Over ten hours later, after the sky outside had turned completely black, Allen finally emerged from the Dungeon under Ariel's guidance. He stood beneath Babel, located at the exact center of the Labyrinth City, Orario.
According to legend, this tower existed long before the gods descended. it functioned as a lid for the Dungeon, preventing the monsters and Floor Bosses within from invading the surface world.
However, the white tower today was no longer in its original form. The first generation of gods had accidentally damaged it upon their descent, and it had since been extensively renovated and refined upon its ruined foundation. Now, it stood as the tallest multi-functional structure in the world.
The first floor and the first basement level served as a massive hall where adventurers could come and go freely. From the second and third floors up, the tower transformed into public facilities, while floors four through twenty acted as a commercial district where anyone could rent a storefront to conduct business.
Anything above the twentieth floor was the domain of the gods. The more powerful the Familia, the higher their god tended to reside. Currently, the highest floor was occupied by the Goddess of Beauty and Love, Freya. Her top lieutenant, Ottar, was hailed as "Orario's Ultimate Weapon." He had held the title of the strongest for years and was one of only two Level 7 adventurers in the world.
As Allen looked up, admiring the magnificent and imposing stature of Babel, Ariel finally stretched her arms and let out a long, weary sigh. "Phew… I'm finally back alive! To show my gratitude, let me treat you to a sumptuous dinner."
"Haha, sounds good. But before that, I'd like to visit the Guild to exchange these Magic Stones for Valis. Besides... I'm not a registered adventurer with the Guild, so I'll need your help."
As Allen spoke, he pulled out a large quantity of Magic Stones from the bags carried by the three wolves, all of which were obtained from the Dungeon's Upper Floors. After all, his own bags were filled with massive Magic Stones dropped by monsters from the 40th floor and below. Bringing those out would inevitably cause unnecessary trouble, whereas these smaller shards perfectly suited Ariel's status as a Level 3.
Furthermore, he planned to study what kind of energy these Magic Stones contained and whether he could utilize them himself.
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
The girl patted her ample chest with a confident guarantee, completely unaware that she was being subtly utilized.
With her taking the lead, the trip to the Guild was entirely unimpeded. They easily obtained several bags full of Valis. Allen, well-prepared, used his Nen ability, Fun Fun Cloth, to shrink the bags down to the size of his palm and tossed them into his Onyxia Hide Backpack.
After exchanging the money, Ariel returned briefly to her Familia's headquarters to report to her captain and withdraw some funds. Then, the two headed straight for the largest tavern on the city's West Main Street, the Hostess of Fertility.
Stepping through the door, Allen saw a crowd of adventurers who had spent the day fighting for their lives in the Dungeon. They were gathered here, drinking heartily and sharing tales of their recent exploits. They congregated here not just for food and drink, but for camaraderie and information exchange.
After all, the food and drink here were not cheap. To be a regular customer, one typically had to be at least a Level 2 adventurer. In Orario, more than half of the adventurers remained stuck at Level 1 for their entire lives. This meant that the Hostess of Fertility, beyond providing sustenance, served as a platform for Level 2 and higher adventurers to network.
"There's an empty table over there by the window, let's sit there," Ariel suggested.
"Lead the way!"
Allen followed her lead to the empty table. The moment they sat down, a black-haired Cat Person girl in a maid uniform approached, greeting them with an energetic voice. "Nya~ Welcome! What can I get for you two?"
"Long time no see, Chloe," Ariel said with a smile, clearly recognizing the girl.
The girl named Chloe immediately responded with a grin, "It really has been a while since you last ate here. How is it? As a member of the Ganesha Familia, you must have been very busy lately."
At this, Ariel's face fell as she complained, "Ugh! Don't even get me started. I nearly died in the Dungeon today. Did you know? Udaeus, who was just defeated by the Loki Familia recently, actually respawned early! If I hadn't run into my savior here, you might never have seen me again."
"Nya-nya?! You encountered Udaeus!" Chloe's tail, hidden beneath her skirt, suddenly stood on end, and she couldn't help but shudder.
Not just her, but the surrounding adventurers also ceased their chatter. They turned their gazes toward the pair, ears perked to catch this explosive news.
After all, the 37th-floor boss, Udaeus, was essentially a living nightmare for any adventurer below Level 4. Its massive area-of-effect attacks meant that even a full party could be wiped out during a subjugation attempt.
"Yeah! The guys we hired to help capture monsters all vanished in an instant."
While Ariel felt a deep disgust for the cowards who abandoned her, she didn't truly hate them. In that situation, she likely would have made the same choice. The reason was simple: with that party's composition and average level, they stood no chance of defeating Udaeus. The more people stayed, the more people died. In such a scenario, the best move was to scatter and hope you weren't the unlucky one caught by the Floor Boss.
"Nya~ That's terrifying! Oh, and was the savior you mentioned..."
Chloe glanced out of the corner of her eye at Allen, who was sitting across the table. He was impossibly handsome and currently focused intently on the menu.
Ariel nodded without hesitation. "Exactly! It was him! Bring out all your signature dishes today. Also, prepare enough meat for those three wolves; they're my saviors too."
"Understood, nya~"
Chloe immediately trotted to the back to have the kitchen prepare a feast. Meanwhile, the adventurers in the tavern stared at Allen and his three giant silver wolves with strange looks, whispering amongst themselves about which god's Familia he belonged to and why they had never heard of him.
Anyone capable of entering the 37th floor and successfully subjugating a boss like Udaeus was, without exception, a celebrity in the Labyrinth City. Furthermore, Allen's attire, physique, and looks were incredibly striking. If the Guild had ever issued a public notice about him, people would surely remember, rather than everyone being completely clueless about his identity.
As for the news being fake... they didn't think a titled Level 3 adventurer like Ariel would lie about something like this.