I Should Be the One Saying That

The unusual situation that occurred on the 24th Floor of the Dungeon has ended.

With Revis and the Masked Man, the masterminds behind the scenes, having already retreated, the outcome of this matter is already confirmed.

Although the food depot left behind by Revis and the Masked Man still contained a large number of Man-Eating Flower that had been forced to grow, these Man-Eating Flower were enough to cause great trouble or even a life-or-death crisis for the Hermes Familia. However, with the monsters gone, Leo and Ais, who were free to support the Hermes Spring Familia, were able to join the battle.

Even before leveling up, the two of them were strong enough to take down a floor boss like Udaeus. Now that they've both leveled up and their strength has increased significantly, dealing with a group of Man-Eating Flower together would be a piece of cake.

Thus, the battle ended in just over ten minutes. All the Man-Eating Flower were defeated, and even the colorful magic Magic Stone were taken back by the Hermes Familia.

"With this, we can report back to the client."

Asfi's expression at that moment was one of relief.

There was no other way; this mission was simply too dangerous.

The colorful, man-eating Man-Eating Flower monsters were one thing, but the abnormal beings that appeared along the way, such as the Jewel Fetus, strange people, Giant Flower, and Seedbed, all shattered Asfi's worldview and put her and her companions in grave danger on several occasions.

The remnants of the Evilus also launched suicidal attacks against them. Even now, Asfi still feels lingering fear when she recalls those self-destructions.

It's fair to say that without Leo and Ais's presence, none of them would have survived and successfully completed this mission.

"I will also be responsible for reporting what happened here to our Chief God and the guild."

Asfi thanked Leo and Ais for their help, and said this.

With such a major event occurring, and the emergence of a strange being that defies all common sense, she definitely had to report this to the clan's Chief God and the guild.

Leo had no objection to this, saving him the trouble of arguing with the guild.

As for Ais, her mind was no longer on these cleanup matters.

"59th Floor ----"

She stood outside the dilapidated grain warehouse, gazing at the vast, gray void that looked as if the oil had run out and the lamp had burned out, muttering to herself in a daze.

Clearly, Revis's words had completely drawn Ais's attention to that place.

The 59th Floor, a floor that no one has ever reached before, is also the floor that the Loki Familia is currently challenging.

Last time, Loki Familia's final destination was there, but unfortunately, they had to retreat due to the appearance of the worm monsters.

Freya Familia has currently reached 58th Floor, while the two strongest factions in the city have not yet reached floor 59.

The upper echelons, not to mention the rest of the family members.

Of course, the two major clans that dominated Orario for nearly a thousand years fifteen years ago must have arrived there, but they have not made this information public. Apart from the guilds and some clans, basically no one knows which floor they finally arrived at.

Over the past fifteen years, thanks to the combined efforts of the newly emerging and strongest Familia Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, the deepest floor the adventurers have ever reached is the 58th Floor.

As for the 59th Floor, it is an unknown territory that no one has set foot in for fifteen years.

What exactly happened there?

Why did Revis send herself to the 59th Floor?

What is there that can resolve my doubts until now?

What does all of this have to do with "Aria"?

These thoughts flashed through Ais's mind, making her feel extremely complicated.

Until----

Don't overthink it.

A familiar voice reached her ears from beside her.

"If you want to know what's there, just go and see for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Ais turned her head and looked at Leo beside her.

"The next expedition is almost here, isn't it?" Leo met Ais's gaze and smiled. "The captain and the others are already making preparations. That will be our destination."

"So, if we want to know what's there, we'll find out for ourselves during the expedition."

These words made Ais nod silently, while she looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

Leo found it rather strange.

"----Don't you want to ask me anything?"

Ais remained silent for a long time before uttering these words.

Leo knew what Ais meant.

As someone who had been with her through all of this, this wasn't the first time Leo had seen or heard Revis call Ais by the name "Aria," and he had also witnessed Ais's intense reaction upon hearing that name.

Who exactly is "Aria"?

Why do those weirdos call Ais that?

Is there some connection between Ais and those strange people?

These questions should have arisen naturally.

That's why Ais said that.

However, she didn't know that Leo actually knew everything, he just hadn't said it.

He knew that Ais didn't want anyone to know about it.

This relates to her origins, her background, and even why she came into this world and why she harbors such hatred.

She didn't want anyone to know these things, or rather, she dared not let anyone know.

She was afraid that her companions would look at her strangely.

Leo, who was fully aware of all this, remained silent, saying nothing and asking nothing, simply watching over Ais quietly.

That's right, just like what the other person did for me in the past.

"My origins are mysterious and suspicious enough, aren't they?" Leo said calmly, "But you've never asked me about these things before, have you?"

Ais was speechless.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you must have your reasons, just like I still don't want to talk about my background." Leo smiled and said, "So, really, don't overthink it. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Just tell me if you need help."

"Of course, even if you say you don't need it, I will definitely help you." Leo reached out and ruffled Ais's beautiful long golden hair, saying, "You've helped me so much. Without you, I might have died in the Dungeon long ago, and I wouldn't be who I am today."

"Now, it's my turn to help you."

You can't refuse.

At this moment, the smile on Leo's face was not very bright, and was even quite faint.

However, seeing Leo like this, Ais felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

Ais didn't understand what that emotion was.

All she knew was that at this moment, there was one thing she absolutely had to say.

"Thanks."

Ais stared at Leo's face and said something very seriously.

"It's so good to have you by my side."

This is probably the first time Ais has expressed her true feelings so frankly since joining Loki's Familia.

