"Roar—!"
The snow-white Silverback Ape beat its chest, letting out a savage roar like a beast on the hunt.
Amidst a thick fog, Eiji gripped his Bling Sword, his expression solemn and ready for battle.
This was the 12th floor.
The trio encountered one of the most powerful monsters in the upper levels—the Silverback Ape.
This monster was covered in snow-white fur, with exaggeratedly bulging muscles on its shoulders and arms. Its silver hair hung long like a tail behind its back.
In terms of threat level, it was only Level 1, but its strength and agility were both outstanding, making it one of the top-tier monsters in the upper levels.
Boom!
The Silverback Ape punched the ground in front of Eiji, creating a crater in the grass. Then, it swiftly spun around and chased after Eiji, who had dodged to the side, its movements incredibly agile.
Every punch from the monster gave Eiji the illusion that he was about to be sent flying, making him dare not clash with it head-on. He could only rely on his keen eyesight to see through its movements and, combined with his intuition, narrowly dodge its attacks time and time again.
"Let me help?"
"No need!"
From behind came Line's anxious voice.
From her perspective, Eiji was always on the verge of being hit by the Silverback Ape's fists, each dodge looking incredibly precarious, as if the slightest misstep would lead to disaster.
She had wanted to help, but Eiji insisted on handling it alone, so she stayed back. However, since he still had the time to respond, it seemed there was no real danger.
Eiji's movements were also very agile. Under the relentless pursuit of the Silverback Ape, he darted around it like a nimble monkey.
Compared to a few days ago, Eiji's speed had improved significantly. Facing a monster like the Silverback Ape was no longer as strenuous, and occasionally, he could even leave a long slash on the ape's body with a swing of his blade, eliciting angry roars from it.
"Roar—!"
Attracted by the commotion, another Silverback Ape roared and charged over.
Its crimson eyes swept over its fellow ape in battle, not trying to steal its prey, but instead locking onto Line and Lefiya.
Line wasn't worried at all.
"Lefiya!"
She pointed at the Silverback Ape and called out, as if summoning a pet.
"Eh!"
Lefiya raised her magic wand and struck the oncoming Silverback Ape with the handle.
Thud!
The Silverback Ape was hit on the head, its body stiffening before its eyes gradually lost focus, and it collapsed limply to the ground.
What seemed like a light tap was enough to knock out the burly Silverback Ape.
"As expected of Lefiya, Level 3 is so reliable!"
Line praised Lefiya, then pulled out a small knife and went forward to slit the unconscious ape's throat, ending its life and collecting its magic stone.
"Not at all, it's just that Lady Riveria taught me well."
Lefiya scratched the back of her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly pleased by the praise.
Her staff techniques were taught by Riveria.
Compared to her talent in magic, her staff skills could only be described as amateurish, relying solely on her Level 3 physique to bully Level 1 monsters.
Slash!
On the other side, with the sound of a blade cutting through flesh, the Silverback Ape was also slain by Eiji with a cunning, snake-like strike to the throat, dissipating into black smoke.
"Seeing your swordsmanship up close is truly impressive, but to me, your dodging skills are even more remarkable."
Line also walked over, picking up the magic stone dropped by the Silverback Ape Eiji had killed and placed it into the large backpack she carried.
As the rear guard, her pressure was minimal, so she also took on the role of a supporter.
Supporters, in a nutshell, were the followers of adventurers, non-combat personnel primarily responsible for carrying luggage, backup weapons, and collecting magic stones.
This had even become a profession in Orario. Since adventurers needed to focus on fighting monsters, they couldn't carry too much weight, often having to reluctantly leave behind many dropped items.
This was where supporters came in. They could collect as many magic stones as possible that adventurers couldn't carry, exchange them for money, and then split the earnings with the adventurers at a fixed ratio.
Generally, bringing a supporter could double or even triple the daily income from exploring the dungeon, making even a 50-50 split highly worthwhile.
However, since supporters didn't contribute to fighting monsters and needed protection, while also taking a large share of the earnings afterwards, many adventurers looked down on them and felt it was unfair that they took on all the risk. As a result, adventurers often bullied their supporter teammates or even reneged on the deal, taking all the money for themselves.
However, if the adventurer and supporter belonged to the same Familia, there was no issue. Currently, Line was taking on the role of a supporter, carrying Eiji's large backpack, and there would be no conflict when it came to splitting the earnings.
"The entrance to the 13th floor is just ahead. Let's take a break."
Following the path from their last visit, Eiji and the two girls arrived at the passage leading to the 13th floor and stopped.
"Line, take out the Fire Dragon Armour from the backpack."
"Got it."
Line took off the backpack and pulled out three sets of red clothing.
The red fabric was glossy, with a soft and lightweight texture that made it almost weightless to the touch. The set included an undershirt, shorts, casual wear, and a robe, forming a complete outfit.
Spirit Clothes.
These were creations made by spirits infusing their own magical power, imbued with the spirits' blessings and possessing wondrous magical effects. Depending on the race of the spirit that bestowed the magic, the effects of the clothes varied greatly.
"The works of the spirits always feel so miraculous, no matter how many times I see them!"
Lefiya stroked the Fire Dragon Armour, her face filled with admiration.
As a member of the elf race, she had grown up hearing stories about spirits and thus held a deep reverence for these transcendent beings.
Spirits.
These were creatures that existed almost solely in myths and legends, also known as fairies, nymphs, elementals, or sprites. They were widely regarded as the race closest to the gods, earning the title of "Divine Fragments."
"It's said that in ancient times, spirits assisted heroes in fighting the monsters that rampaged out of the dungeon. This is depicted in many books and picture books. For the heroes of old, the aid of spirits was almost akin to divine grace... though such assistance has greatly diminished in the present."
When talking about spirits, the usually reserved Lefiya became quite talkative.
***
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