68 What's Going On?

The same discussion wasn't just happening within Freya Familia.

Many familias received the related news and successively paid attention to Riezel's situation. Even Loki Familia stirred up quite a bit because he truly reached Level 5.

"Mr. Riezel already hitting Level 5..."

"His strength has long surpassed that of a first-class adventurer, right?"

"Got ourselves a new executive in the familia. Our power's skyrocketed big time."

"Think we can outdo Freya Familia now?"

"Nah, not really. They got a Level 7 hanging around."

In the corridors of Twilight Manor, members chatted while walking, their tones and expressions filled with excitement.

"Aah dammit! Got caught up after all!"

Upon receiving the news, Tiona immediately let out a lament.

"Don't shout. Instead of screaming about being caught up, think about how not to get surpassed so quickly." Tione seemed calm about it.

"Tch." Bete, hearing every member discussing Riezel, scowled and walked away from the manor.

"Miss Ais! Mr. Riezel reached Level 5!" Lefiya said excitedly as she ran into Ais in the cafeteria.

"Hmm." Ais, who had long been aware of this, had the smallest reaction. There was only a slight ripple in her eyes as if contemplating something.

As for the higher-ups of the familia, they were currently gathered in Finn's office discussing the same topic.

"Though expected, when something like this really happens, it makes you want to yell, huh?" Gareth remarked as he sat with arms crossed on a chair, making it creak under the weight it wasn't supposed to bear.

"Only a month and a half has passed..." Riveria stood next to a desk, holding the Guild's report in her hand. She looked at the information about Riezel recorded on it. "That skill called 'Fool's Obsession' is really too absurd." 

"I wonder if his growth speed will slow down..." Finn took a sip of the drink on the table and chuckled. "If it doesn't, maybe soon even we'll be caught up, right?"

"Guhaha! Isn't that a good thing?" Gareth laughed. "But, that kid still has a long way to go."

"It shouldn't happen so quickly this time, right?" Riveria commented. "It's not that easy to reach Level 6."

Indeed, reaching Level 6 was no easy feat.

The exploits that could make a Level 5 level up were not comparable to those of the earlier levels. At this level, taking risks and achieving significant exploits was a challenging task.

If the risk was too low, and the opponent was not strong enough, then accumulating a decent high-rank excelia was impossible. If the risk was too high, and the opponent too strong, it was equivalent to walking into a death trap.

At Level 5, facing necessary risks and challenging powerful opponents meant facing considerable danger. The magnitude of the risk and the strength of the opponent were easily understood.

One wrong move, fail to achieve the exploit, and one would end up dead—a loss not worth the gain.

This was also why there were only a few Level 6 adventurers in Orario, and all of them concentrated on Loki Familia and Freya Familia. It was because those who challenged powerful opponents and took sufficient risks either died or did not succeed.

Before Level 5, adventurers could rely on familia seniors, teamwork, and parties to easily defeat strong opponents and accumulate enough high-rank excelia. But once at Level 5, even with help from Level 6 adventurers, it was not so easy to accumulate enough exploits for leveling up.

Looking at Ais, Bete, Tiona, and Tione, who had been Level 5 for quite some time—at least several years—they had participated in countless dungeon expeditions and defeated many powerful monsters. Yet, they still hadn't accumulated enough exploits for leveling up.

Loki Familia participated in at least two to three floor boss battles during each expedition. Udaeus, classified as Level 6, and Balor, classified as Level 7, were clearly stronger than Loki Familia's executive, making them capable of providing the necessary high-rank excelia for exploits.

However, despite numerous attempts to defeat them, they still couldn't level up. This demonstrated how difficult it was to reach Level 6.

If the executives chose to defeat Udaeus or Balor alone, there was a possibility of achieving a significant exploit and leveling up successfully. However, since they were in a party, the excelia would be split, making it much harder for them to accumulate enough exploits.

Especially when it came to taking down the Level 7 floor boss, Balor, the three top executives of Loki Familia were the main force. The executives could only assist from the sidelines, with the bulk of excelia concentrated on the bodies of the three top executives, while the other executives received only a meager share.

With these factors stacking up, leveling up from Level 5 to Level 6 proved to be quite challenging. If one wanted to achieve Level 6, one had to be willing to risk it all, and there was no other way.

One careless move could end up losing their life.

"With Riezel's growth speed, no matter what, leveling up is definitely easier for him than for others." Finn said with a grin. "I don't think this level will be a hurdle for him."

