The only person from the Guild's support staff Liang Yue had dealt with before was Eina, but when he saw the silver-haired male elf standing at the stairway ahead, he instantly recognized who it was.
It was Royman, the one overseeing all matters of the Guild. Even the news he brought about a "mandatory familia expedition" was exactly as Liang Yue had expected.
Updating an adventurer's level might be enough to let Ouranos gloss over the truth of certain events.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't hand out the proper punishment for disrupting order—only that the response came even faster than Liang Yue had anticipated.
What truly mattered was the expedition quota.
While Royman was explaining it to Hestia, Liang Yue simply stood quietly beside the goddess, waiting for the Guild to announce the required expedition parameters.
"You're sure about this?"
Hestia's face stiffened instantly. She wasn't questioning the Guild's decision—her gaze instead locked onto Liang Yue.
At present, she only had one familia member.
To conduct a familia expedition, you needed enough personnel, supplies to take into the Dungeon, and proper combat support—
Otherwise, holding out in a prolonged battle would be extremely difficult.
"Of course."
"This is Lord Ouranos' directive. Given that the Hestia Familia has only just been founded, the requirements aren't too strict."
"After the Guild's overall assessment, the goal is to reach the New World."
Royman formally stated the objective of the mandatory expedition. For an ordinary familia, this message could have been delivered by a regular Guild employee.
But his decision to come in person had a lot to do with Liang Yue.
He had already guessed that the destruction of the Soma Familia was tied to this miracle-making rookie adventurer. As for what came next—
This was a message Lord Ouranos wanted him to convey personally.
Royman's aged face was calm as he spoke: "That lord's words were—your chips on the table aren't enough yet."
"No problem."
Liang Yue didn't mind the punitive nature of the mandatory expedition, especially since the overall difficulty wasn't as bad as he'd imagined—
It only pushed him to the limits of what a level 2 adventurer could handle.
After ascending in level, his stats had reset, and a vigorous familia expedition would be perfect for pushing his strength further,
even boosting his "Sword Soul template" profession level in the process.
He sent Hestia a reassuring glance, then casually smiled and asked: "I'd like to know—what's the deadline for the expedition?"
"Three days from now. Make preparations as best you can." Royman replied, a bit surprised at how agreeable Liang Yue was.
From the bottom of his heart, he hoped Orario and the Guild could grow stronger.
He also offered this as advice to a promising adventurer—from the perspective of familia strength, the expedition would be extremely dangerous.
"No one jokes around with their own life."
Liang Yue couldn't deny it—what he truly cared about was the matter of his "title." Counting on Hestia to secure the one he wanted was hopeless.
If the suggestion came from Ouranos instead, most gods would agree without much argument.
Fixing Royman with a serious look, Liang Yue said: "If possible, I'd like you to pass on a message to Lord Ouranos."
"I've already decided on my adventurer title."
Royman's clouded eyes regarded the boy's relaxed stance with mild surprise. Was this… bargaining with Lord Ouranos?
Most adventurers would never even get a chance to meet him.
But for a miracle-making rookie, Royman's attitude was naturally different. After agreeing to pass the message on, he took his leave of the rundown place—
even if the sight of Liliruca was a bit of an eyesore.
When Hestia heard that Liang Yue already had a title in mind for breaking through to the next level, she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Liang Yue-kun… you've decided on your title?"
If he hadn't, she was already prepared—
The title of Loki Familia's captain, Finn Deimne, was "Braver."
Breaking world records, something like "Legendary Braver" would be ideal.
Though there was no way that would pass, at least it would irritate Loki. Just thinking about the scene made Hestia happy.
Since Liang Yue already had an idea, she naturally wanted to hear it.
"Mm."
He knew this bunch of bored gods would inevitably make the title into a joke if left to their own devices—and there was no way he'd accept something weird.
He walked the path of the Sword Soul, and even his post-ascension development ability was the unprecedented "Sword Soul."
The answer was obvious. He said decisively: "Let's go with 'Sword Soul.'"
"That does sound fitting."
Knowing that titles were based on development abilities and that Liang Yue's weapon of choice was the sword, Hestia felt it suited him perfectly.
It was only after a moment that she realized—
They'd completely gone off-topic. The mandatory familia expedition was clearly more urgent than his title!
"Uh… shouldn't we be worrying about the expedition right now?"
The question came from Liliruca, who had been ignored the whole time. She had absolute confidence in Liang Yue's strength,
and once she'd filled in all her knowledge of the middle floors, she wasn't too worried about the expedition.
Provided Liang Yue didn't keep using "Monster Feast" to boost his stats, of course.
Not only that—she saw this as her chance to join the familia.
Smiling brightly, she volunteered: "I'm currently a free supporter. If you're short on people, I can join in."
"Hm?"
The unknown dangers of the expedition were exactly what gave Hestia a headache—Liang Yue couldn't possibly complete it alone.
If they wanted to set out within the time limit, they'd have to seek help from other familias.
Now, a supporter was offering to help. That was undoubtedly good news. She carefully scrutinized the girl before her.
"You really want to help?"
"Of course. And if I could join your familia, Lady Hestia, that would be even better." Liliruca laid her cards on the table.
This was the most nerve-wracking part for her—if all went well, she'd officially become Liang Yue's companion.
Hestia was naturally inclined to welcome adventurers and supporters into her familia—though she did prefer being alone with Liang Yue.
Still, more members would ease the pressure.
Most importantly, if someone was willing to join even after seeing the familia at its lowest point, that was worth treasuring. She answered decisively:
"Joining is simple!"
"Oh, right—
Which familia were you in before? Has your god approved your transfer?" Hestia asked, realizing she'd forgotten a crucial question.
Avoiding conflicts with other familias was important.
"..."
"The Soma Familia. Lord Soma has already approved my withdrawal." Just saying it made Liliruca's heart tighten.
Not even being interrogated by Shakti had made her this nervous.
And sure enough, the moment Hestia heard "Soma Familia," the smile vanished from her face.
She turned to look at Liang Yue, who only gave her a strange expression and didn't object.
Her lips twitched slightly—
She'd already said the words, so there was no taking them back. Finally, meeting the girl's expectant gaze,
Hestia's expression grew awkward. No god could go back on their own words, right? With a sigh, she nodded:
"What else can I do? I'll just agree…"