Expedition?

"Welcome."

As Riezel strolled through the door, Finn, engaged in a conversation with Riveria and Gareth, turned his head and greeted him.

The other two also simultaneously turned their heads, focusing their gaze on his body. Their eyes held a look one gives upon finding treasure—filled with satisfaction and contentment.

"Captain, Lady Riveria, Mr. Gareth."

Riezel greeted each of the three top executives of the familia one by one. His attitude wasn't overly respectful, but he maintained a proper amount of courtesy.

"Don't be too formal, just relax, okay? Just call my name directly."

Riveria, breaking from her usual seriousness and strict demeanor, smiled at him.

"Don't be nervous, kid. We old folks just want to have a chat with you, not to scold you. Regarding you going out on your own to take on the floor boss of the 17th Floor, Loki will be the one who will talk about it with you later. We're not playing the bad guys this time."

Gareth spoke with a smirk while stroking his beard, making Riezel feel a bit awkward.

Naturally, he wouldn't tell Gareth that Loki had already scolded him. After all, he hadn't informed anyone about his plan of soloing the floor boss. Even Lefiya had some complaints about it.

If he hadn't succeeded and leveled up, which diverted some of Loki and Lefiya's attention, he might still be getting scolded by those two.

Surprisingly, Ais seemed to be deep in thought since he successfully defeated the floor boss. She had been wearing a thoughtful expression all morning, making him somewhat worried that the doll princess might be influenced by him, leading to some reckless and dangerous actions.

In this situation, Gareth's teasing made him feel a bit uneasy.

"It's really a mess..." Riveria toned down her smile a bit, indicating that she didn't entirely approve of his risky actions.

"How's it going? Have you adapted to your new strength?" Finn asked with a smile.

Only Finn, who looked at Riezel, a super rookie who jumped from Level 1 to Level 4 in just over a month, spoke with a smile akin to a friendly brother, which relieved Riezel a bit. 

"It's getting there..." Riezel replied truthfully. "With a couple more real battles in the dungeon, I should fully adapt."

"That's good." Finn nodded. "The main reason we called you here this time is to check on your progress and prepare for the upcoming expedition."

"Expedition?" Riezel was surprised at first, but soon, his eyes lit up.

"That's right, an expedition." Finn, seeing Riezel's expression, was somewhat helpless but also understanding. "It's been over a month since our last expedition. It's time for our familia to venture into the dungeon again."

As one of the exploration-type familia in Orario, Loki Familia had always been at the forefront of dungeon exploration.

Just as adventurers explored dungeons as their main job, it was inevitable for big familias to launch expeditions into the dungeon.

However, for familia like Loki Familia, which needed to venture to the depths below the 50th Floor each time, the preparations alone took a lot of effort.

Not to mention the resources required during expeditions, which often involved spending a considerable amount of time preparing. Food and water were secondary, as they could be obtained in the dungeon. The main preparations usually involved weapons, equipment, medicine, and special items to deal with various situations.

Therefore, big familias generally embarked on an expedition every 1 to 2 months.

Now, it was the time.

Finn, Riveria, and Gareth called Riezel here for this reason.

"Even though you've only been part of familia for less than two months, technically, you shouldn't be immediately involved in such a significant familia activity like an expedition. But, hey, you're already Level 4 and we three want you to join us on the next expedition. It's a decision the three of us made, with Loki personally giving the green light. If you have any objections, feel free to voice them here." Finn explained with a friendly smile.

Objections? Riezel didn't have any.

Delving into the depths of the dungeon, battling high-level monsters that most people steer clear of—this was exactly what he had been hoping for. He had been eagerly anticipating an expedition for a while, and now that the opportunity was here, he wasn't about to pass it up.

"I have no objections." Riezel replied without hesitation. "Please make sure I get to participate."

He didn't hide his excitement and eagerness.

This left Finn and the other two exchanging puzzled glances, followed by awkward smiles.

"See? I knew this kid would be excited..." Gareth remarked, feigning irritation.

"We thought you'd be less trouble than Ais and the other kids, but it looks like we need to keep a close eye on you too..." Riveria sighed.

