How To Make Money

"A new Supervisor, huh...?" Jay murmured, aloof. Once he stepped outside, he would immediately hear people talk about it. Even the media would not switch topics. Nobody could escape the news—news about a Supervisor being defeated a few days ago.

Apparently, while Jay was escorting Luna and her party during their quest to defeat a Haunting Tree, the Supervisor of the Theater Section was defeated by a still unknown person. Jay, too, knew that Supervisors were one of—if not even the strongest—entities inside the tower, so being able to beat one would mean that the winner of that match had to be someone prominent inside the tower. After all, there was no way for such a ridiculously strong person to fall under the radar.

But at the same time, winning against a Supervisor also meant that they had to step down from their position and hand the title of a Supervisor to the winner. In the history of the tower, the number of times something like that happened could be counted with one hand. Therefore, it was no wonder that the whole tower was in an uproar. They did not even bother that much with the person's identity, as they were too shocked about a Supervisor losing.

"Whoa... Defeating a Supervisor sure is a pretty big deal..." Luna said, impressed. Together with Jay and Erik, she stood in line for the hunting fields. And while waiting, she noticed all the people around them were glued to their phones, talking about the recent news.

Erik, who knew about it before the public did, remained composed.

"I heard from Jay that you formed a party with other beginners. Where are they today?" he asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

"They said they wanted to get stronger first before continuing with the next quests. It was also just a temporary party." Luna answered, chuckling wryly. Even though they showed good teamwork, the others felt like they would only drag down Luna if they were to continue that party.

"I see. Well, that happens a lot among newly formed parties, so don't get too hung up on that." Erik said. He noticed that Luna tried to play it cool, although she was a bit sad that her temporary party had to end like that. Whereas Nina and the others only had good intentions with the party's breakup, Luna wanted to keep going a little longer. She did not say it out loud, but she had fun in that short time they operated as a team.

Luna nodded softly.

"It's you again, huh?"

When it was their turn to register for today's entry, a grumpy knight greeted them—the same knight they encountered when they first took Luna to the hunting fields for her first quest. He directed his fierce glare at Jay, who just returned an oblivious smile at him.

He heaved a heavy sigh before he signaled Jay to enter without even checking his status window.

"Seems like you still remember us!" Erik commented in delight. He patted the knight's shoulder as if he were proud of him.

"Please continue to spare my friend from any check-ups! I'll take responsibility for him!" Erik added. He sounded threatening despite smiling at him.

The knight was uncomfortable and preferred not to cross paths with Erik and his people. However, he could not refuse Erik.

"I-instructor?!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them.

Jay, who was about to leave the station and walk up the stairs to enter the fields, turned around and saw a clumsy knight approaching him. Despite being a knight, that person seemed frail, but Jay did not forget that brown hair and those innocent, big eyes.

"Neil...?"

"Yes, it's me!"

It was Neil, the person who was bullied and then personally instructed by Jay during the Royal Knight Selection. Because the event was abruptly cancelled due to an attack, the two had not had the chance to meet since then.

"Wait... You passed the exam?" Jay asked, astonished. It appeared like some people still managed to qualify as a knight despite the event's cancellation. Luna, for example, was one of those people.

"Yes! Sir Vander decided to hold an improvised special exam right after his discharge, and I managed to pass it!" Neil answered with a beaming smile. Schedule-wise, the knight order could only hold the event twice a year and only for a week. If they had to cancel it completely, they had to wait for the next event in order to recruit cadets. Thus, it was decided to hold a special exam as a way to compensate for the missing days of the event.

Jay smirked, proud and happy that Neil managed to pass the event and become a knight.

"I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, instructor!"

Neil showed his gratitude, ignoring his surroundings and the stares he received. It was just a short time, but Jay helped him in a lot of ways.

"If you ever need something, then tell me! I will do everything I can!" Neil stated, fixing his posture and showing a vibe fitting for a knight for the first time.

Normally, Jay would decline as he did not like to command others around or use favors, but he could not argue back while looking at Neil's firm eyes.

"Don't regret those words later." Jay joked before Erik and Luna joined him. The two greeted Neil with a small nod and then ascended the stairs to the hunting fields.

