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After washing up that morning, Alex didn't check out of his room. Instead, he extended it for a few more days.
On his way out of the inn, he grabbed some breakfast from a street vendor, then headed toward the church.
By then, everyone inside had already woken up.Sella and Liz were in the kitchen making breakfast, while the others waited around with nothing to do.
That was when Alex arrived, both arms loaded with bags.
Even from afar, the aroma drifted in.
"Awesome, we don't have to wait anymore!" Miko Yotsuya cheered as she hurried over.
Alex handed her a crepe he kept for himself and passed the rest of the food to her.
The moment she brought it inside, all the girls crowded around to pick what they liked.Sella and Liz exchanged helpless looks.
So… should they still bother finishing the breakfast they were making?
Artoria walked over and told them, "You two should keep cooking. This won't be enough for everyone."
The two maids sighed and went back to work.
After breakfast, no one rushed straight to the Dungeon. Instead, Hestia led the group to the Guild.
She first established her own Familia, then had everyone register one by one as adventurers.
The Guild staff were stunned. A brand-new Familia… with this many recruits all at once?
And among them was even a Level 2 adventurer.
Registration required providing personal details, including Falna level. Alex's Level 2 record made the staff's eyes widen.
It took the whole morning before all the paperwork was finally done.
By the time they walked out, it was past noon.
"To celebrate the founding of the Hestia Familia, let's go eat something fancy!" Hestia said, glowing with excitement.
"I'm in," Alex replied immediately.
"I second that," Roxy added.
The other girls followed suit.Looks like aside from Sella and Liz, nobody wanted to cook.
Hestia led everyone to the most famous tavern in Orario—the Hostess of Fertility.
Alex's anticipation shot up the moment he saw the sign.Back when he watched the anime, his favorite characters had always been Hestia and Ais.Then in Season 4, he ended up liking that hopeless elf waitress, Ryuu, even more.
She should be working here right now.
As soon as they stepped inside, a cute cat-girl bounded up to greet them.
"Welcome nya~! What would you like to eat nya~?" she asked brightly.
Her little "nya" habit made her even livelier.
Alex looked her over—short brown hair, cat ears, green dress with a white apron, black stockings over slender legs, tiny brown ankle boots.
He wasn't the only one staring. It was everyone's first time seeing a beastman in person.
Merlin and Morgan had seen fairies and elves before, but this was their first real beastkin encounter.
"Mom, that pretty lady has cat ears!" Illya pointed.
Irisviel von Einzbern hugged her and smiled. "She's from the cat-folk, sweetheart. That's why."
The cat-girl noticed Illya, pulled a funny face at her, and made the child burst into giggles.
Hestia told the waitress, "Bring us one of each of your signature dishes—and a full barrel of ale!"
"Okay nya~! Please wait just a moment nya~!" she chirped before dashing back to the kitchen.
Watching her run, Alex instantly recognized her.There were only two cat-girls working here: Chloe Lolo, the black-furred one, and Anya Fromel.
Since this one wasn't a black cat, she had to be Anya.
They found a large enough table for their big group and chatted while waiting.
Before long, several waitresses came over with the dishes.Among them were:
Chloe, the black-haired cat-girl.
Syr Flova, gentle and soft-spoken, looking as sweet as ever.
Lunoire Faust, tall and mature, with big-sister vibes.
And finally—Alex's personal favorite—Ryuu Lion, the "useless elf."
Her ethereal elven looks, pointed ears, and cool expression were as stunning as he remembered.It was a pity her long hair had been cut short and dyed green, but it still couldn't hide her beauty.
Compared to the girls around him, Ryuu wasn't the absolute top in appearance—Artoria, Morgan, Merlin, Luo Hao, and even Hestia could stand toe-to-toe with her.
But taste is taste.
Ryuu's face was exactly his type.Aside from her… modest chest, she was perfect.Even her personality was right up his alley.
"Alex… is she that pretty?" A cold voice suddenly whispered beside his ear.
He choked. "Cough—no. Not pretty."
He had forgotten—gods could see through lies.
"Alex, you dare lie to me?" Hestia puffed up angrily.
He winced while the others watched with barely disguised amusement.
Right when he was about to panic, Merlin stepped in smoothly.
"This tavern is unusual. Those waitresses earlier… their strength is impressive."
Hestia blinked. With her power sealed away, she couldn't sense anything.
"You can tell how strong they are?" she asked.
Merlin nodded. "Somewhat. Their power is comparable to the average Servant from our world."
Hestia's eyes widened.
She had been to the Nasuverse, participated in a Holy Grail War, and touched the Root; she knew exactly how strong Servants were.
A standard Servant was roughly equivalent to a Level 4 adventurer.A top-tier Servant like Artoria would be around Level 5.
That was without factoring in Noble Phantasms.With those included, a Servant's destructive power could match Level 6 or Level 7 adventurers.
If these waitresses matched the level of regular Servants, then they were basically Level 4.
A single tavern employing multiple Level 4s?
That was stronger than some major Familias.
"Could this tavern belong to some powerful Familia?" Hestia muttered.
Alex shrugged. "Who cares? We're here to eat and drink."
He tapped open the ale barrel and started pouring for everyone.
The others decided he was right—whatever secrets the tavern had weren't their problem.Soon the whole table was eating and drinking happily.
After the feast, Hestia and Shizuka Marikawa brought Sakura and Illya back.
The rest split into two teams like yesterday and headed toward the Dungeon.
With the Guild's upper-floor maps in hand, their pace increased dramatically.They dove deeper the moment they entered, clearing low-level monsters with ease.
In just over an hour, they reached the tenth floor.
Here, the Dungeon changed drastically.Traps appeared.White fog clouded sight and dulled senses.And most importantly—it was the first floor where Monster Parties could occur.
Alex, who had only known the anime version, was surprised. He'd always thought Monster Parties could happen anywhere.
The entire floor was black, white, and gray.White grass, white dead trees, white fog.
"These monsters aren't that strong. Let's hurry and find the next floor's entrance," Alex told Merlin, Artoria, and Morgan.
They nodded.
But just as they were about to split up, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the distance.
Thud—thud—thud.
They turned toward the noise.
Soon a massive figure emerged—a Ogre, the new monster type unique to the tenth floor.Towering, muscular, and brutish.
When it reached about ten meters away, it suddenly stopped.It grabbed a large dead tree, ripped it straight from the ground, and hefted it like a baseball bat.
With a roar, the ogre charged.
"A large-type monster with built-in weaponry… yeah, this floor's danger rating just shot up. Too bad you ran into the wrong guy."
Alex raised his hand and began projecting.From "Unlimited Blade Works," he summoned a massive sword—ten meters long, half a meter wide.
Under his control, the greatsword came crashing down toward the ogre.
"..."
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