In the fairly spacious office, all of the Loki Familia's current First Class Adventurers had gathered together, assembling before the goddess and the top executives, listening attentively to their words.
"First of all, congratulations to everyone on leveling up."
Finn did not carry the same severity and coldness he had shown during the expedition—it was as though he had taken off the mask of a captain, smiling gently and warmly.
"Although Ais was one step ahead, the rest of you also achieved great feats during this expedition and successfully stepped into a new level—and that is truly something to celebrate."
"Not only us executives, but the second strings have also leveled up. Some discovered new magic and skills, and even those who did not level up still saw considerable improvements in their status, which proves that our familia has grown much stronger than before."
"Even if we have not yet caught up to the familias of Zeus and Hera, we are indeed getting closer to them."
"I believe that as long as we continue to strive without rest, one day the Loki Familia will surely become a true Orario's strongest familia, not inferior to those two millennium-old familias."
Finn encouraged everyone and affirmed the effort that had brought them this far, making it difficult for anyone to hide their happiness as smiles appeared across their faces.
Even Bete's lips curved slightly upward, Tione was so excited that her cheeks flushed, and Raul was so moved that his eyes grew moist, leaving Anakitty beside him looking somewhat stunned.
"Now then, without delay, let's move on to the main topic." Finn shifted his tone and turned his gaze toward Raul and Anakitty. "The first matter we need to discuss today concerns the two of you."
Raul immediately straightened his back, and even Anakitty lowered her crossed arms and became serious.
"Level 5 is an entirely different stage."
Finn's voice slowly rang out.
"As everyone knows, there is a towering wall between Level 1 Low Class Adventurers and Level 2 and above High Class Adventurers. More than half of Orario's adventurers are only Level 1 Low Class Adventurers, and the remaining half are High Class Adventurers. So, between Level 1 and Level 2 lies a huge boundary that completely separates Low Class Adventurers from High Class Adventurers."
"And from Level 2 upward, there is another wall between the Third Class Adventurers and the Second Class Adventurers, made up of Level 3 and Level 4."
"Finally, there is the wall between Second Class Adventurers and First Class Adventurers—and this wall is even higher, thicker, and more formidable."
"In the entirety of Orario, there are fewer than forty First-Class Adventurers, and that alone shows how narrow this gate is. To reach this position, both exceptional ability and natural talent are indispensable."
"And the fact that you have crossed into this realm proves that you possess talents and achievements worthy of being remembered. I hope that from now on, you will be more confident in yourselves and firmly believe that you are absolutely not ordinary, mediocre people."
At these words, setting Anakitty aside, Raul finally could not hold back and shed tears of joy.
For him, Finn's words were undoubtedly the greatest affirmation he could receive.
Seeing Raul like this, it went without saying how the others felt.
"Congrats."
Riezel, who had gone with Raul to the Entertainment District and knew the pain buried in Raul's heart, patted him on the shoulder and spoke with a smile.
"I told you that you could do it, right?"
Hearing this, Raul was already so moved that he could not speak.
At last, the familia senior who had once been so insecure in front of Riezel had stepped into the realm he had long dreamed of after this expedition.
With this, the inferiority in his heart would probably ease a little.
Thinking this way, Riezel felt even more strongly that what he had done on the 59th Floor had been the right choice.
In the original story, after the subjugation of the Demi Spirit, only Bete, Tiona, and Tione had leveled up, while the rest, including Raul, had remained where they were.
But after Riezel's involvement, Finn's group leveled up, and Raul and Anakitty also leveled up, causing the Loki Familia's overall strength to increase dramatically, which was truly worth celebrating.
Finn also looked at Raul and Anakitty with gentle eyes, then spoke to them about the matter.
"Normally, since you have both become First-Class Adventurers, you should, like Riezel before you, immediately join the ranks of the familia executive. However, after discussing it with Riveria and Gareth, we have decided to temporarily hold off on your executive positions and have you continue to serve as the leaders of the familia's second strings and the regular members."
"Well, what I'm sayin' is, the so-called middle layer," Gareth cut in, picking up where Finn left off. "There's kinda this gap between us executives and the regular members. Some stuff just isn't that easy to explain perfectly to those young'uns down below."
"But you are different. You have always been leading the members outside of the executive, and in a certain sense, they may trust you more," Riveria added calmly. "So we hope that you can gently connect both sides, taking into account the opinions of those above and those below—and that is our expectation of you."
"Hmm, that's kinda a heavy responsibility, y'know?" Loki, who'd been drinking, finally cut in and laughed. "You'll be guiding way more people than the executive ever does. But this is something only you two can handle. I mean, Riezel only became a First-Class Adventurer not that long ago, just like you. There's no way he could pull something like this off."
