A Maelstrom of Emotions

In an instant, the adventurers sitting in a circle around the campfire all turned their gazes toward Leo, their emotions a complex mix of feelings.

Those who had given Leo some gifts when he debuted were filled with mixed emotions as they looked at Leo, who had now become a pivotal figure in the Familia.

At that time, they just wanted to help this diligent junior in logistics, hoping that he could avoid some detours, or have more confidence to venture into the Dungeon, and have a better chance of surviving, so that he wouldn't lose his life like those reckless people. That's why they gave him the limited things they had as a gift.

In the past, when they first debuted, their seniors in the clan helped them in the same way, so now it's their turn to help their juniors.

This is a kind of inheritance, and one of the reasons why the Loki Familia has been able to get to where it is today.

I can't speak for other clans, but everyone in the Loki Familia is like a member of one big family, treating each other as brothers and sisters, and always helping and supporting one another.

By uniting everyone and focusing their efforts in one direction, the Loki Familia has grown into one of the strongest factions in Orario in just a few decades.

Therefore, they really didn't expect that the newcomer who accepted a small gift from them and then ventured into the Dungeon alone would rise to prominence in just three months, eventually surpassing them and becoming a familia officer like Ais and the others, while also enjoying a very high reputation and status among the familia leaders.

Raul was particularly moved by this.

"Who could have imagined that Leo, who wasn't even a formal member back then and was just a trainee, would surpass us in such a short time, catch up with Miss Ais and the others, and become a Level 5, Rank 1 adventurer."

A level 5 adventurer...

This is the height that he, as a core figure in the Second Army, and others like Anakitty, have been most eager to reach, having already spent a considerable amount of time at the Lv.4 stage.

The gap between Lv.4 and Lv.5 is like an insurmountable chasm, and the status of a second-level adventurer is vastly different from that of a first-level adventurer. Anyone who makes a living as an adventurer will strive to reach the level of a first-level adventurer (Lv.5) as their primary goal.

Who doesn't want to be number one?

Becoming a Level 1 Adventurer means establishing oneself among the strongest in the entire Lower World.

Therefore, the core members of the Second Army, including Raul, were quite frustrated that Leo had managed to surpass them and become a Level 1 adventurer before them.

Of course, Bete Loga, Tiona, Tione, and other members of the clan who were overtaken by Leo were equally puzzled.

Bete Loga, who had been calling Leo "little guy" not long ago, felt utterly humiliated in front of Leo.

They caught up with me in just three months. If that's considered "small fry," then what am I, who spent over a decade achieving this goal? A complete failure?

"Call..."

Feeling increasingly frustrated, Bete Loga decided to turn away from Leo and avoid looking at him altogether.

As for the high-ranking blacksmiths of the Hephaestus Familia, they were already pointing and whispering among themselves about Leo. Tsubaki, in particular, kept staring intently at Leo, causing Ais to shift her position more cautiously, trying to block Leo gaze. Unfortunately, Ais didn't know that her actions were causing a surge of jealousy in the heart of a certain elven girl.

"There's no need to get that close... cooing... sigh"

Lefiya Viridis silently shed tears while gritting her teeth.

"It's just Lv.5, right? They're going all out this time!"

Those who have high expectations for this expedition are not limited to Bete Loga, Tiona, Tione, Raul, Anakitty, and Alicia.

Bete Loga, Tiona, Tione, and the others hoped to reach Lv.6 during this expedition and catch up with Ais and Leo.

Raul, Anakitty, and Alicia are hoping to reach Lv.5 during this expedition, so as not to disgrace their clan's predecessors. Lefiya Viridis also hopes to achieve great things and enter a new phase during this expedition.

Therefore, she had been working diligently in silence all this time. At night, she would hide in a corner of the library, studying magic behind Leo's back. During the day, she would try to find opportunities to enter the Dungeon, either to practice her still-unfamiliar Parallel Chanting or to train her Demonic Power. Perhaps she had been working too hard during this period, to the point that she was barely noticeable among her familia. Before setting off, when Lefiya Viridis updated her stats for the last time, her "Demonic Power" stat had reached A.

