In the desolate and uninhabited safe floor, beneath a rocky wall, Loki Familia's expedition party gathered.
Some were packing their meager belongings, others were tending to the injured, a few were running back and forth, and some occasionally glanced into the distance, their faces revealing a lingering anxiety.
In the direction they frequently glanced at, a massive crater, seemingly struck by a meteor, lay there.
The crater emitted black smoke, a foul odor, and some purple liquid dripping and flowing, continuously corroding and dissolving the surroundings, enlarging the crater.
This was the aftermath of the explosive demise of the female-like worm monster. When its entire body was pierced, it self-destructed. A significant amount of corrosive acid sprayed from its body, ultimately leaving behind a crater on the 50th Floor, resembling a volcanic vent or a meteor crater.
Just the thought of that moment sent shivers down everyone's spine. As a result, their grateful and respectful gazes were directed toward a figure in another direction.
Riezel sat there, surrounded by numerous familia's members.
"Here, take this; it's water."
"Here, use this; it's an elixir."
"No, I heard Mr. Riezel has Healing Power and Spirit Healing development abilities, so stamina recovery potion and mind recovery potion are completely useless."
"Then just drink water!"
"No, eat something!"
"Please use it, Mr. Riezel!"
The members of the familia argued one after another, offering items to Riezel in succession, which he found somewhat overwhelming.
"Everyone, you don't have to be so polite. You're all my seniors; there's no need for this, okay..." Riezel helplessly uttered these words.
After defeating the female-like worm monster, Riezel, upon returning, received polite and warm treatment from everyone. This made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. He could only lower his posture and gesture to the others.
Unexpectedly, the lower his posture, the more enthusiastic their attitude and the more respectful their gazes.
"Don't worry about such things, Mr. Riezel."
"Yeah, while seniority is important, strength matters more. You're already the familia backbone comparable to an executive. It's only natural for us to respect you."
"Rather, even though we're a senior, being surpassed by you, we should feel embarrassed, no?"
"Yeah, don't mind us, and take a good rest. You were on the verge of collapsing when you just got back, y'know."
The members spoke one after another, completely ignoring Riezel's words and instead praising him even more. This left him unsure of how to react, so he could only cast a pleading glance at some familiar faces.
Unfortunately, that didn't change anything; instead, the scene became even more lively.
"I think you should just accept your fate, y'know?" Tione stood to the side, wearing a smirk that seemed to revel in other people's misfortune as she looked at him.
"Who made you perform so well, Riezel?!" Tiona bounced over, happily wrapping her arms around his arm. "You were just like a hero a moment ago!"
"Umu, umu!"
Lefiya nodded repeatedly, her eyes and expressions surpassing those of the surrounding members. It left no doubt that if it weren't for her somewhat reserved personality, this elf would have come forward to show concern like the rest, probably even more excessive.
Even Ais approached, casting a brief glance at his face before speaking.
"You should take a good rest for a while; otherwise, you might not be able to move later."
As someone with plenty of experience, she was well aware of his current condition. He had overloaded his magic usage, putting a significant strain on his entire body, just like during the last Crocodile Dragon incident.
With the protection of 'Ariel' and 'Raumure', Riezel wasn't injured and didn't need healing. The consumed stamina and mind were being replenished by his 'Healing Power' and 'Spirit Healing', so his condition wasn't as dire as others might think.
The only issue was that he had once again unleashed the maximum output of 'Ariel', bearing a huge burden. Right now, he probably felt aching all over his body, nearly collapsing from exhaustion as others believed.
Apart from having a good rest, there was no need for any other solution.
Therefore, Ais made that suggestion.
"I know..." Riezel naturally understood his current state and nodded. "Just give me ten minutes; I'll sit for a while."
His words earned him the concern of those around him.
"Do you really not need water?"
"What about food?"
"Don't you want a potion?"
"Should we help with some massage?"
The genuine concern from everyone made him smile wryly.
For a moment, in the corner where Riezel was, various noisy voices rose and fell, never quiet down.
"For fuck's sake, these morons need to shut the hell up. If any more of those disgusting monsters show up, let's see how they deal with it." Bete stood atop a tree, observing the scene where Riezel was, muttering with a hint of displeasure, then turned his head to stay vigilant all around.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, who were chatting with each other, were also drawn to the commotion. They glanced over and exchanged a smile.
