Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Although it's still some time before it snows, the street scene has already changed under the night sky.

That is, you can often see "students" in the crowd.

The reason is that the "school district" has returned to the port city (Meyron) after three years, and students who have been granted permission to leave have been visiting Oralley for the past few days.

As the students traversed the lower realms of the "School District," they remained fascinated by the labyrinthine city, hailed as the "center of the world," which offered them sights and experiences never before seen in other countries or cities. Having experienced the hardships of school life and gradually come to understand the principle that "failure is the mother of success," most students were content to satisfy their thirst for knowledge with minimal physical harm. The money spent by these boys and girls in white uniforms was known as "School District Special Funds," an extra source of income particularly welcomed by business-oriented "Family Members" and merchants. Compared to the same period last year, Orario's economic situation had indeed improved significantly.

Most students head to the bustling area on the south side of the city to enjoy the nightlife of this labyrinthine metropolis.

"Luke? Why are you standing there, frozen in place? Did you see something?"

"……Um."

In this context—

Several students in Central Park were looking north.

This group of students is the elite force of the "school district," belonging to the seventh squad of [Baldban].

After the mage Nano, with her beautiful golden-red hair, asked the question, Luke, the team leader, answered:

"I was just thinking that I could see the Loki Familia's headquarters from here."

There stands a castle-like building, composed of multiple spires, brightly lit in the darkness.

This place is the "Twilight Mansion," which is not called a mansion but a long residence.

"There are many adventurers there who are even more skilled than Senior Lefia, right...?"

"For us who are being mentored by our seniors, this is really unbelievable... but the 'school district' with Professor Lyon and others in charge seems to be just as good."

Werewolf Cole and elf Mililia followed Luke's gaze and whispered their thoughts to each other.

Both of them spoke with a hint of fear in their voices.

Lefia is now clearly the target that Luke and the others want to pursue. Therefore, adventurers stronger than her—or more specifically, all first-level adventurers—are like unknown beings to the "Seventh Squad".

"Speaking of the Loki Familia... has anyone heard of 'that rumor'...?"

"Yes, yes, I almost went weak in the knees after hearing that."

"The most talked-about topic in Orario right now is this: who would have thought that all three of them would achieve a [rank up] at the same time..."

Faced with Nano's question, Cole could only respond with a wry smile; Mililia, on the other hand, seemed unsure how to react and let out a sigh.

A “great achievement” has recently been circulating in Orario.

"Adventurers, ah, they're really... really amazing... and it makes the goal seem even more unattainable..."

Looking into the distance, Nano couldn't help but utter discouraging words.

But Luke was the only one present who remained calm and spoke quietly:

Even so, this cannot be a reason for me to give up.

This is the feeling that Luke had kept buried in his heart after he made up his mind again.

Nano and the others first stared wide-eyed at the profile of the boy who dreamed of becoming a hero for the sake of others, then relaxed their expressions and nodded.

Then the four of them looked in the same direction.

Look at the goals they are pursuing.

Gazing at the brightly lit castle where the "next-generation heroes" reside.

"Finn, Rivera, Grace! Congratulations on reaching Level 7!!"

The goddess's praise rang out once more.

Inside the meticulously decorated headquarters restaurant, Loki unceremoniously straddled the table with one foot and raised his wine glass high above his head.

"Ugh ugh ...

Seeing the main god fully express his joy, the members of his clan followed suit.

There were no male or female members on site.

They were all flushed and celebrating loudly, drunk.

Immediately afterwards, they all shouted in unison, "Congratulations on your upgrade!" to offer their blessings.

"Thank you everyone, it's an honor to receive your blessings like this... but I still feel it's a bit too extravagant."

"I warned Loki to be more restrained back then, but it seems I wasted my breath."

"I've lost count of how many times I've heard these congratulatory messages. It's amazing that everyone says they never get tired of them."

Finn, seated at the head of the dining room, gave a wry smile. Riveria closed her eyes and sighed. Grace, who spoke last, stroked his beard and complained softly.

The main characters of this banquet were Finn, Riveria, and Grace.

As Loki said, today is a celebration to congratulate the three faction leaders on reaching "Lv.7".

"The guild leader and the others have finally reached Level 7...! I'm so touched! It's really moving!!"

