Changing Its Direction

Touching the small straight sword that had been with him for a month, Leo recalled the battle he had fought in the middle level today.

The battle intensity on the 13th floor was indeed very high. Not only were there the Unicorn Rabbit Legion, classified as Lv.2 and skilled in group combat, but also the Hellhound that could kill a large number of advanced adventurers with their fire breath, plus monsters like the Hard-Armored Rat that were already troublesome and difficult to deal with on the upper floors. After a day of fighting, even with magical firepower comparable to Lv.3, Leo inevitably suffered several injuries.

Several times, Leo found himself in perilous situations, such as being cornered by countless Unicorn Rabbit. He had to release the restrictions on his mental power and use powerful magic multiple times, almost leading to mental exhaustion. Even so, he still needed Lefiya's support and healing to turn the tide and ultimately survive.

He himself managed to hold on, but his weapon almost gave way.

Dealing with the Unicorn Rabbit was alright; these monsters are inherently fragile, so cutting them wasn't too difficult. But dealing with the Hellhound was already a bit of a struggle. The hellhound's fur and strong muscles required Leo to swing his sword with all his might to even penetrate its skin. And when dealing with the infamously tougher-than-a-tortoise Hard-Armored Rat, his small straight sword only managed to create a lot of sparks. It was impossible to even leave a white mark on the Hard-Armored Rat, let alone a wound.

As a result, the small straight sword in his hand was constantly worn down. By the time Leo realized what was happening, it was full of nicks and chips. He could no longer cut through the Hellhound and Hard-Armored Rat, and could only barely manage to cut through the fragile Unicorn Rabbit.

This made Leo realize that he had leveled up, reached the middle level of the game, and it was time to upgrade his weapon.

Even if it's incredibly sharp and of the highest quality, without special weaponry, it's fine for dealing with monsters classified as Lv.1, but it's practically useless against mid-level monsters classified as Lv.2.

This is still at the starting point of the middle layer, on the 13th floor.

What if we delve deeper into this area later?

What if we reach the end of the 14th, 15th, 16th, or even 17th Floor of the Cave Labyrinth?

Sooner or later, they probably won't even be able to cut down squishy monsters anymore, right?

Ordinary iron is still ordinary iron. It's fine for dealing with ordinary monsters, but to think that it can be used to deal with monsters that are comparable to advanced adventurers after they have been upgraded is simply wishful thinking.

Therefore, he really needs to change his weapons.

"Mr. Leo is a magic swordsman, and a magic swordsman who has mastered 'Mage'. In addition to a sword, shouldn't he also prepare a magic wand?"

Lefiya looked at the silent Leo and said softly.

"Whether it's special weaponry or a magic wand, neither is cheap. Unfortunately, Mr. Leo hasn't been in the game for very long, unlike others who have been at Level 1 for several years. Even if they slowly save up, they should have enough money to replace their equipment."

Therefore, Lefiya knew that Leo was very short of money.

Especially after learning about his astonishing growth rate, Lefiya knew that Leo would only become more short of money in the future, because the faster he grew, the more his weapons and equipment would need to be upgraded, otherwise they simply couldn't keep up with his ever-increasing combat intensity.

"I can't offer any real help, so I can only offer as much support as possible to those of you fighting on the front lines."

Lefiya said somewhat shyly, "Please accept it, Mr. Leo."

Upon hearing this, Leo wanted to say something, but after seeing Lefiya's eyes, he couldn't utter a word.

Leo already knew that this seemingly delicate girl had her own principles.

In the original story, she was unwilling to abandon her comrades and insisted on taking the wounded to help the frontline fighters, which led to her encountering danger and ultimately being left there forever.

She knew she wasn't good at fighting, so she wanted to do her job well and help those fighting on the front lines as much as possible.

The same is true now.

Upon meeting Leo, a promising genius who was making a name for himself in the Familia, Lefiya admired, worshipped, and respected him, while also wondering how she could help him.

She is his supporter, so she should support him as much as possible outside of battles and help him grow.

