156 Wealty

At the entrance to Babel Tower, the Loki Familia's expedition team emerged from the dungeon, one by one.

The members of the Loki Familia who stepped out were visibly exhausted. The lower-level adventurers and support crew were relatively fine, but the high-level ones wore their fatigue plainly on their faces.

It was now the evening of the second day.

This expedition had seen the Loki Familia reach the entrance to the 53rd floor. Their initial goals—exploring the 52nd floor and retrieving Cadmus's spring water from the 51st—had been achieved. But what followed was a stroke of bad luck.

Despite having Altair, a walking superweapon, they should've steamrolled the 53rd floor. Instead, the cannon dragon from the 58th floor locked onto them with pinpoint accuracy, blasting Altair out of sight. The Loki Familia was then swarmed by flying dragons, suffering heavy injuries before retreating to the 50th floor. They'd packed up camp immediately and returned to the surface.

"Haah…" Finn's first act upon exiting the dungeon was a long, weary sigh. Finally back on solid ground.

He glanced at his familia members—each mirrored his exhaustion. But the moment they hit the surface, their expressions softened, visibly relieved.

Compared to the oppressive, dangerous dungeon, the surface was a comfort.

As for danger, that had largely vanished once Altair rejoined the team.

Finn looked ahead at Altair and Saeko. On the way back, the two had essentially cleared the path, with the Loki Familia trailing behind.

This expedition was a mixed bag. Luck had favored them with Altair's presence, making the 52nd floor a breeze. But misfortune struck hard when they entered the 53rd floor, only to be targeted by the cannon dragon. Altair had vanished, and Finn had been certain he'd perished in the dragon breath. Yet, less than half an hour later, Altair reappeared—unscathed, wearing what looked like fresh clothes, as if nothing had happened.

What stunned the Loki Familia even more was why he'd disappeared: he'd gone to the 58th floor and *slain* the cannon dragon.

That massive magic stone convinced Finn this was no joke—Altair had really done it.

Altair had even suggested to Finn, "Now that the cannon dragon's gone, want to keep exploring downward?"

Finn desperately wanted to. With the cannon dragon eliminated, their biggest threat was gone, and with Altair—this terrifying monster—in their ranks, further exploration would've been effortless. But the losses they'd suffered while Altair was off fighting were too severe. Everyone was badly injured, and even chugging elixirs couldn't fully restore them. Now back on the surface, every member bore wounds. Bete had it worst—he was still on a stretcher.

It was thanks to Bete, unleashing his wolf instincts and fighting off the flying dragons with sheer tenacity, that they hadn't been wiped out on the 53rd floor.

Relying on Altair's intimidating presence, the Loki Familia had rested in the dungeon overnight, allowing most members to recover somewhat. Now, on the second day, they were back on the surface.

It had been a golden opportunity, but they couldn't seize it—a bitter pill for Finn to swallow.

"No need to rush," Riveria, Finn's second-in-command, said, noticing his dejection. "This was an unexpected turn. We didn't know Altair had such incredible power. If we'd known he could handle the cannon dragon, this wouldn't have happened."

"And there's always next time," she added. "When we team up with the Hestia Familia again, we can plan properly. Exploring the entire [Dragon's Urn] will be a cakewalk then."

"That'd be ideal," Finn replied.

Truthfully, he found her optimism shaky. Altair had single-handedlyTaken down the 58th floor's cannon dragon—an feat suggesting at least LV8 strength. A powerhouse like that could escort someone to the 58th floor without breaking a sweat. With Saeko by his side, his arsenal of bizarre skills, and that coveted spatial pocket every familia dreamed of, Altair could expedition however he pleased.

Finn doubted Altair would bother teaming up with them again. More likely, the Loki Familia would be the ones begging the Hestia Familia for a partnership.

As Finn and Riveria spoke, Altair and Saeko turned toward them.

"Captain Finn," Altair called.

"Mr. Altair, thanks for today," Finn replied quickly, nodding. This wasn't some LV2 rookie anymore—this was a monster cloaked as LV2 but operating at LV8 levels. Finn suspected Altair was one of those legendary heroes, born with unnatural power.

"No trouble at all. Without you, Captain, I wouldn't have known the dungeon's monsters or layout."

"It's nothing," Finn said. "With your strength, Mr. Altair, you'd reach the deep floors in no time even without us. Those monsters pose no threat to you."

He extended an invitation. "Mr. Altair, we're heading to the Guild to cash in today's magic stones for valis. Can you join us? As you can see, our members are wiped out, so I'll need your help exchanging our stones."

"No problem. I've got stones to cash in too. They're all in my spatial pocket—hauling them out now would just be a hassle."

"Much appreciated, Mr. Altair."

Finn and Riveria accompanied Altair to the Guild personally, while the rest of the Loki Familia, under Finn's orders, headed back to their base to recover.

Altair brought Saeko along. The stone division was straightforward: the Loki Familia kept everything from before the 52nd floor, while Altair claimed all drops from the 52nd onward.

After deducting potion and gear costs, the Loki Familia netted about 200 million valis. Altair, however, raked in far more. He kept the cannon dragon's giant stone and sold the rest, pocketing a cool 600 million valis—all pure profit, since neither he nor Saeko had used a single elixir.

His return rate was astronomical—beyond calculation.

At the Guild's entrance, Finn hefted a bulging sack of valis, while Altair casually tossed his into his spatial pocket, hands free.

"Well, Mr. Altair, here's to our next joint expedition," Finn said.

"Next time for sure," Altair replied.

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