After slaying the ancient dragon Lansseax, the Great Feat it provided was already enough for Ron to smoothly break through to Lv.4—what he lacked now were his ability values.
Burned by the flames of Power Within, his Endurance had far surpassed his other stats, reaching a level that could only be described as overwhelmingly dominant.
It was indeed an excellent way to grow stronger.
It's just that… when he recalled the pain from back then, Ron still felt lingering fear.
At the end of the day—every one of his attributes matched the effort he had put in while facing Floor Bosses in the Dungeon.
What truly concerned him, however, were the various Ashes of War-like prayers dropped after killing Lansseax.
Just from their descriptions alone, one could already tell the effects of these prayer-type abilities.
If used in future Dungeon explorations, they would absolutely become his greatest support when dealing with all kinds of special monsters.
As for Hestia's earlier amazement, after putting his shirt back on, Ron simply smiled and shook his head: "Pursuing speed alone… feels meaningless."
"I'd rather widen the gap between myself and other adventurers in terms of ability values."
"…"
Already used to her Familia member's steady personality, Hestia didn't refute him.
If he kept progressing at this pace, she didn't even dare imagine how outrageous Ron's leveling speed would become.
After the brief interlude of updating his status, it was clearly difficult to return to the earlier atmosphere.
She summarized today's key point.
"Ron."
"First—our Familia's rating has been raised to C. Once a Familia surpasses D rank, the Adventurer's Guild will issue expedition missions."
"Sooner or later…"
"You, Mikoto, and Daphne will have to go on a Dungeon expedition."
At this point, her mood grew somewhat melancholic.
Part of it was concern for Ron and the Familia members' safety.
But more importantly—expeditions always took a long time.
Which meant…
Hestia would no longer be able to wake up and see Ron every day.
"As expected."
A Familia Expedition was completely normal for exploration-type Familias.
Issued by the Adventurer's Guild, such missions required reaching a designated floor and killing a specified number of monsters to complete the task.
The rewards were substantial.
But if it was a forced expedition, then it was a punishment imposed by the Guild.
Having spent time in Orario, Ron had already figured all of this out—it was something every Familia would eventually have to experience.
"What I'm worried about is… how difficult it will be."
"…"
The Hestia Familia had been rated C-rank.
In Orario, that already placed them among the backbone forces.
After all, true S-rank Familias only included Loki and Freya.
What troubled him was—if the Adventurer's Guild set the expedition target at Floor 24, entering the Lower Floors…
Ron didn't even dare imagine how difficult it would be.
When he first ventured alone, just reaching the Middle Floors had taken him over a month.
During that time, he had even advanced to Lv.3.
Going deeper… would it become easier?
The answer was obvious.
That damn Dungeon would do everything in its power to kill him—twisted monsters, lethal traps, and all kinds of hellish scenarios.
Familiar scenes flooded his mind…
And now, he would also have to ensure the safety of the entire team.
He couldn't move too fast.
Ron could already imagine his exploration time being stretched endlessly.
Hestia noticed the slight frown on his face.
Though she had never entered the Dungeon herself, she knew Ron's daily routine—living on the edge of a blade.
In fact—when she went to the Adventurer's Guild today to register Familia information, she had faintly sensed their bond disappear for a moment… only to return shortly after.
He had died.
And then revived almost immediately.
Even after Ron reached Lv.3, undergoing a complete qualitative transformation in strength, that reality still hadn't changed.
"I…"
Hestia didn't know how to help him.
All she could do was try her best to ease his mood with a gentle smile: "There… should be a way, right?"
"We'll win."
Rather than worrying about the future,
it was better to focus on getting stronger.
Ron shook off his chaotic thoughts and met the goddess's concerned gaze.
His tone was bright: "And besides…"
"The Adventurer's Guild probably wouldn't… issue an expedition mission right after upgrading our Familia rating."
"Even if they do, there should be countermeasures."
Call for backup.
Worst case, he could call in Senior Ryuu.
And if that hopeless elf wasn't available, then Lefiya—the magic idiot from the Loki Familia—would definitely be eager to explore his Soulslike Dungeon.
However—just as Ron finished speaking, a knock came from the bedroom door.
After getting Hestia's permission, Daphne—short brown hair, sharp brows—pushed it open.
