"127: Su Mo Just Wants a Tool"

Under Lefiya's earnest persuasion, Ais finally nodded.

"Then let's hurry!" Lefiya cheered, grabbing Ais' hand and pulling her towards where Tiona was. She didn't know who exactly this solo adventurer was, but no matter who it was, it couldn't possibly be Su Mo. That alone was enough.

Although Ais was strong and reliable, she was still only sixteen years old. Being overly fixated on one man wouldn't lead to anything good. Lefiya sincerely hoped that this powerful solo adventurer would be someone easy to talk to. And even if not, at least it might help redirect Ais' attention elsewhere.

Smiling happily at the thought, Lefiya soon arrived at Tiona's location with Ais, only to see Su Mo standing right there before Tiona.

Lefiya's cheerful smile froze instantly. Why did this man look so familiar? Why—was he here?!

Shocked beyond words, she blurted out instinctively, "Su Mo?!"

She stared at the man she had previously referred to as a mere "newbie adventurer," utterly dumbfounded. To be wandering alone in the deep layers of the dungeon, well into the forties—how could this possibly be something a rookie adventurer could accomplish? The memory of what she had said earlier came crashing back to her, making her want to bury herself in shame.

All that talk about Su Mo being a newcomer whose rapid growth wasn't worth getting worked up about—completely invalidated.

The man standing before her was clearly no novice. At minimum, he was already a top-class adventurer, likely level five or higher. Otherwise, there was no way he could've reached this floor alone.

Everything she had said earlier—carefully crafted arguments she had pieced together after consulting multiple people—was now entirely overturned. This man wasn't just growing rapidly during his beginner stages; even now, at higher levels, his growth was still astonishing. He was simply a walking, breathing anomaly—an outright cheat.

As that realization hit her, Lefiya first froze in shock. Then, her eyes darted to Ais beside her. Unsurprisingly, Ais' expression was one of complete dazed astonishment.

At that moment, the leader of the Loki Familia, Finn, looked at Lefiya with curiosity. "Lefiya, you know this Su Mo? Could you introduce us?"

Hearing her call out Su Mo's name, Finn had assumed they knew each other, and his interest was immediately piqued. Despite being Orario's premier Familia, Loki Familia only had three level six adventurers at present. This solo adventurer before him might very well be level six too, and as their leader, Finn naturally wanted to make contact, even if only as a casual acquaintance. One more powerful friend was always a good thing.

"Umm…" Lefiya hesitated, unsure how to explain. Introduce him? But how exactly should she explain their relationship? Smiling bitterly, she finally said, "This is Su Mo, the very person Ais has been wanting to ask about his methods for growing stronger."

She tried her best to phrase it delicately, but with someone as blunt as Tiona around, subtlety was doomed to fail.

"Oh! You mean the guy who rejected Ais and made her all depressed for days!" Tiona exclaimed, finally putting it all together. She gave Su Mo another curious glance. "No wonder Ais fell for him—he's handsome and strong! If Lady Loki knew about this, she'd probably break down crying in frustration!"

Tiona laughed heartily at her own joke, clearly amused at the thought of their goddess being rendered helpless.

"Rejected Ais…" Finn paused for a moment before it all clicked. So he's the one who's had Ais lovesick for days.

He turned to study Su Mo with fresh curiosity. Next to him, Riveria also examined Su Mo for the first time. Though Ais had spoken of him before, this was their first time seeing the infamous man in person. Weren't people saying he'd just recently become an adventurer? How had he suddenly become strong enough to solo these deep layers? Had he been hiding his true strength all along?

Just as Finn and Riveria were preparing to politely greet Su Mo and perhaps offer some apologies for Ais' prior persistence, they noticed that Ais had quietly stepped forward and was now standing directly before him.

"You've gotten stronger again!" she declared, her voice filled with certainty as she looked up at him.

