Hey everyone

Yes, I am still taking a break from writing Brighter Future. This is something that I had to get out as it is something different and fresh. I am more or less just wanted to release this chapter after the person gave it to me.

Had some corrections done, and hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 5: Supporter's New Target

Abandoned Church

A geared-up Bell packed a few things that'll help tackle the day in the Dungeon. Doing a few stretches before leaving the church, he was met with Naaza waiting for him, a satchel worn that she had a hand move into.

"Here are three vials. That's all I can do for now." She said, handing him said items.

Bell nodded, accepting them before bowing his head. "Thank you Naaza, I won't let anyone down. Also, this is for you." He handed her a bag of what he gained from his last venture.

She smiled, taking it then waved him off. After he was out of sight, Naaza looked inside to see what ingredients he was able to obtain. "Not bad, the quality looks decent. I wonder what he'll gain today."

Outside Babel Tower

Bell was getting close to entering the Dungeon, wondering how much experience he'll gain today. He kept running till he heard a commotion on the left.

"Come back here, thief!"

He stopped to see what looked like a little girl with a beige-colored hoodie, running away from a tall man who looked to be an Adventurer by his gear and sword on his back. Obeying his instincts, Bell had to protect her for some reason.

The older man was closing in till a speedy white-haired teen got in the way. Angered at being blocked, he asked. "Are you with her?!"

"No." Bell shook his head, not budging from his spot with a frown.

Stepping forward to put a hand on Bell's shoulder to move him. "Out of my way then!"

Instead of listening, the young Adventurer removed his hand from his shoulder and pushed him back. "No."

Bell grew serious. A small part of him felt afraid of what he was facing, but most part got reminded of his failure to protect someone helpless. Someone very close to him.

Not wanting such a thing to happen to anyone else, he stood firm and defiant despite being at a disadvantage.

The older man became surprised at the response. "What did you say?" but his expression changed before going for his sword.

As he did that, Bell took his blade out and got into a fighting stance. The other man raised a brow, not expecting anyone to be this protective over a thief.

The girl behind the young Adventurer wanted to escape, instead she stayed. All it'll take is a simple and quiet run, but for some reason she didn't do it.

"I refuse to move. You're going to have to go through me if you want her!"

Something about the Adventurer's eyes unnerved him. A moment of hesitation of attacking or moving was putting him under some pressure.

"What's going on here?"

All heads turned to see a green-haired elf girl holding a bag of groceries in one arm. Out of the three people present, she recognized one of them, and she analyzed his stance. 'He needs to improve on that. Maybe I will ask if he's interested in learning. Otherwise, how will he protect Syr.'

"Who do you think you are telling me what to do?!" The older man yelled.

She walked towards them, her blue eyes going cold on him. "Leave."

The Adventurer went pale, feeling something about the woman that screams 'I will break you'. "F-Fine! You got lucky this time!" He ran away.

Making sure he was far enough, she closed her eyes and calmed down. She looked at Bell and the girl next to him, who was frozen in place. "Are you both alright?"

Bell nodded "Yes." His body relaxed for a moment after what happened. He turned to the hooded girl, who just shook off the shock.

He noticed how nervous she looked, perhaps wanting to run, so he placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's okay. He's gone now."

She didn't say anything at first and wondered what to do. She looked at him properly, a teen with red eyes, white hair, and equipped for the Dungeon. "He almost looks like a rabbit." She muttered before realizing she stared long enough and decided to look down.

Going on a knee, he asked out of concern. "Are you okay?"

She nodded before slowly making eye contact.

"My name is Bell. Bell Cranel." He kindly introduced himself with a smile.

She could run right now, yet couldn't. Although she could steal from him, a part of her told her not to. A headache began to form due to all the confusing thoughts running through her mind. She took a deep breath and responded "Lilliruca Arde, but it's better to call me Lilli!"

Bell offered a hand out to shake, and she accepted. Being a witness to Bell gaining a friend, Ryuu had a small smile, but it went away after recalling the encounter from earlier.

"What happened with that guy?" Bell asked. The elf mentally thanked him cause she wasn't sure how to bring up the subject.