However, as soon as they arrived outside, something strange occurred. Most of the time, a person would encounter a monster, like a slime or a Killer Rabbit, once they were close to the forest where most of the monsters resided. People had to walk about 20 minutes until they arrived at the forest, meaning that for 20 minutes, the odds of encountering a monster were low.

And yet, the moment they resurfaced, Jay and the others sighted monsters everywhere already. Slimes were camping near the entrance, and many Challengers were fighting the horde of Killer Rabbits not far away from the slimes.

"What's going on here...?" Erik muttered, furrowing his eyebrows.

"J-Jay, look!" Luna shouted nervously, pointing at slowly moving monsters.

"Even Haunting Trees?" Jay gasped.

Haunting Trees were usually located inside the forest, but now they were in the open, and in groups.

"Please hold on a little longer! Reinforcement is coming!" one of the stationed knights announced desperately as they also had to help out in combat.

While everyone was moving, the trio was still frozen.

"What should we do?" Luna asked, overwhelmed by the number of monsters and the chaos they brought with them.

"Let's join the fight." Jay replied bluntly as if it were the obvious thing to say.

"This isn't what I expected, but in the end it's even more convenient for you, I guess?" Erik remarked.

Luna's shoulders dropped as she followed the two guys.

[Current Quest (5/100): Earn three gold coins.]

Her gaze switched from her status window to the monsters around them. After defeating a Haunting Tree, her next quest was to earn money. However, just like in the outside world, a new place meant that there was another currency. Inside the tower, there was no dollar, euro, or won. Instead, they used copper, silver, and gold coins to purchase things.

Erik had explained it to her briefly, saying that one gold coin was equivalent to 100 silver coins. 100 silver coins were the same as 10000 copper coins, whereas that amount translated into 100 dollars in the outside world.

"Which one do you want to go for, Luna?" Jay asked as he looked at the monsters.

The trio was on the hunting fields to hunt monsters and trade them for money—or rather, Luna had to. Erik and Jay only tagged along to observe and meddle in if it became dangerous. However, Luna had to do most of the work as it was her quest. Money not earned by her would not count.

There were many options to earn money in this section. One could choose a job that also existed in the outside world, like working in a convenience store or in a restaurant. On the other hand, one could also choose a job that was exclusive to the tower, like working in a guild or as a potion maker. But in Luna's case, she chose to hunt monsters.

"Hmm..."

Luna looked at the monsters. There were some she was not familiar with yet. Some looked weaker, and some stronger. However, it was for the best to keep it simple.

"Maybe I'll go for them first." Luna said, sneaking toward the Killer Rabbits. It was an enemy she was familiar with, and who would earn a good amount of money.

"That's a good choice." Erik affirmed.

A Haunting Tree would earn her 30 silver coins, while a Killer Rabbit would only earn her 5 silver coins. Still, it was the safer option to start with Killer Rabbits than a Haunting Tree, which would need a party to defeat it.

However, before she could take out her spear and ready herself for combat, she noticed the people around her getting noisier. Many of them gasped and cheered—almost as if a celebrity appeared.

Of course, as curious as she was, Luna turned around only to see a small group of people wearing clothes akin to traditional Japanese clothing with swords attached to their hips. She recalled that the Kilgen Police Force wore white haoris over their police uniform, but this time the group in front of her wore yukatas without mixing it with other kinds of styles. There were not more than ten people, and most of them wore the same yukata—gray with no patterns.

But one person was sticking out.

"So beautiful..." Luna muttered, amazed.

In the center of the group was a young woman with a slender figure. Her straight, navy blue hair reached her slim waist, and her fierce scarlet eyes captivated everyone who looked at her. Her skin was pale, and underneath her left eye was a mole.

That woman wore a yukata that matched her hair color with patterns of white flowers on the bottom right, and instead of having the sword attached to her hip, she held her sheathed sword in her hand.

"Is that who I think it is?" Jay asked wryly, noticing that trouble was coming their way. And unfortunately, Erik confirmed Jay's fear.

"It's Alice Kilgen."