Chapter 33: Restless Orario

Silence.

When the massive creature, completely pierced and gradually losing its breath, crashed to the ground, all the onlookers fell into a默契的沉默, speechless for a long time.

"Cough, cough."

It wasn't until a cough broke the silence that Rigel, who had also fallen to the ground, struggled to his feet, and the crowd finally reacted, their gazes immediately focusing on him.

Especially Aiz and Lefiya, who, upon realizing what had happened, immediately ran towards Rigel.

"Mr. Rigel! Are you okay!?"

Lefiya looked flustered, with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm fine."

Rigel shook his head, but the pain in his body made his knees buckle, almost causing him to fall again.

Fortunately, a delicate hand reached out and steadied him.

"Don't move." Aiz's transparent golden eyes gazed at Rigel, as if trying to etch his blood-soaked battle stance into her heart. "You overused your [Wind Spirit Dash], and your body is under a lot of strain. With your injuries, it's best not to move around recklessly."

As the true master of [Wind Spirit Dash], no one understood its side effects better than Aiz.

A spell that could be activated with a simple incantation, providing such special and powerful buffs, naturally came with significant drawbacks, placing a heavy burden on the recipient.

Whether it was the body or a weapon, anything enhanced by the wind power of [Wind Spirit Dash] would bear this burden.

Thus, after releasing [Wind Spirit Dash] at its maximum output, Rigel's weapon shattered, and his body endured an unimaginable strain, making him look as if he were about to collapse.

"This, this is a panacea!"

Lefiya fumbled in her backpack, pulled out a vial of panacea, uncorked it, and clumsily fed it to Rigel.

Rigel didn't refuse. After taking the panacea, he immediately felt a refreshing stream flow through his body.

His wounds began to heal visibly.

The immense strain on his body also eased.

Rigel let out a light breath and straightened up with Aiz's support.

"Don't move."

Aiz repeated, with a hint of reproach, as if scolding Rigel for not listening to her and moving around recklessly.

"Alright."

Rigel had intended to break free from Aiz, but seeing her frowning, scolding face, he gave up.

"Lefiya." Aiz then turned to Lefiya, who had been standing there, unsure of what to do, and said softly, "Help Rigel collect the spoils. Let's head back."

Understanding that Rigel needed rest the most, Aiz made this decision decisively.

"Yes!"

Lefiya, relieved to find something to do, hurried to the giant beast's body.

Fortunately, the beast's corpse had already turned to dust and scattered, leaving only a transparent crystal and a faded claw.

Lefiya collected the crystal and claw, then ran back to Rigel and Aiz.

"Let's go, we'll head back."

Aiz glanced around, noticing the adventurers who were trying to approach, and, supporting Rigel, who was still having trouble walking, turned and left.

Lefiya followed, and the three of them left the area.

The remaining adventurers, who had initially wanted to approach Rigel, stopped in their tracks when Aiz took him away.

"Who is that adventurer?"

Someone asked.

"Don't know."

The crowd shook their heads.

"Judging by the sword maiden, could he be from Loki's Familia?"

"Never seen him before."

"Maybe he's a new recruit?"

The crowd exchanged opinions, clearly impressed and shocked by Rigel's battle.

"Let's spread the news."

Some of them exchanged glances and then left.

The rest either prepared to spread the news or to report the information.

The scene quickly became deserted, gradually returning to silence, with the damaged terrain slowly repairing itself, looking quite eerie.

An abnormal situation had occurred on the 6th floor of the dungeon.

This news spread rapidly and caused a significant stir.

There were many casualties.

When the abnormal situation occurred, many adventurers were on their way back and thus encountered it on the 6th floor.

Moreover, the 6th floor, being relatively close to the surface, was accessible to new adventurers.

This meant that many of those who encountered the abnormal situation were lower-level adventurers with weaker abilities.

These lower-level adventurers inevitably suffered, with many dying or being injured, causing a significant stir and making the night in Orario lively.

People rushed to spread the news, and the guild was promptly alerted, sending personnel to investigate the scene and gather information from witnesses.

Soon, the guild released some information.

