Chapter 28: The Expedition Begins!
Chapter 28: The Expedition Begins!
Twilight Manor,
At that time, the inner courtyard of Twilight Manor was bustling like a marketplace, with Familia members constantly coming and going, all chatting about the expectations for the upcoming expedition.
With a loud bang, Shiro snapped back to his senses and saw Gareth, one of the executives of the Loki Familia, standing in front of him.
The dwarf executive dropped a box as tall as two people in front of Shiro.
"Boy, sorry to bother you."
"No problem. Finn even raised my income percentage," Shiro joked.
Hearing this, Gareth stepped forward.
With a hearty laugh, he clapped Shiro on the shoulder with his broad palm unique to dwarves, the force of which made even Shiro, a newly promoted level 2, take two steps back.
After putting all the goods brought in front of him into his Gift card, Finn's voice came from behind him.
"Are you ready?"
The voice was as gentle as usual, but unlike before, this time Finn was carrying a golden spear that was a head taller than him, which added a touch of heroism to his handsome look.
"I've already stored the supplies here, and the rest are just spare items."
After confirming the matter of supplies, Finn looked around, and the adventurers who were swept by his gaze stopped what they were doing and waited for him to speak.
"Then let's go!"
Finn roared and raised his spear above his head, and his deafening roar spread throughout the place.
"Oh!!!"
Rows of well-equipped adventurers walked on the streets of Orario, and the pedestrians made way for the members of the Loki Familia.
Shiro was quite embarrassed by the gazes and whispers coming from all directions.
Lefiya noticed Shiro's embarrassment and quietly moved from Ais's side to his side, covering her small mouth with her palm, not letting him see her appearance now, but the constant trembling of her shoulders still betrayed her inner thoughts.
"Torajirou-san, is this the first time you have encountered such a scene?"
Shiro shrugged his shoulders and glared at Lefiya angrily.
"Just say that you want to laugh at me; no need to be so sneaky."
Lefiya put the wand in her left hand on her shoulder and clamped it with her arm, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is the first time I've seen you show such an expression."
"Humph! I'm so sorry for not being used to such a scene."
Suddenly, a familiar gaze caught Shiro's attention and made him subconsciously look towards the source of the gaze.
It was the familiar elf waitress, Ryuu Lion.
The other party was still holding a wooden box like the first time they met.
Through the gaps in the box, it could be seen that it was filled with ingredients of various sizes.
Unlike before, this time Ryuu saw Shiro and stopped and actively nodded to Shiro, and she slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
'Be careful.'
This is what Shiro read from the other party's lips.
He smiled and nodded in response, then drew his gaze back and looked at the towering white tower ahead.
At the base of the Tower of Babel, surrounded by white clouds, was where Shiro and his group set out for their adventure.
…
The 25th floor,
This is the place that the people of Orario call the Second Line.
It is said that jumping down from here will take you directly to the 27th floor.
A huge waterfall fell vertically from the sky, hitting the protruding rock wall.
The water splashes became ballet dancers, leaping high first, and then falling straight into the abyss where the bottom could not be seen.
The salty smell of blood and water kept drilling into the tip of his nose, and Finn's command came from the side.
"The next wave of Deadly Hornets is coming! Defense first, and the remaining Lv2 adventurers prepare to attack!"
Following Finn's command, the dense swarm of bee-like monsters in the sky aimed their stingers at the expedition group and dove in like meteors.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
The sound of stingers colliding with wooden shields rang out as figures in the front positioned the shields in front of the troops, forming a solid wooden wall.
Gradually, the sound from the wooden wall slowed down.
Just when Shiro's heart began to relax slightly, a shout echoed in his ear, jolting him awake.
"Take advantage of the situation now! Lv2 adventurers, go ahead!"
The wooden wall quickly dispersed, revealing a gap for several people to pass through.
Shiro immediately got in and swung his sword at a Deadly Hornet that was exhausted and was in front of him.
With a squeak, the Deadly Hornet with Lv2 strength was torn in half by Shiro's sword like a rag, and a fist-sized purple magic stone fell from the center of its body.
Without stopping, he quickly moved to the next target and stabbed another Deadly Hornet in the abdomen.
In this way, Shiro used his sword to shuttle among the group of Deadly Hornets, taking away a life every time he struck.
Although he was just a newly upgraded Lv2, Shiro has the aura of being the best among all the Lv2s.
"Tsk, is he really Lv2? He fights better than some Lv3s, right?"
Bete, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, turned his face to Finn and complained.
"Yes, I didn't expect him to be able to do this."
Finn stepped on a rock with one foot, looking at the battle ahead while replying to Bete.
"I have to tell him to leave some monsters for the other Lv2s. At this rate, he might eliminate them all soon."
The battle ended quickly, the ground was stained with blood, and behind Shiro were monster remains and magic stones, emitting a faint light.
The first experience in a team battle made Shiro feel a bit novel and relaxed at the same time.
The feeling of not having to constantly watch his back during battle allowed Shiro to relax, his spirit no longer needing to be as tense as a tightly drawn string.
It's not bad to fight side by side with reliable teammates like this.
A pair of hands suddenly wrapped around Shiro's neck from behind, and the huge force pulled him backward.
Tiona's usual lively voice sounded in his ear.
"You are so strong!!! Torajirou! The way you fought just now is exactly the same as how Argo fought in the story book!"
He turned his head and saw Tiona's half-excited face, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
Feeling that his current position was not good, Shiro desperately tried to break free from her arms.
In the end, he, having tried in vain, could only silently lean against her.
Resting on her chest.
Feeling the touch on the back of his head, a certain taboo word came out of his mouth.
"So hard…"
The scene suddenly fell silent; all the executives turned their heads away, avoiding looking at Shiro.
Only Tione, who knew her sister best, stared at Shiro with an expression that one might give to a dead person.
The arm that was originally wrapped around Shiro's neck now became the gallows strangling him.
"…@#&!!!"
After saying a bunch of gibberish words, Shiro fell into Tiona's arms and lost his voice completely.
A faint sound came from his ears, and he seemed to see Apollo in the distance beckoning him with a smile.
"Stop it! Tiona! Torajirou has started to roll his eyes!!"
"Stupid amazoness!! Are you really going to strangle him to death!?!"
"Tiona…"
Tiona turned a deaf ear to these words of persuasion, and instead increased the force in her arms.
"No one can insult a girl's feelings!!"
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the people of the Loki Familia went deeper into the dungeon.
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