Chapter 16 - FUCK!!? 26.4 MILLION VALIS!
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Mother always spoke of love like the wind—boundless and unstoppable. She and Father, an elf and a human, defied the world's judgment with smiles, their love stronger than any storm. I was the proof of that love, born from a bond beyond race and fear. 'One day, Eina,' she said, 'you'll find a love like ours—strong enough to face the world and kind enough to heal its wounds.' In her eyes, I saw hope, not just for herself, but for me too.
– Eina Tulle
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"Spatial magic can store things!? If Loki-sama knew, she would definitely lose her mind."
Eina could already imagine Loki freaking out.
Everyone in Orario knew that Loki Familia's expeditions were limited because they couldn't carry enough supplies.
With just one person who could use magic to store things, the Loki Familia could dive into deeper floors without worry.
'Too bad Bell didn't join Loki Familia. If his abilities stayed the same, Loki-sama might really go nuts with excitement.'
But Eina quickly pulled herself together.
"Bell, you need to keep this under wraps."
"Go back to your familia, sell the magic stones in smaller batches, and repeat. Otherwise, you'll blow your cover."
Bell understood this, but he just couldn't go through with it.
Revealing his abilities to one person instead of everyone was a choice Bell knew how to handle.
"Miss Eina, what I want to sell isn't just magic stones. I wouldn't need to expose my powers if it were just about magic stones."
Not just magic stones?
Eina paused, trying to catch up.
Drop items?
But she knew the odds of getting drop items from monsters were crazy low.
Why would he need to show off his magic for just a couple of drop items?
As Eina was piecing it together, Bell moved.
With a snap of his fingers, the room was suddenly filled with the clattering sounds of countless weapons as lots of drop items appeared.
This went on for a bit, almost filling up the entire room.
Bell let out a deep sigh. He wasn't sure if he was lucky or screwed, but every goblin he killed dropped a magic stone and a short fang.
While the magic stone was a normal drop from goblins, the fang wasn't.
Because of this, Bell decided to spill one of his secrets.
It wasn't that he didn't want to hide it; there were just too many goblin fangs.
Selling them would make him stand out, and getting targeted this early was too risky.
So, Bell decided to show his hand to the safest person he could think of.
"So many!?"
Eina was floored by the mountain of drop items.
She looked at Bell with a stiff expression and pointed at the pile of drop items.
"Bell, are these... all drop items?"
Bell nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
Eina's face twitched as she took it all in.
What the hell was up with this amount of drops?
Even a big familia like the Loki Familia couldn't pull in this many drops in one expedition. This was way more than what the guild usually handled in a day.
Eina picked up a drop item and inspected it. She quickly figured out where it came from.
She whipped her head up to look at Bell, realizing these items came from goblins.
But why were there so many rare drop items?
Goblins are among the easiest monsters to kill in the dungeon.
Because they're so easy, goblin drops are rare as hell—so rare that maybe only ten goblin fangs would show up in the guild in a year or two.
But here, there were at least hundreds of goblin fangs, a number the guild would only see in decades.
If someone had told Eina that anyone could gather so many goblin fangs, she would have cursed directly.
It seemed impossible for anyone to be this lucky.
"Bell, how many goblins did you kill today?"
Bell pointed to the drop items around him and then gave a number.
"284 in total."
That number was insane. The first floor of the dungeon doesn't even spawn that many goblins.
Most of the time, monsters spawn at fixed intervals.
Based on the spawn rate, goblins only show up three times a day, with each spawn having about a dozen or so.
So how the hell did you get 284?
Eina took a deep breath and looked at Bell, asking seriously.
"Bell, did you run into a Monster Party in the dungeon?"
"...Miss Eina, do you think there's a chance of a Monster Party on the first floor?"
A Monster Party, a situation unique to dungeons, involves a crapload of monsters spawning on the same floor.
But this usually happens below the third floor, not the first.
Experience and facts show that a Monster Party doesn't happen on the first floor; otherwise, the entrance to the dungeon would've been overrun ages ago.
Eina realized her mistake; there shouldn't be a Monster Party on the first floor.
And even if there was, it wouldn't take out 284 monsters.
That number couldn't happen all at once; even Level 3 adventurers would struggle against that many goblins.
"So, how did Bell come across so many goblins?"
Bell hadn't thought about it much.
Even though he felt the experience from the goblins was a bit over the top, it wasn't like all of them showed up at once.
