Targeted Mahiro!

Chapter 238 - Targeted Mahiro!

The girl didn't recognize Mahiro and always thought of him as a youthful and impulsive boy.

She pretended to be a shy, innocent, and lovely girl, but Mahiro saw through her act.

He was overjoyed. He had almost forgotten about the female thief, but now she had come to him on her own.

"Why did you call me?" Mahiro asked calmly.

"When I was at the guild's earlier, I overheard you telling the receptionist that you were looking for a supporter, right?" The girl flashed a sweet smile, but it was entirely fake.

Her eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever. Her smile was nothing more than a facade.

Had she overheard their conversation? Mahiro hadn't noticed her presence at the time, but it didn't matter.

His conversation with Eina wasn't a secret.

In fact, this accidental encounter had lured this thief to him, which Mahiro found quite amusing.

"Are you saying you want to introduce me to a supporter?" Mahiro asked with a smile.

"Yes," She replied, her smile still plastered on her face.

Then, with a serious tone, she added, "Actually, I am a supporter."

"You?" Mahiro gave her a skeptical look.

"Onii-chan, don't judge me like that. I'm actually quite capable as a supporter," the girl said, puffing out her chest with confidence.

Her cute face was full of determination.

"You shouldn't judge people by their appearance," she continued, as if guessing what Mahiro was thinking.

"Many adventurers have teamed up with me and found me to be very competent as a supporter."

"If that's the case, why come to me?" Mahiro asked.

"Well, among supporters, I'm very capable," She said, her expression turning slightly somber.

"But for adventurers, a supporter is often seen as dispensable."

"The adventurer I teamed up with before has already found a new group, so I'm alone again," she explained, looking embarrassed. "Onii-chan, you must know that supporters rely on adventurers to survive in the Dungeon."

"True," Mahiro nodded.

While her statement wasn't entirely accurate, it was relatively true.

Supporters were much weaker in combat compared to regular adventurers.

If they ventured into the Dungeon alone, it was possible, but their efficiency would likely be much lower—perhaps even negative.

Unless these supporters truly committed to becoming adventurers, they wouldn't take such risks.

Many supporters had already resigned themselves to their lowly status and chosen to live with it.

"Until I find a new adventurer, I won't have much income," the girl sighed helplessly.

Then, in an almost rehearsed tone, she added, "There's no other way. To survive, I need to find an adventurer I can rely on as soon as possible."

"So, can I join your team?" The girl looked up at Mahiro, her eyes wide with feigned longing.

"Do you think I'm reliable?" Mahiro asked, playing along.

"Of course! The moment I saw you, I knew you were a reliable adventurer," She said with a sweet smile.

"You say that..." Mahiro pretended to be swayed by her flattery, as if her compliments had genuinely affected him.

"However, if you join my team, it might be exhausting," Mahiro warned. "I kill monsters quickly, so you might be very busy."

"Isn't that better?" the girl didn't seem bothered. In fact, she appeared excited. "If you kill monsters efficiently, we'll earn more Valis. I won't mind being busy."

"First, introduce yourself. My name is Mahiro. What's yours?"

"You can call me Lili," the girl said sweetly.

"Lili?" Mahiro paused, then overlapped the image in his memory with the girl in front of him.

What a coincidence. This thief was none other than Liliruca Arde from the anime.

Mahiro hadn't recognized her at first, mainly because Lili's appearance wasn't particularly distinctive.

Compared to Hestia's iconic blue ribbon, Lili was far less recognizable.

"Is there something wrong with my name?" Lili asked, her face showing curiosity.

"Nothing, I just think it's a nice name. It sounds pleasant," Mahiro said casually.

"Really? Onii-chan, you're making Lili feel like her name is special," Lili said happily, though her smile remained as fake as ever.

In fact, a shadow briefly flickered in her eyes.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet at the fountain in Babel Square tomorrow," Mahiro said.

"No problem! Lili will be there on time," Lili replied, nodding enthusiastically.

After agreeing on the meeting place, Mahiro and Lili parted ways.

Watching Lili skip away as if she were overjoyed, Mahiro couldn't help but smile—though it wasn't a warm or kind smile.

"Let's see what you're planning," Mahiro thought to himself.

He didn't believe Lili had approached him because she genuinely wanted to be a supporter.

It was far more likely that she had her eyes on his pouches—or more specifically, the piles of materials and magic stones inside.

That was probably what had drawn Lili to him.

Just like in the anime, where Lili had targeted Bell for his weapon, she now seemed to be targeting Mahiro for his loot.

Knowing that Lili had ulterior motives, Mahiro naturally couldn't treat her with sincerity.

He had asked Eina to find supporters without hiding his information, but he didn't mention this Lili who had come to him on her own.

As Mahiro walked away, a group of adventurers exited the guild, cursing loudly.

"Damn it, the guild's standards are getting weirder. We're trading 12th floor magic stones, but they're giving us such a small amount of valis!"

"I really want to slap that receptionist and show him how powerful adventurers are!"

"This time, we won't even be able to afford Soma-sama's wine!"

"Boss, isn't that the kid we met the other day?"

As they walked out of the guild, they spotted Mahiro and Lili together.

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