Chapter 69: First-Clear Challenge
Two days had passed since the Outer Corrupted Forest dungeon had opened, and just last night, Ryan finally hit level 15—the minimum requirement to enter it. He’d logged off right after, exhausted but satisfied.
Now, though, each level required a staggering amount of experience. At level 15, Ryan needed 110,000 XP just to reach level 16. And with how slowly monster experience scaled, it felt like a grind. A level 15 monster only gave around 150 XP, which meant he’d need to kill over 700 of them to level up once. Worse, each fight took more than ten seconds now—far from the days of slicing through level 10 mobs like butter.
Even with quests factored in, his best XP rate barely reached 20,000 per hour. It was a slow, uphill climb.
That morning, Ryan woke up early—not to dive back into the game, but for something far more pressing. He had to go house-hunting.
He couldn’t stand staying another day in that broken-down dump they called home. Last night, the air conditioner had finally given out, turning the house into a sauna. None of them got much sleep, and now Ryan was running on fumes, head pounding from heat and fatigue.
All night, he’d been reassuring his two weary sisters: As long as the house we see tomorrow is remotely livable, we’re moving in. No more waiting.
So, after a quick breakfast, he left the house under their hopeful gazes.
Ryan millions in his account now. Part of him wanted to just buy a villa outright and be done with it—to give his sisters the life they deserved. But he wasn’t ready for that yet. Not while certain people still had eyes on him. The time to really enjoy his wealth would come later, when he no longer had to look over his shoulder.
The rental the real estate agent showed him turned out to be surprisingly great—clean, spacious, and a massive upgrade from their old place. And the rent was reasonable, too. If he paid six months up front, the monthly rate dropped from $2,200 to $2,000. Not bad at all.
The apartment came fully furnished and ready to move into. All they needed to bring were their clothes. Ryan called his sisters immediately and told them to start packing.
He also had the agency order a fresh set of personal items—bedding, toiletries, essentials. Everything arrived before his sisters even got there. The bill came to just under three grand. Not bad for the peace of mind it bought.
It was a three-bedroom unit with a shared living room, giving each of them their own space. That alone made Ryan feel more at ease. When Mia and the others arrived, he handed out room assignments like a host showing off his first real home.