"But----"

After listening, Leo still wanted to say something, but Lefiya didn't give him a chance to speak.

"If Mr. Leo still thinks this is not good, I will go back and tell Miss Ais."

Lefiya's voice was timid, but her words directly hit Leo's sore spot.

"If Miss Ais finds out Mr. Leo is short of money, she'll definitely give you all her savings."

This time, Leo really shut up.

The main point is that this is absolutely not a joke; it could really happen.

Back when Leo had just become an adventurer, Ais immediately gave him two Elixir worth the equivalent of a million Valis. If she knew he desperately needed money, how could she not offer Leo her entire fortune?

Elixir! The highest-grade elixir, said to cure anything as long as you're not dead—what level 1 newbie adventurer would use something like that?

Let alone a novice adventurer at level 1, even a level 2 adventurer at level 3 can't afford this. It's a waste for level 3 and level 4 adventurers to use it. Only level 1 adventurers at level 5 and above can use it as standard equipment.

The elixirs others give Leo are at most high-grade elixirs, magical elixirs, or antidotes worth tens of thousands of Valis. Who would throw two Elixir at him like Ais did?

If Leo hadn't been so reckless before the upgrade and suffered such severe injuries, he definitely wouldn't have been willing to use those two Elixir. After using them, he felt even more heartbroken for a long time, as if the flesh and blood that had regrown on his body had become much more expensive, and he dared not let them get hurt again.

Under such circumstances, if Ais knew that Leo was short of money, she would definitely be willing to give him money directly.

Although this "golden rice bowl" sounds tempting—after all, the other party is a first-level adventurer, and should have millions or even tens of millions of Valis savings, easily enough to meet Leo's current needs— Leo is also proud and can't bring himself to ask a girl his own age for money.

This is based on his current age. If we consider his age before he transmigrated, he would be much older Ais.

Compared to that, taking the lion's share here is nothing; after all, he earned this money himself, and Lefiya did take some as well.

"Okay."

Leo could only accept this situation with a sense of bewilderment.

At worst, I can make it up to Lefiya when I'm not short of money in the future.

And now that I know about that incident, I can't let it happen again.

This girl, who cared so much for her clan and companions, should not have perished in that illusory underground labyrinth.

However, if I want to be of use in that incident and change the outcome, my current strength is far from sufficient.

Lv.2?

They don't even qualify for an entry ticket in that incident!

You need to be at least Lv.5, or even Lv.6, to have the ability to change the course of events.

"Thankfully, there's still time."

Leo gripped the money pouch tightly in his hand, a glint of something in his eyes.

Before those events happen, I have to work hard—no, I have to work my ass off.

This is also for my own sake.

After all, only by becoming stronger can they protect themselves, Lefiya, and Ais in the face of impending dangers.

That night, Leo and Lefiya quietly returned to the Twilight Manor.

It was just after dinner time, and Lefiya ran into an acquaintance as she entered. They chatted and laughed together before leaving.

Leo didn't run into Raul and the others. After inquiring, he learned that Raul and several close members of the group had left the base camp for the Dungeon that morning and hadn't returned yet.

It wasn't just Raul; many members of the Familia seemed to have gone to the Dungeon today, including Tiona and Tione, which led to—

The base camp wasn't lively at all today; in fact, it was rather deserted.

Leo didn't run into Ais either, and he wondered if she had gone to the Dungeon like everyone else, which made him uneasy.

"Why did they all suddenly run off to the Dungeon?"

Completely unaware that he was the instigator of this incident, and completely oblivious to the immense pressure and stress he had placed on his seniors in the clan, Leo walked alone up the tower towards his room.

As Leo walked, he suddenly stopped.

Because, at the other end of the corridor in front of him, there was a person walking towards him with their hands in their pockets.

He was a young orc with sharp, furry animal ears on his head and a gray tail running down his back.

The young man was probably a little Raul, but not by much, maybe a year or two at most. However, compared to the plain-looking Raul, this orc youth was much more handsome, with a strong and muscular physique and a height of over 180 centimeters. Although his demeanor was slightly rough, he didn't give off the feeling of a delinquent; instead, he seemed like a cool and aloof young master.

