Chapter 120

Chapter 121: The Sword Saint of the Familial Group Comes of Age (Second Update – Please Subscribe!)

An expedition is a large-scale, long-term event, especially for major factions like the Loki Familial Group.

Typically, familial groups’ expedition teams spend about a week exploring dungeons.

But it’s not the same for the big factions.

Just reaching the floor they were on last time takes them almost a week.

For example, if the Loki Familial Group wants to reach the fiftieth floor, it would take six days just to travel there.

Round trip plus exploration time for unknown floors amounts to at least fifteen days.

The dangers they face are far beyond what others can imagine.

“Feels so easy…”

Following the main group, Izay rested his hands behind his head and sighed.

Now, they had already entered the middle layers, but still felt no pressure. The group moved through the dungeon as if on a spring outing.

Until now, he hadn’t even had the chance to test out the power of his gauntlets.

Monsters born in the dungeon were quickly killed by nearby team members.

With numerous members acting as the rear guard responsible for vigilance, the monsters never got the chance to fight back.

“Now we’re only in the upper-middle layers; when we get further down, you’d better suppress this attitude and don’t cause trouble for me.”

Next to him, an arm nearly as thick as Izay’s thigh slapped his shoulder. Gress warned him after hearing his comment.

Feeling the force on his shoulder, Izay nodded furiously.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll definitely follow orders!”

Currently, during exploration, Gress didn’t need to be at the front. The old dwarf was handling the rear guard.

And Izay didn’t become the vanguard either, as Finn considered his uniqueness and assigned him as the rear guard.

In lower levels, the rear guard was safer compared to the vanguard and middle guard.

Monsters only attack nearby targets; they have no concept of targeting the backline unless in “abnormal situations.”

Moreover, Izay did possess powerful magic that could allow him to fight as a magical arts observer.

Besides, with Lv.4 monsters starting from the lower levels, there wasn’t much for Izay to do in battle anyway.

He could kill one monster while others could kill several. Using magic would be different.

In short, Izay could just gain experience by following everyone on this expedition and wait until deeper levels to use magic for treasure hunting.

Thinking of becoming the vanguard? That’s something to consider when his level is higher.

“Huff—!”

A loud roar.

A lucky monster appeared near the edge of the rear guards.

No one panicked. As everyone prepared to strike with their crossbows or short swords, a staff swept through the air and struck the monster’s vital point.

Its dying scream lasted but a moment before it turned into ashes.

Reafia casually swung her staff, seemingly having developed a habit of wanting to tuck it into her waistband.

Then—

She froze.

Oh, isn’t this a longsword?

She reluctantly gripped the staff again, meeting the slightly different gazes of her companions around her, lowering her head shyly and retreating behind Izay.

“What… why is everyone looking at me?”

Do I even need to ask?

A normally gentle junior mage suddenly raised her staff and delivered a heavy blow to a monster. Any normal person seeing this would be shocked.

“Reafia, when did you learn swordsmanship?”

Also being the rear guard, Alisia looked over with a complicated expression.

Alisia, also a mage, had decent archery skills and some knowledge of swordsmanship.

She immediately recognized Reafia’s technique as a common move in swordsmanship.

“N-no! It was just instinct… when I saw a monster appear nearby, I just… hit it.”

Reafia weakly defended herself.

Refusing to admit practicing swordsmanship secretly.

If she couldn’t even master magic properly under Lady Riviria, how dare she divide her attention to practice swords? If found out, her little bottom would surely suffer.

“I’m already an Lv.3 adventurer! Killing a mid-layer small monster isn’t anything special, right!?”

“…”

Saying that, but who believes her?

This girl has definitely been practicing secretly.

Alisia glanced at Reafia and made a judgment.

The elven elder exchanged a glance with Izay, which seemed to carry a questioning tone.

Izay subtly confirmed without Reafia noticing.

After receiving the answer, Alisia rolled her eyes and stopped responding, feeling somewhat helpless. This little episode was quickly passed over.

The group continued toward the eighteenth floor.

Even considering food and supplies as the lifeline of the expedition, reaching the eighteenth floor only took a few hours.

Since there was nothing else to do, Izay chatted with Reafia, Alisia, and others nearby, asking about past expedition experiences.

While chatting and moving forward, the seventeenth floor was effortlessly passed once again.

As usual, the floor boss Goliath was absent from its home, probably getting wiped out again.

What a poor floor boss.

On the eighteenth floor, the crystals on the dome sparkled.

Izay was familiar with this place; every time heading to the Great Tree Maze, he passed through here.

Through the forest, along the southern corridor leading to the seventeenth floor, heading straight north, they arrived at the Great Prairie with the “Central Tree.”

The expedition team bypassed Rivira Town and directly approached the roots of the giant tree leading to the nineteenth floor.

Here, two expedition teams that had reached the Central Tree smoothly merged.

“Gress, was the journey smooth?”

“You asked a redundant question, and I’ll return it to you verbatim.”

“Ah, hahaha…”

Facing the straightforward nature of the dwarves, Finn chuckled awkwardly.

Riviria gradually walked over and joined Izay, Reafia, and others, showing slight concern.

Riviria was the strongest mage within the faction and the leader of the rear guard mage team. In the upcoming joint advance, the entire rear guard deployment would be commanded by her.

“Laul, go distribute the fire elemental protective cloths. The firebirds in the Great Tree Maze aren’t easy opponents; we must prepare thoroughly!”

“Right away, sir!”

Finn gave instructions during the merger.

For adventurers, monsters capable of ranged attacks should never be underestimated.

There are countless examples of adventurers getting beaten by such creatures.

Except for the officers who rely on sheer strength and fear no firebird attacks, almost all other members wore the fire elemental protective cloths.

Izay didn’t make any exceptions and obediently put one on.

By the way, this was probably the first time he wore one.

Despite exploring the middle layers for so long……