Chapter 59 – Tiona goes on the offensive

"What are the deeper floors like?" Aston asked, leisurely eating dinner around the campfire.

Although the Guild had information on the deeper floors, it was only available to Familias that the Guild recognized as capable of exploring those depths. The Guild feared that reckless adventurers, armed with complete knowledge of the Dungeon, would act rashly and meet their demise.

Unfortunately, the Hestia Familia, to which Aston belonged, did not qualify to receive this information according to the Guild's records.

It was already a privilege for a newly established Familia to obtain information about the middle floors.

So, even though Aston, as a transmigrator, had some knowledge about the monsters in the deeper floors, his understanding was limited.

Across from Aston, Tione and the girls were not eating voraciously as before, but were eating elegantly and quickly, maintaining their image while swiftly finishing their dinner.

Hearing Aston's question, the others didn't stop eating but exchanged glances, seemingly communicating through their eyes. After a brief exchange, Tione seemed to give in and, putting down her food, began to answer Aston's question.

"The deeper Dungeon, although the Loki Familia has intelligence on it, has only been explored up to the 52nd floor."

"I'll talk about the floors from 39 to 49."

"From the 39th to the 49th floor, the Dungeon no longer presents a labyrinthine cave formation but is a vast space, similar to the tenth floor's balance level."

"How to describe these floors? They're all red, the ground, walls, and ceiling, all uniformly red, creating an oppressive atmosphere."

"Also, from the 39th floor onwards, the starting level of the monsters is level 3, with some even reaching level 4. The number and yield of monsters in the deeper floors are incredibly high."

"You've heard of the Monster's Feast, right? The birth of monsters in the deeper levels is basically on that scale."

"In the deeper levels, level 4 adventurers need to travel in groups of over a dozen to ensure their safety, something Ryuu is very aware of."

Ryuu, sitting beside them, nodded slightly upon being mentioned by Tione.

The deeper floors were indeed dangerous. When they first tried to conquer the deeper levels, it was extremely difficult. They gave up after just two floors and even encountered danger that nearly annihilated their entire Familia.

"Even at level 5, several companions are needed to move safely. Otherwise, the risk is significant."

"For a level 6, it's possible to navigate from the 39th to the 48th floor alone, with caution."

"Our captain mentioned this; he's navigated the deeper floors alone."

"As for the floors starting from the 51st, we've only reached the 52nd and don't know much about it. Our knowledge is based on the intelligence brought back by the Zeus and Hera Familias," Tione continued, not stopping her narration.

Then, while eating dinner, Tione began to share things to be cautious about in the deeper floors.

Aston listened to Tione's narration, nodding occasionally, showing signs of realization.

Aston hadn't expected there to be so many things to be cautious about in the deeper floors, but it seemed reasonable.

After all, the deeper one goes into the Dungeon, the higher the danger.

Soon, Tione finished talking about the deeper floors, and their dinner came to an end.

Aston cleaned up the dishes and utensils and took them to the stream to wash.

This time, Tione and the others didn't go straight to their tents to rest but joined Aston in washing the dishes.

Their attitude had changed significantly.

Last time, Aston joined them as a client, under their protection, and even took on the role of backup.

But not this time. Aston had shown strength equal to theirs, sharing the same status. Plus, they had already considered Aston a friend, so things were naturally not the same as two days ago.

"Hey, hey, Aston, what kind of girl do you like?" Tiona asked, launching her first offensive while washing her own dishes.

As Tione had mentioned earlier, Tiona indeed had developed a liking for Aston.

The potion Aston had provided earlier had already won Tiona over.

And over the past few days, whether it was Aston's use of his Noble Phantasm, his rapid growth, or the irresistible cuisine he offered, all had significantly increased Tiona's fondness for him.

Especially today, Aston had demonstrated the strength of a first-class adventurer.

This convinced Tiona that Aston was akin to a hero from ancient times, and she had already decided to pursue him.

The reason Tiona made such a decision in just a few days was simple: as an Amazoness, she naturally admired the strong, and she was no exception, despite her naive and romantic nature.

Tione had been tirelessly pursuing Finn after witnessing his strength.

Now, Tiona was making the same choice as her sister, taking the initiative.

Most importantly, Tiona's admiration for ancient heroes stemmed from her childhood, when her first encounter with literature was about the deeds of ancient heroes, sparking a strong longing in her.

This longing turned into affection when reflected in reality.

Upon hearing Tiona's words, the eyes of Ais and the others instantly shifted towards Aston.

"A girl I like?"

"Pretty, and not annoying," Aston replied with a slight smile after hearing Tiona's straightforward question.

"Really, that simple?" Tiona asked, surprised.

"Yes, it's that simple. Liking someone isn't that complicated," Aston answered, laughing.

To Aston, liking a girl was simple; if she wasn't annoying and there was mutual attraction, that was enough.

For instance, he found Hestia very appealing.

"So, Aston, do you dislike me?" Tiona continued her offensive, her eyes shining with hope, as Ais and the others narrowed their eyes, surprised at Aston's simple criteria.

"You're my friend, how could I dislike you?" Aston replied, not yet fully grasping the implication of his words.

"Then, do you find me pretty?" Tiona persisted.

"Yes, you're pretty. All of you are," Aston replied without hesitation.

However, right after saying that, Aston paused, turning to look at Tiona.

Tiona's face was beaming with a radiant smile.

Aston instantly understood Tiona's intent and couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Tiona, isn't this a bit too fast?"

Tiona didn't answer, just smiling happily at Aston.

Behind her, Ais and Ryuu exchanged glances with a hint of amusement, while Tione covered her mouth, giggling.

***

Check out my Patreon for 10 chapter ahead! Your support helps a lot.

PATREON.COM/METARLN