"Captain."
Leon bowed slightly toward the Pallum Captain, who was watching him with a gentle gaze.
Then, his eyes shifted to the side. Finn was not the only one in the office; two other people were present.
"Miss Riveria, and Elder Gareth—you're here too?"
Standing beside the desk was a beauty with silky emerald hair and eyes of the same hue. Her slender figure gave an impression of grace, though her attire was quite conservative, concealing the curves of her delicate body and her fair skin beneath heavy robes. She exuded an aura of sharp, heroic elegance as she stood there holding a stack of documents.
Riveria Ljos Alf, a member of the high-born Elf royal bloodline and the Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia. Her level—Lv. 6.
Not far from this elven royal, sitting in a single armchair, was a powerfully built old Dwarf. He possessed thick hair and a wide, stout frame, one hand constantly stroking his long beard. He bore the air of a bold and hearty warrior.
Gareth Landrock, an adventurer of Dwarven descent and the vanguard grand warrior of the Loki Familia. His level—Lv. 6.
The three people before him were the famed "Big Three," the heads of the Loki Familia. They were the founding veterans who had joined the Familia at its inception, and they were among the preeminent Lv. 6 adventurers in Orario.
In this Labyrinth City, aside from the sole Lv. 7, Lv. 6 adventurers like them represented the pinnacle of strength.
In all of Orario, there were fewer than forty first-tier adventurers who had reached Lv. 5, and fewer than ten who had reached Lv. 6. These elite few were divided between the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, which was why these two were the strongest factions in Orario, known as the "Twin Kings."
It was because of these Big Three that the Loki Familia had reached its current heights, standing as one of the only two strongest Familias in the city. Compared to them, even Ais, known as the strongest swordswoman in Orario, was merely a fledgling.
As Leon mused on this, the three Familia heads were also observing him.
"Haven't seen you in a while, lad," Gareth said, stroking his beard and grinning as he looked at the young man.
"How have you been in the Familia? Settling in alright?" Riveria asked. Her manner was serious and earnest, her speech carrying an indescribable noble grace.
"I've been doing very well," Leon answered truthfully. "Everyone in the Familia has been very kind to me. I've received a lot of help from them, for which I am deeply grateful."
"That's good then." Riveria's expression softened slightly as she nodded. "Though I didn't think anyone in the Familia would bully you, it's for the best that you are doing well."
"After all, he's the one Ais brought back. Who would bully him?" Gareth laughed heartily. "Most people are probably just intensely curious about the lad. Even those who are envious wouldn't go so far as to mistreat him at home."
At those words, Riveria couldn't help but steal a few more glances at Leon, her eyes filled with scrutiny.
There was no helping it; Ais had essentially been raised by this elven royal. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Riveria her mother. Naturally, Riveria was the person who understood Ais best and knew clearly the burdens the girl carried.
Consequently, when Ais had brought a man back to the Familia a year ago, Riveria had been the most shocked. Throughout the past year, she had kept a constant eye on Leon, wanting to know why this youth had earned the regard of that doll-like girl.
"Looking at you, I assume you've already received the Falna from Loki?" Finn spoke up at the right moment, asking with a smile. "What are your plans next?"
As the Captain of the Familia, Finn had a duty to know the movements of every member. He had also been paying attention to Leon. Firstly, because the boy had been brought back by Ais, which had surprised him at the time. Secondly, despite a year of investigating Leon's background, he had found absolutely nothing, which had given him much food for thought.
The primary reason Leon had been kept as an apprentice member for a year was to observe him—to see if this human of suspicious origins had come to the Loki Familia for some ulterior motive.
Ultimately, after a year of observation, both Loki and Finn were certain that he likely had no hidden agenda; he was simply mysterious in origin. Regarding this, Finn and Loki were quite confident.
Finn, of course, was hailed as the hope and hero of the Pallum race. He believed his own insight was sharp enough that he wouldn't fail to see through a person over the course of an entire year. Thus, he had made the decision to let Leon officially join the Familia.
As for Loki, as a Goddess, the children of the lower world generally could not lie before her; a lie would be seen through instantly. After a year of interaction, if she still couldn't determine if Leon had ulterior motives, she might as well stop living in the lower world and head back to the heavens.
Since both the Goddess and the leader of the Familia had confirmed Leon was fine, the matter was settled. Thus, Leon was able to officially join the Loki Familia and receive the Falna. As for his mysterious origins—as Loki had said—it didn't really matter.
In the Loki Familia, people with unspeakable pasts or origins were, if not countless, certainly not rare. Even Ais herself had a background that couldn't be explained to outsiders, so what did one Leon matter? Neither Loki nor the Big Three were the type to pry into someone's private affairs.
Therefore, as long as they confirmed Leon had no ill intentions and truly wanted to join the Familia and become a member of this large family, it was enough for them.
To be honest, it was this attitude that had given Leon a great deal of comfort, allowing him to gradually develop an inseparable sense of belonging to this Familia over the past year. He was quite grateful to Finn and the others for accepting someone who was homeless and had no idea where to go, giving him a place to stay in this world.
He was just a person of unknown origin with no other special qualities. For such a person to join the Loki Familia, one of the Twin Kings of Orario, was like a stroke of incredible luck falling from the sky. If it weren't for Ais acting as his guarantor, Leon was certain he would never have been able to join such a large Familia.
Now, facing the Captain's inquiry, Leon didn't hesitate and stated the plan he had already formulated.
