Joint Expedition and the Difference

After a night's rest, the joint expedition set out once more.

Falan, surrounded by the three little ones, was somewhat silent.

Because Finn's words before departure kept echoing in his mind.

[Next, everyone will assemble on the 27th Floor tomorrow and proceed according to your assigned teams.]

Thinking of that, he looked toward a group of adventurers not far ahead—the Thor Familia.

"What's wrong, Falan? Or should I call you 'Big Backpack' instead?"

"It's nothing, Aivel."

As Falan spoke, he waved his hand and pulled his team back, widening the distance between them and the Thor Familia's captain.

That was because she came from a people known as the Amazons in this world.

The term Amazon originally came from Greek mythology. They were said to be descendants of Ares, the God of War.

Amazon was jointly ruled by Ares's daughters: Hippolyta, Penthesilea, and Antiope.

With such a strong martial atmosphere, coupled with powerful goddesses as their rulers—

They had become a warlike people who revered strong women above all else.

Incidentally, Amazons did not discriminate against men. In fact, they were quite fond of strong men**

The ill-fated relationship between Heracles and Queen Hippolyta in myth was more or less related to the Amazons' temperament.

Come to think of it, Aivel was clearly an Amazon, yet she had joined the Thor Familia. That was what Falan found strange.

"How terrifying..."

"Captain, what's so terrifying?"

"Uh... how should I put this?" Falan felt rather awkward, especially since she was still not far away.

"Let's talk once we've put a little more distance between us."

The three little ones naturally had no objection. They watched as their Familia gradually widened the gap with the Thor Familia ahead.

It was only after the Thor Familia encountered a wild monster group that Falan slowly began to speak.

"The Thor Familia's captain, Aivel, is an Amazon. How should I put it? Most female adventurers in Orario are Amazons. They're a special people. Their rulers are women, and they worship battle and strength."

"She took an interest in me because of my magic, 'Backpack.' She probably thinks I have good blood and wants to use this expedition to build a relationship with me—ideally, to have children with me."

At Falan's explanation, all three little ones immediately blushed. Although children in Orario matured early because of their environment, matters of romance—or **—were still far too early for the three of them.

"Captain..."

"Alright, Yunika. Use your magic to restrain those monsters."

"Okay..." Though she still had something she wanted to say, Yunika realized that they were currently in the Dungeon.

The first time she cast her magic, she bit her tongue before she had fully stabilized and failed...

Noticing that, she forcefully slapped her cheeks with both hands before gripping her wand again.

[Nature—Entwined Vines, I am nature's messenger. Entangle—]

Green magical radiance wrapped around her wand before shooting toward the monsters in the distance.

Soon, roots and vines burst from the ground and swiftly wound themselves around the monsters they had encountered.

A certain captain could be heard saying, "Thanks, Falan."

...Why did that sound like you were saying 'drain'? Well, they're clearly different languages, and the pronunciations aren't the same. I'm probably overthinking it.

"Don't thank me. Thank Yunika. I need to protect the three of them. In the deep floors, I plan to avoid taking action as much as possible."

"Mm-hmm. By the way, is your Soma Familia really going to stay that far away? Why not come a little closer? It'd be safer."

... After weighing the safety of his chastity against the safety of the Soma Familia members—

Falan could only choose to sacrifice himself in the end. Anyway, even if she wanted to do something to him in the Dungeon, she couldn't~

With this kind of "mixing," the fighting was somewhat chaotic at first, but it soon became harmonious.

After all, even if Falan did not act, Yunika's magic and Liliruca's arrows produced excellent results in battle. Even Al could serve as a meat shield, blocking attacks for both Familias.

Then Falan came to understand a little better. Like the people of Norse mythology, the Thor Familia admired battle and warriors. That was why they greatly favored a fighting people like the Amazons, and why they also trusted reckless people like Al.

"Now I'm the one who seems a little unnecessary?" Falan could not help but laugh at the sight of the team.

Aivel said, "Not at all. You're carrying all the supplies for this joint expedition. Staying safely within the protective circle is the greatest help you can give us."

... Hearing that, Falan could only sigh. "Fine. I really have become a 'Big Backpack.'"

"Although I felt the same way during the Freya Familia expedition, it wasn't this obvious. When we encountered monsters, I still had to fight alongside them. I even used more than forty Magic Swords."

"That's the difference between a single Familia expedition and a joint expedition."

Hearing that, Falan began listening seriously. It was his first time hearing about the differences between the two kinds of expeditions.

Before long, Falan understood that the most obvious difference was the degree of risk they bore.

After all, the Dungeon was never a safe place. Even the Empress of the Hera Familia, who had once reached Lv. 9, was now dead.

In such an environment, following the principle that strength came from numbers, multiple Familias advanced and retreated together. That was a joint expedition.

Taking the current joint expedition as an example, the foremost group was the Loki Familia's first team. They cleared the way and checked whether anything was abnormal. Behind them came the Loki Familia's second team, along with the many Familia teams that often ventured into the deep floors.

At the very rear was the logistics team. In the past, it consisted of supporters recruited for the joint expedition, along with small and medium Familias of relatively weaker strength that had been assigned as guards. Now, the fairly capable Thor Familia and the Soma Familia were positioned at the back of the group.

In fact, there was an even more capable Familia farther behind them. Falan remembered that it seemed to be called the Sif Familia? Well, Sif was Thor's wife in mythology. No wonder those two Familias had been assigned to guard his Familia.

Protected by those two Familias, the three Familias soon advanced to the 27th Floor.

Looking at the situation here, Falan gained a clearer understanding of the difference between the Freya Familia's expedition and the Loki Familia's joint expedition. If he had to analyze it...

"The Freya Familia is more like an army—a guard force belonging to Freya."

"The Loki Familia, on the other hand, is more like a pack of beasts..." To put it bluntly, they had no discipline whatsoever.

But perhaps that was the norm in Orario. After all, powerful adventurers could rival an entire army.

Having lived in Orario for three years, Falan had heard that there was once a country that wanted to recruit a Lv. 4 adventurer.

After being rejected, they became enraged and sent an army to capture that Lv. 4 adventurer. In the end, that one person wiped out the entire army.

That was this world: the absolute gap between the strong and the weak. Under such an overwhelming disparity—

Sometimes, possessing sufficient strength was even better than possessing a disciplined army.