The departure of the city's strongest faction, especially its elite core members, was a sight that, while not as glaringly prominent as a full expeditionary force sent out by the entire Loki Familia, was still vastly more eye-catching than the appearance of an ordinary adventurer squad.
Particularly within this small party of Leon's, aside from their astonishing strength, every member possessed remarkably high physical appeal. Especially Ais, whose beauty was rumored to rival that of a goddess, and Lefiya, whose entire race was renowned for their comeliness. With the two of them journeying side by side, it was impossible not to draw the attention of bystanders.
Consequently, when Leon and his companions emerged into the central plaza and directed their steps toward the Tower of Babel, they instantly invited the notice and hushed chatter of the surrounding crowds.
"Aren't those the famous individuals from the Loki Familia?"
"Sword Princess, Thousand Elf, Amazon, Jörmungandr—are these figures planning to enter the Dungeon together?"
"Who's that guy beside them?"
"No idea. Looking at his build, he doesn't seem to be the Vanargand, and he's certainly not the Braver or Elgarm."
"To be able to form a party with those four, he must be someone extraordinary, right?"
"Could it be—"
Such whispered discussions rippled through the crowd, instantly making Leon's small squad the focal point of the entire area.
Leon had long anticipated that matters would unfold in this manner, so before entering the central plaza, he had pulled up the hooded cloak that came as a set with his Goliath Suit. With the cowl donned, it obscured the greater half of his face, to the extent that not a single soul on the scene managed to recognize him.
Otherwise, given his current popularity and the frequency with which his name was mentioned, he would have instantly become the object of greatest scrutiny for the majority of people, potentially even eclipsing the attention drawn by Ais.
It couldn't be helped; the news of his reaching Level 4 was still being feverishly discussed throughout the city, serving as the centerpiece of countless conversations. Once his person appeared in broad daylight, remaining unnoticed was a sheer impossibility.
To avert unnecessary complications, Leon simply wore the cowl to mask his identity, keeping others from discovering him.
However, observing the manner in which a few individuals stared intently at him while whispering among themselves, it seemed they had somewhat deduced his identity nonetheless.
After all, there were only a select few males within the Loki Familia who could integrate into a party of this caliber.
Thus, along the journey, quite a few people kept their eyes locked onto Leon, their glances conveying an assortment of varying sentiments.
"You've become a celebrity now too. How does it feel?"
Tiona nudged Leon with her elbow, speaking in a teasing tone.
In contrast to Leon, Tiona and the others had obviously grown accustomed to being the center of attention. They paid no heed whatsoever to the stares of bystanders, walking forward as though no one else were present.
"As if I could ever be as famous as you guys," Leon replied to Tiona with a touch of exasperation.
"That's not necessarily true," Tione chimed in from the side with a trace of sarcasm. "In the past, perhaps, but right now, we might genuinely not be as famous as you."
Consider what Leon had accomplished over the brief span of these past two months.
First came consecutive rank-ups, ascending three levels in a single breath to rise all the way from Level 1 to Level 4. Then followed his solo duel against the Floor Boss, Goliath, which he successfully subjugated to achieve an unparalleled feat. These exploits, accumulated one after another, had already forged an immense reputation and popularity for Leon, granting him a current level of renown greater than that of many first-class adventurers.
Though Tiona and Tione were also highly celebrated first-class adventurers who combined both strength and beauty, and were furthermore twins whose daily level of discussion was by no means small, their standing truly appeared somewhat less prominent when compared to the deeds Leon had achieved in recent days.
The same held true for Lefiya. While her title as the Thousand Elf was widely recognized, she remained ultimately a Level 3 rear-guard mage. Compared to Leon, who had established all manner of inconceivable feats, her track record and renown fell quite a bit short.
Among everyone present, only Ais possessed a level of popularity and fame that did not yield to Leon's. Yet recently, at this current stage where the news of Leon's ascension to Level 4 was still spreading rapidly, even her level of conspicuousness could not match his.
In this light, Tione was by no means speaking without basis.
"I never desired to become famous," Leon stated, unmoved. "If possible, I would much prefer to grow stronger silently and unnoticed."
Hearing this, Ais nodded silently in deep agreement.
She was not particularly fond of fame either; the sensation of constantly being stared at was not pleasant in the slightest. If permitted, she too wished to find a corner unknown to anyone and quietly grow stronger.
Even Lefiya concurred with Leon's statement within her heart. She was quite socially anxious at times and truly did not wish to be stared at continuously.
Regrettably, their thoughts were not shared by the vast majority of people.
