Exploring the Dungeon alone truly brings immense pressure, requiring constant vigilance against monsters that could appear at any moment, as well as the covetous gazes of fellow Adventurers.
But this pressure vanished the moment Keare saw the half-elf girl's heartwarming smile.
He sat on the soft Adventurer's Guild sofa, looking at Eina, who had a gentle smile on her face, and nodded slightly: "The process was quite smooth; I didn't encounter too many dangers."
The girl didn't comment on the process. She went to the counter and asked in a relaxed tone, "Mr. Keare, would you like some hot tea?"
"If it's free, I have no objections."
"Of course."
"The Adventurer's Guild isn't a man-eating place, after all." Eina couldn't help but laugh, bringing a steaming cup of red tea to Keare.
She leaned back on the sofa, her eyes full of curiosity.
"After you left the Adventurer's Guild that day, you didn't come here for two days. I even thought..."
Keare said naturally, "I can't joke with my own life. When exploring the Dungeon, I definitely need to be fully prepared."
"Can you tell me what preparations you made?"
As a Guild staff member, Eina had met many Adventurers, but she had never truly sat down like this to share what happened in the Dungeon.
She had never had such an experience.
"I found a senior, asked him to teach me the basics of swordsmanship, and then spent a day training practical combat skills. After I finished all these things..."
"I only had time to explore the Dungeon today," Keare replied with a smile.
"A very steady decision."
"Many Adventurers just rush into the Dungeon on a whim, and the result..." Thinking of the many Adventurers who registered but were never heard from again.
Eina shook her head slightly. The good news was:
Keare, whom she had a good impression of, acted much more mature and stable compared to those hot-headed rookies!
And speaking of exploration, Keare didn't forget his primary goal for coming to the Adventurer's Guild. After taking out the magic stones and spoils from the monsters he killed.
He looked up at the half-elf girl in front of him.
He shrugged his shoulders: "Miss Eina, I need to trouble you... to help me exchange these items for valis. I'm about to be broke."
"No problem."
"I'll estimate the price for you first."
Exchanging materials wasn't actually Eina's job, but looking at the brown-haired young man in front of her, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After getting his consent, she untied the parcel containing the spoils.
What first caught her eye was a large number of small magic stones, which should be drops from killing Goblin monsters.
Each one was worth about 30 valis, and accumulated, it was a decent reward. But when Eina opened another parcel...
The girl's brows furrowed inadvertently.
These magic stones were significantly larger, but what truly caught her attention was the drop that shimmered with a metallic luster.
How could Eina not be familiar with it!
It was in the Guild's resting area that she had explained to Keare that killing a War Shadow had a chance to drop the material War Shadow Finger Blades.
"Is this... something you picked up?"
"If I had such luck, why would I need to make so many preparations?"
Facing Eina's puzzled gaze, Keare smiled brightly: "After exploring to the 5th floor of the Dungeon, I happened to encounter a War Shadow."
"I figured running would be difficult, so I fought."
"After killing the War Shadow monster, the dropped materials can't be wasted; they'll definitely sell for some money."
The young man explained it casually, but it stirred up a storm in Eina's heart. One must know that this thing was called a rookie killer!
She didn't question it, her eyes filled with disbelief:
"Didn't you just say that you've been preparing to enter the Dungeon for the past two days?"
"Yes."
"I trained basic swordsmanship with the War God Takemikazuchi, and then asked an Lv2 Adventurer from his Familia to help with practical combat training."
After receiving the precise answer, the half-elf girl's expression became silent.
"And then?"
"It was just normal practical training. The Adventurer senior who guided me said that my technique was already similar to hers, but I lacked practical experience."
"Then I went to explore the Dungeon."
"..."
Eina's mouth twitched slightly. She felt like her brain couldn't process it. Two days of preparation, and practical combat skills could rival an Lv2 Adventurer?
Is he even speaking human language?!
---
When leaving the Adventurer's Guild, Keare felt that the half-elf girl's gaze towards him was somewhat resentful, but this didn't affect his good mood.
After counting all the drops, the total harvest from today's Dungeon exploration was: 3570 valis.
Considering Orario's prices, as long as he didn't go to high-spending places, this money was completely enough for the next 5 days of daily expenses.
He finally understood why so many people flocked to become Adventurers.
Even exploring the shallow areas of the Dungeon, as long as one was willing to fight, the money earned was completely enough for expenses, and one could continuously improve their strength.
What to do after earning money?
"At least tonight's celebration won't require Hestia to pay."
Keare's idea was very simple. He definitely couldn't afford to change houses, but he could improve his diet. Eating fried potato balls every day would eventually lead to malnutrition.
He walked on Orario's bustling streets, not directly returning to his Familia's residence.
Instead, he planned to look around at the "Hephaestus Weapon Branch Store." If he could find her, he would directly go to a more affordable restaurant for a meal.
He headed directly towards Northwest Avenue.
The Adventurer street was quite lively in the evening, filled with Adventurers who had finished their Dungeon explorations.
What truly caught Keare's attention was the girl wearing a store uniform and brown leather shoes at the entrance of Hephaestus's weapon shop.
Her distinctiveness was truly high.
Her smooth black hair was tied into twin tails, and the slightly ill-fitting uniform was stretched taut by the girl's figure, which didn't match her youthful appearance.
At this moment, Hestia held a thick stack of flyers in her hand, handing them out one by one to passing Adventurers.
The girl, working hard to pay off her debt, hadn't noticed Keare's arrival. Her voice was tired: "New weapons have arrived in the store. If interested, you can take a look."
"Good quality and cheap prices, the best choice for Dungeon exploration~"
"Um..."
"I'd like to ask, if I buy a weapon, can I get a store clerk for free?"
"Of course not!"
Hestia didn't even lift her head, refusing with a cold tone. But when she realized the voice was familiar and looked at the brown-haired young man in front of her...
Her bright eyes were filled with surprise and disbelief.
"Lady Hestia, really not?"
Hearing Keare's repeated question, her completely frozen brain finally resumed operation. Looking at the young man who had made her worry all day.
When he returned from the Dungeon completely unharmed and stood before her...
Hestia threw the thick stack of flyers away, jumped up, and wrapped her fair, flawless arms around Keare's neck, her tone leaving no room for doubt:
"Let's go!"
"Home!"