"Now then, let the feast begin!"
"Wooo!!!!!"
The moment Loki announced the start of the banquet, the entire Loki Familia erupted, shouting as if they were releasing every bit of pent-up excitement in their hearts.
Those four months in the Dungeon had been their hardest days—but also the most rewarding.
The deep floors were simply too challenging. Facing Monsters that fought in coordinated groups, they were forced to sharpen their skills or risk being surrounded and killed in minutes.
In such an environment, the pressure constantly pushed everyone to grow quickly. If someone fell behind, they'd have to switch teams; only groups of similar strength could continue surviving and progressing together.
Where some fell behind, others naturally rose.
Adventurers who worked hard and improved themselves were far more common than those who slipped, and even those who did fall behind couldn't afford to wallow. One stumble only meant they had to work harder—because a second fall would be humiliating beyond words.
In this kind of atmosphere, every expedition member moved like they'd been injected with raw adrenaline. No one needed reminders—they all knew exactly what to do.
As a result, those four months in the Dungeon brought massive growth to every expedition member.
Growth in mindset, and growth in strength.
Everyone was fired up now, because they could see their own improvement.
Effort without visible progress makes people discouraged; effort with visible gains becomes the fuel to keep going.
Right now, all of them had their eyes on Loki.
But before the updates, they let themselves sink into the feast's festive atmosphere.
After all, no matter how hard they worked, rest was still necessary. Four months of nonstop struggle in the Dungeon, fighting Monsters that were anything but ordinary—they couldn't afford even a moment of carelessness. Their nerves had been stretched tight the entire time.
And staying tense nonstop was exhausting.
Nobody complained in the Dungeon, since after fighting Monsters every day, they were too tired to speak at all.
But once they returned above ground and joined their expedition celebration, how could they not relax?
And at any banquet, the most important thing was the alcohol.
Alcohol was banned in the Dungeon to prevent adventurers from drinking underground and hindering their progress. The expedition had been forbidden from bringing any wine at all.
Even those who smuggled some couldn't drink it.
Every day, everyone collapsed into sleep after growing stronger through manic battle. Anyone who drank would have been exposed immediately.
So whether or not anyone secretly brought alcohol, no one dared take a single sip.
"Gulp, gulp… ha!"
After several gulps, the collective "ha!" from the adventurers overflowed with satisfaction.
"Finally! I've been craving this for months."
The dwarf downed a mouthful of strong liquor. He'd never gone this long without alcohol before—this was definitely a first.
"Yeah. No drinking during the campaign, not even in camp."
"I actually brought some. Want a drink?"
The man who had just complained shook his head instantly. He was only venting—he wasn't stupid.
"Don't joke around. If I drink, how am I supposed to get up early? We're all already dead tired—rest is more important! Drinking? What if it delays the next day's progress? That slows down my leveling!"
Indeed, every day of training in the Dungeon mattered.
Sometimes one day's difference could cause team reassignments. The team's average strength was enough to confront most Monsters, but if you were the weak link, wouldn't you be dragging the entire team down? Who wanted that?
And once you were reassigned… it was essentially saying, "You're the one not taking things seriously."
That would be humiliating.
"I train hard every day and see my improvements every day. What, am I stupid? Letting my cravings ruin that?"
"You said it! We can't sabotage ourselves."
"Speaking of which, have any of you booked your update with Loki-sama?"
That line instantly silenced the entire table.
"Thud!"
All of them shot up at the same time and bolted toward the table where Loki-sama sat.
"Loki-sama, I want to reserve an update!"
"Huh?"
The sudden flood of update requests stunned Loki, who had just raised his cup without taking a sip yet.
But when he saw their eager expressions, Loki's lips curved into a grin. He made a bold and outrageous decision.
"Alright then! Since you're all so excited and can't wait to see your Status, why don't we do a public Status Update right here at the banquet? Let everyone see the fruits of your hard work. How's that?"
"WOOOO!!!!!"
The adventurers' eyes lit up instantly as they roared with excitement.
Most of them were men—not because they wanted to see others' bare backs, but because they finally had the chance to show off their results.
"Girls, come to my room after the banquet. Boys, you first."
"Alright, my little ones—are you confident in your growth?"
"YES!!!!"
A thunderous response exploded from the male adventurers.
"Then, who's first?"
"Captain Finn!!!"
Finn, who had been watching from the sidelines, almost choked on his drink. He looked speechlessly at the guys who had shoved him forward—they were the ones dying to see their Status, yet they pushed him up first.
"Excellent! Finn, come up and set an example. Show these brats how much you've grown!"
Perfect. Loki's words left Finn with no escape.
He glared murderously at the ones who shoved him and growled a warning.
"You lot… wait until it's time for missions!"
Then he began removing his shirt, revealing his strong, muscular physique.
"Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!"
This time, the female adventurers were the excited ones.
Everyone knew Finn and Tione were engaged, but that didn't stop the women from appreciating a good view.
'These shameless perverts!'
Tione snapped a pair of chopsticks clean in half, irritation shining in her eyes. But there was nothing she could do—Status Updates were just like that.