The other person also had lightning bolt-shaped tattoos on their face, which added to their menacing appearance. Anyone who saw them would want to avoid them.

The other person seemed to have seen Leo as well, paused slightly, and made a clear smacking of the lips, as if their already bad mood had worsened. They then continued walking towards them, but their footsteps became much heavier.

Leo's eyes flickered slightly, unlike the orc youth whose expression was more obvious. Instead, he continued walking towards the other person without changing his expression.

In the quiet corridor, the two quickly closed the distance between them and passed each other expressionlessly, as if they hadn't seen each other at all.

Only when they were facing away from each other did the young orc stop and break the silence.

"I heard you've reached Lv.2?"

This is not a question, but an interrogation.

Although there was no malice intended, the blunt and rude tone still made people unconsciously frown.

Leo didn't frown, after all, he knew the orc youth's temperament very well.

No, not only him, but everyone in the entire Loki Familia and even the entire Orario knew about this young orc's temper.

Because he is Bete Loga Roca, one of only seven Loki Spring Familia and fewer than forty Level 1 adventurers in Orario.

His rank is Lv.5, his age is 22, and his title is [Fierce Wolf]. He is known for his arrogant personality, looks down on weak adventurers, speaks venomously, and is rude. He is a typical power-hungry person who will not show any mercy even to his own clanmates.

At the same time, he is also the Loki Familia who dislikes Leo the most and has the worst relationship with him. Ever since Leo was brought back to the Familia by Ais a year ago, he has been criticizing him and verbally abusing him every time they meet, making Leo reluctant to see him and even unwilling to eat in the cafeteria.

Because the other disliked him, and Leo didn't want to get involved and get scolded, the two consciously avoided each other even within their own clan, resulting in them meeting less than ten times a year.

The other party is also deliberately ignoring Leo, to the point that they haven't shown up much since Leo's official debut.

But this time, the other side clearly could no longer ignore Leo.

Is there a problem?

Leo didn't turn around, and simply replied with this sentence.

"Pretty capable, huh? Leveling up really makes a difference; you've gotten much more confident in your speech." Bete Loga, without turning around, kept his hands in his pockets and sneered, "You went from Lv.1 to Lv.2 in less than a month. You must be feeling pretty smug right now, right?"

"What do you think?" Leo replied calmly, "Do I look like I'm smug right now?"

"Aren't you proud?" Bete Loga's tone was unusually devoid of emotion as he said, "You've completely shattered the fastest leveling record left by our Doll Princess. As the one who was taken in, don't you think this proves yourself?"

"Lv.2 is all you've got to prove yourself?" Leo said, equally devoid of emotion. "To truly prove yourself, you should at least reach Lv.5, or even Lv.6 first."

"Ha!" Bete Loga burst out laughing, as if amused, and said sarcastically, "You really dare to dream!"

"Lv.5? Lv.6?"

"There are fewer than forty Level 1 adventurers in the entire city. Do you really think that just because you're leveling up a little fast, you'll become one in the future?"

"And you still say you're not pleased? I think you're incredibly pleased!"

Although Bete Loga was being sarcastic, he never turned around to directly mock Leo.

"But you're right, you'll only have the right to be proud when you reach Lv.5 or Lv.6," Bete Loga said coldly. "As for now, you're only Lv.2, at best just hanging around in the middle ranks. If that makes you proud, you should just leave this clan and find some small clan outside."

"You were a nobody before you received Falna, you were a nobody at Lv.1, and even now, you're still a nobody."

After leaving those words, Bete Loga departed, never looking at Leo again.

Leo listened to the footsteps fading away behind him, but his expression didn't change at all.

Although what the other party said was harsh, it must be said that Leo himself shared this view.

He always felt that he was still weak and needed to become stronger.

Of course, they are probably the only ones who would think that way.

For others, Leo's achievements are already quite remarkable.