Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 662 The gap is not an absolute numerical value; skill and awareness can make up for it!

“Miss Eina, what a coincidence, we meet again.”

Broly turned around and saw the half-elf lady dressed in black guild attire, and greeted her.

“I’ll be on duty at the Tower of Babel for the next few weeks.”

Eina then explained why she was there.

"Broly, you haven't answered my question yet."

The half-elf girl gazed at him with a hint of inquisitive curiosity in her emerald green eyes.

"Uh, that's a private matter for me..."

Broly wanted to answer, but the words that came out were this: he remembered why he had sold the loot from the upper district to the Hephaestus Familia a couple of days ago.

"Woo..."

The half-elf looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then shrugged.

“Alright, Broly, I won’t pry too much into your personal affairs, but I am your dungeon advisor. If you have any questions about anything in the dungeon, feel free to ask me, and I will tell you what I know.”

she said so.

"Uh……"

Broly sensed the other party's goodwill, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Alright, Miss Zul, if you're willing to keep what I'm about to say a secret, then I'll tell you the truth."

"Ha, protecting the privacy of every adventurer is a basic professional ethic for anyone working in the guild!"

“Bell, you wait here. I’m going to consult with my advisor about something.”

Broly nodded and then gave an instruction to the boy behind him.

"Yes, Brother Broly."

Bell quickly replied and stood in front of the money exchange window to wait. He then watched as the Saiyan boy and the half-elf woman with pointed ears, flaxen hair, and who looked like a beautiful woman, went to a deserted corner of the hall and whispered to each other.

"Ah, Broly, you're going to explore the middle level? Have you already reached level 2?"

"Eina Zur asked, her eyes wide."

"No, I'm still Lv.1. I'm just looking for a way to upgrade (achieve greatness), so I'm going to explore the middle zone."

“But that’s too risky. You’ve only been a Level 1 adventurer for a few days.”

"It's only been a few days, but my growth rate is naturally very fast. I think you should be able to vaguely sense that."

Eina did not refute.

"My goddess is worried that if this is exposed, it might attract other gods to compete for me. I don't want her to feel uneasy, so I need you to keep this a secret for me."

Broly added another explanation.

"Even if you want to upgrade (achieve great feats), you can just stay in the upper zone. For a level 1 adventurer to try to enter the middle zone is no different from playing with their own life."

"Hey, Miss Eina, is it possible that I can't find a way to level up (achieve greatness) in the upper levels, which is why I want to explore the deeper dungeons?"

Broly's somewhat helpless words startled Eina, but considering the boy's amazing gains on his first day in the dungeon and the large backpack of loot she had just seen, it was truly impossible to refute his words.

"Do you know anything about the middle zone? Do you have trustworthy teammates? Can you guarantee your survival in the harsh middle zone?"

"If by 'understanding' you mean understanding monsters, then I think I know a little bit (after all, I've been through them, though it was the kind where you're instantly killed). As for trusted teammates, I currently have one, and I'm quite confident in my current abilities (confidence in my combat skills and awareness), so I think I should be able to keep my life."

The boy's answers to the three questions made Eina Zul realize that he was seriously considering venturing into the underground city, and that it wasn't just a reckless act without any certainty.

But the fact that a boy who had only been an adventurer for a few days was already preparing to go to the middle level still made her feel worried.

If the boy had died inside, perhaps in the future, I would have thought: "Ah, if I had taken some private time the day before he entered the middle level to tell him about the middle level of the dungeon, would he have been able to come back alive?"—something that would have been regrettable.

Although I was so busy yesterday that I spun around like a top, and fell asleep as soon as I got back to the guild dormitory last night, I didn't have the energy to do this kind of thing.

But if that really happens, you'll still feel resentful and will definitely feel like you didn't do your best.

"In that case, as your dungeon advisor, I'll give you some useful advice."

Broly did not refuse and appeared to be listening attentively.

Do you know what an item called "Exorcism Potion" is?

"what is that?"

"In stark contrast to items like [Monster Bait] that emit scents that monsters like, [Exorcism Potion] releases a scent that monsters find repulsive, thus preventing them from getting close."

Of course, if you encounter them head-on, a battle will still occur. However, this item is quite useful for avoiding too many monsters, and I think it should be helpful to you.

Broly's progress into the middle level was hampered by the falling debris, so Eina recommended items to him to avoid encountering too many monsters.

Of course, the half-elf lady did explain the item's drawbacks, and reducing the chance of encountering monsters was itself a drawback.

After all, the purpose of adventurers venturing into dungeons is to find magic stones and loot dropped by monsters; what would happen if they didn't encounter any monsters?

Another drawback is that this device can mislead users into believing the danger of the maze floor they are on.

"The reduced frequency of encounters with monsters is thanks to the [Exorcism Potion], but sometimes, people overlook this fact."

Therefore, experiencing the difficulty of the middle level dungeon is fine, but it's best to leave the middle level after feeling the pressure and before your [Exorcism Potion] runs out.

Eina Zul couldn't stop the prepared boy from venturing into the Middle Zone, so she gave him the exploration advice that would most likely save his life if he sensed the danger in the Middle Zone.

Imagine if a Level 1 adventurer went to the middle zone to experience the difficulty. After feeling the pressure of the middle zone, if they had this [Exorcism Potion], wouldn't their chances of returning to the upper zone alive be greatly increased?

“Yes, Miss Eina, thank you very much for your suggestion.”

Broly said goodbye to the half-elf lady and returned. By then, the money exchange window had already tallied their earnings from this trip—28 falies.

This amount stunned Bell, because even 10% would amount to 28,000 falies, which was incredibly shocking for a penniless teenager with no money in his pocket.

"Brother Broly, shall we end our adventure for today?"

Bell looked at the boy walking towards him and couldn't help but ask.

"End the adventure? No, the adventure hasn't even started yet. We need to buy some [Exorcism Potion] first, then go back into the dungeon and head straight to the middle level."

Broly replied that he went to the item shop on the Tower of Babel and bought some [Exorcism Potion], then took the boy back to the dungeon.

After making his way to the tenth floor, Broly opened the bag containing the exorcism potion, and a strong stench wafted out, so pungent that he almost dropped what he was holding.

"No, why does this smell so awful?"

“Brother Broly, this bag says that exorcism is a stench agent, which repels monsters by its unpleasant smell. It also has a warning that adventurers should bring a nose clip or nasal plug when using exorcism to avoid any negative effects from the smell.”

Bell looked at the sealed bag containing the exorcism agent that had been lying on the ground and recited the small writing on it.

Broly: "..."

At that moment, he felt that this thing had cured his habit of feeling wasteful if he didn't pick up dropped items.

"Bell, I'm not going to worry about the loot from the upper level. You're coming with me to break through into the middle level. You should be able to keep up, right?"

Broly tossed the exorcism potion into the mist-shrouded pale forest. Amidst the commotion and sounds of chickens and dogs running wild, as if something unclean had approached and the monsters were panicking, Broly asked the boy beside him a question.

"Ah."

Bell nodded. He wasn't good at fighting, but he could keep up with people. More importantly, he didn't want to suffer with his nose.

Having reached a consensus, the two began to advance towards the middle level. When they encountered groups of monsters along the way, Broly no longer aimed to kill them all, but instead focused on cutting a path through the monsters as quickly as possible, leading the boy behind him through quickly.

Surrounded by the wails and roars of monsters, Bell felt his adrenaline surge, and fear and tension inevitably arose as he rushed into the monster encirclement.

But when I look at the figure rushing forward and clearing the way, the fear and tension in my heart will fade away, as if as long as I follow the other person, I will definitely be safe.

The eleventh and twelfth floors of the dungeon were breached, and the two made their way to the thirteenth floor. Most of the monsters here were Lv.2, which greatly increased the pressure on Broly.

With only the second panel providing stats, it's fair to say that the monsters here are theoretically stronger than Broly, at least in terms of pure numerical comparison. However, if combat skills and awareness are taken into account, Broly can still easily defeat these monsters.

As long as his weapon could cut through them, he could take care of these guys first. Even though he still needed to take care of the young supporter behind him, the pressure wasn't too great.

Until they reached the fourteenth floor, a pack of hellhounds blocked their path, while another pack of hellhounds suddenly emerged from the wall behind them, blocking their retreat...

"Brother Broly, we're surrounded! Ah, it's like we've fallen into a trap set up in an underground city..."

Bell gasped as he saw the flames gathering in the hellhound's mouth, his tension instantly replaced by fear.

Just when he thought that even the boy couldn't protect him this time, the water appeared behind him. With a crackling sound, the water that had appeared out of nowhere was quickly frozen, forming a not-so-thick wall of ice behind them.

Ahead, Broly suddenly hurled his short sword, which shattered the first flame, turning the blade a deep red as if it were burning. It then spun and sliced ​​open the necks of the pack of hellhounds in front of him.

And as if by magic, after defeating the enemy, it flew back into Broly's hand, which was a sword technique used in conjunction with gravity magic, the sword control technique of the Six-Sided World North God Style.

"Boom~"

Behind him, the flames spewed by the hellhound had already struck the ice wall, while Broly, having caught the short sword, turned and charged around from the side.

The ice wall was breached, but Bell crouched down to avoid being hit by the fireball that broke through it. Through the hazy ice wall and mist, he saw the light of a sword shining behind him.

When only half of the ice wall remained, it collapsed with a loud crack, and everything was settled. The dungeon's infamous monster-spawning (death) trap was easily defeated.

The boy twirled his sword and sheathed it, his furrowed brows and pouting expression seeming to say, "That's it." He walked back to the boy and said, "Bell, this level of the maze isn't putting enough pressure on me. You collect the dropped items, and then we'll go to the next level."

[As expected of Broly, isn't this enough pressure? I felt like I was going to die right here.]

Bell thought to himself, but outwardly agreed.

"Before that, you should drink some stamina recovery potion. I feel like you've used up a lot of your stamina."

Broly handed Bell a bottle of potion, then took out his own and sat down on a protruding rock to drink it.

