Chapter 340 - Ais's missing?
After shouting, Tiona broke from the Loki Familia's group, bounding to Mahiro's side and wrapping his arm in a warm, familiar hug.
"Ugh, bad luck!" Bete grumbled, his perpetually sour face darkening at the sight of Mahiro.
The memory of his defeat at Mahiro's hands, though a week old, still stung, souring his mood further.
The others greeted Mahiro with smiles.
"So happy to run into you here, Mahiro!" Tiona said, her grin radiant with sincerity.
"When did you get back?" Mahiro asked, returning her smile.
He was accustomed to Tiona's bold, enthusiastic nature, fostering a fondness for the Amazon.
"Last night," Tiona replied.
"You're the talk of Orario, Mahiro," Finn said, stepping forward with a smile.
"When we returned, our Familia was buzzing about you."
"Caused me some trouble," Mahiro said, shrugging. "Got chased by goddesses all afternoon yesterday. Didn't stop until evening."
"Haha, heard about that!" Gareth, the dwarf, roared with laughter.
"With your talent, no surprise the gods are after you."
"Heard your goddess spilled your status at the Denatus," Bete said, his tone sharp with irritation, masking his curiosity.
"Loki won't say a peep about it. What's so special about your status to cause that uproar?"
No doubt, Mahiro's status was exceptionally rare and potent—enough to drive the gods wild.
The Guild's gag order on the Denatus details only fueled speculation.
"Enough, Bete," Riveria said, her voice carrying a mild rebuke.
"Loki's already pushing the Guild's limits by leaking that much. We're not entitled to more."
She implied Loki had shared most Denatus events, including the Guild's ban, but kept Mahiro's status specifics under wraps.
"Tch! What's the big deal?" Bete muttered.
"It's already out to those nosy gods. Hiding it's pointless."
To Bete, adventurers' curiosity paled compared to the gods'.
They were too busy honing skills and delving into the Dungeon to obsess over gossip.
He didn't grasp the Guild's intent: Mahiro's skills, like Infinite Magic and Greedy Heart, could shatter adventurers' morale.
Greedy Heart alone was a cheat-like ability, rendering years of effort trivial against Mahiro's three-day rank-up.
"Anyway, how was your expedition?" Mahiro asked, steering away from his status.
His focus was on the War Game, so he shifted topics.
The Loki Familia's faces grew uneasy.
"Failed," Finn said, his smile wry. "We only reached the 58th floor, no deeper."
"Didn't you hit the 58th floor last time?" Mahiro asked.
Tiona nodded. "That's right."
Each expedition was meticulously planned, and this time was no exception.
The Loki Familia, stronger than their last record-setting venture, should've surpassed it with their experience and preparation.
"We ran into a new monster type that melted our weapons," Finn explained. "We had to retreat."
"Sounds like you still gained something," Mahiro said, smiling.
"If we'd had spare weapons, we could've reached the 59th floor," Tiona said, frustrated.
"Isn't the thrill of adventuring about facing new challenges?" Mahiro said.
"Thanks for the sentiment, Mahiro," Finn said, chuckling.
"Where's Ais?" Mahiro asked, noting her absence among the Loki Familia's first-class adventurers at the Guild.
As their golden child, her survival wasn't in question, but her absence was odd.
"She hasn't sought you out?" Riveria asked, her expression complex as she glanced at him.
"We're actually looking for her," Tiona said.
"We planned to rest on the 18th floor, but Ais' situation forced us to rush back overnight."
"What happened?" Mahiro asked, intrigued.
Riveria sighed, explaining.
During the expedition, their weapons, including Ais', were damaged by the new monsters.
Ais went to earn valis by grinding monsters on a lower floor, where she clashed with an Ishtar Familia member.
Though the skirmish didn't escalate, the Ishtar Familia later accused Ais of poaching one of their members.
---
Read 20 Chapters In Advance:
patreon.com/heavenlydawn