CHAPTER 62: 062 THE END OF THE EXPEDITION

In the deserted safety floor beneath a rocky wall, the Loki Familia gathered together.

Some were tidying up the few belongings they had left, some were treating the wounded, some were running back and forth, and others glanced occasionally into the distance with expressions of lingering fear.

In the direction that received occasional glances, there lay a huge crater, so large one might wonder if it had been struck by a meteorite.

The crater was emitting black smoke and a foul odor, along with dripping and flowing purple liquid, that continued to erode and dissolve the area, expanding the size of the pit.

This was the legacy left by a female-shaped monster’s self-destruction.

When that female-shaped monster had been completely penetrated and died from self-detonation, the large amount of corrosive liquid that had splashed from its body ultimately left behind a crater on the 50th floor that resembled the mouth of a volcano or a meteoric crater.

Just thinking back on that scene sent chills down everyone’s spine and made them cast their grateful and respectful gazes toward another figure in a different direction.

Reiger sat there, surrounded by many of his teammates.

"Here, this is water."

"Here, this is Spiritual Medicine."

"You dummy, Mr. Reiger isn’t injured, he doesn’t need Spiritual Medicine. He just needs stamina recovery potions and spiritual power recovery potions."

"No, I heard Mr. Reiger has ’healing’ and ’rejuvenation’ abilities, so he doesn’t need stamina or spiritual power recovery potions at all."

"Then he should just drink water!"

"That’s not right! He should eat something!"

"Here you go, Mr. Reiger!"

One after another, the familia members argued and presented various items to Reiger, who was sitting in their midst, almost overwhelmed by their enthusiasm.

"Please, you don’t have to be so formal with me, you are all my seniors, this isn’t necessary."

Reiger said somewhat helplessly.

After defeating the female-shaped monster, as soon as Reiger returned, he was greeted with such polite and passionate treatment by everyone.

This made Reiger feel uncomfortable, and he could only lower his posture and gesture to his companions.

However, the more humble Reiger acted, the more enthusiastic the teammates became, and the more respect they showed in their eyes.

"Don’t worry about that, Mr. Reiger."

"That’s right, seniority is important, but strength is even more so. Mr. Reiger is now a pillar of the familia that could rival the executives. It’s only natural that we hold you in high regard."

"Rather, as seniors, we should be the ones feeling ashamed for being surpassed by Mr. Reiger."

"Exactly, please don’t mind us and rest well. You almost collapsed from exhaustion when you came back just now."

The team members spoke one after another, not taking Reiger’s words to heart, but rather praising him even more.

Reiger felt at a loss about what to do, and he could only send pleading glances towards his acquaintances.

Unfortunately, this did not change the situation much, if anything, it made the scene even livelier.

"I think you’re better off just resigning yourself to it,"

Theone stood to one side, giving Reiger a smile that reveled in his predicament.

"Who made you perform so well, Reiger?" Theona bounced over and grabbed Reiger’s arm, beaming, "You were really heroic just now!"

"Mmhm, mmhm, mmhm!"

Rephia nodded vigorously, her eyes and expression even more intent than the surrounding teammates, leaving no doubt that had it not been for her pure elven dignity, she would have also come forward to offer her care and warmth.

Ais approached as well, took a brief look at Reiger, and then spoke,

"You should rest for now, or else you might not be able to move later."

As someone who had experienced it, Ais knew exactly what kind of state Reiger was in at the moment.

He had suffered a magic overload, which caused his whole body to bear a considerable burden, just like after the crocodile dragon subjugation.

Protected by "Wind Spirit Swift Walk" and Lamu’s shield, Reiger was uninjured, and he didn’t need any healing as the ’healing’ and ’rejuvenation’ replenished his spent stamina and spiritual power, so his condition wasn’t as bad as others imagined.

The only issue was that Reiger had once again unleashed the maximum output of "Wind Spirit Swift Walk," bearing a tremendous burden, and he was probably feeling soreness throughout his body, which was why others thought he had almost collapsed from fatigue.

In such a case, resting properly was the only solution he needed.

That’s why Ais had made such a comment.

"I know," Reiger was naturally aware of his own condition, nodded, and said, "Give me ten minutes. I just need to sit for a while."

Reiger’s words elicited further concern from those around him.

"Are you sure you don’t need water?"

"How about food?"

"You don’t want Spiritual Medicine either?"

"Should we give you a massage then?"

The genuine concern of the others made Reiger smile wryly.

For a while, the corner where Reiger sat was filled with a cacophony of noise that never ceased.

"It’s so noisy, a bunch of idiots. If those disgusting monsters come again later, I’d like to see what you all would do."