After all, although this girl's inner world wasn't as cold as she appeared on the outside, her taciturn nature meant she rarely spoke her true thoughts.

That would make her feel inexplicably ashamed and embarrassed, just like an ordinary little girl.

This time, however, Ais spoke frankly about her inner thoughts without feeling ashamed or embarrassed at all; it was very natural.

Leo paused slightly as he ruffled Ais's hair, then his movements became gentler.

"Fool."

As if talking to himself, Leo muttered something in a low voice.

"I should be the one saying that."

Without the girl in front of him, he couldn't possibly imagine what would have happened to him a year ago when he first arrived in this world, and even more so, when he went straight to the Dungeon.

Without this girl in front of him, given his circumstances at the time, let alone becoming a trainee member of the Loki Familia, the strongest faction in the city, he would have found it very difficult to even join an obscure little family.

Even if one were to escape the Dungeon they first arrived, reach the surface, join a certain clan, and successfully receive the Falna the [People of the Alien Star] ability, it would be difficult to grow as rapidly as they are now.

You see, when I first became an adventurer, all my equipment and supplies were gifts from my fellow clan members. Without these, I could only get the most basic guild-issue weapon to challenge Dungeon. In that case, let alone reaching the 5th Floor or beyond in a day, I wouldn't even be able to complete the first four floors.

His swordsmanship was taught by Ais, the city's strongest female swordsman. His strategies for venturing into Dungeon were also devised by referring to detailed information left by his senior members in the library. His teammates after entering the middle level were arranged by the Familia, starting as Lv.2 healers. Even when challenging the floor boss, he dared to fully devote himself to it only because Ais and his fellow Familia companions were looking after him. Without these, Leo would definitely not have been so bold as to choose the floor boss as the object of his great achievements.

Not to mention the Giant Battle Suit he wears, and even the Dragon Fang Sword Emerald Staff he previously possessed—weren't all of these obtained through Loki's Chief God?

If Ais hadn't brought him into the Loki Familia, even if he had managed to survive the initial survival phase, his later development would certainly not have been as smooth as it is now.

It was precisely because of the backing of Ais and the Loki Familia, the strongest faction in the city, that Leo dared to act so recklessly.

Otherwise, let alone being as successful as he is now, and being able to advance to the next level in less than a month or even half a month, even if he could, at Lv.2 he would probably have already been targeted and schemed against by various forces due to the huge attention he had attracted, and would eventually become a puppet of the gods, unable to even decide his own future.

Not everyone is like the protagonist in the original story, protected by the protagonist's halo, able to not only turn danger into safety when faced with so much covetousness and difficulties, but also use it to rise to a higher level.

The protagonist's extraordinary fate was inseparable from the love of Hestia, the fiercely protective Chief God, and also from the help of the companions who gathered together because of his personal charisma.

Leo didn't believe he had the charisma to attract so many people to help him unconditionally, even at the cost of their own lives.

It's fair to say that if the Chief God of the clan he initially joined hadn't been able to protect him, his glory would have been nothing but a death sentence.

In this world, there are far too many characters who, due to a god's whim or the suppression of various forces, are unable to rise to prominence or even become tragic figures.

It was precisely because Leo clearly understood this that he was willing to endure a year-long internship to Loki Familia.

Even knowing that this clan would be drawn into an unimaginable vortex of malice, he was still happy to accept it.

It's much better than becoming someone else's plaything or puppet.

Thinking of this, Leo looked at Ais and silently made a decision in his heart.

My current strength is barely enough to protect myself, so perhaps I can act more boldly.

For example, it exposes hidden enemies, leaving them nowhere to hide.

Leo and Ais left the Familia's headquarters and entered the Dungeon in the morning.

Even after a series of events and the fierce battle at the 24th Floor of the grain depot, this day was not yet completely over.

When Leo and Ais left the Dungeon and returned to the surface, it was already dark, but the night was not yet deep.

Therefore, when Leo and Ais returned to the Familia's headquarters, their fellow Familia members still had no idea what they had experienced that day.

The unusual situation on the 24th Floor wasn't actually that serious, especially considering it happened in the grain depot; nobody knew about it.

The Hermes Familia left immediately after returning to the surface to report, and Leo and Ais also went to Finn's office as soon as they returned to the Spring Familia to tell the Familia leaders about the incident.

"----Did this really happen?"

After learning the whole story, Finn, Riveria Ljos Alf, and Gareth all frowned and their expressions became serious.

--

"You two are going too far," Riveria Ljos Alf immediately rebuked, saying, "How could you so easily accept a request from an unknown entity?"

"Yes, you guys are really too bold." Even Gareth, who is usually carefree, was dissatisfied this time, frowning as she said, "Such a big thing, you should at least have told us before deciding whether or not to do it, right?"

Leo and Ais knew they were in the wrong. One smiled sheepishly, while the other lowered her head guiltily, not daring to refute.

They really acted on their own this time, not even sending back a message, and yet they got involved in such a big matter. No wonder they were criticized by the parents.

In the original story, Ais at least sent a letter back, asking her clan to send people to support her. But this time, because of Leo, Ais had fewer concerns. Leo himself was fully aware of the whole situation, so after thinking it over, the two decided to go together to avoid worrying their families.

And that's how it turned out; he was bound to get a lecture from Finn and the other two.

Fortunately, there are still bigger issues to discuss.

"It's now basically confirmed."

That's what Finn said.

"A dark force has emerged in the shadows of this city."

This force includes, but may not be limited to, remnants of dark factions and so-called eccentrics.

"They will become our enemies and the enemies of this city."

",