"Well then, once again, congratulations to all three of you for successfully breaking through the Lv.6 barrier and stepping into the realm of Lv.7."
Bell offered his congratulations once more.
"I was originally supposed to accompany the expedition team back, but I have a few matters to take care of, so I won’t be able to return with you."
"Also, I’ve noticed the Dungeon’s condition is gradually improving. I think it’s nearly finished processing the impact caused by the Black Dragon. Maybe two more days—by then, the Dungeon will once again beco a breeding ground for monsters. Be careful on your way back."
Finn hadn’t expected Bell to be preparing to leave already, but what surprised him more was the news that the Dungeon was about to shift again.
"True. It’s been a while now. Even if the Dungeon was affected by the Black Dragon, recovery is to be expected."
Finn wasn’t too surprised by the Dungeon’s recovery.
Even if the Black Dragon was far more dangerous than they imagined, there was still a connection between it and the Dungeon. The damage wouldn’t be irreversible.
The recovery was only natural.
And the long period of downti had been a huge help to the expedition team. The lack of monster respawns was the greatest advantage they had—it let them avoid facing the Dungeon’s most lethal challenge: a "monster feast."
It was thanks to this downti that they were able to rest so long on the 59th floor.
Had the Dungeon remained active, they likely wouldn’t have had a single mont to catch their breath after defeating the Spirit.
"Bell-kun, please give my regards to Hestia-sama. We’ll visit her personally to express our thanks once we return."
"I’ll be sure to pass that on."
Bell gave a small nod, then turned and vanished from sight.
The three waited a while before finally relaxing.
"I didn’t expect the Black Dragon’s impact to be this severe."
"Yeah. Seems like the gods are far more wary of the Black Dragon than we imagined. Loki never ntioned anything about it."
"Well, it’s Loki we’re talking about. Probably thought we didn’t need to know."
Finn knew Loki’s personality well. While she often acted unreliable on the surface, when it really mattered, she was unexpectedly dependable.
Not just in this incident with the Spirit—there had been plenty of past events that proved as much.
Gods handled matters concerning gods. Adventurers handled matters concerning adventurers. It was a rule both sides respected.
"Let’s make good use of the last two days and head back to the surface as soon as we can."
Now that they knew the Dungeon would return to normal in two days, Finn made up his mind—they would be out before that deadline.
"Right."
Riveria couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Orario’s current situation.
Now that the Evilus had beco enemies of all Orario’s adventurers, it was only a matter of ti before they made their move.
"If the Evilus really start making moves, then Loki’s safety will beco a serious concern. We might have to stop deploying all of our fighting force into the Dungeon during future expeditions."
"Agreed."
Finn also believed they needed to start thinking seriously about safety.
The Evilus were the kind of lunatics who wouldn’t hesitate to kill gods. Those maniacs didn’t care about anything. If it ant dragging their enemies down with them in a suicide attack, they’d do it without blinking.
For Loki’s sake, they’d need to start making preparations ahead of any future expeditions.
"Until the situation with the Evilus is resolved, even if Loki wants to go out, we’ll have to assign guards to protect her."
"Orario isn’t a safe place anymore."
At that point, Finn couldn’t help but admire Bell’s caution.
"We have to worry about things like this, but Bell-kun clearly doesn’t. For Lady Hestia’s safety, he even built that elaborate barrier. Honestly, the safest place in all of Orario might just be within Hestia Familia."
Outside, it was protected by barriers and traps. Inside, it was a peaceful haven full of birdsong and flowers. For any god seeking safety, it was practically paradise.
But Gareth brought up a very realistic concern.
"Even if it’s that safe, I doubt that kid would let other gods in so easily. He’s too cautious—no way he’d risk letting a potentially dangerous god into that space."
"That’s true."
On second thought, it made sense.
The biggest threat in Orario ca from the gods secretly aligned with the Evilus. And if the gods themselves were the greatest danger, then Bell naturally wouldn’t welco them.
"If Loki could get in, we wouldn’t have to worry about her safety."
Riveria rolled her eyes and sighed.
"If Loki moved in, we’d have to start worrying whether she’d harass Lady Hestia every other day."
"Ha ha..."
Finn could already imagine the fireworks between Loki and Hestia, and awkwardly pushed the thought aside with a laugh.
In the end, he could only sigh.
"Let’s set Loki aside for now. What matters is getting back to the surface quickly."
"The Evilus won’t be getting away with what they did."
Finn’s voice dropped, edged with steel.
Both Riveria and Gareth had a grim look in their eyes.
The Evilus would be held fully accountable for helping the Spirit gather Magic Stones.
"Finn, what do we do with the Familia involved once we find them?"
Finn’s expression turned sharp, murderous intent clear in his eyes.
"If they’re cannon fodder willingly thrown out by the Evilus, then we’ll wipe them out completely."
He might show restraint toward other Familia, but not with the Evilus. No room for naivety—only ruthless asures would do.
"Just the fact that they helped the Spirit gather Magic Stones to replenish its energy is enough reason not to let them off the hook."
"If we didn’t have a ’backup plan’ in this trial, we might all still be down there in the Dungeon."
"Even if the trial was arranged, it was never safe. The Spirit was just a platform Loki gave us to leap beyond our limits—not a stable bridge to get us across."
"And even if it was all staged, that Spirit definitely ca to kill us."
Gareth firmly agreed. As the team’s strongest defender, he could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from the Spirit each ti it attacked.
"Elf, don’t tell you’re scared?"
"Who are you calling scared, Dwarf?"
Even the Elves had their pride. Riveria might have been known as one of the most refined and well-educated of the royal line, but she had no intention of sparing the Evilus who had plotted to kill them.
"And just to be clear—I’m not talking about the Adventurers. I an the gods."
Finn went quiet for a mont, then made up his mind.
"Do it."
He t Riveria and Gareth’s gaze. His eyes burned with resolve.
"This is a resolution agreed upon by the gods. Even the Guild has endorsed it. What’s left for us to hesitate about?"
"And we stand with the Guild. When we identify a god from the Evilus, we don’t hesitate—we strike fast and kill them."
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