Chapter 48: There's Going to Be Fun Ahead

In the days that followed, the members of Loki's Familia were surprised to find that Rige, who had always been an early riser and a diligent explorer of the Labyrinth, had become even more dedicated.

Due to the upcoming expedition, Loki's Familia was in a flurry of activity. Even the officers were ordered not to enter the Labyrinth but to stay at the base and prepare for the expedition. Reia was also kept by Leviaria to help, leaving Rige once again alone.

Initially, everyone thought that Rige would stay in the Familia to help prepare resources for the upcoming expedition, just like the rest.

However, after Reia was kept behind, the now solitary Rige became even more diligent. He would often leave before dawn and return late at night, looking as if he had traveled to some distant place.

Strangely, when the Familia's higher-ups learned of this, they chose to ignore it and did not stop him.

"Why can Rige go to the Labyrinth to prepare for the expedition, but we can't?"

Tiona had even protested to Finn.

But before Finn could speak, Tione held Tiona down.

"Don't question the leader's decision!"

The older of the Amazon twins had a fierce look, nearly scaring Reia, who was present at the time, to tears.

In the end, it was Gries who shut Tiona up with a rather harsh remark.

"The expedition is just around the corner. Even if you were allowed to go to the Labyrinth, you wouldn't gain much in such a short time."

In other words, instead of wasting time for such minimal growth, it was better to stay in the Familia to rest and help with the expedition preparations.

Rige was different.

"This short period might not bring much progress to us, but it would be different for him."

Leviaria's additional comment left Tiona speechless.

The officers finally understood why Rige was the only one not assigned any work, while everyone else in the Familia was.

Preparing resources for the expedition, these tasks, whether Rige was there or not, wouldn't make much of a difference. It was better to let him continue his efforts in the Labyrinth, taking full advantage of his extraordinary growth rate.

This way, Rige could return from the expedition in a much stronger state.

"You should focus more on the upcoming expedition."

Seeing everyone fall silent, Finn finally spoke.

"Only during the expedition can you delve deeper into the floors, face more monsters, and challenge stronger enemies."

That was the true way to accelerate growth.

There was no other way. Without the expedition, the best they could do was explore the middle and lower floors, where the monsters were too weak for the first-class adventurers.

Killing such weak monsters, no matter how many, would provide minimal help to the officers of Loki's Familia.

Instead of worrying about that minimal growth, it was better to focus on the expedition and prepare thoroughly.

That was the more effective path to growth for the first-class adventurers.

Of course,

"The same applies to Rige."

Gries's words, spoken with a sigh, plunged everyone into deeper silence.

It was only then that everyone realized something.

"Rige, who has only explored up to the 17th floor, will gain what kind of growth after reaching deeper floors during the expedition?"

He had risen from level 1 to level 4 in just over a month, exploring only up to the 17th floor.

What kind of experience would he gain after reaching floors much deeper than the 17th?

Not to mention, a single expedition would take over a week, plus the time needed for exploration, easily exceeding half a month.

A half-month expedition, on Rige, who had risen several levels in just over a month, would bring about what kind of changes?

"Perhaps, after this, Rige will be on par with you."

Leviaria's words left the officers feeling immense pressure.

"No way," Tiona wailed, "Will Rige be level 5 after the expedition? Is this even fair?"

"He's a freak," Tione muttered, "It seems being caught up is just a matter of time. I might as well give up."

Hearing Tione's words, Reia could only silently think to herself.

"I've already given up."

As a witness to Rige's growth, Reia had initially admired him, then worked hard to keep up, and later felt a sense of urgency to avoid being left behind. After Rige officially reached level 4 and surpassed her, she chose to give up.

It wasn't that Reia was unwilling to work hard or catch up; it was simply impossible.

If not for being Rige's teammate and seeing his efforts up close, and being impressed by his repeated help and rescues, she might have started doubting her life.

Now, Reia felt more admiration and respect for Rige, with less resentment.

After all,

"Mr. Rige and Miss Ais are becoming more and more alike."

The elf girl's face turned slightly red, and she glanced at the corner of the room.

There, Ais sat hugging her knees, staring at the silent officers, lost in thought.

Outside, Bert, who had come to protest, turned and left silently after hearing the words of the three leaders and seeing Tiona's fate.

Loki watched all this unfold.

"There's going to be fun ahead."

Loki, whether out of schadenfreude or something else, leaned on the window, watching the busy members of the Familia, and laughed, then returned to her room.

Time passed quickly.

As the days went by, Loki's Familia began transporting boxes of supplies from various parts of Orario back to the base.

These supplies included custom-made backup weapons, various special-use items and tools, and boxes of elixirs and recovery items.

The members were busy, some handling various tasks, while others, during their rest periods, formed a long queue in front of Loki's shrine.

These were members who wanted to update their stats one last time before the expedition.

After the expedition, in the Labyrinth, adventurers wouldn't be able to update their stats, so they were making the most of the time to boost their strength as much as possible.

Loki hadn't left her shrine for a while, and her voice could be faintly heard inside.

"Is this even letting people rest—!"

Loki, teary-eyed, was working hard to help the children improve their strength and increase their chances of survival in the Labyrinth, despite the pain and joy of it all.

Rige understood that there were many people at Loki's shrine these days.

"Then I'll wait."

Rige thought for a moment and decided not to go to Loki to update his stats.

After all, experience wouldn't disappear, and it would accumulate even without updating, so there was no need to rush.

Since the senior members had opened the door for him to explore the Labyrinth, Rige didn't want to argue over the order of updating his stats.

Thus, Loki's Familia had their work, and Rige had his own tasks. They seemed to have reached a tacit agreement, not interfering with each other, quietly awaiting the day of the expedition.

One day, as Rige was preparing to go to the Labyrinth, he received a summons from Finn.

"Your sword is ready."

Finn, who had summoned Rige, simply smiled and said those words.

Rige's eyes lit up.

Northeast Street, Tsubaki's workshop.

Rige and Finn arrived together, just as they had before, visiting the place again.

As soon as they entered, Rige saw Tsubaki.

"Finally, you're here."

Tsubaki greeted Rige with a bright smile, then pointed to the side without further ado.

"Come and see your sword."

Rige glanced at Finn.

"Go ahead."

Finn smiled and nodded, gesturing for Rige to go forward.

Rige approached Tsubaki.

On the table, a long weapon case lay casually.

The case was open, and Rige immediately saw the weapon inside.

It had a slender form, with a dark silver-gray color, and the blade was so thin it seemed almost transparent, like crystal. At first glance, it didn't look like a weapon for killing but rather resembled the short sword Rige had received from Loki when he first joined the Familia, a piece of art meant for collection.

Tsubaki's voice, filled with satisfaction, reached Rige's ears.

"Using orichalcum as the main material, mixed with mithril and the fang of a wind beast, it took seven days to forge this weapon."

Orichalcum, also known as orichalcum, is an extremely rare and precious metal, recognized as the hardest metal in the world, used for crafting indestructible weapons.

Mithril is a refined metal with excellent magic conductivity, favored by most magic-wielding adventurers as their primary weapon material.

The wind beast is a rare creature found on the 40th floor of the Labyrinth, known for its incredible speed, making it a difficult monster to defeat despite its low classification.

Each of these materials is extremely expensive and rare, and ordinary adventurers might never see, let alone obtain, any of them in their lifetime.

Now, Tsubaki had used these three materials to forge this sword.

"Now, it's yours."

Hearing Tsubaki's satisfied voice, Rige's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the sword before him.

New book, seeking support! Seeking recommendations! Seeking collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)