She sighed. "Lilli is a supporter, and that man was Lilli's employer for the Dungeon. Lilli asked for payment, only Ged cheated Lilli so Lilli took what was Lilli's end and the chase happened."

Bell pushed her hood back and noticed she was a Chienthrope. He pats her head and checks on her animal-like ears, making her blush. He had a small moment of assumption she had regular ears for a moment.

"Mmm…. please stop." Making her squirm.

Realizing what was going on, he listened. "Oh! Sorry about that!" He apologized with a bow after retracting his hand.

Lilli pouted, not enough for what he did. "You touched my ears, and now you have to take responsibility for it."

Bell's face became red while Ryuu had a look of disbelief. 'What was Mr. Cranel thinking?'

Twilight Manor

Loki sat at the desk in Finn's office, looking at a map of Orario with pieces placed on one side of the sheet as markers, and an open bottle of wine and empty glass on the other. "Old Ouranos had nothing to do with those plant creatures, yet Dionysus thinks differently." She moved each piece onto the map where said creatures had been reported.

"Just what is going on here?"

The door opening made Loki look up to see Finn and the others entering. Noticing Riveria and Ais missing, she asked. "Welcome back. Where are momma and Ais?"

"They stayed longer to head deeper into the Dungeon," Finn said after choosing a place to sit. "There's something we need to talk about."

She smirked, interested to know. "Lay it on me."

"We encountered more of those plant-like creatures on the eighteenth floor."

She took her glass and poured some wine. "Go on."

Finn explained all that happened.

"We arrived on the 18th floor until we learned that a member of the Ganesha familia was murdered. We asked around, until Ais saw someone running up the stairs, leaving the 18th floor quickly. It wasn't until it is revealed that a member of Hermes familia was delivering something. Some creatures appeared and had to fight off, and this woman came out and fought Ais. I did tried to fight her, but realized she was a lot stronger than she looked. She was able to escape, while we cleaned up the floor. Riveria and Ais stayed behind, while we went back up."

As she listened to every word, Loki pondered if this conspiracy went deeper than that. A possible return of Evilus, or something else.

"Alrighty. I suggest you investigate deeper on the floors and find any more clues. It might lead us somewhere, or try finding the client that gave that weird crystal ball."

Finn nodded. "Yes, of course." They rested first before leaving, making Loki ponder other plans or where to go in silence and with a good drink.

With Bell

Bell and Lilli were able to find a place to sit at a water fountain and talk. Ryuu had left them to get back to the Hostess of Fertility.

"So let me guess this straight. You're a supporter and want to tag along with me on the deeper floors of the Dungeon, right?" Bell said, making sure he heard everything correctly.

She nodded.

"Okay. If we're going to do this, let's make it 50/50."

This surprised Lilli. Normally adventurers would exploit her and she would end up with so little. "Wait! That's not how we-"

"No Lilli, it'll be 50/50. We're partners now, and knowing your experience it'll help me out"

She could accept, maybe take a bit more if they find anything valuable. It's not like he'll notice, right? Either way, if things go south she can ditch him. She doubted his kindness to be real, yet a small part of her wished it was real. After all, if he is as gullible as he appears to be, then easy gold coins for her.

After sealing their newly made partnership with a handshake, the two decided to start right away and headed towards the Dungeon. They moved past the six floors easily, till they reached the seventh. Lilli kept watch for any other dangers as Bell fought some Needle Rabbits, including a Kobold that not long turned up.

"You can do it, Master Bell!"

After taking care of the last rabbit monster, he moved to the side, delivered a swift stab that went deep and twisted it. The creature let out a painful howl before turning into dust. Noticing a drop item along with the magic stone, Bell picked the former up.

"Wow… this is the sixth drop item we gained. Looks unique, too."

Lilli nodded before gathering everything the monsters left as a reward. "I would keep it for good luck, or use it as material to make something."

Thinking both options were a good idea, Bell said. "I'll think about it for now."

He put it away in his bag instead of handing it to Lilli before they continued for a while longer. Meanwhile, Lilli observed Bell every chance she got to see what he had worth taking, so far it was just a knife. It looked like a nice, well-crafted weapon, but she needed something unique. She would have to wait for now.

