After calculating the time, Asta and Raul briefly chatted before preparing to end today’s exploration.
There was nothing unusual about the monsters on the eighth layer, so there was no need to specifically check them out.
Instead, both their stomachs were already rumbling in protest.
As the saying goes: Man is iron, food is steel; without a meal, one feels weak.
Although he didn’t know the exact time, Asta was certain that he hadn’t had lunch today.
The two had entered the Dungeon in the morning, and after exploring the Maze for so long, fighting and clearing the battlefield, the energy consumption was naturally self-evident.
By the time the spoils were collected, the backpack on Raul’s back had a heavy weight.
Its name was the weight of money~
Sir, what’s in this backpack…
is all shimmering silver!
Ahem, I misspoke, it should be glittering farli.
The return journey was much simpler than the exploration.
Just follow the indicated route marked in the Adventurer’s Handbook, which is usually safer.
The indicated route for each layer was derived from countless verifications by the Guild, being the most convenient route between two floors of the underground Maze, and it was one of the roads Adventurers needed to remember most importantly.
Whether hurrying to the deep layer or returning to the upper layer, the indicated route was the optimal choice.
The large number of Adventurers passing through daily was also why it was considered relatively safe.
However, if one was exploring the underground Maze for gains, it was best not to explore on the indicated route.
Because during combat, depending on the situation, there might be instances of monsters being stolen by others, and others usually chose to ignore it to avoid getting involved.
Incidentally, the indicated route in the Adventurer’s Handbook only went up to the tenth layer.
After all, it was an Adventurer’s Handbook made to accommodate newcomers, and providing it to this extent could be considered benevolent.
Along the way, Asta and Raul could see many Adventurers also returning to the upper layers, just like them.
Everyone carried bulging bags, with smiles on their faces, presumably joyful about their gains.
Yet, there were also not a few Adventurers with their heads bowed down, looking utterly dejected.
Perhaps they had companions left in the Dungeon, or perhaps they hadn’t gained anything at all?
In any case, it had nothing to do with Asta.
After merely glancing at these people, Asta and Raul chatted and laughed to themselves as they returned to the surface.
Following the remembered route, from the seventh layer to the first layer, and finally completing the “Road of Departure,” they arrived at the large hole leading to the surface.
It was about ten meters high and roughly the same in diameter, forming a thick cylindrical shape.
Gentle silver stairs were set along the circumference, outlining a giant spiral.
After walking up the stairs, the view suddenly opened up, and an exquisitely decorated environment, artificially created, spread all around.
This was Babel, located directly above the Dungeon—the first basement floor, and also the largest entrance to the Dungeon.
Once here, it was a completely safe zone.
Many Adventurers’ taut nerves immediately relaxed, and hidden fatigue pressed upon their entire bodies, causing them to collapse directly in this space, large enough to accommodate thousands of people, to rest.
Asta and Raul, however, did not stay in this place for too long; their stomachs had already become the most loyal taskmasters, urging them on.
But before rushing off to replenish their energy, they still needed to exchange today’s gains within Babel.
“Asta, you go wait in the nearby resting area for a bit.
I’ll go to Babel’s Magic Stone exchange counter to exchange the Magic Stones in my backpack.”
“Ah, okay.”
The Adventurers Guild in Orario had two Magic Stone exchange counters: one at the Guild Headquarters and one inside Babel.
Usually, more Adventurers frequented the Babel counter.
After all, it was right above the Dungeon entrance, so close~
Most Adventurers who had explored the Dungeon all day would exchange Magic Stones inside Babel.
Of course, that didn’t mean no one went to the Guild Headquarters; it was just relatively fewer.
Asta sat on a resting chair on the first floor of Babel, leaning back and stretching his body on the chair, letting out a comfortable hum.
Beside him, his silver-gray spear had been put away in its scabbard, leaning upright against his side.
Now that he was on the surface, he could finally observe the color of the sky to judge the time.
At this moment, the sky was gradually turning yellow, and a small half of the sky was dyed crimson, clearly indicating that the afternoon was almost over.
Which meant he had stayed in the Dungeon for almost an entire day?
It was quite unexpected…
Exploring the Dungeon really was a time-consuming affair~
However, Asta also knew that this would likely only be the case in the early stages.
Once he became familiar with the Dungeon’s environment, the efficiency of exploration would naturally increase.
While Asta was slightly lost in thought, looking at the crimson sky, Raul walked out from the Magic Stone exchange counter, carrying two heavy bags of gold farli.
Two bags of glittering, gold coins, engraved with the Guild’s symbol, immediately drew the gazes of many nearby Adventurers.
Envy, or perhaps…
ill intent.
“Hiss…
Brothers, I have a bold idea!”
A certain Adventurer leaned in and whispered to his companion.
However, the companion unceremoniously gave him a slap, then blocked his head with his arm, exasperatedly saying,
“What hammer of an idea do you have?!
Look closely at who that is!
Loki Familia’s Lv4, ‘The Extraordinary Man’ Raul Nord!
Is that someone we can provoke?!”
“Damn it, if you want to die, don’t drag us along.”
“Exactly, exactly~”
Adventurers were not necessarily all good people; constantly living on the edge of danger, many could be called villains.
But they were just characters who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Raul didn’t pay attention to their loud whispers, nor did he need to.
They simply wouldn’t dare to provoke the Loki Familia; just the name alone was enough to scare them away.
He brought the gold coins to Asta’s side, waking him from his daze, and with a smile, he weighed the bags in his hand, handing one of them to him.
“Over 70,000 farli, to be precise, 72,800.
For a first-time Dungeon exploration, it’s an amazing and generous haul~”
“You can keep the money for now, brother.
I don’t have anywhere to put it on me right now, and carrying it would be too troublesome.”
Asta, who had stood up from the chair, waved his hand, with no intention of taking it.
He had traveled light to the Dungeon this time; apart from his clothes pockets, he had no place to put anything on his entire body.
A bag the size of a football, where was he supposed to put it?
“You kid…”
Slightly sensing his thoughts, Raul couldn’t help but chuckle.
After a playful scolding, he took back the money bag and put it into his backpack behind him, temporarily keeping it for Asta.
The two walked out of Babel together, and the people around them were discussing where to eat a good meal tonight.
Among them, “Flame Bee Pavilion” and “The Benevolent Mistress” were frequently mentioned well-known taverns.
Perhaps influenced by this atmosphere, Asta turned to Raul.
“Brother, do you think we should also have a lavish meal tonight to reward ourselves?”
Looking at their ages, Asta was sixteen and Raul was nineteen, so Asta calling him ‘brother’ was perfectly fine.
Upon hearing this topic, Raul smiled wryly and scratched his head.
“Although I’d really like to agree, it’s likely that everyone will be eating in the Familia restaurant tonight, as tomorrow is the expedition, and our Goddess always gives a small speech at this time.”
Mainly, it was to tell the members participating in the expedition to cherish their lives and to all come back alive, that kind of speech.
Was it a pre-battle speech from the Goddess?