Chapter 74: Lili’s Yearning for Salvation!

To Lili, today could only be described as dramatic. She met an unfamiliar adventurer, Shirakawa, and assumed he was just average.

But she never expected—

He'd turn out to be such a powerhouse. If it hadn't gotten late and they lacked proper resting supplies—

They might've gone all the way to the 17th floor.

During their journey, wave after wave of monsters came flooding out of the dungeon, too many to count. Yet Shirakawa never seemed to falter.

To be precise, every monster from floor 1 to 15—

Made absolutely no difference when facing him.

"Could he… actually be stronger than the Sword Princess?"

As they left the dungeon, night had fully descended upon Orario. The stars above sparkled brightly.

Without the dungeon's pressure—

Even the air seemed clearer. Thinking back on the day's haul, Lili felt thrilled. The number of monsters Shirakawa defeated—

Left bags full of magic stones.

This kind of harvest…

Even large Familia expeditions like Soma's couldn't gather this many stones and materials.

And she had picked all of them up herself.

Even without any commission—

She now had enough to completely buy her freedom from the Soma Familia. Just knowing she'd soon leave that life behind made her feel overwhelmed.

She eagerly proposed, "Let's head to the Guild now to exchange the stones for valis—then grab dinner somewhere!"

"Let's eat something nice!"

"Sure."

They had cleared out the dungeon for the day, and Shirakawa was genuinely curious about their gains.

As for the conversion to valis, he left that to Lili.

It would let the Circle of Avidity sink deeper. Once she experienced true financial freedom and the life she longed for—

Then when despair struck—

When her soul stood on the edge of ruin, completely consumed by desire—that's when Shirakawa would step in to help her.

More importantly—

Since most Guild employees knew he was a god, showing up with an unfamiliar Familia to exchange magic stones would be suspicious.

If he remembered right, the god overseeing the Guild worked in the depths below.

Shirakawa smiled and said, "You go handle the exchange. I'll wait at that restaurant up front to treat you for your hard work."

"…"

Letting the supporter handle something as critical as exchanging magic stones? Was this guy really a rookie adventurer…

He didn't even know something this basic?

Lili stared at Shirakawa, who just let her go off like it was nothing. A dangerous thought crept into her mind—

Should she just take the valis…

And leave Orario altogether?

With a mix of nervousness and excitement, Lili carefully handed over the collected magic stones at the guild counter. The entire time, she kept glancing behind her.

After confirming that Shirakawa hadn't shown up.

Under the guild staff's calm gaze, she pulled out two large bags of magic stones hidden deep in her pack. The thought of receiving a fortune in valis made her feel a true sense of transgression.

After inspecting the stones, the guild employee pushed over a drawer filled with gold coins and said in a surprised tone, "That totals 3.57 million valis."

"Thank you."

The price of the pure magic stones alone made Lili's breath quicken. Not to mention the monster materials she had also collected and sold—her total earnings for the day exceeded 5 million valis.

With that, and the fortune she had saved, she only needed 1 million valis to leave the Soma Familia. That meant over 4 million would remain.

She could leave Orario.

And live the rest of her life comfortably, never having to worry about money again.

"Should I just leave now…"

"Well, it's that adventurer's fault for being so careless. He didn't even get a trustworthy supporter. What was I supposed to do?"

She stuffed all her valis into her supporter's backpack.

Just like always, Lili had made her decision in her heart. The key point was that there were simply too many adventurers in Orario.

Even if she ran.

It would be very difficult for anyone to find her.

Besides, this entire haul was just from a single day Shirakawa spent in the dungeon.

If he decided it wasn't worth chasing her down… then nothing would happen.

Nervously, she arrived at the guild's entrance. Shirakawa wasn't in sight.

Instant relief.

She had two choices.

Continue acting as a supporter while skimming off some of the magic stones and monster drops—or take the lump sum and disappear from Orario entirely.

After some thought.

Lili made up her mind. Staying with Shirakawa risked exposure. Better to escape with the money and live the life she wanted.

She pulled her gray hood over her head, avoiding the other adventurers around her as she hurried toward her rented house, heart racing.

But.

She failed to notice that several Soma Familia adventurers lurking in a corner had turned their attention toward her.

