"Lord Orsted, are we really not helping?" On a cliff, Lili asked Orsted beside her.

When Ais moved against the Black Goliath, Lili and the others, resting on the 18th floor, noticed her presence.

Ais was on a commission with Orsted, so if she was here, he was too. They rushed to find him.

Seeing Orsted, they were alarmed.

His armor, worn since his adventuring began and never removed except for rest, was gone.

Though he'd wiped off most of the blood, some stains remained. Lili and the others immediately worried for him.

They swarmed him, checking for injuries, and relaxed only when they found none (Orsted suspected they were taking advantage).

He hadn't expected them here.

Nor had he expected them to team up and defeat Goliath.

But on reflection, if the Apollo Familia could do it, the Hestia Familia had no excuse not to.

After a brief surprise, Orsted accepted it.

"It's an enhanced Black Goliath, Level 5 at most. No match for Ais," he said, smiling. "But if you want, you can ask Ais to step back and take over."

"No way, I'm done fighting that thing," Lili said, shaking her head.

"Want another go?" Orsted asked, looking at the others.

They shook their heads too.

They'd exhausted much of their stamina and mental energy fighting Goliath earlier. Recovery potions helped, but not fully.

With Orsted here, they'd rather rest.

"Sure you don't want to?" Orsted pressed. "If we wait, Ais will finish it."

"Nope, too tired," Lili refused. "Leave it to Sword Princess."

"Alright," Orsted nodded, watching Ais and some less-than-helpful adventurers tackle the Black Goliath.

"Lord Orsted, how'd the mission go?" Lili asked, more curious about his task than the Black Goliath, which Ais had under control.

The others leaned in, eager.

Orsted smiled, recounting the 24th floor events, omitting his suspicion of being targeted.

Hearing he'd slain a Level 6 monster, Lili and the others buzzed with excitement.

"Amazing! Lord Orsted took down a Level 6 monster! After updating your status, you'll probably rank up!" Lili exclaimed.

"Should be possible," Orsted agreed, noting Bell's Anime precedent—surviving crises during a forced expedition, gaining thousands in stats, and triggering a rank-up.

This mission's dangers—facing the Corrupted Viola alone, enduring over a hundred tentacle hits—rivaled that. Without Avalon and his Eternal Arms Mastery, he'd be dead.

"Congrats to you all too. You should all rank up after this," Orsted said, smiling at Lili and the others.

Their joint Goliath fight multiplied their gains fivefold. Level 1s and veterans like Lili and Tifa likely qualified for a rank-up.

Though Lili and Tifa might delay, aiming to max their stats to S Rank first.

Lili vowed to reach Tifa's pre-rank-up stats in her next level.

Everyone beamed at Orsted's words.

Lili, Tifa, Aerith, Eina, Senie, Elenoir, and the elves cherished his praise, their faces glowing with joy.

But then, a figure dropped from the sky, landing nearby.

"Hermes familia captain?!" Lili blinked, shouting as she recognized Asfi.

"Teacher, I need a favor!" Asfi nodded to Lili's group, then approached Orsted earnestly.

"Don't call me Teacher. I don't take students," Orsted said, annoyed. "What's the favor?"

"Please destroy the Black Goliath!" Asfi asked seriously.

Orsted's eyes twitched. "Hermes's idea?"

"As expected of Teacher, you guessed it," Asfi said, awestruck. "It's our useless god's doing."

She'd hidden Hermes' dungeon visit earlier, but with his divine power exposed, concealment was futile.

"Tell Hermes to find me on the surface. I have questions," Orsted said, glancing at the Black Goliath, considering.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Asfi exclaimed.

"Don't call me Teacher!"

---

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