Lynn stood up and opened the door.
Aside from Giggs, Ant and Leona were also there.
"Is there something you need from me, all of you?" Lynn asked, a bit puzzled.
He was slightly taken aback, though it had only been two days since he last saw them; the boys standing before him looked like entirely different people: blank expressions, exhausted faces, and bloodshot eyes.
"There is something important," Giggs forced himself to speak clearly, his voice low and tired.
"This morning at the Wuhuan Assembly, we saw a wizard apprentice offering extraordinary enhancements for just one magic stone.
"We talked it over and decided we want to pool our money so one of us can get the enhancement. Are you in?"
Lynn shook his head and declined calmly. "Sorry, Giggs."
"You should still have two or three lesser magic stones on you, right? If you joined…"
"Sorry, Giggs," Lynn repeated firmly. "I'm not going to join."
Only then did Giggs seem to fully register the refusal. His expression turned dazed.
"How long has it been since you guys last slept, Giggs?" Lynn asked quietly.
"…Ever since we came down the mountain, we've barely slept," Giggs replied after a pause. "Ant and Leona are about the same as me."
Anyone with experience would know that the moment you fall into debt isn't the hardest part.
The truly crushing moment is when you realize that no matter how hard you work or how much effort you put in, you'll never be able to pay it off. That's when despair hits, when hope for the future slips away.
In the short span of three days since leaving the mountain, Giggs and the others were already living through that.
Three days might not sound like much.
But for them, realizing how hard it was to make money in the city, watching their savings drain away little by little, and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel dim until it was nearly gone, made every minute feel like an eternity.
For Lynn, those three days passed in a flash.
But for the others, they dragged on endlessly.
Fortunately, they'd finally found a sliver of hope.
Raising his head, Giggs looked at Lynn, surprised.
"Why won't you join us, Lynn?"
Lynn didn't answer immediately. Giggs pressed on:
"Lynn, if one of us can gain extraordinary powers, paying off our debts won't be a problem anymore.
"With that power, we can earn more magic stones and help the rest of us get enhancements too. Then we'll all have a real chance to survive in Emeraldwood City!
"If you're worried about who goes first, I promise we'll draw lots to make it fair."
"That's not what I'm worried about, Giggs." Lynn shook his head.
With his proficient-level skill in crafting Mental Shock crystal plates, surviving was no longer a concern for him. There was no need to take that kind of risk.
He just hadn't figured out how to explain that yet.
After thinking for a moment, Lynn looked at Giggs and asked:
"Even the most basic bodily enhancement normally costs at least three magic stones.
"An enhancement that only takes one, how much chance of success can it have? Forty percent? Fifty?
"I just don't want to take that kind of gamble, Giggs."
He'd hit the nail on the head. Giggs fell silent for a while.
The idea of saving up one magic stone, undergoing an enhancement, and then using the power gained to earn more stones sounded like a perfect plan.
But it all hinged on one thing: success.
And would it succeed?
Giggs didn't know. Couldn't know.
He looked up at Lynn and sighed.
"Twenty-five percent, Lynn.
"The success rate is only twenty-five percent."
Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly. Twenty-five percent. That wasn't quite a death sentence… but it wasn't far off either.
He looked at the three silent boys in front of him and opened his mouth to speak.
He wanted to tell them to just hang in there, that maybe things would turn around, that it wasn't worth risking everything for a one-in-four shot.
But when the words reached his lips, he just couldn't say them.
As someone who had already found a way to survive at least for now, saying something like that felt shallow… even cruel.
"We don't have a choice, Lynn," Giggs said, his voice low.
"Making money is harder than we ever imagined.
"Compared to slowly watching ourselves die over the next few months, compared to sinking deeper into despair each day… we think taking a gamble is the better option."
"…How much are you still short?" Lynn asked with a sigh.
"Three lesser magic stones."
"I won't join you," Lynn said, "but I do still have just under five gold dragons. I can give you… one gold dragon."
"Harmed things feel for their kind..." If he had the ability, he wouldn't mind giving these boys a bit more help.
But reality was, he simply didn't have that kind of ability.
At his current skill level, crafting spell plates had only about a 50% success rate. After subtracting material costs, he'd earn roughly 7.5 gold dragons a month. And once he paid off his academy debts, he was left with just 2.5.
And that was under ideal circumstances. If anything went wrong, if he ended up with fewer finished plates than expected, he might even lose money.
With only 2.5 gold dragons left over each month, there was no way he could support all three boys.
In truth, giving them that 1 gold dragon rather than genuinely helping was more like buying himself a bit of peace of mind.
"Less than five gold dragons left... and yet just Galito's inheritance alone cost almost six."
As he muttered to himself, Giggs froze for a moment, as though something had come to mind. He hesitated, then asked:
"Because of Elena?"
Lynn was caught off guard, then gave a slight nod, not offering any further explanation.
The boys probably thought Elena had taken their magic stones with her when she left.
Giggs didn't say anything else, but he and the other two boys gave him a sympathetic look.
The way they were looking at him made Lynn feel a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and asked:
"So... do you need it?"
The three boys exchanged glances, then all shook their heads in unison.
"No need, Lynn. You should keep it for yourself."
Knowing Lynn only had five gold dragons left, they couldn't accept such a gift with a clear conscience.
Watching the boys gradually walk away and disappear at the end of the alley,
Lynn felt a wave of unease wash over him.
He let out a sigh. Not planning to rest any longer, he returned to the shed and continued carving new crystal spell plates.
…
The sun rose and set; stars wheeled across the sky.
On the morning of the fourth day, Lynn finally ended his seclusion.
He had used up the remaining four crystal plates and, fortunately, managed to craft three usable spell plates.
Crack, crack
Lynn stood up, stretched, and exhaled a long breath of stale air.
Looking at the four neatly stacked spell plates in front of him, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Time to sell these and buy a new batch of crystals."
A few minutes later, Lynn packed up his things, brought his short sword and spell plates, and was just about to head out.
Suddenly, a heavy knocking came from the door.
"Could it be Giggs?
I wonder if they managed to gather enough magic stones..."
Lynn was just about to respond when a strange feeling struck him.
"Why are they only knocking? Why say nothing at all?"
A chill crept into his heart. Gripping the short sword, he quickly hid the spell plates around his body, then silently crept toward the door.