"That boy is now the hero of the familia, huh..." Gareth remarked, and whether it was out of irritation or amusement, he shook his head.
"There's nothing wrong with that..." Riveria said calmly, closing one eye. "With Riezel's performance, not having this treatment would be strange."
"Heh, even Aki is getting in on this, that's really something, alright." Finn chuckled and added a comment.
Upon closer inspection, the catgirl indeed mingled among the crowd around Riezel, taking the opportunity to hand over a towel to him. However, as he was surrounded by many, he seemed oblivious and appeared somewhat helpless.
Anakitty seemed a bit disappointed by this.
Her behavior made Raul, standing nearby, wear a face as if he'd seen a ghost, completely dumbfounded.
Gareth, observing this, was surprised.
"That girl, never thought she'd have such an initiative. That boy really has some talent, eh..."
As Loki Familia's second-string group's leading figure, Anakitty's past performances were much better than Raul's.
Although Raul was also favored by the higher-ups in the familia, this youth had some personality issues. Not only was he not good at dealing with sudden occurrences, but he was sometimes overly timid and scared of trouble, causing quite a bit of concern.
Anakitty, on the other hand, was different.
Outstanding in every aspect, calm and composed, with exceptional courage, she had always supported the first-class adventurers in the familia from the rear. Not only did she have considerable fame and popularity within the familia, but various gods also looked favorably upon her.
Due to her calm demeanor, various gods even privately referred to Anakitty as 'Lady Cat'.
Anakitty also earned 'Alchat' as her alias, an alias that instantly enamored various gods. She was a high-born cat person with a captivating blend of beauty and an icy yet fiery nature, possessing both looks and elegance.
Now, the Lady Cat whom various goddesses envied was making such a behavior. No wonder Gareth was surprised, and no wonder Raul was dumbfounded.
"It seems it's not just about strength and personality. Riezel and Ais are also competing in popularity with the opposite sex, fufufu..." Riveria laughed.
"The more outstanding he is, the less pressure we'll have in the future... That's a good thing, no?"
Finn remarked and turned his attention back to the main topic, after glancing at Riezel for a moment.
"Seeing Riezel like that, there shouldn't be any major problems. But what about the other members?"
At Finn's question, Riveria and Gareth spoke in succession.
"We've already checked. Although many are injured, and quite a few were affected by that corrosive liquid, luckily, they all received timely treatment, and it's currently not life-threatening."
"Yeah, with a little rest, they should be able to continue moving."
Their answers made Finn nod with relief.
"If that's the case, then let's inform everyone and get ready to return."
While Riveria and Gareth understood Finn's decision, they also felt a bit helpless.
"What a disgrace, we didn't even make it to the 58th Floor this time..." Gareth sighed.
"There's no other way when facing something unexpected like this, we'll just have to leave it for next time..." Riveria gazed at the corroded crater, speaking as if lost in thought. "Where on earth did these monsters come from...? We still haven't figured that out..."
The sudden appearance of new species of monsters caught the expedition party off guard.
"They're all strengthened species, not just a few, but plenty of them..." Gareth said solemnly. "Given this situation, there's no guarantee we won't run into them again next time."
"Then let's be prepared..." Finn said calmly. "We lagged behind this time, but we can't allow this to happen again."
"Guhahaha, obviously!" Gareth laughed.
All three of them were Level 6 experts. If it weren't for being unprepared this time and hindered by that corrosive acid, it would be impossible for them to end up as mere spectators and leave everything to their juniors.
Not to mention Finn's group, even Bete, Tiona, Tione, and others were all holding back their frustration.
When the order from the captain was given, despite feeling unwilling, everyone could only accept it and start the journey back.
About half an hour later, all members of Loki Familia's expedition party arrived at the entrance to the 49th Floor, officially beginning the journey back.
Riezel, who was at the back, took a last look at the 50th Floor.
'The expedition is over, huh...'
In his heart, an inexplicable feeling of emotion was growing. For two weeks, his first expedition ended with a fierce battle.
'Not bad.'
Riezel suddenly smiled, not feeling regret in his heart.
Having defeated that female-like worm monster and engaged in a deadly battle with such a creature, he naturally gained a massive amount of high-rank excelia.
'Going back this time, I should be able to reach Level 5, right?'
With such expectations, Riezel set out on his journey home.
The 50th Floor soon returned to its state of obscurity, sinking into silence once again.