"So she made her choice after all…"

Through the emotion shared by the Circle of Avidity, Shirakawa wasn't surprised. The effect of this authority was simple—

To let Lili earn, in a very short time, more money than she could make in a lifetime as a supporter.

A taste of financial freedom.

The emotional response was clear and immediate.

Shirakawa arrived at the Hostess of Fertility tavern. As his stats increased, so did his energy consumption.

However.

When he patted his pockets, all he found were a few palm-sized magic stones dropped by a Minotaur. His expression turned odd.

He hadn't brought any money.

He glanced over to the busy woman behind the counter—Mia, the restaurant's manager. In reality, she was the former captain of the Freya Familia.

A level 6 adventurer with a fierce temper.

Shirakawa placed the magic stones on the counter and looked over to the tall, burly woman in the distance. He asked seriously:

"Manager, I forgot to convert my stones to valis. Can I use these directly to pay?"

"Huh?"

Mia looked over, her serious face glancing at Shirakawa and then focusing on the magic stone.

As someone formerly of the Freya Familia, she was quite familiar with magic stones. One glance was enough to confirm its authenticity, but her tone remained stern.

"That's fine, but our staff has to go exchange it. No change will be given."

She set down her polishing cloth and added with her usual bold voice, "But I'll remember your face. If there's leftover credit—"

"You can just order more."

"No problem."

He'd only done a brief dungeon run. If he really needed money, he could just hunt a few monsters.

Shirakawa looked at the menu.

He casually ordered the day's special extra-large set meal, some specialty drinks, and a fried pork cutlet.

"That'll be enough."

"Looks like it's your first time here, but you've got good taste. That pork cutlet is one of our signature dishes."

Mia passed the order ticket to the kitchen and didn't forget to tell Shirakawa, "Just wait a bit. It'll be right out."

…

In the warm atmosphere of the Hostess of Fertility during the evening, with the food's taste being excellent and the staff all young girls, the place drew in many adventurers.

Looking at the hearty dishes laid out in front of him—each portion especially large—Shirakawa began eating while casually glancing toward the far end of the restaurant.

A girl in a green dress with a white apron bustled about. Her short gray hair hung neatly around her shoulders, and she looked quite cute.

As for her identity—

Just one glance was enough for Shirakawa to recognize her: Syr Flover, the most popular maid at the Hostess of Fertility.

More accurately—

An actress.

She should be called the Goddess of beauty Freya. But Shirakawa had no intention of calling her out, instead quietly enjoying his meal.

Noticing his gaze, Syr turned with a tray in her arms. Seeing an unfamiliar face, she smiled warmly.

She approached and greeted him.

"I work here. You can just call me Syr. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"…"

"No, the food is really good."

Shirakawa had no real intention of interacting with Syr—or with the goddess Freya controlling that body.

Yes, he did have harem plans and had taken action toward them, but he wasn't completely indiscriminate.

"Thank you for your kind words."

An unfamiliar face who paid with magic stones—she figured he must belong to another familia. Syr smiled softly.

She tried using her eyes' ability.

To see Shirakawa's soul. But what appeared before her was a chaotic, mixed void—there was no radiant soul at its core.

"…"

Just a small incident during his meal.

But soon, with a maid's guidance, the once-noisy tavern fell quiet. It was the arrival of the goddess Loki and her familia.

Her short red hair tied into a ponytail.

Loki, with her ever-squinted eyes, entered followed by her familia.

Two Amazonian woman with dark skin and a flawless figure, a beastman, a chienthrope, a dwarf, two elves, and finally—

A golden-haired girl in an open-back dress: Ais Wallenstein.

No one dared gossip about them. As the strongest familia in Orario, speaking ill behind their backs was asking for trouble.

"Everyone, the expedition is over!"

"Tonight, we party! Drink as much as you want!"

…

In contrast to the passionate and somewhat wild Loki, who had a particular fondness for beautiful girls, Ais retained her usual cool demeanor.

But when she picked up her glass and noticed Shirakawa in the corner, her eyes flickered with surprise.

It left an impression.

She'd met this adventurer earlier that day after the expedition. What caught her attention wasn't his clean appearance—but the weapon he carried.

She hadn't gotten an answer to her question.

And now they were meeting again.

