Chapter 24: Lain's Commission and Updating the [Status]

Seeing Ryota remain silent, Lain quickly spoke again:

"Senior… if twenty thousand isn't enough, I can also…"

Before he even finished speaking,

he had already drawn the sword at his waist,

holding it reverently with both hands and presenting it to Ryota.

"This is a Mithril Longsword, an heirloom from my family. It's worth about ten thousand Valis on the market…"

"Please, you must help us!"

The air seemed to grow heavy in that instant.

Lota and Lia nervously clenched their fists, cautiously watching Ryota, as if a single "no" from him would shatter their last hope.

For adventurers, being unable to enter the Dungeon was essentially losing their means to survive.

However, Ryota just chuckled lightly and waved his hand dismissively:

"Alright, alright, put your sword away."

He looked at Lain,

"I'll accept your commission."

"Didn't you say it yourself? It's just a single piece of Orc Hide."

"But… I won't accept a single Valis less than promised!"

Just these few simple words made the trio's eyes turn red with emotion.

This kind of strength combined with humility was something they hadn't encountered for a long, long time in this harsh Dungeon city.

Lain, Lota, and Lia deeply bowed toward Ryota:

"Thank you so much, Senior!"

"We truly appreciate it!"

Ryota smiled faintly. To him, it wasn't really a big deal.

He'd eventually head down to floors 10-12 anyway. If he could earn money and complete a quest at the same time, why wouldn't he do it?

Just as he was about to leave, Lain suddenly seemed to recall something, scratching his head awkwardly:

"Um, Senior… Could you please tell us your name and Familia?"

"When submitting a designated commission at the Guild, we need to register your information."

Hearing this, Ryota nodded in understanding:

"My name is Ryota, a newcomer who just joined the Loki Familia."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Without further ado, he turned around, adjusting the heavy bag of Valis on his back, and walked toward Twilight Manor.

Behind him, Lain and his two teammates froze for several seconds.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

"Oh no… I think we're doomed…"

Behind Lain, Lia's face went pale with despair.

"We're from the Freya Familia, and he's from the Loki Familia. How could he possibly help us?"

Hearing this, Lain's expression also turned grim, but he still tried to reassure her:

"Senior probably… probably won't mind. We're just low-ranking members on the outskirts, after all."

Lota and Lia exchanged blank, uncertain glances, their eyes full of worry.

…

After parting ways with Lain's group, Ryota returned to Twilight Manor.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, the familiar aroma of stew filled his senses.

Instinctively looking up, he noticed a slender, graceful elf girl standing in the center of the courtyard, softly murmuring something, as though repeatedly practicing some sort of magical chant.

Lefiya gently traced intricate runes in the air, her expression deeply focused.

Sensing Ryota's presence, Lefiya paused her movements, turned toward him, her pointed elf ears twitching slightly as she greeted him warmly:

"Welcome home, Mr. Ryota."

"Did today's Dungeon exploration go smoothly?"

Ryota nodded with a smile:

"Pretty well."

Lefiya suddenly blinked curiously, her attention drawn to the bulging, almost distorted bag on Ryota's back.

"Huh? Mr. Ryota, is that…"

"Did you buy lots of tasty food?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, tinged with excitement and anticipation.

"Not food. It's all Valis."

Lefiya: "???"

A long string of question marks immediately appeared above the elf girl's head.

Va—Valis?!

That bag was nearly as big as a sack of rice, and it was filled entirely with money?!

"Where's Lady Loki?" Ryota asked.

Snapping out of her daze, Lefiya quickly pointed upstairs:

"She should be in the lounge on the second floor."

Ryota thanked her and headed upstairs.

The moment he stepped onto the second floor, a strong scent of alcohol greeted him:

"Is she drinking again?"

Following the pungent aroma, he quickly found a slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway.

He was about to knock when the door opened with a soft "click."

Standing before him was Riveria, who gently held the doorframe, her emerald eyes filled with warmth:

"Come in."

"Loki's been waiting for you."

Entering the room, Ryota immediately noticed two other figures.

Finn and Gareth.

They seemed to be reviewing something carefully, the table scattered with detailed mission logs, Dungeon maps, and various intelligence reports.

On the opposite side of the table, Loki sprawled lazily in her chair, appearing extremely sleepy.

But the moment Ryota stepped in, her half-lidded eyes sparkled back to life:

"Oh~ here he is, finally!"

Loki jumped up energetically from her chair, smiling and waving cheerfully.

"Good work today, kid! Here to update your status?"

Ryota politely nodded toward Finn and Gareth as a greeting.

Then, placing his heavy bag of Valis on the floor, he turned back toward Loki:

"Yes, Lady Loki. Today's exploration is finished, so I've come to update my status."

"Hehe~"

Loki rubbed her hands eagerly, like a child who'd waited impatiently for this moment.

"Come on, hurry up! Shirt off, lie down!"

Although her phrasing was a bit odd, Ryota had gradually gotten used to Loki's eccentric personality.

He skillfully removed his shirt, turned his back toward Loki, and lay down comfortably.

Taking the silver needle handed to her by Riveria, Loki pricked her finger lightly, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto Ryota's back.

Quickly, the intricate script of Ryota's Falna emerged.

However, at that moment, Loki's cheerful expression abruptly froze.

She blinked repeatedly, leaning forward to peer closely at the updated information appearing before her.

After several seconds of stunned silence, she finally managed to squeeze out a single, incredulous sentence from between clenched teeth:

"Huh? What in the world is this?"