"...Well, that feels like doing a gacha," Ren commented.
"This is not good for one's mental health. It's inciting gambling spirit too much," Shion sighed, sitting on Ren's head in her small fox form, having been permitted entry because she was with Ren.
"Perhaps it would be better to purchase from others after all?" Shion suggested.
"Yeah, probably," Ren agreed.
They had come today to try generating a magic item using the Divine Artifact. The money spent on Fūri's Reincarnation Stone had already been earned back, and they were starting to accumulate extra funds again, so Ren thought they should try to improve their equipment. If they had the spare cash, Ren had wanted to try this random generation.
It was essentially a gamble, consuming a fixed amount of currency to create a magic item of random effect and shape. However, some items could only be acquired through this method. If lucky, they could get high-performance gear that an ordinary enchanter in the city couldn't achieve, at a low price. Needless to say, the result depended entirely on luck.
"We can't even appraise the items on the spot," Ren noted.
If they got an unwanted item, they could insert it into another Divine Artifact to convert it back into money, but neither Ren nor Shion had the appraisal skill. Fūri had it, but she wasn't allowed in here, and her skill was the bare minimum for a Thief, inferior to proper merchant-class skills. It was a hassle to take the generated item, go get it appraised, come back, and then convert it back into money.
"Although it might end up being more expensive, buying ready-made items or placing custom orders is safer and more reliable," Shion advised.
"As expected, Shion is dependable," Ren said.
Ren took out the remaining coins and put them in her storage along with the generated item.
The item turned out to be something like a potholder or oven mitt. If it had a high-level physical attack boost enchantment, she could have given it to Mei, but that was highly unlikely. She'd have Fūri appraise it and then decide whether to use it at home, sell it, or exchange it at the Divine Artifact.
"If we're going to get custom orders for everyone, we still need to save up more money," Ren sighed.
"It's a long road ahead," Shion commented.
The preparations for the 50th Floor conquest seemed quite demanding.
-----------------
They decided to conquer up to the 50th Floor. With this goal set, Ren and the others postponed exploration beyond the 41st Floor for the time being and focused on leveling up and fundraising.
The basic strategy was the Alarm method on the 25th Floor, but to avoid boredom, they also engaged in mapping other floors, investigating for undocumented features, and even collecting cacao beans for the pastry chef.
The primary goal was, of course, leveling up. However, fundraising was also important, and preparing the way for subsequent adventurers was a necessary duty. The richer the city's resources became, the better everyone's lives would be. Ultimately, everything they did was connected to the future in some way.
The battle on the 50th Floor, once thought to be the final boss battle, was known to be tough.
Ren and the others needed to know what preparations their predecessors made before challenging such a difficult stage. They talked to several people, introduced by the Sage and Iris's mother.
Since the human race couldn't rely on skill spamming, their predecessors primarily focused on two options: "leveling up to overpower the enemy with base stats" or "countering the enemy with human-wave tactics," or often a combination of both.
Joint conquest with two or more parties was easier on wide fields like mountains, and on long dungeons like the 40th Floor, multiple parties could take turns holding off the enemy while the others rested. Simply preparing over time would also lead to higher levels (which was critical for humans due to their stat corrections), and having a large stock of potions would allow them to use their firepower without holding back.
The fact that Ren's group was still worried about income even during a boss battle was unusual. For the veterans, operating at a significant loss, even from the stage of reconnaissance and initial assaults, was the default, necessitating repeated dungeon dives to earn money to cover the costs. It was understandable that they couldn't advance quickly.
This was not just someone else's problem for Ren and her party. They, too, had to learn from their predecessors from now on.
For Ren's group, forming a large party posed several inconveniences (Ren's mere presence would tempt the men, and Meteora couldn't communicate with them). So, they put the co-op path on hold. However, they still needed to focus on leveling up, stocking up on consumables, and upgrading their equipment. Top-tier weapons and armor were reportedly extremely powerful, and acquiring even one such item could change their world significantly.
"Our party has a preference for certain weapons, but Mei can use almost anything, right?" Ren asked.
"Leave it to me. I have currently reserved skill points for skills that require specific weapons," Mei replied.
Mei favored the mace because it allowed her to easily apply her brute strength and required less technical skill to wield, but she wasn't limited to just blunt weapons. With the job class level unlocked, she could now acquire skills to compensate for a lack of technical proficiency, making swords, spears, and axes viable options.
Since the other members had fixed weapons (Ren, Shion - no weapon; Fūri - dagger; Iris, Meteora - dagger and bow), any valuable weapon they found could be given to Mei. This was an advantage, as a sword user, for example, would only get new swords as weapons.
"Speaking of which, what is your job class, Mei?" Ren asked.
"Warrior," Mei replied directly.
"I was basically only ever 'going straight and smashing things,' so there was no way for me to become another class. Well, my mother has a dangerous class called 'Weaponry Master,' so I might ask her about a job change later," Mei added.
It wasn't too late to switch after acquiring all the Warrior skills. Mei's mother's "Weaponry Master" only worked if she had weapons, which had to be created using Golem skills, and their operation was mostly limited to Golems. Given Mei's relatively recent job class unlock, she couldn't fully utilize it yet, and for some weapon types, the Warrior's fighting style would still be useful.
"Mii-chan is lucky because her fighting style and equipment are fixed," Fūri commented.
"Yes. Anything less than a superb item wouldn't even compare to my current gear, and I'm not particularly inconvenienced. I should prioritize my training in spirit magic and archery," Meteora asserted.
Since she had been training for many years, a dramatic change was unlikely, but fortunately, Iris's mother was nearby. By learning from her and viewing her as a rival, Meteora could aim for further power-up.
