Chapter 661

"Broly, your own power, mighty as an ancient hero's, has been sealed; therefore, the past few days of adventuring don't count as real adventuring — from now on is when you truly begin your first adventure. Promise me: don't rush in. Familiarize yourself with your current strength in the Upper Floors first, alright?"

Before entering the Dungeon, Hestia embraced the boy; she did not force him to stay out of the depths with a commanding tone, but used a pleading tone, hoping he would pay more attention to his own safety.

The surrounding Adventurers glanced sideways; they couldn't hear the quiet words Hestia spoke in the boy's ear, but they could see a Goddess embracing what was likely a small Human-Beastman hybrid boy from her Familia.

Some looked on with envy, some with disdain, some with contempt, but no one came over to disturb them.

"Lady Hestia, of course. Besides, I'm not a rookie Adventurer with all five basic Ability Values at I0; innate skills like Numerical Monster are properly active on my second Panel."

"You've already confirmed this yourself, Lady Hestia, so put your mind at ease — trust me, I won't die easily in the Dungeon."

The worry on Hestia's face was replaced by a smile; this child had a knack for cheering up this Goddess of his.

"Wishing you a smooth trip; I'll be working at the Fried Potato Ball Shop, praying for you."

The Loli Goddess kissed the boy on the forehead, then waved goodbye to him standing at the Dungeon entrance.

After Hestia left, Broly also turned and entered the Dungeon Labyrinth.

This trip into the Labyrinth was vastly different from the previous ones.

With the Skill 【Super-Encumbrance Training】 now active, he — his strength sealed — was no longer that crab (Saiyan) who could just throw on a Black Robe and run rampant, crashing through the Dungeon without a care; he needed to be mindful of the risks this Dungeon might pose to him now.

Facing the lowest-level Monsters, he would need a serious fight to win — hmm, a situation like that did not arise.

Although he could no longer snap his fingers and wipe out the lowest-level Monsters, a casual swing of the Short Sword in his hand still easily defeated the low-level Monsters appearing in the first few floors of the Dungeon Labyrinth.

He speed-cleared Floors 1–4; Floors 5–9 didn't halt Broly's steps in the slightest, and he quickly reached the most challenging Upper Floor, the Pale Tree Forest Floor, where large Monsters appear — the large Monsters spawning here are all Lv. 1, but their strength is incomparable to the previous floors.

Just like yesterday when he suppressed his aura to fight, Broly himself experienced that feeling of two fists being no match for four hands.

And now, with his strength comprehensively sealed by the effect of the 【Super-Encumbrance Training】 Skill…

Hmm…

It seems he can match four hands now, because he kills faster; Broly looked at the Short Sword in his hand — at this moment he felt the importance of a good piece of Equipment for an Adventurer.

In terms of strength-suppression effect, the 【Super-Encumbrance Training】 Skill is better than him actively suppressing his aura to create a suppression effect.

But because he changed Equipment, under the same combat Technique, his overall combat performance is actually stronger than when he was suppressing his aura yesterday.

【Super-Encumbrance Training】 merely suppresses his own pure numerical values and the convenient Crystal Palace Space, but it does not erase his personal combat awareness and Technique from his mind.

【Can it be that, like this, I won't be able to fall into adversity and bitter struggle even in these Upper Floors?】

Broly harbored this doubt, but the Monster wave surging ahead — mixed with Small Dragons, Green-Skinned Beastmen, and Little Ghosts — made him temporarily discard thoughts unrelated to combat.

The current Broly is just an ordinary Adventurer who only wants to level up by cutting down Monsters with the 【Fire Joy】 Short Sword in his hand.

The Saiyan boy charged in, colliding with the mixed Monster horde; the mere moment of contact, the horde fell like wheat harvested by a sickle, collapsing at visible speed and turning to ash.

A good weapon lets Broly easily achieve one-hit kills, no longer needing to face the delicate situation of two fists against four hands.

In under two minutes, a horde of about forty Monsters was wiped clean by him — faster than before he had all his strength sealed.

Although his strength (numerical values) is sealed, what does that have to do with him still being able to run wild killing in the Dungeon (at least the Upper Floors)?

Without the interference of his originally excessive strength, as the number of Monsters solved surpassed a hundred, Broly had the tangible sense that his strength was continuously climbing.

No longer minuscule, hard-to-detect improvements requiring careful perception, but significant gains relative to his current weak strength.

Broly could clearly feel himself improving, growing stronger non-stop, and this feeling made him more excited the more he fought.