"Mr. Raul, you're talking as if you personally raised the commander and the others!"

"Stop teasing Raul, Elfie. He's a true follower of the Commander."

"Besides the captain, I didn't expect Miss Rivera and Mr. Grace to level up as well..."

"Yes, the current world's peak [ability value] is Lv.7, and a single organization has three of them at the same time. Looking at the whole world, there is no one else like us, the [Loki Familia]."

Raul, who had already drunk his fill, wept with joy, which made Elufie, who was also somewhat tipsy, burst into laughter. Anachiti, on the other hand, smiled and sipped from her glass of fruit wine. Kos and Alicia were chatting excitedly—Alicia being particularly proud of Rivilia's feat as a member of the royal family—while Navi shouted excitedly:

"We, the Loki Familia, should now officially surpass the Freya Familia and become the strongest faction in the city in all but name!"

This speech is one of the reasons why all members of the [Family] were so excited.

Although the Freya Familia has been officially declared disbanded, both sides are still described as "two giants of the city," which naturally fuels their rivalry.

"In terms of individual combat strength alone, the Freya Familia is superior."

The mighty warriors led by the [King/Mighty One] (Einheriar) are invincible.

For the Loki Familia, who are still often judged in private, the recent shift in power between the two sides makes them want to raise a victory sign and celebrate wildly. Furthermore, with all the valiant warriors still residing in Orario, they naturally see these people as rivals, sparking a competitive spirit.

Moreover, it was Finn and his men, who were respected by everyone, who accomplished this feat.

No one present was not delighted that these great leaders, who possessed both outstanding abilities and excellent character and always carefully guided everyone, had accomplished such a great feat—except for one werewolf.

"Captain~!! Congratulations on your [level up]~! You truly are the man I've set my sights on, the one who knocked me to the ground!! You're so charming~!"

The person who was happiest about this among the group members was none other than Tiony.

From the start of the banquet, she had been occupying the seat next to Finn, her eyes filled with affection, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she even exhaled hot breaths with high spirits. Rather, she was completely immersed in a state where her eyes were brimming with hearts.

That was the expression on a woman's face when she fell in love again; to be more precise, it was the ecstatic look of a female warrior as her beloved male continued to grow stronger.

"Come, leader, let me pour you some wine!"

"Thank you, Tione. By the way, you've been urging me to eat and drink at an unusual pace, and I've been feeling particularly hot ever since... Did you add anything to it?"

"Hehe, I don't understand what you're saying, Commander."

"This conversation has a strangely familiar feel to it."

"Finn, be careful when you go to bed. A lock alone won't stop the female warriors from their night raids."

Finn was being served by the incredibly enthusiastic Tione, while Grace and Riveria offered reminders from the sidelines with an indifferent attitude.

Incidentally, everyone knows that the food and wine served to Finn were all made by Tione, but whether or not anything was added to them is unknown.

"Today, Tione is...far more proactive than ever before..."

"Well, what can you do when she's Tione? The other female warriors (Argana) are probably arguing back in the port city (Merlen) right now. Ah, Ais, can I have that plate of meat? It's so delicious!"

"What are a bunch of weaklings getting so excited about... They didn't even level up themselves, what are they all gloating about?"

Unlike the jubilant group members, the remaining Level 1 adventurers sat in seats spaced a distance apart.

Ais stared absently at Tione, while Tiona stuffed her cheeks with food and ate heartily.

Even so, both Ais and Tiona had smiles on their faces.

Bert, however, was drinking alone with a sour face, clearly annoyed by the noise around him.

"Actually, I originally wanted to hold a banquet right after the battle of the artificial labyrinth (Knossos)! And I would book Mia's mother's tavern to celebrate in a big way... but unfortunately, I'm just too short on cash."

As Loki said, tonight's celebration is unusual; instead of a banquet at the tavern, it will be held at headquarters.

The reason lies in the previous "expedition"—challenging unexplored territories that resulted in a severe deficit in faction income, followed by a battle with the remnants of the dark faction (Evils), not to mention the subsequent conquest of the artificial labyrinth (Knossos).

