Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 660: Even without numerical values, I'm still rampaging through the battlefield, but the lack of space turns me into a hamster.
"Broly, your powerful, ancient hero-like strength has been sealed away. So, the adventures of the past few days weren't really adventures. Now is your first real adventure. Promise me you won't be reckless. First, familiarize yourself with your current power in the upper zone, okay?"

Before entering the dungeon, Hestia hugged the boy. She didn't command him not to go deeper into the dungeon, but rather pleaded with him to be more careful about his safety.

The surrounding adventurers glanced sideways, unable to hear Hestia's whispered words in the boy's ear, but they could see a goddess embracing a boy who was likely a half-human, half-beast hybrid from her own clan.

Some envied, some scorned, and some looked down on, but no one came to bother them.

"Lord Hestia, of course that's fine. Besides, I'm not a novice adventurer with all five basic stats at i0. Skills like 'Natural Stat Monster' are working perfectly on my second panel."

"You've already confirmed this, so Lady Hestia, please rest assured. Trust me, I won't die easily in the dungeon."

Hestia's worried expression was replaced by a smile; this child always knew how to make her, the goddess, happy.

"I wish you a safe trip. I'll be working at the potato ball shop and praying for you."

The loli goddess kissed the boy on the forehead before waving goodbye to him who was standing in front of the dungeon entrance.

After Hestia left, Broly also turned and entered the labyrinth of the dungeon.

This maze is very different from the previous ones.

Having already activated the [Super Weight Training] skill, his power is now sealed. He is no longer the crab (Saiyan) who can run rampant in the dungeon without restraint just by donning a black robe. He needs to be careful about the risks this dungeon might bring him.

Even against the lowest-level monsters, you have to fight hard to win, but well, that didn't happen.

Although he could no longer defeat the lowest-level monsters with a flick of his finger as before, he could still easily defeat the low-level monsters that would appear in the first few levels of the dungeon with a casual swing of his short sword.

He quickly cleared floors 1-4, and floors 5-9 did not stop Broly's progress in the slightest. He soon arrived at the most challenging floor in the upper area, the Pale Forest floor, where large monsters roamed. Although the large monsters that appeared here were all Lv.1, their strength was incomparable to those on the previous floors.

Just like yesterday when he was forced to fight, Broly experienced the feeling of being outnumbered.

Now, however, his true strength has been completely sealed away by the effects of the [Super-Heavy Training] skill...

Ok……

He seemed to be able to hold his own against four opponents, because he was killing even faster. Broly looked at the short sword in his hand, and at that moment he realized the importance of having good equipment for an adventurer.

In terms of suppressing strength, the skill 【Super Weight Training】is more effective than actively suppressing one's aura to achieve the same effect.

However, because of the change in equipment, under the same combat skills, my overall performance was actually stronger than when I was using the same aura yesterday.

【Super-weighted training】only suppresses his pure numerical values ​​and the convenient Crystal Palace space, but it does not erase his personal combat awareness and skills from his mind.

But if that's the case, can I still remain in this upper-level area, facing adversity and hardship?

Broly had this question in mind, but the horde of monsters surging ahead, mixed with small dragons, green-skinned orcs, and imps, made him temporarily put aside thoughts unrelated to the battle.

Broly is now just an ordinary adventurer who only wants to use his [Fire of Joy] short sword to slay monsters and level up.

The Saiyan boy stepped forward and collided with the mixed monster horde. In the instant of contact, the monster horde fell like ears of wheat being harvested by a scythe, turning to ashes at a visible speed.

Good weapons allow Broly to easily kill with one blow, eliminating the predicament of being outnumbered.

In less than two minutes, he wiped out a group of about forty demons, even faster than before he sealed all their power.

Although his strength (stats) is sealed, what does that have to do with the fact that he can still wreak havoc in the dungeon (at least the upper level)?
Without the interference of his originally excessive strength, as he defeated over a hundred monsters, Broly had a real sense that his own strength was constantly increasing.

It was no longer a minor improvement that would be difficult to detect without careful observation, but a significant improvement compared to his current weak strength.

Broly could clearly feel himself improving and getting stronger, and this feeling made him more and more excited as he fought.

