2 chapters tomorrow!
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Once they finished mapping the rest of the twelfth floor, August and Liliruca Arde started heading back up to the surface.
When they walked through the misty area on the tenth floor, they saw a big group practicing combat drills.
August suddenly felt soone staring at him. A striking blonde girl was watching him closely, her eyes intense as if she was trying to figure him out.
"The Loki Familia," Lili murmured, recognizing their crests. "Today must be their rookie training day." She looked at Ais Wallenstein—the renowned 'Sword Princess' of Orario—with a mix of awe and envy.
"Training?" August raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected a top Familia to run organized boot camps here. From what he knew, most Adventurers fought in small groups and rarely tead up like this.
"The Loki Familia brings in new mbers every year," Lili explained. "Instead of the Freya Familia's harsh survival-of-the-fittest thod, Loki sends their rookies into the deeper Upper Floors to toughen them up. When they reach Level 2, they join the expedition teams. Their style is all about teamwork and tactics."
Lili watched the Loki rookies. "Because of that system, anyone who finishes the first training and learns the Dungeon basics gets sent on deeper expeditions right away. It's the fastest way to level up. Every year, people try their hardest to pass the entrance exams."
Who wouldn't want to join a guild like that? But instead, she was stuck in the Soma Familia, a miserable group of thieves led on by empty promises about divine wine.
"Let's keep moving," August said, noticing the longing in her voice.
It was easy to see why. Being part of a big Familia was like standing under a huge tree that offered protection and a chance to grow. For soone ambitious, the Loki Familia was probably the safest and best place to start.
The Freya Familia, on the other hand, was a brutal place for people who wanted to prove themselves. You had to fight and struggle nonstop just to get noticed by the Goddess of Beauty.
It was a wild environnt...
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Just as August turned to leave, Ais Wallenstein broke formation.
She jogged over and addressed him directly.
"Excuse ," Ais said, her face expressionless. "Will you sell one of your shields?"
While Lili was open and expressive, Ais spoke in a flat tone. She wasn't looking to make friends—she just wanted to make a deal. A shield that could block magic up close was extrely valuable. She guessed it was made from so rare, high-quality tal.
"A shield?" August paused, not expecting the Sword Princess to ask him about selling weapons.
It was an interesting offer. People here might pay more for his modern gear, and he could sell a lot of it. Weapons don't last forever, so custors would co back. He could make a good profit.
"If you want to buy a shield, co visit the Hestia Familia to negotiate a price," August replied.
"The Hestia Familia? Understood, thank you," Ais nodded, glad he was open to the idea.
Their conversation was brief. August nodded politely and continued walking with Lili toward the surface.
Watching from the sidelines, Riveria Ljos Alf kept a close eye on her Familia's prized golden child. She had seen Ais approach the rumored rookie.
"Well??" Riveria asked as Ais ca back. Riveria knew a shield like that was an engineering marvel. Normal blacksmiths couldn't make sothing like it.
"Yes. He said I can go to the Hestia Familia to discuss the price," Ais reported, looking quite satisfied with herself.
When she heard that, Riveria gave Ais a look that clearly said she couldn't believe how clueless she was.
She realized Ais needed a serious lesson in common sense. "Ais... how many mbers are in the Hestia Familia right now?"
"One..." Ais said, tilting her head as she rembered the gossip Loki had been spreading lately. It was a brand-new Familia.
"And who is that one mber?" Riveria rubbed her temples, letting out a heavy sigh.
Ais froze. Her usually calm, doll-like face slowly turned bright red.
Riveria's question made Ais realize the truth: the only mber of the Hestia Familia was the guy who just left. He could have told her the price right there. Why did he make her go all the way to his base?
"Jerk," Ais muttered, instantly labeling August as a flippant trickster. He blew her off just to make her chase him.
"I'll go with you when we get back to the surface," Riveria said, shaking her head. Ais was too inexperienced to handle a negotiation alone—she'd get tricked right away. With the rivalry between Loki and Hestia, Riveria also thought August might use the eting to embarrass Ais and annoy their Goddess.
"Okay," Ais agreed, pouting. She knew she would need Riveria's experience to handle soone as tricky as August.
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anwhile, halfway up the stairs, Liliruca Arde realized the sa thing.
"August, aren't you the Captain of the Hestia Familia?" Lili asked, puzzled. "Why didn't you just negotiate with Miss Ais back there?"
Thwack!
August gave her a light chop on the top of her head.
"Are you an idiot?"
"We're in the Dungeon. There's no guaranteed safety here, especially in a mist zone. Do you want to stand around talking in the fog and wait for a monster to ambush us?" August said.
"Ais Wallenstein is a Level 5. What am I? A Level 1."
"You want two Level 1s to stand still in a low-visibility danger zone? Are you trying to get us killed?"
