While looking at the interface in front of them, Yohan wondered, "What do the HowlStone do?"

He touched the interface and clicked on that item.

[Material Name: Howlstone (Floor 1)

Tier: 3

Star Value: 8

Basic Effect(s): Enhances weapon or armor's Shock Absorption capabilities by 3% every each 1 HowlStone used during upgrading process.

Special effect(s): If 10 Howlstones are used at once on a certain weapon or armor during upgrading, it will gain Wave Release special effect.

Wave Release: Each hit on the armor or hitting something using the weapon, it will slowly build force. Upon reaching the threshold, the armor/Weapon will faintly glow white and after a 1 second delay, will release a sonic blast in 360° away from the user, stunning both allies and enemies for 1.2 seconds if they are caught in the blast.

Source: Gray Wolves

Description: A HowlStone variant found in floor 1]

"No shit, this is some mad impressive material," exclaimed Yohan.

"And we have two pieces of it?" Yuuki added, curiosity piqued. "What is Star Value, by the way?"

"Star Value? No idea. It wasn't a thing in the previous game. Maybe you should look it up in the Forums or the Library," replied Yohan.

Without hesitation, Yuuki turned to the [Eternal Library], hoping to find answers. Unfortunately, the search yielded no relevant information, only numerous questions raised in various forums. Some players, however, had interesting theories about it, considering that nothing in the previous game had any star value attached to equipment or items.

"Well, it looks like we'll need to gather more information about it. But for now, let's focus on finishing the quest and delivering these hearts," Yuuki suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan for the moment."

Leaving the Dungeon behind, they hurried into the nearby city, which wasn't too far away.

Upon arrival, they were met with a long line of people waiting to enter the gates.

"Ugh, seriously? This queue is ridiculous," Rumi groaned in frustration.

"Come on, don't be like that. The line seems to be moving at a decent pace. We'll get in soon enough," Yuuki reassured her.

Yohan accessed his interface and took out the token given by the old lady, holding it in his hand. "Let's just be patient, guys."

The queue was indeed moving smoothly and quickly, and before long, it was finally their turn.

Approaching the gate, they were met by two guards donning steel armor. One of the guards questioned them, "Your IDs, please?"

"ID?" Yohan exclaimed, caught off guard.

"Yeah, your ID. If you don't have one, you can get it inside for 100 salapi. Otherwise, you can pay 30 salapi for a visit pass, but it'll only be valid for three days. If you overstay, you'll be arrested," the guard explained.

"Um… how does this ID thing work?" Yohan inquired.

"It's for identification purposes throughout the Hasan Empire, of course, making it easier for us to keep track of everyone," the guard clarified.

"Um, excuse me, sir," Yohan said, addressing the guard. "An old lady gave us this token and asked us to show it to you." He then slowly presented the token to the guards.

The guard's eyes widened as he looked at the three of them, a mix of disbelief and seriousness in his expression. He immediately called out to the other guards beyond the gates, "Hey, you guys! Bring them in."

This caught the attention of the three, but they refrained from doing anything that could provoke a fight or make them appear as criminals, like drawing their weapons.

"W-what does this mean?" Yohan exclaimed, feeling apprehensive.

The guard answered as he opened the gate, "Just follow these two guards, and everything will be explained."

The two guards approached them, one gesturing for them to follow.

Feeling tense, they obediently trailed behind the guards as they walked through the city streets. The guard who spoke earlier started explaining the situation.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"You see, this is a serious matter for us. Do you know why we asked you to come with us?"

"I told you guys! We've been tricked! That old lady is a criminal!" Rumi protested.

"Criminal? Young lady, what are you saying?" the guard replied, puzzled.

"Eh?!"

The guard clarified, "You've misunderstood. Madam Elysa is currently busy at Wolves' Garden, so we are here to verify your identities and inspect your goods. Madam Elysa couldn't meet you personally, so we're conducting this inspection. Wolf Heart Stew is our Geneda City's signature dish, and almost everyone here enjoys it at least once a week. To make the best stews, we need high-quality hearts, hence the need for this inspection. Madam Elysa needs to focus on her work, so we're handling this matter to help her."

"So, I falsely accused her…?" Rumi realized, feeling remorseful.

"Yes, it seems that way, and it's not a good," the guard replied.

"I'm... really, terribly sorry," Rumi said, filled with regret.

"It's fine, this way," the guard gestured as they reached the back door of Wolves' Garden. "Just head inside."

"Oh! Brother Qol!" A man, who appeared to be the butcher, greeted them warmly.

"Brother Holek! We've got a delivery!" Qol announced.

They all entered the garden, and the butcher asked them to take out the wolf carcasses from their Inventory, but he was taken aback by their response.

"Um, we actually butchered them ourselves and already removed the hearts," Yuuki explained.

"You did it yourselves? And you didn't damage them?" the butcher inquired with surprise.

"No worries, sir. We're confident there's no damage. Yohan, show him," Yuuki replied with assurance.

