I love time travel the most!

But this still didn't pique Freya's interest.

Kobayashi's purified soul intrigued her. If she hadn't met another boy, the goddess wouldn't have minded fostering his growth, but now...

No, you can't think so.

Since Hill and Kobayashi have started interacting, they might as well let things take their course. Perhaps it will bring them some unexpected and novel experiences.

“Then let’s continue, Ota.”

"Yes."

Freya plans to have Ota regularly guide Kobayashi and help him grow. It would be great if he could grow to the level of Ota and the others.

Don't get me wrong, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment.

"Lady Freya, perhaps..."

"Wait, Ota."

Freya forcefully interrupted Ota, for she had seen the figure that had captivated her. Even though he was covered in blood and his steps were chaotic and disheveled as he ran away, the goddess's infatuated gaze followed his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight, at which point she slowly withdrew her gaze.

"As expected, that child is..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"As expected, that child is Bell."

After reuniting with the Loki Familia expedition team, Kobayashi reflected on what had just happened.

Unexpectedly, the first encounter between the cowardly rabbit and the swordswoman was actually brought about by himself, leaving him with slightly complicated feelings.

The harsh words that came to my ears interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, weirdo, you're in the way, get out of the way."

Bert, the werewolf, muttered a disgruntled remark as he passed by. This guy was quite arrogant and looked down on weak adventurers; he was a typical meritocrat. However, if someone was truly strong, things might improve.

Kobayashi's current strength isn't that great, but at LV1 level he can easily take down more than a dozen LV2 Minotaurs, which barely meets his standards.

Well, 'barely'.

The extraordinary Raul approached, asking with concern, "Mr. Kobayashi, are you alright? Did you push yourself too hard? It's alright. [Monster Feast] isn't your fault, and it's understandable that you didn't know about this mechanism since it's your first time in the dungeon. Besides, this mechanism is currently just speculation, so... so..."

"Mr. Raul..."

Xiaolin was slightly moved.

In the past, I was always the one to take the initiative to comfort others, but I never expected that it would feel so good to be comforted by others.

Furthermore, Raul is meticulous in his observations, not overlooking even the slightest anomaly. He truly deserves to be recognized as an elite member by the hero Finn, an indispensable part of the Loki Familia expedition.

At this moment, Sword Maiden Ais also came over and said, "Don't worry. There were unexpectedly few adventurers in the dungeon today, so it didn't cause much damage."

Her indifferent voice and expressionless pretty face seemed like a reproach, but she was genuinely trying to comfort him.

"Young man! Don't mind him!"

This kind of thing happens all the time!

"Casualties are to be expected."

"That's right!"

They all offered their comfort to Xiaolin.

In the labyrinth city, the two strongest clans are governed by two different management models.

The Freya Familia is centered around the goddess, with everyone fighting independently according to her will. The Loki Familia, on the other hand, is a large family that helps its members in times of trouble.

There is a fundamental difference between the two.

But Kobayashi never expected that the Loki Familia would be so tolerant of an outsider.

The return journey was smooth, as if it were a reward for the warriors who had cleared the final stage. The Loki Familia and their party did not encounter any monsters, not even a single one.

Whether the dungeon knew that the upper-level monsters couldn't cause them any trouble, or that even if they came out, they would just be easy prey, so they let them pass, they didn't encounter any monsters along the way.

Unable to vent his anger, the irritable werewolf Bert was very unhappy. On his way back, he frantically searched for the LV2 Minotaur.

The goal, of course, is to surpass Ais.

But he didn't even consider that there couldn't possibly be a Minotaur on the 5th floor.

Oh no, there really is.

That cowardly rabbit who was just chased, from now on the minotaurs will be with him for life. May he never be persecuted by the minotaurs again. Ah... Aqua!

Half an hour later, we arrived on the ground.

The gloomy and oppressive atmosphere dissipated under the evening sunset, and the members of the Loki Familia expedition revealed relaxed smiles.

