Not every writer would say this, but most writers have something known as an awakening form.
Even someone who boasted about writing 1,000 characters in an hour would find themselves able to write two to three times faster when deadlines approached, as if they were suddenly using direct breathing techniques.
I call this a sort of awakening mode. If used well, it greatly helps with regular serialization; however…
If you exceed the deadline too much, you might just give up, so it must be used carefully.
Ah, saying that I could just focus in the morning and finish it quickly while enjoying life until the deadline shouldn’t be mentioned.
I’m not the type to work like everybody else; I’m the reckless kind who thinks of making a living through writing.
I might have strayed from the point, but that’s the gist of it.
I’m a reckless human who can go all in on an unknown talent just because I like it.
It means I can exert more than usual when deadlines get close.
Sometimes, I genuinely surprise myself with my nonsensical ideas.
“Three-day speed run? Sure, let’s give it a try!”
Just like right now.
“Jonah, can you really do this? It seems too reckless even to me. Do you have any plan or something?”
“Of course, Benny. The plan is simple. We enter the Fourth Floor, smash all the unholy undead, get strong, and join the Guardian Slayer party. Done! How easy is that?”
“…That’s not what you call a plan!”
Benny was stamping her feet, crying out, but I meant it. This is the best plan I could come up with.
What do I have? A situation I must face and only the will to succeed.
“This is crazy… Jonah, I know you’re stubborn, but in this situation…? Huh? This isn’t the path to the Labyrinth. Where are we stopping by?”
“Yeah. Just a quick stop at the Cradle Association?”
Well, in a situation like this, wouldn’t we have to go all out?
I’m thinking of pulling together whatever I can, even if it means sacrificing credit, reputation, or the stability of my future.
Only, I’m scared to endanger my future, so I might end up risking someone else’s.
As soon as I arrived at the Cradle Association, I burst into the head of the guild’s office with a wealth of bravado (not really) comparable to a Basilieus.
Then, slamming my hands firmly onto the desk, I said.
Boom!
“Rosemary, you have money saved up, right? Hand it over!”
“……Why are you suddenly breaking in and demanding emergency funds like a gambling addict wife from a hapless husband?”
“I’m saying it literally! Hand over the money!”
“That’s robbery!”
In disbelief, I activated all my beauty powers, including the Avatar of Love, and spoke again.
“Money, please?”
“Cough! Even if you say it like that, I won’t fall for it, you serpent!”
Cheh.
If this doesn’t work, there’s only one method left.
“Waaah! Jonah doesn’t know! Give me money! All of it! Now!”
As I lay on the floor flailing my limbs, Rosemary stared at me in shock.
By the way, Benny, feeling embarrassed, was covering her face, while Shadow seemed to be enjoying the mess, flapping around beside me.
One occasionally visible person had charming teeth that looked like they could easily filet someone.
After a while of throwing a fit, Rosemary sighed deeply and asked.
“Just what is going on? No matter what, asking for all my property is hard to accept, but if it’s necessary, I can give you what I can spare… After all, thanks to you, Jonah, the Cradle Association has continued to exist, and one day, all elves will as well.”
“Hmmm. Actually, I have a reason to clear the Fourth Floor faster this time…”
I didn’t intend to explain the gacha system in detail. However, I did casually mention that I could borrow power from the Goddess of Love by performing a certain ceremony, and the more money I put into the ceremony, the more effective it would be.
Seemingly understanding the situation, Rosemary nodded.
“I see. It’s similar to how large-scale prayer is conducted periodically at the Temple, or how special ceremonies are carried out to maintain miracles. But how is it possible for someone like you, who is not a clergy?”
“Oh, it’s because I’m a saint of the Goddess of Love.”
“Aha. I get it. If you’re a saint, then it would make sense… Huh?!”
Rosemary, who had been calmly nodding, suddenly spasmed as if witnessing a live platypus.
Is this the reality shock of seeing a platypus? This is troublesome. I’ll have to knock some sense into her.
Just as I was about to sneak up and lift one hand, surprisingly, Rosemary regained her composure and shouted.
“W-W-Why are you suddenly telling me this?!”
“Well, just in case I get dragged away by a corrupted Pope and burned at the stake while impersonating a saint, I’d like to take you down with me as an accomplice?”
