Living Frugally

War Shadows are dark humanoid monsters with long arms and sharp, blade-like claws.

Level 1 adventurers are advised to have at least a G ranking in their basic stats to fight Killer Ants and War Shadows, which start appearing from Floor 5.

"They just keep coming."

Charlie stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the War Shadows blocking his path.

*WHOOSH*

A War Shadow lunged forward, its claws slicing through the air with a horrifying sound.

Charlie quickly ducked, dodging the attack, and spun his sword deftly.

*CLANK*

The metallic clang rang out as the sword met the War Shadow's claws, sending sparks flying from the clash.

"Weak."

After saying that, he twisted his wrist and directed his sword to the War Shadow's side.

*Pu-chi*

His sword easily sliced through the War Shadow's dark body, causing the monster to vanish in a burst of light particles, leaving behind a magic stone.

"GYSHAAAA!!!"

Two more War Shadows immediately attacked, flanking Charlie from both sides.

*SWISH*

With a movement that seemed impossible for an ordinary human, Charlie spun in place, blocking the first attack with the flat of his sword and dodging the second with a small backward step.

*WHOOSH*

Then, he leaped forward, his sword flashing through the air with incredible speed.

*Pu-chi*

One of the War Shadows attempted to parry with its sharp claws, but they were instantly severed, and Charlie swiftly slashed at its neck.

The War Shadow staggered before dissolving into light, just like the first.

Seeing the last War Shadow standing, Charlie didn't give it a chance to attack.

*WHOOSH*

Like lightning, he shot forward, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"GYSHAAAA!!!"

The War Shadow tried to strike, but it was too slow.

*Pu-chi*

Before its claws could touch Charlie's skin, his Damocles Sword had already pierced through its center, destroying the monster in a burst of light particles.

"Phew…"

Charlie stood still in the now-empty room. His breathing was steady, not a drop of sweat on his forehead, as if the fight had been mere practice for him. He sheathed his sword and looked around, making sure no threats remained.

"This is a hassle. I can't carry all these magic stones. My bag's already full."

Looking at the magic stones scattered on the ground, Charlie picked them up one by one and put them into his already bulging bag.

"Fighting while carrying a bag full of magic stones slows me down. Should I hire a supporter?"

A supporter's job is to travel with adventurers and collect all the magic stones and dropped items. With a supporter carrying the load, adventurers can focus on fighting monsters in the Dungeon.

"No, a supporter would just be a burden."

After pondering for a moment, Charlie dismissed the idea of hiring a supporter.

"I guess this is enough for today. My bag can't hold any more magic stones."

Seeing his bag bulging several times its original size, he gave up on delving deeper into the Dungeon.

With that, he turned and headed toward the Dungeon's entrance.

Floor 6... Floor 3... Floor 1...

On his way back, Charlie passed by other adventurers also heading out of the Dungeon.

Seeing him carrying a large bag full of magic stones, some adventurers eyed him greedily. If not for the presence of other adventurers, some greedy individuals might have tried to rob him.

However, after watching Charlie effortlessly defeat the monsters that attacked him, the adventurers with ill intentions suppressed their evil thoughts.

As the former top police officer in his country, Charlie was highly sensitive to malice directed toward him. Although he wanted to deal with such people, he restrained himself from killing adventurers in front of others.

"Finally out."

On the ground floor of Babel Tower, Charlie took a deep breath of fresh air. Outside, the sun had set, and night had taken its place.

Lights powered by energy from magic stones illuminated the dark, making Orario look like a metropolitan city from his previous life.

Charlie hurried to the Exchange to trade in all the magic stones he had collected today. After the Guild staff counted them, he had earned only 100,000 valis.

"Killer Ants and War Shadows are just weak monsters from the Upper Floors. Their magic stone prices can't compare to Goliath's. But my earnings are still quite a lot compared to other Level 2 adventurers."

Walking out of Babel Tower, Charlie held a bag of coins.

From his observations at the Exchange, he saw a party of adventurers consisting of three Level 1s and one Level 2. They had only earned about 30,000 valis, which had to be split among four people.

Their earnings couldn't even compare to Charlie, who was soloing in the Dungeon.

"If only I could carry more magic stones, I'd earn more than this." Charlie muttered in dissatisfaction.

"At this rate, it will take months to accumulate 100 million valis, which is too slow. Unless I defeat Goliath dozens of times, reaching my target will take forever… But other Familias won't let me monopolize Goliath. Plus, I'd have to wait two weeks for Goliath to respawn."

"There's also the maintenance of the Damocles Sword, which requires a lot of money. Even with the Durandal Attribute, it still needs upkeep to avoid dulling the blade."

The more Charlie thought about it, the more he realized how much money was required to support a First-Class Adventurer.

Even though he wasn't a First-Class Adventurer, he wore equipment that even regular First-Class Adventurers from other Familias didn't have.

"Sigh... No need to rush, I have to take things step by step."

Charlie desired "that" even though he knew it cost 100 million valis. However, it wasn't an urgent need since he had Spirit Art.

"Let's dinner before heading back."

In the East Street, there were many food stalls along the roadside. Charlie even saw a god selling things among the stalls.

It had to be said, the gods were so bored they'd try anything for fun.

Not wanting to get involved with a god, Charlie decided to have dinner at a ramen stall run by a merchant from the Far East.

"It's not bad."

After sipping the ramen broth, he ate with gusto.

Since he had to save money to buy "that." he wouldn't visit the Hostess of Fertility just for a meal. Besides, the food prices there weren't wallet-friendly.

After finishing his meal and paying the bill, Charlie was about to head back to the inn to rest.

Walking through the crowded street, he stopped when he passed by a flower shop.

Of course, Charlie wasn't interested in the beautiful flower girl who captivated male adventurers as they passed by. His focus was on the blue rose in front of the shop.

"That's surprising. So there's a natural blue rose in this world." He muttered with a complex expression.

The blue rose is a rare and unique flower. It doesn't exist in nature because roses don't have the specific gene needed to produce true blue. The blue roses that exist today are a result of genetic engineering developed by researchers in Japan and Australia.

"Sigh…"

Letting out a long sigh, Charlie approached the flower shop.