With her slightly airheaded personality, Ais didn't realize how intrusive her curiosity might be. If anything could be called hesitation—

In front of her fellow familia members, Ais felt a little embarrassed to approach. Instead, she gave the eager Loki beside her a light smack on the head and began savoring the food they couldn't enjoy during their expedition.

After a few drinks, the fierce and straightforward werewolf Bete, holding his mug, asked curiously,

"Ais, you said that Minotaur that escaped…"

"Was easily taken care of by a passing adventurer, right?"

"Yeah."

"According to Ais, the monster was dealt with in under five seconds. And supposedly, that adventurer only had a supporter with him and went into the dungeon alone."

Tiona Hiryute, with her slightly tanned skin, long flowing black hair, and a rainforest-inspired outfit, chimed in to help the quiet Ais explain.

"Probably a level 4 adventurer from another familia."

Bete didn't think too much of it. After all, someone had helped deal with a runaway monster. If anything felt off…

It was that level 4 adventurers in Orario were usually already well-known.

They were likely commanders or captains within their familia. But the man Ais encountered had gone into the dungeon with just a supporter—no team.

That was strange.

Still, Bete didn't dwell on it. Heading into the dungeon alone despite not being strong—he saw it as determination.

He actually respected that a little.

Ais set down her knife and fork. Though she showed no change in expression, when she noticed Shirakawa getting up to leave the tavern…

She couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer. She wanted to ask him directly, but she didn't even know his name—how could she start a conversation?

"…"

Loki, who was always looking for chances to cling to beautiful girls, noticed the change in Ais. Her brow furrowed slightly, sensing something unusual.

In a casual tone, she asked,

"Ais, do you know the guy who just left?"

"…"

Did she "know" him?

Ais Wallenstein wasn't sure. After all, she didn't even know his name. She calmly replied,

"Just now… the adventurer you were all talking about—that was him."

Meanwhile, after leaving the guild, Lili hadn't noticed that anyone was following her. As a supporter who had always been exploited, she lived in a run-down, out-of-the-way rental.

The dark alley had no lighting at all. She relied entirely on memory to find her way back. For once, she wasn't burdened by a heavy heart.

Today's huge earnings filled Lili with uncontainable excitement. Her plan: first leave the Soma Familia, then find time to sell the rest of the monster materials.

With 5 million valis in hand…

She could finally leave this stinking, nightmarish city of Orario and start a new life. Something she never dared dream of before.

And now, she'd made it real so easily.

Just by acting as Shirakawa's supporter for a single day, she'd earned nearly 5 million valis. Even her steps were light with joy.

"Maybe I could open a flower shop in a small town?"

"Even if I don't have customers every day, with this money, I'll be totally fine!"

Sudden wealth had left Lili unsure how to even spend it. All she could think of was a flower shop to live out her days peacefully.

The alley at night was poorly lit.

But—

Fueled by her hopes for a better future, she had long since conquered her fear of the dark. However, what came next caught her completely off guard.

From behind, her large supporter's backpack suddenly got kicked hard by someone. Being a small pallum, Lili's frail body was sent flying several meters.

Several heavy bags of valis tumbled out of the pack.

The sound of gold coins clattering echoed sweetly in the night.

"D-Did they find out?"

"…"

She didn't even have time to worry about the pain. Turning back, she saw several familiar figures holding lanterns.

Her heart instantly stopped.

Not them again!

She could never forget those faces. These adventurers had robbed her before. And now, just when her dream life was within reach…

They showed up once more. She tried to hide the bags of valis behind her. As for the monster materials—

She'd just give those up, whatever.

But her subtle movements didn't escape the adventurers' notice. The leader grabbed her arm and tossed her several meters away.

By the lantern's light, the adventurers clearly saw the gold in the bags—gleaming with dazzling brilliance.

"...Whoa."

"There's got to be at least 3 million valis in here!"

The leader clicked his tongue. A supporter like Lili couldn't have possibly earned this much. There was only one explanation:

She stole it!

He sneered,

"Wonder which adventurer ended up with a little thief like you. Don't worry—we'll hold onto this money for you."

"Just happens we're a bit short lately…"

"…"

The pain in her body was nothing compared to the heartbreak. Watching them walk away with her money, Lili's eyes went blank.

If only…

If only she hadn't taken Shirakawa's money—would things have turned out differently?