Until, after finishing off Monsters, waiting in the interval for Monsters to be newly spawned by the Dungeon, he picked up the Magic Stones and Drop Items from the Monsters he'd killed on the ground, and discovered the satchel he carried was filled to the brim with Magic Stones and drops in a mere instant…

Only then did Broly suddenly realize the convenience he had possessed, relative to other Adventurers, when he previously had a Personal Space.

Hmm, wearing a satchel full of Loot — though not impossible to fight with — would be very troublesome and would restrict his current movements.

Broly dumped the contents out, discarding the low-value Loot that wasn't very precious but took up a lot of space.

However, after clearing two more Monster waves, the high-value Loot he obtained maxed out his carrying capacity again.

The satchel Hephaestus had gifted him was like a hamster that had stuffed too many nuts into its mouth — visibly overflowing, as if the button on the satchel might burst off at any moment.

The precious Tool 【Small Dragon's Heart】 dropped by a Small Dragon was now held in Broly's hand; looking at the distant figures faintly emerging once more from the Pale Forest amid the mist, he gradually lost the desire to continue killing Monsters.

He had to deal with the Loot in hand first; otherwise, if he kept killing Monsters and gained more high-value drops only to abandon them due to weight limit, he'd get a pitying feeling of wasting things.

This feeling is subtle; clearly yesterday, when he wore the Black Robe and rampaged through the Dungeon ignoring drops, he never had this feeling.

Broly doesn't realize this is the difference between playing a game with a modifier and playing a game normally.

Powerful numerical values were his modifier; any precious Drop Item was easily obtainable before, so he didn't cherish them.

And now, although killing Monsters is still not hard, at least he still needs to swing his sword (operate a bit); with that one operation, the Magic Stones and Drop Items that burst out carry a different meaning, giving Broly a different feeling — like the product of hard labor.

Broly chose to return, his small body carrying the stuffed satchel.

Monsters encountered on the way he either bypassed or broke through only wounding, not killing.

Occasionally encountering Adventurers, veterans would eye him warily, while rookies were a bit bewildered.

But upon seeing Broly's fully-laden appearance, both wariness and bewilderment turned to envy.

"Ah, someone else returning with a full load; today, I'll make myself return with a bountiful harvest too…"

Broly turned his head, looking strangely at the passerby Adventurer who shouted this and ran off toward the next Dungeon Labyrinth floor — he didn't quite get what the other was fired up about.

"Hello, please help me exchange these Loot for Valis."

Broly's Monster-killing efficiency was too fast; even with time spent on the round trip to the Labyrinth, it still wasn't noon outside — roughly 10:30 AM — yet the Babel Tower's exchange counter had not a single Adventurer.

The Guild Staff at the exchange counter looked at him with some surprise, but upon seeing the boy had only brought a satchel of modest capacity, they simply nodded.

"Eh, Small Dragon's Heart, Small Dragon's Skin, Small Dragon's Tooth — wait, did you stab a Small Dragon's Nest?"

Once they started tallying the Loot, the Guild Staff asked with a somewhat strange expression.

"No, I didn't kill that many Small Dragons, but maybe my Luck is better, so the Small Dragon drops are more numerous."

Broly spoke the truth; today while grinding Monsters, he could clearly perceive his drop rate had increased.

Otherwise, going by the previous drop rate, the number of Monsters he'd killed would at most fill the satchel with Magic Stones — impossible to fill it entirely with high-value Drop Items.

"Then you're really Lucky."

The Guild Staff is an old employee; having worked at the exchange counter for a long time, they occasionally encounter those Adventurers with better Luck, boasting about killing one Monster and getting four or five Drop Materials.

This thing is actually like pulling a gacha and suddenly getting a double-yolk or triple-yolk egg.

However, it's rare for a Lv. 1 Adventurer to bring back this many Small Dragon drops; even if one Small Dragon drops several shares of materials, a backpack full like this would require subjugating at least four or five Small Dragons to gather.

Besides Small Dragons, Green-Skinned Beastman drops were also tallied; these two species of monsters are famous Newbie Killers in the Upper Floors.

Small Dragons need no further elaboration — although their name contains "Small," their actual build is comparable to a large carriage; Green-Skinned Beastmen can snap tree trunks to use as weapons, and are troublesome opponents that rookie Adventurers encounter on the Tenth Floor — whenever they appear, they are invariably accompanied by Goblin Imps and such monsters playing support.

