For Lili, today's encounter could definitely be described as wonderful. She met a very unfamiliar Adventurer, Shiraishi Kawa, and thought his strength was quite ordinary.
But she never expected
him to be such a powerful existence. If it weren't for the approaching night and the team not carrying much rest supplies,
they could have even advanced towards the 17th floor of the Dungeon.
During this time, she also experienced the madness of the Dungeon, with countless monsters pouring out, yet Shiraishi Kawa's condition showed no decline.
To be precise, the Dungeon monsters from floors 1-15 made no difference to him.
"He... could he be even stronger than the Sword Princess?"
Leaving the Dungeon, night had completely enveloped the Labyrinth City Orario. Looking up, one could see the shining stars scattered across the sky.
There was no oppressive atmosphere.
It felt as if the surrounding air was exceptionally clear. Just recalling today's harvest, Lili's heart was incredibly excited. The Magic Stones dropped from the vast number of monsters killed filled several pockets.
This kind of harvest... even a Soma Familia expedition with so many Adventurers couldn't collect so many Magic Stones and materials.
And all these materials were picked up by her.
Even without the commission,
the harvest alone would be enough to save up the money to leave the Soma Familia. Thinking about finally escaping that life,
Lili's heart was hard to calm.
She proactively suggested: "Let's go to the Adventurers' Guild now, exchange all the Magic Stones for ferrari, and then find a restaurant."
"Let's have a good meal!"
"Alright."
Having swept through today's Dungeon, Shiraishi Kawa was quite interested in the exact amount of his harvest.
As for exchanging Magic Stones for ferrari, he could leave that to Lili.
It was to create space for the Ring of Avarice's corrupting effect. Once she truly experienced financial freedom and returned to the life she desired,
an unexpected event would suddenly occur.
Her soul would reach its most desperate point, completely falling into the void of desire. That would be around the time he would step in to help save her.
Most importantly... considering that the staff at the Adventurers' Guild all knew his divine identity, bringing an unfamiliar Familia to exchange Magic Stones would be suspicious.
If he remembered correctly, the god who managed the Guild was underground.
Shiraishi Kawa smiled and shook his head, not minding: "You go exchange them. I'll wait for you at the restaurant ahead. Let's treat ourselves for today's work."
"..."
Even such an important task as exchanging Magic Stones needed to be handled by the supporter. Could this guy really be a rookie Adventurer... lacking even this basic knowledge!
Shiraishi Kawa's hands-off attitude even made Lili entertain the thought of directly taking the exchanged ferrari.
And leaving Orario?
With complex and excited feelings, Lili carefully handed the harvested Magic Stones to the counter, continuously checking behind her.
After confirming she couldn't find Shiraishi Kawa,
she took out two large bags of Magic Stones hidden deep in her satchel, under the calm gaze of the Guild staff. The feeling of being about to obtain ferrari
made Lili feel truly overjoyed.
After inspecting the Magic Stones, the Guild staff pushed out a drawer full of gold coins, saying in a surprised tone: "That's a total of 3.57 million ferrari."
"Thank you."
The price of the Magic Stones alone made Lili's breathing quicken, not to mention the monster materials collected. If everything was sold,
she could earn at least 5 million ferrari today!
With her accumulated wealth, she only needed 1 million ferrari to leave the Soma Familia, which would leave her with over 4 million.
Leaving Orario,
she could easily find a place to live and lead a life where she wouldn't have to worry about money again!
"Should I just leave...?"
"If anyone's to blame, it's that Adventurer for not being careful. If I didn't find a reliable supporter, what was I supposed to do?"
Putting all the earned ferrari into the supporter's backpack,
Lili, as usual, made a decision deep in her heart. Most importantly, the number of Adventurers in Orario was simply too great.
Even if she ran away,
the other party would have a hard time finding her.
Moreover, this was Shiraishi Kawa's total earnings from only one day in the Dungeon.
If the other party found it troublesome... then there would be no surprises!
With a nervous heart, she arrived at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild, but could not find Shiraishi Kawa.
Instantly, a sense of relief washed over her.
She had two choices before her.
Continue as a Supporter, secretly taking a portion of the Magic Stones and monster materials, or the other option was to leave with this huge sum of money.
After much thought, Lily decisively made her choice: continuing with Shiraishi Kawa carried the risk of exposure, so she would take the money and flee Orario directly.
Living the life she desired!
Pulling her gray hood over her head, Lily deliberately avoided the surrounding Adventurers and headed decisively towards her rented house, her heart pounding with tension.
However, she didn't notice that several Adventurers from the Soma Familia in a corner had already fixed their attention on her.
