Clyde POV

I have officially lost control of this whole thing. Well maybe not literally but this outpost is growing way faster than I thought it would. At first it was just going to be a guild hall and the building containing the dungeon entrance. Of course, if we wanted to sell the gear, we got from the dungeon we needed a stall. Of course, then we needed someone to work the stall. The person working the stall needed somewhere to live so the stall became a proper shop with a living area in the back.

Then Lily declared she was tired of sleeping in a tent and I couldn't blame her because truth be told so was I. So, I built a house for our party to stay in. Cole and Darrel each wanted their own house though. Then I decided instead of selling the leather at the shop as is I would hire a leatherworker to turn the leather, we get from the dungeon into something useable. I suspect that won't be the last shop type either as already there is demand for professional chefs.

Speaking of demand, demand for access to the dungeon has picked up lately. That's probably due to the fact that this dungeon isn't actively trying to kill people. People do still die but the progression is a lot more fair. Except maybe that second floor. Even then it doesn't feel malicious. It's still not throwing max level enemies at us from the start. It's even allowing us to take a breather after defeating the boss. So far according to everyone I've spoken to no other dungeon has rooms completely devoid of threats.

Then there are the academy students. They are able to get practical experience that would normally only come at great risk after they graduated. Once again thanks to the dungeon not throwing max level mobs at us from the start. Of course, with the academy students came the academy dorm. which increased the size of the outpost even more. That's on top of the other parties who have expressed a desire to build houses nearby. The problem is that the area is still in the middle of a desert and while yes, the dungeon does provide water there is a very finite amount that can be harvested. Especially with so many people delving.

Honestly everything that's happening makes me glad I took the initiative to claim the land within five km of the dungeon. I was a little surprised to discover it was unowned despite it being in the middle of a desert. I'm not going to complain though, even if I'm now expected to pay taxes on the land. At first, I was just going to put in a listing for a roque with the local guild, but the more I thought about it the more worried I became about losing control of the dungeon.

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Speaking of the rogue despite being fresh from the academy she has proven to be a valuable asset. At least she will be once we start encountering traps on the second floor. The important thing is that her personality meshes well with everyone else. Mostly thanks to her being fresh from the academy and therefore not having the reputation normally associated with rogues. In fact, Chandra and Cole can often be seen sparring together.

In all honest I think we'll be ready to head to the second floor soon. Chandra is already level 5 and making steady progress towards level 6. The rest of us haven't leveled up in a while but with Chandra's help will should soon be able to delve further much sooner than attempting to do it without her. Even considering the month it took to get her to her current level. I still can't believe it's been almost two years since we discovered the dungeon. Granted the first few times we could only delve for a day or two every month or so.

Lily says that we should name the outpost, but I've never really been all that good at naming things. I can see her point though, the more this place grows the more it needs a name. We can't just keep calling it the dungeon outpost ... or can we ... no that's stupid we can't do that. This place deserves a proper name. I just don't feel like coming up with one at the moment. Still not very good at naming things.

I'm abruptly pulled out of my thoughts by Darrell asking if I'm ready to go. "I'm good" I respond checking my gear one more time while reminding myself to get my head in the game. I can't afford to be thinking about anything else right now. Even the first floor could still prove deadly if I allow myself to be distracted by what's happening outside the dungeon. "Todays the day I finally get to see the second floor" Chandra remarks in a tone that is way to bubbly for her chosen profession.

I briefly remind her not to discount the first-floor boss. This boss, based on the reports we've been getting as well as the few times we've fought it, seems to have a nasty habit of targeting the weakest party member. Once inside the dungeon I have everyone take a few minutes to fill up some waterskins. Might as well harvest more water for the outpost while we delve. Besides depending on how far we make it we might end up needing some of that water ourselves.

As always, I intend for us to do a full clear. I'm hoping that by the time we get to the boss Chandra will be level 6. If not, we should still be able to make it past the boss, since we did it before without her helping us. I don't think we're ready to attempt the second-floor boss just yet. As long as we make it further than we did last time I'll be happy though. Ideally, I'd like to do a full clear of the second floor.