Chapter 24: A Bigger Room and Bigger Expenses

Chapter 24: A Bigger Room and Bigger Expenses

Alisar woke up early in the morning, just as the first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains. He quickly washed up, got himself in order, and went down to the first floor of the inn, where Rem and Sherial were already sitting in the cozy lounge for guests.

On the table before them was a generous breakfast: stewed vegetables with spices, slices of juicy meat, light snacks, and cups of fragrant herbal tea. What stood out most was the freshly baked bread — still warm, as if just pulled from the oven. The delicate aroma of baked goods filled the entire room, creating a sense of comfort and homely warmth.

The breakfast passed in a calm atmosphere. They exchanged short phrases, occasionally glancing at each other, but mostly enjoyed the silence and the simple, warm morning.

After breakfast, they sat a little longer in the lounge, basking in the warmth of the morning sun and the peaceful atmosphere. Rem spoke about the local lands, the guild, and the rank structure, while Sherial added a few amusing stories from her adventures. Alisar listened intently, memorizing every detail. He still felt like an outsider in this world, and every bit of information could prove valuable.

When the conversation drew to a close, he stood up, said goodbye to the girls, and headed back to his room. The moment he opened the door and stepped inside — everything around him suddenly vanished. In an instant, he was standing in the familiar training room.

On the wall in front of him appeared a fresh inscription:

> Progress: Level 40
Progress: 91% out of 100

Alisar clenched his fists and began training. He focused, performing the exercises one by one, using all his endurance and attention. Time dragged slowly, but he didn’t stop for even a minute.

After a couple of hours, the inscription changed:

> Progress: 100%
Level completed.
100,000,000 experience points acquired.

"Finally..." he exhaled with relief.

But at that very second, as if someone had pulled a lever, he felt a strange pressure and… disappeared.
He hadn’t wanted to leave the training room. He hadn’t even activated the exit. But the room had seemingly expelled him on its own.

He found himself standing in his hotel room — in the middle of the familiar interior.

"What..?" He looked around, confused. "I didn’t activate the skill..."

Alisar tried to return. He focused, as usual, to summon the training room. But nothing happened. No flash, no teleportation.

He frowned. Tried again. And again. No success.

His heart started to beat faster. He quickly opened his status window. Everything looked normal. The special skill “Training Room” was still there. Only now:

> Special Skill: Training Room — Level 41

He blinked. The skill hadn't disappeared. In fact, its level had increased.
So what was going on?

He focused again. This time — with full precision, controlling every thought.

The world around him trembled.

And once again, he was in the training room.

The moment he appeared, Alisar immediately felt something was different.

The equipment and training tools were all in place — everything looked familiar. But the room itself... it had undergone a major change.

The space was several times larger. If before the room was about eight by four meters, now the walls had pulled back far in all directions. It had expanded to at least twenty meters in length and ten in width. The ceiling had also risen — now stretching six, maybe seven meters overhead.

Alisar looked around in surprise. The training platform was still the same, but it now occupied only a small part — no more than fifteen to twenty percent of the entire hall. The rest of the space loomed empty, as if hinting at potential for something greater.

It was strange. And exhilarating.
As if the room itself was saying: “You are ready for the next stage.”

Alisar slowly looked around, taking in the spacious surroundings.

"Well... looks like aside from the room getting bigger, nothing else has changed. No new equipment, no additional tools... just more space."

He paused for a moment and then exhaled quietly.

"Well, if nothing changed, then I better not waste any time," thought Alisar and walked toward the equipment again.

As if nothing unusual had happened, he resumed training — focused and silent.

He continued without rushing, maintaining full concentration. And after a while, he noticed a barely perceptible difference.

"Hmm… something has changed…" he thought.

Now the training felt slightly easier. Not physically — but mentally.
The space, the expanded room, the high ceiling — it all gave a sense of freedom and breathability.

"Maybe because the room got bigger... It feels lighter inside. The space... helps."

He paused for a moment, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I think I might start storing some things here in the future. The ones that don’t spoil over time..." crossed his mind.

When fatigue began to build up, he habitually took out a first-rank potion and drank it. The exhaustion vanished, and his muscles were revitalized.

"Tired already?" he chuckled to himself and continued training.

When hunger struck, he took out the food he had brought along.
He had remembered one important lesson very well: never leave food in the training room when exiting.

Finally, when he decided he had done enough, Alisar focused — and left the training room.

As soon as he returned to his hotel room, his eyes fell on the table next to the bed.
There, neatly lined up in rows, stood his health potions.

There were even more now.

"Over three hundred already..." Alisar murmured, stepping closer.