If she could achieve this great feat in one fell swoop, she might be able to raise the "Demonic Power" parameter to the highest rating of S and advance to a new stage. To achieve this goal, Lefiya Viridis even overcame her fear.

In the past, she would probably be nervous about Finn's next roll call, hoping to be noticed and selected, but also worried that she would be a burden if she was selected, and would be torn between these feelings.

This time, although Lefiya Viridis felt nervous, she was not afraid.

She hopes to be selected this time.

Only in this way can she challenge the unknown and achieve new successes.

Finn did not disappoint her in the end.

"Besides the eight main team members, including myself, Lefiya Viridis, Raul, and Alicia, the three of you will also join us as our supporters."

Finn has identified several key figures within the Second Army that are undoubtedly important.

"Yes, I understand!"

Raul straightened his back and stammered a reply.

"I will try my best."

Alicia, on the other hand, appeared much calmer and spoke in a composed manner.

Lefiya Viridis said nothing, but silently clenched her fists.

Despite being called a support character, she possesses firepower equivalent to Lv.5, and like Leo, she was undoubtedly placed in the position of a rear-guard Mage, where personnel were relatively scarce.

Her firepower is also a crucial asset to the team, so being a support is just a side job. In case of any emergency, she is a reserve force that must be deployed to the front lines at any time.

"Go for it, Lefiya Viridis!"

Seeing that Lefiya Viridis remained silent, Ais quietly encouraged her.

"Yes!"

Lefiya Viridis nodded heavily, her heart filled with energy, and her eyes burned with a strong fighting spirit as she looked at Leo, causing him to raise an eyebrow and smile.

"Finally... Tsubaki."

Finn turned his gaze toward the Hephaestus Familia.

"Your fellow members of the Hephaestus Familia will remain at the camp to guard the stronghold with our companions, while you will join us. Is that alright?"

This is a first-level adventurer, and with such powerful combat strength right in front of us, it would be strange not to make good use of it.

Furthermore, once they leave the base and enter the 51st Floor, Chun will need to ensure their weaponry remains intact. If they encounter worm-like monsters on later floors as they did last time, Chun's presence can at least alleviate any potential weapon shortages.

"Of course, I have no problem with that."

Chun readily accepted the arrangement, looking as if it suited her perfectly.

The real prize of this expedition lies in the forging materials that will appear on the floors after the 50th Floor. Now that we're all here, we shouldn't leave out the strongest blacksmith in Orario... Tsubaki Corbrand.

"That's good." Finn nodded, then looked at the cat-girl beside Raul and said, "After we leave, you'll be in full command of the camp, Anakitty."

Anakitty Ottom, the cat-woman girl known as "Madame Cat," is undoubtedly the highest-ranking Level 4 adventurer in the entire city. She is calm, collected, and exceptionally courageous. When the Level 1 adventurers are absent, Finn usually appoints her as the commander-in-chief, and this time is clearly no exception.

"Proceed with the defense as I told you beforehand. If, like last time, new monsters appear after we leave, use magic and magic swords as your primary means of defense, and try to avoid situations requiring melee combat, understand?"

Finn gave repeated instructions, and the cat-girl listened attentively to them all.

"Don't worry, Commander, we'll defend the stronghold."

Anakitty then gave her a guarantee.

"Abandon the stronghold as a last resort. As long as the personnel are safe, we can always start over. Don't force it."

Riveria Ljos Alf couldn't help but say something.

Although the existence of outposts is crucial for ensuring that those fighting on the front lines can receive support and is an indispensable source of relief should something happen to them, if they return victorious only to find that all the members left behind in the rear have met with misfortune, then the victory is essentially meaningless.

