Before anyone realized it, the brilliant sunset had visited the lower world once again, painting the sky in a hue as deep as blood.
As was the custom, adventurers who had entered the Dungeon early in the morning were emerging from Babel one after another. Looking travel-worn but wearing relaxed expressions, they headed toward the various main streets that extended in eight different directions throughout the city.
"Here is your money, please take it."
Inside Babel, in front of the exchange center, Leon accepted the pouch handed over by the Guild employee. He weighed it in his hand as he stepped away from the crowd.
"Fifty-seven thousand Valis—"
Gripping the pouch, which was significantly heavier than usual, Leon silently noted today's earnings.
Fifty-seven thousand Valis was undoubtedly a more substantial haul than any of his previous trips.
During the past ten days, Leon's daily earnings had consistently hovered around twenty to thirty thousand. Sometimes it was less, not even reaching twenty thousand; other times it was more, exceeding thirty thousand or even hitting forty thousand. On average, it was about twenty or thirty thousand—neither too much nor too little.
Although he had been steadily increasing the depth of his exploration, his previous ability scores meant that even if he could go deeper, fighting the increasingly stronger monsters became more taxing. This resulted in a decrease in the total number of monsters he could slay in a day. Thus, even as the loot from the 7th floor and beyond became more valuable, the smaller quantity meant his total earnings remained roughly the same.
Under those circumstances, if Leon had good luck and obtained more drop items, he would earn more that day; if not, he earned less. Ultimately, it leveled out to an average daily income of twenty to thirty thousand Valis.
However, today he had received far more than any previous day—nearly double the usual amount.
It was evident that after his status was updated and he ventured into the 10th floor, Leon's killing speed and earning efficiency had both risen significantly.
Unfortunately—
"I should have been able to earn even more," Leon muttered, looking none too pleased.
Fifty-seven thousand Valis wasn't actually money he had just received in a single lump sum.
In reality, Leon had run to the exchange center three times today.
His bag for holding loot had been full before noon, forcing him to run back to the surface from the 10th floor to exchange his magic stones and empty his bag before returning to the 10th floor to continue his quest. By around three in the afternoon, his bag was full again, necessitating a second return trip. Finally, as evening approached and it was time to head home, he made his third trip back with a partially filled bag.
In other words, he had spent the day wandering back and forth between the surface and the 10th floor three entire times.
"Running back and forth three times wasted a lot of time."
If that time could have been saved and spent on the actual quest, Leon's harvest today would certainly have been even greater. He might not have hit a hundred thousand Valis, but he surely could have reached seventy or eighty thousand.
"If this happens every day from now on, my losses will be huge."
Leon frowned deeply and sighed again.
"It looks like I really need to hire a Supporter."
This was a matter of urgency that needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
For every day he delayed, Leon lost twenty or thirty thousand Valis. Over a long period, that total loss would be enough to make even an upper-class adventurer feel the sting.
Money played a massive role in this city, especially for adventurers; they needed it at all times.
Without money, how could you buy elixirs?
Without money, how could you buy weapons and armor?
Equipment and supplies were an adventurer's lifeline. Even first-tier adventurers couldn't cut through monsters in the deep floors without powerful weapons. Moreover, when facing those mighty creatures, a single hit could often cost half their life; being without Elixirs was practically a death wish.
The retail price for a single Elixir was as high as five hundred thousand Valis. First-tier adventurers bought them several at a time, easily spending millions of Valis—to say nothing of weapons and armor.
One must understand that the lowest-tier weapon a first-tier adventurer would use was a Second-Tier Armament, and it had to be a masterpiece among them. Such weapons easily cost tens of millions of Valis. First-Tier Armaments were almost all priced at over a hundred million Valis; even first-tier adventurers had to spend a long time grinding for money to save up enough.
And that was just the purchase price. The subsequent maintenance, repairs, and protection required for use also cost money. The higher the grade of special equipment, the more difficult and expensive the repairs became.
Take Ais, for example. Every time she repaired her beloved sword, the cost started at a million Valis. If the wear and tear were severe, costs of several million or even over ten million were frequent occurrences.
Therefore, even a first-tier adventurer like Ais had to find ways to earn money regularly. Otherwise, their progress in the Dungeon would be hindered, which would ultimately affect their rate of growth.
This was the primary reason Leon desperately needed to hire a Supporter.
Even setting aside the financial aspect, he needed to save the time spent running back and forth. If that time were spent grinding monsters and training his ability scores, the daily accumulation would lead to a significant increase in strength.
Wasting time meant for self-improvement on commuting was something Leon could not accept.
Therefore, whether from the perspective of earning money or becoming stronger, it was necessary for him to find a professional Supporter to assist him.
"Speaking of which, haven't I earned quite a bit by now?"
Walking out of Babel, Leon suddenly remembered his current net worth.
Because of the initial assistance from his Familia comrades, he hadn't needed to spend money on weapons, armor, or supplies. Except for small daily expenses and two repair bills for his sword and shield, all the money he earned had been saved.
Calculating at an average of twenty to thirty thousand Valis a day, he had saved roughly two or three hundred thousand Valis. Including today's harvest, his total net worth should be over three hundred thousand.
"Three hundred thousand Valis—it should be just barely enough to buy a Third-Tier Special Armament, right?"
Leon walked toward Twilight Manor, pondering the matter.
"However, I could probably only buy light weapons with lower production costs, like daggers, short swords, or knives. If it's a longsword, a spear, or even a giant axe or heavy hammer, it might not be enough."
The price of the latter was definitely higher than the former. Even if the forging materials were identical, the amount used was different. Forging a longsword obviously required more material than forging a short sword, so the cost would naturally differ.