"So she finally made her choice…"
Through the emotions shared by the Ring of Avarice, Shiraishi Kawa wasn't particularly surprised; the specific effect of this authority was to give Lily, in a short period, money that she could never earn as a Supporter in her lifetime.
She was about to achieve financial freedom.
Bringing the most direct emotional feedback.
Arriving at The Benevolent Mistress restaurant, as his total physical stats increased, his demand for energy intake also sharply rose.
However, when Shiraishi Kawa felt his pocket, he only had a few palm-sized Magic Stones, dropped from killing a Minotaur, and his expression was strange.
He hadn't brought any money.
He cast his gaze towards Mia, who was busy at the bar. She was the manager of this restaurant, and her specific identity was the former captain of the Freya Familia.
A Level 6 Adventurer.
She had a very fiery temper.
Placing the Magic Stones he held on the counter, Shiraishi Kawa looked at the tall, strong female figure in the distance and asked earnestly, "Manager, I forgot to exchange my Magic Stones for ferrari. Can I use these directly to pay?"
"Hmm?"
Mia heard that he had no money and wanted to pay with items. Her already serious face first swept over Shiraishi Kawa, then her gaze focused on the Magic Stones.
As the former captain of the Freya Familia, she had naturally come into contact with Magic Stones. She just glanced at them briefly, confirming they were real, but her expression remained serious: "You can use them to pay."
"However, our staff will have to exchange these, so there will be no change back!"
Putting down the cup-wiping work for a moment, Mia said heartily, "But I'll remember your face. If you have any extra money…"
"You can order directly."
"No problem."
He had briefly explored the Dungeon, and the anomaly was the Holy Sword: Shinra Bansho. If he truly needed money, he could just hunt some monsters.
Shiraishi Kawa looked at the menu.
He casually ordered today's recommended extra-large set meal, and specialty drinks were naturally indispensable. During this, he also ordered a fried cutlet.
"These should be enough."
"You look like it's your first time at our restaurant. You have good taste in ordering. This fried cutlet is a specialty dish."
For customers who ordered well and were relatively generous.
Mia passed the order slip to the kitchen, and she didn't forget to remind Shiraishi Kawa, "Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon!"
"…"
Feeling the evening atmosphere at The Benevolent Mistress restaurant, perhaps because all the staff were young women and the food tasted excellent, many Adventurers gathered there.
Looking at the abundant dishes placed before him, even the portions were exceptionally generous. As Shiraishi Kawa ate, the corner of his eye glanced into the distance.
A maid in a green dress with a white apron and gray short hair draped over her shoulders was constantly busy, looking quite cute.
Regarding her identity, Shiraishi Kawa recognized her as Syr Flova, the most popular maid at The Benevolent Mistress pub, with just a glance at the gray-haired girl.
To be precise, the 'actor'.
She should be called the Goddess Freya. He had no intention of directly exposing her, only quietly enjoying the delicious food in front of him.
Noticing Shiraishi Kawa's gaze, Syr, holding a tray, turned around. When she saw a new face, she offered a gentle smile.
She proactively walked over to greet him.
"I'm a staff member here, you can call me Syr. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"…"
"No, the food is very good."
With Syr, the 'actor', Shiraishi Kawa truly didn't have much desire to communicate, including with the deity behind this body, the Goddess Freya.
Although he had the idea of building a harem and acted on it, he also had to be picky!
"Thank you for your compliment."
A stranger, who had just paid with Magic Stones, so he was probably an Adventurer from another Familia. Syr smiled faintly and nodded.
She tried to use her eye ability to see through Shiraishi Kawa's essence, but what appeared before her was chaotic and mixed void, and she did not see the light deep within his soul.
"…"
It was a small interlude during the meal.
However, with the guidance of a maid, the originally noisy restaurant instantly quieted down as the Goddess Loki and her Familia arrived.
Her red short hair was tied into a single ponytail.
Always maintaining her squinting eyes, the Goddess Loki was followed by her Familia members.
There was an Amazonian with dark skin and a perfect figure, a Beast-person, a Pallum, a Dwarf, and two Elves, and finally, Ais Wallenstein with golden hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a backless dress, came into view.
No one dared to discuss them, as they were the strongest Familia in Orario, and gossiping behind their backs could easily cause trouble.
"Everyone, the Dungeon expedition is over!"
"Tonight is a party, drink to your heart's content!"
"…"
Compared to the passionate Loki, a female deity who particularly adored beautiful girls, even in the party atmosphere, Ais maintained her usual cool demeanor.
However, as she picked up her wine glass and her peripheral vision caught Shiraishi Kawa in the corner, a flicker of surprise crossed Ais Wallenstein's eyes.
The impression was very deep.
The Adventurer she had encountered upon returning from the expedition today. What truly intrigued her wasn't Shiraishi Kawa's handsome appearance, but the weapon he carried.
