Even trash should be put to its fullest use.
That was the principle Enwan Kovo lived by.
All the more so when the person he was exploiting was a bottom-rung supporter with dead parents and nobody to rely on.
Honestly, he didn’t believe he was doing anything wrong.
Even if he weren’t bullying her, some other adventurer would.
If anything, Lili should have been grateful to him.
And now she had found such a wealthy employer.
Naturally, it was time to make the most of her usefulness.
She would steal his weapon.
Better yet—
They would squeeze every last coin out of him!
That shortsword from Hephaistos Familia alone could fetch four or five hundred thousand valis on the black market.
That was more than two months of his own Dungeon earnings, even if he spent nothing on food or drink.
“Divine wine…”
He could hardly wait to taste it again.
When he saw the useless little wretch he despised approaching, the middle-aged beastman nevertheless arranged his face into a kindly smile.
“How’s it coming along?”
“…”
“I’m working on earning his trust… He only has that one weapon, so I only get a chance once we’re back in Orario.”
The supporter kept her head down.
Her manner was as meek as ever.
“For now… he still doesn’t trust me enough to leave all his things in my care.”
“…”
At least the little waste of space was doing what she had been told.
Enwan Kovo felt pleased.
That meant bullying her hadn’t been a wasted effort.
His voice turned cold, as though he were addressing something beneath contempt.
“How much longer?”
“Maybe…”
“Five or six days.
He seems… very wary of other adventurers.
I won’t be able to do it right away.”
She hadn’t arranged a cover story with Rhodes beforehand.
Lili could only rely on experience to test how much time Enwan Kovo would give her.
Captain Zanis distributed divine wine every seven days, using it to wring money out of the Familia.
“You’d better hurry!”
Although Enwan Kovo was impatient, he didn’t reject the deadline she had proposed.
Doing it himself would certainly be faster.
But even an idiot could figure out that a novice with a weapon that good probably had connections.
If things went wrong, he could always push Lili forward to take the blame.
He would get his money without disrupting his own life as an adventurer.
“…I… I’ll do my best.”
Lili answered in a trembling voice.
She looked up, about to ask whether she could leave.
Before she could speak, Enwan Kovo waved her away in disgust.
As though she had received a pardon, Lili clutched the straps of her backpack and quickly turned to leave.
Then a sudden question stopped her. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“Wait!”
“…”
“What’s that guy’s name?”
“Daniel…”
So…
Now that today’s expedition was finished, what was Rhodes supposed to do with the rest of his time?
It felt like working overtime every day and then suddenly getting off on time.
That strange sense of not knowing what to do with himself.
He knew it well.
More importantly, Orario lacked modern entertainment.
Otherwise, he could at least scroll through videos or play a game to pass the time.
And Hestia hadn’t come to meet him, either.
His familiar little goddess was probably busy with something of her own.
In that case—
“I’ll exchange the loot first.”
Thanks to the drops from the War Shadows, today’s earnings were more than double yesterday’s.
8,848 valis.
Combined with what he had already earned, Rhodes now had a respectable little savings fund.
At the very least, becoming financially independent of his little goddess would be easier.
He returned to his empty dormitory room and washed up.
After changing into fresh clothes, he went out again and headed toward North Main Street.
The potato ball stall.
As an adventurer, his schedule was relatively flexible.
Whenever Takemikazuchi had time, Rhodes could ask him about advanced combat techniques.
After all, he still had a problem to deal with.
Fighting monsters wasn’t his greatest concern right now.
For the next stage of his training, he needed to focus on fighting other adventurers.
Takemikazuchi was enjoying a rare quiet moment when Rhodes arrived.
Surprise flickered in his eyes.
Most adventurers were still out exploring at this hour.
“Hmm?”
“Weren’t you heading into the Dungeon?”
“I was.”
Rhodes nodded seriously.
He saw no reason to hide how far he had gone.
“I reached the sixth floor today.
Fighting War Shadows used up my energy faster than usual.”
“So I came back early to be safe.”
“?”
Unless he was mistaken, War Shadows were the very monsters the Guild insisted complete beginners had no hope of defeating.
Each floor had a minimum recommended level of basic abilities.
Takemikazuchi fell silent.
If he remembered correctly, this boy had come to him for basic combat training only three days ago.
Which meant…
Rhodes had gone from an absolute beginner to meeting the G-to-F-rank requirements for Floors Five through Seven.
He could even defeat the notorious Rookie Killers. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
In three fucking days?
“…”
As a god, Takemikazuchi could distinguish truth from lies.
He looked at the black-haired boy standing before his stall, sincerity written plainly on his face.
He wasn’t lying.
Nor did he seem to be bragging.
Takemikazuchi had asked, and Rhodes had simply answered.
“Honestly…”
“The ‘vessel’ you possess is far beyond anything I imagined.”
“Hestia really has found herself a promising child.”
He suddenly felt a little envious.
But poaching Rhodes was out of the question.
Hestia was his friend, after all.
“Congratulations.”
“You’ve adapted to an adventurer’s life remarkably quickly.
I hope you’ll keep putting in that effort and continue moving forward.”
“Thank you, Lord Takemikazuchi.”
Am I actually a genius?
The possibility finally occurred to Rhodes.
But he hadn’t forgotten why he had come.
“There’s actually something…”
“Go ahead.”
“I’d like to learn advanced techniques for fighting other adventurers.”
“Could we keep this between us?
I don’t want Lady Hestia to know.”
He didn’t explain the whole situation.
He was afraid that if he told Takemikazuchi, it might reach Hestia and make her worry.
“Of course.”
“I’m free the day after tomorrow.
Come to the longhouse, and I’ll teach you what you need.”
“Thank you.”
“Also, Lady Hestia seems to really like potato balls.
What flavor does she usually have?”
“Now that I can earn some money, I’d like to bring her some.”
“Black pepper.”
Takemikazuchi had to admit it.
Looking at the boy who didn’t want to worry his goddess and kept thinking of her even now…
He really was a little jealous!
….
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….
I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it