“A supporter?”
More than the idea of hiring one, Renn was curious about what a “supporter” actually was.
It probably wasn’t the same as a support class in an MMO.
Especially…
He looked at that supporter backpack, which did not match her tiny frame at all.
“That’s right!”
“What does a supporter do?”
“…?”
The girl in the grey-brown cloak tilted her pale neck up at him, her light brown eyes full of confusion as she looked him over carefully.
That leather armor of his looked well made.
It definitely wasn’t the junk the Adventurer’s Guild rented out, and the shortsword at his waist was Hephaestus Familia work.
Anything with the Familia crest stamped into the scabbard was absolutely not cheap.
But after even this short exchange, Lili felt like something didn’t fit.
Why did this guy come across as a total rookie?
“Well…”
“When you’re fighting, you don’t have to worry about any of the logistics.
Magic stones, drop items, Lili will collect all of it for you.”
“And then?”
You kill a monster, you pick up what it drops.
Wasn’t that something you just did while you were there anyway?
Renn frowned slightly.
If his finances allowed it, he really would have liked to find a local guide to take him through the Dungeon.
The bad news:
His finances did not allow it.
“If you’re a new adventurer, Lili can also be your guide and go with you into the Dungeon.”
The girl still wasn’t giving up.
Lili was fairly certain this guy was a new adventurer, probably the kind who came from a wealthy family.
Nobody else would buy equipment that luxurious at the rookie stage.
And there was more.
She could tell he definitely wasn’t a member of one of the big Familias, or he wouldn’t be moving around alone.
All things considered.
This guy was an extremely rare sight in Orario: a fat sheep waiting to be fleeced.
The girl knew exactly how to use her appearance.
She looked up at him, her voice going much softer.
“Hiring Lili is really cheap…”
“But I don’t have any money.”
“?”
Renn had to admit that the offer from this girl calling herself Lili, to act as his Dungeon guide, sounded pretty good.
But considering his wallet.
And the anti-scam instincts he’d maxed out in his previous life, he had the feeling this wasn’t as simple as it looked.
He’d spent years dealing with the real world, after all.
Anyone who approached you first either had a very high-spec face, or wanted something you had.
And most importantly, this world absolutely didn’t have the legal protections of his old one.
Even if this pretty little girl really was adorable…
at this stage he hadn’t reached the point where a cute face could take over his brain.
At the end of the day, Renn didn’t want to gamble on whether this set of equipment made him the kind of target other adventurers would decide to squeeze.
He smiled and nodded.
“Thanks for explaining.
I hope your Dungeon exploration goes well.”
“…”
Lili watched him walk away, her eyes flickering.
She started to wonder whether she’d made her intentions too obvious just now.
But she was sure she’d never seen this guy before.
And yet…
If he’d guessed what she was really after, then why would he turn around and wish her a smooth time in the Dungeon?
“What a strange guy…”
Following the bustling line of adventurers, Renn walked into the towering Babel Tower.
The space inside was larger than he’d expected.
The center was hollow.
A spiral staircase ran down along the walls on both sides, with flickering candles mounted on the stone providing the bare minimum of light.
“So…”
“This is the Dungeon?”
Cold air kept rising up from below, constantly working on his senses.
Ahead of him was the Dungeon, and everything dangerous in it.
He kept going down the spiral stairs.
Soon he reached a fairly wide platform.
Passages branched off in every direction, and the only light came from glowing fruit.
It was his first time in the Dungeon.
He was naturally on guard, but the adventurers around him were still chatting and laughing, and not one of them had drawn a weapon.
Renn frowned slightly, unsure what to make of it.
“That can’t be right…”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.
This is the starting floor of the Dungeon, so there are no monsters around.
Understand?”
“…”
While Renn was standing there confused, a somewhat familiar girl’s voice came from behind him and to the side.
He turned and saw the supporter named Lili.
She sounded different from before.
There was none of the cuteness in her tone now, and he could even hear a trace of irritation.
“New adventurers.”
“Should go to the Adventurer’s Guild and learn the basics of exploration, so they don’t end up dying in the Dungeon one day with nobody noticing.”
“…”
Renn turned to look at her.
Before he could even thank her, he saw Lili and that enormous supporter backpack already moving off with a group of adventurers.
Still…
Without her warning, he’d probably have wasted a lot of time.
The Adventurer’s Guild.
He remembered the place.
Hestia had taken him there two days ago, but at the time he’d been busy sorting out food and housing in Orario.
He hadn’t thought about this side of things.
“Once I’m done exploring today, I’ll go ask about the Dungeon.”
Renn didn’t linger.
He fell in behind the group of adventurers and headed toward the first floor of the Dungeon.
He passed through the starting floor.
Once the stairs brought him into the genuinely dangerous part of the Dungeon, he drew the shortsword at his waist and his expression turned serious.
The environment here…
It was like a labyrinth.
The walls were yellow packed earth, and looked like they’d been carved out.
Lantern fruit provided the light.
Visibility overall wasn’t great.
“…”
Based on what Takemikazuchi had told him when training ended yesterday evening, with the basic combat techniques he had now, he should be able to handle goblins and kobolds.
But even so, Renn was still uneasy.
However you looked at it, he was about to fight supernatural monsters in another world.
Right then, small scattered footsteps came from around the bend in the passage ahead, and two monsters came into view.
Goblins.
Dark green skin all over, long thin ears, exactly like the anime stereotype.
Short, squat, and extremely ugly.
The two of them had blood-red eyes, and they came closer swinging wooden clubs.
“Huh…”
“Is Dungeon exploration not as hard as I thought?”
Renn watched the monsters closing in and gripped the shortsword in his right hand.
Strangely, his nerves were settling instead of rising.
In the basic combat training, the techniques Takemikazuchi had drilled into him felt carved into his muscle memory, and his body moved into a guard stance on its own.
Renn clearly remembered that yesterday evening, even after giving everything he had right up to the end of training, he hadn’t had this…
this clear a grasp of it.
So…
Was he actually a genius at this adventuring thing?