After the teasing died down, Tiona turned to Finn. "Captain, are we still going to search for Ais and Mr. Su Mo?"
By now, it was clear that Ais and Su Mo had already defeated the Level 7 floor boss and descended deeper. The only uncertainty was just how deep they had gone. But Finn immediately shook his head. "No. Going any further would be far too dangerous for us." Although the troublesome boss was no longer there, delving any deeper would take them into the fiftieth floor — where Level 5 monsters roamed freely. With their current supplies, advancing further would be too risky, and it wasn't part of their planned expedition either.
More importantly, Ais and Mr. Su Mo were likely far beyond the fifty-first floor by now. Even if they pressed onward, they might never catch up. And with Su Mo's demonstrated Level 7 strength, there was little chance of danger for the two of them. There was no need to risk the entire party for something unnecessary.
"Once everyone's rested, we'll begin our return," Finn declared. The others, understanding his reasoning, nodded in agreement.
As they took a break, Tiona cast a longing gaze toward the entrance to the fiftieth floor. "I'm so jealous of Ais-chan…" she sighed. "We spend ages preparing for expeditions just to reach these floors, but she gets to charge right in with Mr. Su Mo like it's nothing. I wonder how deep they've gone by now… could they already be farther than the deepest level our Loki Familia has ever reached?"
Her innocent words instantly caused the others to freeze in stunned silence.
Everyone's expressions turned complicated. The Loki Familia had always taken great pride in their large-scale expeditions, building their reputation by continuously pushing into the deeper levels of the Dungeon. For them, delving into uncharted depths was a source of glory. But after hearing Tiona's words, an uncomfortable realization began to surface in their hearts.
Had the depths they once believed to be unexplored actually been tread upon long before?
—The path they thought was untouched might have long become a bustling thoroughfare.
If that were true, then the glory they had so proudly carried all this time would lose much of its shine. Perhaps the floors they thought they were conquering for the first time had already been traversed countless times by people like Mr. Su Mo — while they remained blissfully unaware, still congratulating themselves.
Even veterans like Riveria couldn't help but feel somewhat disheartened by the thought. If the floors they reached after so much hard work were nothing more than familiar ground for others, what meaning did their struggle to explore the Dungeon even hold?
Noticing the growing gloom among his companions, Finn quickly stepped forward to rally their spirits. "It's possible that Mr. Su Mo has gone beyond the floors we've reached," he said, his voice firm, "but that doesn't matter!" He looked at everyone seriously. "As adventurers, we explore the Dungeon not only to build our Familia's name but also to challenge the unknown. Whether or not Mr. Su Mo has been there before doesn't change that the deeper floors remain mysterious to us."
"Therefore, don't doubt your efforts. Even if Mr. Su Mo has reached the hundredth floor, it cannot diminish our yearning to challenge the depths ourselves."
His words lifted their spirits. Indeed, even if Su Mo had descended hundreds of floors, the deeper floors were still uncharted territory for them. Why should it matter how far someone else had gone? Each step deeper was still a new accomplishment. With that thought, everyone found their motivation returning.
After resting for about ten minutes, their strength recovered. Seeing this, Finn signaled for them to prepare for the return journey. But just as they began to move, Bete, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. His sharp wolf ears twitched, his vertical pupils narrowing as he gazed towards the passage leading to the fiftieth floor.
"There's movement!" he warned the group.
With the heightened senses of a werewolf, his detection abilities were top-notch. The others immediately went on alert, forming up defensively and focusing their attention on the tunnel ahead. Lefiya, being only Level 3, was kept safely in the center, swallowing nervously as she stared toward the passage.
A few seconds later, the soft whoosh of wind echoed through the cavern like the beating wings of an eagle — loud enough even for ordinary adventurers to hear. Soon after, two figures appeared, descending gracefully from above the tunnel.
With translucent wings of wind carrying them, the pair — a young man and woman with looks as divine as the gods themselves — floated down in perfect harmony. Their elegant descent left many younger adventurers stunned and mesmerized by the sight.
