Chapter 5

Back at Saly's small house, Ptah began to review the system again. He needed to carefully plan his next move while Saly got comfortable.

[Congratulations on completing the mission: Register the Familia officially at the Adventurer's Guild]

[As a main reward, you will receive 100,000 valis for the Familia's initial expenses.]

[Additional rewards: For officially registering as a Familia specializing in medicine, commerce, exploration, and blacksmithing, you will receive the following rewards:

-Basic herbalism knowledge for beginners.

-Shopping instinct.

-Novice Explorer's Weapon (growth).

-Basic blacksmithing knowledge for beginners.]

Ptah felt a sharp pain in his head but made an effort not to show any reaction to avoid worrying Saly, who was still sweeping the house. When the discomfort finally subsided, he raised an eyebrow at the amount of rewards, regretting not having selected all possible Familia types.

Why are you being so generous? Could this be one of those overly generous systems from some OP protagonist novels? When Ptah had that thought, the system shattered his illusion.

[You are currently receiving the novice benefit. The first three missions will have very high additional rewards, which explains how Saly was able to obtain magic upon completing the first mission. Think about it. Buying a Grimoire is something worth more than 100,000,000 Valis, so the first reward was very generous. Also, basic knowledge is invaluable because the more you practice, the better you can become. In intermediate alchemy, you can make things other than potions when you understand much better how it works, so the system will not offer more advanced knowledge than basic for beginners. It will be up to the host to decide whether to put in the effort to improve.]

The system hasn't even given me enough time to practice alchemy, and it's already given me another area to specialize in. Plus, it mentioned that it will only give me basic knowledge, so I'd have to work very hard to continue improving.

Only then did Ptah realize that he might become a slave to this. He began to recall all the times he became addicted to grinding games where he had to repeat monotonous actions to develop skills and thus obtain better things.

He thought that once his Familia grew, he could become lazy, only helping by creating items when he was bored, feeling less useless than many other gods. However, he realized that to achieve that goal, he would have to work hard, and the system tempted him with the possibility of improving, as if he were in a game.

Not wanting to stress out, he reopened the system interface but ignored all the new knowledge, to avoid overwhelming himself with everything he would have to do, and instead, he navigated to the inventory section.

Inventory: [1/30]

Novice Explorer's Weapon (growth)

Valis: 100,000

"Item Analysis" When Ptah murmured those words, another golden window appeared with information about the weapon.

[Novice Explorer's Weapon (growth)

A weapon granted by the system. It is currently just a sphere, but it can take the form of any weapon the user desires when drawn, though it can no longer revert its form or size.

-It must be supplied with the basic materials needed to forge it, its initial strength depending on the materials used.

-It has the ability to repair itself slowly by consuming the bearer's mind and can strengthen very gradually by consuming magic stones from monsters.

-Usage conditions: Belong to the Ptah Familia.]

As soon as he saw part of the description, he got excited until he read everything it required. Novice Explorer's Weapon? Wouldn't it be better to call it the weapon that bankrupts the novice explorer?

Although it was a formidable weapon, Ptah decided not to give it to anyone for the time being. He wasn't sure which weapon would be most suitable for Saly, or if there would be a new member in his Familia in the future who would use an unconventional weapon and benefit more from it.

Ptah stopped worrying about the weapon and tried to focus on what he could do to pass the boredom he felt. For a moment, he wanted to focus on forging, but to do so, he needed too many things, and he also needed to rent spaces to practice because it would be impossible to buy a smithy.

"Saly, I'm going out to buy some things. I'll be back in a moment," he said as he headed toward the door but was immediately stopped when Saly gently grabbed his clothes.

"I'm coming with you, but didn't you say we don't have any money?" Saly asked. She was sure that the money she and her brother had saved had not been touched by Ptah because they both had it well hidden in a part of the bathroom, and she planned to give it to Ptah to manage. So, she was surprised when Ptah said he was going shopping when he had previously mentioned at the Guild that they didn't have any money.

"Actually, I have some valis, but it didn't seem wise to spend most of it on a sword and light armor. It's better to use it to buy other supplies: potions, more nutritious food to keep you healthy, and tools to maintain your sword so you can explore the dungeon more safely. Also, I know a bit about potion-making, so I also want to buy tools to make them ourselves. That way, we can avoid paying excessive prices for simple things, better safe than sorry. I want to make sure you're as protected as possible in everything you'll do down there."

