[137] : Orario Most Talented! Celebration Party

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...

"Huh?"

Everyone was taken aback by Finn's explanation. His analogy was simply too fantastical.

"Surely, the dark faction isn't that foolish" Ryuu muttered under her breath.

"Don't be so sure," Finn replied with a gentle smile and a faraway look in his eyes. "Zald and Alfia are two of the most exceptional talents in Orario's history."

"Their true strength is beyond comprehension unless you've witnessed it firsthand. Mere imagination can scarcely grasp a fraction of their power."

With that, Finn stood up and walked away.

"Alfia..." Mika murmured, shaking his head as he clasped his hands behind his head and lay down. Recalling his previous encounter with Alfia..

"Is... is that it?" Shakti and the others exchanged confused glances as they watched Finn depart and Mika lie down. They decided to change the subject, unable to fathom the true extent of Zald and Alfia's power.

...

After a night of rest, everyone prepared to return to the surface at dawn.

Sitting on a rock and staring at the ceiling of the 50th floor, Mika couldn't help but marvel. "No matter how many times I see it, the synchronized time between here and the surface is just incredible."

The ceiling of the safe floor was embedded with countless crystals.

The color and brightness of these crystals changed in sync with the time on the surface.

When it was daytime above, the crystals emitted a brilliant light.

When night fell on the surface, the crystals dimmed.

This allowed adventurers on the safe floors to experience the natural cycle of day and night.

"It's beyond comprehension," Mellie said, sitting beside Mika.

"After all, the dungeon isn't an inanimate object. It's alive."

"Therefore, the natural laws of the outside world don't apply here."

"If you really want an explanation, you could say it's the will of the dungeon."

"The will of the dungeon..."

Mika's understanding of the dungeon deepened as he recalled various stories and rumors he had heard about it.

"Is everyone ready?" Finn asked, standing before the assembled group.

"Ready!" they replied in unison.

"Then let's depart!" Finn's face was beaming.

"This time, we don't have to sneak around like we did on the way down."

"We will return to Orario with our heads held high, basking in the awe and admiration of everyone."

"Because this expedition was a victory!"

Finn's words filled everyone with excitement.

Yes, they had triumphed.

"Let's go!" Finn declared, his voice ringing with confidence.

"Yeah! Let's go!" The others responded enthusiastically.

...

"Hey, look! It's the Loki Familia! And the Freya Familia! Why are they together?"

"All of Orario's strongest adventurers are here!"

"And they look like they just returned from an expedition? Orario's two strongest Familias went on an expedition together?!"

After several days of travel, Mika and the others finally arrived back in Orario.

They reached the surface that afternoon.

The sight of the Loki and Freya Familias returning together caused a commotion at the dungeon entrance.

After all, these two Familias were known rivals.

Their joint expedition sparked countless rumors and speculations.

"As expected, no one's paying attention to us," Alise sighed, disappointed.

She had hoped to bask in the glory of their victory.

"When it comes to stealing the spotlight, who can compete with the Loki and Freya Familias?" Mika chuckled, shaking his head as he watched Finn and the others receive all the attention.

"Someday, we'll be just like them!" he declared with determination.

Alise and the others were momentarily stunned before their eyes lit up with newfound resolve.

Of course, not everyone was focused solely on the Loki and Freya Familias.

As the initial excitement subsided, people began to notice Mika and the others.

While they couldn't compare to the two strongest Familias, they were still renowned figures in Orario.

"Oh, were there other Familias involved in the expedition?"

"the Yahweh Familia, The Astraea Familia, the Ganesha Familia, and even the Hephaestus Familia?!"

"Even the support team consisted of elite adventurers from various Familias. What were the Loki and Freya Familias planning?"

The crowd buzzed with excitement, sensing a juicy story unfolding before their eyes.

The news quickly spread throughout Orario, igniting a frenzy of speculation.

...

"Welcome back!"

Yahweh greeted Mika, Mellie, and Airmid at the entrance of their Familia home.

"Is dinner ready, Yahweh-sama?"

"I'm starving!"

"I haven't had a decent meal in days!"

The three of them bombarded Yahweh with questions the moment they saw her.

Yahweh's eye twitched in response.

...

"Did you not see my welcome ceremony? Can't you show a little respect for tradition?"

Inside the Yahweh Familia home, Mika, Mellie, and Airmid were kneeling on the floor, large bumps forming on their heads.

Their assailant was none other than Yahweh.

"But your consciousness was with Gabriel the whole time, watching us!"

"You even asked us what we wanted for lunch earlier today."

"How are we supposed to have a proper welcome ceremony under those circumstances?" Mellie retorted.

"Well..."

Yahweh was momentarily speechless, realizing the validity of Mellie's point.

She quickly retreated to the kitchen, then emerged with a tray of food, a cheerful smile plastered on her face. "You're back? Come eat!"

It was as if the previous incident had never happened.

Mika and the others wisely chose not to press the issue.

The four of them enjoyed a lively dinner together.

"It was quite a scene when you returned this afternoon."

"I bet the whole city is talking about you right now."

"This is just the beginning," Mika said between bites, "The real excitement starts tomorrow."

...

The next morning.

A massive crowd gathered around the notice board outside the Guild.