Her question had not been answered.
Now meeting again, Ais's somewhat naturally clumsy personality didn't realize how troubling this was. If she had to say… her concern was that she felt a bit embarrassed to approach him in front of her Familia companions.
She gave the restless Loki beside her a thump on the head and began to enjoy the delicious food she couldn't eat during the expedition.
After drinking, the rather crude and direct Werewolf, Bete, held his wine glass and asked curiously, "Ais, you said that Minotaur that escaped…"
"Was easily dealt with by another passing Adventurer…?"
"Yes."
"Ais said it was dealt with very quickly, no more than 5 seconds, and that he only brought a Supporter and went to the Dungeon alone."
With slightly tanned skin and smooth black hair draped over her shoulders, Tione Hiryute, dressed in a rainforest style, helped the inarticulate Ais explain.
"It should be an Adventurer from another Familia, around Level 4."
Bete the Werewolf didn't pay much attention, considering it helped them deal with the escaped monster. If there was any confusion, it was that most Level 4 Adventurers in Orario had already made a name for themselves.
Their identities were certainly executives or captains within their Familias. The guy Ais met only brought a Supporter to the Dungeon and wasn't with a team.
It was a bit strange.
Bete Loga didn't think much of it. Even without a team, he still went to the Dungeon. Although Shiraishi Kawa's strength was somewhat weak now, he was still working hard.
He quite admired that.
Ais placed her knife and fork on the plate. Facing the questions from her many companions, her expression remained unchanged, but she noticed Shiraishi Kawa getting up.
As he prepared to leave the pub, she finally couldn't suppress her inner curiosity. She wanted to ask directly but couldn't speak, not knowing his name, let alone how to greet him.
"…"
Loki, who constantly wanted to stick close to beautiful girls, noticed the change in Ais beside her. She frowned slightly, realizing something unusual was happening.
She said indifferently, "Ais, do you know the person who just left?"
"…"
Does this count as knowing him?
Ais Wallenstein couldn't judge, as she didn't even know his name. She calmly explained, "That Adventurer you were just discussing… that was him."
Leaving Guild 820, Lily didn't realize she was being followed. As a Supporter, she was an exploited target, and her rented house was a relatively remote, cheap rental.
The dark alley had no lighting, and she relied purely on memory to get home. She wasn't burdened by the heavy heart she usually carried.
Today's overall gains made Lily incredibly excited: first, to break free from the Soma Familia, then to find time to sell all the materials dropped from killing monsters.
With 5 million ferrari, she would leave Orario, the labyrinth city that brought her foul memories, and start her new life. This was once a dream Lily dared not imagine.
Now, it had come true with ease.
Today, just by being Shiraishi Kawa's Supporter, her total income reached nearly 5 million ferrari, and even her steps were quite light.
"Open a flower shop in a small city?"
"Even if I don't have customers every day, I could live very well with this money!"
Suddenly rich, Lily didn't know how to spend the money. All she could think of was opening a flower shop and living out her life.
Visibility in the alley at night was very low.
However, with the hope of a better future, she had long overcome such a dark environment, but an unexpected event was clearly about to arrive.
The large support pack on her back.
It was as if someone had kicked her hard from behind. As a Pallum, Lili, whose body was already frail, was sent flying several meters backward.
Bags of ferrari, heavy with their contents, fell directly out of the support pack.
Making the pleasant sound of coins clinking together.
"Is… is it that I've been discovered?"
"…"
Without even having time to worry about the pain of falling, Lili turned her head to look at the familiar Adventurers in front of her, carrying lamps.
Her heart instantly stopped.
Why are these guys again!
She couldn't forget the faces of these Adventurers. This wasn't the first time they had stolen her money, and now she was so close to the life she wanted.
When there was only an extremely short distance left.
These despicable Adventurers actually appeared again, trying to hide these bags of ferrari behind her. As for the materials… she would just consider them food for dogs.
Lili's subtle movements naturally didn't escape the Adventurers' notice. The lead Adventurer directly grabbed her arm.
And threw her several meters away.
Under the lamplight, the Adventurers present also clearly saw… the bags full of ferrari, reflecting an extremely dazzling light.
"…This."
"This must be at least three million ferrari!"
The lead Adventurer couldn't help but click his tongue. How could Lili, a Supporter, get so much money? There was only one possibility.
She stole it!
His eyes were filled with contempt: "I don't know which Adventurer you, a thief, encountered. We'll keep this money for you."
"We don't have much money recently…"
"…"
The physical pain was far less agonizing than the shattering of hope. Looking at the departing Adventurers, Lili's eyes were only blank.
If… she hadn't taken Shiraishi Kawa's money back then, would the outcome have been different?