Lunoire put away her purse, walked over to the counter, purchased the pair of concentric wristbands and handed them to Maggie and Sylan.
Mizuki and his two companions stepped out of the Hephaestus familia shop.
Eina walked beside Mizuki, her lovely half-elf eyes stealing a few quiet glances at him.
Mizuki had not hesitated for a second to lend money to Lunoire.
It was a substantial sum, handed over to a total stranger without any guarantee.
Acting on righteousness and trusting others so openly reminded her of the legendary heroes from the old tales.
Mizuki turned his head and teased, “What is it? Is my face dirty again?”
“No, not at all…” Eina looked away in flustered silence.
Haruhime followed Mizuki obediently as always.
To her, whatever Lord Mizuki decided was naturally right.
Right then, from the shadows of a quiet corner near Babel, two sets of sinister eyes fixed on them.
A scrawny man licked his lips and muttered to the burly man beside him, “Boss, that kid has to be loaded. Let’s roll him…”
“Are you out of your mind?” The boss smacked the back of his subordinate’s head with an open palm.
“A level 1 rookie spending that kind of coin on gear? You think he is just some nobody?” A shadow of fear crossed the big man’s face.
“The rumors from the guild are spreading like wildfire. Lady Astraea treats him like a treasure, and lady Hephaestus personally gave him a permanent ten percent discount!”
“Is that someone we can mess with? If we try to rob him…”
The scrawny man pulled his head back and grumbled, “Got it, boss.”
Soon after, Lunoire and her companions stepped out of the shop.
Maggie and Sylan were admiring the shiny concentric wristbands on their wrists, beaming with happiness.
Only Lunoire frowned slightly, Mizuki’s composed expression lingering in her mind.
Why had he trusted her so easily?
The greedy glint returned to the scrawny man’s eyes in the shadows.
“Boss, what about those three? Can we take them?” he whispered, pointing toward Lunoire’s group.
“They bought a bunch of stuff, too. Looks expensive.”
The man narrowed his eyes, examining Lunoire and her friends.
A human girl and a beastman.
They wore simple clothes and showed no signs of backing from a major familia.
“Tail them,” a ruthless grin formed on the big man’s face.
“Look close, that is our actual target. They look like small timers who scraped together every last copper for months just to buy a piece of nice gear.”
“They have no connections or protection. Even if they get robbed, they will just have to swallow the loss.”
After finishing their shopping, Mizuki and his group returned to the central hall on the ground floor of Babel, accompanied by Eina.
Before they stepped toward the massive entrance leading down into the dungeon, Eina stopped and offered a serious reminder.
“Mizuki and Haruhime, please make sure your familia emblems are clearly visible.”
“It will help prevent unwanted harassment or trouble from other adventurers,” she explained.
Mizuki nodded and attached the crest representing Astraea to his breastplate.
Haruhime followed suit, carefully fastening her own emblem.
Once that was done, Mizuki reached into his cloak, pulled out the heavy pouch containing their remaining coin and held it out to Eina. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
“Miss Eina, I have one more favor to ask.”
Eina looked at him in confusion.
“There is nearly twenty million valis left in here. I would like you to keep it safe for me.”
Eina’s gentle smile froze, her lovely half-elf eyes widening in shock.
“What? That is impossible!” She waved her hands in panic.
“That is far too much money! I could never…”
“I trust you,” he ignored her refusal.
“Leaving it with you is much safer than carrying it into the dungeon.”
Eina looked into his eyes.
The weight of his trust rendered her speechless for a moment.
Finally, she took a deep breath and accepted the pouch with utmost seriousness.
“I understand. In my name as guild advisor Eina Tulle, I promise to keep your funds completely safe.”
Bidding farewell to Eina, Mizuki took Haruhime’s hand and walked toward the entrance of the dungeon.
The subterranean floor beneath Babel was a cavernous hall spacious enough to hold thousands.
It served as the final sanctuary before the descent began where countless adventurers gathered, traded, and prepared themselves.
A massive spiral staircase hugged the inner wall of the shaft, winding downward into the deep darkness below.
That was the road of beginnings.
Yet as Mizuki and Haruhime made their entrance, dozens of gazes turned to fixate on them.
“Look! That is him!”
“The only male member of the Astraea familia!”
“The biggest news in the town finally showed up!”
“My cousin in the Hephaestus familia told me that lady Hephaestus personally gave him a permanent ten percent discount!”
“Are you serious? That is insane!”
The chatter drifted through the hall, reaching Mizuki’s ears clear as day.
Mizuki rubbed his nose awkwardly.
He had wanted to keep a low profile, but somehow he had drawn all this attention anyway.
Had he accidentally turned into Orario’s biggest celebrity overnight?
Haruhime squirmed under the stares, whispering nervously, “Lord Mizuki, everyone is staring at us.”
“It is fine. Staring will not hurt us,” Mizuki comforted her softly, giving her hand a gentle, reassuring pat.
“Let’s keep moving.”
Then, he gave a light wave to the crowd like a public figure on display.
The whispering instantly erupted again.
“What is his deal?”
“Look at that smug look on his face! I really want to punch him!”
Mizuki chuckled softly and guided Haruhime down the steps. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Following the broad stone stairs, they officially crossed into the 1st floor of the dungeon.
The space opened up into a cavernous chamber built of pale stone, faint luminescent moss clinging to the walls.
Most adventurers passed through without pausing.
For seasoned level 1 adventurers, the monsters on the 1st floor offered little value.
According to Kaguya, given Mizuki’s current combat ability, the goblins here posed zero threat.
But for Haruhime, setting foot in the dungeon for the very first time, everything felt foreign and intimidating.
She stayed close to Mizuki, her fox ears perked in alertness.
“Lord Mizuki, Lady Kaguya and Miss Eina mentioned that the 1st floor is full of goblins.”
“What do they look like?”
No sooner had she spoken than the stone wall beside them bulged.
The smooth surface rippled and several grotesque creatures clawed their way out from the rock.
They were short, hideously green with pointed ears and long noses.
Waving crude stone spears and wooden clubs, they uttered guttural shrieks, their glowing red eyes locked greedily onto Mizuki and Haruhime.
Goblins.
Haruhime gasped in fright, ducking behind Mizuki’s back.
Before Mizuki could draw his blade, however, a shadowy figure burst out from a side passage.
It was a lean, muscular werewolf adventurer.
Though surrounded by several goblins, he moved with practiced efficiency.
Striking with brutal precision, he felled the monsters in short order.
He expertly sliced open their remains, carved out the magic stones and threw a dull look toward Mizuki and Haruhime.
Without a word, he turned and faded back into the dark tunnel.
The entire sequence was ruthlessly routine.
Haruhime stared blankly at the spot where the werewolf had disappeared.
“Did he… just steal our goblins?”
“That was likely one of the solo hunters Kaguya warned us about,” Mizuki explained softly.
“Desperate solo adventurers or members from struggling familias who lack gear cannot risk descending deeper.”
“They stay on the 1st floor day in and day out, hunting goblins just to scrape together enough valis to eat.”
Haruhime blinked in confusion.
“Then what should we do? Wait for more to appear?”
“No need to wait. I will take you somewhere better.”
The two pressed onward.
Mizuki deliberately led Haruhime down a side path where fewer adventurers traveled.
The tunnel here was narrow, winding with sharp corners where monsters could easily lie in wait to launch blindside attacks.
Because of the danger, few low level adventurers ventured down this path.