Chapter 342

Chapter 345: Getting Subtly Roasted, But Not Losing Out (Please Subscribe!)

The central pillar of the Great Void already riddled with cracks and on the verge of collapse, after Reivice’s strike, instantly fractured like shattered glass, raining Crystal blocks down.

Following like a chain reaction, the grain storage’s ceiling began to crumble.

The Crystal Grand Pillar was the core of the grain storage, the most crucial heart of the operation.

Destroying it would cause the entire facility to decay from within.

“BOOMMMMMM…”

As if in literal terms, a rain of rocks poured down.

“Shit! Such underhanded tactics!! Can’t win so they’re destroying the place instead!!!”

“Don’t curse, the exit is this way. If you don’t want to be buried alive, let’s go!”

Asfi pulled Lulune by her ear, who was cursing loudly, moving towards the exit.

Adventurers were scrambling due to Reivice’s reckless actions, hurriedly attempting to retreat.

At this point, Philais seemed to snap out of her daze, locating Refia who had poured all her spiritual energy into a single magic spell, trying to support her and leave.

“Tch! Are we just letting them off?!” The wolf-man glared at the two figures beneath the collapsing crystal pillar.

Honestly, he thought with Izay and Ais, two Level 5s and one Level 6, they could capture those two before the grain storage completely collapsed, right?

Escape wasn’t the only goal; he didn’t want to let Bert get away either!

After all, this was a golden opportunity, wasn’t it?

They had their enemies cornered!

Sensing his thoughts, Ais hesitated slightly but looked at Izay, wanting to gauge his opinion.

“So, Bert, feeling brave? How about you go test that mysterious person?”

However, upon hearing this, Izay merely patted the wolf-man’s shoulder, as if saying: forget it, buddy, it’s hopeless.

Even with his power split, that person was still Level 7…

Someone even Ais couldn’t defeat using “Wind Spirit Dash.”

Trying to take them down before the place collapses?

Dream on.

“…” Bert’s face twitched.

If I thought I could handle them alone, would I have asked for your and Ais’s opinions beforehand?

Bert felt utterly infuriated by Izay’s words!

Thus, the negotiation among the three broke down, and the rejected wolf-man sighed deeply, preparing to retreat.

“「Aria」, head to the fifty-ninth floor.”

Just as Ais was about to leave, protected by the mysterious figure, Reivice finally regained her usual stoic expression, throwing out a line.

“……?”

“You’ve always wanted answers from me, haven’t you? Go to the fifty-ninth floor, and you’ll find what you seek. If you can make it there yourself, it’ll save me the trouble.”

Reivice openly admitted she couldn’t bring Ais to the fifty-ninth floor herself, cleverly handing the choice back to the girl.

Simply put, it was a trap, specifically designed for Ais.

But given Ais’s nature, chances were high she’d check it out even knowing it was a trap.

……

There were hardly any serious injuries in the group, though a few Magical Arts practitioners were suffering from mental exhaustion.

Thanks to this, the retreat proceeded swiftly.

Soon enough, the twenty-fourth level grain storage collapsed.

The adventurers escaped the northern grain storage, chased by the collapse, and returned to the surface that very day.

On Loki Familia’s side, Izay and Ais received a lecture upon returning to headquarters.

Of course, the brunt of it fell on Ais, since her reckless behavior was a known issue.

Riviria took care of reprimanding Izay, scolding him along the lines of “How could you let Ais run wild?” and “Why didn’t you stop her?”

Afterward, Loki decided punishment was necessary.

So Ais was ordered to serve two days as a maid, which she reluctantly agreed to under divine pressure.

Izay was treated as a tool, tasked with reinforcing everyone’s new Armed Equipments before the expedition, expenses to be paid later when funds became available.

Philais formally thanked Izay upon departure, along with Refia.

Being able to personally slay her enemy held special significance for her.

Conversely, she wouldn’t forget those who helped her during the process.

Though she didn’t say anything outwardly, both Izay and Refia could sense their relationship had grown closer.

It was a good start.

As for Hermes Familial Group… Due to mobility issues, Izay and co. parted ways with Asfi and others in Rivira Town.

After all, they were still concealing their actual Levels, so discretion was key.

However, after returning to the surface, Hermes sent Izay a message.

He expressed gratitude for helping his children in this incident.

Since Hermes hadn’t anticipated how dangerous things would get, to show sincerity in his thanks, he mentioned preparing top-tier energy tonics, insisting this round was on him!

Had Izay not remembered offending Ishtar before, he might’ve actually believed Hermes’ “sincerity.”

That day, Izay replied to Hermes with a single word: “Get lost!”

……

The next morning, Izay skipped the shift Loki assigned him, heading to the eastern district of Orario, making his way to the “Goblin’s Rental Vault.”

Being able to contact Fels anytime, naturally, after the grain storage incident, he wasn’t going to miss out on “reasonably claiming” his reward.

After an emotional late-night negotiation, Izay took the keys handed over by Fels’ familiar and found the corresponding rented vault.

“I feel like I’m being subtly roasted…”

Izay’s lips curled as he stared at the vault numbered 444, awkwardly opening it.

Inside, items almost filled the entire vault.

Apart from numerous precious gemstones and gold rings shimmering with various lights, there were also many rare drops, including treasures from the deeper levels like the “Unicorn’s Horn,” all bundled up in a black cloth bag.

Next to them were several thick ancient books, without exception, all advanced Magic Tomes crafted by Fels.

“Alright, getting subtly roasted isn’t such a bad deal.” Izay muttered while stuffing these items into a prepared backpack.

A rough estimate of the value of the contents revealed that just the Magic Tomes alone could fetch a staggering price of twenty billion Valis.

The other items combined amounted to several significant sums.

There was also Ais’s share, Izay had no intention of keeping everything for himself.

He only intended to take some of the drop items, including the “Unicorn’s Horn,” and two Magic Tomes.

The former he planned to use for crafting something, while the latter was for Haruhi.

One for Haruhi to use, the other for himself to study.