[DanMachi/Percy Jackson] Prytaneum

Chapter 18 : Searchlight​ part 1

Two days later, Welf was leading me down Adventurer's Way—that is, Northwest Main. After we'd finished with the Dungeon yesterday, he'd asked me to meet him here for...some reason. I still wasn't sure about that, actually, but we seemed to be heading towards the Guild.

"Do you have something to Exchange?" I wondered out loud.

"Huh?" Welf asked, glancing over his shoulder. "Oh, no, I just wanted to show you something at the Guild Headquarters. I exchanged everything yesterday, after I dropped some stuff off at my workshop."

As he said that, however, he paused in the middle of the street, making me stop as well to avoid bumping into him.

"By the way," He said. "Is it really okay to split the money like that?"

He must have been referring to how we divided our stuff yesterday—namely, if you can carry it, it's yours. Well, it was a bit more complex than that, because some drops were Miach's and some were Welf's and I'd give him something specific if he asked for it. But on the whole, I figured we might as well keep things simple. We could come up with something better later on, if we had to. I didn't think it'd be an issue, but maybe I was wrong.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing's wrong exactly," Welf replied slowly. "It just doesn't really seem fair, you know? Usually in parties like this, you'd be given the lion's share, since you're the one helping me. Splitting things fifty-fifty when your already doing so much to help me...no, counting the drop items you've been giving me, it's more than that. It doesn't feel right. Plus, I've been slowing you down, too; we couldn't make it all the way through the seventh floor yesterday because of me. If I wasn't around, you'd be able to hunt on the tenth floor instead and make more money that way."

Oh, was that all?

I shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "You can have whatever you can carry. I mean, there's always a lot left over after I'm done and once my bags are full, the rest is just going to go to waste anyway. It's not like you're stealing anything from me; if you didn't carry it up, it wouldn't have gotten carried up. It's not like it's a big deal, either—with you forging armor for me and Miach making potions, I don't have much in the way of expenses right now. All I really need to do is provide for Hestia and I'm doing okay on that front. Frankly, you probably need the extra money more than I do with all the blacksmithing you have to do. I'm just glad not to have to buy armor every day."

Welf hummed uncertainly and then sighed to himself.

"I suppose," He said, not sounding particularly convinced. "I still think we should at least have an even split, though."

I shrugged again.

"As for being on the seventh for an extra day or two..." I sighed myself and then admitted the truth. "It's probably for the best. The more drops we gather, the larger a supply we can build up with Miach. Trust me, we're going to need all the help we can get on the next few floors and especially the tenth. As long as we prioritize Blue Papillion and Purple Moth Wings, whatever else you pick up is fine."

"Yeah," Welf agreed, slowly starting to walk again. "But it still feels like a waste, leaving so much behind every day. If not for...everything, I'd recommend hiring a supporter."

"A supporter?" I asked, tilting my head. "What's that?"

Welf looked surprised for a moment before realization dawned on his face.

"Oh, that's right," He said. "It's so easy to forget that you're new at this. You've never heard of a supporter, then?"

"I think I've heard it mentioned," I replied, vaguely recalling Eina bringing up the term in regards to people that worked in the Dungeon. "But I don't know anything about them."

Welf nodded slowly.

"A supporter is..." He began before pausing. "How should I say this? They're like adventurers...but sort of not? They explore the Dungeon alongside adventurers, but their roles are mainly, well..."

"Supporting?" I guessed.

"Yeah," He confirmed, scratching a check embarrassedly. "Mainly, they help by carrying stuff—magic stones, drops, spare weapons and items, and so on. They also work to make things easier on adventurers in the Dungeon, such as by moving bodies out of the way or carving out the magic stones while the adventurers pursue more monsters. It sounds pretty simple, but you'd be surprised at how much it helps."

Oh, then sort of like what I'd had in mind for Mrs. O'Leary, though they did more than just carry things. Still, a part of me wondered if I should just introduce Welf to Mrs. O'Leary already. I wasn't really trying to keep it a secret or anything, at least from Welf; I trusted him, I just hadn't needed to call for her help yet. If it was just getting to the seventh floor and back, I didn't need to shadow travel...or rather, Welf benefitted from the extra fighting. Still, if I told him what I wanted, he might be able to make some super-sized saddlebags or some equivalent, which would help deal with the amount of stuff we kept leaving behind.

Although...the idea of a more traditional supporter did have some merit, going just by what Welf had said. He said I'd be surprised by how much the little things helped, but I really didn't think I would be. I mean, I'd kill a bunch of monsters and then I'd have to stop and carve the magic stones out of each, one-by-one. If nothing else, having Welf along had made that go a bit faster, because it had been two by two, but it was always a bit aggravating to, say, kill a hundred Killer Ants and harvest them. All told, I probably spent as much time doing that as I did fighting, at least until my bags were full. Having someone to come in behind me and help clean up would probably let me get more stuff done—and while I didn't mind feeding Mrs. O'Leary some of my extra stuff, I'd probably be able to reach a few of my goals faster if that extra wasn't the majority.

Similarly, while fighting atop the corpses of your slain enemies may have sounded cool, but it got old really fast. Between the unstable footing, the limited room, the potential camouflage it gave still living enemies, and everything else, I'd have much rather fought on level ground. Yesterday, I'd actually had to interfere to help Welf a few times, simply because once the corpses piled up enough, they just got in the way. At one point, he'd ended up fighting five Killer Ants on top of a small pile of their comrades and a sudden shift in the pile had nearly made him fall over. I was just lucky I had a good sense of balance.

All that stuff sounded really convenient.

The only problem was the human element.

"What type of people are supporters?" I wondered.

