Chapter 34

Elma and I successfully received our reward at the Adventurer's Guild and were now holding a small celebration at a tavern.

"Getting to D-rank... and receiving ten million gold, was a pleasant surprise."

Becoming a D-rank adventurer meant we had earned enough reputation points to increase the skill point cap for one skill tree from 30 to 45.

This would allow us to not worry about the skill point cap for a while.

We were also getting closer to obtaining the "Smoldering Fang."

However, while I felt lucky, I also saw another aspect of this world's distortion.

In "Magic World," the Adventurer's Guild did not offer rewards for slaying the "Lord of Dreams."

This was a measure unique to this world, where the value of human life had increased.

High-level adventurers would not receive adequate compensation for their level if they deliberately tackled low-level "Dream Holes."

Thus, the guild offered rewards to make up for it.

However, there was another side to this.

It was a way to motivate adventurers with limited funds to challenge the "Lord of Dreams" despite the risks.

In a more cynical view, it was like putting a price on life.

This might be inevitable in this world, but the fact that an adventurer who was not yet ready challenged Embryo and triggered the "Wandering King" was almost certainly due to the reward system.

If the world's mechanics were better understood, the damage could be reduced, but in this regard, the world seemed inconsistent.

"Wh-What's wrong, Elma? You seemed deep in thought..."

"Ah, sorry. Just a bit of a problem, or rather, a concern. But it's a celebration, so let's enjoy it."

I raised my glass of apple cider.

Luuce extended her hand with a smile, clinking her glass against mine in a toast.

"Yes, that's right! Let's be cheerful, cheerful! You said we could order whatever we wanted, didn't you? It's been my dream to order whatever I want at the 'Alchemist King's Kitchen'! I said that if I could achieve this as an adventurer, I'd come here with my party!"

Luuce spoke happily, then chuckled and scratched her cheek with her index finger.

"Actually, I planned to come here with Klein and Reis..."

The image of Klein, who had approached us at the Adventurer's Guild, flashed in my mind.

Klein had persistently followed us even after we left the guild.

Initially, he had been humble, but in the end, he had shouted, "I did you a favor when you left, and you forgot it!" When Luuce replied, "I didn't take it," he slumped and left dejectedly.

"Wow! The 'King Crab with Black Mushroom Sauce Pie' is eight thousand gold! I almost ordered it, but I didn't realize it was so expensive... Elma, nothing on this page is good! Let's look for something under fourteen hundred gold!"

Luuce was fussing over the menu.

Her enthusiasm to order whatever she wanted was quickly dampened.

"Sorry, I'll order the 'King Crab with Black Mushroom Sauce Pie.'"

When I called out to a passing waiter, Luuce's shoulders trembled, and she looked anxiously between me and the waiter.

"Is that okay? If we keep ordering like this, we'll run out of money, won't we?"

...Despite earning so much at the "Angel's Toy Box," it seemed she couldn't quite grasp the reality of it.

She had remained calm when we heard about the ten million gold reward, but it seemed her sense of the amount had been numbed, and it felt different when it came to spending it.

"We need to roughly discuss how to handle and divide this reward. First, about that 'Skill Book'... Will you use it, Luuce?"

The "Intermediate Wind Magic" Skill Book dropped by Embryo...

It was a two million gold item, but it also had significant value for Luuce.

It would allow her to deal stable damage from a distance against monsters and gain a powerful and straightforward magic, making her less likely to be underestimated by party members in the future.

"Are you not going to use it, Elma?"

"No, 'Intermediate Wind Magic' is a good skill tree, but I aim higher. I've already decided how to allocate my skill points."

I needed to focus on "Heavy Armor Oath" and "Smoldering Fang."

There was no room for "Intermediate Wind Magic."

But Luuce was different.

Even without aiming too high, learning "Intermediate Wind Magic" would allow her to thrive as an adventurer for the rest of her life.

While "Fool's Acrobatics" and "Great Luck" lacked clear combat advantages, "Intermediate Wind Magic" would make up for that.

She wouldn't be a burden to her party, and she wouldn't be underestimated like she was by Klein.

"If that's what you think... then I won't use it either! Because that would mean changing my goal! You taught me that I can do more, and I want to challenge myself... Besides, it would be sad to part ways so soon!"

Luuce clenched her fists and said firmly.

Honestly, I was happier if Luuce aimed for a build that would make her strong in the end.

It was unlikely I'd find another jester with "Great Luck" in my party, and even more unlikely to find a companion as trustworthy and brave as Luuce.

"In that case... we'll sell it. To be honest, I needed the money, so it's a relief to be able to sell it."

"Money...? You were short on funds?"

Luuce tilted her head.

"The reward was ten million gold... the magic stones totaled four million six hundred thousand gold... and the items totaled fifty-nine million gold. The guild will buy the magic stones at market value to support adventurers, and I'll try to sell the items at seventy percent of their market value. That should give us a total of about fifty-seven million gold."

"Listening to those numbers makes me dizzy. I still can't believe it."

"Since we agreed on an 80-20 split, Luuce gets forty-six million gold, and I get eleven million gold."

The amount was more than I expected.

With the level increase, we could aim for higher-level monsters for future money-making.

The "Angel's Toy Box" with the rich Lanna was no longer an option, but targeting another "Lord of Dreams" might not be a bad idea.

"Is that deal still on!?"

Luuce slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"What's wrong, Luuce? The other customers are looking. Are you unhappy with the 80-20 split?"

"N-No, I'm sorry... but how can I accept that! Especially when you planned everything and took the risks! Where did that 80-20 come from!?"

"But that's a common arrangement..."

In "Magic World," the luck specialist often received about three times the share of other members.

This was because, while other stats also increased, the growth rate of luck itself was lower for the "Great Luck" skill tree, and the magician, who learned convenient spells but had lower initial luck than the jester, was also a compromise luck specialist.

Luuce was a jester with likely very high initial luck.

A four-to-one split was the norm.

A four-to-one reward might seem high.

However, the luck specialist was essential in high-level parties but often had to play a less flashy role in combat.

They also often couldn't participate in end-game content and generally performed less in events compared to other classes.

Thus, while powerful, there were reasons not to focus on a luck-based build.

Considering all these factors, it seemed fair...

"What kind of community has that arrangement!? If you were in my position, could you accept this forty million gold? I'm already incredibly grateful for being invited to the party and for the level-up you gave me!"

Hmm...

Even if this arrangement isn't common in this world, considering the impact on item drop rates, I think this is a fair line.