INFINITE MONEY - I Will Buy Everything

William's current expression resembled that of a deflated balloon, drifting aimlessly as it loses its final bit of air. The cause of his deflated demeanor was straightforward: the explanation had been far too overwhelming for him to comprehend.

It's essential to understand that in his previous life, William had been quite bad at math— and nearly every other subject as well. This problem hadn't improved in this world either.

While he possessed a certain cunning when it came to rallying people and managing basic tasks, he lacked the intellectual prowess to handle more intricate matters on his own. This is precisely why he had enlisted Delmar and others to manage those responsibilities for him.

As William observed the Goddess laughing in front of him, he felt no urge to interrupt her, nor did he feel insulted. Instead, a deep sense of contentment welled up inside him. It was comforting to know that he could elicit even a small amount of joy from someone so powerful, so beautiful, and yet so isolated.

'I suppose true power makes even gods lonely,' William mused as he watched the Goddess gradually calm down, her laughter subsiding as she turned her gaze back to him.

"I apologize, that was quite unprofessional of me. I hope I didn't offend you too much," the Goddess said, her voice tinged with a note of contrition.

"Oh, don't worry, it's perfectly fine," William responded casually.

Seeing that William wasn't offended, the Goddess felt relieved and smiled. They continued to converse for a little while longer until the time for departure arrived.

"That was a delightful story. I'll be eagerly awaiting more stories like this, so you must come back, alright?"

"Of course, I'll return. I won't forget this time, I promise," William assured her, causing the Goddess to smile.

"Oh! Yes, when you return to the world, something will be waiting for you— a surprise."

"A surprise? What kind?"

"Something that will make your journey significantly easier," the Goddess replied mysteriously, offering no further details. William didn't press for more information; he knew that when gods and goddesses adopted an air of mystery, they rarely divulged more than they intended.

"So, how do I leave again?" William inquired, having forgotten how he had departed from this place previously.

"Just close your eyes, and I'll send you back to where you were," the Goddess instructed and William did it.

"Alright, Miss Goddess, this is goodbye then."

"For now."

"Yes, and thank you for all your help," William said. The Goddess smiled but didn't respond verbally; she simply said, "You may open your eyes now."

William complied, and as expected, he found himself back in his room, seated cross-legged exactly where he had been before. Although he had done this before, he hadn't anticipated the sudden notifications that appeared, startling him with their abruptness.

[ Congratulations, You have leveled up ]

[ You are now a Level Three Mana Practitioner ]

[ You have unlocked a new option ]

[ You have unlocked Customization ]

Several notifications flashed before William's eyes, and he struggled to arrange them in order and read through them. He felt a blend of elation and confusion regarding the newly unlocked feature. After a moment, he glanced at his hands, clenching them to feel the slight increase in strength from what it had been before.

But that wasn't all. He stood up and examined every part of his body, noticing that it was more toned than it had been previously. A satisfied sigh of relief escaped him, knowing that the breakthrough had been successful.

However, not all advancements are as effortless as they seem. In some cases, even if someone is fully prepared for the process, there's a chance the breakthrough won't succeed. In the best-case scenario, a failed attempt simply results in the individual remaining at their previous power level. But in the worst cases, they might end up disfigured or worse.

Yet the relief of a successful advancement paled in comparison to what happened next.

'How are you?' A female voice suddenly said.

William jumped, startled by a somewhat familiar voice. He looked around but saw no one. Confused, he asked, "Arthur, was that you?"

[ What do you mean by 'Was that you,' Sir? ]

"You didn't just speak to me?"

[ No, Sir. I haven't said anything to you since you began cultivating. ]

William was perplexed. 'Then what was that?' he wondered.

'It was me.'

The voice spoke again, causing William to look around in surprise. But just like before, he saw no one. As he pondered what it could be, his eyes widened in realization.

"Anne… is that you?"

'Yes'

William could hardly believe it. "I-Is that really you?"

'Back from the grave… at least that's the expression, I think.'

Recognizing her manner of speaking, William confirmed that it was indeed Anne. His silence prompted her to ask,

'Are you alright? You don't seem very enthusiastic.'

"W-Wow… It's just, I didn't expect to hear you like this."

'Oh! So do you want me to go back to sleep then?'

Anne's tone was playful, but William took it seriously, exclaiming, "No! No, don't! Not again!"

'Oh… Okay. For the record, that was a joke. I didn't really intend to go back to sleep.'

William let out a small laugh. "Haha, I figured that out eventually. You seem to have upgraded your sense of humor."

'Well, it was either that or enhancing my voice to sound more like an alluring lady.'

William's eyes widened as he realized something. Anne was speaking— not just communicating through text, but actually speaking. Before she went dormant, she couldn't speak; she could only convey messages through written notifications. But this was a significant improvement, making it much easier and more pleasant for William to interact with her.

Even though her voice still had a somewhat robotic quality, it was far better to hear a robotic female voice than to simply read words on a screen.

"Okay, so you can speak now."

'Yes, I can. The stronger you become, the more real I become.'

William had a thought and asked, "Real enough to actually become real?"

'What do you mean by that?' Anne asked, sounding puzzled.

"I mean, if I level up enough, can you upgrade to the point where you have a real body that you can use in the real world?"

Anne was silent for a moment, and William feared she might have gone dormant again. But then she spoke.

'I don't think that's possible.' William felt a pang of disappointment, but then Anne continued.

'But who knows? If you become strong enough, maybe… maybe it would be possible.'

William fell into deep thought, murmuring, "I should ask the Goddess about this."

'What are you talking about? What Goddess?' Anne asked, her tone tinged with anxiety.

"You don't know about the Goddess?" William asked, surprised.

'No, which Goddess are you talking about?'

William realized that Anne wasn't aware of what had happened, so he began recounting everything that had transpired since they had last been together.