And it's not over yet.
Takumi stepped forward and crushed the magic stone to pieces.
Then, he acted like nothing happened and moved on.
"Pfft!"
Kanae and Shinobu covered their mouths to hold back laughter, but it was easy to see from the shaking of their shoulders that they were struggling to contain it.
Even Kanao, who usually had an expressionless face, could not help but let the corners of her lips lift slightly.
The four of them walked some distance and encountered another group of monsters.
They were goblins again, three of them.
But this time, Takumi did not take action.
"You guys go up and try it; I'll provide backup for you."
With three goblins, Kanae and her two sisters happened to have one each. He wanted to see if they could deal with them with their current strength.
Thinking about it, Kanae would definitely be fine.
During these days in the Dimensional City, except when harvesting, she went out hunting with Kuro basically every day. She was getting stronger daily. Now, except for magic power, all her ability values had reached S-rank, 900 and above.
Not to mention her original basic strength; this ability alone made it worthwhile. She had no problem fighting some weaker Level 2 monsters.
A mere Level 1 goblin was no pressure at all for her.
This was indeed the case.
Kanae rushed forward and killed her target with a single blow. She easily dispatched a goblin.
Seeing how fierce her sister was, Shinobu was not to be outdone. She followed closely and easily took down the goblin in three moves.
However, there was Kanao.
Because she was still too young, she was not strong enough yet.
Although she hit the goblin within five moves, it didn't cause much damage. The cuts were too shallow.
It took ten rounds to completely defeat the goblin.
"Okay, it seems like Kanao still needs to grow a bit."
"Today you will be a supporter first and help collect magic stones. Later, you can go out and let Kanae and the others guide you."
"Mhm."
Kanao nodded expressionlessly.
Takumi gave her a gentle head pat to offer comfort and then handed her a backpack.
Kanao took it, put it on her back, and was about to pick up the magic stone on the ground.
But she was stopped by Takumi.
"Forget it. It's a waste of energy and takes up space in your backpack. Wait until we reach the lower floors to start collecting."
"Mhm."
Kanao still responded softly.
Takumi was quite helpless about this.
Although he wanted to help her overcome her withdrawn personality, he didn't have much time right now.
Furthermore, it was not convenient for him to do this personally. For now, he could only rely on Kanae and Shinobu to slowly help her heal.
Guided by the map, the four people moved forward quickly.
They didn't encounter many monsters along the way, but there were a lot of people.
On the second floor, the situation did not improve much.
The group could only continue to the next level.
When they arrived on the third floor, there were suddenly fewer people around.
This was mainly due to the Guild's protection policy and the general exhaustion following initial excitement.
The veteran Level 1 adventurers in Orario are basically stagnant now.
They will not go deep into the dungeon and will only move around in the relatively safe top two or three floors.
I have to say, this is not a healthy phenomenon.
In gaming terms, this is a case where high-level players occupy the starting leveling area of the starter village.
Does this not just make the game more difficult for new players?
Originally, the first floor had just been opened, but as a result, the leveling area was inaccessible. With no chance to practice, novices have to risk going directly to the next level to clear monsters.
You know, this is not a game, but reality!
Doing this will definitely lead to casualties!
It is likely because of this that the Guild has no choice but to strengthen safety awareness for novice adventurers.
They even say things like, "Adventurers must not take unnecessary risks."
Thinking this way, Takumi became even more disappointed with the city of Orario.
There are so many unreasonable things that he cannot stop critiquing them!
One can only say that it is indeed a city built because of the gods' games, but it is far too childish in many aspects.
However, it also allowed Takumi to gain some experience, serving as a negative example for the future construction of the Dimensional City.
The four of them arrived on the third floor. As the number of people around them decreased, the frequency of encountering monsters began to increase.
Takumi casually dealt with a few, gathered ten in total to complete the first task, and then ceased taking action.
Instead, he stepped aside to protect Kanao and provided backup for Kanae and Shinobu.
At the same time, he checked the newly opened exchange mall.
"Congratulations to the host for completing Mission 1: A Small Test. The Point Redemption Mall (Local Version) is officially open!"
Takumi opened the mall and saw a dazzling array of products.
Everything from the special abilities and technologies mastered by each Familia to the various developmental abilities of adventurers was listed.
For example, the forging techniques of the Hephaestus Familia, the agriculture of the Demeter Familia, and the brewing of the Soma Familia.
However, these were not so much the techniques of the Familias as they were the skills of the gods themselves.
And the most advanced versions of these skills were the divine skills of these gods.
For example:
[God-level Forging Technology: Hephaestus Version]
Introduction: Acquire ultimate forging skills on the same level as the Goddess Hephaestus. You can forge artifacts!
Redemption Price: 50,000 points!
Takumi was very interested in this technology and immediately put it on his "must-exchange" list.
There was also:
[God-level Charm: Freya Version]
Introduction: A charm so powerful it functions like magic or divine power! With this, you will be the most attractive person in the world. You won't even have to pursue others; they will pursue you!
Redemption Price: 40,000 points!
Takumi also wanted to redeem this!
Ahem!
It wasn't about being a good person; it was mainly for the sake of a smooth future and family harmony.
Just like a certain pirate empress once said, if you are handsome enough, you will be forgiven no matter what you do wrong.
Besides, who would complain about being too handsome?
As for developmental abilities, there isn't much to say.
Their primary effect is to provide various passive buffs.
For example, 'Swordsman' increases blade skills, and 'Abnormal Resistance' does exactly what it says.
According to different ability levels, the points required also vary.
The cheapest level, rank I, is 100 points, which doubles for each subsequent level, up to the most advanced rank S at 51,200 points.
It seems more expensive than god-level abilities, but considering the difficulty of upgrading these developmental skills naturally, it makes sense.
Even if a Falna level reaches Level 10, one might not be able to achieve an A-rank in these abilities.
So, the higher price is not unreasonable.
Some of these abilities were quite useless, and Takumi didn't care for them.
However, there were two abilities: 'Mystery' and 'Luck'.
Takumi put these on his must-select list.
Luck strengthens fortune. There is no need to explain its importance; if it's available, get it.
In terms of 'Mystery,' this is actually an ability related to alchemy, which can enhance the owner's alchemical proficiency.
Alchemy is one of the primary production methods for magic items.
Takumi had received the inheritance of Grindelwald and already knew some alchemy.
Its value as a means of production is self-evident, so he decided to take it!