"Come in."
When the voice sounded from outside the door, everyone in the office shifted their gaze toward the entrance. Riveria was the one who spoke directly, calling the person outside into the room.
"S-Sorry to disturb you."
The tension in the newcomer's voice was still hard to hide, but as she stepped into the office and saw Leon inside, she immediately froze.
"Mr. Leon? Are you here too?"
The young girl spoke up, somewhat surprised.
Leon was equally surprised by her arrival.
She was a girl around his age. She possessed a petite frame, standing at about 155 centimeters tall, yet her figure was exceptionally well-endowed with distinct, shapely curves. Her long, jet-black hair was woven into a single braid draped behind her back. She wore a server-style outfit and a pair of round-rimmed glasses on her face, giving her the overall appearance of a young, learning scholar—fresh, charming, and lovely.
Naturally, Leon knew who she was. After all, they belonged to the same Familia, and she had a fair share of presence in the original story, leaving a relatively deep impression on readers, making it impossible not to recognize her.
Although Leon didn't have much interaction with her and they hadn't even spoken more than a few words, he still called out her name.
"Line."
Line Arshe, an adventurer belonging to the Loki Familia. Her rank was Level 2, and her alias was "Elf Runner." She was a member of the Dungeon Expeditionary Force and specifically one of the core members of the Second Army.
The so-called Second Army referred to the strongest fighting force in the Loki Familia outside of the seven First-Class Adventurers. It was primarily composed of Level 4 members like Raul, representing the highest-status group in the entire Familia just beneath the three leaders and the four executives.
Yet within this Second Army force dominated by Level 4 combatants, Line managed to be a part of it at only Level 2, and she was even a core figure who received focused protection and attention.
The reason she could achieve such a thing was simple. Because Line was a Healer.
She was capable of using magic that healed the injuries of others, making her role even more vital than that of a Mage. Within Orario, and indeed across the entire world, Healers capable of using recovery magic were extremely scarce talents, far more precious than Mages. Consequently, Healers were highly valued across all major Familias. This was especially true during expeditions when supplies were limited; a Healer was the literal lifeline of the entire team, and no one dared to take them lightly.
Therefore, while Line's combat strength was near the bottom of the Loki Familia—to the point where she was a non-combatant who couldn't even stand on the front lines—her importance to the Familia far surpassed many others. She was an exceptionally special talent.
Another talent of a similar caliber was Lefiya. She was a year younger than Ais and Line, and her rank was only Level 3. However, due to her unique magic, skills, and extraordinary Magic stat, her firepower could rival that of a Level 5 Mage. Because of this, she was viewed as the successor to Riveria, the Familia's sub-captain and the city's strongest Mage.
It would be a strange thing indeed not to recognize such a distinct talent when they were companions in the same Familia. Not just within the Loki Familia, but even on the outside, Line possessed a certain degree of fame—at least far more famous than Leon, who was currently still a nobody.
"Sorry to call you here during such a busy time," Finn spoke to Line, his gentle manner causing the girl's nervousness to ease slightly.
"N-Not at all! My work is mostly finished, so I'm not very busy right now," Line hurriedly replied to Finn.
"You've already finished the work assigned to you?" Gareth praised Line, saying, "How diligent. If only those rascal boys could be as diligent as you."
"No, that's not it. It's just that I don't have anything else to do, so I could only focus on finishing up the post-expedition tasks first," Line said, somewhat embarrassed. "After all, I'm not a combatant, so I can't spend my time training myself like everyone else. I can only handle chores like this."
"Never look down on yourself, Line." Riveria knitted her brows slightly, looking at Line as she spoke with utmost seriousness. "You are a Healer, a highly precious talent. Without you, who knows how many people would lose their lives in the Dungeon during expeditions?"
"We cannot do without you, which is precisely why we don't let you fight on the front lines."
"If this instead causes you to feel inferior, then our guilt would be immense."
Under Riveria's earnest counseling, the girl's expression finally brightened quite a bit.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me this."
