're doing wrong.”

“Go for it, I can’t think of any.”

"Well, a big one is that your party is not balanced."

“How so?”

“Your party has too many front-line fighters, in which you all will get in the way of each other more often than not despite having surprisingly good teamwork. I suggest moving one of you to the rear guard.”

"So, who do you think we should move?”

“Oliver”

“Wait what?”

Oliver was surprised when I told Ned to put him in the rear guard.

“How do I put this, your swordsmanship is not that great. I think it’s best if you improve it; until then, you’re in the rear guard.”

He looked really dejected upon hearing it. Was I a bit too mean?

Anyway, I turn and face Ned to give him another suggestion.

“When we were on our caravan guard job, you said your family are hunters, right? Then do you know how to use a bow?”

“I’m decent with it, but why do you ask?

“Well, another change I would suggest is to switch out your sword for a bow because your party just lacks any range attacks.”

“I see, but how about the others?”

“Keith is fine, but Mark and Carl aren’t.”

I turned to face those two, who were sitting next to each other.

“You two have a habit of forgetting your roles whenever you fight. Mark, you’re a rogue, so focus on fighting indirectly and acting as support. You should start using throwing knives, poison, or any other things to increase your bag of tricks instead of just relying on your daggers. Carl, you’re a tank; focus on keeping the monster's attention, not killing them. Also, your sword does not fit well with your shield because it’s a two-handed sword, so get a new sword that is a bastard or one-handed sword.”

After I told them my suggestion, they all thought for a while, and Ned spoke.

“Thanks for your advice. I guess we better start saving up to buy some new equipment then.”

Acton is a pretty expensive place, and since I was the one who suggested them and I’m not dungeon diving for the next couple of days, I guess I could help a bit.

“I could lend you my throwing knives and spikes if you want, and my sword as well, since it should be around the right size for Carl to use as a bastard.”

“You're going to do that for us?”

"Ya, I don’t mind; I’m not dungeon diving for a couple of days, so I don’t need them right now. Plus, I could help Oliver with his swordsmanship at the adventurer guild training grounds. Just make sure you don’t lose them while diving.”

After we were done eating, I followed Ned’s party to the adventures guild to train Oliver.