"What an adventurer craves most is fame, wealth, and glory, yet you actually claim you don't want to be famous. Those words really don't sound like something an adventurer would say," the innocent and romantic Tiona remarked, showing that the perspective of Leon's trio was indeed considered eccentric among adventurers.
"Even the Captain cannot entirely distance himself from these matters, so don't be ungrateful, kid," Tione added, rebuking Leon.
Despite Finn's usual calm and composed demeanor, which might lead one to believe he did not care for external possessions and empty titles, Finn had actually become an adventurer initially for the express purpose of gaining fame.
Of course, his desire for renown was not for his own sake, but for the revitalization of his race.
The Pallums, as a race inherently weak and small, occupied a lower status in various parts of the world. Even the relatively mediocre humans ranked above them, to say nothing of races that produced countless powerhouses like the Elves, Dwarves, and Amazons.
Finn could not accept this state of affairs, and he could even less accept the manner in which his kinsmen entirely resigned themselves to this reality. Consequently, he had resolved to become an adventurer, journeying to Orario, the center of the world that drew the greatest scrutiny, determined to carve out a name for himself here to awaken the courage within his people's hearts and allow the Pallums to truly stand tall.
In view of this, Finn was actually the person within the entire Loki Familia who valued fame and fortune the most. It was merely that everyone knew his motives were not selfish but racial, so they still respected him deeply.
Under such circumstances, Leon's expression of indifference toward fame naturally provoked dissatisfaction from the fierce Amazon woman who was intensely infatuated with the Pallum captain.
"I am only representing my personal opinion, not saying that this is the only correct way to act," Leon cast a glance at Tione and said. "The Captain can be considered my instructing mentor now; how could I have any grievances against him?"
Upon hearing this, Tione, instead of being appeased, tightened her fists.
"Damn it! I want the Captain to be my instructing mentor too! To teach me all sorts of things!"
The fierce Amazon woman's jealousy ignited for no logical reason.
"—The instruction this foolish sister of mine is speaking of is absolutely not the same thing Leon is referring to."
"Ahaha—"
Tiona muttered her critique in a low voice, causing Lefiya, who was carrying a massive cylindrical backpack, to let out a awkward chuckle.
"We've arrived."
Ais had actually been paying close attention to the conversation of Leon's group all along, appearing somewhat mindful of the fact that they could converse so harmoniously. However, she was ultimately clumsy with words and could not integrate into the exchange, only speaking up to remind them when she saw the gates of the Tower of Babel appear ahead.
The group then merged with the flow of fellow adventurers entering the Tower of Babel, passing through the grand opening to enter the Dungeon and hastening toward the lower floors.
The party of five did not adopt an especially high level of vigilance; they merely accelerated their pace of travel.
With the strength possessed by their group, passing through the upper floors was fundamentally no different from entering the courtyard of their own home. The monsters here could not pose the slightest threat to them, so there was entirely no need for them to become serious at this stage. They did not even require the deployment of their weapons, directing their steps straight toward the deeper levels.
Their objective for the day was to reach the 18th floor, secure a brief foothold there, and then engage in some minor activities within the subsequent floors before continuing their journey the following day. They would press on until they reached the 28th floor, where the Safety Point was located, and only after establishing that place as their secure base would they commence their formal conquest.
The ultimate goal of the group was the 37th floor.
In that location, whether for practical refinement, the subjugation of monsters, or the generation of wealth, it proved to be the most efficient.
Venturing further down was unnecessary; at that stage, the risks might conversely outweigh the benefits, especially now when the Floor Boss, Udaeus, could revive at any moment. The consequences of reckless exploration might be more than anyone could bear.
The group had not forgotten Finn's instructions, setting the final destination of their current excursion to the 37th floor, exploring at most one or two floors further down, and requiring their return before the Floor Boss, Udaeus, revived.
Prior to that, the primary itinerary for Leon and his companions was simply to travel; there was no need to squander time on these preceding levels.
With this strategy in mind, the group advanced directly through the paths, refraining from taking action unless they encountered an unavoidable monster assault along the way.
Their pace was swift. The upper area comprising floors 1 through 12 was crossed with ease, taking only two to three hours. It was only upon entering the middle area starting from the 13th floor that their steps were slightly delayed by the surging numbers of monsters. However, because vertical shafts began to appear from this level onward, the speed of their advance remained rapid.
At times, they utilized a vertical shaft to drop straight to the next floor; at other times, they bypassed two floors at once to land on a deeper level. With this method of travel, even if monsters blocked their path, it would not delay them for an extended period.