Maybe his powerful weapons had made her forget how dangerous things really were. She was ignoring the basic rules of survival. They were in the mist zone, right next to a big Loki Familia training session. If a monster attacked and August had to use his heavy weapons, he could accidentally hit so of the Loki rookies.
"Oh. Right..." Lili rubbed her head, the reality check grounding her.
She was still only a Level 1 Supporter. Talking casually in a dangerous area was asking for trouble. Winning a few fights had made her forget how deadly the Labyrinth could be.
"I got careless," Lili admitted, realizing she had beco overconfident. The Labyrinth wasn't a playground. It was full of dangerous monsters and rival Adventurers who might an harm.
"When we get back, we're going to overhaul our combat plan," August said. "We need to get ready for the Middle Floor."
"Yes, sir."
Lili knew their next trip wouldn't be easy. If their second dive had led to a huge ambush, the next one could bring out a Goliath or even a Floor Boss.
It took them hours to reach the surface.
They entered the Dungeon at 7:00 AM and didn't co out until 2:00 PM.
As soon as they reached the surface and got a signal, August sent a ssage to Hestia's phone.
"I'm starving. Let's go to the Adventurer's Guild first," August said, glancing at Lili.
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anwhile, inside Hephaestus's workshop.
Hestia was lounging on the sofa when her phone buzzed with August's ssage.
"What the hell??" Hestia shrieked, jumping up. "What is the Dungeon thinking?? Why does it have such a huge grudge against my child??"
She stared at the attached video file.
The drone video showed a huge cavern packed with thousands of monsters, all rushing toward August. From above, the horde appeared overwhelming.
"What's wrong?" Hephaestus asked, startled by the yelling.
She leaned over and looked at the sleek, high-tech device in Hestia's hands. The screen showed a chaotic battle. A black tide of monsters was rushing toward August.
"Silverbacks. Hard Armoreds," Hephaestus said, quickly spotting the threats. "And several Infant Dragons? Those are really rare. Seriously, does your child have so kind of taunt skill?"
But when the video showed the back of the horde, revealing calf-sized wolves conjuring fire, Hephaestus caught her breath.
"Hellhounds? Monsters from the Middle Floor moved up?" Hephaestus frowned. "Your boy really knows how to draw aggro."
She had never heard of a rookie facing so many monsters from different floors on just their second trip. A normal Adventurer team wouldn't survive—they'd be overwheld and wiped out.
Hestia didn't stay to hear Hephaestus's analysis. She saw August's last text saying he was heading to the Guild.
"Hephaestus, August is at the Guild! I'm going to et him!" Hestia shouted, jumping off the sofa and running out the door.
"Hey, wait!" Hephaestus tried to call her back, noticing she had left the phone behind.
"Whatever. I should probably go check on the kid myself."
Hephaestus was honestly amazed that August survived sothing so dangerous. Most Adventurers couldn't handle that. Fighting off a whole legion proved his skills were just as strong as the rumors claid.
'But why does the Dungeon harbor such deep malice toward him?' Hephaestus pondered.
Middle Floor monsters reaching the Upper Floors was a bad sign. The Dungeon rarely sent monsters outside their usual areas unless it was trying to deal with an 'Irregular' threat.
'Worse yet, they ford a cohesive legion.'
This ant the monsters were starting to use basic tactics. If the Guild didn't send a top team to clear out the eleventh and twelfth floors soon, new Adventurers could get wiped out by leftover Middle Floor monsters.
'Well, I'll let the Guild deal with that headache. I doubt old man Ouranos expected this kind of anomaly either.'
Hephaestus picked up the phone Hestia had left behind, looking over its sleek design.
"This thing... people from another world are really impressive," she muttered. "Sending clear video over long distances with invisible signals. It's amazing."
"It's a sha I can't take it apart."
She knew better than to ss with Hestia's favorite gadget. When Hestia returned from that other Earth, she made it clear what could and couldn't be brought over. Even snacks and drinks had their labels removed. Just by looking at the device, Hephaestus could tell Earth's technology was far ahead of Orario's.
Hestia said August's world was run entirely by mortals. Still, it was much bigger than theirs, a huge universe where people were just a small part, always pushing science forward. It was a wild place, full of wars and conflict. But with people like Ares in Orario, things weren't so different here either.
Hephaestus put the phone in her pocket and walked out of her workshop.
As she passed the forging stations, she noticed her Familia's captain was missing.
'I wonder how Tsubaki is doing.'
Bell Cranel's existence had been confird. Though his past was unclear, he had probably crossed paths with the Hers Familia at so point. Since coming to Orario, he had tried out for both the Loki and Freya Familias but was rejected by both. Now, he was visiting smaller guilds.
Tsubaki Collbrande was tracking the boy, waiting for the right mont to approach him.
Thinking about the chance to bring a future hero into her Familia, Hephaestus smiled and followed Hestia toward the Adventurer's Guild.
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