"By the way, Lilli. Which Familia are you from?" Bell asked while on alert for more monsters at the front.

"Oh, Lilli is from the Soma Familia." She answered, gripping the straps of her massive bag.

Not knowing who they were, Bell had a blank expression and nodded. Lilli felt relieved, taking his silence as a sign that he did not know about them.

She changed the subject quickly to avoid any questions linked to her Familia. "Master Bell, do try to be careful on this floor."

"Oh?"

"This place has Ant Killers." Lilli stopped him to explain by grabbing his wrist. "I understand they aren't dangerous alone, but they're called 'Rookie Killers' due to how dangerous they can be in great numbers."

"I see…"

Not long after that, they noticed two Ant Killers and Bell charged them. Lilli kept an eye out for more monsters while analyzing the young Adventurer.

Few Hours Later

Bell and Lilli were at the Guild Hall, exchanging what they gained with the teller. After it was calculated, she handed them a bag of Valis and they thanked her before leaving the counter.

"Lilli, can you wait for me? I have to report to Eina that I have a supporter."

"Sure, Master Bell. Lilli will be over there." She pointed at a bench not far from them. He then went to meet up with Eina.

It wasn't hard to find her, she was hard at work with some paperwork at her desk in the office. Eina noticed someone had entered, forgetting to knock. It was a relief to see it was only Bell, making her smile to see he was in a good mood.

"Hey, Bell."

"Hello, Ms. Eina. I'm sorry to interrupt your work, but I'm here to report that I have a Supporter."

"A Supporter?" Her eyes followed him as he walked to take a seat on the other side.

Bell nodded. "She's a Prum, she's knowledgeable about the Dungeon and other stuff. Although from another Familia, she's willing to share whatever we gained."

Not hearing anything wrong about her yet, Eina took out a sheet of paper and wrote something before asking. "Name of the Supporter?"

"Lilliruca Arde."

"Which Familia does she belong to?"

"The Soma Familia."

Eina had a brief pause but resumed before Bell noticed something wrong. There have been issues with the Soma Familia, but it seems nothing's happened to Bell… So far.

"Is she equipped?" Going back to writing information.

"Yes, she is."

She wrote a few more things. "Alright, I can take care of this part. You both must be tired, so see if you can bring her here tomorrow." She didn't want to tell him any more than that.

"Uhh, sure. No problem." He got up and bowed. "Thank you, Ms. Eina. Take care!"

Bell left immediately, making her shake her head. "That boy does make me worry sometimes." She frowned, going back to what she had written. "Especially now that it involves the Soma Familia."

He saw Lilli still waiting and signalled her to follow. Once they were outside, they found a place to sort out the money. Lilli managed to split it to make it an easy count, being shocked at the total. "Master Bell, this is about 26 thousand in total! Split into 13 thousand!"

"That is more than I have ever made!" Bell showed the same reaction at the amount.

The Supporter smiled and thought. 'Maybe he has a Skill that might increase the value of items. Yes, that makes sense, and could be useful.'

"Thank you for everything, Lilli." He happily took both her hands into his, making her face turn red. This was the first time anyone had been grateful for what she had done.

'Too bad Master Bell doesn't know about the items I took from him that will render me extra.'

Babel Tower

From her seated spot in the tower, Freya watched Bell and noticed his soul was slowly becoming cleaner. She admits his skills need improvement... A lot of improvement.

"Hmm… Ottarl." A thought in mind as she slowly swirled a glass of wine in one hand, the other on the armrest.

"Yes, my lady?" Spoken by the tall, muscled man behind her.

"Tell me. What ways are there for someone to improve?" She asked, not looking away from the boy that caught her interest.

"Training."

Freya smiled, standing up and turned, glass still in hand. "Correct. Although he's a close-range fighter, I do believe a bit of magic won't do any harm."

He said nothing, only nodded as she walked past towards a wall of shelves filled with books.

The Goddess stopped to look at Ottarl with a pout. "Don't tell me you're jealous on how much attention I'm giving him."

