A week later, Anna officially joined the diner.
At first, she stood frozen at the entrance, staring at the packed hall, the unfamiliar dishes flying out of the kitchen, and the fact that every employee except her wore a slave crest. Her expression said everything:
What kind of place did I just walk into…?
But Anna was adaptable. After only a few days, she learned how things worked, accepted the crest situation, and even started socializing with Sabrina and Misha during breaks. Her arrival brought something priceless to the diner:
Tina finally had breathing room.
Since Tina still adventured every morning and then helped in the diner during evenings, she had been running on fumes.
Anna taking over part of her workload eased the pressure immensely.
Jake and Tyson, meanwhile, stood by the entrance as usual—arms crossed, weapons on their back, scanning for trouble. They were guards through and through, not waiters. Misha handled serving, while Sabrina focused on cooking beside Woon.
When the evening rush finally slowed and the last customer walked out, the group cleaned up and dimmed the lanterns. Everyone exhaled at once.
Anna was wiping sweat from her forehead when she picked up her bag.
"I'll be heading home then—"
"Hold on," Woon called out, stopping her.
"Before you leave, why don't you have dinner with us? And take some for your mother too."
Anna hesitated.
"Ah… are you sure?"
"Yeah. You're part of the team now," Woon said with a small grin.
Seeing no reason to refuse, she joined them. The group sat around the table—Woon, Sabrina, Misha, Tina, Jake, and Tyson. They ate a simple but warm staff meal, chatting about nothing serious, the kind of conversation that felt like a family gathering after a long day.
After dinner, Woon packed two boxes of food and handed them to Anna.
"Give your mother my regards."
"I will. Thank you," she said softly before heading home.
Once Anna left and the door closed behind her, the atmosphere shifted slightly.
Arth stepped out from the back, walking straight toward Woon.
"Do you have a minute?" he asked.
Woon raised a brow.
"Yeah. What is it?"
"There's something I need to report," Arth began.
Woon blinked. "Report? You're not a guild officer."
Arth paused for half a breath before continuing.
"I found a dungeon."
To be continued…..