As her older sister, Tione stood nearby, slightly speechless.
Then she noticed Ais’s miserable-looking plate.
"Ais, are you dieting or sothing? You’re eating so little."
ntioning that depressing topic again made Ais visibly uncomfortable.
"I’m in debt."
"Ah."
Tione instantly understood what that ant. For First-Class Adventurers like them, the only thing that could push them into debt was weapons.
Considering Ais’s weapon, "Desperate," and the sword she destroyed during the "Monsterphilia," Tione figured Ais was pretty much bankrupt.
"Actually, Tiona’s in debt too."
"Ssshhh~"
Despite being completely broke, Tiona didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. Among the Loki Familia, she was probably the one who went into debt the most often. The heavy tals used in her massive twin blades were top-tier, and the materials required were anything but cheap.
"The twin blades need so many materials, and they’re all precious tals."
"Goibniu Familia’s crafting fees are sky-high too. This ti, I really went bankrupt."
Though Tiona didn’t particularly care about being broke, the expedition had drained her resources.
And when she rembered the huge green bug that corroded her weapon, her expression darkened with irritation.
"They were new species from the deeper levels. I only landed one strike, and their blood already started eating away at my blades."
"If it weren’t for those new types, I wouldn’t be in this ss."
Despite all her grumbling, Tiona still ordered a new set of twin blades.
Even as a First-Class Adventurer, without proper weapons, she wouldn’t stand a chance against the kind of monsters at "Monsterphilia." The tough hides of those plant-type monsters couldn’t be broken with bare fists—only First-Class weapons could cut through them.
"Those new species are seriously a pain."
Tione recalled their last expedition, the one that forced them to retreat, and felt another headache coming on.
"Their blood is corrosive, and they can even spit acid. If they take fatal damage, they explode, spraying corrosive blood everywhere."
"And there’s so many of them, it’s impossible to avoid them all."
Thinking back on that retreat, she knew just how difficult it was to deal with those acid-spewing insect monsters. That ti, not only was Tiona’s weapon corroded, but even the captain’s spear was damaged.
Only Ais’s "Desperate," with its "indestructible" property, remained unhard. Every other weapon was ruined.
"Thankfully, Tsubaki sent so good news—she’s almost finished forging a series of ’indestructible’ weapons designed specifically to deal with those things."
"So now, Tiona, who’s using two First-Class weapons, is in serious debt."
The mont that was brought up, Tiona’s cheerful face instantly lost its smile.
Weapons with the "indestructible" property were ridiculously expensive. And since they were all custom-made, the cost had to be covered by the adventurer themselves.
That alone was enough to wipe the smile clean off Tiona’s face.
The price for crafting one of those weapons was nearly the sa—or even higher—than her twin blades.
Which ant she was now carrying debt worth twice the cost of her twin blades. It was practically insane.
"Ugh... Normally, when sothing like this happens, we can just talk to the captain and borrow so ergency funds from the Familia."
Tione rolled her eyes at her sister.
"Are you stupid? The Familia just placed a massive order for Rune Stones and bought a bunch of space pouches. How much money do you think we have left?"
The matter of space items was no longer a secret among the first and second tiers of the Loki Familia. In fact, one of the reasons they went after the Apollo Familia was because of finances.
"Ugh..."
Tiona obviously knew this too, which was why she found it such a sha.
"Then how about we head to the Dungeon together? With Riveria and the captain, and if we use the space pouches, we might be able to make so money back."
At the ntion of space pouches, Tiona imdiately had an idea.
The suggestion sparked interest among the other girls. Truth be told, they were all strapped for cash. Weapon expenses were too steep, and if they didn’t restock soon, repairing their gear would beco a real problem.
"Well~ if you’re bringing the captain along, I guess I could tag along too."
The mont the word "captain" ca up, hearts practically popped into Tione’s eyes. Then she let out a classic tsundere line.
Totally infatuated. Completely Tione.
The other three girls exchanged a glance and collectively ignored what she’d just said.
"Space pouches, huh? That should really cut down on the workload this expedition."
"Not by much. There are only ten of them. A lot of the supporter work still has to be done, but at least most of the supplies can go in the pouches..."
Tione snapped out of her swooning and answered Lefiya’s question.
The introduction of space pouches definitely helped ease the burden of carrying supplies. Even valuable materials no longer needed to be sold off at cheap prices on the eighteenth floor—they could now be stored and brought back to Orario for full value.
"I heard from the captain that if we manage to earn enough on this expedition, they’ll increase the number of space pouches. That way, supporter work will get easier, and it’ll give them more room to grow."
Many of the adventurers serving as supporters in the Loki Familia weren’t actually full-ti supporters.
Most of them were lower-level adventurers—just Lv.2 or even Lv.1.
They simply weren’t strong enough to contribute in deep-level battles, so this was the only role they could take.
"Will the captain agree to it?"
Lefiya raised a crucial point.
"Let’s try asking."
Ais didn’t know if Finn would say yes, but it was worth a shot.
After finishing their al, the four girls headed straight to Finn’s office.
...
"You want to go to the Dungeon?"
Finn, who was reviewing the Familia’s recent financials, paused at the unexpected request.
"Why the sudden interest in the Dungeon?"
"Debt."
Ais answered with just that one word.
That response left Finn montarily stunned. Then he rubbed his temples and gave a wry smile.
"Let guess—weapon repairs and crafting?"
Ais gave a firm nod. Just thinking about her debt made her mood sink fast. "Besides fixing my main weapon, I also owe forty million Valis. I have no savings left."
Finn sighed, clearly feeling a headache coming on. He glanced at Tiona.
"Ahem, sa here, Captain."
There was nothing to be proud of. Finn felt his headache worsen, but he couldn’t ignore it—Ais and Tiona were both core mbers of the team, and weapon issues couldn’t be left unresolved.
In the end, he made a decision.
"Tione, go find Riveria and have her bring the rest of the space pouches."
"Understood, Captain~"
With that, Tione dashed off like a gust of wind, leaving Finn alone to sigh deeply.
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