Bert stood atop a tree and muttered in slight annoyance as he watched the scene unfold before him, then turned his head to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings.

Finn, Revilia, and Grace, who were in conversation with each other, were also drawn by the commotion. They glanced over and shared a knowing smile.

"That kid, he’s really become a hero in the clan now,"

Grace shook her head, amused or perhaps slightly irritated.

"There’s nothing wrong with that," Revilia said, winking one eye. "Given Reiger’s performance, it would be strange if he didn’t receive such treatment."

Finn grinned and added,

"Even Angel has joined in the mix. That’s really something."

On closer inspection, the catgirl, Angel, who joined the clan at the same time as Raul, was indeed mingling with the members around Reiger and took the opportunity to pass him a towel.

Reiger seemed not to notice, surrounded by people, and appeared somewhat helpless, leading to Angel looking somewhat disappointed.

Seeing Angel’s reaction, Raul beside her wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost, seemingly dumbfounded.

Grace was surprised at this sight.

"Who would have thought that Angel would take such an initiative one day? The kid Reiger really has some charm."

Known as a core member of the second army in the Loki clan, Angel’s performance was far better than her peer Raul’s on any other day.

Raul, though favored by the clan’s higher-ups, had issues with his personality. He was not apt at handling sudden events, often timid and overly cautious, and had caused his share of worries.

Angel, however, was different. She excelled in all aspects, was calm and composed, with exceptional courage and insight. She always supported the clan’s first-rank adventurers from behind, enjoying considerable fame and popularity within the clan and even regarded favorably by the gods.

Because of her composed demeanor, the gods even affectionately referred to Angel in private at the "Noble Cat," and Angel herself had earned the nickname "Lady Cat," a paragon of beauty that concealed a fierce, icy flame, both intelligent and elegant among her kind.

If Angel were to rise to Level 5, then when the time comes, her popularity might rival that of Ais and Revilia, making her one of the most beloved females in the Loki clan.

Today, this "Noble Cat," so coveted by the gods, was showing such an eagerness, no wonder Grace was astonished, and Raul looked petrified.

"It seems, it’s not just about strength and personality, he can compete with Ais in terms of appeal to the opposite sex as well,"

Revilia laughed.

"The better he is, the less pressure on us in the future. That’s a good thing."

Finn looked over at Reiger for a while longer before shifting his gaze back to the matter at hand.

"Looking at Reiger, he seems to be okay. How about the rest of the members?"

Hearing this, Revilia and Grace spoke up in turn.

"We’ve already taken a tally. There are many injuries, and a good number got hit by that corrosive fluid, but luckily, they received prompt treatment and none are in danger for their lives now."

"Hmm, with a little rest, they should be able to continue, right?"

Finn nodded at Revilia and Grace’s words.

"If that’s the case, then let’s notify everyone to prepare for the retreat back."

Revilia and Grace understood Finn’s decision, but they felt a tinge of reluctance.

"In the end, we didn’t even reach the 58th floor,"

Grace sighed.

"Can’t be helped. Facing such an abnormal situation, we’ll just have to deal with it next time," Revilia muttered as she gazed at the large pit dissolved by corrosion. "After all, we still haven’t figured out where those monsters came from."

The sudden emergence of these new species of monsters had indeed caught the Loki clan off guard.

"All of them are enhanced types, and there were so many," said Grace with a grave voice. "Under these conditions, there’s no guarantee we won’t encounter them again next time."

"Then we’ll just have to be prepared," Finn replied calmly. "This time it was we who were the drag. Next time, we can’t allow for the same situation to occur."

"Of course not," laughed Grace.

All three, being Level 6 elite fighters, would certainly not have been reduced to mere bystanders had they been prepared for the corrosive fluid that had hindered them this time.

Not just Finn, Revilia, and Grace, but Bert, Theona, and Theone too were feeling a pent-up frustration.

When the instructions from the clan leaders came down, everyone, despite their reluctance, had no choice but to accept the order and start on the path home.

About half an hour later, the entire Loki clan together arrived at the entrance to the 49th floor, officially on their way back.

Reiger, lagging at the back, took one last look at the 50th floor.

"The expedition has ended."

A nameless sentiment began to grow in his heart.

The two-week long first expedition had come to a close with a fierce battle.

"Not bad at all."

Reiger suddenly smiled, without a trace of regret.

Having slain that female-shaped monster and battled to the death with such a creature, Reiger naturally gained a vast amount of high-level experience.

"After returning, I should be able to reach Level 5, right?"

With this expectation, Reiger set off on the journey home.

The 50th floor returned once again to its deserted state, falling into silence.