The fundamental problem with success in the Dungeon was not the difficulty of the kill; it was the weight of the result.
Aiden swung the sledgehammer. The iron-banded head, propelled by muscles screaming under the electrical load of [Limit Break], connected with the midsection of a War Shadow. The creature didn't have bones to break, but it had a core. The impact shattered the magic stone inside its shadowy chest instantly.
Poof.
Black mist dissipated, leaving a jagged purple stone on the gray floor.
"That's twelve," Aiden grunted, leaning on the hammer handle. He felt a sharp sting in his right trapezius—a muscle fiber snapping. The cost of pushing his Strength 20% beyond its biological safety limit.
"Aiden, the bag is full," Lyra said. She was standing near the wall, breathing hard. The leather backpack they had bought was bulging. A War Shadow stone was the size of a grapefruit. They could fit maybe twenty in the pack before it became unwieldy.
"We leave the small ones," Aiden decided, kicking a smaller Almiraj (Killer Rabbit) stone aside. "We only take Shadow stones."
"That's waste," a voice chirped from the darkness. "Terrible, terrible waste."
Aiden spun around, the hammer coming up in a guard position despite the pain in his shoulder. Lyra's wand snapped up, the tip glowing violet.
Emerging from behind a stalagmite was a small figure. A Prum. She stood barely a meter tall, wearing a ragged, oversized hooded cloak that smelled of old dust. She carried a backpack that looked twice her size.
Aiden lowered the hammer slightly. He knew that face.
Liliruca Arde.
In the canon, she was the tragic supporter who betrayed Bell Cranel before being saved by him. Here, she was a cynic, a thief, and a victim of the same system that was currently bleeding Aiden and Lyra dry.
"Who are you?" Aiden asked, feigning ignorance.
The Prum pulled back her hood, revealing large, chestnut eyes that shone with a practiced, watery innocence.
"I'm Lili! Just a poor supporter looking for a party," she said, her voice pitching up into a whine. "I saw you leaving good stones behind. It hurts Lili's heart to see valis thrown in the mud!"
Lyra narrowed her eyes. The Reverie Devil whispered to her. It didn't hear innocence. It heard calculation. Greed. Fear. Resentment.
"You're Soma," Lyra said, spotting the edge of the chalice emblem on the Prum's inner collar.
Lili froze for a second, then her expression shifted. The innocence dropped a fraction, replaced by a weary wariness. "So are you. Eclipse, right? The two crazies who cleared the frog route for Zanis."
"We prefer 'efficient'," Aiden said. "What do you want?"
"Work," Lili stepped forward, gesturing to her massive, empty backpack. "You hit hard. You kill fast. But you move slow because you're carrying loot. You're losing 30% of your potential earnings by stopping to pick things up. I carry the bag. You kill more. We split the profit."
"And you rob us blind when we're not looking?" Aiden asked bluntly.
Lili didn't flinch. She laughed, a dry sound. "Rob you? You're Soma. You don't have anything worth stealing except the stones. And if I steal the stones, Zanis beats me. If I help you bring them back, I get a cut. Simple math."
Aiden looked at Lyra. They had a silent conversation.
Do we trust her? No. Do we need her? Yes.
"Standard supporter rate is 10%," Aiden said.
"10% is for rookies who carry potions," Lili scoffed, her business persona taking over. "I'm a Dungeon Carrier. I can haul 40 kilograms and keep pace with a Level 1 Agility build. I want 20%."
"15%," Aiden countered. "And you sort the loot. High value only."
Lili paused, pretending to think about it. In reality, she would have taken 5%. She just needed a "host" to latch onto.
"Deal," Lili beamed, the fake smile returning. "Lili will serve you well, Master Aiden!"
"Don't call me Master," Aiden growled, turning back to the corridor. "And stay behind the hammer. If you get in front, I won't stop the swing."
With Liliruca Arde added to the formation, the dynamic of the grind changed instantly.
Lili was a machine. As soon as a monster dissolved, she was there, scooping up the stone and drop items before the ash even settled. She sorted them into her massive bag with terrifying speed.
Aiden was freed from the burden of looting. He could focus entirely on the rhythm of violence.