"No objections, of course, are the best..." Finn chuckled and shook his head. "But considering the importance of the expedition and it's also your first time, think about whether there's anything you need to prepare for."

His words prompted Riezel to sink into contemplation.

There wasn't much he needed to do to prepare.

For others, it might involve preparing armor and stocking up on medicines, but for him, thanks to his 'Lightweight' development ability, he preferred minimal equipment. Because of that, he had abandoned armor since reaching Level 2.

He also didn't need medicines to restore stamina or mind because his 'Endless' skill already granted him 'Healing Power' and 'Spirit Healing' development abilities at the highest rank, making him hardly feel fatigued. Coupled with the highest rank 'Abnormal Resistance', he was also fearless against abnormal statuses.

Apart from high potions and elixirs for treating injuries, he didn't have much of a demand for other types of medicine.

During the expedition, the familia would take care of most of the medicine preparation, while Riezel hardly needed to fuss over that.

In essence, his preparations were minimal. Though not entirely since there was one important thing he needed to sort out.

Riezel involuntarily shifted his gaze to his waist where a sword hung, strapped to his side.

Finn noticed this.

"Ahh, I see... Are you having trouble with your weapon?" Finn asked in one breath, hitting the nail on the head.

Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance, surprisingly showing no signs of confusion.

"Is it because of Ais's magic?" Riveria spoke up.

"Yeah..." Riezel nodded, sighing. "Due to the magic, my weapon couldn't keep up with my current power."

The weapon he currently used was custom-made when he reached Level 2. In the past battle against the Crocodile Dragon, his main weapon shattered under the strain of Ariel's maximum output.

Afterward, he found a reputable weapon shop, provided the Crocodile Dragon's claw Lefiya had retrieved as raw material, and commissioned the blacksmith there to forge a new weapon.

In the end, for 800,000 valis, with some financial assistance from Lefiya, he successfully obtained third-class equipment, the sword he now wielded.

For third-class equipment, it should be more than enough for a second-class adventurer's main weapon. At least, if an average adventurer had it, they could continue using it even up to Level 4 without being held back by their weapon.

However, for him who possessed overpowered magic like 'Ariel', capable of putting an enormous strain on weapons at any time, using this third-class equipment made from the Crocodile Dragon's claw was becoming somewhat lacking.

Moreover, he had now reached Level 4; even when he was at Level 2 or Level 3, it was already quite risky.

For example, during the encounter with the monster feast on the 16th Floor, to break through and protect Lefiya, he once again unleashed Ariel's maximum output, resulting in a crack in the sword.

During the duel with the floor boss of the 17th Floor, he also once again unleashed Ariel's maximum output.

At this moment, not just one but several cracks already appeared on his sword, almost breaking it outright.

The damage from these two incidents forced him to spend a considerable amount of money on repairs.

Now at Level 4, his power had soared once again, and his Ariel was undoubtedly stronger than before. If he used Ariel in combat, even without reaching its maximum output, he could potentially destroy his sword.

It was seriously affecting his ability to fight.

Especially since he had acquired a development ability called 'Swordsman', not having a good sword in hand would greatly impact his combat power.

"If there's anything I need to prepare thoroughly, it's probably finding a strong and sturdy weapon." Riezel said earnestly to the three top executives, considering it the only thing he currently needed to focus on, a top priority.

""Weapon?"" Riveria and Gareth nodded simultaneously.

"Okay..." Finn hesitated for a moment. "In that case, come with me to Hephaestus Familia."

Hephaestus Familia.

This was the unparalleled blacksmith familia in Orario.

In Orario, there were familias of various types, from exploration-focused ones to those engaged in business activities. Hephaestus Familia fell into the latter category.

Their main business was selling various weapons and equipment, and most of the members were advanced blacksmiths, those who had acquired a development ability known as 'Blacksmith'.

"I have a batch of orders to place there. Since you need a good weapon, might as well come with me."

Finn extended an invitation to Riezel.

"Thank you!" Riezel nodded heavily.

Not long after, the two of them walked out of the office and left Twilight Manor.