A few hours later, night had fallen.
Leaving aside what kind of title Freya was preparing for him, on Renjiro's side, the [Traveler Twins] had spent the entire day relentlessly hunting monsters.
By now, both had raised their Genshin Levels to Lv.16.
Their efficiency was impressive.
And so, by the time the clock struck 4 a.m. the next morning,
"Pulling a gacha!"
On the 10th floor of the Dungeon, after wiping out another monster horde, Renjiro (Aether) and Lumine decided to rest briefly as their trap item's effect wore off.
And what better time to test today's luck?
[Cat's Tail Special – Diona (Cryo) | ★★★★]
"Holy crap!!"
Confirmed, Lady Luck had definitely flown to the Euro side today.
Staring at the newly drawn character card, Aether clenched his fist in triumph.
"Yesss~! Finally, a healer!"
And not just any healer, a support healer with a built-in low-tier shield.
In other words, with Diona's arrival,
"Ah, Xiao-sama, yabe~"
In his good mood, Aether couldn't resist goofing off with a silly impression.
Ahem, back to business.
"Right now, we and Xiao are tied for the highest level: Lv.16."
While Paimon busied herself sweeping up magic stones nearby, Lumine calmly sat beside Aether, analyzing:
"[Fischl], since we got her later, is only Lv.13. Once we bring Diona up, we could probably challenge the Middle Floors ahead of schedule."
No doubt, the monster yield in the Middle Floors was far superior to the 10th Floor.
So superior, in fact, that even Aether might struggle to keep up.
And this was assuming they didn't actively pull or cluster monsters.
From the 13th Floor onward, Dungeon creatures gained ranged attacks.
The most infamous among them?
The Hellhounds, nicknamed fire-throwers.
Roughly hyena-sized, they often appeared in packs.
Their fireballs could scorch a Lv.2 adventurer into a screaming, blistered mess with a single direct hit.
Take several blasts at once, and even a full Lv.2 party could be reduced to ashes.
A deadly threat.
In fact, the 13th Floor was widely known as:
The First Line of Death.
Far more dangerous than the newbie killers of the early levels.
But with Orario's dungeon history surpassing a thousand years, adventurers had grown wiser.
The Guild's appointed Dungeon Exploration Advisors strongly recommended that before attempting the Middle Floors, adventurers should purchase a long cloak known as a Fire-Sprite Weave Mantle.
Sprites, divine beings akin to fragments of gods themselves, were ancient, sacred creatures.
Anything made with their essence was a priceless blessing.
The so-called Fire-Sprite Weave was a standardized item imbued with the protective grace of these fire sprites.
Even master smiths admitted they couldn't replicate it.
Its primary effect?
Extreme fire resistance.
With it, one could endure a Hellhound's fireball head-on.
Aether hadn't bought one.
Partly because, well, adventurers were always broke.
The more you earned, the faster you spent.
Just look at the outrageous prices of Panaceas, daylight robbery.
And still, people bought them.
The Dian Cecht Familia never lacked customers.
And Fire-Sprite Weave Mantles? Easily six figures each.
Also, to be honest,
"I wasn't even planning to hit the Middle Floors so soon."
Plans, however, rarely kept up with reality.
Luckily, Aether had a built-in Return to Town skill.
Worst case, he could make a few more surface runs.
"First, let's liquidate today's magic stones for valis."
"There's a ton of gear I want to buy besides a Fire-Sprite Mantle."
He muttered this to himself.
But before that,
"Let's level up Kitty (Diona) first."
================
Three Days Later
Orario Central Plaza, Guild Headquarters, first-floor exchange counter,
"Hey, didn't I tell you last time? For exchanges worth more than one million valis, you should contact your Adventurer Advisor for a private room discussion!"
"Why are you hauling another mountain of magic stones here?!"
Fresh out of the Dungeon, Aether had Paimon haul the loot out of the spatial bag, all neatly wrapped in Freya Familia-marked bundles, and brought them to the Guild for exchange.
But judging from the guild clerk's are you kidding me expression, Aether could only give an awkward chuckle, scratching his head.
On the counter sat nearly twenty bulging sacks.
…A bit much, admittedly.
"Well, the thing is, I still haven't been assigned an Adventurer Advisor, haha~"
"…"
The elf clerk went silent.
After a long pause,
"Sigh."
He pointed at the long service counter nearby.
"It's lunch break, so I'll help you with this once. But with this many stones, please, go get yourself an Advisor already."
"Next time… seriously, have mercy."
Clearly, Aether and Lumine's fame had spread.
The moment they walked into the Guild, the hall's adventurers all turned to look, their presence drawing every eye.
And this poor clerk…
Well, he'd been scared by them.
Their first exchange had been thirty-odd million valis, manageable, if heavy.
But this time,
"Ugh."
He muttered under his breath, pure wage-slave despair:
"Is it really so hard to just eat lunch on time?"
================
Footnotes
Ko_no_DIOna_da~ – A playful pun on Diona's name, referencing the iconic Kono Dio da! ("It was me, Dio!") from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Hellhounds – Dungeon monsters infamous for their fireball attacks. The 13th Floor is notorious as the "First Line of Death."
Panacea – Extremely costly healing item, always in demand.
Dian Cecht Familia – DanMachi Familia specializing in medicine and potions, perpetually wealthy due to necessity.
Guild Advisors – Assigned to adventurers for Dungeon guidance and safety.
Diona: A Cryo bow user from Genshin Impact, Mondstadt bartender who hates alcohol.
Xiao: An Anemo polearm Adeptus from Genshin Impact, the last Yaksha of Liyue.
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