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Chapter 70: A Favor Owed
"I..."
Lefiya glanced at the book emitting a soft glow, then at Ais, who had remained silent beside her.
Without the slightest hesitation, she picked up the book and walked over to Ais.
"Miss Ais, this... please use it. I'm only Lv. 3 and still in the growth phase. Using it would be a waste."
"Lefiya..." Ais looked at her in surprise, appearing somewhat at a loss.
She wanted it.
She desired to become stronger more than anyone.
But she also knew how precious this book capable of directly increasing stats was. For any adventurer, it was a supreme treasure they could only dream of.
Seeing Ais's hesitation, Riveria smiled and spoke up. "Ais, accept it. It's a token of Lefiya's feelings. At worst, if we get another Adventurer's Experience Book in the future, just return one to Lefiya."
She paused, then continued in a joking tone, "Come to think of it, even I, your magic teacher, don't get this kind of treatment from you, Ais. I'm actually a little jealous."
This remark made Lefiya instantly flustered, her small face flushing red.
She was just following her heart's choice to help the person she admired most. But towards Riveria, the Elf princess and teacher who was like a mother to her, she held heartfelt respect. Being teased like this, she almost cried.
Seeing this, Riveria reached out gently, patted her head, and smiled. "You did the right thing. Don't overthink it."
Only then did Ais solemnly accept the book, whispering to Lefiya, "Thank you, Lefiya."
She used the Adventurer's Experience Book on the spot. The book turned into countless green specks of light, merging into her body.
"Come, come, Ais! Come over here with me to update your status!"
Loki couldn't wait and dragged Ais to a secluded corner.
Soon, she ran back with an uncontrollably excited expression, shouting in surprise, "The effect is real! It's real! Ais's Strength and Agility both increased by over twenty points. That's over fifty points total!"
"Over fifty points..." Hearing this, Finn couldn't help but smile bitterly.
For a First-Class Adventurer like Ais who had long been stuck in a bottleneck, what did over fifty stat points mean?
It meant that a month of bitter fighting in the Deep Floors of the Dungeon might not yield such a large improvement.
And now, just a single book had accomplished all this in an instant.
The value of this book was immeasurable.
"It seems we owe a huge favor," Finn sighed softly.
This favor was too big.
According to Lefiya, she hadn't contributed many Magic Stones, and she had only cast one spell during the battle. In fact, if Aiden hadn't saved her, she would have been dead or seriously injured.
Under these circumstances, the Focalors Familia still gave her the most precious Adventurer's Experience Book.
The Loki Familia had gained a massive advantage this time.
"I reckon that kid has a thing for our Lefiya. Otherwise, how could he give away such a good item without blinking?"
Loki started pitching terrible ideas again. She winked at Lefiya and said, "Lefiya, why don't you just offer yourself to him and drag that kid into our Familia? I'll have Riveria officiate the wedding."
In front of so many companions, Lefiya's face exploded into a blush, as if steam were rising from her head.
Riveria, exasperated, took her staff and lightly tapped the end of it on Loki's head, telling her to stop spouting nonsense.
"Lefiya. Let's find a chance. Go together. To thank him."
The silent Ais walked to Lefiya's side and spoke in a very quiet but firm voice.
"Mm!" Lefiya nodded vigorously.
Even if Ais hadn't said it, she would have gone for sure.
Not just for this precious book, but because Aiden had saved her in the instance earlier.
Regardless, this gratitude had to be conveyed in person.
"It's just a favor, small stuff."
Loki held the back of her head nonchalantly. "When the next Denatus comes around, I'll help that kid fight for a better title. Won't that call it even?"
"That works," Finn nodded.
He knew the bad taste of those gods. The titles they gave rookie adventurers were mostly enough to make one vomit blood from depression.
If Loki could step in and secure a resounding title for Aiden, it would count as a decent thank-you gift.
Then, Finn turned his gaze to Raul Nord in the group.
"Raul."
"Yes, Captain!" Raul straightened up immediately.
"Starting tomorrow, you will lead a team into the Dungeon every day to patrol various floors, looking for new Domain Instances that might appear. I will also organize several other teams specifically responsible for raiding instances."
Raul's face fell instantly, his whole body exuding an aura of despair.
Running around the Dungeon like a headless fly every day, searching for a vortex that he didn't know would appear or where it would appear? This was definitely not a good job.
Although it wasn't particularly dangerous, just thinking about it was exhausting.
But this was the Captain's order. He could only hang his head miserably and respond weakly, "Yes... Captain..."
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In the cavern on the 13th Floor, the aftershocks of battle gradually subsided.
Hyacine carefully collected the "Shimmering Nectar" into a special container, her face beaming with the joy of the harvest.
After virtually "sweeping" the Whopperflowers on this floor, not only had they accumulated a large amount of precious materials, but their four-person coordination had also improved significantly through repeated skirmishes with these cunning monsters.
"Let's go. To the next floor," Aiden instructed, wiping the mucus off his blade.
They proceeded down a deep, sloping path. Soon, the humidity in the air began to drop, replaced by a dry scent mixed with dust and rock powder.
The environment of the 14th Floor was starkly different from the Cave Labyrinth of the 13th. It was more open here, with massive rock pillars supporting a soaring dome, resembling an abandoned underground temple.
Not long after stepping into this area, they encountered new enemies.
Aside from the familiar faces like Hellhounds and Almiraj, some Kairagi that were occasionally seen on the Upper Floors had become common monsters here.
These humanoid monsters, dressed in tattered samurai armor and wielding dual blades, seemed even more berserk here, the flames on their blades burning more vigorously.
But the real threat came from the "new faces" the Dungeon had prepared for them.
Rounding a corner past a rock pillar, they unexpectedly ran into three monsters they had never seen before.
They were creatures nearly two meters tall, resembling apes in appearance.
They walked upright, their bodies covered in gray-brown skin as hard as rock. Their backs and arms, in particular, showed distinct signs of crystallization.
Their faces were savage, and primitive ferocity flashed in their muddy eyes.
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