Chapter 237

Chapter 240: The Upcoming Expedition Once Again (Please Subscribe!)

After the New Year festivities concluded, Orario returned to its usual tranquility.

The townsfolk worked for their livelihood while adventurers explored and conquered the Dungeon nonstop to bolster their strength, expand their Familia’s influence, or repay their Main God’s blessings.

Several months passed, and Ize Alward reached the final threshold of Level 4.

[Adventurer Name]: Ize Alward


[Level]: Level 4


[Ability Values]: Strength: SSS1999 | Durability: SSS1999 | Dexterity: SSS1999 | Agility: SSS1999 | Magic Power: SSS1999


[Development Ability]: “Mystery E” “Dark Star E” “Luck F” “Morning Star H” “Magical Arts G” “Starshine G”

Compared to before the New Year, aside from the five base attributes reaching their critical values, two more [Additional Development Magic] abilities had appeared.

“Wasteland Rising Star” and “Blazing Like the Sun.”

These two long-desired powerful magics were finally obtained after months of battling with the Library alongside Mom-san.

Now, aside from the required “Achievements” experience points not being met, Ize was on the brink of “Level Ascension.”

Just a little bit more, and he would enter the realm of First-Class Adventurers.

“No matter how many times I look at it, this ability value feels like… cheating.”

“You’re thinking ‘cheating,’ right?”

“If it’s cheating, then so be it! Not only that, but old man here is envious—easily breaking through ability limits like this!”

On this day, in Finn’s office, a gathering of Loki Familia’s top brass convened to discuss Ize’s latest ability score report.

Finn hesitated briefly before expressing his thoughts, which were immediately revealed by Riviria. Gress bluntly admitted his envy toward Ize.

Inside the room were the Main Goddess Loki, Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Bert, four key members.

“Does no one care about these eleven magic spells? This feels even more outrageous than the ability values, doesn’t it?”

Huddled near the desk, Tiona looked somewhat skeptical of life.

She didn’t have any magic, after all.

Among everyone present, Tiona was the only one without magical aptitude.

Even her sister Tione and Gress had at least one magic spell each.

Too pitiful.

Behind the little angel, Bert leaned silently against the wall, his gray tail swaying restlessly, betraying his inner turmoil.

“Ize…he’s so amazing…”

Upon seeing this report, even Ais, whose facial expressions rarely fluctuated, showed some surprise, her cherry lips slightly parted.

It felt like Ize had just joined the Familia not too long ago.

But now, he had grown to such an extent, earning the right to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them, the First-Class Adventurers.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Aren’t you guys close to leveling up too?” Ize stayed beside the girl and smiled at her.

With the assistance of the “Experience Accessory,” the overall strength of Loki Familia’s first and second units had undergone a nearly transformative improvement.

The last time he checked Ais’ updated ability scores, everything except her Strength attribute, which was just shy of S-class, had already reached S-levels for Durability, Dexterity, and Agility.

Moreover, her Magic attribute had broken into the four-digit range, reaching the same 3S as Ize.

The reason was somewhat complicated, or rather, the root cause had never been fully understood.

All they knew was that the mutation occurred mainly after Ize ascended to Level 4.

In short, Ais’ magic seemed to have undergone some kind of chemical reaction with Ize’s, leading to a breakthrough.

From that point onward, her magic attribute soared far ahead of others.

This rapid growth rate made Refia envious for quite some time.

Currently, the situation of the officers was similar to Ize’s; those who should train their abilities to reach the S-tier had already done so, and only lacked “Achievement” experience points to level up.

However, their destination was the “Hero Domain” at Level 6, whereas Ize was heading towards Level 5.

The impact of these different thresholds would likely continue to trouble them for some time.

At the next moment, as Ize finished speaking, Loki, sitting on Finn’s desk, clapped her hands.

“Level up—! That’s what we’re talking about! …I called everyone here today specifically to discuss this matter!”

“Discuss leveling up? I thought it was about the ‘Expedition.’ Do you have any good methods for leveling up, Loki?” Tione asked in surprise.

It was rare for something to gather all the top combatants of the Familia for discussion.

Such gatherings usually only happened before expeditions.

“Hmm, cough, actually, it is about the ‘Expedition.'”

“…”

Loki awkwardly coughed twice, and Tione helplessly rolled her eyes. She had momentarily hoped otherwise but, unsurprisingly, it was as expected.

“It can’t be helped, Tione. If we don’t make a move soon, the Guild seems ready to let Uranus talk to me. You must understand my position as a goddess~”

Because Loki Familia had postponed the expedition for too long, the Guild had been urging them repeatedly.

But Loki, wanting all her children to reach a certain threshold, kept delaying, even borrowing money from Ize to pay hefty fines to the Guild without compromise.

She waited until now when everyone was on the verge of leveling up.

Although she knew it was unrealistic, Loki couldn’t help but fantasize about a single expedition where they would break through floor levels and everyone would level up.

Then she’d definitely ride atop Freya’s head to mock her.

Of course, it was just a dream. Loki herself knew it wasn’t realistic.

Her wish as a goddess was for everyone to reach their best possible state before the expedition.

“That’s the main topic for today. The timing for the next expedition… according to Loki and my judgment, let’s set it for a week from now. What do you think?”

Taking over from Loki, Finn brought up today’s subject.

Most of the time, these inquiries were mere formalities. Decisions made by the trusted Familia leader were rarely questioned.

Unless there were special circumstances, just nodding was enough.

—Decision Passed!

After a period of intense practice, excitement and anticipation lit up the faces of everyone present.

“But listen up! I know you’re all excited about this long-awaited expedition, but if any of you officers lose control and start acting recklessly, disobeying orders, I’ll let Riviria handle you with her full-time lecture package!”

You wouldn’t want to see our Spartan elf, would you? Unaware of Riviria’s dark expression, the Halfling Tribe Leader chuckled at the end.

Finn was indeed a cunning halfling; those who spent time with him would realize that.

Upon hearing his words, especially the mention of “Riviria’s full-time lecture package,” all four officers became serious.

Ais reacted most strongly.

Having spent the longest time with Riviria, she fully understood how terrifying this could be. Her body shivered involuntarily.

She almost nodded like a good child to show determination.

As for Ize… Finn wasn’t worried about him. Ize was the most reliable among the new generation and the least likely to cause trouble.

…Sidebar: Riviria Short Scene 4…

“What do you want me to dress up like?” Sister Riviria sighed, looking utterly helpless.

“Hehehe… I’ve got a great idea!” Loki wiped her mouth, seemingly drooling.

Then the mischievous goddess continued, “Hmm… isn’t there an empty room in the basement? Let’s use it to prank—I mean, discipline Ize!”

“—!?!”

“Once Ize comes back, make him confess to you!”

“What does this have to do with Ize? And what exactly is confession supposed to mean?” Riviria felt completely lost following the goddess’s logic.

“It’s an experiment! Ize is the guinea pig! We’ll test the effect, and if it works well, we’ll make it a tradition!”

(A bad feeling…) —by: Riviria