Chapter 16

"Fifty-five million gold…."

I sighed as I walked through the town.

For a high-level adventurer, it might be a trivial amount, but for me, an E-rank adventurer, it was far from something I could easily obtain.

After all, it was the equivalent of the reward for about sixty rounds of a large-scale request involving the "Undead Swarm," which had been going well.

High-level adventurers have a completely distorted sense of money.

And the shopkeepers who deal with high-level adventurers have an equally distorted sense of money.

"The Smoldering Mad Fang" is indeed a rare skill tree, but the only people who would want it are heavy knights or pure combat maniacs with a desire for destruction.

A more straightforward and powerful "Skill Book" would probably be even more exorbitantly priced.

After all, even the unpopular "Elemental Guard" cost thirty million gold.

I needed to come up with a concrete plan for earning money.

If I proceed steadily, it's unclear how long it will take.

Should I aim for rare drops in "The Hole of Dreams" and try to make a fortune in one go?

However, even if I do, heavy knights lack the skills to deal consistent damage to enemies.

With this target amount, hunting only monsters that trigger "Wall Return" won't get me anywhere.

I thought about some monsters that would be ideal for earning money, but none of them seemed feasible with my current skill set, even if I leveled up a bit.

One option is to develop the "Basic Swordsmanship" skill tree I currently have, or to visit shadowy shops like "The Torn Magic Book Hall" to search for "Skill Books" and learn attack skills.

However, if I get "The Smoldering Mad Fang," I won't use these skills anymore.

I want to avoid wasting skill points…

Companions… Should I form a party?

The popularity of heavy knights is at rock bottom, but I should have gained some recognition from the previous large-scale request.

Plus, I'm at level 23, so there should be plenty of opportunities to team up with lower-level adventurers.

If I team up with adventurers of other classes, the range of monsters we can hunt will expand significantly.

Even a lower-level partner would be fine.

I can attract their attacks and help them level up, quickly replenishing our combat strength and earning their gratitude.

Classes that are stable from the start or have high performance are probably in high demand.

Any class that isn't defense-focused like mine would be fine.

I'm not aiming too high, but if it's an attack-focused class, that would be great…

As I was thinking this, I heard some commotion coming from ahead.

"Wow, I didn't expect the 'Bloodstained Sword' to drop! It's worth two million gold… If we sell it to a shop, we'll probably get around one and a half million, but that's still a substantial amount! We can live comfortably for a while! No, exploring 'The Hole of Dreams' is the best!"

A group of three adventurers was walking.

The one holding up a bright red sword was a male swordsman.

"It might be a bit risky, but it's better to sell it at a back alley shop. There's always a tax when you sell it publicly."

The one who answered was a lightly armored girl, likely a scout or thief class.

"Hehe… Look! Look at this, it's thanks to my skills! Mine! Look, it really worked, didn't it?"

The third girl, with light blue hair, was wearing a pale red robe and a matching jester's hat.

She's probably a jester.

The hat suggests this, and since she doesn't have any visible weapons, she likely uses knives or a small staff.

Given the limited classes that use such weapons, she is most likely a jester.

It's a rare class.

It has quite a niche performance, so I hope she doesn't mess up her skill point allocation.

"…Thanks to you, huh. We've been diving into 'The Hole of Dreams' many times, and this is finally a rare drop. I'm skeptical if your skills really made a difference."

The male swordsman, Klein, sighed.

"A, Ahaha… Y, Yeah, Klein. But, if we keep going, the difference will definitely become clear! From here on out! From here on out!"

The jester girl, Luuce, replied.

It seems Klein is the leader of the group, but he looked rather grim.

"Luuce, are you seriously thinking you'll get a share of the money from this sword, even though you were almost useless in combat?"

"Well… But, I, I did risk my life in the front… At least a fifth… No, no, two hundred thousand… J, just one hundred thousand gold would make me happy…"

"Hah… You know, even if you risk your life, the problem is that you're only useful for spreading attacks. It doesn't matter how hard you try. You weren't much help, were you?"

"But, I, I didn't have any attack skills because Klein told me to allocate my skill points that way! You've been telling me to do it this way… It's a bit harsh to say that now that we've made a lot of money!"

"Harsh? You're trying to get a share even though you weren't much help. I've been lenient until now, but with this amount of money, things are different. Hah… To say it's harsh… Are you okay in the head? I only suggested the skill point allocation, and you were the one who did it. Don't blame others."

"K, Klein…?"

The atmosphere was quite tense.

I regretted being there.

It seems the issue stems from a mistake in skill point allocation and the distribution of a large sum of money.

In "Magic World," this kind of problem often occurs.

Even if you allocate skill points considering the compatibility of your party, changes in circumstances can render them useless.

Without the internet to share strategy information, this tendency is even stronger in this world.

"Fine, fine, one hundred thousand gold. Here, is this enough? Pick it up and go somewhere else."

Klein scattered gold coins on the ground.

"I've been taking you in despite your low base parameters and your poor skill point allocation, which leaves you unable to use attack skills. Now you're dazzled by this small amount of money and showing your true colors. What do you think, Rees?"

The thief girl, Rees, whom Klein addressed, glanced at the red sword.

"W, Well… We're not in a good position either, and to have a large sum of money taken away…"

"It's not like that… I'm sorry, Klein, Rees. I, I don't want the money from the sword… Please, let me stay in the party…"

"Sorry isn't enough. I can't take it anymore. Try your best in a new place. Because of your half-baked level, you can't even gain experience or learn new skills. I don't know who would take you in like this."

…They say money is the root of all evil. The skill point system is truly cruel.

Due to the system, you can't level up properly unless you hunt enemies of your own level or higher.

However, if your skill combination is poor and you can't effectively fight enemies of your own level, leveling up becomes extremely difficult.

Did she allocate points to "Speed Increase" or an unnecessary weapon skill tree?

No, from the conversation, it seems more like a support skill?

I thought for a moment… and remembered their talk about the rare drop.

C, Could it be that skill tree!?

But, would someone really kick out someone with that skill tree?

Even if the sharing of skill tree information is poor, I find that hard to believe.

But from the previous conversation, it seems there's no other explanation.

"I, I'm sorry for being selfish… I don't want any of the money from the sword. Please, let me stay in the party… I beg you…"

I couldn't help but step in and take Luuce's hand.

"Wha!? W, Who are you!?"

"Please! I promise I won't let you down. Will you team up with me?"

Luuce, who was suddenly grabbed by the hand, and her companions, Klein and Rees, stared at me in shock.

"Eighty-twenty split, how about that?"

"Eighty percent is a bit too much… I, I won't be able to live…"

"Of course, you get eighty, and I get twenty! Is that okay? To be honest, I need one, but I'd prefer two!"

"Please, calm down! Who are you, anyway!"

No, no, I can't lose my composure.

But I can't let this golden opportunity slip away.

With her help, it won't be difficult to gather the fifty-five million gold for "The Smoldering Mad Fang."

This isn't just a matter of two million gold.