Therefore, Riveria Ljos Alf preferred to proceed cautiously, prioritizing the safety of her people. If the expedition failed, so be it; they could simply start over. Even if that damaged the clan's reputation and caused financial problems, it was still better than risking their lives.

"I understand." Anakitty knew what Riveria Ljos Alf was worried about, chuckled, and said, "I'll do what I can." "Alright, that's all for now." Finn clapped his hands and said, "In preparation for tomorrow's official attack, everyone in the main force must get a good rest tonight. The rest of you will take turns on guard duty, every four hours."

After saying that, Finn prepared to dismiss everyone on the spot.

"Etc."

At that moment, Chun spoke up.

"Don't rush. Let's give you your things beforehand, so you won't be unaccustomed to them when it officially starts tomorrow." As she said this, Chun took out items wrapped in white cloth from her luggage.

Those are clearly weapons.

"This is what you ordered beforehand, a weapon with indestructible properties."

In front of everyone, Chun spoke these words with a face full of pride, as if introducing her own son.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the neatly laid-out white cloth on the ground.

The "Indestructible" attribute is a unique weapon attribute possessed by Ais's Desperate.

Weapons with this property only wear down, not break. Therefore, when we encountered the worm-like monsters last time, everyone's weapons suffered damage, but Ais's Desperate shone brightly and became the main weapon against those monsters.

To prevent encountering those worm-like monsters again on the 51st Floor, Finn and the others decided to equip all the main melee members with a weapon with indestructible attributes.

Chun is the forger of these weapons; she personally forged all of these indestructible weapons.

"Series 1: 'Roland'."

Chun grinned.

"Although the power inevitably decreased due to the addition of the indestructible attribute, I still tried my best to maximize the power, so all of these have the minimum attack power of a second-level weapon."

Just like Ais's Desperate, because it incorporates the indestructible attribute, although it is a first-level special weapon, its power is slightly lower than that of a first-level weapon.

Although Tsubaki's "Roland" series is also her painstaking work, its power is obviously lower than Ais's custom-made weapon.

That's enough to deal with those worm-like monsters.

Finn, Gareth, Bete Loga, Tiona, and Tione each picked up a weapon and unwrapped the white cloth covering it.

What appeared before them was a silver weapon, sharpened to an exquisite level, possessing an artistic beauty while also revealing hidden hardness and power, combining aesthetic appeal with functional beauty.

Finn wielded a spear, Gareth a great axe, Bete Loga a pair of swords, Tiona a greatsword, Tione a halberd.

"It's lighter than I expected."

Tiona brandished her greatsword, which possessed a non-damaging attribute, and pouted as she spoke.

"Miss Tione is actually planning to use an axe-spear?"

Lefiya Viridis looked at Tione with some surprise, only to be met with a cold response from Tione.

"Since it's meant to deal with those disgusting worms, wouldn't it be better to use a large weapon?"

Recalling the humiliation she suffered last time, Tione felt a surge of anger.

You know, last time she was so angry that she charged at the monster empty-handed and tore it apart with her bare hands.

This time, in retaliation against those monsters, Tione unceremoniously chose the most violent weapon.

The axe-spear, which was over two meters long and weighed even more than Tiona's greatsword and Gareth's great axe, made many people, including Lefiya Viridis, break out in a cold sweat and exclaim in their hearts how terrifying it was.

The five melee fighters then tested the feel of their weapons. The two rear guard Mage, Riveria Ljos Alf and Lefiya Viridis, naturally didn't need melee weapons, while Raul and Alicia, whose main role was support, also didn't need weapons with the indestructible attribute.

Chun herself wasn't sure if she had already prepared her own portion, and she didn't touch it either.

Leo and Ais, too, remained still.

Don't you need to choose one?

Tsubaki leaned close to Leo and said something strange.

Ais doesn't need to, since her weapon has the property of being indestructible.

What about Leo?

Is his weapon also indestructible?

I really don't need it.

Leo shook his head.

Do you know what it means to never wear out or never break?

For Leo right now, Starlight is all he needs.