Chapter 127

Chapter 128: My Turn, Draw a Card! (First Update of the Day!)

“Ah, I’m talking about gaining ‘Great Deeds’ experience. I’m considering going straight into soloing Goliath on our return from the expedition to meet the level-up conditions.”

Izay had no intention of keeping the matter of leveling up a secret and explained it straightforwardly to them.

“No way, are you going to level up again already!?”

“Hmm, probably after this expedition ends, my ability values will be close enough…”

Izay nodded nonchalantly.

Tione’s lips twitched awkwardly twice.

Although Izay’s attitude while answering didn’t seem off, giving her the same feeling as usual…

For some reason, she just wanted to punch him. What was she supposed to do?

It hadn’t been months since he hit Lv.2, and now he was about to level up again, yet his attitude was like “meh, it’s nothing special.”

How could they, who worked hard for one or two years to level up, bear such feelings?

“…”

Beside them, Ais’s golden eyes captured Izay’s profile; she opened her cherry lips but couldn’t utter a word.

Deep down, the girl somewhat resonated with Tione’s emotions.

She felt inexplicably struck.

However, it wasn’t something she couldn’t accept.

Training with him, learning from Riviria, studying magic and mysteries, battling monsters within the dungeon, plus that incredible talent…

Becoming so strong so quickly seemed only natural, right?

Thinking this, Ais suddenly felt more at peace.

‘Izay has grown stronger… so I need to work even harder…’

Unconsciously, the girl slowly clenched her hand.

……

The large tent set up in the campsite.

This tent was specifically designated for the members to rest, with several white blankets and thin quilts laid out in the center.

Inside this tent originally allocated to male members, Raul sat glumly polishing his weapon.

“Everyone… if I don’t make it back from Dragon’s Pot this time, please go to my room, find the money I hid under my bed, and send it to my hometown, waaaah…”

“Got it, got it, under the bed, noted… By the way, where did you hide it last time again?”

“Oh, I remember that! It was on top of the wardrobe, right?”

“And the time before that, it was near the roof beam, wasn’t it?”

“You can’t keep doing this, Raul. How many spots are left in your room for you to stash your private funds? There must not be much space left, huh?”

Upon hearing Raul’s “last words,” the others playing cards nearby to relax completely ignored him without even looking up.

All the men and women in this tent, except for Raul, were part of the defense team ordered to guard the campsite.

Every time Raul was about to head out to explore areas below the 52nd floor, he would say something similar.

At first, everyone couldn’t help but worry and solemnly promise him.

But as the number of times he returned safely increased, everyone started to become indifferent.

He always talked about his last wishes, yet nothing bad ever happened to him, right?

“I’m not lying to you guys… Below the 52nd floor, all the common sense up to the 50th floor goes out the window. Every trip is life-threatening…”

Raul tried to explain with a bitter face, though there weren’t many listeners.

“Alright, Izay, it’s your turn, pick a card~”

“Huh!? My turn, draw a card!”

“What does that mean?”

“Cough cough, slip of the tongue, nothing important.”

Meanwhile, Izay was playing a game of ghost card drawing with Alisia, Rine, and others.

It’s worth noting that Orario does have card games. The genius inventor remains unknown, but they exist.

And within Orario’s casinos, some familiar games are played. Izay had merely heard about them but never visited.

Casinos… there’s no real reason to go there.

The people inside the tent split into two groups.

One group listened to Raul’s complaints, while the other, like Izay and Alisia, relaxed by playing card games.

An additional atmosphere of leisure and liveliness filled the air.

But it didn’t last long.

As night fell, the members who came to play gradually returned to their own tents, leaving the dark forest silent, along with the giant stone platform where the camp was set up.

……

In the depths of the labyrinth, where neither sunrise nor sunset exists, only the clock hands told of the arrival of morning.

The camp on the giant stone platform was shrouded in the dim glow and phosphorescence of the floor. The clown emblem of the main camp stood watch with its comical smile as the leader of the smallfolk gave the command.

“—Let’s go!”

With a steady order, Finn led the elite team of the Loki Familia from the campsite through the gray forest toward the large cave at the west end of the fiftieth floor.

The massive hole carved into the western wall of the floor served as the passage to the fifty-first floor.

A cliff-like steep slope.

As they watched the exploration team depart, the members remaining at the base shouted farewells.

“Ais-san…”

Refia gazed anxiously at the black cavern leading deep into the floor.

“Hey, snap out of it, Refia. Want to become a waiting rock?”

“N-no! Izay-san is… Alisia-san!?”

Refia reflexively turned around upon hearing someone teasing her, but her words got stuck in her throat when she saw who it was.

Because behind her now stood her senior from the same race, Alisia.

The older elf sister smiled sweetly.

“What? Can’t it be me? Or are you disappointed?”

“N-no… That’s not what I meant… And I’m not disappointed.”

“Hm? Did someone call my name?”

From afar, Izay, who was pondering what he could do at the moment, looked over.

“You’re mistaken! I didn’t say anything!” Refia exclaimed shyly.

Young lady, that’s called admitting guilt without being asked.

Just as she was about to retort, she noticed Alisia pulling Refia away, seemingly heading to have a private chat.

On the other side, Anqi also noticed Izay and couldn’t help but wave at him.

She needed his help with something.

“Can you give me a hand, Izay?”

“Oh, sure.”

Anqi approached Izay because she wanted to assign some nearby defensive duties to him.

Now that Finn and the others had left, the high-tier combatants of the Loki Familia expedition team were completely absent. One could say that the current camp had only forty percent of the full expedition team’s fighting power compared to its peak.

Seven Level 1 adventurers and five experienced Level 2 adventurers had departed, accounting for sixty percent of the expedition team’s strength during its prime.

This was the most vulnerable time for the camp. Staying behind to guard it without the high-tier fighters was indeed a test of patience.

Safe Floors merely don’t spawn monsters, but remember, Safe Floors also have the nickname of “Monster Paradise.”

Monsters from surrounding floors can still wander onto Safe Floors.

Thus, Anqi sought out Izay.

His perception magic could seize the initiative significantly, avoiding the passive guarding of the camp until the monsters arrived and forced a response.

Anqi could fully lead Alisia and a few magical arts users to preemptively eliminate any monsters that wandered near the camp, ensuring its safety.