"I can now further refine my archery skills, so I want to be able to output power even without using magic," Iris stated.
Iris's class was Archer. She could be expected to perform even better with skills that supported rapid-fire and long-distance shooting.
"We should prepare high-quality arrows for Iris and Meteora," Ren said.
"That's true. I apologize since they are consumables…" Iris said sheepishly.
"We buy potions, so arrows are the same thing," Ren assured her.
They could use ordinary arrows normally and use expensive ones in crucial situations. Since they could fight the enemies on the current fundraising floors with just spirit magic, they could use the saved funds to upgrade the arrows.
"What about Ren-sama and Fūri-sama?" Shion asked.
"Hmm, if I try to boost my magic power, it'll be through accessories, which are expensive. I should probably prioritize defensive gear," Ren mused.
"I don't really need to update my equipment either. My defense increases when I become a spirit. I can't use my dagger in that state anyway," Fūri said.
"You two are truly... how do you say it... cheats?" Meteora asked.
Ren was essentially using MP potions constantly, and Fūri could almost nullify physical attacks by maximizing her skills.
However, in terms of not requiring much money, there was someone else who surpassed them.
"I suppose I only need defensive items... My fox form is more convenient, and I can't wear most equipment in this body anyway," Shion noted.
In her small fox mode, enemy attacks rarely hit her. Shion, who was often held by someone or perched on Ren's head, or who continuously fired fox-fire using the air as a foothold, was equally formidable.
It seemed the equipment they needed was more limited than they thought. While they intended to acquire as much as possible,
"So, the top priority is Mei-chan's weapon, is that right?" Ren asked.
"No objections," everyone agreed.
Apart from the gacha (Divine Artifact), the only way to get magic items was to check the market regularly or order custom-made ones. They decided to order defensive accessory items for Ren and the others from an enchanter, while they would save up and wait for a valuable weapon for Mei to appear on the market.
-----------------
Iris's mother had indeed started diving into the dungeon with her two daughters after that conversation. Even though it was an all-girl party, Iris's mother was an experienced adventurer. Since Iris, who had been taught by her mother, was so skilled, her sisters were surely strong enough, too.
She reportedly planned to proceed slowly, teaching her daughters the ropes of the dungeon, with enough strength to easily dispatch mere Goblins.
"Because of that, the days when no one is home have increased, and it's lonely," Iris's father, the lumberjack, complained.
He had the crucial role of cutting wood and managing the forest resources. He couldn't say he would go to the dungeon too, and he was past the age where he could easily push himself. With less help from his wife and daughters, he had no choice but to focus on his work, but he apparently couldn't hold back his complaints.
"So, please bring Iris and Shion-chan to visit more often. Bring Iris and Shion-chan."
When Ren asked jokingly, "Is it not okay if it's just me?" he replied with a straight face, "If it's just the two of us, something might happen."
"Is my Charm skill that strong?" Ren wondered.
"Whether it's the skill or not... you yourself are simply too charming."
"Is that so?"
When Ren instinctively hugged her chest while looking down at her own body again, he said, "That's what I mean."
It was counterproductive to try to help Iris's father achieve his goal while making him lonely. Furthermore, a lapse in forest management would be problematic. So, Ren began to visit the forest whenever she was free, as requested. Meteora came along about half the time, and Fūri, who had apparently developed a fondness for nature after her reincarnation, often tagged along too.
Once Shion and Iris started visiting, Iris's sisters spent more time at home because of them, and as a result, the alleviation of Iris's father's loneliness was successfully achieved.
"Ren-san, look forward to it, because we'll catch up with you soon!"
"I'm looking forward to adventuring with my older sisters!"
The sisters were also enthusiastic about conquering the dungeon. Their optimism, compared to Iris's more cautious demeanor, was a slight concern, but conversely, not taking it too seriously might allow them to proceed at their own pace. With their mother accompanying them, they probably wouldn't push themselves too hard, and it would be a pleasant surprise if they caught up someday.
"Speaking of sisters, it seems my sister has also decided to challenge the dungeon," Mei reported some time after they started visiting Iris's house.
Mei's mother periodically produced children, and Mei had several younger sisters. Ren hadn't met them yet, but since Golems are physically and mentally unique, watching Mei gave Ren a general idea of "what they would be like." Given their quick mental maturity, it wasn't surprising for them to challenge the dungeon at a young age.
"Oh. Did she find a party to go with?" Ren asked.
"No. She consulted with me about what to do, and I am currently thinking about it," Mei replied.
"I see. We could accompany her, but it might be difficult to do that permanently…" Ren mused.
It might be best to introduce her to Iris's sisters. Although Ren felt slightly annoyed that things seemed to be going according to the Sage's plan, she decided to introduce Mei's sister to Iris's sisters.
When Ren met Mei's sister, the Golem other than Mei, she was greeted with:
"Hello, Ren-sama. My sister is always indebted to you."
The charming girl with the same silver hair as Mei bowed with a polite greeting and, instead of smiling broadly, narrowed her eyes slightly to show affection.
"I hope my sister hasn't caused you any trouble. When she occasionally returned home, she only talked about her heroic deeds, so I was half-skeptical."
"Mei? She seems incredibly normal. Is she from a different family?" Ren asked.
"How rude. What do you take me for, Master?" Mei retorted.
Mei's sister chuckled, watching the two, who were exchanging glances in a fit of pique.
"You two are very close. ...I hope to find a wonderful master like Ren-sama someday."
It was inadvertently revealed that not all Golems were expressionless, sharp-tongued girls.
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