"No, my lady. I am aware that your love is equal to all of us." His stoic expression and tone did not show any signs of jealousy.

Freya accepted his response after detecting no lies in his words. "I see." She then looked through her massive collection and found what she was looking for. Removing it from the shelf, she smiled at the cover. "This should help him. A little push so he can shine brighter than ever."

Ottarl was silent, knowing it would make his Goddess happy was all that mattered.

Abandoned Church

When Bell got to the church, he found Hephaestus seated inside and was surprised to see her.

"Lady Hephaestus."

The Goddess turned and smiled at him. "Hello Bell." She gestured for him to sit next to her and he obeyed. "How was your time at the Dungeon?"

"It went well. I managed to get a Supporter." He replied whilst sitting with some space between them.

"Really? How is your Supporter?" Curious about the type of person he found.

"She's pretty knowledgeable. She helped me a lot to understand each floor better and managed to get over 26 thousand Valis. But we split it as a deal."

Surprised to hear this, she thought it to be lucky to gain an experienced Supporter and the amount they gained. "That's good to hear." The Goddess of blacksmith looked at the altar and asked. "How is the weapon?"

Bell took out the short sword to show. "It's great! You have no idea how grateful I am for your help."

She found his enthusiasm endearing while staring at him. 'I can see why you wanted to help him so much. He gives off a positive light that I can't explain.'

Bell put the weapon away and then took both her hands, surprising her "Thank you so much for what you've done." He gave a bow, not seeing her face turn red.

"Y-you're welcome." She managed to say, trying to ignore the warmth her face gained.

The white-haired teen released her hands and said, eyes moving to the altar. "I'm here to ease off the adrenaline and give a small prayer before I head to Lord Miach to get an update."

"That is understandable. I'll leave you with what you have to do." She said before standing to depart.

Bell nodded and began to pray.

Once Hephaestus was at the door and reached for it, she stopped to stare at her hand, recalling Bell's touch. Normally no man would go near her, let alone touch her. Yet he showed no fear nor pity her, just praise. 'What's wrong with me?'

She turned halfway to stare at him, wondering about the young, white-haired teen. 'He still worships Hestia even while she's in Heaven. Something I'm sure she's happy about.' With one last smile, Hephaestus left the old church in silence.

One Hour Later

Bell arrived at Miach's home and saw Naaza asleep not far off. He went to place a blanket on her and she moaned. "Mmmm… Miach… Let me give you a kiss." while she puckered up her lips.

He blinked and decided to leave her be. The white-haired teen went into another room where he found Miach finishing a potion.

Hearing him enter made the Deity turn and smile. "Ah, Bell. How was your time in the Dungeon?"

"It went great. I got a Supporter and we did well on our first day. How did things go here?" Bell said.

"We had a few customers. I hope it will be enough to pay another portion of the debt." He gestured to a jar near the teen that was safely out of the way.

Bell noticed it was a few short of 5 thousand, so he took out his pouch and placed the right amount in, surprising Miach. "Bell, that isn't necessary."

"It is. Your potions help out a lot, and take it as a way of repayment."

Miach sighed, giving a sombre smile "Very well. I suppose you want an update, correct?"

He nodded and went to sit on a stool, lifting his shirt while the God of health pricked his finger. Miach placed the blood on his back and Falna was released. Some updates were made as he stared, becoming surprised at his strength growing at a rapid pace.

'Whatever is causing this, Hestia, your child is growing each day.' Miach thought. Finishing the process, he placed paper on Bell's back and traced the results onto it. Once finished, he handed it to him.

Bell became shocked at what he read:

Name: Bell Cranel

Str: E 445

End: G 225

Dex: E 455

Agi: D 560

Mag: I 0

"Wow…" Bell was all he could say at what he gained.

"The jump is a surprising one. Do keep doing your best and learn." Miach said that snapped the young Adventurer out of it to respond.

He nodded. "I will, Lord Miach."

To Be Continued!

A/N:
I will leave it like this for now.

I will try to get the next chapter out, as soon as I start writing it. I left it on a file, just sitting there, while focusing work and other stuff. I do hope you all enjoyed it and see you next time.