Early the next morning…
"Morning, Welf."
"Mm. Morning."
With Ishtar Familia's hidden threat temporarily warned into submission, and Freya soothed before she could go on a rampage, Aether could finally turn his focus back to his own plans.
Speaking of which…
Last night, Lumine had stayed in the Dungeon all night. Not only had she ground through monsters in the Bloody Hive, pushing both [Ningguang] and [Barbara] to Level 19, but around 4 a.m. she had even pulled some gacha rolls for Aether.
Of course, she'd only been able to do that because her brother had given her the necessary permissions. And, being the silly little sister she was, she eagerly tried her luck.
The result? …Sigh. Weapon Master, huh? Figures.
Can't always pull four-stars, after all.
Aether thought with a private grimace as he met Welf in the Craftsmen's District.
Now, the two of them were busy loading yesterday's batch of prototype Universal Shovels into their packs.
Once they'd packed up nearly everything,
"Today, I'll be your supporter, fair and square."
Aether teased, grinning.
"Good luck, oh mighty greatsword adventurer."
"You bastard…"
Welf slung his usual massive blade, the Nameless, over his shoulder, laughing as he tossed a heavy bag of prototypes into Aether's arms.
"Well… can't deny it. Having one of the famous Twin Stars as my supporter… guess I can brag a little."
"Be my guest."
Aether hefted the bag with one hand, gesturing dramatically with the other as he smirked.
"Once we're in the Dungeon, I'll pull a few extra mobs just to make things interesting for you. Who knows, maybe today you'll accomplish a great feat?"
"Oi, oi, you can't be serious!"
"Hiahiahiahia~ Kakukokushiro! (Prepare yourself, young man~)."
Their banter trailed off into the distance.
================
Meanwhile…
Dungeon – Floor 28
"Blown away, with the wind~"
A jade-green whirlwind surged forward, sweeping away a swarm of maggots.
A golden-haired, golden-eyed girl in a white dress landed gracefully, sword in hand.
"Phew~"
Lumine exhaled, brushing her forehead out of habit, despite not even sweating.
After grinding in the Bloody Hive all night, even a hardcore player like her was beginning to feel sick of the endless blobs of pulpy filth, especially when she had to do it alone, without her brother.
So after her early-morning gacha roll (which, thanks to Weapon Master, had only stoked her frustration), she'd unleashed a full assault with multiple Genshin projections, easily shattering the seven-meter-tall Hive itself.
Then she'd descended further, taking advantage of the Starry Abyss buff while it still ran at full strength.
Notably, while passing through the end of Floor 27, she'd caught a glimpse of the Dungeon's second floor boss: the Twin-Headed Dragon, Amphisbaena.
Potential Level 5. It could fly.
Yeah, no way I'm winning that fight now.
So she had called in Xiao-sama, who used his teleportation advantage to lure the dragon away, letting her safely descend via the floor stairwell.
But with dawn nearing, the Starry Abyss buff's efficiency would soon be halved. So Lumine slowed her pace, taking advantage of Floor 28's plentiful Venom Maggots to farm more experience instead.
By now,
"Just a bit more, and both [Ningguang] and [Barbara] will hit Level 20."
Settling briefly in a cavern room, she summoned Razor to wreck the surrounding terrain and prevent more monster hatching.
During the break, she checked her gains from the night, smiling in satisfaction.
The rest… I'll let Brother handle.
"Paimon, I'm gonna play on my phone for a bit."
"Oh."
Her silly little sister plopped down in a corner, hugging her knees, already in slacking mode.
================
Half an hour later…
After stopping for breakfast along the way, Aether and Welf finally arrived together at the base of Babel.
By then, many lower-leveled adventurers, those who usually returned to the surface by dusk, were already gathering in the Central Plaza.
Looking around, Aether noted that most were grouped in threes and fives, waiting for missing teammates before delving into the Dungeon as small parties.
Others, however… were simply supporters with no adventurer contracts, clearly wondering if they'd even earn enough today to afford their next meal.
Funny thing… The term "supporter" was never originally meant to be derogatory.
In fact, many high-level adventurers sometimes filled the role. For example: Lefiya Viridis, the Thousand Elf of the Loki Familia, often served as a supporter for her executives, though, in truth, she usually just chased after Ais.
Technically, any adventurer could act as a temporary supporter. No paperwork needed. Just carry the bags.
But the reverse? That was another story.
The Guild required that only those who had received a God's Blessing could register as adventurers.
Not everyone blessed chose to register, though.
A prime example was Liliruca Arde of the Soma Familia, a pallum girl who, in the original trajectory, loathed adventurers in the extreme. Despite her invaluable shapeshifting magic and Soma's blessing, she chose only to work as a supporter.
Even though her magical archery alone was enough to guarantee safe runs through the first ten floors.
Anyway… point is, a Blessing isn't so easy to get.
Even the blue-ribbon goddess, eager as she was to "recruit" (read: trick) people into her Familia, still had her own standards.
Sadly, the children she liked never liked her back.
Or, as Loki herself would put it:
"Kids don't want to die, ya know. Who'd join the Familia of a goddess who hasn't even figured out her own faction's policies yet? Only an idiot would."
To which Aether could only sigh inwardly,
Fate's always about mutual alignment, isn't it…
He thought this while hefting a rather shabby-looking sack in one hand. Despite the rough image, his attire clearly set him apart from ordinary supporters.
That was when, near a fountain in the Central Plaza, he spotted a familiar figure.
A dog-person girl, burdened with a pack easily ten times her own size.
Her clothes were ragged. She was negotiating with an adventurer.
Midway, the man struck her across the head in irritation.
Yet when she lowered her head, biting back pain…
Her lips curled in a sly, mocking smile.
Six parts resentment. Three parts disdain.
And one part… bitter self-mockery.
=============
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