Mocked by Loki, Riezel could not help but roll his eyes, but he did not offer any rebuttal, nor did he show the slightest displeasure.
It was true that he was not particularly close to the regular members outside the executive.
It couldn't be helped.
From the beginning, he had entered the familia executive's field of view and had been drawn into the circle of First Class Adventurers, rarely interacting with the regular members.
If he were tasked with guiding the regular members, he was indeed less suitable than Raul and Anakitty, who had close ties with the second strings and the members below them, and who were therefore highly trusted among the members below the executives.
In this respect, even Ais, Bete, Tiona, and Tione could not match Raul and Anakitty.
Therefore, when Riezel became a First-Class Adventurer, Finn and the others promoted him to executive directly without hesitation, allowing him to integrate into the executive circle fully.
As for Raul and Anakitty, the two of them could likely serve more effectively in a place that suited them better.
"Of course, this is only our one-sided idea," Finn said with a nod. "If you are unwilling, you can raise your objections here."
In response, Raul and Anakitty agreed without hesitation.
"Since all the familia leaders agreed on this, I guess this is the best call."
Anakitty nodded and stated with great calm.
"I-I think it's fine too!" Raul said timidly. "I mean... wanting to stand on equal footing with everyone here is still way too soon for someone like me..."
Hearing this, everyone gave wry smiles.
"Thank you for your understanding."
"As long as you're cool with it, that's good enough."
Riveria spoke with a smile, Gareth following right after her.
"Then it's settled," Finn concluded with a relieved smile. "Raul and Aki's executive positions will be temporarily reserved, and from now on, you will continue to be responsible for leading the second strings and the regular members."
""Yes!""
Raul and Anakitty raised their voices in response.
"Next is the second matter... which relates to the expedition..."
Finn continued, his expression turning serious.
Even though this expedition to the yet-unexplored 59th Floor appeared, on the surface, to have ended with everyone satisfied, certain troubles would still arise after this expedition.
"In this expedition, speaking purely in terms of economic returns, our familia has suffered a significant loss."
Finn spoke to everyone solemnly.
"Before the expedition, to deal with the caterpillar monsters that appeared below the 50th Floor, we ordered a large number of magic swords and also commissioned Durandal attribute weapons for multiple executives, which consumed a large portion of the familia's savings."
"If Riezel and Ais had not brought back some special rewards to fill part of the financial gap, the operation of our familia might already have entered a state of stagnation."
"On top of that, we invited high-ranking blacksmiths from the Hephaestus Familia to accompany us on this expedition, and the condition they set was that all drop items from the Deep Floors would be handed over to them."
"In other words, our only spoils this time were the magic stones collected during the expedition. Recovering the enormous cost of this expedition will likely be impossible."
As soon as Finn's words ended, Gareth took over.
"For a while, our familia's cash flow is gonna be way tighter. Until we get that missing money back, we probably won't be able to go on any expeditions."
After Gareth finished, Riveria continued.
"Needless to say, there will likely be no more expeditions for a while. Even routine exploration will have to rely on you earning the necessary funds yourselves. If the familia receives any adventurer quests, we may need you to step in and help raise operating funds for the familia."
"You better not say no, got it?" Loki's smile finally disappeared, and she spoke with a bitter laugh. "I already blew through my little stash, too. I'm not gonna be able to buy booze for a long while, so you better hustle and make that money back fast, or I'm seriously gonna die from holding in my urge to drink."
Hearing her words, everyone could not help but complain.
"You should just quit drinking already, Loki."
"Yeah, honestly, this is kinda the perfect chance."
"Hmph. Just give up the booze already."
"...Mm."
Tiona, Tione, Bete, and even Ais all spoke up one after another.
"I won't!" Loki stuck her neck out and shouted. "Quitting drinking? Impossible! Ain't no way I'm quittin' in this lifetime!"
Hearing this, Riezel immediately abandoned the idea of finding a way to support the familia financially. If he helped cover the missing funds, this trashy goddess would definitely take the money to buy liquor right away.
'It's better to bring this up quietly with the captain later.'
Riezel thought to himself.
Soon enough, the final matter finally came up as Finn spoke again.
"...About the Demi Spirit and the multicolored monsters that appeared on the 59th Floor, I'm sure everyone has many questions, right?"
He restrained all expression and swept his gaze across everyone.
"Here, I will tell you all the reasons behind it."
Finn's single sentence made Ais hold her breath, while the others tensed up, causing the atmosphere they gave off to become completely different from before.
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