"Most of Freya and Loki Familia Adventurers reached Level 6 simultaneously!"

"Impossible!"

Just as Mika had predicted, Orario was in an uproar.

---

"Everyone leveled up!"

"Orario now has six new Level 6 adventurers! That makes seven in total! The Loki and Freya Familias have grown incredibly powerful!"

"Even Captain Shakti of the Ganesha Familia and Tsubaki of the Hephaestus Familia reached Level 5!"

"And all members of the Astraea and Yahweh Familias are now Level 4!"

"This is unbelievable!"

The news of their level ups spread like wildfire throughout Orario the morning after Mika and the others returned, announced officially by the Guild. The entire city buzzed with excitement.

Along with the news came the story of their incredible feat: conquering the Level 7 Boss, Balor.

It was a legendary accomplishment.

After all, the expedition had consisted of only one Level 6, six Level 5s, and eight Level 3 and Level 4 adventurers.

This remarkable victory against overwhelming odds quickly spread from Orario to the rest of the world.

The tale of their feat was even immortalized in songs by bards, destined to be passed down through generations.

...

"Cheers!"

Inside the Loki Familia's headquarters, everyone raised their glasses in celebration.

"Ah, it's so lively with so many people!" Mika exclaimed, draining his glass and looking around at the joyous faces of the Loki Familia members.

They were genuinely thrilled by their leaders' level ups.

"I wish our Familia could be this lively. We have quite a few members, but they're scattered across different worlds, making it difficult to gather everyone," Mika mused, shaking his head.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Mika surveyed the room.

The Freya Familia was notably absent from the celebration.

Recalling their reserved demeanor and lack of enthusiasm during the expedition, Mika wasn't surprised by their absence.

They weren't exactly the social type.

Therefore, only members of the Loki, Yahweh, Astraea, Ganesha, and Hephaestus Familias were present at the celebration.

Of course, the number of attendees far exceeded the number of expedition participants.

It was a celebration, after all.

The more, the merrier.

As the festivities continued, Mika found himself alone.

Yahweh and Airmid were chatting with Goddess Astraea and Alise.

Mellie had gone to find Riveria.

With a drink in hand, Mika wandered over to where Finn was talking with Shakti in a corner, Gareth listening quietly beside them.

"So, are you enjoying the celebration?" Finn asked, greeting Mika as he approached.

"It's great! Much livelier than our usual gatherings at home."

"If you like lively gatherings, then recruit more members. With the Yahweh Familia's current reputation, I'm sure countless adventurers would be eager to join," Finn said with a chuckle.

Shakti and Gareth nodded in agreement.

...

Indeed, the Yahweh Familia was now a prominent force in Orario.

When the six major Familias announced their level ups, Mika and his companions had also revealed their true levels.

They no longer feared the dark faction.

To avoid causing too much of a stir, Mika had downplayed his battle powers level, reporting it as Level 4.

Even so, after careful analysis, their rapid progress still astonished Orario.

Based on Yahweh's arrival in the lower world, Mika and his companions had become adventurers slightly later than Ais Wallenstein.

Yet, they had already reached Level 4 while Ais had just become Level 3.

Before this, Ais had held the record for the fastest level progression in Orario.

Now, three adventurers had surpassed her record simultaneously.

And they all belonged to the same Familia.

This led many to speculate whether the Yahweh Familia possessed some secret technique for accelerating an adventurer's growth.

As a result, countless adventurers were clamoring to join their ranks.

"No, no, no!" Mika waved his hands dismissively.

"New recruits are out of the question!"

"Because she encountered the three of us so early on, Yahweh-sama's standards are impossibly high."

"She said that anyone who wants to join our Familia must possess talent comparable to ours, or at the very least, similar to yours. Is that even reasonable?"

"It's certainly not something a human would say, but coming from a god, it's not entirely unreasonable," Finn replied with a wry smile.

Similar to us?!

While Finn acknowledged that he and his companions might not be as talented as Mika, they were hardly mediocre adventurers.

Though slightly annoyed, Finn quickly dismissed his frustration, reminding himself that these were the words of a goddess.

Gods were known for their capricious nature.

Gareth and Shakti also chuckled wryly.

Gods, what could you do?

Every Familia had experienced embarrassing moments caused by their deities' whims.

They weren't petty enough to hold Yahweh's words against Mika.

Having fought alongside each other, their bonds had deepened considerably.

"By the way, what's the latest on the dark faction situation?"

Since returning, Mika and his companions had been given time off by Finn and Shakti. They hadn't been patrolling, instead enjoying a period of rest and relaxation at home.

Therefore, they weren't fully up-to-date on the dark faction's activities.

"Oh, the dark faction? They've retreated on all fronts," Shakti replied, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"That's why we can enjoy this celebration in peace."

"But we can't let our guard down," Finn added cautiously.

"With Alfia and Zald involved, the dark faction's attacks won't cease entirely. They've merely shifted their focus from above ground to underground."

"According to my intel, the dark faction's presence outside Orario is growing. They're clearly plotting something."

"I believe this peace is only temporary. When the dark faction makes its next move, it will likely be a decisive battle."

Mika and the others exchanged serious glances, the weight of Finn's words settling upon them. 

...

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