Just like Lucien, his father, who had come to pick him up, was pleasantly surprised by Eren's leveling speed.
"When I was your age, I spent two days reaching Level 2… Eren, you really worked very hard."
Seeing his father's sincere expression as he praised him, Eren felt a trace of guilt.
Everyone around him was trying their best, as if their lives depended on winning some kind of race.
Yet he had already finished the race before the others had even started.
It felt unfair.
"Dad… I'm sorry…"
"Mm? Why are you apologizing? You did a very good job, son."
His father looked at him, only to find Eren staring back with pitiful eyes.
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that?… Stop it, or I'll punch your face."
When they returned home, exclamations immediately followed from his mother and little sister.
His mother looked proud as she ruffled his hair.
"It's a good thing that your doing okay. If you keep this up, you will definitely get into a good academy."
On the other hand, his little sister looked slightly grumpy.
"Tsk, what's the big deal about leveling up once? If I awakened a rare combat profession, I would level up just as fast… Hmph…"
Eren replied mockingly,
"If you awakened a combat profession, huh? It probably won't happen but good luck with that anyway…"
Instantly, sparks seemed to fly between them as they were about to start fighting, which greatly irritated their mother.
"Both of you, stop it! Can't you stay at home for even a single day without fighting?"
An obvious hint of tiredness and helplessness colored her tone.
"Mira, you're four years younger than your brother. Stop calling him by his name or acting rude. You should call him 'Brother.'"
Mira shook her head frantically.
"Call him 'Brother'? This guy? There's no way that's happening! He has no remorse about hitting his younger sister on the head. He's a thug, I won't call him brother!"
Their mother raised her brow.
"You won't? Really? You don't seem to have any problem calling him 'Brother' whenever you find yourself in a difficult situation you can't handle, though…"
Hearing that, Mira's face instantly reddened with embarrassment, and she immediately retorted,
"W-When did I ever do that?!"
Their mother's gaze turned piercing as she looked at her.
"Don't you really remember? Exactly six months ago, you and your friends picked a fight with some delinquents from another school. You stupidly ran your mouth and provoked them even further, and ended up getting slapped on your cheek."
"And the first person you called wasn't me or your father, but your 'brother.'
"He immediately went there with his friends and beat them up pretty badly. It became a huge issue at the time. Your father barely managed to save your brother and his friends from the security officials…"
Mira's face turned even redder as she averted her gaze, unable to look at her mother directly.
"That's just one incident. Do you want me to count the others too? Three months ago-"
"Enough, Mom! I know you'll always take his side!"
Mira immediately rushed back to her room without even looking back.
Eren smiled mockingly at her retreating figure, but was instantly smacked on the back of his head by his mother.
"What are you laughing at? Do you think you're any better than her? You clearly know she only shows you respect when she needs your help, yet you shamelessly go and help her anyway."
"I don't understand why you two are always fighting each other if you care that much about one another. It's stressful for me."
"I'm the pitiful one here, constantly hearing you two argue for no reason…"
The whole house fell silent as their mother's irritation lingered in the air.
Everyone ate dinner quietly and went back to their rooms.
Eren called his friends in the group chat, and everyone began sharing their experiences.
Dorian, who had awakened as a Farmer, was learning the basics of farming, price rates of necessities and other related matters.
Kael, who had awakened as an Apprentice Blacksmith, spent his first day observing how others forged weapons in the smithy.
Rowan, who had awakened as an Alchemist, had already started learning how to brew low-level potions.
Lyra seemed to be having the best time among the Life Profession group.
She had already begun cooking simple dishes using ordinary ingredients and earned 12 Life Essence in a single day, which seemed like a pretty good deal.
When Eren mentioned that he had already leveled up once, the chat exploded.
Dorian: Bro, are you for real?! You already leveled up?
Kael: Damn you! You were the one who wanted to awaken a lifestyle profession among us. Now not only did you awaken a combat profession, you even leveled up this fast?! Give me your profession, take mine instead.
Rowan: Hey, that's great, bro! You said you wouldn't attend an academy even if you awakened. Did you change your mind now? That's good!
Lyra: I never thought someone as lazy as you would reach Level 2 in a day! Are you really our Eren?
Their reactions varied from person to person.
Eren then told them the made-up story about how his transformation altered his personality, how he got carried away by instinct, and ended up leveling up unintentionally.
That only made them even more envious.
Finally, just as they were about to end the chat, Eren asked something that had been on his mind.
Eren: Guys, I just want to know… how much money would you need to level up faster?
Dorian: Why are you asking that?
Rowan: Are you planning to help us after you reach Level 5? Don't. Just focus on the academy test coming in three months instead.
Kael: Bro, tell me the truth. Did you find some kind of treasure?
Lyra: Like Rowan said, you don't have to worry about us… You can help us once you're strong enough later on.
Eren: Calm down, all of you. I said I was just curious. Just pretend you've been tricked and tell me how much you'd need.
Everyone in the chat went quiet for a moment before coming back with calculated answers after doing some research.
Dorian calculated the costs of renting land, fertilizers, growth potions, Spirit Stones, magic circles for production, and several other necessities.
Kael added up the rental cost of a smithy, materials, and the equipment required for smithing.
Rowan's father had already prepared a workplace for him, so Rowan only calculated the value of equipment and ingredients. Lyra did the same.
The total amount they came up with was 26 million Alliance Coins.
If Eren compared this to his previous life, the total value would be roughly equivalent to 2.5 million USD.
Eren simply smiled at the number.
"I really can help them level up faster…"
He nodded to himself in satisfaction.
He currently had more than 950,000 Spirit Stones.
Their total worth was at least 39 million Alliance Coins.
Even if he gave all that money to help his friends level up, he could easily earn more.
But not right now.
If he suddenly took out that many Spirit Stones, it would definitely arouse a lot of suspicion.
He had to wait until he reached Level 5 like everyone else.
Eren slept well that night and woke up feeling refreshed.
The same routine repeated next day.
His father dropped him off in front of the school gate.
"Try your best, but be careful. Don't let your guard down inside the dungeon."
His father looked very proud as he sent Eren off.
As he watched the school bus disappear from sight, he muttered to himself,
"With his speed, he'll reach Level 5 within a month at most. It seems I need to speed up the preparations for him…"