You can level fast even without using battle manuals.
Yes, there is an issue where is hard to find a party, but if you join a guild, it may be easier to get help with leveling parties.
You do not need billions to effective leveling, Eden gear is free and is great until before 3rd class, then you have the Mora Set for some classes, just join a guild and ask for help to finish the Wandering Guardian Quest, and then do the Find the Research Tools Quest to be able to buy the complete mora set, for the classes that do not have Mora set, you can find cheap gear that is still effective, just do not expect a great amount of damage, at 130 you can do the quest from the recent chapter 17.1 Illusion, that gear is really good and will help you to gear your character or make zeny, and you can use that gear to level to 175.
Do not botter with end game content/gear just yet, re learn the game first, how to use your character/make zeny and then you can start with end game content.
Check Captain Sunbear Streams in twitch, he level characters with in game gear, no OCP/Kachua and give tips on how to make zeny on early levels.
https://www.twitch.tv/captainsunbear