The Road Destined to Burn Money

Unbeknownst to them, the magnificent sunset once again graced the Lower World, turning the sky a blood-red hue.

As usual, the adventurers who had entered the Dungeon early gradually emerged from the Babel Tower during this time, looking travel-worn but relaxed, and headed towards the eight main streets that extended in different directions into the city.

"Here's your money, please accept it."

Inside the Babel Tower, in front of the money exchange, Leo accepted the money bag handed to him by a guild employee, weighed it in his hand, and left the crowd.

"Fifty-seven thousand Valis ----"

Holding the money bag, which was much heavier than usual, Leo read out his earnings for the day.

Fifty-seven thousand Valis —this was undoubtedly a more substantial gain than any previous one.

For the ten days prior, Leo's daily earnings remained around 20,000 to 30,000, sometimes less than 20,000, but sometimes more than 30,000, reaching over 40,000. On average, it was 20,000 to 30,000, neither more nor less.

Although he kept exploring deeper and deeper into the dungeons, with his previous ability level, even if he could go further into the Dungeon, he would find it increasingly difficult to deal with the stronger monsters. As a result, the number of monsters he could kill in a day would decrease. So even if the loot he obtained after reaching the 7th floor became more valuable and the quantity decreased, the money he could make after selling them would still be about the same.

In this situation, if Leo is lucky enough to get more dropped items, he will naturally earn more that day; otherwise, he will earn less, ultimately maintaining an average daily income of 20,000 to 30,000 Valis.

However, today he received far more money than any previous day—almost double the amount.

It is evident that after his stats were updated and he ventured into the 10th Floor, Leo's monster-killing speed and money-making efficiency both increased significantly.

Unfortunately----

"I should have been able to earn more."

Leo put away his money pouch, muttering unhappily.

Fifty-seven thousand Valis —this wasn't actually a lump sum payment received all at once.

In fact, Leo has already made three trips to the money exchange today.

His bag, meant for carrying loot, was already full before noon, forcing him to run back down from the 10th Floor to the ground, exchange his Magic Stone, empty his bag, and return to the 10th Floor to continue his adventure. However, his bag filled up again around 3 PM, forcing him to return a second time to empty his bag once more. It wasn't until evening, when it was time to go home, that he embarked on his third return journey with his still-full bag.

In other words, he has wandered between the surface and the 10th Floor of the Dungeon three times today.

"Three trips back and forth, that took up a lot of time."

If Leo could have saved that time and used it on the strategy, he would definitely have gained more today.

Even if I can't earn 100,000 Valis, I should be able to earn at least 70,000 to 80,000 Valis.

"If this continues every day, I'll suffer huge losses."

Leo frowned and sighed again.

"Looks like we really need to hire someone to provide support."

This is an urgent matter and must be resolved as soon as possible.

If Leo delays even a day, he'll lose 20,000 to 30,000 in earnings. If the delay goes on, the losses will be painful even for a high-level adventurer.

Money plays a significant role in this city, especially for adventurers, who need it at all times.

How can you buy elixirs if you have no money?

How can you buy weapons and equipment if you don't have money?

Equipment and supplies are the lifeline of adventurers. Even first-level adventurers cannot defeat the monsters in deeper levels without powerful enough weapons. When facing those powerful monsters, a single hit can often cost them half their lives. Without Elixir, it's practically suicide.

A single potion of the Elixir costs as much as 500,000 Valis. First-level adventurers often buy Elixir potions at a time, easily spending millions of Valis, not to mention weapons and equipment.

It's important to know that even the worst weapons used by a Level 1 adventurer must be Level 2 weaponry, and they must be the best of the Level 2 weaponry. Such weapons cost tens of millions of Valis, while Level 1 weaponry costs hundreds of millions of Valis each. Even a Level 1 adventurer would have to spend a long time earning enough to afford them.

This is just the purchase price. Subsequent maintenance, repairs, and protection will also cost money. The higher the level of special weaponry, the more difficult it is to repair, and the higher the cost will naturally be.

Like Ais, every time she repairs her beloved sword, the cost starts at a million, and if the damage is more serious, the cost can often reach millions or even tens of millions.

Therefore, even a first-level adventurer like Ais needs to find ways to earn money regularly, otherwise her progress in exploring Dungeon will be affected, ultimately impacting her growth rate.

This is also a major reason why Leo urgently needs to hire a support person.

Even if he doesn't care about making money, he still needs to save the time he spends traveling back and forth. If he uses that time to grind monsters and train his abilities, the cumulative effect over time would be quite considerable.

Spending time meant for self-improvement on traveling is something Leo finds difficult to accept.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of making money or becoming stronger, he needs to find a professional supporter to assist him in order to avoid being seriously affected.

"By the way, I've made quite a bit of money by now, haven't I?"

Leo, having just left the Babel Tower, suddenly remembered his current wealth.

Thanks to the financial support of his family and companions, he didn't need to spend money on weapons, equipment, or supplies. Apart from his daily expenses and the cost of repairing his weapons and shields twice, he was able to save all the money he earned.

Based on an average of 20,000 to 30,000 Valis per day, he has now earned 200,000 to 300,000 Valis. With today's earnings, his total net worth should have reached over 300,000 Valis.

"Three hundred thousand Valis —that should barely be enough to buy a level three special weapon, right?"

Leo walked towards the Twilight Manor, his mind filled with these thoughts.

"However, we can only buy relatively inexpensive light weapons such as short swords, daggers, and knives. If it's longswords, spears, or even giant axes and hammers, that might not be enough."

