Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 18

"3 coins⁉"

After returning, I told Seriana about the results of my first dungeon, and she was quite surprised.

Considering her usual composed expression, this look is a rare sight.

This expedition mainly consisted of testing Alec’s 【Red Sword】 in actual combat and my own dungeon tour and practical training, wandering around the middle part of the shallow area for about two hours.

The dungeon is composed of four sections: the shallow area, the upper level, the middle level, and the lower level. The shallow area is paved and, so to speak, a beginner’s zone where monsters appear only in small numbers.

From around the middle of the upper level, the paving disappears, the rate and number of monsters appearing at one time increase, and powerful monsters begin to show up.

By the time you reach the lower level, it’s filled with powerful monsters, and you have to form a party, apply to the Guild, and undergo an evaluation before you are granted permission to explore.

While in the shallow area you only need to register and submit an exploration report, the requirements for the other areas are considerably stricter.

I heard that Holy Coins are mostly obtained from the middle level onward, where there are many and strong monsters.

Earning three cards in the shallow area is quite an achievement.

"Is something wrong?"

Her surprised look had now shifted into one of slight perplexity—as if she had calmed down.

It’s a rare expression for her, but I can’t help wondering if producing too many Holy Coins might be a bad thing…?

"Well… dungeon exploration is one of the lord’s privileges. …Do you understand what I mean by privileges?"

I wasn’t quite sure how that connected, but I nodded anyway.

Maybe it’s like being taxed or something?

"Exactly. Although the dungeon is managed by the Guild, adventurers report the Holy Coins they earn there. Then, half of them are offered to the Guild—in other words, to the lord. In return, there are certain tax benefits and the like."

"I see…"

I hadn’t reported anything, had I?

Alec?

When I looked at Alec, he just shrugged.

"That’s only the case for ordinary adventurers. In your case, as well as for others contracted with the nobility, it’s one coin out of every three. Though, for you two, it comes out to roughly three coins a year. …There’s no way you’d get three coins in a single day."

"I see, I see. So just one coin is enough to give?"

The difference of one card is significant.

"And also, as you’ve seen, the Blessed Items obtained using Holy Coins become the property of the master and are then bestowed as gifts. I hadn’t explained it earlier because I didn’t expect you to acquire Holy Coins so suddenly…"

Seriana wore an apologetic look.

That expression was unusual for her, too.

But setting that aside,

"I already have two items, though. Do I have to hand those over as well?"

【Floating Orb】 and 【Shadow Sword】 are my lifelines, and even if I have the usage rights, I’m a bit reluctant to give them up.

"Those were originally yours, so they remain yours. Only the new ones you acquire from now on are subject to this."

"Then, no problem. Here."

With these three items—together with the 【Hideout】—I can manage just fine.

"Very well. Good work; I’ll make sure to record everything properly, so rest assured. I’ll take your subsequent reports from Alec, so you should take the rest of the day off."

"Okay. Thanks for your hard work—"

Even though it was only just past noon, it was a welcome early dismissal.

After that, I decided to just lounge around.

With that decision, I left Seriana’s room.

◇

"So, what do you think? How’s that kid?"

"In terms of technique, I can’t say much. However, she isn’t unintelligent. She listens when spoken to and doesn’t act on her own accord. Even without any instructions, she tried to coordinate well, and for someone who grew up in an orphanage, she’s pretty impressive. She even made good use of the two Blessed Items. All in all, isn’t that sufficient? Even if the lower levels are challenging, she should be fine in the shallow area on her own."

Alec replied, recalling Sera’s performance in the dungeon, to Seriana’s inquiry.

"That’s right. Elena, you take over the watch tomorrow."

"Yes."

"However, I’m concerned about earning three Holy Coins in one day. I doubt we’d receive such a report from anywhere else… it’s worrisome."

"Yes. It might be explained by the combined total from the lower levels or explorations in the outer demon territory, but for one person—and in the shallow area at that…"

Elena added in response to Seriana’s words.

"Nothing particularly unusual happened, but still, please keep an eye on it just in case."

"Understood."