'It seems this anomaly is tied solely to Bell-kun. If anyone else were to find out, it would definitely attract the attention of the gods. There's a secret hidden within Bell—something that sets him apart. But the boy doesn't seem to realize it himself. From now on, I'll need to be even more careful. I can't let anyone discover his secret.'
Eina had no intention of revealing this to any god. Being entrusted with a secret meant that she had earned Bell's trust, and she wasn't about to betray that. She would do everything in her power to help him keep it hidden.
"Bell-kun, whatever we just talked about, make sure no one else ever hears a word of it. If the higher-ups in the Guild catch wind of what happened just now, you could become a subject of research. The Guild is constantly studying the Dungeon. If you're found to be interfering with its mechanics, even unintentionally, they'll start investigating you."
"That's why you must avoid forming parties with others. It might seem like a small thing, but for your future, it would be a serious setback. There are many floors in the Dungeon that can't be cleared solo. Teaming up is usually the fastest way to reach the middle levels. But if you want to keep your secret safe, you can't afford to take risks. Your only choice is to steadily build your strength on your own, one step at a time."
No party meant no support. Pushing your limits and moving forward wouldn't just require effort—it would mean taking real risks. The gap between Lv.1 and Lv.2 was immense. Crossing it took desperation.
Without question, it was dangerous. Eina normally preached that "Adventurers shouldn't take risks"—a belief she stood by. But for this child, she couldn't keep saying that. Not when he had a secret to protect.
"In fact, that works out just fine for me."
From the start, Bell had never been one to trust his so-called "allies." In a city like Orario, trusting someone was tantamount to handing over your life—and Bell wasn't the type to make foolish decisions like that.
"Because of my past, I can't bring myself to trust anyone. And Orario is a place where finding a trustworthy companion is easier said than done."
"If that's how you feel, then follow your own path."
Eina wanted to guide him—to offer a different perspective—but he'd already made it clear: he couldn't trust others because of something in his past. Eina didn't know what that past entailed, but in this moment, she desperately wished she did.
It was obvious Bell's maturity had come at a price. The way he quietly suppressed himself, the way he tried to go unnoticed—it all pointed to deep wounds. He had built up walls around his heart because he knew exactly where it could be hurt. Not everyone could break through those walls, and not everyone deserved to.
She'd only known Bell for three days. It was clear she hadn't earned the right to ask more.
Still, looking around at the goblin daggers strewn across the floor, Eina couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. There was no way to appraise all of them in a short time. And these daggers' existence had to remain a secret too—if word got out inside the Guild, Bell's secret would be exposed.
"Bell-kun, let's talk about the value of these Goblin Daggers. The Magic Stones from goblins aren't worth much—about 100 Valis apiece. But Goblin Daggers are a different story. They're exceptionally sharp weapons, and they can even pierce the thick hide of a Minotaur. That makes them worth around 100,000 Valis each."
The number stunned Bell. He'd assumed they were worth maybe 10,000 at most. Who would've guessed they were ten times that?
"Drop items from monsters are really worth that much?"
Eina realized then—she'd need to explain everything from the ground up.
"Bell-kun, the value of drop items from upper-level monsters typically ranges from 1,000 to 10,000 Valis. Most of them are materials for weapons or potions, so they need further refinement. That's why upper-floor drops don't fetch particularly high prices. But weapons are a different story altogether."
"The Goblin Dagger is a weapon capable of seriously injuring a Minotaur, a monster found only in the middle levels. That puts its value outside the standard upper-level range. Its sharpness alone—enough to wound even middle-tier monsters—is what makes it so valuable. On top of that, Goblin Daggers have an extremely low drop rate, so their worth is just a step below the low-grade weapons sold in stores."
With Eina's explanation, Bell finally understood why the daggers were so expensive. The key was that Goblin Daggers were finished weapons—they didn't need further forging or sharpening. Their quality was good, and they could even slice through a Minotaur's hide. That kind of effectiveness gave them real value.
"Bell-kun, how many do you have in total?"
"Two hundred sixty-four."
"That's 26.4 million Valis. Earning that kind of fortune on your very first trip into the Dungeon... If the other Familias find out, they'll be stunned by your earning potential."
Bell let out a bitter smile. "Stunned" was putting it mildly—this would terrify them. Even he was a bit frightened by what he'd just pulled off. Starting with 26.4 million Valis—if he could maintain this pace for a week, he could probably afford a top-tier weapon.
Of course, pulling this stunt again wasn't an option.
Once was already eye-catching enough. If he kept doing it, he'd inevitably draw the attention of people with less-than-honorable intentions. Just selling this batch already exposed him to risk. He wouldn't survive repeating the same move multiple times.
'This should be the last time. From now on, aside from Magic Stones, I'd better not sell any materials through the Guild. I might need Goddess-sama's help to offload these—or ask Hephaestus-sama for access to one of her channels.'
After the playful remark, Eina's tone turned serious. She could offer Bell a lot of help here at the Guild—but that support wasn't limitless. She needed to set some boundaries. This kind of operation needed to be controlled carefully to avoid drawing attention.
If Bell kept pulling moves like this, it wouldn't just be the gods watching—eventually, even the Guild wouldn't be able to cover for him.
"Bell-kun, we really need to talk about these daggers. Moving forward, you have to limit the amount of monster drop items you sell. Otherwise, it won't just be the gods watching you—the Guild will be keeping tabs too. I can help you smooth things over this time, but this trick? It only works once."
"So next time, Bell-kun, you'd better find a different way to handle the surplus."