"This abnormal situation is classified as Level 2."

"The source of the abnormal situation is the birth of an unknown monster, a rare species that has never been seen before, temporarily named Crocodile Dragon, classified as a dragon species."

"The abnormal situation has been resolved by an adventurer suspected to be from Loki's Familia. In the coming days, guild professionals will conduct investigations to ensure there are no further risks before releasing the results."

"During this period, it is recommended that lower-level adventurers with a Level 1 rating avoid the 6th floor."

This announcement was not only posted on the guild headquarters' bulletin board but also sent to all the major Familias.

Many people were destined to be sleepless that night.

At the headquarters of Loki's Familia, the Dusk Hall.

In the divine chamber, Loki looked at the guild notification that had just been delivered, read the contents on the parchment, and tossed it on the desk.

"That's the situation. What are your thoughts?"

Loki asked the three leaders of the Familia, who had been summoned to the divine chamber.

Finn, Levia, and Gries, the leaders, were called to Loki's divine chamber and informed of the entire incident.

"A Level 2 abnormal situation?" Gries crossed his arms and said gruffly, "And it happened on the 6th floor, which is close to the surface. It seems that lower-level adventurers won't be able to enter the dungeon for a while."

"It doesn't affect us much, as most of our Familia members are upper-level adventurers," Finn said, biting his thumb. "But for a dragon species, especially a rare one, to appear on the 6th floor, that's something we didn't expect."

In the various floors of the dungeon, some monsters rarely appeared and were far fewer in number than common species, known as rare species.

They weren't necessarily strong, but they had some unique characteristics.

However, if it was a dragon species, that was a different story.

Dragon species were considered the strongest among the existing monsters in the dungeon.

Dragons in the deeper levels were naturally formidable, but even in the upper levels, any monster associated with the legendary "dragon" would be unimaginably powerful.

For example, the rare species known as "young dragons," which appeared only on the 11th and 12th floors and numbered less than five, were far superior to lower-level adventurers and could easily wipe out a group of them.

The crocodile dragon that appeared this time, like the young dragons, was both a rare species and a dragon species, and being classified as Level 2, its power might surpass that of the young dragons. Even upper-level adventurers rated Level 2 might struggle to deal with it alone.

Such a powerful monster should have appeared in the middle levels, starting from the 13th floor, but it appeared in the upper levels, which were collectively rated Level 1, making it seem like a cruel joke by the dungeon.

It was easy to imagine that after today's incident, lower-level adventurers rated Level 1 would be hesitant to enter the dungeon, and even third-level adventurers rated Level 2 would need to carefully consider the risks before taking action.

"Indeed, the dungeon is the dungeon. Unexpected situations can happen at any time."

Finn muttered to himself.

Having battled the dungeon for decades, Finn understood that many mysteries of this labyrinth remained unsolved.

This attracted countless people to explore, but it also posed unimaginable threats to the lower world.

No one knew when the dungeon might erupt, or if the once-suppressed monsters might surge back to the surface.

Therefore, no amount of vigilance and caution was too much when it came to this labyrinth.

But no one expected...

"But no one expected that a monster of that level would be defeated by Rigel."

Gries laughed, "That kid is really something."

Everyone laughed at this.

Who would have thought that a dragon species classified as Level 2 would be defeated by a new recruit who had just joined the Familia?

Finn, who had already learned the details from Aiz and Lefiya, smiled.

"To be able to challenge a Level 2 dragon species with a Level 1 rating and succeed, our new recruit is quite remarkable."

Finn could imagine the impact this news would have once it spread.

"How is he now?"

Levia asked out of concern.

"According to Aiz and Lefiya, he fell asleep as soon as he returned," Loki said, shrugging. "It's no surprise, considering he faced such a monster. It would be strange if he didn't. He returned in one piece, and his injuries aren't severe. The main issue is the strain from using Aiz's magic, so he needs to rest."

Finn and the others exchanged glances.

"Indeed, the cause is Aiz's magic, isn't it?"

Levia's whisper made everyone fall silent.

New book, seeking support! Recommendations! Collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)