"...How much?"
"Thirty million Valis."
The instant Lady Hephaestus said it, Lucas's brain bluescreened. His eyes went completely blank.
Then, just a second later, his mind kicked back online—and his mental calculator roared to life.
Thirty million Valis… that's thirty potential breakthroughs.
Out of the five basic Stats, four of them—Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility—needed seven breakthroughs each to hit the 900+ range. (4 × 7 = 28.)
Magic, though, was already ahead of the curve; five breakthroughs would push it past 900.
Total: 33 breakthroughs.
Meaning… with 33 million Valis, he could push every single Stat to the 900+ range.
As his expression kept shifting, lost in thought, Hephaestus mistook his silence for dissatisfaction.
"Forty million Valis," she said casually.
"...Huh?"
Before his stunned mind could reboot, she added, tone utterly calm—like she was discussing the weather.
"Forty-five million, then. I'm not short on coin. For something this rare, that's a fair price, don't you think?"
Lucas didn't react. His soul had already left the building.
Beside him, Tsubaki sighed, dragging a hand down her face. Her goddess had just casually lobbed a money nuke, and this poor kid got vaporized on impact.
"Oi."
She lifted her foot—and stomped hard on his toes.
"GAH!"
Pain shot through him like lightning. Lucas sucked in a sharp breath, eyes snapping back into focus.
He looked up at Hephaestus and nodded like a man possessed, voice cracking with excitement.
"Forty-five million! Deal! Absolutely satisfied!"
A faint smile touched her lips. "Then we have an agreement."
"Pleasure doing business!" he blurted, voice trembling.
After a few more pleasantries, Hephaestus turned and left, striding off like she hadn't just thrown around the kind of money that could bankrupt half of Orario.
Lucas stared after her, dazed, until she vanished around the corner. Only then did he let out a low whistle.
"Yeah… that's Lady Hephaestus for you. A literal goddess of the forge—and apparently, also of bottomless wallets."
"What are you mumbling about, brat?"
Tsubaki crossed her arms and shot him an unimpressed look.
"If you're done gawking, get your ass out of my workshop. You're blocking the door."
"...Right."
Lucas tucked the check—his precious, world-shattering check—securely inside his jacket and practically floated out the door.
"I'll come by in a few days for the armor! See ya!"
---
On the way home, he forced himself to keep a straight face, pretending to be just another Lower-class Adventurer heading back from the Dungeon with a modest haul.
But inside? His heart was doing backflips.
By the time he reached his tiny home, locked the door, and confirmed absolute privacy, he finally exhaled a long, shaky breath.
"Holy crap…"
He slumped onto the stone bench, grabbed a cup of water, and chugged it like a man dying of thirst.
Then, trembling with excitement, he called out—
"System, let's see what you've got!"
"Forty-five million Valis, plus the twelve thousand experience I've earned over the past half year…"
He grinned, eyes blazing.
"Activate unique ability!"
"System—show me your limit!"
"Add points!"
With a ceremonial flourish, he jabbed at the Status Panel like a man possessed.
The numbers for money and experience plummeted like a dam bursting.
Moments later, it was done.
Thirty-three million Valis and 3,300 EXP spent—and his Stats had exploded.
[Status]
Strength: G223 → S923
Endurance: G266 → S966
Dexterity: G278 → S978
Agility: G258 → S958
Magic: E489 → S989
Every single attribute had broken its bottleneck.
Every limit shattered.
The path forward—wide open.
Of course, potential was just potential. Not everyone could realize it.
Reaching even 70–80% of one's potential made you a genius.
Hitting 100%? That was monster territory—the kind of person with freakish talent, relentless grind, unshakable will, and a goal that consumed their soul.
Lucas wasn't that kind of person. Not really. He didn't have a burning, all-consuming "I'll die trying" dream.
"Good thing," he said with a grin, "I've got a cheat."
He threw three triumphant punches at the air.
"Hell yeah!"
After spending 3,300 EXP, he had about 8,600 left.
"Alright… don't waste it now," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Stats are still low enough to grow naturally through training and combat—especially with Heart of a Scholar boosting efficiency."
"Save the rest for when I hit the next bottleneck. That way, I can maximize returns."
He nodded to himself. "Smart. Efficient. Rich people energy."
Through two rounds of testing, he'd already cracked the System's math:
Breaking potential limit (per +100): 100 EXP + 1,000,000 Valis
Direct stat increase (per +1): 1 EXP + 10,000 Valis
To max everything now would take another 3,300 EXP and 33 million Valis—an impossible sum.
Experience and gold were his lifeblood, the core of everything. He could even upgrade Development Abilities, but each level cost 10,000 EXP and 100 million Valis.
Yeah, no. Not happening.
"Thank the gods it was Lady Hephaestus who made the offer…"
He shuddered at the thought.
"If I'd gone to some goblin merchant or a Guild appraiser instead, they'd have ripped me off so hard I'd be selling organs by now."
That was the power of knowledge, connections, and perspective.
Lucas knew how crucial those were. Even while grinding through the Dungeon for survival, he never slacked on studying.
But as a Level 1 Lower-class Adventurer, there were limits to what he could access. High-tier, secret knowledge was out of reach.
"Guess I'll have to make a habit of visiting the Babel Tower library and the Guild archives. That's my takeaway from this mess."
He sighed, feeling calmer now that the rush was fading.
Draining the rest of his water, Lucas forced his racing heart to settle. Then he gathered his remaining assets, counting carefully.
"Drop Items sold for 150,000. After repairs, that's 120,000 left. Yesterday's income, 6,700. Minus 5,000 for Amide's treatment, leaves 1,700. Old savings—1,500. Add in the 12 million left over after the System upgrade…"
"Grand total: 12,123,200 Valis."
He rolled a coin between his fingers, thinking.
"Now that I've learned Magic, I'm officially shifting from swordsman to mage. My old short sword's trashed, but I've still got that Branch and a staff blueprint."
"Time to commission a proper staff."
All resources go toward one goal: power.
"Tch. Didn't plan on doing this so soon…"
His sudden wealth had thrown his schedule completely off balance.
"With a good staff, my Scorch could wipe out monsters like War Shadows instantly—no charge time needed."
"Alright. Staff it is."
Then he frowned.
"Which means… I'll need a proper enchanter. And I don't know any."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
The price of not having a Familia backing you up.
A big one had networks, logistics, mentors, shared intel—everything. A solo Lower-class Adventurer like him? None of that.
"Guess I've got no choice." He sighed. "Time to visit the Wheat Manor again."
He grimaced.
"And find that woman."