Chapter 66: Expedition Commission? You Lead the Team!
Dungeon's 50th Floor, similar to the 18th Floor, was a rare safe floor.
The Loki Familia, on their expedition, chose to set up camp here to rest and recuperate, preparing to explore the deeper, unknown floors.
At this moment, the clinking of bottles and jars intertwined with a cacophony of shouts.
The supporters were tallying the dropped materials from their backpacks, and after categorizing them, stored them all together.
The regular members, meanwhile, ran back and forth carrying tents and protective stakes, setting up camp and cooking, creating a busy scene in the encampment.
Arthur initially wanted to join the tent assembly, but Lily and others dissuaded him, telling him to rest first.
"What a shame, I've never put up a tent before," Arthur muttered as he walked through the camp, responding to the enthusiastic greetings of the members along the way, while also noticing the undisguised respect in their eyes.
"Are they… treating me completely like a senior officer? I'm clearly only LV4."
Just then, Finn, who had just finished assigning tasks, walked out of the main tent.
His gaze fell on Arthur, a hint of undisguised teasing on his lips.
"If any adventurer can cripple the resistance of a 27th-floor Floor Boss with one move, I would never treat him as merely LV4."
Arthur spread his hands helplessly and reiterated, "The problem is, I really am only LV4."
Finn shook his head, "I hope you're not complaining to me about being promoted to a senior officer too slowly."
Arthur also shook his head, "Not at all, I don't care much for those empty titles."
As the two conversed, a group of senior officers successively emerged from the tent.
Seeing Arthur, who seemed to be isolated by the regular members, everyone couldn't help but show a slight smile.
Tiona was the first to be unable to hold back, quickly stepping forward, grabbing his arm, and asking a barrage of questions.
"You've awakened your third magic slot? That black magic orb looked so strong!"
"I didn't even see you chant; if you used it at full power, how wide would its range be?"
Tione quickly stepped forward, pulling her restless sister away, pointing a finger at her forehead, and scolding, "Why are you casually asking about other people's ability values again! Even within the same Familia, such things are taboo, understand?"
Tiona covered her forehead, grumbling defiantly twice.
"What's the big deal? We've all seen Young Arthur's ability values. Is there any need to hide a new magic?"
The others remained silent, but their gazes, one after another, were clearly full of the same inquiry as Tiona's.
Arthur and Finn exchanged glances, the latter making a 'please' gesture.
He indicated that he wouldn't interfere with this matter and let Arthur explain himself.
Arthur shrugged, his expression completely frank.
"My third magic hasn't awakened yet. As for Overlord Heavenly Star, I learned it from someone else."
"Learned magic?"
Everyone's eyes flickered, and Riveria's beautiful face showed a hint of hesitation.
"Learning someone else's magic… Could it be that you've mastered a rare skill similar to Lefiya's [Elf Ring]?"
Hearing Riveria's guess, everyone suddenly showed expressions of understanding, assuming Arthur had simply gained another rare skill.
Bete irritably ran his hand through his hair, quickly walked around everyone, and headed straight out of the camp.
Seeing this, Finn quickly called out, "Don't go too far! We're having a strategy meeting after dinner!"
"Got it!" Bete replied without looking back, quickening his pace, his figure rapidly disappearing into the passage leading to the 49th Floor.
Tiona was still pestering Arthur with questions, while Ais and others silently followed nearby, listening intently to their conversation.
Watching the receding figures of the young men and women, Riveria tightened her grip on her staff, lost in thought.
Since the arrival of the gods in the lower world, magic had been clearly divided into two categories.
Firstly, innate magic, which involved racial bloodlines and individual aptitudes, and had fixed attributes.
Secondly, acquired magic, which was awakened through the God's Blessing by holding a strong interest and deep recognition for specific things.
Even her talented disciple, Lefiya, needed to rely on the special magic [Elf Ring] to learn and master the magic of other elves.
In contrast, Arthur had used far more than just Overlord Heavenly Star; magic missiles, black holes, perception, healing…
Various magic systems came to him effortlessly, as if there were no boundaries.