“Did you say the Pope is corrupted?! Ah, no, more importantly, did you just call me an accomplice?! You evil thing! Where in the world are you a saint?! No matter how you look at it, you’re a demon!”
“But aren’t I cute?”
“Cough… You think I would fall for that…?”
“Eh-hem.”
I carefully approached and gently cupped Rosemary’s cheeks with my hands. Then I asked again in a softly lowered voice.
“Really not going to help?”
“…….”
Rosemary was genuinely hesitating.
Maybe it’s because I often saw her using beautification tactics on Ellie, Benny and Shadow were casually pulling out snacks from behind me.
To keep her immersed, I pretended to step forward and blocked her view.
“It wouldn’t be to your disadvantage, you know? If I grow stronger, it would be a good thing for the elves. Especially for the Cradle Association, which has a close relationship with me. This is somewhat of an investment.”
“An, investment?”
“Exactly. A long-term investment favored by elves. I mean, it wouldn’t take that long. At most 10 years? By the way, only Eve knows this information among the elves, so it’s proof that I have a close aide.”
“10 years… bottom buying….”
Oh, she even expressed the act of helping someone weak as bottom buying.
It’s not wrong, but it’s funny since it’s very elvish.
After a time full of contemplation, Rosemary slowly opened her mouth.
“Can you tell me more about the situation? Knowing more would likely help.”
A polite acceptance of my offer. With a grin at the corners of my mouth, I answered.
“Lady Lydia has been kidnapped, and I need to clear the Fourth Floor within three days to rescue her.”
“…Who in the world is behind this, and did you already clear the Third Floor?”
I briefly explained the situation to the bewildered Rosemary.
Etc., etc., it ended up being a platypus.
Seemingly grasping the situation, Rosemary nodded.
“I understand, then. You want to gather all your strength to clear the Fourth Floor in one go and gain adjusted growth stats as a result?”
“Bingo. That’s correct.”
Naturally, speed runs lead to achievements. And the Labyrinth rewards those who achieve something generously.
Of course, if I focused solely on growth and clearing, my overall specs might improve, but my skills wouldn’t catch up.
Ultimately, I’d end up being a strong fool struggling in the next layer, but… I’m slightly different.
My finesse already surpasses my physical abilities.
After a long consideration, Rosemary finally spoke.
“I can provide the money. However, investments should be done with spare funds, not by selling off the main pillars of your household. Moreover, since the guild is currently in a growth phase, we have many expenses, so a large amount is out of the question. To put it simply, about 200 gold should be manageable.”
“That’s enough. It’s not money I have to pay back, right?”
“…Investment funds are investment funds. Is there anyone who would insist on paying back what they consider debts?”
“Well, there are.”
I’ve seen a few instances of that on Earth.
For a moment, I shrugged. Rosemary looked at me with the expression of a parent urging the poor author, who had just stepped outside after a month, to study hard to become an adult.
“Stay away from such people if they exist. They likely aren’t proper traders.”
“Don’t worry, I’m already bound to Eden through a contract.”
“…You came to seek investment from the Cradle Association after binding a contract with Eden?”
“Don’t worry, Eve will be generous!”
As I winked, Rosemary shuddered and leaned back.
“You little serpent….”
Though she said that, she eventually chuckled.
“Anyway, I’ll give you the gold now, so wait for it. I won’t ask for repayment, but I would like you to promote us worth 200 gold worth in substance.”
“It’ll be an easy task since I’m going to stir things up in the Fourth Floor anyway.”
“If I could, I’d want to at least rent you some higher magical equipment to maximize the impact…”
“You know that if you receive help from gear that far exceeds your abilities, it won’t be recognized as an achievement.”
“True. But take this instead.”
Rosemary took out a heavy pouch of gold and a small potion vial.
“What’s this?”
“When you drink it, you’ll emit light from your body.”
“?”
“If someone shining like that massacres monsters, all eyes would certainly be drawn towards you. The advertising effect is guaranteed.”
“This is insane… Are you serious?”
“Yeah. You’re going to drink this potion during the Guardian Slayer hunt, and that’s the condition for the investment.”
“…….”
Under normal circumstances, I would have refused. Prioritizing avoiding being noticed would have taken precedence.
However, thanks to the earlier incident with the Cradle Association, my name has become widely known. Now I’m the super genius beautiful boy Jonah, so I figured it would be alright.
“Deal. Hand it over right now.”
And off I go to roll the gacha.
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