"I want to go to the Dungeon."
That was it. Now that he had finally obtained the Falna, he naturally had to go to the Dungeon as soon as possible to fight the monsters there and work on increasing his stats to become stronger. For a year, he had watched the powerful adventurers of the Familia occasionally display superhuman strength, and he had long been yearning for it.
Although he had never fought anyone before—let alone a monster—Leon felt only anticipation, not fear. Especially after obtaining magic, he was truly impatient to see what his magic would look like when cast.
"The Dungeon, is it?"
Finn was not surprised by Leon's words. No one who came to this Labyrinth City and chose to become an adventurer after receiving the Falna didn't want to go to the Dungeon.
In that underground world, so different from the surface, there were unprecedented lush plants and mineral resources that could only be collected there. Valuables that were worth a fortune on the surface were commonplace down there. Even the life-threatening monsters produced magic stones and dropped items, attracting countless people to explore.
Wealth, fame, glory, treasure—everything humanity prayed for existed in that world. Driven by this, those possessed by desire became deeply obsessed with it. Even the Gods, in their pursuit of entertainment, gathered here, making it known as the center of the world.
The thoughts of many and the stories triggered by them were constantly born here. Some became a handful of yellow earth, gaining nothing, while others achieved success and fame, becoming great heroes admired and worshiped by millions.
The Loki Familia was also a Familia primarily focused on exploring the Dungeon. The members were all adventurers and understood better than anyone the allure of that underground world. However, they also knew that if one rushed into that world unprepared, it would only lead to tragedy.
"I think you should be more prudent. There's no need to be in such a hurry," Riveria was the first to speak. She looked at Leon with extreme gravity, her tone earnest in its advice. "You've only just received your stats. You aren't much stronger than an ordinary person. Entering the Dungeon like this is very dangerous."
It had been a long time since a Lv. 1 newcomer had appeared in the Familia. The other members were at least Lv. 2 at their lowest. Riveria and the others wouldn't worry too much about them entering the Dungeon; as long as they didn't act too recklessly or attempt things beyond their capabilities, they usually wouldn't stop them.
Once someone reached Lv. 2, they could be called an upper-class adventurer. Those who reached that rank generally knew how to act within their means, and their understanding of the Dungeon was no longer shallow; they knew what should and shouldn't be done. But for a Lv. 1, they had to worry a bit.
After all, Leon had never been to the Dungeon and knew too little about it. Accidents were inevitable. That was what Riveria was worried about.
"I understand," Leon said, knowing what Riveria meant. "Over the past year, I've learned a lot about the Dungeon from the seniors in the Familia and the books in the library. I'm not entirely ignorant."
"I also know I'm still very weak, so I don't plan to go deep. At most, I'll stay within the first few floors."
"I won't say I'm fully prepared, but if I'm just active in the first few floors, I shouldn't encounter any danger I can't handle."
He wanted to become stronger, but he didn't want to go looking for death. Thus, he was quite cautious. Hearing his words, the expressions of the Big Three relaxed considerably.
"Well, if you're only staying in the first few floors, there's indeed no need to worry too much," Gareth glanced at Leon. "Though it sounds a bit spineless, you only have one life. Being cautious is always a good thing. It's not too late to take risks once you've grown stronger."
Clearly, unlike Riveria, Gareth leaned more toward letting the children go out and explore boldly. Of course, the prerequisite was not to act recklessly or seek death—that wasn't called exploring; it was called being stupid.
"In that case, how about I find someone to go with you?" Riveria, being the more prone to worry, proposed with a furrow of her beautiful brow. "With a senior from the Familia accompanying you, it's always safer. It was the same when Ais was Lv. 1."
Back then, the person who accompanied Ais to the Dungeon was none other than Riveria herself. Thinking back, that girl with golden hair and eyes had acted recklessly more than a few times in the Dungeon. If Riveria hadn't been with her, Ais wouldn't have had enough lives to leave behind there. Just thinking about it made Riveria uneasy.
But Leon didn't want that.
"Having a senior accompany me would indeed be reassuring," Leon said with a smile, before shifting his tone. "But requiring an upper-class adventurer to tag along just for the first few floors seems a bit excessive."
"Even though I'm a newcomer and not really qualified to say this, since I've joined this Familia, I can't have people saying I'm too afraid to even go to the Dungeon alone and need a babysitter."
"There are too many people watching the Loki Familia's movements. Gossip spreads easily. So, please allow me to decline and go see the Dungeon by myself."
This was Leon's genuine thought. He truly felt that going for a stroll in the first few floors didn't warrant mobilizing a Familia senior. Furthermore, the Loki Familia was large and famous. If he acted alone, he might not attract too much attention, but if a senior followed him, he would instantly become a focal point.
While he was still weak, Leon was unwilling to be too conspicuous. Loki had said it, right? Orario was never a peaceful place. Joining the Loki Familia meant being involved with many things. If he was too prominent without the ability to protect himself, he would only become a weapon for rival factions to attack the Familia.
Leon didn't want to become the Familia's weakness. At the very least, while he was still weak and unsure of what heights he could reach in the future, he only wanted to keep a low profile.
Riveria and Gareth looked at each other and fell silent. Finn looked at Leon, and seeing the clarity in his eyes, he suddenly smiled.
"That works," Finn said. "Since you already have a plan, go and try it."
"Remember, everything must prioritize your own safety."
Facing Finn's instructions, Leon responded solemnly.
"I will be careful."
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