Everyone's shouts nearly blew the roof off the parlor.
And more extreme than any of them was Leon, his eyes blazing, chest heaving, his neck flushed crimson.
"Ha, hahahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
He clutched his forehead and threw his head back laughing, his body trembling with elation. The sheer euphoria surging in his chest defied words.
All Leon knew was that with this windfall, he was about to take off.
Just pumping points into Potential? Too small. Way too small!
Even his basic stats, he was going to max them all out!
His mind was completely fixated on "going all in," and he'd completely forgotten about certain realities.
With trembling fingers he opened the status panel, impatiently finding the entry he wanted.
And then…
The grin on Leon's face froze.
[Assets]: Reserve: 3,620,000 / Cash: 5.154 (Unit: Valis)
[Excelia]: 19 points
"..."
Leon said nothing. He just stared at the number after [Excelia], his mind blank.
As time passed, the cheering crowd gradually noticed something was off with Leon.
Jeanne and Rose, who knew about his ability, exchanged a glance and figured out what was going on almost instantly.
Then, in perfect sync, the corners of both their mouths curved into amused smiles.
"What's with Leon?"
Kureha blinked, puzzled.
Jeanne and Rose burst out laughing, which only left Kureha and the two elf girls more confused than before.
Seeing their expressions, Rose explained while suppressing her laughter:
"Leon's skill. Besides drawing out our potential, it has another effect. It lets him rapidly raise his Basic Abilities by spending Valis."
Then Jeanne picked up where she left off:
"Of course, Valis is only one condition. He also needs to accumulate extra Excelia points. So you can probably understand now why Leon is so obsessed with making money."
Rose glanced at the frozen Leon.
"Valis is directly tied to his potential to grow stronger… and the speed of it."
At Rose's explanation, Kureha, Laurier, and Aura finally understood.
"What the heck!"
Laurier immediately jabbed a finger at Leon, shouting:
"Paying money to get stronger? That's cheating, right? Total cheat! There's no way a skill that ridiculous should exist in the world! Impossible!"
Everyone smiled at the lively girl's outburst.
Jeanne said softly, "Laurier, in this world, all beings are equal only when they face death. As for any other time…"
She shook her head slightly and sighed.
"The idea that we're all born equal is something to take with a grain of salt."
Kureha pressed her lips together and added quietly, "This world has never had true fairness."
The others' gazes shifted, and by unspoken agreement they let the topic drop.
The weight behind the words of this skilled swordswoman seemed to hint at a past no one here knew.
…
Time passed, and before long it was early the next morning.
The sky had yet to brighten, and Leon was already fully dressed, meticulously checking the pack and tools he carried.
Leaning against the wall, Rose had her arms crossed, a slender pale hand covering her mouth as she stifled a yawn.
"My dear Mr. Leon."
Her voice carried a drowsy, languid note.
"It's only three forty-five… where on earth are you going? Even for Dungeon exploration, this is a bit too early."
Leon didn't turn around, his hands still busy.
"Mm, just heading to the Dungeon. As an Adventurer, a little diligence never hurts, right?"
Rose: "..."
Was this the same Leon she knew?
The party had always been active about Dungeon exploration, sure, but active enough to rush out the door before sunrise? She'd never seen anything like it.
What had gotten into this man? How had he suddenly become so… full of "initiative"?
Rose furrowed her fine brows, her probing gaze lingering on the tense profile of Leon's face.
Wait, could it be… the Excelia issue?
Remembering that unexpected windfall, and the awkward spot he was in, unable to splurge on upgrades because his Excelia was tapped out… Rose got it in an instant.
Once she figured out what was really going on, she stopped asking questions.
"Rose, I'm off!"
"Mm, stay safe!"
Leon shouldered his backpack, grabbed his staff, and gave a casual wave over his shoulder as his figure hurried into the dim outside.
"Ara ara…"
Rose narrowed her eyes and cupped her delicate chin in her hand, tilting her head with a soft laugh.
