Chapter 9: Could I Really Be an Expert in the Field of Adventure? (Patreon)

"Supporter?"

Compared to hiring her, Rozz was more curious about what exactly a "Supporter" was — it had to be something different from the support classes in MMO games.

Especially... He stared at the Supporter's backpack, which looked far too large for her child-sized frame.

"That's right!"

"What's this for?"

"...?"

The girl in the grayish-brown cloak tilted her pale neck up, confusion filling her light-brown eyes as she studied Rozz carefully.

This leather armor of his looked pretty well-made. Definitely not the junk the Adventurer Guild rented out — and the Adventurer's Shortsword at his waist was a Hephaestus Familia product, no less.

A scabbard with a Familia crest engraved on it wasn't cheap!

But after just a brief exchange, Liliruca Arde felt something didn't add up. Why did this guy look so much like a total rookie?

"It's just..."

"When you're fighting, you won't have to worry about logistics — magic stones, drops. Lili will collect it all for you."

"And then?"

Picking up the drops after killing a monster — wasn't that just something you did along the way anyway?

Rozz frowned slightly. Honestly, if his finances allowed it, he'd genuinely have liked a local guide to help him explore the Dungeon.

Bad news: his circumstances didn't allow for it.

"If you're a rookie Adventurer, Lili can also be your guide and go with you through the Dungeon."

The girl still wasn't giving up. Lili was pretty much certain this guy was a rookie Adventurer — probably the type from a well-off family. Otherwise there was no way he'd have bought such fancy gear this early on.

Not only that! She could tell this Adventurer definitely wasn't part of any powerful Familia — otherwise he'd never be out here acting alone.

Putting it all together. This guy had to be one of Orario's rare "fat sheep" — a mark ripe for the picking.

The girl was good at playing up her looks. She tilted her head, her tone turning much softer. "Hiring Lili is really cheap..."

"But I don't have any money."

"?"

Rozz had to admit that the offer from this girl who called herself "Lili" — becoming his Dungeon guide — sounded pretty good.

But considering the state of his wallet... and the fully-leveled "anti-scam" instincts he'd built up in his past life, he couldn't shake the feeling this wasn't as simple as it looked.

After all, after years of getting knocked around by society, anyone who approached you out of nowhere either had a killer face, or — you had something they wanted.

And more importantly, this DanMachi world definitely didn't have as good a legal system as his past life did. Even if this cute little girl really was adorable... things hadn't reached the point where his baser instincts were about to hijack his brain.

When it came down to it, Rozz really didn't want to gamble on whether carrying this gear around would make him look like easy prey to some Adventurer looking for a quick shakedown.

He smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the explanation. I hope your Dungeon exploration goes well."

"..."

Watching Rozz's back as he walked away, the girl's eyes flickered uncertainly. Had her intentions been that obvious just now?

But Lili was certain she'd never met this guy before. And yet... if he'd already figured out her real intentions, then why... would he still wish her a successful Dungeon exploration?

"What a strange guy..."

—

Following the bustling crowd of Adventurers, Rozz walked into the towering Babel. The space inside was more spacious than he'd imagined.

The center of it was hollow. A spiral staircase wound down along the walls on both sides, descending deeper and deeper, with flickering candlelight along the walls providing the barest minimum of light.

"So..."

"This is the Dungeon?!"

Cold wind kept gusting up from below, constantly assaulting his senses — ahead of him lay the danger-filled Dungeon.

He kept moving down the spiral staircase. Before long he reached a relatively open platform, with passages branching off in every direction. The only light source was glowing fruit.

This was his first time in the Dungeon. He should definitely be on guard — but seeing the Adventurers around him still chatting and laughing, none of them with weapons drawn...

Rozz frowned slightly, a little confused about what was going on.

"That can't be right..."

"Nothing's wrong. This is the Dungeon's starting floor — there aren't any monsters around here. Get it?"

"..."

Just as Rozz was feeling confused, a somewhat familiar girl's voice came from behind and to the side. He turned to see the Supporter named "Lili."

Only, compared to before, her tone had lost that earlier sweetness — he could even hear a hint of impatience in it. "Rookie Adventurer."

"You should go to the Adventurer Guild and learn this basic exploration info, or one day you'll die in the Dungeon and nobody will even notice!"

"..."

Rozz turned to look.

But before he could even get a word of thanks out, he saw Lili — that enormous Supporter's backpack on her back — already walking off with another group of Adventurers.

Well... if she hadn't said something, he probably would've wasted a lot more time.

"Adventurer Guild."

He still remembered the place — Hestia had taken him there just the day before yesterday. He'd just been too busy getting settled in Orario to think about it at the time.

He hadn't considered this angle before.

"Once today's exploration is done, I'll go ask about Dungeon information there."

Rozz didn't linger. He fell into step with the Adventurer group without hesitation, heading toward the Dungeon's first floor.

Passing through the starting floor, once he'd descended the stairs into the true danger zone of the Dungeon, he drew the Adventurer's Adventurer's Shortsword from his waist, his expression turning serious.

The environment here... was somewhat maze-like — walls of yellow clay that looked as if they'd been carved out by hand, lit by lantern fruit.

Looking around, overall visibility wasn't great.

"..."

Based on the advice Takemikazuchi, the God of Martial Arts, had given him after training wrapped up last evening, combined with the basic combat techniques he currently had... he figured he should be able to handle things like Goblins or Ugly Spirits.

Even so, Rozz still felt nothing but nerves right now. After all, no matter how you looked at it, this was a fight against supernatural monsters from another world.

Just then, around a bend in the cave passage ahead, the patter of soft footsteps drew closer, and then two monster shapes came into view.

"Goblin."

Dark green skin all over, long thin ears — exactly like the stereotypical anime depiction, short in stature and pretty ugly to look at.

Right now, the two Goblins, eyes blood-red, kept closing in while waving wooden clubs.

"Seems like..."

"...Dungeon exploration isn't as hard as I imagined?"

Rozz's gaze swept over the monsters closing in on him. His right hand gripped the Adventurer's Adventurer's Shortsword, and strangely enough, his nerves began to settle.

In his basic combat training, the techniques Takemikazuchi had taught him felt etched into muscle memory, driving his body into a defensive stance on its own.

But Rozz clearly remembered that even yesterday evening, after giving it everything he had, he hadn't felt this kind of... perfectly clear awareness by the time training ended.

So—could it be that he was actually some kind of natural-born combat prodigy?!