100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?-Chapter 44 - Arrival

The Next Day

A new month had begun.

June arrived bringing with it a quiet sense of change.

Excitement still lingered in the air.

Construction on the wall continued in full swing and everyone was lively and full of energy.

Remembering a promise he had nearly forgotten, Lucien took the time to hand out notes on Basic Magic Spells.

To Cecil, the Craftsman Division... and Sebas who had awakened the Ice Attribute.

He called the three.

Sebas, Cecil, Elk.

And handed them the notes personally.

Their eyes lit up with gratitude.

Sebas, especially, looked as though something had ignited within him. A renewed resolve burned in his chest.

He wanted to get stronger for Lucien’s sake.

He could feel it. He was close to reaching Tier 7.

With that done, Lucien left them to continue their work and quietly made his way to the special crops.

There, another surprise awaited him.

The plants had grown flower stalks.

Even the carrots which were supposed to be biennial, had developed stalks already. It was unexpected but not unwelcome.

He suspected the change had something to do with the blocks of soil crystals he had buried nearby. Clearly, they were affecting the crops in a powerful way.

The stalks looked ready to bloom at any moment.

However, Lucien’s brow furrowed with concern.

Pollination.

Because of the nature of the crops, bees couldn’t approach them. That posed a problem.

Lucien crossed his arms and stared at the swaying stalks.

"I’ll deal with it later," he muttered, turning away for now.

Lucien decided to set aside his concerns about the crops for now and focus on something more immediate.

Practicing Ice Magic.

He had come to enjoy the process of casting spells.

There was an exhilarating sensation each time he performed them as if he could physically feel himself growing stronger with every attempt.

Even though Perfect Calculation had faded, it no longer mattered. He had gained enough control over his Divine Energy to continue progressing.

After some time, he ventured into the dungeon to test out his new magic spells.

The elemental magic proved especially effective against slimes.

He’d first noticed this when he defeated the Rainbow Slime Boss, realizing that elemental attacks were a reliable way to deal with these creatures.

Now, in the dungeon’s second floor, Lucien aimed to put his skills to the test.

He cast a basic Ice Needle spell. It was a concentrated ice projectile.

He fired it at an enemy.

But he quickly realized there was room for improvement.

It was difficult to hit a moving target with precision. The spell was effective but not as reliable as he had hoped.

The Fireball, on the other hand, proved far more useful in these situations. The large ball of fire would melt the gooey slimes, leaving only their Mana Cores behind.

Lucien couldn’t tell if the Fireball’s effectiveness was because of fire magic itself or the fact that his Fireball was infused with Divine Energy.

Lucien continued practicing, going on another killing spree deep within the dungeon until he suddenly felt it...

The Divine Energy stored in his core was running low.

He wasn’t too worried. It would naturally recover over time and consumables like Honey and other drops could help speed up regeneration.

Still, he stopped before it ran out completely.

By then, he had reached Level 29.

His mana core collection had grown significantly... over 12,000 lowest-level mana cores and 7 low-level ones now sat in his inventory.

The slimes on the second floor also dropped lowest-level mana cores.

What did disappoint him though, was the lack of legendary loot from the slimes on the first floor... even after surpassing the 10,000-kill mark.

It seemed that only bosses or higher-tier monsters had a chance to drop legendary items.

Still, it wasn’t a total loss.

He managed to collect several epic-tier items.

Gelatin Shields and Sticky Boots.

Both had solid utility in combat.

***

—INVENTORY—

Assets:

• 7 Low-Level Mana Cores

• 12,345 Lowest-Level Mana Cores

• 1,697 Gold Coins (1 gold coin = 10 silver coins/100 copper coins)

• 5 Silver Coins (1 silver coin = 10 copper coins)

• 2 Copper Coins

...

***

•••

Around Noon

In the distance, a line of large carriages slowly emerged from the forest.

The construction came to a halt as everyone turned to look.

It was... the tax caravan.

"They finally arrived," someone muttered.

There were about ten caravans in total, their wheels creaking under the weight of whatever they carried.

Among them was a familiar face.

Kael.

He was chatting cheerfully with the escorts, laughing as if they’d known each other for years.

Finally.

Everyone moved to welcome the group.

But the newcomers stopped short, stunned by what they saw.

The towering wall of Lootwell loomed in the distance.

Imposing.

Solid.

Nothing like the humble place they remembered.

Some of them even began to wonder if they had taken the wrong path.

Kael quickly cast a Space Magic Spell to confirm their location.

"This is definitely Lootwell," he assured the others.

Still, even he looked around with wide eyes, clearly shocked by how much had changed.

They didn’t even have time to fully process the transformation of Lootwell before an old, commanding voice cut through the air.

Maxim stepped forward.

"Where are your manners? Can’t you see we’re working here? Park the carriages over there and get back to help!" he barked at his escorts without hesitation.

