"Remember to repay the valis I paid for the equipment in the future," Roy said to Lili before entering the dungeon.
"Didn't you gift it to me?" Lili's forced smile faltered, and she stared at Roy in astonishment.
Calm down! Don't get angry, she told herself, taking a deep breath to suppress her irritation.
"Yes, Lili will work hard to earn valis and pay you back."
Her heart ached. The equipment cost millions, a hefty sum even with her savings.
If she'd known, she wouldn't have chosen such a costly, low-value set.
She'd have picked plain but effective gear instead.
Though Lili mentally cursed Roy, her delicate face maintained a flawless smile.
"Lord Roy, which floor are we heading to today?" she asked, shifting the topic to avoid exploding over the armor issue.
"Today's about building up experience for you," Roy said, glancing at her.
"What's the deepest floor you've reached?"
"Lili's been to the 15th floor with adventurers from the Soma Familia," she replied.
The Soma Familia had few high-class adventurers—only two or three, including their captain.
The rest were low-class.
She'd only reached the 15th floor by chance, teaming up with outsiders.
Roy nodded. "Then let's aim for the 24th floor today."
"???" Lili's mind reeled.
That's practically the lower floors!
After some time, they reached the 24th floor.
As if stepping on a trap, monsters emerged from the ground one by one.
Seeing the towering creatures, Lili felt a chill and unease creep over her.
Any low-class adventurer thrust into the 24th floor would feel the same—a primal instinct urging them to flee a floor far beyond their level.
"Yes, Lili won't get lost," she said, eyeing the Level 2 monsters, far stronger than any she'd faced before.
Straying from Roy's side would mean being torn apart in moments.
As a supporter who hadn't updated her Status, her strength was pitiful; even upper-floor monsters could kill her easily.
Lili's hand slipped into her pocket, gripping her knife—her strongest means of self-defense.
Roy charged into the monster horde, Hestia Sword reducing them to ashes effortlessly.
Magic stones and drop items fell to the ground.
"This side's clear, Lili. Collect the magic stones and drop items. I'll check the other side," Roy said, then dashed off, too fast for Lili to follow.
Lili stared after him, shouting, "Take me with you!"
The chilling atmosphere intensified.
She hurriedly gathered the items, intending to chase Roy, but he was gone.
"Surviving on the 24th floor for a day… no, half a day should count as gaining experience, right?" Roy muttered to himself elsewhere, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
With Lili's skills, she'd never track him down.
After chasing a short distance, Lili gave up and cursed in the direction Roy had gone.
But she quickly fell silent, wary of drawing attention.
Scanning her surroundings, she started searching for a relatively safe area where monsters rarely spawned.
Lili planned to wait there until Roy returned.
Roy, observing from a distance, nodded in approval.
Lili's sharp judgment and quick grasp of the terrain impressed him.
Her retreat was slow but cautious, avoiding danger skillfully.
She even dodged a few wandering monsters with ease.
However, the 24th floor was close to the lower floors, and monsters spawned rapidly.
Despite Lili's experience, her low-class strength was lacking.
A lone monster eventually caught up to her.
Her knife, left cracks across its blade.
Without her armor, she'd have been killed. Even so, the armor was heavily damaged, and Lili herself was badly injured.
"Boom!" The knife struck the monster one last time, shattering completely as the creature turned to ash.
"It worked?" Lili stared in disbelief.
The knife had only scratched the monster before.
"Lili, you're better than I expected!" Roy's voice rang out, snapping her back to reality.
"Roy, did you kill that monster?" Lili's body went limp, and she collapsed, panting heavily.
The brush with death had drained her.
"You didn't kill it yourself, but you survived against a Level 2 monster for so long and crossed a good distance on the 24th floor."
"This should be enough for a low-class adventurer to rank up."
"So this was your plan?" Lili's voice trembled with suppressed anger.
"Why else would I buy you that armor?" Roy nodded, handing her a recovery potion.
"Drink this. Restore your strength."
Lili's anger flared. "Are you insane? I nearly died!"
Even when abandoned by the Soma Familia, she hadn't felt this wronged.
She'd been a hair's breadth from death.
"You seem pretty upset with me," Roy said, chuckling, unfazed.
"Damn right!" Lili snapped, letting go completely.
"I've been pissed at you since yesterday! Sure, you're a high-class adventurer, and I'm just a supporter rotting in the gutter. But who do you think you are?"
"Acting all high and mighty, forcing me to serve you, and talking about making me the captain of the Soma Familia like it's nothing."
"Now you've thrown me onto the 24th floor, knowing I'm just low-class! If you want me dead, just say it—don't torture me !"
"Alright, I hear you. But let's treat those wounds first," Roy opened the potion and poured it over her injuries.
Potions could be applied topically or ingested.
"I'm here now. Kill me or do whatever!" Lili lay on the ground, battered and messy, awaiting Roy's judgment.
"Why would I kill you? I actually like your real side," Roy said with a laugh.
"A puppet who just nods and agrees is boring. It's more interesting when you speak your mind."
"You're such a weirdo," Lili muttered.
She'd braced for his anger, but he was oddly gentle.
"I'm not the one giving up on myself," Roy teased.
"Who's giving up?" Lili shot back, then froze, realizing her earlier despair had indeed been that.
"Back to your senses?" Roy asked.
"You're not mad?" Lili said, her survival instinct kicking in.
Her outburst had been reckless.
"If I got mad over something this small, I'd be furious all the time," Roy chuckled.
"By the way, when we get back, I'll buy another set of armor," Roy added, glancing at her tattered gear.
The image of a female knight in armor, stained with battle, was oddly appealing.
"You're paying?" Lili asked cautiously.
"What are you talking about?"
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter