It Couldn't Hold Any More
The orc's thick body was indeed difficult to overcome; even with Leo's small straight sword, cutting through that layer of fat was still a very difficult task.
Unless Leo's "strength" reaches A or even S, he might not be able to cut the orc in half with a single strike using his small straight sword. Otherwise, he would have to aim for the parts of the orc's body with less fat and weaker defenses to inflict significant damage.
Leo undoubtedly intended to do just that, so he had been waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.
Now, having pierced the orc's eye with a single sword strike, Leo immediately achieved a brilliant victory, cornering the orc in a desperate situation.
"Pfft!"
With a sudden horizontal slash, Leo's hand holding the small straight sword sliced through the orc's eye, slicing open half of the monster's head and causing green blood to splatter out.
Leo then kicked the orc, leaping away to avoid the orc's dying counterattack.
"Ooh ooh ooh----"
The orc's howls of pain grew weaker and weaker in an instant, and his movements gradually slowed down, no longer as ferocious as before.
A moment later, the orc's body slowly collapsed, crashing to the ground and remaining motionless.
Its body turned to ashes, leaving behind a Magic Stone about half the size of a palm.
Leo then shook off the bloodstains on his small straight sword, stepped forward, and picked up the Magic Stone.
"This size—compared to those small and medium-sized varieties, it's simply not in the same league."
After fiddling with the Magic Stone in his hand, Leo put it away.
"Should I hire a support person to help me collect the loot?"
Leo suddenly realized that the small bag around his waist was becoming heavy and somewhat cumbersome.
Supporters, like adventurers, are people who specialize in exploring Dungeon.
The difference is that adventurers are combatants, while supporters are non-combat professions. Their main responsibility is to help collect Magic Stone or dropped items. Sometimes they are also responsible for providing assistance to adventurers on the front lines, such as preparing suitable weapons or items, or providing elixirs when adventurers need supplies, so as not to burden their companions who are fighting monsters on the front lines.
In other words, supporters are the behind-the-scenes staff whose purpose is to alleviate the burden on adventurers.
Their work may seem insignificant, but it is indispensable.
Like Leo, without any support to help carry the spoils, he could only carry the small shield he hadn't used all day on his person. He also carried supplies like elixirs in a small bag, having to be careful not to damage them during the intense battle. He also had to carry the Magic Stone and dropped items he picked up along the way, which was not only cumbersome but also slowed down his earning speed.
He was, after all, an adventurer, and couldn't fight while carrying a large backpack. He could only carry a small bag that could be clipped to his waist, and it was easy to see how much stuff it could hold.
Previously, he was just a newbie with all abilities at I0, and it usually took him a long time to defeat enemies. His efficiency in collecting Magic Stone and dropped items was not high at all, so a small bag was enough to hold all his loot.
But now, he had only infiltrated the Dungeon a short while ago, and it wasn't even noon yet, but his bag was already starting to overflow.
Leo opened the small bag and frowned as he looked at the Magic Stone inside, which were almost full.
"At this rate, I'll probably have to go back to the surface by noon to sell all this stuff and clear out my inventory before I can continue exploring."
7
This will undoubtedly slow down his progress.
"Supporters----"
Leo seemed lost in thought.
Generally speaking, in large clans, support is provided by newcomers or low-ranking members.
In the Loki Familia, for example, many Level 2 and Level 3 members take on support roles during expeditions, allowing the higher-level members on the front lines to focus on fighting.
If exploring the very deepest levels, even a Level 4 adventurer like Raul would have to take on the role of a supporter, because only Level 1 adventurers of Level 5 or higher can thrive in those levels.
Of course, this is the situation of the Loki Familia. Ordinary Familias would never allow adventurers of level 2 or higher to serve as supporters; they are not so extravagant as to do so.
Some small clans only have a few members, and each of them has to fight on the front lines. Otherwise, they may not have enough combat power to explore the Dungeon smoothly, and there will be no one to provide support.
In such situations, adventurers usually choose to hire people outside their clan as supporters.
Some of these people are not valued in their own clans, while others have exhausted their potential and have weak abilities, making it impossible for them to explore the Dungeon alone or be chosen to team up with others. They can only become supporters and earn commissions by accepting jobs from others.
Leo often saw people like this; they would usually linger in the Central Plaza in front of the Babel Tower, recommending themselves to passing adventurers and trying every means to get hired.
Now, Leo felt he needed to hire a helper.
"Otherwise what? There's no one in my clan who can support me!"
Leo sighed.
Their own clan is too strong; each member is at least a Level 2 advanced adventurer. How could they possibly come to support a Level 1 newbie like themselves?
When the clan goes on expeditions, some Lv.2 veterans don't even qualify to join the group as supporters; they can only stay at the base to guard the house. This would be unthinkable in other small or medium-sized clans.
Given Leo's current strength, he'd be doing a good job by not becoming a supporter for his seniors in the Familia; how could he possibly ask others to be his supporters?
Therefore, he had no choice but to hire others to be his supporters.
"Rustle----"
As Leo was thinking about this, a sudden noise came from around him.
Leo snapped out of his daze, turned his gaze, and looked around. He immediately noticed that many dark figures were approaching him in the thin mist and surrounding him.
As they approached Leo, their footsteps pounded on the grassland, making the rustling sound clearer and more noticeable, with a faint sound like licking lips also audible.
"Stop making noise!"
Soon after, the full appearance of these monsters came into Leo's view.
They were a group of monsters that were entirely black and gray, with large heads and small bodies, a sharp little horn growing from their heads, and long, thin tails behind them, resembling Imp.
"This is... Imp?"
Leo recognized the origin of these monsters.
Imp monsters that, like orcs, only appear from the 10th Floor of the Dungeon. However, they are not large monsters, but rather small monsters similar to Goblin and Kobold.
Individually, they are not strong, at least not much stronger than the Goblin and Kobold on the 8th 9th Floor. However, they are very clever and quick-witted. They always adopt a group combat mode and are a type of monster that appears more frequently than orcs, relying on human wave tactics to attack adventurers continuously.
"Chirp!"
"Stop making noise!"
A group of Imp emerged from the mist with snickers, and the moment they appeared, they swiftly attacked from all directions.
Leo immediately leaped into the air, dodging the attacks from all directions. But the Imp seemed to have anticipated Leo's move and started throwing stones at Leo in mid-air.
"Clap--Clap clap clap one"
Almost reflexively, Leo swung his small straight sword, deflecting the incoming stones one by one, but the Imp continued to throw stones, trying to knock Leo down.
"You guys are getting a little annoyed."
Seeing a large number of Imp gathered below, Leo did not hesitate and immediately activated his magic.
"[Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.]"
"[Meteor Dance]!"
Streaks of Starlight rose from behind Leo, transforming into shooting stars that hurtled through the air and plummeted downwards.
"Bang bang bang bang bang--!"
Meteors kept hitting the ground, kicking up dust and explosions, causing the Imp who were snickering just a second ago to panic on the spot. They scattered in terror, but few of them were able to escape the range of the Meteor Shower.
One by one, the Imp were either blasted away or impaled by the Meteor Shower, wailing as they turned into black ash and scattered, leaving behind crystals that were significantly smaller than the orcs' Magic Stone.
Leo's figure then descended from mid-air, and the moment his feet firmly touched the ground, he pushed off with all his might, shooting forward and attacking the remaining Imp who were fleeing in all directions.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"----
In an instant, sword light flashed, blades danced wildly, and sharp small straight swords slashed down one panicked Imp after another, causing screams to erupt.
Some say that a group of Imp gathered together is much more difficult to deal with than a single orc, but for Leo, who has the ability to attack in groups, numbers are not a problem at all.
Compared to the tough, thick-skinned orcs, these Imp, capable of being decapitated with a single sword strike, were undoubtedly easier to deal with, at least for Leo.
When Leo had dealt with the large group of Imp, he didn't even catch his breath. He just looked at the Magic Stone scattered on the ground and sighed softly.
"There's no other way, I'll have to go back first."
With these Magic Stone added in, the small pouch at my waist is already overflowing.
After collecting all the Magic Stone, Leo could only put the remaining Magic Stone into another small bag, which was used to store dropped items that he wouldn't sell to the guild.
For now, it can only be used to store Magic Stone.
With a full load of goodies, Leo walked out of the 10th Floor with a frown and headed up to the floors above.
Today, he is destined to have many happy troubles.