Before Ryu could react, Noah suddenly accelerated and rushed straight toward the surface. The speed was so great that Ryu had to lie close behind Noah, unable to lift her head at all.
But at this moment, she wasn't thinking about any unusual events on the surface; rather, she was thinking about...
My confession!!
That confession was probably the culmination of over a decade of courage!
Even the gods probably couldn't say when I'll be able to muster enough courage to confess my feelings again!
Regret and pain transformed into resentment, causing Ryu to look up at the ground above. Her resentment seemed to penetrate hundreds of meters of rock, staring at a certain figure.
Whoever interrupted my confession, they will definitely pay the price!
They all have to die!!
As soon as Noah arrived on the surface, he saw Ais beating up a white haired man.
The battle scene was very similar to when he first fought Valletta.
Noah's heart skipped a beat when he saw Ais being slashed away and Olivas throwing out several items. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the breeze transform into an invisible fortress, protecting the girl.
His gaze swept across the area and spotted Olivas hiding in a corner at the edge of the square. Noah planned to let Olivas notice him when he turned around so that he would appear more cool.
But after watching this guy ramble on with curses, Noah lost his patience and went up to him, putting his arm around his shoulder as if chatting with a friend.
When Olivas turned and saw Noah, he instantly felt his heart flutter... and his pulse stopped.
"You, you?! You're not dead? Valletta, she?"
"Valetta? Of course she turned into good Valletta and then went below to scout things out for you!"
Upon realizing the meaning behind Noah's laughter, Olivas's already frighteningly pale face became even more ashen.
"No! Impossible! Valletta is level 5!"
Looking at Olivas, who was on the verge of collapse, Noah thought of Valletta, who was dead and couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
What great team spirit! Seeing a teammate die almost breaks you down.
Or perhaps they were childhood friends who had agreed to return to the countryside and get married after destroying Orario?
After imagining many scenarios, Noah realized that he simply couldn't bear to watch such a sad story. So he decided to send Olivas to reunite with Valletta. After drawing his sword, Noah saw Olivas, in his extreme grief, suddenly reveal a twisted smile that was even uglier than crying, and he felt comforted.
They'll all crying tears of joy.
Sigh, I'm such a good person.
With screaming's echoing throughout most of Orario, Evilus's attack on the city came to an end. Evilus's operation could not be described as a resounding victory; rather, it was a complete annihilation and a total loss.
The operation to lure away the large army of adventurers from the perimeter of the plaza was relatively successful, with no major losses. However, not only were the two waves of members killed and the ambush in the Dungeon, but all the executives were also lost.
When the news of the Loki Familia's new member slaying the Arachnia was confirmed by the gods and the Guild, it once again caused a huge uproar. However, when Noah's name appeared in the news, most people were relieved, since it was him, everything would be fine.
Thwarting the attack by Evilus was naturally a cause for celebration, and many adventurers celebrated by drinking all night in taverns. However, the city's upper echelons had no time to spare.
With even the commander, Arachnia, dead, it could be predicted that for a long time, Evilus would have to cease its activities and lie low. Various activities that had been stagnant for a long time would quickly resume.
The same went for the Loki Familia; the expedition wasn't canceled but instead began the very next day.
The expedition lasted for half a month. With Noah as the vanguard, the Loki Familia advanced faster than ever before, and the main force reached the 37th Floor in just four days.
However, when they passed through the 37th Floor, the Loki Familia encountered an attack from the Dungeon. The first to appear were the Obsidian Soldiers.
Although these monsters are relatively weak in combat, they have strong resistance to magic, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of the mage squad's magical bombardment. Given their sheer numbers, Noah was forced to leave the front lines and launch an attack.
The Dungeon seemed to have been waiting for this moment, and it unleashed its trump card; three monsters with green skin and a lizard like appearance.
The three elite lizardmen not only unleashed a barrage of attacks, instantly shattering the Familia's formation, but also burned a large amount of supplies in one go. If Noah hadn't returned in time to help, the Familia would likely have suffered casualties.
Even so, the Loki Familia, suffering heavy losses in logistical supplies had no choice but to halt their advance, harvesting everything on the 37th Floor before returning to the surface.