Learning other people's magic through a skill?
Did such a thing truly exist?
The Elf Royal Family's eyes gleamed with intense curiosity, and she decided to find a suitable opportunity to ask Arthur for his insights on magic.
…
Time passed little by little amidst the busy work of planning the camp and organizing supplies.
Since there were no sun, moon, or stars in the Dungeon, the Familia members mainly relied on their pocket watches to roughly judge the time and adjust their routines.
After a simple dinner, the regular members consciously went to various posts in the camp to stand guard, wary of any potential threats that might appear in the darkness.
The remaining members gathered in a large circle around the senior officers, quietly waiting for the captain to speak.
Finn cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said loudly, "So, I will confirm the plan going forward."
"The primary goal of the expedition remains to reach the 59th Floor. But before that, we must first complete an adventurer's quest."
Arthur's eyes moved slightly upon hearing this, and the relevant information he had previously reviewed in the Guild came to mind.
Adventurer's quests were different from the Guild missions he had taken before; they were direct trade events between Familias.
Because the quests didn't go through Guild channels, there was naturally no need to pay hefty handling fees, so the corresponding rewards were also more generous.
Just as Arthur was pondering what kind of quest it would be, the surrounding senior officers all showed bitter expressions and began to complain in low voices.
"I remember… it was a quest from the Dian Cecht Familia, wasn't it?"
"That's right, they're asking us to go to the Cadmus Spring on the 51st Floor to collect its spring water."
"Cadmus (Strong Dragon)… just thinking about that name makes my scalp tingle!"
"Stop complaining and think more about the generous reward they offered; it'll help you pay off your debts faster."
"So, how should we arrange the personnel this time?"
Bete was the first to ask the most practical question, his gaze sweeping over the nearby members with his usual impatience.
"I don't want to be held back by annoying small fry!"
Finn was already used to Bete's daily foul mouth and didn't mind, continuing to explain in an orderly manner.
"I plan to send two elite squads to the 51st Floor, acting separately, and they must quickly complete the mission and return to the 50th Floor camp to rendezvous."
Arthur raised his hand in a timely manner, indicating and raising his doubt.
"Why split into two teams? I remember the data mentioned that the Strong Dragon Cadmus is quite powerful."
Finn smiled helplessly and patiently explained, "Because the Dian Cecht Familia needs a very large amount of spring water, one spring alone might not be enough."
"Moreover, the supplies we can carry on the expedition are limited, making it unsuitable for long-term stationed in deep areas."
Arthur nodded in understanding, and Finn, after looking around, spoke again.
"If there are no other questions, I will now announce the groupings."
"First, Riveria will stay in the camp. I hope that while you recover your magic, you can also take on the main defense work of the camp."
"Then, I, Gareth, Bete, and—Raul, the four of us will form the First Squad."
"Finally—"
Finn's gaze turned to the other side, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke.
"Ais, Tione, Tiona, Arthur, the four of you will form the Second Squad."
Bete, sitting next to Arthur with his arms crossed, frowned upon hearing this.
"Is it really okay to arrange the Second Squad like this? Why not swap the old man in?"
Gareth, referred to as the old man, grunted in displeasure, stroking his proud beard as he said, "These little girls are indeed not very well-behaved. With me watching over them, it will definitely be much better."
Finn knew very well that his two companions' concerns were not unfounded.
The Amazons were all natural battle maniacs; once they plunged into battle, it was common for them to disregard everything else.
And Ais, though seemingly quiet and reserved on the surface, was actually a battle maniac who was more terrifying than anyone when it came to slaying monsters.
If he didn't have enough understanding and trust in Arthur's character, he wouldn't have dared to make such a team arrangement.
Finn's gaze finally fell on Arthur, his expression becoming exceptionally serious, and he instructed word by word, "You will lead the team; be sure to watch out for the Strong Dragon's breath and its tail attacks. Exercise extreme caution in everything."
Arthur met Finn's solemn gaze, a confident, slight smile on his lips, and said loudly, "Leave it to me."
He knew very well that this was not only trust but also a test of qualification.
And he was ready.