With the assistance of a skill like 'Fool's Obsession' accelerating his growth, Riezel's rate of exploit accumulation was undoubtedly faster than others. Because of this, Finn didn't believe Riezel would be stuck at this level like the rest of the executives.

"I just wonder how much time he'll take..." Finn mused. "Half a year? Or maybe a year?"

He couldn't really estimate the next level-up time for Riezel who climbed from Level 4 to Level 5 in just a month and a half.

"Guhahaha! Maybe he won't need any time at all!" Gareth continued to laugh heartily.

"I just hope he doesn't go too wild..." Riveria added.

She hoped Riezel would slow down a bit. Otherwise, it meant he would take on big risks again.

As an active Level 6, Riveria had the most say in the risks involved in leveling up from Level 5 to Level 6. She just hoped he would be more restrained, take it slow, and grow steadily—that would be the best scenario.

Unfortunately, Riezel seemed anything but restrained; sooner or later, he was bound to get into some serious trouble.

Riveria was a bit worried about that.

"One Ais is already giving us a headache, and now there's another one making things even messier. Hahh... Seriously..." Riveria sighed.

Finn and Gareth exchanged glances at her reaction but remained silent.

Dealing with this kind of stuff was Mama Riveria's job. They, two big guys, weren't cut out for handling such delicate matters.

Anyway, Riveria would find a way to talk to Riezel and maybe keep him in check. That was one less thing for Finn and Gareth to worry about.

"By the way, we need to handle the aftermath of the expedition today..." Finn said while looking at the other two. "We took quite a hit this time, and there wasn't much gain. We need to quickly deal with the loot and come up with a better strategy for the next expedition."

"Yeah..." Gareth nodded. "Those little rascals have rested enough; it's time to touch some grass and get things done."

"We also need to discuss how to deal with those new species of monsters..." Riveria added. "Getting our current tasks sorted out quickly is a good idea."

Upon hearing her words, Finn stood up.

"Yosh, let's call everyone and gather at the main gate."

Riveria and Gareth nodded in agreement.

===

Post-expedition affairs were always the first thing to deal with upon returning from the expedition.

The loot brought back from the dungeon, whether it was magic stones or drop items, needed to be exchanged for money to fund the upcoming activities.

The worn-out weapons and armor, along with the need to replenish items for the many expedition party members, required maintenance. The operation of the familia needed funds, and preparations for the next expedition involved purchasing various supplies—all of which required money.

Therefore, handling the loot became a top priority after returning from an expedition.

During these times, Loki Familia, aside from leaving some members to guard the manor, mobilized almost everyone capable of swiftly processing a large amount of loot in exchange for the needed funds.

Even the executives weren't exempt.

Last time, Riezel couldn't participate in this matter. He just joined the familia during the previous expedition, still a rookie at that time, so the loot management task didn't fall on his shoulders.

But not this time.

Riezel participated in the expedition, successfully leveled up, and became a first-class adventurer just like Ais. As a first-class adventurer in Loki Familia, he was now, just like her, considered an executive and the main force of the familia.

Since he was now an executive and a vital part of the expedition party, it was natural for him to contribute to handling the loot.

After receiving the summons, Riezel immediately headed to the main gate.

"Hey—! Riezel! Over here!"

Seeing Riezel coming out, Tiona immediately waved, beckoning him over.

However, when he looked closely, Riezel noticed Tiona stood out among the group. The other members, seemingly out of respect for the executives, maintained a somewhat delicate distance.

Tiona stood alongside Tione, surrounded by the rest of the members as if they were rallying behind her. She positioned herself right in the middle, with only Ais and Lefiya by her side.

With Tiona's call and wave, all familia members around instantly turned their attention to Riezel.

Honestly, this situation made him a bit uncomfortable. The respectful and admiring looks from the members toward him gave him an itchy feeling on his spine.

"C'mon, come over here already!"

A clueless amazoness was still yelling over there, clearly not planning to let Riezel off the hook.

What could he do? Only one thing, go over.

"Hey."

Riezel greeted Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya, then looked at Ais.

Ais was also looking at him.

As they made eye contact, seemingly recalling the events from last night, both of them smiled slightly, as if on cue.

The difference was that his smile was somewhat plain, while Ais's smile seemed a bit shy.

""??????""

Witnessing this scene, everyone had question marks floating above their heads.

'What's going on with these two?'