Ren Isana told the girls to go wash up first while he and Maya took inventory of their latest haul. Looking at the mountain of materials pouring out of the Spatial Rings, Maya was left a bit speechless. "You guys really came here to stock up on wholesale goods, didn't you?"
Ren nodded. That wasn't an inaccurate way to put it—they really were here to stock up. "In the lower floors, the monsters haven't been cleared out at all," he explained, "so there's a massive amount of them."
Maya understood. No wonder Ren and his group had hauled back so much loot. She glanced over the pile and said, "If you trust me, just leave all these materials here for now. I don't have many staff members yet, and there's no signal down here, so I can't transfer the money to you anyway."
Transferring funds inside the Dungeon was a hassle, so Maya figured it was best to hold onto the materials and settle the bill later. The group exchanged glances and turned to look at Ren.
Ren naturally trusted Maya. She had no reason to scam them over something like this. He nodded. "No problem. In that case, Maya, you can just tally it all up later. We all brought back roughly the same amount of materials anyway, so how about we just split the money evenly when the time comes?"
They would just divide it based on the number of Spatial Backpacks. Everyone would empty out an equal share of loot, and they could settle the accounts once they were back on the surface. Otherwise, it wasn't like they could expect someone to haul briefcases of physical cash down here.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Leo was the first to speak up. "I have no objections. Let's just do what the class rep says."
Seeing this, the others quickly voiced their agreement. If Ren was fine with it, they certainly were too. With the matter settled, Maya smiled. "Then it's decided. Have you guys eaten yet? If not, I can order some takeout for you."
Ren and the others stared at her, their faces full of question marks. "Takeout?" Ren asked, bewildered. "There's already takeout down here?"
Good lord, had they been gone for a few centuries? How was there already a food delivery service in the Dungeon? Ren was completely dumbfounded.
"What did you expect? Wherever there's money to be made, people will flock," Maya said, amused by his reaction. "I'll go arrange it for you. Go wash up first." She turned and headed outside to give the orders.
Meanwhile, a few workers came over to start moving the mountain of materials into the back warehouse, preparing to ship them out in one massive batch later.
Ren and his classmates exchanged looks, at a loss for words. They could only marvel at the sheer, relentless hustle of their people. To think someone had already set up a takeout network on this floor.
Though shocked, they didn't dwell on it and pitched in to help move the loot into Maya's storeroom. A few of the students who had just finished showering came out and looked on in confusion.
Once they were brought up to speed on Ren's decision, they readily agreed. The girls dumped their own materials straight into the warehouse, perfectly fine with settling the bill once they returned to the surface.
In truth, everyone's bags were packed to the brim. During their sweep of the lower floors, they had simply scooped up whatever dropped, regardless of who actually made the kill. Pooling it all together and splitting the profits evenly was just much more convenient.
The girls finished their showers one by one, and then Ren and the guys went to quickly rinse off. By the time everyone had taken care of their personal business, about two hours had passed.
Maya's people had the food ready, and the group didn't stand on ceremony, digging right in. Maya took a seat next to Ren and smiled. "From now on, you guys can just come up here every so often. If there's anything you need me to bring down, just let me know in advance. I'll have it ready for you to take back down."
She had decided to act as their dedicated logistics officer. It would save them a lot of trouble. Ren nodded in appreciation.
"Sounds good. If we need anything, I'll let you know, Maya. But our supplies are pretty well-stocked right now, so we don't need much." Ren had no complaints. With Maya's help, they wouldn't have to be stingy with their potions, knowing they could restock at any time.
"I do! I do! Maya, I want some stuff!" While Ren had no requests, someone else certainly did. Sora excitedly threw her hand in the air.
Maya looked at Sora and chuckled. "Then give me a list of what you need before you leave, and I'll bring it in for you. That goes for the rest of you too—don't be shy."
Hearing this, the others were immediately tempted and nodded eagerly. Sure, they could probably buy things down here eventually, but the prices would definitely be marked up—just like a tourist trap where the cost of living was completely divorced from the outside world.
After finishing their meal, the group hung around Maya's shop for a bit before heading out for a stroll to check out the drastically transformed 18th floor. Everyone was quite eager to see the new sights.
Ren didn't join them. He had already swept the entire 18th floor with his [Perception Magic], so he knew exactly what the situation was. He didn't have much interest in wandering around.