The vials stood close together, like soldiers in formation. Each one filled with the familiar liquid — a first-rank health potion.
Its pure blue color shimmered in the glass, giving off an impression of calm, reliable strength. He had gotten used to them — their look, their weight. They had become part of his everyday life.

"Yeah, time to sell them at the guild... I’ll get some money and buy gear for tomorrow’s dungeon trip," he thought.

He remembered Rem’s words:
"Better go around noon or a bit later — that's when the guild is least crowded. Hardly any lines."

"And I’ve got a few hours to spare… Might as well get some sleep," Alisar thought — and then froze.

"Oh… I haven’t spent the experience points I earned yet."

He opened the status window, and the glowing lines of the interface lit up before him. Focusing, he distributed the experience points earned from training. His level jumped up by three stages.

As usual, he invested all his free attribute points into increasing his mana pool.
It had already become a habitual choice — the only correct one in his situation.

---

Name: Alisar
Level: 87 (0 out of 44,000,000)
Rank: 4
HP: 18,410 + 1,440
MP: 43,460 + 5,040
Strength: 631 + 48
Defense: 604 + 48
Speed: 606 + 48
Intellect: 1,462 + 168
Magic Power: 1,445 + 168
Magic Defense: 1,455 + 168
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skills: —
Special Skills:
— Training Room (Level 41)
— Alchemy (Rank 2)
Unused Experience Points: 2,315,441

---

"Level 87…" he smirked. "Not bad."

Then his eyes fell on his mana stat.

"Oh, mana..." he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "My mana has almost fully recovered?"

Wasting no time, he activated his alchemy skill.
A few minutes later, nine more vials — second-rank health potions — appeared on the table beside the others.

He carefully placed them in the free space but quickly realized the table could no longer handle the load.

"Almost no space left…"

He sighed, shuffled the rows slightly, but that only made room for a few more vials.

"Alright…" he muttered and, without overthinking it, placed the remaining potions on the floor beside the table leg.

He went to the bathroom, quickly washed up, dried off, and returned to the room. Without another thought, he lay on the bed, closed his eyes… and instantly fell asleep.

---

After noon, Alisar headed to the guild.
Just as Rem had said, things were much quieter at this hour.
When he walked in, he immediately noticed the difference — there were far fewer people.
At least compared to last time.

Now there were no more than a couple dozen adventurers in the main hall.
Some stood near the job board, some chatted with companions, or waited around bored. The overall noise level had noticeably dropped. At the registration counters, things were calm — only three out of eight windows were staffed. The others stood empty.

Alisar approached one of the material acceptance desks.
Behind it sat a young man, about twenty-five, with neatly combed hair and an attentive gaze.
He nodded as Alisar placed a bag of potions in front of him.

The process went quickly.

"311 second-rank health potions. All confirmed."
He handed over a leather pouch of coins. "24 gold and 88 silver."

Alisar nodded, accepting the payment.

"Yeah, I earned more this time. A lot more than last time," he thought, gripping the coin pouch tightly.

He couldn’t help but recall that night when his money had been taken — when he had been beaten nearly to death.
Now, he had no intention of losing it so foolishly again.

Without lingering, he left the guild and headed toward the shops surrounding the building.
There were plenty of stores catering specifically to adventurers: weapons, armor, food, tools — everything one might need on a journey.

Alisar entered the largest shop that immediately caught his eye.
He figured that if the store was big, the selection would be better too.

The shop he entered was indeed large.
A spacious hall, high ceilings, rows of gear — from weapons and armor to travel kits and potions.
Several clerks worked there. One of them — an older man, around sixty, with a confident posture and calm voice — was the first to notice Alisar.

"Welcome. Looking to buy something?" he asked with a friendly smile. "We have everything an adventurer might need."

Alisar nodded and followed him into the depths of the hall.

About half an hour passed.

When he left the store, a heavy bag of long-lasting food hung over his shoulder, and in his hands he carried a sword in simple but sturdy scabbard.
He was already wearing a light leather armor set — the clerk had helped him try it on and adjust it right there on the spot.

The food had cost him 55 silver — a reasonable price.
But the sword and armor... that was another matter.

"This gear is from the dungeon," the old man had said, pointing to the sword and armor.
"It’s reliable, durable, won’t break on the first hit. We rarely get pieces like these. That’s why they’re pricey."

The sword — 12 gold.
The light armor — another 6.

"18 gold... That’s almost everything I had," Alisar thought as he left the store.

He looked at the sword in his hand and at the tightly strapped armor on his chest.

"They say dungeon gear is much better than the regular stuff. I hope it’s worth it."

He walked back toward the inn.
But somewhere deep inside, a lingering unease smoldered.

"Was I… scammed?.. No, probably not," he tried to shake off the doubt.
"I just don’t know the prices. Weapons are supposed to be expensive… probably."