"124: The Supporter and the Philosopher’s Stone"

"What's with all the secrecy..." Hestia pouted upon hearing his answer. Still, she didn't press any further. After all, Su Mo was full of mysteries. Compared to the many other secrets surrounding him, this so-called plan didn't seem like much. At least for now, that's how Hestia saw it.

Speaking of plans, Su Mo recalled the discussions he'd had with his alternate selves in the Mist Space. It was time to finally start experimenting with dungeon monsters. With that in mind, he quickly pulled out his beginner adventurer gear.

"You're heading to the dungeon again?" Hestia asked upon seeing him gear up.

"Yeah. I just have a few things I need to test," Su Mo replied, swiftly finishing his preparations. While he hardly needed such basic equipment anymore, appearances still mattered.

"Oh! Well, even though you're really strong now, make sure you stay safe!" Hestia reminded him sweetly. The dungeon was no place to let your guard down.

"Don't worry," Su Mo chuckled, patting her head gently. "I won't leave you home alone like a lonely housewife."

"Don't tease your goddess! That's disrespectful to a deity!" Hestia blushed slightly and gave him a playful glare before sending him off like a newlywed bride. "Safe travels—and come back home early!"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "And don't go getting involved with any vixens!"

Su Mo could only wave his hand helplessly. "I'll do my best." With that, he pushed open the door and left, leaving behind a pouting Hestia who shouted after him, "What do you mean you'll 'try'?!"

Ignoring her playful complaint, Su Mo continued on his way. Soon, he arrived at the dungeon's entrance. As always, the place was bustling with adventurers, most of whom operated in parties from the same Familia.

Just as Su Mo was about to enter, a faint presence he hadn't noticed before hesitated for a moment and then approached him. A tiny girl, even smaller than his ribbon-loving goddess, gathered her courage and asked, "Excuse me, Adventurer... would you happen to need a supporter?"

In Orario, people of smaller stature weren't uncommon. Whether it was the Pallum race or dwarves, many were noticeably shorter than humans. Dwarves typically excelled at smithing and possessed great strength, often accompanied by powerful skills. Pallums lacked such physical advantages but were naturally gifted in appearance. Male or female, most Pallums appeared eternally youthful, often resembling human children even well into middle age. However, Su Mo could tell that the girl in front of him was genuinely quite young, likely only in her early teens.

"Pallum?" Su Mo asked curiously, sensing a strange familiarity.

"No," the girl answered, pulling back her hood to reveal dark red hair and a pair of fluffy beast ears. "I'm a Chienthrope!"

"A Chienthrope this young... already working as a supporter?" Su Mo remarked meaningfully. In truth, the moment he saw those beast ears, he'd already recognized her identity—Liliruca Arde.

She was one of the more tragic characters in the original story. Orphaned at a young age, she ended up joining a Familia full of drunkards who not only failed to care for her but also bullied, beat, and extorted her regularly. Life had been merciless to the little girl. Yet despite her miserable circumstances, Lili was far from a purely innocent character. She had deceived and stolen from adventurers on multiple occasions—never to the extent of murder, but definitely enough to stain her reputation. As a result, opinions about her tended to be complicated.

This time, she had likely targeted Su Mo because he appeared to be a newcomer, dressed in obvious beginner gear. She probably saw him as an easy mark to squeeze some money from.

Seeing Su Mo's questioning gaze, Lili put on a pitiful expression. "My Familia members prefer drinking over dungeon work, and since I'm so small, no one wants to hire me." She looked up and explained, "But I have a Carrying Skill, so I promise I won't slow you down."

Strictly speaking, none of what she said was a lie—it was all true, which made it quite effective at evoking sympathy. Of course, it also made her a target for those who enjoyed preying on the weak. Su Mo, however, wasn't inclined to judge her too harshly. If she asked for help sincerely, he wouldn't mind lending a hand. But still—

"If you could tone down your malicious thoughts a bit, I wouldn't mind taking you along," Su Mo said, shaking his head.

Lili's expression froze. "W-What malicious thoughts? You must be mistaken, Adventurer! Lili doesn't have any ill intent!"

She thought her act had been flawless, and technically, she hadn't even lied. So why had he seen through her? As she frantically searched for a way to recover, Su Mo spoke again. "Coveting what doesn't belong to you is a form of malice too."

With that, he ended the conversation and walked straight into the dungeon, leaving a cold-sweating Liliruca behind, staring at his back in panic. "Just who is this guy? Can he read minds?!"

Now completely flustered, Lili couldn't believe she had picked such a terrifying mark. He might've looked like a rookie, but he seemed to possess some ability that could read emotions or even thoughts.

Thankfully, he hadn't exposed her on the spot. If he had revealed her transformation magic, Liliruca's greatest trump card would have been compromised. She made a silent vow to herself—she would stay far away from that man from now on. For someone like her, who relied on deception to make a living, a man capable of reading minds was her natural enemy. Just imagining him exposing her schemes sent a chill down her spine.

Meanwhile, Su Mo, who had already entered the dungeon, was completely unaware that his casual words had left such a psychological scar on the girl. Once he stepped into the dungeon, he quickly tossed aside any thoughts of the supporter. Right now, the matter of the Philosopher's Stone was far more important.

In his quest to craft Philosopher's Stones, even the lower-level monsters in the dungeon could serve as materials, given their considerable intelligence for creatures. However, there were too many adventurers lingering within the first dozen floors, and the monster population wasn't sufficient for his needs. Besides, Su Mo preferred to keep his alchemical work a secret. After considering all this, he decided to venture deeper into the dungeon.

As expected, the deeper he went, the fewer adventurers there were. By the time he reached the thirty-something floors, the place was practically deserted—perfect for his experiment. After moving around for a bit, he successfully lured over a hundred monsters into chasing him. The creatures, all around Level 3, formed a veritable tide of monsters, relentlessly pursuing him.

Once he judged that their numbers were sufficient, Su Mo stopped. Just as the monsters lunged at him, he activated his ability. "Gravity Suppression!" Instantly, the gravity around him intensified by several times, pinning over a hundred monsters to the ground with crushing force. Their bones shattered under the pressure. Though they didn't die immediately, they were completely immobilized—exactly the outcome Su Mo wanted.

He clapped his hands together, not needing any drawn transmutation circles thanks to his mastery of the Truth Gate's knowledge. The alchemy to forge a Philosopher's Stone activated immediately, causing a crimson light to burst forth. The restrained monsters silently lost their lives, and in Su Mo's palm, a blood-red stone gradually took form.

To bring joy to suffering.

To bring victory to battle.

To bring life to the dead.

Such was the promise made by the crimson stone, revered by many—the Philosopher's Stone.

"It really works," Su Mo murmured in delight. If monsters could be refined into Philosopher's Stones, then many of the plans he'd previously discussed could be set into motion. Moreover, judging by its size, this stone contained far more material than one extracted from a human. Comparing it to the Philosopher's Stones crafted from human sacrifices in the Fullmetal world, Su Mo realized that these monsters yielded dozens of times more material than an ordinary person.

"I wonder if this is related to the monster's strength." After all, Level 3 monsters were far stronger than regular humans. Technically, the amount of material for a Philosopher's Stone should depend on the strength of one's soul. However, stronger monsters likely possessed greater spiritual energy. It was quite possible that the higher the monster's level, the greater the quantity of Philosopher's Stone that could be extracted.

"This will need further testing." To verify his hypothesis, he only needed to find an equivalent number of monsters at different levels and compare the results after refining them.