"Little Ren, can I make some copies of that map you showed Jimmy earlier?" Maya suddenly asked while Ren was resting in the shop.
Ren was a bit puzzled but nodded anyway. "No problem. Use it however you want. I actually have some even more detailed ones."
He handed his notebook over to Maya. He didn't know what she planned to do with it, but it wasn't exactly top-secret information. She was free to use it.
"I want to put together a Dungeon guide and give it away for free," Maya said, blinking at him playfully. She laid out her plan, which was, in essence, a massive advertising campaign.
After all, there was a massive influx of people entering the Dungeon. There were already plenty of weapon shops like hers, and she could see new ones being built nearby. She wasn't the only one who smelled the business opportunities.
Because of that, she needed a hook to draw people in. She had already decided to turn this location into a dedicated material purchasing hub, sending the loot back to the surface for forging, and then bringing the finished weapons back down to sell.
"Oh? You want to use it to attract customers? That's a great idea. Anyone who takes our guide will definitely remember your shop, right? I'll draw up a brand new, highly detailed version for you to hand out." Understanding her goal, Ren was more than happy to help.
Maya's eyes lit up. Wasting no time, she led Ren into a back room equipped with printers and supplies. She had clearly come prepared.
Ren didn't hesitate. He grabbed some paper and started drawing, recreating the maps for floors 1 through 37 and writing out detailed monster guides for each level.
While he was busy, Asuna and Yukino Yukinoshita returned from their walk. Seeing Ren sketching away, they walked over.
"What are you doing?" Yukino asked, looking at his work in confusion. *Dungeon maps? What is this for?*
"Writing a Dungeon guide. Since you're back, make yourselves useful. You two handle floors 11 through 17. Write down the monster spawns and the recommended levels for fighting them," Ren said, immediately delegating the work.
Asuna didn't ask questions. She sat down, took one look at Ren's completed maps, and instantly understood the assignment. Grabbing a piece of paper, she got to work.
"Should we include the Floor Bosses?" Yukino asked as she sat down. Since Ren had assigned them floors 11 through 17, that naturally included the Floor Boss room.
"Yes. Include their weaknesses and respawn times. Base it on the standard Orario guides." That cleared things up. Without another word, the girls began writing.
With their help, Ren's pace skyrocketed. As the rest of their classmates trickled back in, Ren ruthlessly drafted them all into service. Thanks to their combined efforts, a brand-new, comprehensive Dungeon guide was quickly produced.
Bound together, it was only a few pages long, roughly the size of a thin magazine. The cover proudly displayed Maya's shop info, and Ren had even given it a catchy title: *Jimmy's Weapon Shop Exclusive Dungeon Guide Map*.
Maya marveled at the finished product. "I didn't know you had this in you, Little Ren. This is a huge help," she teased. She knew exactly how valuable this was. Once she started handing these out, people would be flocking to her store in droves.
"I've got everyone binding more copies for you," Ren said, offering some advice. "It'd be best if you made a giant version of the map and posted it outside on a notice board so people can just look at it themselves."
Maya looked at the students bustling about and nodded. "Good idea. I'll put it up right away. Thanks for the hard work, everyone!"
After chatting with Maya a bit more, Ren went back to work. Honestly, this was much more relaxing than fighting monsters. Plus, knowing that their guide would help so many people gave the students a quiet sense of satisfaction.
It felt exactly like writing a game guide online and watching a ton of players use it to clear a level. It was a fantastic feeling, and everyone was riding that high.
They didn't stop until they had used up all the paper Maya had prepared. Checking the time, Ren clapped his hands. "Alright, it's about time we head back to the frontlines. Let's call it a day here."
The group nodded. They said their goodbyes to Maya, ready to head back down and resume their summer job.
"Leaving already? Stay safe down there. I'll have a feast waiting for you next time," Maya said, not trying to keep them. She knew this group was obsessed with leveling up and wouldn't waste time sleeping here.
As they left for the 37th floor, they noticed that a large notice board had already been erected in front of Maya's shop, and someone was currently pinning up the giant map they had just created.
"I wonder if anyone will try to follow us down," Sora mused, eyeing the notice board with curiosity. They had mapped out the exact route from floor 1 all the way to 37.
They had even included the fact that the 37th floor was a Floor Boss room. However, Ren had marked it as *Extremely Dangerous*, adding a bold warning at the bottom advising against entering without a sufficiently large party.