Line treated Riveria with great deference. This was not only because Riveria was the sub-captain of the Familia and a grand senior to them all, but also because she was Elven royalty, born of high nobility.
Line's attitude was actually considered quite normal; the elves in the Familia who shared the same elven heritage as Riveria were truly extravagant. Their attitude toward Riveria could no longer be described as mere respect, but rather fanaticism, adoration, and devotion. Even an elven socialite like Lefiya behaved so respectfully toward Riveria that it hardly seemed like she was just treating her as a mentor.
If the person Lefiya admired most was Ais, then Riveria was undoubtedly the person she respected most. Within the Loki Familia, there were very few people who would address Riveria directly by her name. And Line, clearly, was not among them.
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Seeing that the pleasantries were mostly concluded, Finn spoke up to interrupt everyone.
"Line, the reason we called you here today is actually to entrust you with a task." Finn looked directly at the young girl and said, "For the upcoming period, could we trouble you to temporarily act as Leon's supporter?"
Indeed, the supporter that the Familia leaders intended to introduce to Leon was this precious Healer.
"A-Act as Mr. Leon's supporter?"
Line was visibly dazed. Not just Line, even Leon was quite astonished. But upon second thought, this girl truly was the most suitable person to become his supporter.
There was no other reason than what Finn stated next.
"You are a Healer, and you are also a professional supporter specialized in assisting the Familia's front-line combatants. Only by entrusting this task to you can we feel at ease."
Within the Familia, Line's role was that of a professional supporter in addition to being a Healer. After all, a Healer only proved highly useful when others were injured; when no one was hurt, Line naturally needed to serve another purpose.
A Familia's supporters were generally non-combatants who didn't go to the front lines or rear-guard Mages serving a dual role. For instance, Lefiya, when she wasn't required to chant magic to support the front lines, often had to do some supporter work despite being Level 3. There was also Raul; though he was a Level 4 member of the Second Army, in battles where only First-Class Adventurers could be of use, he would usually be brought along as a supporter.
Compared to Lefiya and Raul, Line's supporter work was actually much more specialized. Because she wouldn't just be responsible for carrying loot, spare weapons, supplies, and various items like an ordinary supporter; she would also scout, monitor, clear paths, and even draw maps, acting as a comprehensive rear support for the front-line combatants. During expeditions, when front-line combatants were injured and unable to fight, she was also responsible for covering the retreat of the wounded, moving them away from the battlefield, and administering medical treatment. While these tasks might seem unremarkable, their importance was beyond question.
While Lefiya and Raul only did supporter work as a side job on an amateur basis, Line's supporter work was absolutely professional, making her far more reliable than those unknown, external supporters from other Familias. Therefore, upon learning that Leon needed a supporter, Loki, Finn, and the others discussed it and decided to assign Line to this role.
This choice was made after thorough consideration. First, Line was a non-combatant, and during periods without an expedition, she didn't have any particularly important duties, leaving her with plenty of time and energy to accompany Leon on his adventures. Second, the girl already held the role of a supporter within the team, meaning her professional capabilities and qualities were strong enough. Third, Line was a Healer; if Leon truly ran into danger and suffered heavy injuries, she could provide timely treatment. Furthermore, Line was still a Level 2 after all; if they only operated in the Upper Floors of Floors 1 through 12, even if she wasn't a combatant, she generally wouldn't encounter situations she couldn't handle, nor would she require Leon to constantly protect her.
Combining all these factors, the Familia leaders decided to send Line out to act as Leon's supporter.
However, Line herself was entirely in the dark. She didn't object to being Leon's supporter; after all, she usually did similar work within the Familia anyway. Nor did she feel it was embarrassing to be a supporter for a Level 1 rookie adventurer. She wasn't a combatant to begin with and didn't go to the front lines; even at Level 2, she didn't possess much proper combat capability, and saying she was at the bottom of Level 2 was already giving her too much credit.
The issue was...