Smash. Recover. Move. Smash. Recover. Move.
They pushed deeper into Floor 6, entering a section known as the "Echo Maze."
"Three Shadows, ten o'clock," Lyra called out, firing a Gossamer bolt that slowed the lead monster.
Aiden engaged. His hammer work was brutal. With [Limit Break] active, he was one-shotting them, but his HP was slowly ticking down from the self-inflicted muscle tears.
[Aiden HP: 65%] [Status: Muscle Strain - Moderate]
"You're pushing too hard," Lili commented from the back, her eyes sharp. She reached into a side pouch and pulled out a blue vial. "You're favoring your right side. Drink this."
She tossed the potion mid-combat.
Aiden caught it with his off-hand, uncorked it with his teeth, and downed it in one gulp while kicking a War Shadow back. The cheap alchemy soothed the burning in his shoulder.
"Good throw," Aiden grunted, swinging the hammer to finish the stunned monster.
Lili watched him, her eyes narrowing. He trusts me to throw potions? Most adventurers make the supporter hand it to them so they don't 'waste' it.
She was analyzing them. Aiden was a brute force engine, but he fought with a cold, calculated efficiency. Lyra was the controller, using her strange, chant-less magic to manipulate the battlefield. They were strong. Much stronger than their Level 1 status suggested.
They have money, Lili thought. Or they will. If I can get them to trust me... I can swipe the bag when they rest.
"Incoming!" Lyra screamed.
The ground shook.
It wasn't a War Shadow. It was a Minotaur.
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected.] [Enemy: Minotaur (Level 2 Mid-Tier)] [Floor 6 Spawn Error.]
The beast roared, charging down the narrow corridor. It was massive, muscular, and wielding a crude stone axe.
"A Minotaur?" Lili squeaked, shrinking back. "On Floor 6? Run! We have to run!"
"Can't," Aiden planted his feet. The corridor was too narrow. If they turned their backs, the Minotaur would run them down. "Lyra, bind it!"
Lyra raised her wand, her face pale. A Minotaur had high magic resistance.
"The nightmare is heavy!"
[Magic: Gossamer - Chain]
Violet light wrapped around the Minotaur's legs. It stumbled, slowing down, but it roared and shattered the magical construct with sheer brute force.
"It broke the hold!" Lyra shouted.
It swung the stone axe at Aiden.
Aiden didn't dodge. He couldn't. He raised the sledgehammer to block.
CLANG.
The impact drove Aiden's feet into the stone floor. His knees buckled. The force was overwhelming. Strength D vs Strength H. Even with [Limit Break], he was outmatched.
"Aiden!" Lili screamed, terrified. If he died, she was dead meat.
Aiden's arms trembled. The axe was pushing the hammer down, inches from his face.
System, Aiden thought, the world narrowing to a pinprick. The axe is stone. Stone has a grain. Stone has a flaw.
He couldn't overpower the beast. He had to break the weapon.
[Skill: RENDER] [Target: Structural Flaw - Stone Axe] [Cost: 50% Current Stamina]
Aiden didn't push back against the Minotaur's strength. He pulsed the Severance Devil through his hammer, into the point of contact.
SEVER.
The stone axe exploded.
The Minotaur, suddenly meeting no resistance, stumbled forward, off-balance.
Aiden roared, spitting blood. He stepped into the beast's guard. He didn't have the height to hit its head. He swung the hammer upward, into the Minotaur's jaw.
CRUNCH.
The beast's head snapped back. It staggered, dazed.
"Lyra! Now!"
Lyra sprinted. She didn't stay at range. She vaulted off Aiden's back, driving her red Killer Ant dagger into the Minotaur's eye.
She twisted the blade, channeling the Reverie.
SLEEP.
The Minotaur convulsed. Its brain was flooded with conflicting signals—pain, sleep, terror. It fell to its knees.
Aiden spun the hammer one last time. A full rotation.
He brought it down on the back of the monster's neck.
SNAP.
The Minotaur collapsed, dissolving into a massive pile of ash. A magic stone the size of a human head clattered to the floor.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Aiden fell onto his back, gasping. His arms were numb.
