"Oh? Gale-Force Reading Glasses? And the monocle variant?"
Leon's eyebrows rose. He picked up the glasses, turned to the mirror, and perched them on the bridge of his nose, studying his reflection. He couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Not bad at all. The monocle elevated his entire look by a full tier.
Before, Leon had carried the unmistakable air of a bottom-rung adventurer scraping by. But the mont the monocle went on, he suddenly radiated the quiet intelligence of a court mage, a scholar, a sage. Add a long robe, a hooded cloak sweeping the floor, and the image of an archmage would be complete.
"Nice. I love everything about this. It's powerful and it looks cool. That's the important part."
He admired himself from every angle, the corner of his mouth creeping steadily upward.
He spent an embarrassingly long ti preening before he finally, reluctantly, took the monocle off and set it gently back in its case. The lid clicked shut.
He crossed his legs on the bed, buzzing with energy, and pulled up his Falna interface.
Na: Leon Hart Title: Affiliation: Deter Familia (Hart Familia) Level: Lv. 1 Floors Reached: 17
Basic Abilities: Strength: G313 → E455 (S923) 142 Endurance: F401 → D588 (S966) 187 Dexterity: F391 → B701 (S978) 310 Agility: F387 → C687 (S958) 300 Magic: E633 → S988 (S989) 355
Developnt Ability: Versatility I
Weapons: Staff: Scholar's Staff | Blade: Adventurer's Short Sword | Bow: Walnut Bow | Shield: Buckler | Knife: Carving Knife
Equipnt: Casual wear, uniform, formal wear, training gear Arms: Light armor, leather armor, combat garb, cloak, gloves, leather boots
Magic: (omitted)
Skills x12: (omitted)
Funds: Reserves: 112,000,000 | Cash: 5,277,455 (valis)
Excelia: 9,551
After two days and two nights in the Dungeon, plus the half-month of grinding before that, his Basic Abilities had shot up considerably. The total growth ca to nearly 1,300 points, 1,294 to be exact.
The gains owed partly to Scholar's Heart, whose diligence-compensating effect kept working in the background, and partly to the fact that his base stats had been low enough for rapid growth to kick in.
"It's not as instant as a straight Excelia hack, but there's sothing satisfying about earning every point the hard way, knowing each expedition pushes the numbers up."
"And besides..."
His eyes locked onto the Excelia and Funds rows, bright with intent.
"Heh heh. I don't have an Excelia hack, but I've got a pay-to-win hack!"
He rubbed his hands together like a man about to hit the jackpot, took several deep breaths to steady himself, and grinned.
"Everything I've achieved is through my own hard work and sweat."
"System, all in!"
With Valis on tap, Leon dropped the act entirely.
His fingers beca a blur as every potential stat began to skyrocket. Only when they physically couldn't climb any higher did he switch to dumping into current Basic Abilities. Another frenzy of tapping.
When it was over, his stat sheet had transford beyond recognition.
But he didn't admire the numbers first. His eyes went straight to the Excelia Pool and reserves.
Funds: Reserves: 34,430,000 | Cash: 5,277,455 (valis) Excelia: 1,794
"Ugh..."
Going all in felt incredible. Going all in repeatedly felt even better.
Leon had finally experienced the high of spending without limits.
And then, as the rush faded, ca the hollow emptiness that followed every binge.
He clicked his tongue and looked at his Basic Abilities.
Strength: G455 → SSS1599 (SSS1599) Endurance: D588 → SSS1599 (SSS1599) Dexterity: B701 → SSS1599 (SSS1599) Agility: C687 → SSS1599 (SSS1599) Magic: S988 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)
He'd maxed every stat and every potential value to the absolute ceiling without a mont's hesitation.
Total cost: 77,570,000 valis and 7,757 Excelia.
His freshly fattened wallet and Excelia reserves had been gutted back to nothing in seconds.
"I lost the Valis and the Excelia, but I bought raw power."
"And they didn't vanish. They just... changed form. They're still with ."
He consoled his bleeding heart one platitude at a ti, trying desperately to hypnotize himself into acceptance.
"It's fine. Doesn't hurt at all. Not even a little. I'll earn it back."
"Think about it. With higher stats, I'll farm faster. The middle floors pay way more than the upper floors, whether it's mob efficiency, Magic Stone value, Drop Items, or Dungeon-produced materials."
"Right. Exactly!"
He clenched his fist and decided he'd successfully convinced himself.
"Next up: the mont I've been waiting for. Level up!"
"System, level up!"
Level: Lv. 1. Great Feat requirent t. Eligible for level-up. Confirm?
Confird.
Level-up successful.
Level: Lv. 2
"Finally... finally I hit Lv. 2!!!"
Leon grabbed his head with trembling hands and whispered the words like a prayer.
Six months. From waking up in a strange world to this mont, six months of clawing his way up, and now he could finally shed the label of Lower-Class Adventurer and step into the ranks of the Upper Class.
Through Orario's dark period, he'd moved carefully, every step calculated.
Day after day of effort, day after day of sweat, and now, at last...
He'd leveled up.
"This calls for a celebration. This absolutely calls for a celebration!"
"Ha ha ha!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...!!!"
...
"What'd he pull from those chests to make him lose it like that?"
