"This Quest has truly drained my resources. Not only have I run out of Healing Potions and Elixirs, but even my Tier 1 Equipment is severely damaged."
While grumbling about the significant losses he had incurred, Charlie inspected the Sword of Damocles in his hand, now covered in cracks as if it could shatter at any moment.
"I hope the God Goibniu can repair the Sword of Damocles. Losing one Tier 1 Equipment is painful enough; I don't want to lose a second one."
What Charlie was referring to was the Eclipse Aegis Cloak. The Goddess Hera had gifted him two Tier 1 Equipments: the Sword of Damocles and the Eclipse Aegis Cloak.
It's worth noting that Tier 1 Equipment isn't as common as cabbages sold in the market. In fact, not every First-Class Adventurer is equipped with Tier 1 gear. Only those from wealthy Familia like the Freya Familia and Loki Familia can afford such luxuries. Meanwhile, First-Class Adventurers from financially limited Familia can only make do with Tier 2 Equipment.
Moreover, not everyone is like the protagonist, Bell Cranel, who was pampered by the Main God and given Tier 1 Equipment while still at Level 1.
"Not long ago, I relied on my connection with Aiz to purchase more Elixirs from Airmid. Now, out of the five Elixirs I bought, not a single one remains."
The more Charlie evaluated the costs he incurred during the quest, the more he felt he had made a losing deal.
Compared to a high-quality Healing Potion priced at 10,000 valis, a single Elixir costs 500,000 valis.
Setting aside the fact that Elixirs are beyond the financial reach of Low-Class Adventurers, the main issue is their limited supply.
Elixirs are the most powerful healing items, capable of curing all wounds and status ailments, though they cannot restore lost body parts. As such, Elixirs are highly sought after by High-Class Adventurers. After all, High-Class Adventurers have no shortage of funds to buy two or three Elixirs.
The problem is that the supply of Elixirs cannot meet the market demand. As a result, the sale of Elixirs is restricted.
There's no other choice; among the potion-type Familia, only Dian Cecht Familia produces Elixirs.
Previously, since he wasn't short on funds, Charlie allocated 30 million valis to purchase Elixirs. Unfortunately, he was turned down by Airmid, who informed him that he was only allowed to buy two Elixirs, and that was only because he was from the Hera Familia. If he were a Low-Class Adventurer from a less prominent Familia, they would be limited to purchasing just one Elixir.
As he left the Dian Cecht Familia shop in frustration, he accidentally ran into Aiz. After Aiz asked why Charlie seemed upset and learned the reason, she offered to help.
That's why Charlie had five Elixirs, which he used in a life-and-death battle against the Evil Dragon Fafnir.
"Lives that have vanished, scattered like smoke and clouds. Their names, their stories, all turned to dust in history. Truly, human life is so fragile..."
Suddenly, Charlie remembered the number of deaths caused by the villain known as the Abyssal Devourer. Instantly, he felt a wave of melancholy.
"I know it's not my fault, but still... It's impossible not to feel anything when more than half the world's population has been wiped out in just a few days."
"The cause wasn't a powerful villain like Fafnir or Shishigami Hiro, but an old woman who created the MK Virus."
Thinking about Kihara's actions, which caused severe damage to human civilization and would require decades of recovery, taught Charlie that human creativity is terrifying when it falls into the wrong hands.
"Death, huh..."
No one knows what Charlie is thinking.
❂❂❂❂❂
Night had enveloped Tokai City, bringing a quiet atmosphere that contrasted with the warmth emanating from the beach house. The lights inside the house shone brightly, illuminating the dining table filled with delicious dishes. From the outside, the house looked like the only living place in a dead city.
At the dining table, the atmosphere was filled with laughter. The Nakano quintuplets, with their best efforts, had prepared a variety of luxurious dishes as a token of gratitude to Charlie and Aishia.
"I hope it suits your taste." Said Nino with a slightly shy tone, though she tried to hide it behind her confident demeanor.
Charlie took a piece of the enticingly aromatic roasted meat, chewed it slowly, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Delicious."
That simple word made Nino smile contentedly. Ichika, sitting beside her, chuckled softly.
"Good thing, otherwise I'm sure Nino would be very sad."
"Don't talk nonsense, Ichika! I wouldn't be sad over something so trivial." Nino protested weakly.
On the other side of the table, Miku quietly enjoyed her meal, while Yotsuba seemed very enthusiastic, chatting with Raiha about her favorite foods. Itsuki ate ravenously, no longer hiding her foodie nature.
Sitting next to Charlie, Aishia enjoyed her meal in silence.
In the midst of the warm dinner atmosphere, Ichika raised her voice.
"Hey, Charlie-kun, do you have any yukata in your storage?"
"I have a few. Why?" Charlie asked, curious about Ichika's intention.
Before Ichika could answer, Nino immediately interjected with a displeased tone: "We want to play with fireworks while wearing yukata. Also, we want to take photos as a memento that everything that happened wasn't just a dream."
"..."
Charlie paused for a moment, then nodded. It was a reasonable request.
Even though he had asked them to forget all of this, that was impossible. These memories would stay with them for a lifetime.
Without saying much, he opened his Space-Time Cache and took out all the yukata inside. In an instant, a pile of yukata in various colors and patterns filled the floor.
Nino stared at it with wide eyes. "You said just a few? Did you rob a store?"
Charlie simply smiled faintly, not giving a direct answer. He knew explaining how he obtained all of this would only prolong the discussion. After all, he had illegally taken anything that caught his eye at the shopping mall.
If he told them, it would undoubtedly make them feel guilty about using and consuming these 'borrowed' items.
❂❂❂❂❂
After the luxurious dinner ended, everyone began preparing for the fireworks party. Charlie and Fuutarou set up the fireworks in the front yard of the beach house, ensuring everything was ready to be lit safely.
Meanwhile, the girls went inside to change. Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki, and even Aishia each wore the yukata they had chosen.
As they stepped out one by one, the dark night sky became the perfect backdrop for their graceful silhouettes in yukata. Charlie, who was checking the fireworks fuses, reflexively turned his gaze toward them.