The receptionist handed Hulim Heyerar a gold coin and a pile of silver coins.

  Eighteen thousand four hundred Kohl...... Doing the math, the entry fee and mana potions had cost her a little over two thousand Kohl in total. It seemed like a decent profit—but she still had to factor in equipment maintenance costs.

  When delving into dungeons, Hulim would never go down there with just her weapons.

  In fact, beneath her uniform, she was wearing a stab-resistant undergarment. She also had matching armor on her legs, and her shoes were enchanted custom-made boots with magical effects. Add in other supplies like dungeon navigation tools, camping gear, and monster repellents—the overall maintenance costs were by no means cheap.

  "Roughly fourteen thousand Kohl left......"

  After tallying up all the expenses,

  she still had a net profit of over fourteen thousand Kohl!

  That number might not sound impressive at first glance, but it was already more than what most Rank C adventurers made in a single trip.

  While Rank C adventurers could earn tens of thousands of Kohl per quest, they could only complete a handful of such quests each month. Their total monthly earnings rarely exceeded two hundred thousand Kohl—and that was before subtracting costs. Once expenses were deducted, very few of them took home a net profit of over one hundred thousand Kohl.

  Although Hulim didn’t venture into the dungeons every single day, she went about half the days each month. Which meant her monthly net profit was already on par with the total monthly earnings of most Rank C adventurers. And to top it off, she was only exploring beginner-friendly dungeons that weren’t exactly known for being lucrative!

  "......Am I really that talented at being an adventurer?"

  Standing outside the Adventurers' Guild, Hulim hefted the weight of her coin purse and sighed in amazement.

  Then she looked down at her academy uniform.

  "Should I get this uniform modified......"

  ......

  ......

  Luminescent Dungeon, Mid Level.

  In a tunnel that resembled an underground cave, a lone figure moved forward cautiously. Fluorescent plants grew along the cave walls, but their faint glow wasn’t nearly enough to illuminate the passage fully.

  Just as the figure rounded a bend in the tunnel, a pitch-black shadow suddenly lunged out from the corner, a jet-black dagger aimed straight for her vitals.

  "【?????????????????????????????????????】"

  "Fire Arrow!"

  A Fire Arrow blazed to life the instant before the dagger could make contact.

  The searing projectile sent the attacker flying, and in the bright flash of flame it cast, the assailant’s true form was revealed......

  "A Darknight Goblin......"

  Hulim lifted her gaze, watching the goblin—though knocked flying, it had only sustained minor injuries. She wasted no time in casting another spell.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Darknight Goblins were mutated variants of regular goblins, boasting Rank C strength. Unlike their kin, they usually hunted alone. Proficient in dark magic and specialized in assassination, they were one of the most common monsters encountered in the Luminescent Dungeon.

  "Flash——!"

  "Squeak——!"

  The brilliant burst of light struck terror into the Darknight Goblin’s heart. It clutched its head and tried to flee.

  But Hulim wasn’t about to give it the chance.

  "Fire Barrier!"

  A wall of roaring flames erupted out of nowhere, blocking the goblin’s escape route.

  Trapped and with no way out, the Darknight Goblin flew into a berserk rage. It gripped its two black daggers tightly, its body shrouded in a veil of shadow, and the shadow beneath its feet twisted and writhed.

  In the next moment, it merged partially with the darkness and darted toward Hulim at breakneck speed, skimming the ground.

  "Fireball!"

  Just like before, a Fireball materialized the instant the goblin was about to reach her, blasting it away once more.

  "Wind Slash!"

  "Lightning Orb!"

  "Fire Arrow!"

  "......"

  One Tier 2 spell after another tore through the cave, and the agile Darknight Goblin was sent bouncing around like a ragdoll......

  "【??????????????????????????????????????】"

  "Ice Arrow——!"

  It wasn’t until an Ice Arrow pierced its vital spot that the Darknight Goblin finally ceased its struggles.

  "Not bad. Took it down with nothing but Tier 2 spells."

  A single Tier 3 spell would have been enough to finish off a Rank C Darknight Goblin. But Hulim hadn’t come here to clear out monsters. If she wanted to master non-incantation magic, practicing with lower-tier spells was far more effective.

  She retrieved the mana stone from the goblin’s corpse, then continued her journey deeper into the dungeon.

  "I’ll go one level further today."

  The dungeons near Langard were divided into Upper, Mid, and Lower Levels based on the strength of the monsters that dwelled there. The Upper Level was populated almost entirely by monsters below Rank C; the Mid Level had a mix of Rank D and Rank C foes; and the Lower Level was dominated by Rank C monsters.

  Currently, Hulim had already reached the Mid Level.

  Several hours later......

  After taking down another dungeon monster, Hulim decided to stop going deeper.

  "Time to head back to the surface."

  She stowed her loot—the mana stone—away, mentally calculating her earnings for the day: close to twenty thousand Kohl.

  She turned around and began retracing her steps. The trip back was much faster than the journey in. Before long, she had reached the Upper Level.

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  "That sound...... Is someone fighting up ahead?"

  The distant rumble of magical explosions echoed through the tunnels, accompanied by the faint screeches of numerous monsters.

  "Looks like they’re in trouble?"

  Hulim suppressed her aura and moved forward stealthily.

  She reached the source of the commotion, then hid behind a stone pillar and peeked out cautiously.

  What she saw was a golden-haired girl being swarmed by a horde of Swordtail Magic Rats.

  "Alicia Serions? What is she doing here alone?"

  The girl under siege was none other than her classmate—and the Ninth Princess of the empire.

  ......

  "Squeak——!"

  A Swordtail Magic Rat leaped high into the air, its long, slender tail whipping around so fast it blurred into the air.

  Alicia was caught off guard, and the tail sliced across her arm, leaving a gash that oozed blood.

  "Damn it......"

  Alicia gritted her teeth, forcing down the pain, and swung her sword with all her might. The blade struck the rat, tearing a huge wound in its body.

  The Swordtail Magic Rat convulsed and fell to the ground, dead.

  But more rats immediately closed in to take its place.

  Their spring-like slender limbs pressed tightly against the ground, their sword-sharp tail tips glinting coldly as they whipped through the air. Their blood-red eyes fixed on Alicia, filled with nothing but savagery and bloodlust.

  Alicia pointed the tip of her sword at the oncoming rats, reciting an incantation rapidly as she prepared a spell.

  Anxiousness welled up in her heart, and she regretted being so careless as to attract such a large swarm of monsters.

  "Squeak!"

  "Squeak!"

  "......"

  The Swordtail Magic Rats leaped as one, launching a coordinated attack.

  "Fire Barrier!"

  Alicia unleashed the spell she’d been preparing at the exact same moment.