Chapter 63: Save Me, Mr. Rige!

The return journey after the expedition was not something worth mentioning in detail.

At least, not for the Loki Family under normal circumstances.

As a large family capable of fighting in the ultra-deep layers below the 50th floor, the obstacles they encountered on their way back were almost negligible.

In the past, once the Loki Family set out on their return journey, the result was always the same—smooth sailing.

However, this time, due to the destruction of supplies by the corrosive fluid of the worm monsters, even their weapons were dissolved, causing the Loki Family to face numerous troubles on their return journey.

To put it simply, just filling their stomachs became a problem.

With only a very small amount of emergency food left, the Loki Family had to forage for food in the dungeon, setting up camp in safe places every day to gather wild fruits and vegetables, which took up a lot of their return time.

Encountering monsters was also a challenge. Without weapons and armor, many members could not fight and had to engage in combat bare-handed, leading to many risks and delays. If it weren't for the strong members of the Loki Family and the presence of Rige and Ais, who could fight a thousand enemies alone, the delays would have been even longer.

Thanks to this, the Loki Family, who usually took only five to six days to return to the surface, spent nearly eight days this time.

It was dusk on this day.

When all the members of the Loki Family emerged from the Babel Tower, dusty and weary, the surrounding adventurers were immediately drawn to them.

No matter where they went, the Loki Family always attracted attention, a fate befitting one of the strongest families in the city.

However, the members were no longer concerned with the gazes and whispers of the crowd.

"Ah! We're finally back!"

Tiona was the first to shout to the sky.

"Can't you be a bit less noisy? It's embarrassing!"

Tione complained, but her expression visibly relaxed.

The others also showed similar signs of relief, even Rige was not an exception.

"We're back."

Looking at the sunset, Rige felt as if it had been a long time since he last returned.

Although the dungeon had various wonders, it was ultimately underground, with no sky to see, and constant vigilance and battles with monsters. Short stays were manageable, but prolonged periods made anyone feel particularly oppressed.

Rige was not so affected by this.

He had once survived in the wild for several months, so a month in the dungeon was not enough to make him feel oppressed.

However, the moment he saw the sky, Rige felt an involuntary sense of relaxation.

"Maybe, I just didn't realize that there were some particularly oppressive places in my heart?"

Rige thought to himself.

"This proves that I'm still human, right?"

Thinking about it, Rige smiled.

"Alright, let's go home."

Finn removed the mask he always wore as the leader, returning to the kind and gentle person everyone knew.

Everyone immediately started chatting and laughing, relaxing the tension that had been building up, and walked out of the Babel Tower's square, heading towards the street where the House of Twilight was located.

Along the way, both adventurers and civilians paid attention to the Loki Family.

Soon, the news of the Loki Family's return from the expedition would spread to all the major families in Orario.

As they approached, the gates of the House of Twilight gradually came into view.

The guards, who had been standing solemnly, suddenly changed their expressions when they saw Finn and the expedition team returning.

"It's the leader!"

"The leader is back!"

"The expedition team is back!"

Soon, shouts of surprise and joy echoed through the House of Twilight.

"Leader!"

The two guards quickly saluted Finn and his group.

"We're back," Finn smiled and said, "Open the gate, please."

"Yes, sir!"

The two guards immediately opened the gate.

"Oh! We're back!"

Tiona was the first to rush in.

"Can't you be less embarrassing? Do you not understand?"

Tione covered her face.

"Every time she comes back, she's so noisy. I can't stand it," Bert complained.

"Miss Ais, we're home."

"Um-hmm."

Revia simply expressed her joy, receiving a gentle response from Ais.

The group walked into the courtyard and approached the mansion.

There, the members who had stayed behind were already waiting, warmly greeting the returning members.

Of course, a certain eager goddess was not absent from this scene.

"You're finally back—!"

A figure quickly dashed out from the mansion, heading towards them.

No, to be precise, she was heading towards the female members of the group.

"Ais! Carbon!"