At this moment, the sounds that came like waves were all filled with fear.

"Look at those people!"

"It's the Star Gathering of First-Class Adventurers!"

"That banner... [Loki Familia]? No way! They're back from their expedition!"

"But who is that man? Is he a newcomer?"

The Loki Familia truly lives up to its reputation as a star family; they become the center of attention the moment they appear in Orario, with some fearless passersby even whistling at the female members.

"Wow, they're really enthusiastic."

Kobayashi raised an eyebrow.

He had received similar treatment before, when he became an Axel hero after intercepting the Mobile Fortress Destroyer. Some bold girls would even approach him, wanting to have a deep conversation with him.

Finn, the hero, sighed helplessly; clearly, he was also troubled by this situation.

But there is no way.

That's how popular people are.

"It seems we can no longer travel together." The hero Finn said with a slightly apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, it seems I've caused you trouble."

"It's alright, it's alright. On the contrary, I'm the one who's been taken care of by everyone." Kobayashi waved his hand, indicating that he shouldn't mind.

"Then...may we meet again?"

"See you soon."

He waved and turned to leave. But then he slapped his forehead, as if remembering something, and stopped.

"I forgot, there was also a reward."

"forget it."

"No, no, this is what we agreed on."

Kobayashi took a piece of ore from his pocket and tossed it to the superhuman Fulau.

“Mr. Raul, here, as payment for your help.”

"Eh?"

“I noticed that your weapons are just ordinary standard longswords and longbows. How can this be? You are a level 4 adventurer, it’s too shabby.”

"This, this..."

Raul, the extraordinary man, scratched his head awkwardly.

He was at a loss for words, unsure what expression to wear when his magnificent sword, covered in numerous magic stones, was described as a standard-issue longsword.

Seeing that he was about to refuse, the hero Finn spoke first, "Just accept it, Raul."

"Commander?" Raul looked at Finn in surprise.

"This is a kind gesture from the gentleman; shouldn't we accept it?"

"……All right."

At the urging of the hero Finn, he accepted the magic stone.

"very good."

Kobayashi nodded in satisfaction.

They definitely wouldn't accept money; after all, he's a Level 4 adventurer, and an elite member of the Loki Familia—they wouldn't be short of such a small amount. Even offering magic stones and materials would be the same. A Level 4 adventurer really wouldn't be interested in anything high-level.

If there's anything that could help Raul without costing him money, it would be the extremely rare Adamantite ore.

The clever hero Finn naturally understood Kobayashi's purpose in doing so, so he went along with it on behalf of his own members. After all, it was a token of the other party's goodwill, wasn't it?

Besides, it's just a piece of ore; how rare can it be?

Then, Kobayashi said to the hero Finn, "Also, I am not [this gentleman], my name is Kobayashi."

"I am Finn, nice to meet you."

"Please give me more advice."

The little people, dressed in golden armor, smiled and gently shook hands with each other.

This action made passersby feel as if they had discovered some big news. The surrounding chatter suddenly became noisy, and people looked at Xiaolin with curiosity and inquiry.

I expect some strange news to come out tomorrow.

"……Feel sorry."

"fine."

Kobayashi, who attracted attention, waved his hand and then turned and left.

"See you again sometime, buddy!" The lively, dark-skinned Tiona shouted cheerfully, raising her hand. At the same time, she said to the silent werewolf Bert beside her, "How strange, you're not saying anything?"

"Mind your own business, you idiot Amazon!"

"Ah, it's back to normal."

Bert the werewolf was as foul-mouthed as ever, which actually made Tiona relax.

Looking at Kobayashi's retreating figure, the brave Finn said meaningfully, "Bert, you can have some contact with him. I wouldn't mind."

"Tsk, who would want to associate with him? That weirdo." Bert curled his lip.

Tiona leaned closer and teased, "Getting all smug?"