Wade sat before the cluttered table, his arms folded as he surveyed the mountain of glittering stones and weapons still waiting for his attention.

The coins and daggers were already neatly stacked to one side, but there were still more to be sorted out.

He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Alright," he muttered to himself, lips curving in a faint grin. "Let's finish this."

He started with the piles of stat stones, small, thumb-sized crystals glowing in faint shades of blue.

They were simple stones, nothing flashy, but they represented something invaluable. Growth.

He counted them again just to be sure. Forty. Each one worth a single stat point. Each one costs an insignificant sum on its own.

Together, worth about four thousand coins. Not much compared to everything else he'd earned, but every penny meant profit.

He picked one up, rolling it between his fingers.

"Worth every bit of mana," he murmured.

Selling them might be tempting, but he needed the points more than the coins. The stronger he got, the less he'd need to rely on anyone else.

He closed his fist around the stone and crushed it.

Light spilled through his fingers like liquid, seeping into his veins. A surge of energy raced through his body. Not painful, but sharp, like every nerve was waking up at once.

The sensation lasted only a second, then faded, leaving behind a warmth that hummed through his muscles.

He didn't stop. One by one, he crushed the rest.

Each stone dissolved with a faint pop of sound, feeding his body and mind until he could practically feel the strength threading into him.

By the time the last one vanished, his chest rose and fell with slow, deliberate breaths.

"Forty points," he said, voice soft with satisfaction. "Let's put them to use."

He called up his status screen, quickly assigning all available points.

Then, he leaned back in his chair to observe his handiwork.

His stats, devoid of every gear boosting any stats.

[Name: Wade Barrett]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Dimensional Merchant]

[Origin Skill: Dimensional Ledger]

[Level: 7]

[Exp: 44%]

[HP: 360 / 360]

[MP: 390 / 390]

[Strength: 70]

[Agility: 65]

[Perception: 65]

[Constitution: 50]

[Stat Points: 0]

[Skills: Observe, Conceal, Inventory, Exchange, Basic Ward, Short Step, Aegis of Reflection, Fireburst, Steel Skin, Chain Step, Mana Siphon, Focus Sight, Stone Skin, Bone Wings]

He smiled, pride flickering in his eyes.

These numbers weren't beginner stats anymore.

Every attribute he'd built up was finally forming a balance. Strength, speed, awareness, endurance, all working together instead of pulling him in different directions.

And best of all, he'd finally reached the requirements for one of his most anticipated skills.

He opened the details for Bone Wings, his eyes drifting downwards to the requirements.

[Requirements: 70 Strength, 50 Constitution, 50 Perception, 50 Agility]

He met every one of them.

A grin stretched across his face, wild and satisfied. "Finally," he whispered.

He could almost picture it. Skeletal wings of gleaming white bone unfurling behind him, carrying him over battlefields and dungeons.

The mobility advantage alone was enough to change his fighting style.

He closed the screen, and turned to the remaining piles on the table.

Next were the Mana Stones and Health Stones. Each pile shimmered faintly, one red and one blue. Forty each, identical in shape and size to the stat stones, but much more valuable.

He stared at them, thinking.

Each stone added a single point to its respective pool. In total, they'd add eighty points, forty HP, forty MP, which was a tempting offer.

With each stone being priced at 300 coins, they were worth about 24,000 coins combined, but money wasn't what made them precious.

It was that they couldn't be replaced easily.

He turned one of the blue stones over in his hand.

He knew the rules. Adventurers could only absorb twenty stones' worth of enhancement per level.

He'd already used up forty points from the eighty he was allowed due to his level up to level 7 with the stat stones.

If he used these, he'd waste that potential space.

He set them aside. They'd sell well, or maybe he could trade them for something rarer. Either way, he wasn't going to waste them.

That left the final two items. The Skill Stones he'd gotten from the hydra.

Wade's gaze fell on them, and he smiled. Bone Spike and Fire Conversion.

"These two," he said softly, picking them up, one in each hand. "You're not going anywhere."

He rolled the Bone Spike stone between his fingers, recalling what it did. The ability to generate and shoot bone spikes from his body.

It was versatile, deadly, and perfect for someone like him who specialized in quick, aggressive strikes.

He squeezed it.

The stone cracked, light bursting forth, surging into him.

[New Skill Acquired: Bone Spike!]

Then he turned his attention to Fire Conversion.

This one made him grin even before he absorbed it.

The ability to take fire damage and turn it into speed. Combined with Fireburst, he'd be able to supercharge his attacks, darting across battlefields like a flame given form.

He crushed it without hesitation.

[New Skill Acquired: Fire Conversion!]

He took a deep breath, his grin widening. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Wade stood there for a moment, just soaking it all in.

Coins. Gear. Stones. Skills. Every bit of it had come from a dungeon he'd cleared alone.

The Bone Key had been worth its weight in gold, and with nine uses left, he was far from done.

He glanced down at the table again, now far neater than before. The remaining loot gleamed faintly.

"Not bad for a week's work," he said, chuckling. "Fairchild's not gonna believe how fast I'm paying him back."

He dumped the sorted loot into his inventory.

Then, satisfied, he stretched his arms above his head. His back cracked audibly, the tension finally melting away.

His stomach rumbled.

"Guess I've earned a real meal," he muttered.

He went to his small kitchen and got to work.

It wasn't much, just a simple stew of potatoes, smoked meat, and vegetables, but after everything, it tasted like heaven.

When he was done, he cleaned up, washed his dishes, and let himself collapse into the chair by the table.

The day passed quietly, and he spent it drifting in and out of sleep.

By the time he woke again, night had fallen. The street outside was bathed in the warm orange glow of lanterns.

Wade stood, stretching lazily. "Time to make some sales."

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