Looking at her goddess and her captain, her expression was complicated as she spoke seriously: "Lady Hestia, Captain Ron…"
"An Adventurer's Guild staff member has come to visit our Familia."
"?"
The atmosphere instantly turned strange.
The Guild rarely took the initiative to visit a Familia.
If they did—it was most likely something troublesome related to expeditions.
What you fear is exactly what comes?
Ron's smile stiffened as he looked at Daphne.
"Don't tell me…"
"The expedition is already here?"
"…"
Though she didn't want to admit it, that was exactly the case.
Back when she was in the Apollo Familia, Daphne had experienced this before.
A familiar staff member would visit in person to deliver expedition missions.
But after today's Dungeon experience… that absurdly strong black-skinned Minotaur comparable to Lv.3, and the Floor Boss ancient dragon Lansseax appearing on Floor 12—without Ron, whether they could even return safely was uncertain.
The expedition hadn't even started yet.
They didn't even know the target.
And yet, Daphne already felt immense pressure.
The worst part—
Familias couldn't easily refuse Guild missions.
"Most likely…"
"It's exactly what you're thinking, Captain Ron."
"…"
Upon hearing the worst-case scenario, Ron didn't delay.
After all, Guild staff were merely messengers—not decision-makers.
There was no reason to make things difficult for them.
He quickly composed himself, hiding his thoughts, and stood up from the bed.
"Where are they?"
"The reception hall."
"Cassandra is receiving them."
Daphne's face remained serious as she analyzed their options.
After experiencing the Dungeon's Soulslike difficulty firsthand today, she didn't feel like retreating.
Only this kind of extreme difficulty could truly push one's strength to grow.
Regret?
Not at all.
Since the mission couldn't be refused, then they would solve it with strategy.
As she followed Ron toward the reception hall, she suggested: "Captain Ron, if the expedition target isn't too far… you could stay behind in the Familia."
"Mikoto, Cassandra, and I can handle the rest."
"The Dungeon hasn't gotten harder, and Mikoto is Lv.3. Completing the Guild's requirements shouldn't be a problem."
"…"
As expected of the former commander of the Apollo Familia—her thinking was sharp.
In just a short time, she had already come up with a solution.
Take advantage of loopholes.
The Guild couldn't require every member to participate.
As long as the objective was completed, that was enough.
"Talking about this now… might be a bit early."
Ron didn't reject the idea outright.
It could serve as a backup plan—sending members to complete the mission while he stayed in Orario, exploring separately.
Pushing open the heavy wooden doors of the reception hall, Ron's expression was calm again, a composed smile on his face: "I'm the captain of the Hestia Familia."
"Ron."
"What arrangements does the Adventurer's Guild have for us?"
"…"
Then—the moment he saw the half-elf girl sitting on the sofa, his expression froze slightly.
Not because she wasn't beautiful.
She had short brown hair.
Her princess-cut bangs accentuated her delicate face.
A fitted black blazer and white shirt outlined her figure.
The square black-framed glasses on her nose added a touch of maturity.
Eina Tulle.
It seemed she had finally met the person she was looking for.
The half-elf gently adjusted her glasses and stood up elegantly.
Looking at the now much taller young man, it felt as though time had slipped away like sand between fingers.
The rookie adventurer who once came to her for advice on early Dungeon floors… had now become one of Orario's rising stars.
A faint smile curved on Eina's lips, her eyes bright.
"Long time no see, Mr. Ron."
"You too, Miss Eina."
Since his Dungeon exploration had gotten on track, Ron rarely visited the Guild.
A lot had happened in the meantime—the Soma Familia incident, the Apollo Familia conflict…
He had even stood her up on picking a beginner staff.
Yet when facing her now, he didn't feel awkward.
Just as he was about to explain—
Eina saw through his thoughts and shook her head lightly: "Today, I'm here as a representative of the Adventurer's Guild."
"If it were another time…"
"I'd be very interested in hearing about what's happened to you recently."
At this point, her smile faded.
"Recently, abnormal phenomena have been occurring frequently in the Dungeon. The Guild intends to conduct a full investigation."
"Therefore—we are issuing an expedition investigation mission to the Hestia Familia."
"Considering your Familia's C-rank… the final objective is—reach the end of the Middle Floors."
"Floor 24."
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