Until, during the brief moment between defeating the monsters and waiting for them to respawn in the dungeon, he picked up the magic stones and loot dropped by the monsters he had killed, and discovered that his satchel had been filled with magic stones and loot in an instant...

Broly suddenly realized the convenience he had of having a personal space compared to other adventurers.

Well, carrying a satchel full of spoils on my back isn't enough to prevent me from fighting, but it would be very inconvenient and would restrict my current movements.

Broly emptied the contents, discarding the low-value loot that wasn't very valuable but took up a lot of space.

However, after defeating two more monster groups, the high-value combat items he obtained also filled his inventory to the brim.

The satchel Hephaestus gave him was like a hamster that had stuffed too many nuts into its mouth; it was visibly overflowing, as if the buttons on the satchel could snap off at any moment.

The precious item dropped by the little dragon, [Little Dragon's Heart], is now in Bro's hand. Looking at the figures that have reappeared from the pale forest in the distance, faintly visible in the mist, he gradually loses the idea of ​​continuing to kill monsters.

You need to process the loot you have first. Otherwise, if you continue killing monsters and get some high-value drops, and then abandon them because of the weight, you'll feel like you're wasting something.

This feeling was subtle; he hadn't felt this way yesterday when he was rampaging through the dungeon in his black robes, ignoring everything that fell.

Broly had no idea that this was the difference between playing the game with Wind Spirit Moonshadow and playing the game normally.

His powerful stats are his cheat code; previously, rare drops were easily obtainable, so they weren't valued.

Now, although killing monsters is still not difficult, he still needs to wield his sword (perform some skill). With this skill, the magic stones and drops that are dropped take on a different meaning, giving Broly a different feeling, as if they were the product of hard work.

Broly chose to go back, his small body carrying a full satchel.

The monsters encountered along the way should either be bypassed or they should be injured but not killed during the breakthrough.

When encountering adventurers, experienced players will look over warily, while novices will be somewhat bewildered.

But upon seeing Broly's triumphant return, their wariness and confusion turned into envy.

"Ah, others return laden with spoils; today, I too will return with a bountiful harvest..."

Broly turned his head and looked strangely at the passerby adventurer who shouted these words and ran to the next floor of the dungeon labyrinth. He didn't quite understand what the other person was so excited about.

"Hello, please help me exchange these spoils for Fali."

Broly's monster-hunting efficiency was too fast. Even though it took some time to travel up and down the maze, it was still not noon outside, probably around 10:30 in the morning. However, there was not a single adventurer at the money exchange in the Tower of Babel.

The guild staff at the money exchange looked at him with some surprise, but after seeing that the boy was carrying only a small shoulder bag, they nodded.

"Hey, Little Dragon's heart, Little Dragon's skin, Little Dragon's teeth... wait, did you just puncture Little Dragon's lair?"

After they started counting the spoils, a guild employee asked a question with a strange expression.

"No, I didn't kill that many dragons, but I was probably just lucky, so the dragons dropped a lot of loot."

Broly was telling the truth; he could clearly feel that his drop rate had increased while he was grinding monsters today.

Otherwise, based on the previous drop rate, the number of monsters you kill will at most fill your bag with magic stones, not enough to fill it with high-value loot.

"You're really lucky."

The guild employee was a veteran. Having worked at the money exchange for a long time, he would occasionally encounter adventurers who were lucky enough to boast about how they could get four or five sets of drop materials from a single monster.

This thing is actually similar to getting a double or triple yolk when drawing cards.

However, it is indeed rare for a Lv.1 adventurer to bring so many drops from the dragons. Even if a single dragon can drop several items, the materials in front of you would require defeating at least four or five dragons to gather them.

In addition to the little dragon, the loot dropped by the green-skinned orcs was also counted. These two monsters are notorious killers of newbies in the upper area.

Little Dragon needs no introduction. Although it has "Little" in its name, it is actually about the size of a large carriage. Green-skinned orcs can break tree trunks to use as weapons. They are troublesome guys that novice adventurers will encounter on the tenth floor. When they appear, they are always accompanied by monsters such as goblin imps to provide assistance.

"The materials for the little dragon are 120,000 Fali, and the materials for the green-skinned orc are 80,000, for a total of 200,000 Fali. Please count them."

The clerk at the money exchange couldn't help but speak with a hint of respect as he pushed the money in front of the boy.

For a level 1 adventurer to earn this much money in a day, regardless of whether it's due to luck or not, their strength is probably top-tier among adventurers in the third tier.

"You're in luck, but if you want to gain more, perhaps you'll need to hire a supporter to help you."

The fact that only high-value materials were available meant that the other party had given up a lot of low-value items, the guild staff at the money exchange thought to themselves and offered a reminder.

This is something that many qualified new adventurers subconsciously overlook.

(Broly is obviously a newcomer)
After being reminded, Broly also remembered the supporters he had abandoned.

“Okay, I know what to do. However, I’m planning to go back to the dungeon, and it’s a bit inconvenient to carry so many Fali with me.”

"The guild has a corresponding order signing service, but adventurers need to pay a certain handling fee. If you accept the 5% handling fee, I can switch you to guild order signing."

A "signature" is something similar to a bank draft or check, guaranteed by a wealthy guild. Anyone holding a signature can come and exchange it for money, but because of the handling fee, adventurers generally don't choose this option.

However, it is a common form of portable trading among adventurers in safe floors of dungeons where it is inconvenient to carry large amounts of fali.

However, large clans also make similar contracts, guaranteeing them with their own clan's reputation, without needing to use guild channels.

"Excuse me, should we exchange it for one large-denomination receipt, or should we split it into receipts of different denominations?"

Broly opted for a single card and quickly secured a guild contract worth 19 falies.

"Won't this thing be counterfeited?"

Broly looked at the numbers written on the thin sheet of paper and asked curiously. "Counterfeiting will be severely punished, so no one usually tries to counterfeit them because they are too easy to be discovered. Each of these slips of paper carries the aura of the corresponding guarantor god."

Broly left the Tower of Babel and came to the central square outside, intending to hire a helper to help him pick up items, just like the adventurers he had seen before. However, he found that many of the backpackers (helpers) who had been looking for work in the central square that morning were now gone.

"Hey, Broly, you came out of the dungeon so early today?"

Just as Broly was searching around, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Miss Eina…”

Broly turned around, greeted the half-elf lady who was carrying documents and looked like she was about to enter the Tower of Babel, and then replied, "My backpack is full, I came up here to clear out my loot."

"Is your backpack full?"

Eina Zul looked at him with some confusion. Broly knew what she was thinking, so he explained, "For some reason, my spatial ability is temporarily unusable."

"I see."

Eina looked at the small satchel in front of him and nodded in realization.

So where are you now?

“I wanted to go out and hire supporters, but it seems like all of them have disappeared.”

"Well, supporters usually operate in tandem with adventurers. The peak time for adventurers to go into dungeons is in the morning (8-9 am), so if you want to hire supporters, this time is a bit off..."

Broly's current behavior is no different from that of a breakfast vendor who only starts selling at noon.

It would be surprising if we could sell some breakfast and hire support staff at this time.

"However, after most of the adventurers leave the dungeon and return in the evening, those temporary supporters will also come out. You can wait until then and talk to some of the supporters who come out about hiring them."

The half-elf lady offered her advice.

"It seems like this is the only way."

Broly nodded.

"I still have work to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Eina glanced at her wristwatch, said something, and left.

"Until then, I'll just be a hamster carrying the spoils of war."

Broly muttered something to himself and then returned to the dungeon.

"Ah, the big backpack, I bought it..."

Not long after Broly left, a white-haired boy carrying a large backpack ran over, but his expression froze when he saw the empty central square.

. . . .

Broly travels back and forth between the 10th floor of the dungeon labyrinth and the money exchange in the Tower of Babel.

Every so often, he would come up from the underground city.

Every time he came up, his bag was full.

After repeating this process four times, even after taking a recovery potion, Broly felt exhausted.

Running around the map and climbing stairs feels much more tiring than simply killing monsters in a dungeon.