"Small Dragon materials are 120,000 Valis, Green-Skinned Beastman materials are 80,000, totaling 200,000 Valis. Please count it."

The exchange counter staff, while pushing the money toward the boy, couldn't help but let a few notes of respect enter their tone.

For a Lv. 1 Adventurer to earn this amount in a day, regardless of whether luck was the cause, the other party's strength among third-tier Adventurers probably counts as top-class.

"Your luck is not bad, but if you want to gain more profit, perhaps you need to hire a Supporter to help you."

The situation of having only high-value materials undoubtedly meant the other party gave up a lot of low-value things; the Guild Staff at the exchange counter thought this and gave a reminder.

This is something many talented rookie Adventurers subconsciously overlook.

(Broly is clearly a rookie at a glance)

After the reminder, Broly also recalled the matter of the Supporter he had given up.

"Alright, I know what to do now, except I'm preparing to go back to the Dungeon, and carrying this much Valis on me is a bit inconvenient."

"The Guild has a corresponding voucher service, but it requires the Adventurer to pay a certain handling fee; if you accept a 5% handling fee, I can exchange it for a Guild Voucher."

A so-called voucher is something similar to a banknote or check, guaranteed by the wealthy and generous Guild; anyone holding a voucher can come exchange it for money, but because of the handling fee, generally no Adventurers choose this.

However, it is commonly seen as a portable transaction method among Safe Floor Adventurers in the Dungeon who find it inconvenient to carry large amounts of Valis in and out.

That said, large Familias actually do similar vouchers too, using their own Familia's reputation as guarantee, without needing to use the Guild's channels.

"May I ask, would you like it exchanged as a single large-denomination voucher, or split into vouchers of different denominations?"

Broly chose a single sheet, and soon obtained a Guild Voucher for 190,000 Valis.

"This thing won't be counterfeited, will it?"

Broly looked at the numbers written on the thin paper and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Counterfeiting carries severe Punishment; generally no one would counterfeit, because it's too easily discovered — every sheet of this voucher paper carries the Breath of the corresponding Guaranteeing Deity."

Broly left Babel Tower, came to the Central Square outside, wanting to learn the way he'd seen Adventurers hire Supporters before and hire a Supporter here to help pick things up, but upon coming out he discovered that the many backpackers (Supporters) who were in the Central Square looking for work in the morning were all gone now.

"Eh, Broly, you came out of the Dungeon this early today?"

Just as Broly was searching everywhere, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Miss Eina……"

Broly turned around, greeted the half-elf young lady who was holding documents and looked ready to enter Babel Tower, then replied: "My backpack is full, I came up to empty the Loot."

"Backpack full?"

Eina Tulle looked at him with some doubt; Broly knew what she was thinking, and explained: "For some reasons, my space ability is temporarily unusable."

"I see."

Eina looked at the not-large satchel at his front and nodded in sudden realization.

"Then what are you doing here now?"

"I wanted to come out and hire a Supporter, but those people seem to have all disappeared."

"Uh, Supporters generally act according to the Adventurer's activity; morning (8~9 AM) is the peak time for Adventurers entering the Dungeon; if you want to hire a Supporter, the current time is a bit off……"

Broly's current behavior is actually no different from a breakfast seller coming out to sell at noon.

If he could sell breakfast, or hire a Supporter at this time, that would be what's surprising.

"However, wait until evening when most Adventurers leave the Dungeon and return, those temporary Supporters will also come out along with them; you can wait until then, find some Supporters who come out, and discuss hiring them."

The half-elf young lady gave her advice.

"Seems that's the only way."

Broly nodded.

"I still have work to do, so I'll leave first."

Eina glanced at the wristwatch on her hand, said a line, and left.

"Before that, I'll just act as a hamster transporting Loot."

Broly muttered to himself, then went back to the Dungeon again.

"Ah, big backpack, I bought it back……"

Just after Broly left not long after, a white-haired boy ran over carrying a big backpack, but looking at the empty Central Square, the expression on his face stiffened somewhat.

……

Broly went back and forth between the Dungeon 10th Floor Labyrinth and Babel Tower's exchange counter.

Every so often, he had to come up from the Dungeon once.

Every time he came up, his satchel was full.

After four such round trips, even having taken Recovery Potions, Broly also felt a wave of fatigue.

He just felt that running the map and climbing Stairs was much more tiring than simply killing monsters in the Dungeon.