"Are they angels?" whispered Anakitty, one of Loki Familia's second-line members, her cat ears twitching in awe.
"Ah… Miss Ais!" Lefiya instantly recognized the golden-haired girl flying in the air. Yet, even as she identified her, Lefiya couldn't help but be captivated by Ais's delicate, fairy-like figure, made even more ethereal by the shimmering wind wings behind her. Rather than an angel, she looked more like an elegant spirit dancing among flowers.
Beside her was Su Mo. Though Lefiya was reluctant to admit it, his clean, effortless movements and otherworldly appearance made him a perfect match for Ais. Standing together, they looked like a pair of divine beings, their beauty perfectly complementing each other.
Even though Lefiya disliked seeing Ais getting close to another man, in that moment, she had no choice but to admit a bitter truth: They're so perfectly matched that someone like me has no right to object. A deep sense of helplessness washed over her. In her heart, she could only cry out: Miss Ais, my Miss Ais…!
Tears welled up in Lefiya's eyes. Just then, she heard a soft "drip" sound. Wait... did I start crying? Panicking, she quickly wiped her eyes, trying to regain her composure. I must be strong. I need to bless Miss Ais. She checked her face — her eyes were only slightly damp. She hadn't actually shed tears.
Then what was that sound?
Curious, she instinctively glanced toward Bete. At first glance, everything seemed normal. But when her eyes lowered slightly, she noticed faint droplets of moisture on the ground beneath his feet.
Realization struck her instantly.
Turns out, I'm not the most miserable one here.
Even if Ais now had a lover, Lefiya thought, as a fellow girl, she still had opportunities to get close to Ais in other ways. But for Bete — as a man — there was simply no chance anymore. Not that there ever really was, but now that faint glimmer of hope was gone for good.
No wonder the usually sharp-tongued werewolf had fallen silent. Someone was broken. Someone had shed tears. Lefiya knew exactly who it was but wisely chose not to say anything. After one glance, she quickly shifted her focus back to Ais.
Strangely enough, while she had nearly burst into tears earlier, seeing Bete's pitiful state suddenly made her feel much better.
Perhaps human happiness really does come from watching others suffer, she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, Riveria, Finn, and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief upon seeing that it was Ais and Su Mo approaching. Although they knew Su Mo's strength was overwhelming, seeing Ais return unharmed still eased their minds considerably.
"We were just preparing to head back. It's lucky we ran into you two on the way," Finn greeted as he stepped forward.
Riveria, however, couldn't hide the curiosity in her gaze as she looked toward Ais.
"The wings just now—what were they?" Riveria finally asked, unable to hide her curiosity. She didn't recall Ais ever learning any flying magic. But judging by how skillfully Ais had controlled those wind wings, it certainly didn't look like something she had just picked up.
Ais naturally wouldn't ignore Riveria's question. After glancing at Su Mo and receiving a nod of permission, she answered honestly, "It's a technique Su Mo-sensei just taught me."
Riveria was stunned. "Just taught you?" She found it hard to believe that Ais could master flying magic so quickly, and with such control. Even for someone as talented as Ais, that kind of progress in such a short time seemed impossible. Her gaze instinctively shifted to Su Mo—this had to be his doing.
Realizing this, Riveria was completely convinced of Su Mo's extraordinary ability as a teacher. Not only was he overwhelmingly powerful, but he could also impart such complex magic in such a short time. He truly was the perfect instructor. No wonder Ais was so eager to learn from him.
Su Mo, however, simply shook his head at Riveria's look of admiration. "Her flying speed is still too slow, and there are issues with controlling the sound. But for a first attempt, the progress is acceptable."
On the way back, since they weren't in any rush, Su Mo hadn't flown alongside Ais. Instead, he let her control the Wind Wings on her own. Naturally, this resulted in a slower flight, and the wind sounds weren't nearly as muted as when Su Mo himself flew. That was why Bete had detected their presence only after hearing the sound for several seconds. Had Su Mo been flying at his usual supersonic pace, by the time Bete heard the sound, they would have already arrived.
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Enjoy the Bonus..