As Ptah listed all these reasons, Saly couldn't help but notice the genuine concern in his voice. Despite his practical tone, it was clear that Ptah truly cared about her. He wasn't just thinking about the efficiency of their spending, he wanted to ensure that Saly was as safe as possible in the dungeon. This concern went beyond a simple responsibility as a Familia leader, it came from someone who, in their short time together, had come to deeply appreciate Saly and didn't want her to suffer any unnecessary harm. Although Ptah also wanted to take advantage of the situation to practice his own knowledge, his main motivation was Saly's well-being.

Both explored the shops around the commercial area of Orario, but some shops were destroyed, so they had to explore several places and found some things useful to Ptah in the free trade area with the shopping instinct. It allows him to detect when something is being sold at a better price than its real value.

***

A week had passed since they registered the Ptah Familia at the Guild, and Ptah was focused on a flask containing a reddish liquid, simmering over a stone table. The table was cluttered, filled with herbs, suspicious-looking powders, and bottles with vibrant-colored liquids.

As he turned off the flame, a triumphant smile appeared on his face. After hours of effort and concentration, Ptah had finally created a high potion, a high-quality recovery potion that could be sold for at least 20,000 valis. However, he knew that the herbs needed to make it were expensive, costing around 30,000 valis for a batch of three potions. The satisfaction of success was mixed with frustration, although he could produce five bottles per batch of materials, competing with more renowned Familias like the Miach Familia or the Dian Familia, which dominated the market, seemed like a daunting challenge.

Ptah sighed deeply. He felt exhausted, potion-making was a tedious process, but at least he was getting the hang of it. He recalled the first times he attempted to make high potions and ended up with brews that weren't even fit to be poison. Although he could now produce quality potions, he knew he needed to keep improving. He muttered to himself, almost with resignation "System, activate Remote Observation on Saly."

Instantly, a golden window appeared before his eyes, showing Saly dressed in light novice armor, exploring a cave illuminated by a soft blue glow on the walls. The image showed Saly facing a goblin, firmly wielding the sword she had received from the Guild. The red lines decorating the blade formed beautiful, almost hypnotic patterns, but it was the determination in Saly's eyes that truly captured attention.

With restrained anger, Saly gritted her teeth and, with a quick and precise movement, decapitated the goblin in a single stroke. She didn't waste time contemplating her victory, she swiftly collected the magic stone and continued her journey, searching for more enemies. She attacked fiercely, eliminating every monster that crossed her path, while collecting the loot with the same speed. However, after ten consecutive battles, the patterns on her sword began to fade, and her breathing grew heavy. With trembling hands, she pulled out a milky-gray potion and knelt down, breathing heavily.

Ptah had insisted that Saly focus on practicing and mastering her ability along with the magic she possessed. He wanted her to get used to the sensation that her ability provoked so that it wouldn't become too dangerous in critical moments. He knew it was vital for Saly to maintain control, especially in situations where negative emotions like despair could arise, as losing control could be disastrous. Although exploring the first floors of the dungeon was dangerous, Ptah believed it was necessary for Saly to grow in strength and experience by facing difficulties from the beginning.

As Saly continued exploring the second floor, her pace became calmer. She drank the potion that Ptah had prepared, feeling her fatigue diminish. Although this training was putting them in the red, she knew it was necessary to improve faster.

Suddenly, Ptah's attention shifted when he saw the silhouette of a small girl with blonde hair walking alongside a dwarf down the hallway where Saly was. "Isn't that Aiz? She looks so cute that I want to pinch her cheeks and spoil her by buying her a Jagamarukun," Ptah thought, smiling at the image.

But his smile faded when a kobold suddenly appeared, rushing toward Saly. She prepared to defend herself, but before she could react, the creature was sliced in half. The blonde girl had acted with such speed and precision that it left Saly trembling. The girl's gaze, filled with deep hatred, was so intense that for a moment Saly thought of attacking, but she knew she had no chance against such overwhelming strength. Besides, she was still tired.

To her relief, the girl's expression softened, and a dwarf with brown beard and hair approached Saly.

"I apologize for Aiz's recklessness," the dwarf said, noticing Saly's tension.

She didn't respond immediately, trying to calm her nerves. Finally, she spoke with a somewhat trembling voice "Don't worry, you must be from the Loki Familia. I apologize for getting in your way."

"We don't want to cause any more trouble, so we'll head to the deeper floors. You can keep the magic stone. By the way, my name is Gareth, though you've probably already heard of me and the girl beside me," the dwarf said with a friendly smile. "Well, we won't waste any more of your time," Gareth concluded before accompanying Aiz toward a nearby staircase.