Once the initial shock had passed, Ais recalled Lefiya's earlier words and was now fully convinced of one thing—Su Mo's growth was not only fast, but utterly extraordinary. According to Lefiya's analysis, his method of rapid growth even at higher levels was precisely the kind of knowledge or experience she needed.

Lefiya, of course, hadn't anticipated that her earlier attempt to dissuade Ais would actually deepen her obsession instead.

"Just a little," Su Mo replied, nodding lightly. The last time they met, he was still at level two. Now, he had reached level three. Naturally, that was some growth. But to Su Mo, this increase was merely a modest improvement in his basic stats—nothing particularly significant.

To Ais, however, this was anything but trivial. In just a few days, Su Mo had advanced to the level of a first-class adventurer. It was as though he grew stronger simply by breathing.

After hearing him acknowledge it, Ais' eyes burned even brighter.

Ais wanted to speak, to once again ask Su Mo to teach her. But just as she was about to open her mouth, memories of Su Mo's previous refusal surfaced, along with Riveria's earlier advice. Instantly, she became conflicted, biting her lip and hesitating. Her gaze, fixed on Su Mo, was like that of a stray puppy hoping to be adopted — bright and full of expectation, yet afraid to approach, worried she might be disliked.

For someone like Ais, the famed Sword Princess of Orario, to display such a pitiful, uncertain expression was a rare sight indeed. Even Riveria, who had practically raised Ais like a mother, had never seen her wear such an expression before. Yet, understanding what Ais was feeling, Riveria chose not to intervene and simply let out a quiet sigh.

Watching this scene unfold, Lefiya felt as though her heart was bleeding. When will Ais ever act so affectionately toward me? If she could trade ten years of her life to witness such a moment, Lefiya would happily do so. No—twenty years!

Just then, a soft cracking sound caught Lefiya's attention. She glanced over and saw Bete, the wolfman who served as one of their vanguard members, clenching his fists tightly. Upon seeing Ais look at Su Mo with such eyes, Lefiya's heart ached, but Bete's reaction was far worse — his blood was practically boiling. Yet, despite his usual arrogant and aggressive nature, he remained silent. For someone like Bete, who always championed the rights of the strong, Su Mo's overwhelming strength and speed of growth left him no room to speak. If he accepted that the strong could dominate the weak, then he also had to accept that the stronger would dominate the strong. That was simply the law of power.

Seeing Bete in this rare state of silent frustration, Lefiya couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. Still, she dared not let that pity show, knowing full well that Bete's pride would only bring her trouble if he noticed.

At the center of everyone's attention, Su Mo remained unaware of these subtle emotions swirling around him. Looking at Ais, he suddenly recalled the supporter he had encountered earlier when entering the dungeon. Despite being a transmigrator, he had yet to acquire any of the "cheat abilities" typically granted to people like him—like an item storage space. His gravity manipulation ability from Academy City could interfere with space to a degree, but not to the point of creating his own pocket dimension.

If he ventured deep into the dungeon to hunt monsters, he realized that the time spent attracting aggro and collecting magic stones would far exceed the actual time spent killing monsters. The inefficiency bothered him. If only he had a nimble, reliable assistant who could handle aggro, perform laborious tasks, and gather the spoils, his efficiency in collecting magic stones would increase dramatically. The time needed to amass the Philosopher's Stones he was working toward could be shortened significantly.

With that thought in mind, Su Mo glanced at the expectant, golden-haired girl standing before him. She would make a perfect assistant. Without hesitation, he asked, "Would you be interested in becoming my supporter?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Ais, who had been on the verge of despair, immediately brightened and lifted her head in delight. "I'm willing!" she agreed without a second thought. He hadn't even mentioned any compensation, but she didn't care. Compared to his previous outright refusal, the chance to simply assist him was more than enough. Even if it meant being used like a tool, she would gladly accept. After all, only by becoming his assistant could she hope to receive his guidance one day. Before, she hadn't even qualified to be his tool.

There was simply no reason for her to refuse.