"Hasn't Mr. Leon been an adventurer for less than half a month?" Line said, highly perplexed. "Does he already need a supporter now?"
Because she normally held this exact role, Line was very clear on the fact that rookie adventurers generally had absolutely no need for a supporter in the early stages. Exploring the Dungeon itself was exhausting enough for them, and the number of monsters they could defeat in a day was extremely limited. There was simply no need to deliberately bring a supporter to carry loot when a casual waist pouch brought downstairs might not even be filled with magic stones.
Generally speaking, it was only after reaching the 7th or 8th Floor that adventurers would gradually begin to feel overwhelmed. Not only did the loot become difficult to carry, but having to personally process the spoils after a battle was simply too tedious. Leaving these clean-up tasks to a supporter so that they only had to focus on fighting was the most efficient way to conquer the Dungeon.
Yet Leon had been an adventurer for less than half a month, so he shouldn't have reached the point of needing a supporter, right?
As Line thought this, she quickly heard Finn's laughter.
"As for whether he needs a supporter or not, you can go see it with your own eyes once you step into the Dungeon with Leon," Finn said with a deep meaning. "Once you confirm it for yourself, remember to temporarily keep it a secret for Leon."
"Right." Gareth also looked at Line, saying with a chuckle, "This kid's abilities are currently a secret of our Familia, so they can't be casually disclosed, Line."
"I believe you can do it." Riveria seemed to hold deep trust in Line as she spoke. "You are a child who brings peace of mind. With you watching over Leon, we can be spared from a lot of worries."
The continuous words of the Familia leaders brought a great shock to Line. It actually involved a Familia secret? Mr. Leon's abilities? Exactly what kind of ability required elevating the matter to the level of a Familia secret? Line didn't understand, but she was deeply shaken.
"Will this be too much trouble for you?" Leon spoke up upon seeing Line's dazed appearance.
"N-No! Not at all!" Line finally snapped back to reality, hurriedly saying, "Since it's a task assigned by the Captain, as long as it's within my capabilities, I will definitely fulfill it well!"
"Then I'll be in your care." Seeing that Line didn't look like she was forcing herself, Leon finally nodded. "To be honest, with you acting as my supporter, I feel a lot more at ease too."
Although Leon and Line weren't close and could only be considered acquaintances rather than friends, Leon was still very clear on her capabilities. If nothing else, the single fact that she could use healing magic was enough to give Leon the feeling of being matched with a god-tier teammate in a ranked game. Even if this god-tier teammate couldn't score a pentakill or even step onto the front lines, what kind of adventurer could afford to be so extravagant as to bring along a supporter who could heal while exploring the Dungeon?
A Healer like this was usually someone who could only be equipped within a large raid team, right? This was far more extravagant than Leon's original plan of hiring a random supporter on the outside.
The supporters available for hire on the outside wouldn't even know healing, much less be Level 2. They would be at the absolute bottom even among Level 1s; otherwise, they wouldn't give up the work of an adventurer to become a hired supporter. Calling them a supporter was just a polite term; to put it bluntly, they were merely porters. Anyone with the ability to fight on the front lines and act as an adventurer wouldn't want to be such a porter. Compared to those people, no matter how one looked at it, Line was the absolute top of the line.
"Since neither of you has any objections, then it's decided," Finn said, finalizing the matter. "For this period, the two of you will form a party first and explore the Dungeon together. Once the Familia is ready for the next expedition, we will transfer Line back."
The Loki Familia's expeditions were generally carried out once every one or two months. The most recent expedition had occurred shortly before Leon became an adventurer, so it was still a ways off. At the very least, within a month, Line should be able to party up with Leon. By then, with Leon's growth rate, he should probably be Level 2 already, right? Perhaps he might even make it in time for the next expedition.
The various Familia leaders thought this way, secretly calculating whether they should bring Leon along when the time came.
"Next time might still be too rushed. Let's wait and see a bit longer."
Finn and the others calculated in this manner as they watched the two of them depart.
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