Aryan was currently facing a problem that a guy usually faces in his thirties. That is a lack of budget.
Although he was level 2 now, the only source of income he had was killing small wolves. Aryan even tried to take on a big wolf on the 3rd floor, but seeing it in person made him rethink his decisions.
[EONE says #2: Don't fight your enemy; you can't win against them, and you will remain undefeated for life. ]
Aryan was currently grinding for magic crystals on the second floor while three figures were watching him from afar.
"Wooo looks like he is good in close combat. What do you say, Sen?" Alena asked, looking at her friend with a curious gaze.
Sen was a 5' 9" tall, green-haired elf holding a bow in his hands and arrows on his wrest. Sen was a level 6 adventurer who also happens to be Alena's childhood friend, battle partner, and only known person outside the castle.
"Well, if you ask me...I have been noticing him for the last few days; he is pretty good if he can handle 3 to 4 wolves alone without using magic. I think we can ask him to join us. If everything goes well, then he will be a good help in the future." Sen said he was calculating some things in his mind.
So far, the group has seen and rejected many adventurers either due to high demand, a lack of skills, or too much difference in power level. Not to mention, average adventurers do not want to associate themselves with a group that hasn't even formed yet.
The group mutually decided to move closer to approach Aryan, who had just killed his 12th wolf with a sudden sneak attack.
[Level 2 Progress: 62%]
"It was so freaking tough to level up from level 1 to level 2. Why in the hell am I progressing so fast from level 2 to level 3? At this rate, I will level up to level 3 without even buying any good skills for myself." Aryan thought out loud in frustration, looking at four magic crystals in his hands.
The group of three stopped at a distance of 20 metres as they gazed at each other before Alena stepped forward.
"Don't worry, Aahana I know how to approach these kinds of guys; just leave everything to me," Alena said as she patted her chest with a proud smile.
Aryan was currently fighting a wolf from the front when a wolf jumped on him from the back. Aryan was about to use his magic to blast off the wolf when suddenly
'swish-swish-swish'
Three arrows came cutting through the wind, directly hitting the wolf in the head, chest, and abdomen before a magic crystal dropped on the ground.
Looking at his stolen prey, Aryan looked with a furious gaze at three people when he noticed a girl coming towards him.
Alena went straight next to Aryan and announced in a loud, booming voice, pointing a finger at him, " Hey you! "Good-looking black-haired guy, I was watching you for a while and I like your style of fighting... " But before she could complete her sentence, she was interrupted by Aryan.
"I am sorry, miss; you are indeed very beautiful and everything, but it's just that you aren't my type. I didn't intend to hurt your feelings, but I think you deserve better than me." Aryan said in an emotionless voice, giving her a deep bow before moving forward.
[Eone says #3 Reject the girl before she even fully approaches you; it makes a gigachad-like impression in front of the audience. [Ummm... sometimes.]
Everyone's mouth was wide open as a gust of wind blew by.
"You arrogant piece of... how dare you reject me when I didn't even confess to you!" Alena's lips twitched twice before saying
"You mean you were going to confess, right? Ahh... I mean, I have an idea: let's try again; this time I will reject you after listening to your confession. If that's what makes you feel happy." Aryan said it with a genuine smile and sparkling eyes.
"Hey Sen!!" Alena turned towards Sen before asking with an evil smile. " If a dead body was found on the 2nd floor of the dungeon, no one would suspect us, right?"
Sen stepped forward, realising the situation was getting dramatic. "I guess we have some misunderstanding here, my friend."
Sen stood in front of Aryan with an awkward smile on his face before he continued, " Hello! My name is Sen, and we are looking for members to join our clan. If you are interested, we can continue the conversation somewhere better."
"Sorry, bro, I am kind of a solo adventurer, so I will have to reject your offer. Thank you for your time, though," Aryan said as he stepped on the magic crystal on the ground that was just obtained from a wolf killed by Sen arrows and dragged it to the side.
"Let's just take this crystal out of sight before anyone asks to share it," Aryan thought.
"Why don't you look at the benefits before making any decisions?" Aahana said, stepping forward in her soft but sharp voice.
When Aryan turned around to take a look at the speaker, his face froze as his eyes opened wide.
"The thin curves, the beautiful shape, the slims, the shine, and the unique structure—that's definitely my type." Aryan said it out loud in his daze as he looked towards Aahana without blinking.
Hearing this unpredicted statement, Alena and Sen froze like statues, while Aahana's face was red as a cherry.
The moment Aryan saw Aahana... orrrr..... the gold coin in Aahana's hand to be more specific.
He knew this was the thing he wanted most in his life. The sharp, thin golden curves, beautiful imperial design, slim shape, and square structure with rounds around the corner—this was his first time looking at a gold coin after all.
Sen was the first one to break out of his shock and look towards Aryan. "Hey you thickhead... do you lack manners or something?" "Your momma didn't teach you... wait.. where is he?" Sen interrupted himself, looking at the position Aryan was standing in just a few seconds ago.
Aryan... just as he saw the gold coin the next second, he was in front of Aahana as he sandwiched her free hand with the gold coin in both his hands.
"Tell me more about your offer, young lady," Aryan asked in a soft Romeo voice while his hands continued to grab her palm tightly with a gold coin.
Although Aahana was caught off-guard due to the Aryan reaction, it didn't take a few seconds for her to maintain her composure.
"If you are up for the discussion, we shall move to a better location then," Aahana said with her soft voice and a smile on her face.
Next scene, A group of four people were sitting at a round table in a restaurant, and the waiter just delivered some drinks and snacks.
"Hmmmm... So you are saying you want to create a clan, and since you are creating a clan, you need five or more people for registration." Aryan asked.
"Yes, and since we are low level ourselves , we have some trust issues with high-level adventurers. That's why we are asking you to join our clan. " Aahana spoke in a soft voice that was almost like a whisper to her ears.
"If you join our clan, you will get 1/5 of whatever we earn on missions as well as access to resources and equipment that the clan will own. Not to mention the 500 silver to sign the contract." Sen continued to sit with his arms crossed.
"You mean to say I will get rewards from missions we haven't accepted yet and access to clan treasury that you don't have?" If I am not wrong, then 500 silver is the only benefit I am getting right now. " Aryan asked in a serious tone.
"You are not wrong about that... But look at the positives; if we work hard together, we can even become a big clan. Think about how much you will earn then!" Alena interrupted, standing up from her chair.
"Let's not talk about possibilities but rather live in reality. Your so-called "big clan doesn't even exist right now." Aryan paused a little before asking . "If you have that much money, by the way, why waste it on creating some kind of clan in the first place?"
"Personal reasons," Alena replied as she sat back down on her chair.
Although Aryan was cold and calculating by nature, that doesn't mean he didn't like making friends or interacting with others. But unfortunately, this reason alone wasn't enough for him to join some clan that had not even formed yet.
"I am currently level 2, and if I wait for a while and level up to level 5, I can get better offers than this." Aryan said, tapping his fingers on the table. "So I will ask this again: what is in it for me in this deal?"
With that question from Aryan, the group became silent all of a sudden. Proving more about the Aryan point.
Seeing no one speak, Aahana decided to take a gamble.
"You said you are level 2 right now, so did you learn any active skills already or have you decided which skill you are going to buy?" She asked in a voice of hesitation.
"No, I didn't learn any, but I have a few in mind," Aryan replied, thinking about something.
"Then tell me..... What do you think about.. DARK MAGIC!!"... .