Lili stood there, staring. She had seen Level 2 adventurers fight Minotaurs. It was usually a coordinated dance. This... this was a street brawl. It was ugly, desperate, and terrifyingly effective.
"You..." Lili whispered. "You're monsters."
Aiden sat up, wiping blood from his mouth. He looked at Lili.
"Loot it," he rasped.
Lili blinked. "What?"
"The stone. The horn drop. Loot it. That's your job, isn't it?"
Lili scrambled to obey, her hands shaking as she picked up the massive magic stone. "Y-yes. Looting."
She shoved the items into her bag. It was now so heavy she could barely lift it.
"We're done," Aiden said, using the hammer to stand. "Back to the surface."
They found a quiet alcove near the stairs to Floor 5 to rest for a moment before the ascent.
Lili handed out water and rations. She sat slightly apart from them, clutching her backpack.
"Why?" Lili asked suddenly.
Aiden looked up from bandaging his arm. "Why what?"
"Why fight like that?" Lili's voice trembled with a mix of curiosity and disdain. "You're Soma Familia. You should be scrounging for Valis to buy wine. You shouldn't be fighting Minotaurs. You fought to protect... the loot?"
"I fought to survive," Aiden said.
"You stood your ground," Lili pointed out. "Usually, Soma members throw the supporter at the monster as a distraction and run."
Aiden stopped bandaging. He looked at Lili. He saw the scars on her hands—the signs of abuse. He saw the flinch in her eyes.
"We don't drink the wine, Lili," Lyra said softly.
Lili froze. "What?"
"We don't drink it," Aiden confirmed. "We pay the tax to Zanis to keep him off our backs. But we aren't slaves."
Lili stared at them. Not drinking the wine? It was impossible. Everyone drank. Everyone broke.
"Then why stay?" Lili whispered. "Why not run?"
"Because running leaves Zanis in charge," Aiden said darkly. "We're going to get strong. Strong enough to break the Familia. Strong enough to turn that wine into vinegar."
He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto hers.
"We need a supporter, Lili. Not a slave. Not a victim. Someone who wants to see Zanis burn just as much as we do."
Lili's breath hitched. She looked at these two battering rams of human beings. They were crazy. They were going to get themselves killed.
But...
She looked at the share of the loot she was carrying. Even at 15%, she would make more today than she had in a month.
"I..." Lili stammered. "I hate adventurers."
"Good," Aiden stood up. "So do we."
He held out his hand.
"Are we leaving, Supporter?"
Lili looked at the hand. It was calloused, bloody, and dirty.
She reached out and took it.
"Yeah," Lili said, her voice finding a shred of steel. "Let's go. But if you die, I'm taking the bag."
"Fair enough," Aiden smirked.
They emerged from Babel as the sun was setting. The haul was massive.
The Guild exchange counter was a spectacle. Misha stared at the pile of stones, the Minotaur horn, and the sheer volume of loot.
"Total Value: 28,000 Valis," Misha announced, her voice shaking slightly. "For a Level 1 party... this is absurd."
Aiden took the bags.
He walked outside to a quiet alley. He counted out 4,200 Valis. 15%.
He handed it to Lili.
Lili stared at the coins. She counted them. It was exactly 15%. No tricks. No "deductions for potion usage."
"See you tomorrow?" Aiden asked.
Lili clutched the money to her chest. She looked up at him, her large eyes unreadable.
"Tomorrow," she said. "0600 hours. Don't be late."
She turned and vanished into the crowd, moving with the practiced stealth of a thief.
"She's going to rob us eventually," Lyra said, watching her go.
"Maybe," Aiden said, hefting his share of the gold. "But until she does, she's the best investment we've made."
He looked at the darkening sky.
"We have money. We have a supporter. Now... we prepare for the Goliath."
"We're on Floor 6, Aiden," Lyra reminded him.
"We're climbing fast," Aiden touched the Severance Devil in his soul. It was purring. It liked the Minotaur kill. It liked the breaking of the axe.
[Party Member Added (Provisional): Liliruca Arde.]
[Financial Update: +23,800 Valis (Party Share).]
[Achievement: "Minotaur Slayer (Assist)".]
[State Variable Update: Lili's Loyalty - Suspicious but greedy.]