"It depends," Welf replied with a shrug. "In more powerful Familias like mine, it's not uncommon for even Level 3s to act as supporters—it all depends on how deep into the Dungeon you intend to go. For example, if you could reach the twenty-fifth floor normally, you might act as a supporter for a group going to the thirty-fifth floor, because even if you only get paid a fraction of what's gathered there, it could easily be far more than you would normally get on your own floor. There are people in my Familia who can take trips into the Dungeon and return in a day with millions of valis."

"There's that big a difference?" I asked, eyes widening in surprised.

"Sort of," He said. "It's definitely true that the quality of drops and magic stones increases dramatically as you go deeper—but there's also the fact that most Familias just can't reach the middle or lower floors on their own. As a result, people will pay quite a bit for them...which actually has a lot to do with what I wanted to show you."

Welf pointed towards the Pantheon and began to walk towards it a bit more quickly.

"That's a lot of money. But still, going to floors so far out of their league..." I mused. "Supporters must be pretty brave. If a monster catches them..."

My friend hummed in agreement.

"Can you believe that there are supporters that don't even have a Falna?" He said. "'Free' supporters explore the Dungeon without even a God's Grace, though they're sometimes brought into Familia's because of their skill. But at the same time, it's true that being a supporter is really dangerous, especially for the type of people that usually end up doing it. Like I said, there are exceptions, but most supporters tend to be people who don't specialize in fighting. I've met supporters with stats in H or I who've gone deeper into the Dungeon than I have."

I wasn't sure if stuff like that was brave or simply reckless, not that I had much room to talk. I guess if you need something enough, the line between the two starts to get pretty thin.

"Sounds like a tough job," I said.

"They have to be smart," Welf replied, leading me through the lobby before stopping by a bulletin board with papers strewn about it. "Staying close to adventurers without ever getting involved themselves. To an extent, you can rely on your party to cover for you, but in the Dungeon...well, anything can happen. But anyway..."

Welf reached out and tapped a page on the board, smiling at me.

"What do you know about Quests?" Welf asked.

That they suck.

"It depends on what you mean by 'quests,'" I replied.

"I thought so," He said. "These are really the type of things Level 1s usually get involved in—not from this side, at least. The basic idea is pretty simple though; you do something in return for a reward."

So like a game quest instead of a demigod quest, I thought. Though I imagined that both still had the potential to suck.

"I'm guessing there's a bit more to it than that," I said. "Or else more people would be over here looking at it."

"Just a bit," Welf confirmed. "I mean, take a look at some of these. Ten Hellhound Fangs...recruiting party members to face a Floor Boss...fetch a jewel fruit from the twenty-fourth floor. See the problem? Most of these require going to at least the middle floors."

"Because most people can't reach them on their own," I guessed, remember what he said early.

"Exactly," He said, tapping the board again. "That's not to say that things on the upper floors don't have value—but if you need them, just go get them. It's not always easy, but as long as you train and prepare, you should be able to get to at least the seventh floor. Beyond that, though? Things can get a bit trickier. Starting with the thirteen floor, Level 2 monsters start appearing and things just get worse from there. And since that's where you find Hellhounds...well, less than half of all adventurers can even try. Fighting a Floor Boss is even worse; it even says that only people of Level 3 or higher will be considered, which is a fraction of all the adventurers in Orario. And the jewel fruit—"

"Requires going to the twenty-fourth floor," I said. "Enough said."

"Well, there's that—but even more importantly, the jewel fruits are guarded by a dragon," Welf said. "Its way stronger than anything else on that floor; it's supposed to be equal to a Level 4 monster."

I frowned, distracted by his words. A dragon guarding jeweled fruit made me think of a dragon guarding golden apples—of Ladon, who'd given Luke his scar and helped end Zoe's life. It might just be a coincidence, but if not...the former didn't excuse the latter. Either way, when I reached the twenty-fourth floor, I'd have to remember to check. Last time I'd seen him, I hadn't dared approach for fear of, you know, his hundred heads and stuff, but I hadn't had as many debts to repay then, either. And killing Ladon was literally what Riptide had been made for.

"But every once and a while, you get stuff like this, too," Welf said, interrupting my thoughts as he pointed to another page. "Collect thirty Orc Hides—hard, maybe, but not impossible for a Level 1. Especially not you."

"You want me to do it?" I asked.

"Just wanted to give you a heads up," He said. "Thought you might want to know—if you want, I have most of the Orc Hides you gave me still, too. If you got about ten more, you could complete it. The rewards not too bad, considering."

I couldn't read it, so I wouldn't know. I should probably tell Welf that, too. As soon as we were out of this crowd.

"Might be worth a shot, then," I said. "But it'll have to wait until we reach the tenth floor."

"About that," He began. "I was actually going to use today to forge you some more armor; make a better set and all that. You wanted a shield and helmet too, right?"

"Right," I said, nodding before tilting my head. "You want me to go on ahead, then?"

"I need to take your measurements and stuff," He replied with a shrug. "But otherwise, all there'd be to do is watch me forge. And I'm sure you'd like a chance to fight without me holding you back."

"Don't say it like that, Welf," I told him.

"Sorry," He said with a shrug. "Well, once I reach Level 2, I'll start pulling my own weight. You want to try this quest for today, then?"

"Have you ever done one?" I asked him instead of answering.

"No," Welf replied, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure most Level 1s don't even try—that's probably why this quest hasn't been done yet. Most higher Level adventurers wouldn't care about the reward for Orc hunting. Still, I thought it might be cool if you completed a quest before leveling up."

I looked at it and then at him—and then sighed, regretting this already.

"I have a..." I trailed off and shook my head. "I'm not gonna say better idea, but an idea. Let's do the quest together, the three of us."

"...Three?" Welf asked, blinking and raising an eyebrow.