Leo was stunned.
He had prepared himself to endure the heartache of returning the holy sword, to say goodbye to it forever. But Grace Monta suddenly changed the subject and told him that he didn't have to give it back—that, he can keep it?
I didn't hear it right, am i?
The others around him was stunned, staring at Grace in disbelief.
A sword of this caliber—one that could knock back an opponent 35 levels higher—was just… gifted?
Leo's grip tightened around the crystal holy sword. He hesitated.
"Re, Researcher Monta, this sword is too valuable. I'm just a trainee knight. I don't think I should be the one using it…"
"Maybe it should go to someone more gifted. Someone who can truly wield its potential," he added, trying to mask her longing.
But Grace waved her off lightly. "Just take it. Don't overthink it."
The confirmation made Leo feel as if he were dreaming. He held the sword like a fragile treasure, still unable to believe his luck. Around him, envious stares burned with quiet intensity.
Why would Grace give something so precious away? Even Karon was baffled.
"Grace," he said with a rare hint of complaint, "this is one of my finest creations. I was thinking of hanging it at home. You're just… giving it away?"
They were close—both senior researchers—so there was no real accusation behind his words.
Grace chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand. "Don't worry, Master Karon. There's something about these materials I haven't told you yet."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Well… they're rare, yes. But we've been extremely fortunate. That is, a certain individual—one with a hidden class—managed to unlock an independent dungeon."
She paused, letting that settle.
"These materials came from that dungeon. And most incredibly—the drop rate is absurdly high. We pulled over a hundred units from just a single run."
"If we can continue tapping into this resource, your entire studio could be flooded with crystals within a month."
Karon froze.
"Hidden class... and a private dungeon?" he echoed.
Even a blacksmith like him knew what those terms meant.
Hidden classes were legends—the kind of thing that turned adventurers into gods.
But combining that with a private dungeon that could be harvested for rare materials?
It was outrageous.
"Wait... did you say over a hundred drops per run?"
Grace gave a small nod, then pulled up her phone. She showed him a photo sent earlier by Leanne Vale—a shot of carefully arranged loot, neatly categorized and stacked in rows.
Karon's breath caught.
"What are these?! I don't recognize a single one!"
"Grace, you were hoarding all this in your lab and didn't tell me? That's betrayal!" he exclaimed, though his voice was thick with excitement.
As a blacksmith, his life's joy came from transforming raw materials into masterpieces. And while he had seen many rare resources over the years, even the divine crystal Grace brought earlier hadn't stirred him too deeply.
But this… this was a dragon's hoard of unknown wonders.
Some looked ordinary, but others—just from the luster, the texture, the color—were clearly elite-grade.
And there were so many.
"If we collaborate with the person who unlocked this dungeon," Karon said slowly, "materials will become near-limitless. In that case, producing a thousand swords like this… wouldn't be a problem."
Grace didn't hide the truth. Elysia—formerly Luceris—was no ordinary adventurer anymore. Her value had quietly shifted to something national.
The people nearby were utterly lost in the conversation, unable to process it.
This one holy sword had felt like a myth.
Now Grace was talking about mass production?
At that moment, Grace's phone buzzed again. A message from the project team on the other end.
She glanced at it—and froze.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Karon noticed. "What is it, Grace?"
She took a long breath. "The Star Destroyer magic-storage project… just had a breakthrough."
"It's because of the perfect resonance with those crystals."
Tranquenhold.
With new funding secured, Aria had finally decided to undertake her long-delayed second advancement trial.
And this time, Elysia insisted on joining her.
She wanted to help Aria attempt the 'Hell' difficulty version of the job change dungeon—extremely risky, but extremely rewarding.
Job change challenges were ranked: Normal, Adventure, Difficult, Nightmare… and Hell.
The harder the challenge, the more exceptional the rewards—not only in experience, but in mysterious upgrades beyond numbers. Subtle powers. Higher future caps.
Most players ignored this path.
Too expensive + Too dangerous.
But those with ambitions to become the strongest didn't hesitate.
"I'm not that talented," Aria said outside the dungeon plaza, nervously. "I don't think it's worth burning so much money."
Elysia shook her head. "We have to try. Money's not a problem right now—I've got it covered."
Aria frowned. "Hiring someone strong enough to carry us through Hell difficulty will cost hundreds of thousands, maybe more. And the high-level players don't just do charity."
Luceris thought for a moment… then smiled. She already had two perfect candidates in mind.
"What if I call someone higher-level? Say… around level 100?"
"That'd be great, but they'd probably gouge us for everything we're worth," Aria said with a sigh.
Elysia ignored the doubt and pulled out her phone.
She called the two "thug sisters"—Leanne Vale and Selene.
They had already promised to meet her for an independent dungeon run that day. Helping Aria would just be a detour.
"Who did you call?" Aria asked.
"You'll see."
Moments later, the crowds in the plaza parted.
Two figures walked through—one elegant and deadly, the other sweet and composed.
A hush fell over the area. Respect and awe followed them like shadows.
Even Aria's eyes widened. "That one… she's rank three. You can tell just from her aura…"
"And that sword—definitely a holy-tier weapon. It must be worth a fortune."
As Aria tried not to despair, Leanne and Selene spotted Elysia in the crowd.
"Ah, there she is!" Leanne grinned.