The same applied to armor. For a Third-Tier Special Armament, there was no need to ask which was more expensive: a piece of leather armor or a full set of plate mail that covered the entire body.
"And that's just warrior equipment. If it were for a Mage—"
Mages also had equipment designed to increase magical power and reduce mind consumption.
As is well known, a Mage's staff and robes were luxury items. Compared to the swords, spears, and clubs used by warriors, the prices were on a completely different level.
The weapons used by Ais, Finn, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione were all First-Tier Special Armaments. Each was priced at over a hundred million Valis, but no matter how high, they didn't exceed two hundred million.
What about Riveria?
As the city's strongest Mage, her weapon, "Magna Alfs," was a top-grade staff commissioned from the great magical nation of Altena after Loki ordered its creation. This silvery-white staff was forged from mithril and holydite; its body is so incredibly sturdy that it can even be used as a physical weapon in combat.
The staff is inlaid with nine magic treasure stones at its head. In the Labyrinth City Orario and throughout the lower world, it is considered an over-specified weapon capable of pushing magical power to its absolute limit, hailed as one of the "Five Best Staves" in the entire world.
It is said that Loki used unscrupulous, frantic bargaining to buy it at an unprecedentedly low price of 340 million Valis—and that price didn't even include the nine top-grade magic gems. If it were sold at its original market value? It probably couldn't be bought even for 500 million!
The "Fairy King's Holy Robe" Riveria wears is also a First-Class piece of armor. It is woven from the fibers of the sacred royal tree located in the High Elf Forest, giving it extremely high resistance to magic.
The base of the robe was actually a dress Riveria wore when she first left the High Elf Forest. She originally tried to give it to Aina, but through various modifications, it eventually turned into a legendary piece of first-class equipment.
Its market price would surely be over 100 million Valis, and it wouldn't be surprising if it reached over 200 million. Such is a Mage's equipment: genuine luxury and high-end goods. Compared to a warrior's gear, the minimum price is at least double.
"—I probably can't even afford the lowest-grade magic staff right now, can I?"
Leon suddenly felt that he was still very poor.
Mage equipment never consisted of ordinary items; the lowest grade was Third-Tier Special Armaments.
Ordinary weapons like swords and spears could be forged by regular blacksmiths who hadn't received a Blessing or learned the "Blacksmith" Developmental Ability. But Mage equipment had to be created by those with the "Magician" profession. There were no ordinary items; they were all special armaments with unique effects.
Leon followed the path of a Magic Swordsman. Whether it was the weapons needed for close combat or a magic staff, it was best to be equipped with both.
This realization hit Leon like a thunderbolt.
"So the path I'm on is destined to be a money-burner?"
For a fleeting moment, Leon almost wanted to change his mind about being a Magic Swordsman.
With great effort, he steadied his resolve and gritted his teeth.
"Money can always be earned. Improving strength is what matters most."
He had only been an adventurer for eleven days and had already earned over three hundred thousand Valis. If he did this for a few more months, he should be able to save several million. By then, he could equip himself with both a sword and a staff.
As for now, he was only Level 1; he didn't need such luxurious equipment. Good enough was fine.
Level 1 rookie adventurers usually only roamed floors 1 through 12. These twelve floors were collectively known as the Upper Floors, where no monster exceeding Level 1 would appear. Even without a staff, Leon's magic could easily dispatch monsters on these levels.
As for close-combat weapons—as he had told himself before, the small straight sword in his hand was sufficient for now. If it could cut an Orc, what monster in the Upper Floors could it not cut?
"I'll wait until I'm Level 2 before considering changing my equipment."
Thinking this, Leon soon realized that he seemed ready to rank up to Level 2 already—
Given his current growth rate, it would take a month at most to train all his basic abilities to the limit of his current level. When that time came, there would be no need for him to stay at his current level.
"One month, huh—"
Leon's face crumpled into a worried expression.
"By then, I'll have saved a million Valis at most, right?"
One million Valis might not even be enough for a Third-Tier Special Armament longsword, let alone a staff.
"No, I definitely have to find a Supporter."
Leon completely solidified this resolve and strode toward the Familia's headquarters.
By the time he reached home, darkness had just fallen, and the magic stone lamps in the courtyard had been lit, illuminating the surroundings.
Then, as expected, someone was waiting for him.
"—Welcome back."
The blonde, golden-eyed girl sat on a bench, her legs drawn up and her arms around her knees. As she watched Leon walk in, her voice traveled on the evening breeze to his ears.
"Yeah, I'm back."
Leon suppressed the cluttered thoughts in his mind and, looking at the overly beautiful and dazzling girl, greeted her with a smile.
"Hmm?"
After greeting her, Leon suddenly felt something odd. Why did it feel like someone else was watching him?
Leon raised his head and looked around, but there wasn't a single person in sight.
"An illusion?" Leon felt suspicious.
But at that moment, Ais had already stood up and come before him.
"I heard," Ais said, looking into Leon's eyes. "You updated your status yesterday?"
"Yeah." Leon could only retract his gaze and focus on the girl before him, smiling. "You're quite well-informed."
"—At dinner, I heard Mr. Raul and the others mention it," Ais said softly. "Your footsteps have also become steadier."
The implication was that Ais had more or less seen the changes in Leon.
"Congratulations on becoming stronger."
Ais said this from the bottom of her heart. To her, becoming stronger was definitely something worth being happy about. At least, that was how it was for her. Even if her own purpose for becoming stronger was never a happy one.
"Thanks," Leon replied, then fell silent.
He suddenly realized again that his current situation might not be suitable for this girl to know—
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