Although he didn't feel any pressure or adversity, his physical strength and magic power were indeed greatly depleted. Fighting a Lv.2 monster with Lv.1 maximum attribute values ​​was unavoidable, even though his skills made up for the difference in stats between himself and the monster.

Bell quickly collected the loot, and before new monsters respawned in the area, the two continued onward to deeper levels of the dungeon.

Later, they encountered a group of Minotaur on the fifteenth floor, and were ambushed by a group of web-weaving spiders on the sixteenth floor.

Besides Broly's superb swordsmanship as he slashed and hacked his way through the spiders, Bell also shone. Not long after being ambushed by the web-weaving spiders, the boy promptly took out his magic sword and burned away the spider web covering them, although he almost burned them as well.

"Here, the antidote."

The netting is poisonous, a paralyzing toxin. They are currently experiencing a tingling sensation, but after drinking the medicine, they recover quickly.

"Brother Broly, shouldn't we head back too?"

Bell asked, and although the web-weaving spiders didn't drop much loot, his backpack was almost full from the way here.

"It's time to go back. We'll head back after we defeat the last monster."

Broly nodded.

"And what was the last monster?"

Bell picked up the fallen debris from the ground, wondering what kind of monster could be the grand finale.

"The owner of the 17th floor, judging by the time, it should be refreshed by now."

Who is the floor owner?

"Yeah, it's like a maze boss."

Broly explained, leading Bell down the cave slope to a floor filled with crystal-clear rock walls.

Before them lay a colossal crystal cavern known as the Wailing Wall, where Goliath, the floor master whom Broly had failed to encounter on his previous visit, was now wandering.

"No, no, Brother Broly, are you preparing to deal with that monster that's like a giant?"

Hiding at the entrance to the 17th floor, Bell was stammering a bit, because the cave connected by the passage contained a behemoth that looked to be more than ten meters tall, which seemed beyond human capabilities. The Minotaur he encountered on the 15th floor was probably just a figurine in front of it.

"Well, after fighting my way through, only the floor master of the 17th floor seems to be able to bring me adversity and hardship right now."

Broly nodded. The combat intensity in the middle zone was indeed much higher than in the upper zone, but to call it adversity and a bitter struggle would be a stretch. At most, it just required him to muster his spirits to fight.

"Ah, but... but isn't that guy too dangerous?"

Even though Bell had a lot of confidence in the boy, the huge size difference still made him doubt that the boy could defeat the monster.

"Don't worry, before I fight those guys inside, I'll take you to the eighteenth floor first. That's a safe floor, and there's even a town built by the adventurers themselves."

Broly patted Bell on the shoulder, comforting the boy.

Even he, after seeing Goliath's true condition, did not, in his current state (with the Super-Weight Training activated), both protect his supporters and engage in a death battle with the opponent.

“Listen, Bell, I’ll distract that big guy while you run to the other side of the passage.”

If I get killed, use the loot from your backpack to hire adventurers in Rivera Town to escort you back to the surface.

"Ah, Brother Broly?!"

Bell's eyes widened.

"Of course, I don't think I'll be killed. I'm just saying this so you don't have to worry too much about your safety."

Okay, now you need to be ready to act at any time.

After Broly finished speaking, he voluntarily walked into the area of ​​the Wailing Wall.

He made no attempt to quiet his footsteps, and continued walking towards the floor owner who was wandering aimlessly.

The sound quickly attracted Goliath's attention, and his scarlet eyes turned towards him.

Upon seeing the short boy, the giant roared.

"roar~"

It raised its huge fist and slammed it down on the boy on the ground.

"Bang~"

The ground shook violently, creating a deep crater, but Broly was not hit.

He leaped up just in time to dodge the attack, landed on Goliath's arm, and then charged up the giant arm.

The katana of light flashed, and Goliath's eye was slashed open. The giant let out a wail, his hand that was about to strike Broly turned into a hand covering his face, and his body leaned backward.

Meanwhile, Bell was running towards the entrance to the 18th floor from the other side. When he saw that the boy on this side seemed to have knocked down the giant with one blow, a look of surprise appeared on the boy's face.

However, when the fallen Goliath's enormous, hammer-like fist slammed into the fallen Broly, the surprise turned into terror.

"Brother Broly, watch out..."

The boy shouted a warning, but Broly didn't even need the warning; he sensed danger coming from behind him.

He rushed forward after landing, but managed to escape Goliath's attack range before being hit by the hammer.

But the shockwave from the fist slamming into the ground still sent him flying.

"Bell, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and get over here!"

Broly managed to decelerate in mid-air without getting injured, but he yelled at the boy who had stopped halfway through his run.

"Ah, oh..."

The fallen giant looked over, and Bell felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet. Realizing what was happening, he immediately took off running.

Fortunately, Goliath only glanced at him; his hatred was still held by Broly, and he wanted to beat the boy who had hurt him to death rather than chase after the fleeing boy.

The 17th floor erupted with a thunderous roar, like firecrackers going off, as a battle between a Level 1 Saiyan and a Level 4 Giant floor master began.

(End of this chapter)