In that moment, Maxim seemed to have completely forgotten the caravan’s actual purpose.

Collecting taxes.

But no one questioned him.

The escorts scrambled at once. They were clearly used to following his orders without protest.

Even Kael paused. He was momentarily overwhelmed by Maxim’s sheer presence.

Without a word, he moved to help as well.

The carriages were quickly parked and the once-formal tax collectors found themselves hauling materials and stacking blocks like the rest of the workers.

And just like that, additional hands joined the construction.

And not just any hands...

These escorts were powerful. Many of them radiated strong mana traces. Their presence was a welcome boost to the team and the pace of the wall’s construction surged forward once more.

Soon after, Lucien arrived at the construction site and immediately stopped in his tracks.

He blinked... surprised.

Familiar faces.

Maxim’s personal escorts... The noble guards meant for protection... Were working alongside his subjects...

Hauling materials.

Laying the cube concretes.

Mixing cement.

Channeling mana.

...Like it was their duty.

Even Kael was there, lifting cubes and stacking them with the others.

Lucien couldn’t help but laugh,.

He quickly pieced together what must have happened.

"It looks like the wall will be finished sooner than we thought," he muttered with a grin.

Right now, the team was focused on molding the main entrance.

They were using special molds to shape the more intricate curved sections. The design was clean, sturdy and surprisingly elegant.

Exactly to Lucien’s taste.

On either end of the entrance, watchtowers were beginning to take shape.

They stood tall and proud.

To Lucien, they symbolized something more.

A man’s dream of fortification, strength and legacy.

He nodded in satisfaction.

The construction was moving quickly.... almost too quickly. But the quality didn’t suffer.

The materials drawn from monster drops were more durable than anything he’d known in his previous life.

Lucien stood quietly.

He watched the workers mix Slime Cement.

The rhythm of it.

The rolling.

The shoveling.

The wet slap of mortar

It... brought a strange peace to his mind.

There was something deeply satisfying about it.

It reminded him of his past life.

"Weirdly satisfying!" he declared out loud with a smirk. He then raised a modern-looking Energy Drink which dropped from Solar Slimes.

He controlled his Divine Energy and put some ice in it.

And... he took a long swig.

•••

The new additions to the team proved to be incredibly helpful.

Only now did Lucien fully realize just how powerful Maxim’s escorts were.

They ranged from Tier 5 to Tier 7. Elite warriors by any standard.

It became clear that these men weren’t ordinary tax escorts. They were truly meant for Maxim’s personal protection.

Thanks to their presence, construction progress skyrocketed. They were nearly finished with the wall.

Wanting to show hospitality, Lucien called out to Sinep, their personal chef which also belongs to the Sustenance Division. freēnovelkiss.com

He asked him to prepare food for their guests.

As an assistant, Sinep requested the help of Aginav, their maid who also belonged to the Spiritual Division.

Despite the subtle changes in Aginav’s demeanor... most likely due to the influence of Clara... She and Sinep were holding up well.

Without hesitation, the two set off to prepare a proper meal.

With that taken care of, Lucien turned to Maxim.

"Uncle Max.The tax is due," he said. "Since the caravan is already here, I’d like to hand it over."

Maxim nodded then called out to his escorts.

"Bring the caravans inside."

Lucien, along with Sebas and Cecil, led Maxim and his escorts toward the Storage House.

As they walked, Maxim spoke casually.

"Nephew, there’s no need to rush the tax. I could easily report to the king that you faced a disaster. You’d be exempted."

Lucien smiled. "Don’t worry about it, Uncle Max. We’ve already set the tax aside."

Maxim nodded in approval though a glimmer of curiosity flickered in his eyes.

When they arrived and the Storage House doors opened, even Maxim’s usual composure cracked.

Inside were massive crops.

Humongous carrots and radishes.

They were unlike anything they had ever seen.

"This..." Maxim blinked. Then he laughed heartily. "Nephew! How many more times are you going to surprise me? Haha! Good, good. I’ve done the math. Perfect amount as usual. You and your father really know how to divide. It’s perfect."

With just one look, Maxim knew everything was in order. Perfect Calculation had clearly played a role here.

His escorts, however, were still frozen in disbelief.

The crops were so large that even with ten caravans, it wasn’t clear if everything would fit.

Still, they didn’t complain.

It was only right that caravans were brought instead of just carriages.

Taxes from border territories were rarely in the form of coins. They typically came in the form of crops and ores, making space and preservation far more important than security.

They got to work immediately, carefully loading the massive vegetables onto the wagons.

Lucien glanced at the wagons being filled one by one.

Each caravan was reinforced with Anti-Decay Magic to preserve the crops during transport.

"It must’ve cost a fortune," Lucien thought, silently impressed by the level of preparation.

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