"I got it," Yohan said, proceeding to empty his Inventory of the fresh wolf hearts. Time was halted inside the subspace of the Inventory, so the wolf hearts would never spoil, even if they were delivered thousands of years later.

The butcher examined the hearts and exclaimed, "Oh, wow, you guys really know how to butcher! Most of the climbers in the past just bring back the whole carcass because they don't know how to do it themselves. Thanks to your good skills, as a gesture of helping with my job, I'll even throw in an extra pay."

This news excited the three, but they tried to contain their emotions inwardly.

"I'll give you 45 for each heart, it should normally be just 30 though, but for you, I made the pay higher, and with 72 of them here… It should be…" The butcher paused, trying to calculate the total on a piece of paper.

"Three thousand two hundred forty," Yuuki quickly provided the answer.

Rumi's eyes widened. "Wow, you calculated that so fast!"

Yuuki shrugged modestly. "Oh, I just remembered it because I used a calculator to calculate it before."

"Wait, how long ago was that?"

"About... six years ago, I think?"

"Holy shit, you can remember something like this from that long ago?!" Rumi exclaimed in amazement.

"That seems to be right," the butcher said. "Sorry, I had to do the calculations myself to confirm that. Anyway, as I mentioned, I'll give you your pay. Just wait here." He then headed inside the door leading to the front area of the restaurant.

As they waited awkwardly, the guard named Qol complimented them, "You guys provided some really nice hearts, well done."

Yohan awkwardly thanked him, "Hehe... it's nothing, really. We're more grateful for the generous pay, to be honest."

"So, what's your plan after this?"

This time, Yuuki answered, "We might use the money to get better equipment and try to advance to floor 2."

"Floor 2, huh? Not everyone has the courage to become climbers. We're pretty much safe here for our whole lives. Our guarding jobs are mostly just for show, to maintain order. The real enforcement and apprehension of criminals are done by the Enforcer Drones in this city. They detect and apprehend lawbreakers."

"Really? Who controls these drones?" Yohan asked.

"The Enforcers. They're the ones who protect the populace."

"I see... So they work for the Hasan Empire?" Yohan inquired.

This question raised the guard's eyebrow, and he responded, "What? No, kid, have you been living under a rock? The Enforcers are the police force within the tower. They govern all 200 floors."

Embarrassed, Yohan scratched his head with a smile, "Ah, is that so…?."

Finally, the butcher returned, re-entering through the door he had previously exited. "Alright! I've got your pay." Blue pixels appeared, and a sack filled with Salapi materialized.

"Was that Inventory?" Rumi exclaimed with wide eyes.

"You guys really are something. You think only climbers have inventory? Didn't you use yours when you were young and not yet climbers?"

Holek interrupted, "Ah, stop it. Anyway, here's your pay. Now go and spend it on your gear. Climb the tower."

Yohan received the sack and promptly put it in his inventory. "Thank you, sir."

[Quest Complete!]

[Rewards: 30% EXP Bar (For each member of party), 3,240 Salapi.]

[You leveled up!], each one of the three then got this notification.

"Yes! Let's go!" Rumi exclaimed with excitement.

"Ey, girl, don't suddenly shout like that," Qol scolded lightly.

"Hehe, my bad..."

Yohan then gave a slight bow to Holek and said, "Thank you, sir. We'll be on our way."

"Sure! sure! I wish you guys the best!" The butcher bid them farewell as the guards escorted them out.

"Now... Are you guys planning to get an ID, or will you pay the entrance fee?" Qol asked.

Yuuki chimed in, suggesting to Yohan, "Since we have so much money now, getting IDs seems a lot more convenient. Let's all go and get them."

"Sure, that does sound like a better option," Yohan agreed.

Later, they arrived at a governmental office where they could apply for a Hasan Empire ID. It turned out that they would need to apply for a new ID in every country they visit in the future. This was because IDs like these were only valid within a specific country, and there was no feasible way for different countries on various floors to create a centralized system, even with Neural Network technology. Climbers, due to the nature of their job as it is, were essentially considered without a permanent nation since they spent most of their time traveling. To simplify visa and visit pass procedures, climbers were issued a special type of visa called the Climber Visa, which would be valid for three months. After that period, they would need to renew it for a fee of 100 Salapi each time. However, the first Climber Visa in each country was provided for free, granted to them upon registering for an ID there.

During the process of obtaining their IDs, they were instructed to place their hands on a stone tablet. As they did so, all their information was uploaded into the system, except for details related to skills, alignment, revival chances, and reputation. With their usernames being the name engraved on their ID's which they cannot change.

…

"Ugh, thank god it's finally finished."

"You guys have very peculiar names." Qol commented as they walked out of the building.

"Umm… please let's not talk about our names…" Yohan scratched his head.

"So? Where do we head now?" Yuuki asked.

With a smug, Yohan replied holding the sack of currency up. "Heh… What more? Let's go to floor 2 after we bought our shit!"