Jeanne and Rose had just finished their showers, lounging on the sofa in loose bathrobes, chatting and snacking.
Leon's manic laughter from down the hall made them both pause mid-bite, exchanging a look.
"Who knows. But I can guarantee it's good news." Rose's eyes were warm, her voice certain.
Jeanne nodded in agreent. "Forget him. Let him have his mont." She stifled a yawn. "It's getting late. We should turn in too. Plenty to deal with tomorrow."
Rose stood and stretched with her, covering a yawn with one hand. "Mm. Goodnight, Jeanne."
"Goodnight, Rose."
...
anwhile, blissfully unaware he'd been the subject of comntary, Leon was still riding the emotional roller coaster.
It took a while before the rush finally settled.
He let out a long breath. The big Lv. 2 on his interface filled him with a satisfaction that made every hardship feel worthwhile.
"There's still a lot to do after leveling up."
"First: Developnt Abilities."
Developnt Abilities were exactly what they sounded like: supplentary abilities that could be learned on top of Basic Abilities. The window to acquire them was the mont of level-up itself. Each ti a level increased, there was a chance for new Developnt Abilities to appear in the Falna.
Unlike Basic Abilities, Developnt Abilities enhanced specialized or technical capabilities, pushing them further.
"Let's see how many options I've got..."
Leon hadn't forgotten his biggest advantage. He was playing with cheats.
Hand of Omnipotence: grants the Developnt Ability Versatility. Versatility links to all Developnt Abilities. Each level-up allows up to three additional Developnt Ability selections.
This skill had been the quietest mber of his kit since day one. Close to zero presence. But the mont he actually leveled up, it was ti for it to shine.
"Ooh..."
"Hunter, Mage, Abnormal Resistance, Escape, Cooking... all expected."
"Uh, but what are Farr and Cultivation doing here?"
He thought back to his life before becoming an adventurer, and the confusion cleared.
"My ti with Lady Deter. Right, that explains it."
Before he'd registered as an adventurer, Leon had spent his days tending orchards and fields for Deter Familia. When his level went up, the Falna had automatically converted that experience into Developnt Ability options.
"With Hand of Omnipotence, I get to pick three per level-up. That's generous."
"But early on, when my level's still low, I should prioritize combat power and survivability."
"The Dungeon isn't going to go easy on ."
He thought it over.
Mage went in first.
What kind of mage didn't have a proper magic circle? More importantly, the Mage Developnt Ability's scaling bonuses to magic were absurd. A caster with Mage and one without were two completely different creatures, especially at higher ranks. Range, area, effects, raw power... everything received exponential boosts.
"Next... Abnormal Resistance is critical."
He turned his attention to the Developnt Ability that was wildly popular among adventurers for good reason.
In the Dungeon, ordinary wounds weren't the real threat. An adventurer's constitution could fight through even serious injuries. What actually killed people were status effects.
Poison, paralysis, stun, rigidity, corrosion, curse... every single one was a nightmare. Without specific counterasures, getting hit with any of them in the Dungeon was basically typing GG in chat.
Solo adventurers had it worst. Run into sothing like a poison worm moth with no backup, and it was over. No counterplay. Just lie down and wait to die.
Brutal, but that was reality.
The horror stories flashed through his mind, and Leon picked Abnormal Resistance without a second thought.
"Staying alive cos first."
He exhaled and paused to consider.
"Mage, Abnormal Resistance... one slot left."
The first two covered offense and defense, a perfect pair. Naturally, the third should be a getaway skill.
"Escape: boosts movent speed during disengagent, retreat, and fleeing."
But he didn't commit right away. He was torn between Hunter and Escape.
"Hunter. The Guild archives have detailed records on that one."
He crossed to his desk, rummaged through a pile of papers, and dug out a reference book on Falna intelligence.
"I rember it was around here..."
"Got it!"
He flipped to the Developnt Ability section and found the entry:
Hunter: Can only be obtained when leveling from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2. When facing monsters the holder has previously fought and defeated, the holder's abilities are strengthened to a degree. Acquisition condition: Defeat a large number of monsters in a short period. A popular ability among adventurers.
"Defeat a large number of monsters in a short period? So that's why I qualified."
"And it can only appear at the Lv. 1 to Lv. 2 transition. aning if I pass on it now, it's gone forever?"
What was there to hesitate about?
Escape could still show up when he went from Lv. 2 to Lv. 3. Hunter was now or never.
He stopped deliberating, cracked a grin, and tapped Hunter.
"Co to papa. This ability was custom-built for grinders, and nobody grinds harder than ."
And he was right. For soone with his farming needs, the cost-effectiveness was off the charts.
Take Fireball against certain monsters: at Instant Cast power, it always fell just short of a one-shot kill. That tiny damage gap forced him to add a charge-up step. In any single fight, the delay was negligible. But across hundreds of kills, the wasted energy and ti added up fast.
As for running away... he didn't need to outrun the monster. He just needed to outrun whoever was next to him.
And besides, he'd get another shot at Escape next level-up.
"Alright. Level-up complete, Basic Abilities reset to zero, Developnt Abilities locked in. Magic and skills are the sa as before."
"Update finished!"
He hit confirm, and his Falna refreshed into its new form.
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