Name: Leon Hart Title:Affiliation: Demeter Familia (Hart Familia) Level: Lv. 2 Floors Reached: 17
Basic Abilities: Strength: SSS1599 → I0 (F323) Endurance: SSS1599 → I0 (F366) Dexterity: SSS1599 → I0 (F378) Agility: SSS1599 → I0 (F358) Magic: SSS1599 → I0 (E489)
Development Abilities: Versatility I | Hunter I | Mage I | Abnormal Resistance I
Weapons: (omitted)
Equipment: (omitted)
Magic: (omitted)
Skills: (omitted)
Funds: 34,430,000 (valis)
Excelia: 1,794
Everything looked perfect, except for the potential values.
Leon's eyebrow twitched. His calm expression slowly warped, color draining from his face and flooding back in turns.
Right as he was about to lose it completely, his gaze swept across the Excelia and Funds lines, and his eyes cleared instantly.
"Hah..."
His chest heaved and he sucked in air, red creeping into the whites of his eyes.
"Damn it. The reserves are enough to max out my potential, but I don't have enough Excelia!"
Frustration lodged in his chest like a fist. He wanted to scream.
"Calm down, Leon. You just got back from Floor 17. You just hit Lv. 2. Don't do anything stupid."
"Tch..."
He forced the agitation down, shoved the battered suitcase back under the bed, and collapsed onto the mattress, staring hollow-eyed at the night sky through the window.
"Whatever. Excelia... it's just grinding mobs..."
He mumbled a few more incoherent words before days of accumulated exhaustion dragged him under.
The last window in the house went dark.
The building fell silent.
...
Morning came fast.
"Good morning, Jeanne! Good morning, Rose!"
Leon had barely pushed his bedroom door open, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, when Laurier's bright greeting rang up from the parlor below.
"Mmh..."
He yawned wide, his hair a bird's nest, and shuffled down the stairs at a pace that suggested consciousness was still optional.
In the kitchen, Jeanne and Rose were busy preparing breakfast. Laurier chattered nonstop beside them, her eyes darting to the spread of food on the counter whenever she thought nobody was looking.
"Good morning, Mr. Leon."
Aura sat on the sofa with a book open in her lap. She glanced up when he appeared and offered a flat nod.
"Morning, Aura. Didn't expect everyone to be up so early."
"It isn't that we rose early," Aura corrected, her tone matter-of-fact. "You slept late." She pointed at the Magic Stone clock on the wall. "It's eight o'clock."
Leon followed her finger, blinked, and winced.
"It's already that late? Weird..."
He scratched at his tangled hair, finally shaking off the fog.
"Well, forget it. How'd you sleep last night? Your first Dungeon expedition went all the way to Floor 17. You need proper rest for both body and mind."
Aura's expression softened a fraction. "I slept well. The lightness in my body has returned, and my head is clear."
Leon nodded, relieved. "Good."
Jeanne set a loaded plate on the dining table and looked his way. "You're up? Sleeping in this late isn't like you."
He twitched at the teasing, sighed, and waved her off. "Don't ask. There was a small... incident. Kept me up half the night."
Everyone looked curious.
"Incident?"
Leon dropped into his seat, bit into a piece of bread, and explained through a full mouth. "Uh... short version, I ran out of Excelia."
Jeanne, who understood his abilities better than most, thought for a moment. "So you need to hunt a lot of monsters. Am I reading that right?"
He drained his glass of milk in several long gulps, gave her a thumbs up, and nodded.
"That's it? I thought something serious had happened." Laurier bit into an apple, muttering under her breath.
"Alright, everyone." Rose clapped her hands, smiling warmly. "Breakfast first. Whatever else needs discussing can wait until we're done."
"Mm..."
The head chef had spoken, and nobody argued. Attention shifted to the food.
...
After breakfast came the usual routine: washing up, brushing teeth, tidying the house. By the time they were done, it was nine o'clock.
Everyone gathered in the parlor.
"Right, let's get to business." Leon took a sip of tea and began with an easy smile. "First order: updating your Basic Abilities. That's the top priority."
"Yes!" Laurier threw both hands in the air and bounced on her heels. "I can't wait to see how much I went up from the Dungeon run!"
She wasn't alone. Anticipation was written across every face.
"Second order: processing the loot."
Leon continued. "Don't forget, the whole reason we went deep into the Dungeon was to solve our Familia's funding problem."
Rose smiled. "The haul from this expedition should convert to enough valis to keep us going for a while."
Leon nodded, then shifted gears. "True, but we can't neglect daily exploration either. Especially you two, Laurier and Aura."
"After this trip, you've built up real experience. If you're careful in the upper floors, I think you're ready to explore on your own."
Laurier's eyes went wide. "Really?! You better mean it, Leon! Right, Aura?"
Beside her, Aura gave a solemn nod. She didn't say anything, but the message was clear.
Jeanne spoke up. "Relax. If Leon's saying this, it means your performance met his standards. Someone as cautious as him would never let two newcomers into the Dungeon alone otherwise, not even the shallow floors."
Laurier and Aura didn't fully grasp the implication behind her words, but Rose did.
If the only concern were Dungeon monsters, both girls were more than capable. Their combat skills were solid, even excessive for the upper floors.
The real problem was their appearance and their race. Two beautiful elves operating without adequate strength would attract the wrong kind of attention. And if some god with too much free time and too few scruples took notice before they'd grown strong enough...
Even with Demeter behind them, there'd be nothing anyone could do. Certain things in this city didn't follow rules or reason.
In Orario, the only thing that commanded respect was power. Everything else, achievements, glory, reputation, was just noise.
And Leon's fist wasn't big enough yet.
That was why he'd kept such a low profile all this time.
"I'm allowing you to explore on your own, but let me be clear." His tone sharpened. "You two disguise yourselves before you set foot outside. Understood?"
Aura nodded thoughtfully. "You want us to stay under the radar. You can count on that. Most elves wear hoods, masks, and cloaks when we go out. It's standard practice among our people."
Leon and the others paused, then realized she was right. Now that he thought about it, the elves he'd seen around Orario almost always kept their faces hidden behind hoods and veils. The Gale from Astraea Familia, the black and white elf twins from Freya Familia, they all dressed the same way.
Not unlike Leon's own habits, come to think of it.
"Good."
He nodded. "Now, the third item."
He paused, and the room's attention locked in.
"Our collaboration with Astraea Familia regarding the stat-boosting meals."
The mood turned serious. Astraea Familia was no small-time outfit. They were a genuine powerhouse in Orario. Their numbers were few, but their strength ranked among the city's best. Compared to Hart Familia's fledgling operation, the gap was staggering.
Partnering with a Familia that strong made the afternoon's negotiations extremely important. Leon had decided to bring his core members along, at least to put up a respectable front. He couldn't afford to give the impression that they were taking the partnership lightly.
"This afternoon, you're all coming with me to Wheat Manor." He laid out the plan. "I'll introduce you to Lady Demeter while we're there. Come to think of it, it's my fault I haven't brought you for a formal visit yet."
Jeanne and Rose exchanged a look.
Rose tapped a finger to her lips and tilted her head, wearing her sweetest smile. "Well, we are technically members of Lady Demeter's Familia. Paying our patron goddess a proper visit is only right."
Leon's cheek twitched. Something about that smile and the way she said technically sent a chill down his spine.
"Ahem. That covers everything." He cleared his throat and yanked the conversation back on track. "So, who's going first for their update?"
Jeanne arched an eyebrow at him, challenging. He pretended not to see it.
"Since everyone's being so modest, I'll volunteer. Come on, Leon."
Rose's voice lilted playfully, and her fingers went to the hem of her top.
"Right here?"
Leon caught her wrist before she got far. "One at a time, Rose. Back room."
He shot her desperate looks, silently begging her to cut it out. If it were just Jeanne and Rose, fine. He swore to every god in the city, if Rose was game, so was he, even in front of Jeanne.
But not here. Not now. Not with two sheltered elf girls sitting right there watching.
"Heh heh..."
Rose smiled, let her hem fall, and strolled toward Leon's bedroom without a care in the world.
Leon followed without looking back. He didn't want to see Jeanne's face right now. The door clicked half-shut behind them.
"Fooling nobody." Jeanne rolled her eyes.
Laurier and Aura looked at each other. A beat passed. Both their faces turned scarlet.
"Wh... how... that's so..."
Laurier couldn't finish a sentence. Aura just crossed her arms and stared at the closed door with open contempt.
...
Inside the bedroom, Leon admired the treasure before him, murmuring praise after praise.
Rose showed no shyness at all, presenting herself with quiet confidence.
"Rose, congratulations."
"You've reached Lv. 2."