With one hour until Dusk, Broly did not choose to continue down the Dungeon, but rented a shower room inside Babel Tower, properly washed clean his body dirtied by sweat, and then at the restaurant on Babel Tower Fourth Floor, ordered a Masala Juice Set and began eating.

The Juice Set tasted excellent, especially the bread — soft inside, roasted crisp outside, soaked in juice full of fruit fragrance; every bite let him taste the rich Wheat Aroma and the sweet-sour fruit juice flavor.

Broly thus ate the delicious Bread Juice Set to recover Physical Strength on one hand, while waiting for the return of Dungeon Supporters on the other.

In contrast, Bell sat on the shady side of Babel Tower, gnawing on dry Coarse Wheat Bread, drinking Clear Water, waiting for Adventurers to return.

Supporter is the profession closest to Adventurer.

If done well, and one gets familiar with some Adventurers, maybe through such connections one could be introduced to join a Familia.

Orario has quite a few Adventurers who started as Supporters; Bell heard this from the Innkeeper last night, and came to Central Square This Side early this morning.

Wanting himself to have Dungeon experience, so when going to join some Familias, he could rely on this Supporter resume to gain the favor of some Familias.

It's just that he hadn't done enough homework; relying solely on a burst of passion and the brute strength from his days as a peasant, wanting to become a Supporter wasn't something that could succeed so easily.

Because he hadn't prepared a high-capacity backpack, having only a standard one, no Adventurers hired him in the morning — one look and he was clearly a rookie Supporter.

"Want me to hire you? Then you at least need a decent pack that can hold a fair amount of stuff. With just this little pack, who's the Adventurer here, you or me?!"

"Ah, if I buy a big backpack, will you hire me?"

"If you have a big backpack, then I'll at least consider it……"

And so Bell ran off to buy a pack, but a Supporter's backpack isn't cheap; he haggled for a good while and finally bought it for twelve thousand Valis.

But when he ran back, that Adventurer was already gone, and that was only natural — he had delayed for such a long time.

Still, Bell harbored a sliver of expectation, hoping to see that young Adventurer from the morning again, tell him he now had a big backpack, and hope the other would consider him, give him a share of Supporter work.

"Dong~"

The Evening Bell of dusk rang out, and Adventurers and Supporters returned from below the Dungeon in successive waves.

Some wore gloomy faces, some were in high spirits.

As if by luck, Bell discovered that young Adventurer from the morning and hurried over.

"Adventurer-san, I've already bought a big backpack like you said. When you go into the Dungeon tomorrow, could you hire me as a Supporter?"

"Eh, so it's the brat from the morning. Didn't expect you really want to be a Supporter.

But, sorry, my party already has a Supporter, one more qualified and senior than you."

"But you said this morning, as long as I had a big backpack, you'd be willing to consider me a bit?"

"Yeah, I considered it, result is pass.

Guys like you, entering the Dungeon is too easy to die.

Want to make money, Orario still has plenty of opportunities.

Listen to a word of advice: don't want to die, go find a safer job."

Bell was rejected as expected, and the young Adventurer who rejected him had no intention of taking responsibility for what he'd casually said in the morning.

【Should I take the backpack back and return it?】

If he begged that Backpack Shop Owner, he could probably get a refund minus a small deduction.

【No, I want to join a Familia and become an Adventurer, and becoming a Supporter is the opportunity most likely to let me join a Familia and become an Adventurer……】

Bell didn't plan to give up; he started asking the returning Adventurers if they still needed a Supporter for tomorrow's Dungeon dive.

At the same time, on the other side of Babel Tower, Broly was also asking the returning Supporters if they'd accept his hire and go into the Dungeon with him tomorrow.

And these two different people both shared one trait: they looked like rookie Adventurers (Supporters).

No one was willing to entrust their life to a rookie Adventurer who looked a bit unreliable just to earn money (waste money hiring a rookie Supporter who'd become a burden in the Dungeon), so both received rejections.

Until, after the two had circled half a lap outside Babel Tower and asked the Supporter (Adventurer) before them with little hope, they heard each other's words: 【Will you accept my hire and become my Supporter tomorrow? (Adventurer-san, do you need a Supporter?)】

Only then did both turn back in some astonishment.

"Bell?"

"Broly-san?"

"You need a Supporter? (You want to be hired by an Adventurer?)"

"Yes, I do. (Mm.)"

"Will you accept my hire? (Will you hire me?)"

"No problem. (Of course.)"

Under the dusk, Broly and Bell spoke in tacit understanding, yet both answered the other's question.

(Chapter End)