With an hour to go before dusk, Broly didn't choose to continue down into the underground city. Instead, he rented a shower room in the Tower of Babel to thoroughly wash his sweaty and dirty body. Then, he went to the restaurant on the fourth floor of the Tower of Babel and ordered a masala juice set meal.

The juice set meal was delicious, especially the bread, which was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, soaked in fruity juice. Every bite was full of the rich wheat flavor and the sweet and sour taste of the juice.

Broly ate a delicious bread and juice combo to regain his strength while waiting for the return of the supporters who had entered the dungeon.

In contrast, Bell was sitting on the shady side of the Tower of Babel, munching on dry, coarse wheat bread, drinking water, and waiting for the adventurers to return.

Supporters are the profession closest to adventurers.

If you do well and get to know some adventurers, you might be introduced to a familia through such connections.

In Orario, many adventurers started out as supporters. Bell heard about this from the innkeeper last night and came to the central square early this morning.

I want to gain experience in dungeons so that when I join a clan, I can use my supporter experience to gain favor with some clans.

However, he did not do enough research. Relying solely on enthusiasm and the physical strength of a former farmer to become a supporter is not something that can be easily accomplished.

Because he didn't have a large-capacity backpack, only a standard one, no adventurer hired him in the morning; he was clearly a newbie supporter.

"If you want me to hire you, you should at least have a decent bag that can hold a lot of things. With just this little bag, who's the adventurer, you or me?!"

"Oh, then if I buy a big backpack, can you hire me?"

"If you have a big backpack, then I'll at least consider it..."

So Bell went to buy a bag, but the backpacks for supporters weren't cheap. He had to haggle for a while before he bought one for 12,000 fares.

But when he ran back, the adventurer was gone, which was to be expected, given how much time he had wasted.

However, Bell still held a sliver of hope, hoping to see the young adventurer from that morning again, to tell him that he already had a large backpack and hoped that the other party would consider him and give him a job as a supporter.

"Boom~"

As the evening bells rang, adventurers and supporters returned one after another from the depths of the dungeon.

Some people looked worried, while others were overjoyed.

As if by sheer luck, Bell spotted the young adventurer from that morning and quickly went over to him.

"Brother adventurer, I've already bought a big backpack as you suggested. I was wondering if you could hire me as your support when you go into the dungeon tomorrow?"

"Hey, it's the kid from this morning. I didn't expect you to actually be a supporter."

However, I'm sorry, my team already has a supporter, someone more qualified and experienced than you.

"But didn't you say this morning that you'd consider me if I had a big backpack?"

"Yes, I considered it, and the result was a pass."

Someone like you would die too easily in a dungeon.

If you want to make money, there are still quite a few opportunities in Orario.

Take my advice: if you don't want to die, find a safer job.

Bell was unsurprisingly rejected, and the young adventurer who rejected him had no intention of taking responsibility for what he had casually said that morning.

Are we going to take the backpack back and return it?

If you ask the backpack shop owner, you can probably get a refund after deducting a small amount.

No, I want to join a familia and become an adventurer, and becoming a supporter is my best chance to join a familia and become an adventurer...

Bell wasn't going to give up. He started asking the returning adventurers if they would need more support for the dungeon raid the next day.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Tower of Babel, Broly was also asking the returning supporters if they wanted to accept his employment the next day and go down into the dungeon with him.

Both of these different individuals share a common characteristic: they appear to be novice adventurers (supporters).

No one wanted to entrust their life to a seemingly unreliable rookie adventurer just to make money (wasting money to hire a rookie supporter who would become a burden in the dungeon), so both of them received the answer of refusal.

Until, after circling halfway around the Tower of Babel, the two, somewhat losing hope, asked their supporter (adventurer) again, they overheard each other's words: "Would you be willing to accept my employment and become my supporter tomorrow?" (Adventurer, do you need a supporter?)

Both of them turned around in surprise.

"Bell?"

"Brother Broly?"

"You need a support person? (Would you like to be hired by an adventurer?)"

Yes, I need it. (Hmm.)

Would you accept my employment?

"No problem."

As dusk fell, Broly and Bell spoke in perfect unison, each answering the other's questions.

(End of this chapter)