"I don't know exactly how powerful Thousand Eyes is," Ren Kuroda said calmly, meeting White Yaksha's gaze without flinching. "But I didn't join No Name because of how strong the community is. I joined for other reasons."
He continued evenly.
"As for becoming a Floor Master, I understand it comes with considerable authority. It would also benefit the community I belong to."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"But someone of your caliber was willing to negotiate with the upper-tier gods and Buddhas just to take on that position in the lower levels."
"That alone tells me that if I became the East District's Floor Master, I'd be inheriting more trouble than privilege."
"So I'll decline."
If Ren had simply wanted to join a powerful community, he never would have chosen No Name in the first place—a group that had fallen to near rock bottom among the outer layers of Little Garden.
And honestly—
Could White Yaksha possibly be more persuasive than a certain bouncing Moon Rabbit?
As for the title of Floor Master, Ren knew it came with privileges in the lower levels.
But his instincts were screaming that it was also a colossal headache.
Even if he accepted and replaced White Yaksha as the East District's Floor Master, would the other districts' Floor Masters acknowledge him?
Unlikely.
Since No Name had been attacked by a Demon Lord, the lower levels of Little Garden had fallen into what was arguably their weakest state in history.
The South District's Floor Master had reportedly died not long ago during a Demon Lord assault. The position was currently being temporarily held by Sarah Teredoreku, leader of the powerful southern alliance "Dragon Horn Griffin."
The North District's newly appointed Floor Master was said to be an eleven-year-old girl. Though she was a direct descendant of the Star Sea Dragon King—her bloodline beyond question—her youth left many uneasy about whether she could truly shoulder such responsibility.
Meanwhile, Demon Lord forces had grown increasingly aggressive.
The upper tiers of Little Garden, bound by rules and wary of larger consequences, had largely adopted a hands-off stance toward the lower levels.
White Yaksha, the strongest Floor Master, was effectively the lower levels' greatest shield against Demon Lord invasions.
If she stepped down now, it would destabilize the balance entirely.
And replacing her with Ren—a newcomer with no formal track record and zero established reputation?
How could anyone possibly accept that?
After hearing Ren's reasoning, White Yaksha fell into thoughtful silence.
Perhaps she had indeed acted too hastily.
In the end, Ren's reward for clearing the high-difficulty Gift Game "The One Who Faces the Sun" was converted—just as he'd half-jokingly requested—into cash.
As for Gifts?
Ren didn't lack them.
In fact, when White Yaksha and Black Rabbit saw the contents of his Gift Card, they were rendered speechless.
In Little Garden, any form of power could exist as a Gift.
Ren's swordsmanship, his sword techniques, Kidō arts, regeneration, the fear aura of the Oni clan, his very Oni spiritual rank—
Even "The Evil of This World."
All of it.
His Gift Card was so densely packed with listed abilities that it looked more like a restaurant menu than a status sheet.
Yō, Asuka, and Izayoi glanced at Ren's absurdly packed card—
Then down at their own lonely single-entry Gift Cards—
And immediately declared their dissatisfaction.
"We'll earn more!" Asuka insisted.
"Next time," Yō added quietly but firmly.
"One day," Izayoi grinned, "we'll have more Gifts listed than you."
Ren just shrugged.
He truly wasn't short on Gifts.
So instead, he requested the reward be paid out in Thousand Eyes gold coins.
And White Yaksha proved exceptionally generous.
She handed over thirty gleaming coins, each stamped with the emblem of the Twin Goddesses.
Thirty.
It sounded simple—but it was a fortune.
Thousand Eyes was the largest commercial alliance in Little Garden. Its currency held enormous purchasing power.
No Name's dozens of children could cover an entire month of living expenses with just one coin.
Ten coins alone could buy a decent house in the lower levels.
Thirty?
It was transformative.
The most excited person present was, unsurprisingly, Black Rabbit.
From the moment she took hold of the heavy pouch, her grin refused to fade.
Ever since No Name had been attacked by a Demon Lord, she said, this was the first time the community had possessed so much money at once.
With these funds, damaged buildings could finally be repaired.
And Lily and the others—
They could finally have new clothes.
After the Gift Game concluded, the group returned from White Yaksha's "White Night" game field to the Thousand Eyes shop.
The moment Ren received the coins, he immediately sought out one of the store clerks.
"As the largest commercial community," he began, "you also sell Gifts, correct?"
The clerk nodded.
"Do you have any Gifts that can improve soil quality… and increase crop growth speed?"
Black Rabbit blinked.
The others turned toward him.
Ren continued calmly.
No Name's water supply had been restored thanks to the Water Tree.
But self-sufficiency was still far off.
The community owned vast tracts of land—but Demon Lord attacks had ruined the soil. It was dead. Nothing could grow.
Ren's idea was simple:
Use the coins to purchase a Gift that could restore the land.
If the soil became fertile again, No Name could at least sustain itself.
After checking inventory, the clerk confirmed:
"Yes, we do carry both types of Gifts."
"But the prices are…"
The soil restoration Gift cost twenty Thousand Eyes gold coins.
Expensive—but not outrageous.
However—
The weakest version of the crop growth acceleration Gift started at over one hundred gold coins.
Ren's expression froze.
Suddenly, the thirty coins in his pouch didn't feel like much at all.
The clerk's reasoning was perfectly logical.
Food was one of the most critical resources in any level of Little Garden.
A Gift that increased agricultural output—even if non-combat in nature—would always command a high price.
Ren clenched his jaw slightly.
He had promised the children that they'd be able to eat cake every day.
But if the community couldn't even guarantee basic food production—
Cake was out of the question.
He was about to grit his teeth and suggest borrowing the remaining amount from White Yaksha—
When Black Rabbit quickly stepped in and grabbed his sleeve.
"That's enough," she said gently but firmly.
"We'll purchase the soil improvement Gift."
"As for tending the crops…"
A small, warm smile appeared on her face.
"Lily can handle that."
"In fact, when she hears this news…"
Black Rabbit's ears perked happily.
"She'll probably be overjoyed."