Just like when Rige first saw the expedition team return, Loki recreated the scene, rushing towards Ais.

Without hesitation, Ais, Tiona, and Tione, along with the other female members, turned and avoided Loki.

Only Revia, standing there in a daze, was tackled by Loki.

"Ah? Ah ah ah ah!"

Revia let out a scream, as if being violated, and was immediately pinned to the ground.

"Hehehe, Revia, it's been a while. Let me see if you've grown,"

"No, no—!"

With a lecherous laugh, the elf girl screamed as the goddess groped her.

"Save me, Mr. Rige!"

Revia stretched out a hand towards Rige, her face flushed with embarrassment and pleading.

"Stop it, Loki."

Rige, who had initially planned to ignore Loki's mischief, couldn't bear to see his teammate being toyed with by the lecherous goddess, especially when Revia looked so pitiful with tears in her eyes.

Thus, Rige reached out, grabbed the back of Loki's collar, and lifted her up.

"Hey, what are you doing, Rige? Don't interrupt my rare entertainment time!"

Loki struggled and protested.

"Is it right to molest a 15-year-old girl?" Rige glanced at Loki and said, "If you want entertainment, go play with Gris, the old man."

"Who wants to touch a short, fat, smelly old man!"

Loki said without thinking.

"I'm a short, fat, smelly old man, I'm sorry,"

Gris's forehead was covered with black lines.

"Are you okay, Revia?"

Rige ignored Loki, threw her aside, and reached out to help Revia up.

"Ugh, I almost got touched in places that shouldn't be touched,"

Revia was both relieved and pitifully sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Revia."

Ais seemed to feel guilty for avoiding Loki, which led to Revia being the target.

"It's okay, it's okay!"

Revia quickly shook her head, refusing Ais's apology.

"Hey, Loki, stop bullying Revia, okay?"

Tiona scolded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Can't you welcome us back in a different way?"

Tione's face was full of annoyance.

"Come on, don't say that," Loki's expression changed, and she smiled, "It's just that everyone returned safely, and I'm too happy."

"You," Livia sighed, "Since we returned safely, can't you let us rest a bit?"

Everyone around nodded in agreement.

"Stop fooling around, get out of the way. We've been in that hellish place for so long, we're all stinky. Let us take turns to bathe!"

Bert stepped forward, kicked Loki several times, and looked very unhappy.

"Alright, alright, sigh, children grow up and start to reject their parents, it's the rebellious phase, right?"

Loki pretended to sigh, making Bert kick her again, finally making her cry out in pain and move aside.

"Everyone, go take turns to bathe."

Seeing this, Finn, who had been chuckling, finally spoke up.

"According to tradition, we'll rest today and do all the work tomorrow. Loki, we'll come to you later for the report. We suffered heavy losses this time, and some things need to be discussed."

"Sure, sure, go bathe and rest," Loki smiled, "If anyone wants to update their abilities, come to the divine room, but not too many, or I won't do it."

Upon hearing this, two people reacted.

Rige and Ais.

"Of course, you two are the most eager to update your abilities," Loki rolled her eyes, "Alright, you two first tonight, the rest can wait for another time."

No one objected to this decision.

In fact, some were quite looking forward to it.

"Hey, Rige, you should be able to reach level 5 this time, right?"

Tiona asked curiously, drawing everyone's attention.

"I'm not sure."

Rige felt it should be fine, but he wasn't one to boast, so he didn't give a definitive answer.

Even so, many people were looking forward to Rige's ability update.

Even Ais was no exception.

After all—

"How strong will Rige become if he reaches level 5?"

For some reason, Ais was eager to know this.

Night fell amidst the noise.

After bathing and eating, the returning members mostly returned to their rooms to rest, making the House of Twilight unusually quiet.

Rige also bathed, ate, and returned to his room before heading to the top floor of the central tower—the divine room.

"Are you there, Loki?"

Rige knocked on the door.

"Here, here, come in."

Hearing Loki's response, Rige pushed the door open and walked in.

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(End of Chapter)