Looking back, it seemed like after he killed one group, another would show up after a short time.
"I don't really get it either. Almost every time I killed four or five goblins, another horde would show up after a bit."
Eina looked at Bell closely. The pattern and number of goblins all pointed to Bell being the cause.
Whether it was the intervals between goblin appearances or the number of goblins, everything seemed to revolve around Bell.
Eina wasn't sure if her hunch was right.
This weird occurrence was unheard of.
Until now, something this strange had never happened.
'It looks like something happened to Bell alone. If this gets out, it'll attract the attention of some Familias,' Eina thought.
'There are some secrets about Bell, and these secrets are what make this guy different. But it seems like Bell doesn't even know it himself.'
She realized she needed to be extra careful to make sure no one else finds out. Eina wasn't about to share Bell's secret with any god. He trusted her with it, so she knew she had his trust. To keep that trust, she'd do whatever it took to help him keep his secret.
"Bell, don't let anyone else know what you told me. If the guild's higher-ups find out, you might become some research subject."
"The guild's been digging deep into dungeon research."
"So, it's better if you don't team up with anyone. This could seriously trouble your future."
"Alas, Many dungeon floors can't be cleared alone, and teaming up is the best way to handle them. But to keep your secret safe, you'll need to act alone."
Not being able to form a team means Bell has to push his limits. Progress isn't just about hard work; it's about taking risks. The gap between Level 1 and Level 2 is huge, and getting past it takes a hell of a lot of effort. There's no question it's dangerous.
Eina always told adventurers not to take unnecessary risks, but for Bell, she realized sticking to that might not be possible.
"This is exactly what I want to do," Bell said. He never wanted to trust any "comrades" from the start. Trusting someone meant putting your life in their hands, and Bell wasn't about to do that.
"Because of my past, I don't trust people easily."
"If that's how you feel, do what you think is best."
Eina wanted to drop some common sense on him, but she respected that his past had led him to think this way. She didn't know what made Bell this cautious, but she wanted to find out. Clearly, Bell had grown up fast because of whatever he'd been through. His guarded behavior and the way he hid his actions showed he'd been burned before. He built thick walls around himself, and not just anyone could break through. Not everyone was worthy of knowing his secrets!
She'd only known Bell for a few days, so she didn't feel like she had the right to pry further, so she didn't.
Looking at the goblin fangs on the ground, Eina felt a bit stuck. Identifying this many drop items wasn't going to be quick. And keeping these drops a secret was crucial to keeping Bell off the radar.
"Bell, let's talk about the value of the Goblin Fangs. Goblin magic stones aren't worth much, maybe 100 valis each, but goblin fangs are way more valuable."
"These things are sharp enough to kill even middle-floor monsters like the Minotaur, so they can go for as much as 100,000 valis."
Bell was shocked at how valuable they were. He thought they might be worth around 10,000 valis each, but they were worth ten times that.
"Are drop items always this valuable?" he asked.
Eina figured she needed to clarify.
"Bell, most upper-floor drop items are worth between 1,000 and 10,000 valis. Usually, they're materials for weapons or potions and need more work done. But weapons like the Goblin Fang are different."
"The Goblin Fang is a weapon that can kill even middle-floor monsters, so it's worth way more than typical upper-floor drops."
"Its sharpness and rarity make it super valuable, just below the low-tier weapons sold in shops."
Bell understood now. Goblin Fangs were finished weapons that didn't need any more work and could even slice through a Minotaur. That made them worth a lot.
"Bell, how many do you have in total?"
"264."
"That's 26.4 million valis. Making that much money on your first dungeon run is going to make you look like a cash machine to other Familias."
Bell gave a wry smile. His plan would definitely turn heads. He even surprised himself with how much he'd made. He could even buy a high-tier weapon if he kept this up for a week.
Of course, he couldn't keep this up for long. Doing it once was enough to grab attention. Doing it again would attract way too much heat, especially since he'd already taken a risk by telling Eina. He couldn't afford to do this too many times.
"This should be the last time. I won't sell anything but magic stones to the guild from now on."
After laying it all out, Eina got serious. The guild could help Bell, but it had its limits. She needed to give Bell some guidelines to keep him out of trouble.
"Bell, we need to talk about how much you're selling. If the gods find out about this many drop items, they're going to notice you, and even the guild will get suspicious."
"I can cover for you this time, but just this once."
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(Story will be bit darker from the next chapters)