In this manner, by the time the morning had passed, Leon's party of five had arrived at the 17th floor.
"Muuuoooooh—!"
Within the massive cavern pathways that permitted even large-scale teams to pass through smoothly, Leon and his companions encountered, as expected, the most representative and powerful monster of this floor—the Minotaur.
They appeared in herds, bellowing while trampling the ground as they launched a charge. Their blood-red eyes were filled with hostility and ferocious intent, causing Lefiya, a timid elven maiden, to instinctively shrink her neck at the sight.
In stark contrast, Leon, Ais, and Tiona met the charge without a moment's hesitation.
Splat! Splat! Splat!—
Ais was a person of few words but swift actions. The silver saber in her hand, restored to a flawless condition, instantly transformed into countless cold arcs of light within the dim passage, slashing toward those Minotaurs. She dismantled these fierce bull monsters, which were vastly larger than herself, piece by piece, cutting them into fragments with a cruelty and detachment that defied description.
Ais's sword was precisely like this, cold and detached only when combating monsters, matching her indifferent expression. Though her form charging with swaying golden hair was exceedingly beautiful, her methods when slaying monsters were brutal, unlike a typical female, delivering fatal strikes that generally utilized dismemberment.
Though Tiona was not as cold and cruel as Ais, once the fierce blade in her hands began to dance, the bloody scenes generated were not inferior to those on Ais's side. Every monster that drew near her would be cleanly cleaved in two by the massive double blade. She herself resembled a moving meat grinder on the battlefield, where no living creature could approach within half an inch of her.
If it were the past, Leon would certainly have been incapable of hacking down Minotaurs as though they were mere cabbages like these two.
But now, having attained Level 4, he could likewise display an overwhelming level of strength when facing these Minotaurs, whose classification rank was Level 2.
Without even needing to employ his most proficient magic, Leon initiated a slaughter the moment he lunged into the monster herd. The Dragon-Fang Sword in his hand traced ethereal trajectories, slashing toward the surrounding Minotaurs.
"Huh?"
Holding her kukri knives while serving as the vanguard mid-guard, Tione did not rush out like Leon and the others. Instead, she remained by Lefiya's side. Watching Leon's combat form, she suddenly let out a soft exclamation of doubt.
"Is something the matter, Miss Tione?" Lefiya, who had been staring in fascination at Ais's back, turned her head and inquired in confusion.
"It's nothing," Tione replied, her eyes still fixed on Leon's figure as she narrowed them. "I just feel that the way that kid fights has changed from before."
"Changed?" Lefiya looked toward Leon as well but failed to discern anything peculiar, ask in bewilderment, "Changed in what way?"
Doesn't he still look very similar to the way Miss Ais fights, just like before? Lefiya was quite reluctant to voice this sentence aloud, able only to stand there feeling slight vexation.
"In terms of swordsmanship, it's still that same style; one can tell at a single glance that it was personally transmitted by Ais," Tione remarked, paying no heed to Lefiya's sentiments. "But regarding the details, compared to before, the transformation is quite significant."
The past Leon had been just like Ais: when engaged in combat, he prioritized efficiency above all else. If an opponent could be resolved in a single second, he would absolutely not prolong it to the next. He was decisive, direct, and possessed astonishing lethality.
But now, a sense of rhythm had manifested within Leon's swordplay, accompanied by a touch of calculation. At times, he would deliberately leave behind monsters that could be instantly dispatched to serve as roadblocks, obstructing the charges and assaults of subsequent creatures to enhance his own safety.
If his past combat style could be described as an all-out offensive with maximum firepower, then his current self knew how to retain a measure of leeway.
The efficiency of slaying enemies might be slightly reduced in this manner, but the probability of errors occurring was vastly diminished as well.
If an analogy had to be drawn, he had transformed from a sharp, unsheathed blade exposing all its brilliance into a renowned sword resting within its scabbard, concealing its edge. Though its brilliance was contained, it was merely hidden; once this renowned sword was drawn from its sheath, the lethality it would deliver then would absolutely surpass the past.
"As expected of someone who received the Captain's personal instruction—"
At this thought, Tione could not restrain her envy once more.
"Even though it would be enough to look only at me, Captain—"
The fierce Amazon woman's murmur, laden with resentment, caused a certain Pallum captain currently processing documents in his office to suddenly shudder.
"—Why did I suddenly feel a wave of intense chills?"
The Pallum captain did not wish to investigate deeply, so he quickly dismissed the sensation from his mind.
Yes, it's better not to think too much about it—