"Doesn't matter. If they do, they do. If they don't, they don't. We'll just stick to our own pace," Ren replied. "Once we hit our limit, we'll retreat, rest up, and clock back in the next day." With that, he picked up the pace.
The others quickly activated their [Lightness Technique] and followed him. As the group made their way back to the 37th floor, the newly posted guide at Maya's shop was already drawing attention.
"Boss, is that thing you posted real?" a college student asked, walking right into the shop. Good lord, no one even had a complete map of the upper floors yet, and this weapon shop had just casually posted a guide for floors 1 through 37?
"Of course it's real. Why would I ruin my own reputation by lying to you?" Maya's smile grew brighter as she saw the map working its magic. She picked up one of the freshly bound guidebooks Ren's group had just made and handed it to him.
"Here, this is for you. It was provided by the people partnering with our shop. They're currently fighting on the frontlines as we speak, so you can trust it completely," Maya explained simply.
Hearing this, the college student was convinced. He thanked her profusely, then glanced around the shop. If the people fighting on the frontlines were partnering with this store, their weapons had to be top-notch, right?
With that thought in mind, he browsed the selection, bought a weapon that suited him, and left.
After the first customer left, word of the free Dungeon guide quickly spread across the 18th floor. Hearing the rumors, people flocked to Maya's shop to see if it was true.
As more people arrived, the map's authenticity was rapidly verified. The monster info and strategies perfectly matched what everyone had experienced so far—in fact, the guide was even more detailed.
The party of college students who had briefly crossed paths with Ren's group earlier also arrived. When they saw the map, they froze. It looked incredibly similar to the one Ren had shown them.
Did that mean Ren was the one who provided it? Realizing this, one of them hurried up to Maya. "Ma'am, I have to ask. Was this guide provided by that group of forty? The high schoolers from the special class?"
Maya looked at him in surprise. He actually knew Ren's group?
It wasn't exactly a secret, so she nodded in confirmation.
The student's eyes lit up. "Are they on the 37th floor right now?" he asked eagerly.
Maya didn't answer that directly. She shook her head. "I don't know. They didn't provide any maps past the 37th floor because going down there without enough strength is a death sentence. That's why the guide stops there."
She had asked Ren about the monsters down there. They were universally Tier 3, incredibly numerous, and even included Tier 4 threats. If a small party went down there without enough people, they would just get swarmed and wiped out.
Maya's answer left the student disappointed. He had been hoping to find out which floor Ren's group was on so they could go down and try to join them.
Now it seemed they wouldn't even be able to reach those depths. He grabbed a copy of the guide, read the descriptions of the lower-floor monsters, and immediately abandoned the idea.
Unless he could put together a massive expedition team, going down there was suicide. If his current party tried it, they would absolutely be wiped out.
Guide in hand, he left the shop, making sure to memorize its name. The next time he needed a weapon upgrade, he would definitely come here.
Maya's strategy of giving away free guides won her a massive amount of goodwill. Right now, information was the most valuable commodity in the Dungeon. By freely sharing it, she easily won the crowd's favor.
In the short two hours since Ren's group had left, Maya had already taken in a massive haul of materials. She quickly realized she needed to hire more staff and prepare a lot more cash and weapons.
Making a swift decision, she had her workers pack up the materials Ren's group had brought up and led a team back to the surface to reorganize her logistics.
While Maya was busy, Ren and his classmates arrived back at the 37th floor. Passing through the 27th floor, Ren had specifically checked the boss room, but the Amphisbaena hadn't respawned yet, which was a bit of a letdown.
Back at their camp, the group ate a quick meal and rested. The next day, they set out to launch a massive sweep of the 39th floor. The map was larger, and the monsters were even more numerous.
Ren and the others had their work cut out for them, but it was all money and Excelia. No one complained about being tired. The sheer thrill of feeling themselves grow stronger with every kill was incredibly addictive.
With their Falna updating in real-time, everyone could clearly feel their Excelia bars filling up. By the end of summer break, most of the class would probably be more than halfway to their next level.
In their downtime between slaughtering monsters, everyone practiced their [Flight Magic]. Once they mastered it, they would be able to just fly straight up through the Dungeon when it was time to leave—a prospect everyone was highly looking forward to.