Even though the guild helps cover some of the expenses, the Loki Familia still has to pay out of their own pockets to prepare weapons and items. The details of their accounts are so terrible that even Finn and Riveria don't want to look at them.

After the commotion caused by the Destroyer (Ernio) – the "Orgias Saga" – came to an end, although all the members of the party, including the first-class adventurers (Ais and others), rushed to the dungeon to earn money, which relieved the faction's immediate financial crisis, they naturally had to avoid extra expenses as much as possible, let alone book a tavern for a celebratory feast.

However, another reason for doing so was that Loki wanted to celebrate the great achievements of Finn and the others in the absence of outsiders. While it wasn't exactly favoritism, the chief god (Loki) was deeply moved by the feat accomplished by the three elders of the [Familia].

The smile on her face was exactly the expression of a parent who feels deeply gratified to see their children grow up.

"Besides, Lefia seemed to be on the verge of falling into darkness at the time, and that kind of atmosphere made it hard for me to talk about it."

"I...I haven't fallen into darkness!!"

Loki seized the opportunity to play pranks on the elf girl who had cut her hair short and was completely different in body and mind after the conquest of the artificial labyrinth (Knossos).

Faced with Loki's sly grin, Raphia stood up from her seat in one go, blushing and protesting loudly.

"No, no, no, you have indeed fallen into darkness, and your dark attribute is seriously off the charts. I've been very worried about you."

"That's right, when Elfie came to me crying and complaining, I was just as clueless as I was about to say..."

"E-Elfie! Even Miss Alicia is saying that...!"

Her roommate, Elfie, stared at her with eyes that looked like she was completely drunk, while Alicia rested her chin on her hand and let out a affected sigh.

Faced with the two's complaints, Lefia instantly lost her previous arrogance.

Although Rafia was unwilling to admit it, she knew she had caused the two of them a lot of worry. Her helpless and embarrassed appearance amused everyone, who burst into laughter.

"But seriously, this sudden announcement really scared me to death!"

"Hmm... I had no idea Finn and the others had already [leveled up]..."

"It's just that the main god (that woman) is very wicked."

Tiona spoke her mind directly, Ais nodded in agreement, and Bert grumbled loudly.

In fact, Loki had been waiting for the right opportunity.

Wait for the right moment to announce that Finn and the others have been "upgraded".

Orario was in chaos during the two major festivals due to various disturbances. The aftermath and impact of the man-made labyrinth (Knossos) conquest were more profound than expected. Moreover, it coincided with the "school district return trip," which was one of the most important tasks for the labyrinth city. Loki did not want to see his children's glorious moment buried by any external affairs.

Once the hidden worries about Lefia were removed, she was certain that the moment had finally arrived.

However, in order to bring a "surprise" to the group members, the fact that no one except the person involved knew about the good news about the upgrade was indeed a bit too much, just as Bert said.

"However... everyone cheered up because of this."

Ais finished speaking with a smile, and Tiona returned the smile. Bert did not refute her further and drank his wine in one gulp.

After the battle to conquer the man-made labyrinth (Knossos), the members still couldn't shake off the shadow of losing their comrades.

Thanks to this momentous news that caused a stir among the entire Loki Familia, the members were finally able to fully recover from their grief.

Only at this moment could Raul and the other members of the group genuinely shake hands and celebrate with each other, praising Finn and the others' great achievements.

Thanks to Loki, everyone in the Familia regained their strength.

We will continue to unite and follow in the footsteps of Finn and others to move forward.

Looking at the scene before her eyes, Ais couldn't help but think this.

The banquet lasted until late at night.

The group members cast aside their worries and laughed and joked freely.

The party was expected to last all night – but unexpectedly it ended before it even lasted all night because the members, both men and women, were too happy and couldn't control their drinking speed, and many people got drunk one after another.

So the elf members, who didn't like drinking much, were forced to clean up the mess. Led by Alicia, they couldn't help but sigh, but they had smiles on their faces as they began to clean.

Lefia also took the initiative to pick up Navi and the others who had fallen asleep and carried them back to their rooms one by one.

"I didn't expect you to come and help clean up the mess, Lefia."

"...After all, I really didn't have the energy to pay attention to anything other than myself before. Of course, I'm not trying to apologize to Elfie and the others for this..."