"Men, no matter how old, really are just kids who never grow up."
Yawning again, Rose padded back toward her room in her cute cat-shaped slippers.
Through the partly-open door, you could faintly see various black and white and skin-toned stockings, high heels, and a few men's shirts scattered across the floor.
With a soft click, she pulled the door shut, sealing off the world inside.
…
"Fireball…!"
Boom…!
The blazing fireball shot from his hand and exploded at the end of the corridor with a thunderous roar! A violent shockwave carrying a wave of heat rolled back toward him.
Leon dug at his ears, still ringing from the blast, and looked down at his palm. The corner of his mouth curled into a satisfied grin.
"Hunter and Mage… 1,599 in Basic Abilities, plus the skills and the all-around boost from Lv. 2… this combat experience is on a whole different level!"
"The feel in the middle floors isn't that obvious, since I've only been down a few times."
"But back on the upper floors, against familiar monsters like Goblins and Kobolds, the difference hits you right away."
"Strong. Really strong…"
"After grinding through the brutal early game, this backline mage class finally gets its breakout moment at Lv. 2!"
He narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze cutting down the dim corridor ahead. His pace suddenly quickened, and his figure sped off toward the middle floors like the wind.
As for the upper floors?
"Sorry, guys, gonna have to skip those."
Leon didn't look back, not an ounce of regret in him.
"At Lv. 2, you chumps can only give me 0.1 Excelia a kill, and with this pitiful spawn rate and quantity…"
He clicked his tongue, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Even a dog would shake its head."
…
Eighth District, Manor of Twilight.
Ais, who had been in solitary confinement for a while, poked her head out from the shadows of the courtyard, scanning her surroundings warily.
Confirming that it was empty, just as she'd expected, she tightened her small face, dashed for the wall, and with a light push vaulted over it silently.
Her destination?
"The Dungeon, obviously?"
"Mm. The Dungeon."
Behind a landscape tree she hadn't noticed, three figures quietly emerged: Riveria, Gareth Landrock, and Finn.
"I'll leave her to you, then, Riveria?"
Finn looked at the elven royal.
"Hmph."
Riveria snorted, flicked her cloak, and strode off in pursuit, her movements just as swift and elegant.
Watching the tangled bond between this "mother and daughter," Finn and Gareth exchanged a wry smile.
"Ah well, their problems are theirs to work out. I trust Ais isn't unreasonable."
Finn looked up at the sky and murmured softly.
"Hah, telling me this stuff, who'd get it?"
Gareth slapped his belly heartily, not the least bit worried.
"Better to just kick back with a drink."
"Fine, fine…"
Finn shrugged helplessly and gave a wry smile, hands spread.
The two stood in silence for a moment. Then Gareth's smile faded and his expression grew serious.
"That reminds me, Finn. Has the report on yesterday's attack come in yet?"
At the mention of it, Finn's eyes darkened. He frowned, and habitually licked his thumb, thoughtful.
"Mm… something feels off. Even Valletta showed up this time, and she ran into both the Astraea and Ganesha Familias."
"They fought?"
Gareth froze for a moment, then boomed out in his usual thunderous voice:
"Hah, what's so complicated about it? An army comes, you meet it with generals; floods come, you hold them back with earthworks. You think that Evilus lot could actually turn the sky over? Way I see it, they only pull these underhanded stunts because they know they'd lose an open war!"
But Finn shook his head noncommittally, his tone heavy.
"Gareth, what happened yesterday wasn't some minor stunt."
The dwarf warrior's brows knit together as well.
"Is there a specific damage report?"
Finn glanced at the training ground. Even as they spoke, members were getting up one by one and starting their daily training.
"It should have just been tallied up. We'll only see the full picture at the Guild's emergency meeting today."
"Hah, I hope things haven't gotten as bad as they could."
…
At the same time, in another part of Orario, another figure was also taking advantage of the dim early-morning sky to hurry toward the Dungeon.
...
...
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