Then, the comfortable warmth overwhelmed him, and he fell into a deep sleep.
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The stars shine, adorning the dark curtain that covers the sky.
A quiet and peaceful night once again enveloped the center of the world.
The Guild' Headquarters.
"Ouranos, the intel from that side has arrived. Just as you thought, the hidden danger of the Elsos Ruins has been completely eradicated."
The tone of [Sage] Fels was obviously much more relaxed, even in the mood to joke with Ouranos.
"[Night Weaver] Fron Argon, although he's from the [Loki Familia] that doesn't get along with us, I have to admit... he did a good job."
"..." Ouranos closed his eyes, quietly listening to the sound of the torches burning.
"Is that so, that's good. As for the reward for the commission, his contribution was great... Since that's the case, exempt the Loki Familia from this year's management fee. I believe that as a reward, he should be very interested in that."
"The Loki Familia's management fee, huh, that's no small sum. Though it's quite a lot, compared to his achievement, it's certainly worth it."
After a brief exchange, the prayer room once again returned to silence, leaving only the sound of [Sage] turning the parchment pages.
Until his bony, gauntleted claw suddenly paused upon seeing one particular page.
"Ouranos, the exits connecting to the underground waterways that were being searched for, they've been found."
"Oh? The smuggling route for transporting monsters? Where?"
"..." Quickly skimming through the document, [Sage] drew in a sharp breath, feeling chills run down his spine.
"Damn it, there are actually as many as three exits, all located at the estuary of Melen Town."
"Hmph, the situation in Melen is complicated. Our guild only controls half of it there, with limited influence. Add to that the huge floating population from all over the continent, with all sorts of mixed and messy identities, making it difficult to distinguish, indeed a perfect place for smuggling. I didn't expect they had already opened channels to the outside."
Even with the temper of the old god Ouranos, he couldn't help but grow angry.
"The intel, who investigated it?"
"... The [Loki Familia]."
"..." The conversation between the god and the sage once again fell into awkward silence.
"Loki, huh... Looks like those who provoked her are in trouble."
...
At the top of the west tower of the Twilight Manor, there was an open-air balcony.
At this time, Fron, feeling refreshed after a bath, was drinking a little wine with Finn and Gareth.
"So, the monster riot in the Dungeon was all caused by that ancient monster, Antares, breaking the seal?"
Taking a small sip of the mellow and sweet wine, Fron turned his head to gaze at Orario under the starlit sky and sighed deeply.
"Ah, I didn't think it would cause trouble for the city. Although I didn't see it myself... judging from the reactions of the two gods, Artemis and Hermes, after they encountered Antares, I can't shake the feeling that even though Antares was defeated, things aren't truly over."
"Meh, why think so much? The monster's been defeated, that's a perfect ending. The rest has nothing to do with us!"
"Gareth is right. The result is already settled, so discussing the process and cause doesn't matter anymore."
"Come, let's celebrate in advance, you becoming a Level 6 adventurer. Cheers!"
"..." Seeing Finn and Gareth's heartfelt smiles, the young man's lips also curved upward, his heart warming.
"Cheers!"
...
The next day, the sun rose from the sky, injecting vitality once again into the vast city.
As the saying goes, there's no place like home, especially when it's a room warmed with a sense of belonging.
After a night of sleep in his own little domain, Fron's life returned to its usual rhythm.
In the washroom, with a towel embroidered with elven patterns draped around his neck, Fron hummed an unknown tune as he leisurely brushed his teeth with a newly purchased magic stone toothbrush.
Before long, the male members of the familia also trickled in one by one.
"Yo, Fron! You look in high spirits, huh? Something good happen? Don't keep it to yourself, share the joy!"
Just by looking at his expression and demeanor, they could tell what kind of mood Fron was in.
Seeing himself being teased, Fron arched his brow mischievously.
"Oh, something good, huh? Pfft..." Spitting out a mouthful of foamy toothpaste, Fron casually revealed a piece of information that instantly left everyone dumbfounded.
"Actually, yeah. I leveled up. Mm... to Level 6. Just a bit of a hassle since Loki isn't home."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Raul, who had just taken a sip of water, sprayed it all over everyone before staring wide-eyed at Fron, who was sighing dramatically.
"Le-Leveled up? Lv.6??? If my brain isn't broken, you were barely Lv.5 before the expedition, right? How long has it been? Not even two months? Are you kidding me? Two months from Lv.5 to Lv.6..."
Everyone's lips trembled, staring at Fron like he was some kind of unbelievable monster.
"E-Even Miss Ais took three years... I can't believe Fron just shortened that record by thirty-four months in one go."
"Meh, Raul, don't be too discouraged. You've been at Lv.4 for a while now. If you work hard, maybe in a few years you'll hit Lv.5 too."
After saying that, Fron even kindly patted Raul's shoulder in encouragement.
"...You bastard!" Raul's mentality instantly exploded.
"I'm done, I'm out of here, everyone!" Humming a little tune, Fron skipped away briskly.
Not run? Stay and get ganged up on? If it were beautiful girls, maybe he'd hesitate, maybe even accept it outright, but a bunch of men? Forget it.
Today, his schedule was already set: head to Melen, find Loki on vacation, and have her update his status.
Back in his room, he donned the [Nightfall fa-ii] set, slid the [Short Sword No.6] into the leather sheath at his back waist, and finally strapped on [Scholar Argon] before heading out lightly equipped.
Though "lightly equipped," for a normal adventurer party combatant, it was already standard gear.
Only Fron was special, being both a rear guard mage and possessing powerful close-combat ability, he carried a supporter's pack and plenty of equipment.
But with his current strength, ordinary battles no longer posed much of a threat, so his equipment was gradually lessened.
Descending from the fourth floor, toying with an all-purpose potion in his hand, Fron hummed as he walked outside.
"Open the door, quick! I have urgent intel to report to the captain!"
From afar, across the entire courtyard, Fron's extraordinary hearing picked up a familiar girl's voice.
"Anakitty? Weren't you..."
"Fron? You're back? No, that's not important! Thank goodness!"
"?????" Dragged back inexplicably by Anakitty, Fron's head was filled with question marks.
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T/N: First bonus chap for crossing 650 power stones; 3 more bonus chapters remaining~