During Ritsuka’s first trip into the Dungeon, he had only cared about magic stones.
The stones dropped by Upper Floor monsters were small, so a simple pouch had been more than enough to carry them.
Things were different in the Middle Floors, especially when valuable monster materials also needed to be collected.
A small magic-stone pouch could not hold everything.
Carrying large amounts of bulky material alone would also make fighting powerful monsters extremely difficult.
That was why adventurers needed Supporters.
Supporters were adventurers who specialized in a unique role.
Like every other adventurer, they possessed a Falna and could enter the Dungeon, but most were not particularly skilled in combat.
While frontline adventurers awakened combat-oriented skills, Supporters generally developed abilities focused on assistance and transportation.
That made them perfect for handling a party’s logistics.
Supporters carried the party’s supplies while the combatants fought monsters at the front.
After each battle, they removed the monsters’ magic stones and materials, then stored everything inside the enormous packs on their backs.
This allowed the party to collect valuable resources without burdening its frontline members or affecting their combat performance.
“So I need to return to the surface and hire a Supporter to carry everything.” Ritsuka looked at the materials on the ground, then examined his belongings.
He only had a small backpack containing Ryuu’s lunch box and a pouch for magic stones.
There was no space for anything else.
“Tch.
I’ll have to hide these somewhere first.” Ritsuka placed the magic stone inside his pouch, then gathered the remaining materials and concealed them in a nearby corner.
He could hardly travel while carrying Hellhound fur and a bloody heart in his hands.
After hiding everything, Ritsuka returned to the Twelfth Floor.
He needed to hire a Supporter before continuing to collect materials.
Once he reached the Twelfth Floor, Presence Concealment became effective again.
Ritsuka could travel through each floor without worrying about monsters noticing him or wasting time in unnecessary battles.
However, something unexpected happened while he crossed the Eighth Floor.
As Ritsuka moved silently through the darkness, a party of adventurers suddenly rushed out from around a corner.
They passed directly beside him without noticing his presence, their expressions filled with panic.
A massive swarm of rabbits appeared behind them moments later.
Their sheer numbers filled the entire passage.
Needle Rabbits were a signature monster of the Eighth Floor.
Each one stood nearly half a meter tall and was surprisingly vicious.
Individually, they were weak, but they always moved in enormous groups.
Their overwhelming numbers compensated for their lack of individual strength.
The fleeing adventurers had clearly attracted the entire swarm.
Unfortunately, the rabbits covered the whole corridor.
Unless Ritsuka clung to the ceiling, they would inevitably crash straight into him.
He had no choice but to stop walking and begin running.
Before he had gone far, one member of the fleeing party suddenly fell to the ground.
The enormous pack on the person’s back immediately revealed their role.
They were the party’s Supporter!
The other adventurers did not stop to rescue their fallen companion.
Instead, they increased their speed and fled even faster.
They had clearly abandoned the Supporter to serve as bait.
Ritsuka frowned and immediately activated Hassan of the Hundred Faces’ Noble Phantasm.
A clone appeared beside him and instantly turned toward the approaching swarm, materializing a bow and nocking an arrow.
“Stella!” The arrow flew forward, and a massive explosion erupted inside the corridor.
Flames and smoke swallowed the entire passage, completely hiding Ritsuka and the fallen Supporter from view.
The fleeing adventurers glanced back at the sudden explosion.
Aside from showing brief surprise, they made no attempt to stop and soon disappeared beyond the end of the corridor.
When the smoke cleared, Ritsuka and the Supporter reappeared.
The massive swarm of Needle Rabbits had vanished.
Only a crater remained, filled with scattered magic stones.
Ritsuka did not immediately collect them.
Instead, he looked down at the Supporter lying on the ground and desperately gasping for breath.
Her sudden fall and the adventurers’ immediate retreat made the situation obvious.
They had deliberately abandoned her as bait.
To someone with modern values, a Supporter was an essential logistics specialist and a vital member of any party.
In Orario, however, Supporters possessed extremely low status.
A few large Familias trained and respected their own Supporters, but most adventurers treated them as disposable laborers.
This was especially common among temporary parties formed near the Tower of Babel’s plaza.
Those groups hired random Supporters for miserable wages.
Whenever danger appeared, they often threw the Supporter toward the monsters as bait and fled.
That was exactly what the previous party had done.
“The monsters are gone.
Are you hurt?” “I-I’m all right.” The Supporter struggled to answer between breaths.
After resting for a while, she finally raised her head and looked at Ritsuka.
“Thank you very much for saving me.” She did not understand what had just happened, but she knew the man before her had rescued her.
“My name is Lily.
I’m a Supporter.” Ritsuka froze when he heard her introduction.
“What did you say your name was?” “My lord, my name is Lily.” “I’m not anyone’s lord.” Ritsuka waved dismissively.
“My name is Fujimaru Ritsuka.” As he introduced himself, Ritsuka carefully examined the Supporter before him.
She resembled a frail young girl with two drooping dog ears atop her head, making her appear to be a Chienthrope.
However, Ritsuka did not believe that was her true race.
Her name had already exposed her.
A small Chienthrope girl named Lily who worked as a Supporter…
Every detail pointed toward a single person.
Liliruca Arde!