The latter will definitely be more expensive than the former, even if the forging materials are exactly the same, the amount used will be different.

Forging a longsword requires significantly more materials than forging a shortsword, so the cost will naturally differ.

The same goes for armor. Both are level three special weapons. It goes without saying which is more expensive: a leather armor or a full-body suit of armor.

"This is still a warrior's weaponry and equipment; if it were Mage— "

Mage also have equipment that can be used to enhance the power of magic and reduce mental energy depletion, among other benefits.

As is well known, a mage's staff and robes are definitely luxury items, and their prices are in a completely different league compared to the swords, spears, and clubs used by warriors.

The weapons used by people like Ais, Finn, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione are all top-tier special weapons, each costing hundreds of millions of Valis, but no more than two hundred million Valis.

What about Riveria?

As the city's strongest Mage, her "Great Spirit" wand is the highest-grade wand commissioned from a magical superpower. Crafted from refined metals and holy royal ore, the wand is extremely sturdy and can even be used as a polearm. It is also inlaid with nine of the highest-grade magic gems, making it an exceptional wand in the Labyrinth City Orario and even the entire Lower World. It can amplify the power of magic to its extreme and is hailed as one of the "Supreme Five Staves."

It is said that Loki bought this wand at an unprecedentedly low price through Loki relentless and insane bargaining, and this so-called unprecedentedly low price was 340 million Valis, not even counting the nine highest-grade magic gems.

What if it's the original price?

I'm afraid even 500 million Valis wouldn't be enough to take it!

The "Fairy King's Holy Robe" worn by Riveria is also a first-class special weapon. It is woven from the fibers of the Holy King Tree that stands in the royal capital and has extremely high Demonic Power resistance. Its predecessor was the royal dress that Riveria wore when she left home. It would definitely cost more than 100 million Valis, and it would not be surprising if it cost more than 200 million Valis.

This is the equipment of Mage, genuine luxury and high-end items, priced at least twice as high as the equipment of a warrior.

"I'm afraid I can't even afford the lowest grade wand right now, can I?"

Leo suddenly realized he was still very poor.

None of the Mage's equipment is ordinary; the worst is a level three special weapon.

Ordinary weapons like swords, spears, and clubs can be forged by ordinary blacksmiths who haven't received Falna or learned any forging skills. However, all of Mage's equipment must be made by someone with the profession of "magician." There are no ordinary items; they are all special weapons with unique effects.

Leo is following the path of a magic swordsman, so he should ideally be equipped with both melee weapons and magic wands.

This made Leo suddenly realize something.

"So, it turns out I'm on a path destined to burn through money?"

For a fleeting moment, Leo almost changed his mind and gave up being a magic swordsman.

With great difficulty, Leo finally made up his mind and gritted his teeth.

"Money can be earned, but improving your skills is the most important thing."

I've only been an adventurer for eleven days, and I've already earned over 300,000 Valis. If I continue for a few more months, I should be able to accumulate millions of Valis.

At that time, both swords and wands can be equipped.

As for now, I'm only Lv.1, so I don't need fancy equipment; just enough is fine.

Level 1 novice adventurers can generally only explore floors 1-12, which are collectively known as the upper floors. Monsters with abilities exceeding Level 1 will not appear there. Even without a magic wand, Leo's magic can easily defeat the monsters on these twelve floors.

As for melee weapons—as mentioned before, the small straight sword in my hand is sufficient.

If you can even wound orcs, then what monsters in the upper levels are you invincible against?

"Let's wait until we reach Lv.2 before considering whether to change our equipment."

Thinking this, Leo quickly realized that he seemed to have reached Level 2.

At my current rate of growth, I should be able to train all my basic abilities to the limit of my current level within a month at most.

At that point, he won't need to stay at his current level anymore.

"A month—"

Leo frowned.

"By then, I'll probably only be able to save up to one million Valis, right?"

One million Valis, even if used for third-tier special weaponry, might not be enough to buy a longsword, let alone a wand.

"No, we need to find someone to help us."

Leo had completely made up his mind, and then strode towards the clan's main camp.

By the time he arrived home, it was already dark, and the Magic Stone lamps in the courtyard had been turned on, illuminating the surroundings.

Then, unsurprisingly, someone was waiting for him there.

"Welcome back."

The blonde, golden-eyed girl sat on a bench, her legs bent and her knees drawn up to her chest, watching Leo walk in. Her voice carried on the evening breeze to his ears.

"Yes, I'm back."

Leo suppressed the jumble of thoughts in his mind, looked at the overly beautiful and dazzling girl, and greeted her with a smile.

"Um?"

After exchanging greetings, Leo suddenly felt something was off.

Why do I feel like someone else is watching me?

Leo looked up and around, only to find that there wasn't a single person around.

Is it an illusion?

Leo was somewhat suspicious.

But at this moment, Ais had already stood up and come to him.

"I heard," Ais said, looking into Leo's eyes. "You updated your stats yesterday?"

"Hmm." Leo had no choice but to look away and focus his attention on the girl in front of him, smiling as he said, "You're quite well-informed."

"I overheard Mr. Raul and the others mentioning this during dinner," Ais said softly. "Your steps have become more steady too."

The implication is that Ais had also noticed the changes in Leo to some extent.

Congratulations, you've become stronger.

Ais said this from the bottom of her heart.

In her view, becoming stronger is definitely something to be happy about.

At least, that's how it is for her.

Even though her goal of becoming stronger was never anything good.

"Thanks."

Leo replied once, then fell silent.

He suddenly realized that his situation might not be suitable for this young girl to know.