Takumi regarded Liliruca with a playful smile. "As for a supporter, I suppose I could use one."
"R-Really? That's wonderful!" Liliruca's face lit up like an innocent, carefree girl—but her eyes still swept over Takumi out of habit, making a careful assessment.
Her parents had been members of the Soma Familia, so the moment she was born she belonged to Soma as well. Because they were obsessed with divine wine to the point of madness, she'd been begging to survive since age three. If not for god Soma occasionally giving her a bite to eat, she might not have lived this long at all.
Even so, as an adventurer with little fighting power, she'd been trampled on repeatedly and learned to survive in the shadows. She loathed adventurers, trusted no one, and even used magic to steal their gear for resale—her way of getting back at them.
She would then watch their anger and despair from the dark to soothe her own heart, already sunk deep into night.
Judging by experience, the boy before her should be a rookie adventurer—fresh lamb to the slaughter, perfect to fleece. And yet, faced with Takumi's easy smile, a faint prickle of guilt rose in her chest. It only grew when, after agreeing to take her on, he simply headed straight for the Dungeon with her in tow—no lecturing, no bargaining.
Even the rookies who accepted a supporter would look down on them, lay down rules with a hard edge, and dictate the loot split. Usually she got a tenth at best, sometimes a twentieth—often nothing at all.
After being squeezed dry by so many adventurers, this was the first time Liliruca had met someone this casual and kind.
Am I really going to pull the same trick and fleece him mid-run?
What am I hesitating for? Adventurers are all the same!!
Lili has to survive in Orario—Lili has to get out of the Soma Familia!
…So, I'm sorry.
Her inner muttering darkened her gaze, a shadow settling in her eyes.
Takumi sensed the shift—he was very sharp to malice—but didn't mind such a trifle and kept walking. "Stay close. For this run, I plan to be back before dark."
"Mm, Captain. Got it."
Still, watching him stride along empty-handed, Liliruca couldn't help asking, "Captain, did you… forget to bring your adventuring gear?"
With bare hands and no leather on his person, he looked like a tourist. Even rookies weren't this barebones. If he really was, could she even shear any wool off him?
"Don't worry. I'm strong."
"…O-Okay."
She muttered under her breath—clearly unconvinced—and steeled herself to bolt if things went south. She had no intention of staying behind to cover his retreat.
Stepping onto the first floor, Takumi formally entered an adventurer's starter village. A maze of winding caverns where only goblins and kobolds usually spawned.
As that thought crossed his mind, the maze wall began to writhe. Goblins leapt out, crimson eyes locking onto Takumi.
"Yo—so these are goblins."
He grinned, honestly intrigued by the novelty. Behind him, Liliruca panicked. Monsters were already on them and he was still commenting!?
Just as she cursed her luck and prepared to run.
Slaaash!!
A dazzling arc of sword light ripped across the air, cleaving the front goblins clean in two. Their corpses crumbled to ash and sank into the floor, leaving only fingernail-sized magic stones behind.
Liliruca's amber eyes went wide at the blade that had appeared in Takumi's hand who-knew-when. "C-Captain, amazing! Is that a spatial tool?!"
She scurried forward, scooping up stone after stone, sneaking in a few probing questions. Takumi didn't answer directly, just gave noncommittal replies.
The sword was something he'd whipped up with [Alchemy Magic]; even so, it rivaled the long swords going for hundreds of thousands of valis in the shops. For Takumi, it was merely good enough.
For Liliruca, it meant she'd landed a big fish!
That belief wavered as time ticked on—for one reason only: Takumi's strength was outrageous. Dropping straight to the fifth floor was one thing. But upon hitting the sixth, a War Shadow—the infamous newbie killer—sprang from the gloom, and Liliruca froze.
Humanoid, pitch black, wicked hooks for claws. Blinding speed, ambush tactics—it shredded rookies with ease.
It lunged from the shadows. Liliruca saw only a black smear streak for Takumi, hooked claw scything for his neck.
Crack.
The claw shattered like it had struck steel. Takumi's blade moved a beat behind, lazy and precise, and took its head. A thumb-sized stone hit the ground with a clink.
This is… too strong.
A rookie? Even a Level 2 could get nicked if careless. Takumi hadn't even lost a hair. He was far beyond anything she'd imagined.
Forcing a smile, Liliruca tucked the gem into her pack. "C-Captain, you really are a rookie, right? You're not pulling my leg?"
"Yeah. Registered just now—fresh out of the oven. I only… train my body regularly, so my skin's a bit tough."
The casual answer made her want to scream. Who trains until they're harder than iron!?
Nerves jangling, another thought struck—how was she supposed to fleece a monster like this? Stealing under his nose was suicide. The only way was to dive deeper, kite a crowd onto him, and force him to hand over the good stuff.
The moment she thought it the wall shuddered.
Liliruca snapped alert and darted behind Takumi on her tiny legs.
A bull's bellow split the air.
"Moooo!!"
Boom!!
The maze wall exploded outward as a minotaur burst through.
...
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