It was almost certain that this was not due to Noah's luck, which caused the Loki Familia to receive three times more haul than before. On the night of his return from the expedition, Noah took a bath and went to Loki's chamber.
Two minutes later...
"OMG, Noah!"
Loki's screams echoed throughout the Twilight Manor.
===
Noah Sifel
Lv. 1
Strength: SSS1999
Endurance: SSS1999
Dexterity: SSS1999
Agility: SSS1999
Magic: SSS1999
===
"Hmm, it seems you've reached the limit, and the Excelia is sufficient. Should I let you Rank Up? Rank Up?!"
Noah rolled his eyes, feeling as if the person behind him wasn't a Goddess.
"Rank Up."
After this expedition, Noah felt that he had basically reached the limit of his abilities, and it would be extremely difficult to break through to the next limit.
Having joined a Familia for only a month and entered the Dungeon for only half a month to level up, this was undoubtedly the fastest time in the history of the lower world! Loki looked at all the Basic Abilities..which were all at twice the limit and found it hard to breathe.
This is the capital that will allow me to lord it over and enjoy myself to the fullest in Orario in the future!
Not to mention, there's also Ais-tan outside waiting to be Ranked Up!
Trembling, she reached out and slid her finger across the falna that was constantly generating radiating ripples and glowing.
As the divine blood was integrated, values on the Falna also rotated up and down like a counter.
Loki nervously browsed the updated Falna, and a large amount of text appeared.
"Huh!! Abnormal Resistance, Mage, Mystery, Hunter, Spirit Healing, Luck: there are actually six new development Abilities! Which one do you want to choose?"
"...Mystery, isn't it?"
This answer surprised Loki. "Really? I thought you would choose the mage Development Ability?"
"Is there a problem?"
"From the perspective of the Familia, there's definitely no problem. In fact, we'd love to have it. You can make some fun things and sell them, and we won't have to eat low cost food anymore. After all, we have to tighten our belts after every expedition."
Even if the Loki Familia is poor, it won't be that poor, right?
This goddess who buys expensive Divine Wine to drink every day!
However, Loki was right about one thing: Noah's choice of Mystery was indeed related to this reason.
This expedition made Noah realize more deeply the difficulty of exploring Dungeons, that is resources. Even if Noah ran non stop, the journey from the 1st Floor to the 37th Floor would take at least two days. Even if the sea of monsters posed no threat to him, the cost of dealing with the monsters was unavoidable.
Unless Noah reached a point where he could go without food, water or sleep, he must carry supplies to restore his body. The deeper the target floor, the more supplies one needs to carry. The more supplies there are, the larger the transport team will be. The larger the team, the faster supplies are consumed. The faster the energy is consumed, the shallower the floor that can be reached.
Throughout the expedition, Low class Adventurers could still fight in the middle and lower floors, but once they entered the deep floors, their purpose seemed to be merely to carry supplies for the main force.
Riveria had told Noah that during expeditions, it was common for the vanguard team members to have enough strength to continue, but to be forced to retreat early due to depleted supplies or injuries to Low class adventurers.
There is only one way to solve this situation: they must become powerful enough to eliminate the upper floor monsters more quickly, allowing more resources to reach the deep floors intact and support their continued exploration.
However, Noah wanted to try another possibility: developing a Magic Item that would allow supporters to carry more supplies.
"Since you're willing—"
After selecting the Development Ability, Loki saw that the interface of the Development Ability had not changed, and her expression froze as a guess formed in her mind.
"Noah... it seems you can choose another one!"
"Hmm, really? Then let's just choose Mage. If I can make a Grimoire, I'll reward you with two of them later so you can drink to your heart's content."
Upon hearing Noah's calm voice, Loki opened her eyes slightly, revealing a twisted anger, her teeth grinding together.
What?!
What does reward mean?
You better show some respect, kid.
Do you think you can make me, a Goddess, submit to two Grimoires and a mere few hundred million Valis?
"Then thank you very much! My dearest Noah!"
Surely a Goddess can't give up money for the sake of dignity?
That's hundreds of millions of Valis! If she's careful with her spending, she could drink that divine wine for years!
However, just when Loki thought it was over, a quick glance revealed something new.
"Wow, another new skill has appeared!"