nownovels Chapter 239 More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers
Chapter 239 More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers
Chapter 239 More Than Friends, Less Than Lovers
After dinner.
Ryu went to Roy's study, which was also the leader's private office, to report to him.
Upon hearing that Ryu, Tione, and Tiona had already reached the twenty-seventh floor, Roy's face showed a hint of surprise. "That's fast. How are they adapting?"
Ryu nodded slightly. "Very good!"
Unlike Daphne and Cassandra, who are complete novices, Tione and Tiona already possess great strength and combat experience. All they need to do is teach each other about the dungeon's terrain and monsters.
Roy was also trained by Ryu, and he knew Ryu's Spartan-style strict requirements inside and out.
The fact that Tione and Tiona were able to gain Ryu's approval shows that they have indeed grown very quickly.
Roy didn't ask any more questions.
"And this document, Eina asked me to give it to you when we were at guild headquarters." Ryu took out a sealed document and placed it on the mahogany table.
Seeing the guild seal on the document, Roy frowned, recalling Eina's warning when he left Orario. Sure enough, it had come to pass.
Roy opened the document and scanned it quickly. As expected, it was a guild expedition mission, with the target being the 37th floor of the dungeon—the Deep Layer!
The word itself is enough to send chills down your spine.
The area below the thirty-sixth level of the underground city is collectively referred to as the "deep layer," and no one knows exactly where it extends.
The guild dares not release any deep information casually, for a shocking reason: they are said to fear that such information would make adventurers feel despair and dare not enter the dungeon to explore anymore.
A smile of excitement crept onto Roy's handsome lips, his blood seemed to boil, and the adventurous impulse ingrained in his bones stirred within him.
Ryu asked in a soft voice, "An expedition?"
"Hmm!" Roy nodded.
Orario amassed wealth through the resources of the dungeons, and the unknown materials and everything else discovered there benefited the entire world.
Expeditions are an obligation undertaken by the exploration-oriented clans of Orario, and they occur periodically.
Ryu continued, "Time and goal?"
Roy said, "In half a month, draw a map of part of the thirty-seventh floor, obtain five 'Skeleton Sheep' masks or leather, ten 'Obsidian Soldier' core stones, and collect dust from the third circular wall."
Ryu asked in surprise, "That's it?"
The current Astrea Familia consists of two LV.5 members and two LV.4 members. Although the expedition target is the Deep Layer, it is not a difficult task.
And the time is still half a month later.
When has the guild ever been so kind? Usually, giving seven or eight days for preparation is already considered good.
"Miss Ryu, don't forget, the guild doesn't know about Tione and Tiona's level-up yet," Roy laughed. As for the ample time, it's probably because Guild Master Royman was intimidated by him and didn't dare to push too hard.
Ryu suddenly realized that the guild believed that the Astrea Familia only had one LV.5 and one LV.4 adventurer, which was just right for the 37th floor.
With their current combat strength, the risk is not too great; it can be considered a training exercise, so Liu can relax.
"By the way, Miss Eina wants you to go there to study advanced knowledge recently. I also have some advanced information. What are you going to do?" Liu said quietly.
The Astrea Familia had previously cleared floor 41, so Ryu possessed a considerable amount of in-depth information, but Roy sensed a hint of jealousy in her eyes—
Roy's eyes darted around. "Sister Liu, if I go to Eina's place, will you be jealous?"
Liu's pretty face stiffened.
"How could I possibly do something like that!"
The elven girl glared fiercely at Roy with her sky-blue eyes, then turned and left the office, taking three steps at a time, her movements even revealing a hint of panic.
His disordered steps drew surprised glances from Tiony and Tiona in the hall. Had they been arguing? But neither of them seemed to be.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
She quickly returned to her room, leaned against the wall, and placed her small hands on her chest. Why did she feel her heart racing?
Her pretty cheeks turned red in the darkness, spreading to her pointed, slender ears.
The rapid heartbeat could be clearly heard.
Her mind kept flashing back to everything she had experienced with Roy since they met—how he helped her avenge her family, destroy the dark faction, and revive her clan.
And then there was that exchange in the dungeon.
Through a compatibility (marriage) agreement, they can sense each other's position and even vaguely sense each other's state, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Ryu felt a deep connection to Roy's yearning and passion for adventure, his focus when forging weapons, and the thrill of outwitting and outmaneuvering enemies.
It's somewhat similar to the "Platonic" love described by the gods. Ryu buried her head deep in the blankets. Does the other person feel the same way?
Meanwhile, in the office...
Roy watched as the flustered elf girl fled as if her life depended on it. Her shy demeanor was much cuter than usual, and he couldn't help but smile.
He has always had a clear understanding of their relationship: more than friends, but not quite lovers. They just need a certain opportunity to break through this barrier and take it a step further.
Now it seems that the emotionally oblivious elf girl has also realized something.
Roy was a little curious.
Who was this kind-hearted person who helped him out? He should definitely bring two cases of milk to thank them.
The following day, in the main hall of the Star Garden.
Upon learning that their clan was about to embark on a dungeon expedition, everyone was filled with excitement, but also felt a sense of urgency, as the expedition meant exploring floors that had never been reached before.
As long as they can come back alive, their abilities and combat experience will experience a qualitative leap, and it is even possible to upgrade or awaken new skills!
Roy said, "This expedition is entirely voluntary; those who don't want to go can refuse."
After all, it was a deep expedition that adventurers described as a perilous journey with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. Roy had never been to the deep, and he dared not say that he had absolute confidence in protecting the others.
Therefore, Roy did not force them to participate.
Ryu, Roy, Tione, and Tiona are definitely in the team. This statement was mainly directed at Daphne and Cassandra at LV.2 and Lily at LV.1.
The three are completely mismatched in strength.
For example, the monsters deep within—the Skeleton Sheep—are so fast that even LV.4 adventurers with low stats can't react in time and are instantly killed.
Daphne and Cassandra both looked somewhat unwilling. If they couldn't participate in the expedition, their growth rate would inevitably lag behind others, and the gap would widen.
In the end, they couldn't see Roy and the others' backs anymore. As members of the same clan, they wanted to fight side by side.
Lily, on the other hand, remained quite calm.
A deep expedition mission? Are you kidding me! That's a realm where even LV.4 adventurers would perish; she'd never reached anything below the tenth level before.
So when Lily was sent to participate in the Deep Expedition, she remembered a self-deprecating proverb widely circulated among the gods: "A boar drools in front of the door—am I worthy?"