The Frugal Mage

"A new dungeon beast?" Rayven repeated. This was an important matter, and he didn't get more information about this beast.

Guildmaster Warren set his teacup down and nodded.

"That's right… Up until now, the primary threat was the Skitterfangs. They were vicious enough in packs, but manageable. They're only Lesser Beasts, after all."

Rayven nodded. According to Drosk and the others, the Skitterfangs were indeed quite difficult to deal with, but that was because of their hard shells.

Bladed weapons wouldn't penetrate it easily. So, swordsmen or other blade users would have a harder time defeating it compared to those who use blunt weapons.

Of course, magic spells were the most effective, especially the ones that could ignore defense or hard shells like Magic Missile.

Warren continued, his voice low. "Two days ago, one of the Silver-Rank teams that entered deeper into the dungeon encountered something else. It was smaller than Skitterfangs, but more armored, with bladed wings and a stinger that could pierce steel. The appraisers of the guild called it Razorwing Stalker. Unlike Skitterfangs, this one is a Greater Beast. They're faster, more intelligent, and capable of hunting even while adventurers are grouped and defended. Many silver-ranked parties lost their members before they managed to escape."

Rayven gently nodded as he knew that a Greater Beast inside the dungeon meant the danger had already escalated…

Encountering one outside the dungeon might be a lot easier, but there were a lot to consider when they were within the confines of the dungeon.

"Does this mean the dungeon could have an Elite Beast or even higher than that?" Rayven asked.

Warren nodded… "Not confirmed… But we're expecting that the core guardian should be an Elite Beast or even an Alpha Beast… There's no need to worry about Lord Beasts, though…"

"I see…" Rayven took note of it since his 'common' rank spells were definitely not a great match for Elite Beasts.

"The truth is, we don't know how deep the dungeon goes. Only about forty percent of its passages have been mapped and explored. The rest remains uncharted. But with a Greater Beast already sighted, it's certain the deeper regions hide even deadlier threats."

The Guildmaster sighed since their Hesa City's Adventurers Guild lacked the number of Mages they could mobilize…

As a matter of fact, Rayven was their ninth registered Adventurer Mage within the city with a population of over four hundred thousand…

So it was no wonder that the Guildmaster was taking care of Rayven as much as he could.

"Which brings us to the real issue. In five days' time, the Kingdom itself will be moving. Various large organizations, each backed by noble houses and the Royal Family, will send their own expeditionary forces into the dungeon. At that point, smaller adventurer groups won't be allowed unrestricted access anymore. The dungeon will essentially become 'occupied,' and exploration rights will fall under the Kingdom's jurisdiction until they confirm that this dungeon doesn't have any evil forces…"

Rayven already heard about these other groups entering the dungeon, so he wasn't too surprised about it.

"Five days, huh…" Rayven muttered.

"Yes," Warren confirmed. "If you and your party wish to enter freely, now is the time. You can avoid all other taxes you have to pay during this time as well. After that, it won't be impossible to enter, but permissions will be tightly controlled. And naturally, the treasures will mostly be claimed by the organizations involved…"

This was Rayven's first time getting involved in dungeon exploration, so he wasn't too aware of how it works.

Nonetheless, he was curious about these organizations involved, since even the Adventurers Guild's members would have limited access to it.

Rayven then asked the Guildmaster about it.

"One of them is the Arcanum Circle, a mage association directly tied to the royal court. The Magicblade Order, one of the largest knightly guilds in the kingdom… There's also the Velmoria's Alchemist Association, who are after rare materials… And lastly, the Royal Family itself will be sending a chosen unit under the Crown Prince's banner. With so many powers converging, even the Adventurers Guild won't have much say left once they arrive."

Rayven wryly smiled after hearing this.

'No wonder…'

This truly meant that their window of opportunity was limited and dangerous.

"I see… Thank you for the warning, Guildmaster."

Warren just shrugged as he finished his tea… "Just make sure you're prepared. The Gray Ring Squad has talent, but dungeons don't care about rank or pride. Remember that."

After their meeting, Rayven finally left.

When he stepped back into the guild's main lobby, he made his way toward a quieter corner to wait for the members of the Gray Ring Squad.

***

Of course, Rayven didn't waste his time simply waiting. Instead, he decided to check his system.

Coinbound System… open Suggestion Menu.

At once, the familiar menu appeared before him.

[ Basic Suggestion: 3 Gold Coins ]

[ Combo Strategy: 5 Gold Coins ]

[ Personalized Spell Path Guidance: 300 Gold Coins (Available Now) ]

Rayven's eyes focused on the last option. The Personalized Spell Path Guidance had only become available after his purchase of his 7th Spell.

He had already collected Mana Flick, Appraisal I, Detect Mana Source I, Telekinesis I, Mana Pulse I, Stone Skin, and the seventh spell, Gust Step.

That was enough to unlock this unique guidance.

His current balance was 534 gold coins. The number sounded like wealth to the average person, especially when most families could survive a month on five silver coins. But for the System, it was hardly a fortune.

'Three hundred coins… But I really need to know this… I have no teacher. It's better to learn this now, or I might regret it in the future.'

He hesitated only for a moment since it was a massive investment.

But if it gave him clarity, direction, and an actual path to reach higher tiers of magic, it would be worth more than any short-term spell purchase.

Rayven took a deep breath…

'If I keep fumbling without a path, I'll never get far enough. This could save me years of wasted time. Right… This is fine.'

Finally, he selected the Personalized Spell Path Guidance and paid for its price…