Ais was very familiar with the twenty-third floor, knowing where monsters gathered.
Soon, Roy's killed thousand monsters, completing one-tenth of the task.
However, his killing speed outpaced the floor's monster spawn rate.
"Let's call it a day," Roy said, checking the time.
Returning to the surface from the twenty-third floor would likely mean arriving after dark.
He had no plans to stay overnight in the dungeon.
"It's such a waste to leave all those magic stones," Lefiya said, her full backpack unable to hold the drops from over a thousand monsters.
She glanced back with a pained expression.
Only the best-quality stones and drop items were kept; the rest were discarded or destroyed.
Lefiya estimated the loss at two to three million valis.
"You could sell some on the eighteenth floor, but merchants there lowball prices compared to the surface," Ais suggested.
Black merchants on the safe floor bought cheap and resold to the guild at standard rates—a last resort for overburdened adventurers.
"Let's do that tomorrow," Roy nodded.
"Miss Ais, are you teaming up with him again tomorrow?" Lefiya's eyes widened.
"Any problem?" Ais tilted her head, puzzled.
"Then I'll keep being a supporter," Lefiya said.
"We're not that close."
"Are you so eager to be my supporter because you're plotting something against me or Ais?" Roy teased, his lips curving playfully.
His eyes flicked to Ais, then back to Lefiya, questioning.
"Who'd plot against Miss Ais?!" Lefiya retorted loudly, her face betraying her.
"Does Lefiya have a thing for Roy?" Ais asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity, like any girl drawn to gossip.
"No, Miss Ais, don't misunderstand!" Lefiya's face reddened, flustered by anger or embarrassment.
She regretted speaking up. Following Ais quietly tomorrow would've been smarter.
Roy stifled a laugh, amused by Ais's unexpected focus.
Lefiya glared at him, blaming his odd remarks for Ais's misunderstanding.
The trio returned to the surface the same way.
By the time they reached it, night had fallen, with only a few adventurers in Babel square.
"You can exchange magic stones at the guild's counter. For drop items, some merchants offer better prices," Lefiya suggested.
"I haven't been in Orario long and don't know any reliable merchants. Could you handle it?" Roy asked.
"You trust me that much?" Lefiya said, surprised.
The drop items could fetch millions—a hefty sum for any adventurer.
"We've only spent a day together, but I can tell your character's solid," Roy said with a smile.
"Geez, don't just say stuff like that!" Lefiya's lips curved into a smile, her earlier resentment toward Roy fading.
"I'll sell the drop items and get you the money. But don't short me my share," she added.
"You didn't teach me swordsmanship today," Ais said quietly. She'd spent the day watching Roy slay monsters, despite his promise.
"You saw me fight those monsters, right? Review it later," Roy said with a smile. "It's not something to rush."
"Got it," Ais nodded.
After exchanging the magic stones, Ais, and Lefiya headed to Twilight Manor.
Meanwhile, Roy headed to Hephaestus's shop. It was closed, but Hestia was inside.
"Roy, you're back so late! And you've got blood on you?" Hestia said, worried.
"Monster blood. I'm fine," Roy reassured her.
Hestia sighed in relief and began updating his status.
Pride: Immune to negative mental interference. Immune to psychic detection. Allows ranking without much excelia, requiring maxed basic abilities. Can use any god to rank up or independently rank up.
Greed: Greatly accelerates growth rate. Increases basic ability caps. Increases skill and magic caps.
Lust: Boosts appeal to the opposite sex. Grants top-tier charm, effective on one target when active.
Envy: Briefly seals a target's skill or magic.
Wrath: Temporarily boosts own basic abilities significantly.
Gluttony: Rapid recovery via consuming absorbable items. Includes a small storage space, unable to hold living things.
Sloth: Immune to negative physical effects (poison, sluggishness, etc.).
"What did you do today? Your basic abilities jumped so much!" Hestia's shock was brief.
After two prior status updates, she'd built resilience to Roy's growth.
"Went to the twenty-third floor and stayed there all day," Roy said, checking his status. The gains were substantial.
"No wonder," Hestia nodded.
"There's a new effect for Gluttony," Roy noted, examining his skills.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter