"Oh? Gale-Force Reading Glasses? And the monocle variant?"
Leon's eyebrows rose. He picked up the glasses, turned to the mirror, and perched them on the bridge of his nose, studying his reflection. He couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
Not bad at all. The monocle elevated his entire look by a full tier.
Before, Leon had carried the unmistakable air of a bottom-rung adventurer scraping by. But the moment the monocle went on, he suddenly radiated the quiet intelligence of a court mage, a scholar, a sage. Add a long robe, a hooded cloak sweeping the floor, and the image of an archmage would be complete.
"Nice. I love everything about this. It's powerful and it looks cool. That's the important part."
He admired himself from every angle, the corner of his mouth creeping steadily upward.
He spent an embarrassingly long time preening before he finally, reluctantly, took the monocle off and set it gently back in its case. The lid clicked shut.
He crossed his legs on the bed, buzzing with energy, and pulled up his Falna interface.
Name: Leon Hart Title:Affiliation: Demeter Familia (Hart Familia) Level: Lv. 1 Floors Reached: 17
Basic Abilities: Strength: G313 → E455 (S923) +142 Endurance: F401 → D588 (S966) +187 Dexterity: F391 → B701 (S978) +310 Agility: F387 → C687 (S958) +300 Magic: E633 → S988 (S989) +355
Development Ability: Versatility I
Weapons: Staff: Scholar's Staff | Blade: Adventurer's Short Sword | Bow: Walnut Bow | Shield: Buckler | Knife: Carving Knife
Equipment: Casual wear, uniform, formal wear, training gear Arms: Light armor, leather armor, combat garb, cloak, gloves, leather boots
Magic: (omitted)
Skills x12: (omitted)
Funds: Reserves: 112,000,000 | Cash: 5,277,455 (valis)
Excelia: 9,551
After two days and two nights in the Dungeon, plus the half-month of grinding before that, his Basic Abilities had shot up considerably. The total growth came to nearly 1,300 points, 1,294 to be exact.
The gains owed partly to Scholar's Heart, whose diligence-compensating effect kept working in the background, and partly to the fact that his base stats had been low enough for rapid growth to kick in.
"It's not as instant as a straight Excelia hack, but there's something satisfying about earning every point the hard way, knowing each expedition pushes the numbers up."
"And besides..."
His eyes locked onto the Excelia and Funds rows, bright with intent.
"Heh heh. I don't have an Excelia hack, but I've got a pay-to-win hack!"
He rubbed his hands together like a man about to hit the jackpot, took several deep breaths to steady himself, and grinned.
"Everything I've achieved is through my own hard work and sweat."
"System, all in!"
With Valis on tap, Leon dropped the act entirely.
His fingers became a blur as every potential stat began to skyrocket. Only when they physically couldn't climb any higher did he switch to dumping into current Basic Abilities. Another frenzy of tapping.
When it was over, his stat sheet had transformed beyond recognition.
But he didn't admire the numbers first. His eyes went straight to the Excelia Pool and reserves.
Funds: Reserves: 34,430,000 | Cash: 5,277,455 (valis)Excelia: 1,794
"Ugh..."
Going all in felt incredible. Going all in repeatedly felt even better.
Leon had finally experienced the high of spending without limits.
And then, as the rush faded, came the hollow emptiness that followed every binge.
He clicked his tongue and looked at his Basic Abilities.
Strength: G455 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)Endurance: D588 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)Dexterity: B701 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)Agility: C687 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)Magic: S988 → SSS1599 (SSS1599)
He'd maxed every stat and every potential value to the absolute ceiling without a moment's hesitation.
Total cost: 77,570,000 valis and 7,757 Excelia.
His freshly fattened wallet and Excelia reserves had been gutted back to nothing in seconds.
"I lost the Valis and the Excelia, but I bought raw power."
"And they didn't vanish. They just... changed form. They're still with me."
He consoled his bleeding heart one platitude at a time, trying desperately to hypnotize himself into acceptance.
"It's fine. Doesn't hurt at all. Not even a little. I'll earn it back."
"Think about it. With higher stats, I'll farm faster. The middle floors pay way more than the upper floors, whether it's mob efficiency, Magic Stone value, Drop Items, or Dungeon-produced materials."
"Right. Exactly!"
He clenched his fist and decided he'd successfully convinced himself.
"Next up: the moment I've been waiting for. Level up!"
"System, level me up!"
Level: Lv. 1. Great Feat requirement met. Eligible for level-up. Confirm?
Confirmed.
Level-up successful.
Level: Lv. 2
"Finally... finally I hit Lv. 2!!!"
Leon grabbed his head with trembling hands and whispered the words like a prayer.
Six months. From waking up in a strange world to this moment, six months of clawing his way up, and now he could finally shed the label of Lower-Class Adventurer and step into the ranks of the Upper Class.
Through Orario's dark period, he'd moved carefully, every step calculated.
Day after day of effort, day after day of sweat, and now, at last...
He'd leveled up.
"This calls for a celebration. This absolutely calls for a celebration!"
"Ha ha ha!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...!!!"
...
"What'd he pull from those chests to make him lose it like that?"
Jeanne and Rose had just finished their showers, lounging on the sofa in loose bathrobes, chatting and snacking.
Leon's manic laughter from down the hall made them both pause mid-bite, exchanging a look.
"Who knows. But I can guarantee it's good news." Rose's eyes were warm, her voice certain.
Jeanne nodded in agreement. "Forget him. Let him have his moment." She stifled a yawn. "It's getting late. We should turn in too. Plenty to deal with tomorrow."
Rose stood and stretched with her, covering a yawn with one hand. "Mm. Goodnight, Jeanne."
"Goodnight, Rose."
...
Meanwhile, blissfully unaware he'd been the subject of commentary, Leon was still riding the emotional roller coaster.
It took a while before the rush finally settled.
He let out a long breath. The big Lv. 2 on his interface filled him with a satisfaction that made every hardship feel worthwhile.
"There's still a lot to do after leveling up."
"First: Development Abilities."
Development Abilities were exactly what they sounded like: supplementary abilities that could be learned on top of Basic Abilities. The window to acquire them was the moment of level-up itself. Each time a level increased, there was a chance for new Development Abilities to appear in the Falna.
Unlike Basic Abilities, Development Abilities enhanced specialized or technical capabilities, pushing them further.
"Let's see how many options I've got..."
Leon hadn't forgotten his biggest advantage. He was playing with cheats.
Hand of Omnipotence: grants the Development Ability Versatility. Versatility links to all Development Abilities. Each level-up allows up to three additional Development Ability selections.
This skill had been the quietest member of his kit since day one. Close to zero presence. But the moment he actually leveled up, it was time for it to shine.
"Ooh..."
"Hunter, Mage, Abnormal Resistance, Escape, Cooking... all expected."
"Uh, but what are Farmer and Cultivation doing here?"
He thought back to his life before becoming an adventurer, and the confusion cleared.
"My time with Lady Demeter. Right, that explains it."
Before he'd registered as an adventurer, Leon had spent his days tending orchards and fields for Demeter Familia. When his level went up, the Falna had automatically converted that experience into Development Ability options.
"With Hand of Omnipotence, I get to pick three per level-up. That's generous."
"But early on, when my level's still low, I should prioritize combat power and survivability."
"The Dungeon isn't going to go easy on me."
He thought it over.
Mage went in first.
What kind of mage didn't have a proper magic circle? More importantly, the Mage Development Ability's scaling bonuses to magic were absurd. A caster with Mage and one without were two completely different creatures, especially at higher ranks. Range, area, effects, raw power... everything received exponential boosts.
"Next... Abnormal Resistance is critical."
He turned his attention to the Development Ability that was wildly popular among adventurers for good reason.
In the Dungeon, ordinary wounds weren't the real threat. An adventurer's constitution could fight through even serious injuries. What actually killed people were status effects.
Poison, paralysis, stun, rigidity, corrosion, curse... every single one was a nightmare. Without specific countermeasures, getting hit with any of them in the Dungeon was basically typing GG in chat.
Solo adventurers had it worst. Run into something like a poison worm moth with no backup, and it was over. No counterplay. Just lie down and wait to die.
Brutal, but that was reality.
The horror stories flashed through his mind, and Leon picked Abnormal Resistance without a second thought.
"Staying alive comes first."
He exhaled and paused to consider.
"Mage, Abnormal Resistance... one slot left."
The first two covered offense and defense, a perfect pair. Naturally, the third should be a getaway skill.
"Escape: boosts movement speed during disengagement, retreat, and fleeing."
But he didn't commit right away. He was torn between Hunter and Escape.
"Hunter. The Guild archives have detailed records on that one."
He crossed to his desk, rummaged through a pile of papers, and dug out a reference book on Falna intelligence.
"I remember it was around here..."
"Got it!"
He flipped to the Development Ability section and found the entry:
Hunter:Can only be obtained when leveling from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2.When facing monsters the holder has previously fought and defeated, the holder's abilities are strengthened to a degree.Acquisition condition: Defeat a large number of monsters in a short period.A popular ability among adventurers.
"Defeat a large number of monsters in a short period? So that's why I qualified."
"And it can only appear at the Lv. 1 to Lv. 2 transition. Meaning if I pass on it now, it's gone forever?"
What was there to hesitate about?
Escape could still show up when he went from Lv. 2 to Lv. 3. Hunter was now or never.
He stopped deliberating, cracked a grin, and tapped Hunter.
"Come to papa. This ability was custom-built for grinders, and nobody grinds harder than me."
And he was right. For someone with his farming needs, the cost-effectiveness was off the charts.
Take Fireball against certain monsters: at Instant Cast power, it always fell just short of a one-shot kill. That tiny damage gap forced him to add a charge-up step. In any single fight, the delay was negligible. But across hundreds of kills, the wasted energy and time added up fast.
As for running away... he didn't need to outrun the monster. He just needed to outrun whoever was next to him.
And besides, he'd get another shot at Escape next level-up.
"Alright. Level-up complete, Basic Abilities reset to zero, Development Abilities locked in. Magic and skills are the same as before."
"Update finished!"
He hit confirm, and his Falna refreshed into its new form.
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