Fine wine, especially one brewed by gods that she hadn't tasted yet, for Loki, could be said to be the thing she was most interested in, besides the children of her Familia and beautiful girls.
Upon learning that the Divine Wine was given to her by Zephyr through Lefiya. Loki felt nothing but disbelief at this moment. It looked like a very ordinary thank-you gift, but it embodied so much.
Zephyr's mind was even more delicate than she had imagined. After a simple contact, he could quickly figure out her preferences, and most importantly, he knew how to be grateful for something she considered a trivial matter.
He really is a sensible child.
Loki shook her head, thinking of what Zephyr had done tonight—willing to choose to confront his former Familia with his own strength for the sake of his friend.
The talent Zephyr had shown, which made even gods marvel, would make her regret for who knows how long if she missed out on him.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the slightly airheaded elf in front of her.
She actually wanted to say—you have good luck in making friends, but thinking of Lefiya's equally delicate heart, she chose to let it go.
She said, "Lefiya, I want to invite Zephyr to join the Loki Familia. You are his friend, can you help me convey this invitation?"
Upon hearing Loki make such an extremely solemn request, Lefiya was caught off guard.
She asked, "Loki-sama... are you serious?"
"Do you think I'd joke about something like this?"
Sitting on the sofa, Loki poured herself some Divine Wine into a goblet. She gazed at the clear yellow liquid, her explanation filled with unusual patience.
"Lefiya, what do you think is most important for an Adventurer?"
She didn't wait for Lefiya's answer and continued on her own, "Many people think it's talent. But in this world, talent is the least scarce thing. On the contrary, those rare and precious qualities are often more important than talent."
At this point, Loki took a gulp of her drink, savoring the ultimate taste sensation the Divine Wine brought, causing her to narrow her eyes.
"Zephyr has achieved all of them. If it were you, Lefiya, would you be able to entrust your back to Zephyr without worry when exploring the Dungeon and encountering danger?"
Lefiya nodded.
Even when facing an attack from an Infant Dragon in the Dungeon, whenever she thought of Zephyr's figure, she felt especially at ease.
Furthermore, inviting Zephyr to the Loki Familia...
Wasn't this a symbol of being able to continue fighting side-by-side with a familiar partner without reducing contact due to Familia affiliation issues?
Just thinking about this filled Lefiya's heart with anticipation. Therefore, faced with the request from Loki, she did not directly refuse, but she didn't make any promises either, as she needed to consider Zephyr's thoughts.
"I will go ask for Zephyr's opinion. If he agrees, I would be very much looking forward to continuing to explore the Dungeon side-by-side with him as a fellow Familia member."
Lefiya inexplicably thought of Lili, that girl who wore a cloak and followed quietly behind Zephyr. Perhaps she needed to do something.
After realizing this, Lefiya asked, "Loki-sama, if we are recruiting him, could we agree to let that partner of Zephyr's also join the Loki Familia? I think... he would be very happy."
"No problem."
Hearing this, Loki already understood in her heart that if she wanted to successfully recruit Zephyr, his companion might be crucial.
Think of it as a chance to witness firsthand, as a member of the Loki Familia, Zephyr's talent ascending the stage of Orario. Besides, being able to meet is a bond in itself. This is even more true among Adventurers.
A partner whom Zephyr would spare no cost to rescue when in danger must surely hold a special meaning for him.
Gathering her thoughts, Loki felt that her mood tonight was the best it had been in a while. Looking at the bottle of Divine Wine, she extended an invitation to Lefiya.
"Would you like to try the wine brewed by a god?"
Faced with the invitation, Lefiya remembered Zephyr's very serious instructions before they parted ways. Moreover, having no interest in alcohol, she shook her head.
"Thank you for the invitation, Loki-sama. Tomorrow, the team still has to explore the Dungeon, and I can't keep Zephyr and the others waiting. I might have to return to the Communal Dormitory to rest first."
"Then go back. Stay safe."
"I will."
— — —
Dungeon exploration is always the main theme for Adventurers. It's just like going to the company to work, except the former is helping add bricks and tiles to the boss's villa, while the latter is helping oneself, gradually growing stronger.
Zephyr enjoyed the feeling of being an Adventurer, especially after completing the goal of leaving the Soma Familia.
The next goal is...
Strive to raise his stats to the limit of his talent, and after finding a Familia suitable for himself and Lili, update it, and proceed to level up.
Hmm... I feel like I need to go to the middle floors to feel any pressure from the battles.
Following the team, especially after fully adapting his body to the updated status, Zephyr relied on the combat skills he had previously accumulated and felt very relaxed.
Even the team's exploration progress increased significantly. Without an Infant Dragon blocking their way, the exploration team arrived at the 12th Floor, which was also the end of the upper floors, without any dangerous incidents.
Beyond that was the 13th Floor, known as the middle floors, or as Lili called it, the First Dead Line.
Zephyr looked at Charles beside him and asked, "What is the goal for today? At least explore to the 14th Floor, right?"
"It depends on the situation." Charles shook his head.
After all, in his plan, as long as they could explore the 18th Floor before leaving Orario, the perfect answer would already be filled in. According to the current progress, it was certainly achievable.
However, when he didn't receive an answer after saying this, he turned his head and followed Zephyr's gaze.
"What's wrong?"
[Capture Mission]
[The Silverback possesses developed muscle tissue and astonishing arm strength. Its back is covered with silver hair, which is the key feature for identification. An unexplored unknown creature, its specific taste remains to be explored. As a novice Gourmet Hunter, please try to capture it.]
"There are Silverbacks ahead. I'm not sure of the exact number yet."
Seeing the prompt appearing from the system, Zephyr looked at the dark environment in the distance ahead and warned Charles, Kate, and the others. However, compared to the former's vigilance, Lefiya seemed a bit out of it.
"Prepare for battle."
Just as the system described, the new species, Silverback, located on the 11th and 12th Floors had its back covered in silver hair. As a primate, the limbs of the monster before them were clearly disproportionate. Its arms were extremely long, and it held a weapon in its hands.
"There are only 3 of them." Zephyr narrowed his eyes.
After confirming the number of monsters, he clenched his right fist. A horn condensed at the tip of his fist, aimed at the Silverbacks ahead.
He crouched slightly, and launched himself toward the direction of the Silverbackw. In a split second, he had sprinted in front of the monsters.
He threw a punch, aiming at the heart in the Silverback's chest cavity. Even though the monster's thick skin could withstand attacks from some weapons, facing a spiral horn with its extremely strong piercing effect, it was useless.
Puff!
Zephyr's goal was very clear: to end this battle quickly.
He had to inflict the most fatal damage on the Silverback before him.
After successfully piercing the monster's heart, he withdrew his arm. Looking at the Silverbacks pouncing on him from all around, he let out a roar.
Dragon Roar!
The monsters surrounding him were frozen in place. Even though the control time was short, it was enough for Zephyr.
He chose to deal with them the same way he done with the previous Silverback—piercing their heart.
"Done!"
With stats in the B-rank and A-rank, combined with the monster talents provided by the Gourmet Cells, it was too overpowered for the upper floors.
Zephyr looked at the Silverbacks that were completely dead, their chests pierced and blood continuously gushing out. The corpses were quite fresh but he currently couldn't muster any appetite. This was probably what happened after solving the problem of basic sustenance, one would then consider how to eat even better.
Forget it. Anyway, there isn't that much pressure right now. I'll just continue eating Infant Dragon meat.