Danmachi: Strongest Familia

All deep-floor magic stones retrieved from beyond the 53rd floor would be absorbed by Sol to reinforce Valoran's foundation, while the remaining power stones would be sold to the guild for money.

Once the business was settled, Sol's face softened into a smile. Tilting his head, he cast a glance over Riveria, slowly leaning in closer.

The air in the lounge grew increasingly charged with an intimate tension.

With his energy restored, Sol planned to show his appreciation to Riveria.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to act, a hurried knock at the door shattered the mood.

Right when he was about to advance, with even the outer guardrail halfway breached—who could be so oblivious as to seek him out at this hour?

Didn't they need sleep?

Riveria, catching the interruption, pushed Sol back, adjusted her clothing with practiced ease, and cast a wry glance at the door.

Her message was clear. Reluctantly, Sol stood up and opened the door.

It was Kled and a few others, fresh from the expedition and eager to renew their status updates, showing no sign of taking a rest. Behind them, several restless team members, known for their love of battles, lined up outside the lounge.

Seriously? They just finished the expedition, and they're still full of energy?

Go home, get some rest—why not wait until tomorrow?

Sol wanted to refuse outright, but Riveria's clear sense of duty and Sol's obligations reined him in.

With a sigh, Sol resigned himself to the situation, feeling the familiar weight of Riveria's expectations.

"Alright, duty first, duty first..." he muttered, sitting down wearily on the edge of the bed.

Kled eagerly jumped into the chair in front of him.

For the men, Sol's rest room bed was off-limits; they were expected to sit quietly in the chair for their updates.

Sol quickly pricked his finger and drew a sacred circle on Kled's back, with the divine symbols appearing almost instantly.

After a quick check, he noted that Kled's stats had improved slightly—strength and durability were now at S rank, only a step away from advancing to the next level.

Ordinarily, this would be cause for celebration, but in his current situation, Sol found it hard to feel enthusiastic.

Handing over the parchment with the updated stats, Sol waved for the next person in line.

"Alright, hurry up, next…"

Kled, Sett, and Gnar followed. Sett's attributes had improved as expected, but when it came to Gnar, things were different.

This careless kid…

He'd actually leveled up!

Kled and Sett hadn't advanced, yet Gnar had. He'd even acquired the [Rage] development ability—something Sol had never encountered before. He wasn't sure of its effects, though the name seemed fitting for Gnar.

In short, aside from Riveria, Sol's family now had a tenth member who'd reached LV6.

"So, what on earth did Gnar accomplish in the dungeon?" Sol asked, eyebrows raised.

"Perhaps he took down Balor?" Riveria, who had been watching quietly nearby, responded uncertainly.

She had been organizing the team's attack on Balor to help her companions earn notable achievements. When neither Kled nor Sett had leveled up, she'd assumed the plan had failed. But perhaps not—maybe Gnar had gained the majority of the experience.

Throughout the battle, Gnar's performance had indeed been the most remarkable, with Yone and Irelia not far behind.

Perhaps she could look forward to their progress as well.

It was a relief that those two, being considerate, hadn't come to disturb their god's peace tonight.

With Gnar's advancement to LV6, Sol's mood brightened, and the earlier frustration faded quickly.

Once the updates were complete, Sol sent all the eager, visionless children's back to their quarters.

The room was finally quiet again, leaving Sol and Riveria alone.

"Would you like your status updated as well?" Sol asked, holding up his still-bleeding finger, indicating he was ready to proceed.

The necessary pricks were already made, and it would be a waste not to use the blood.

"Thank you, I'd appreciate it." Riveria lay down on the bed, relaxing her defenses.

As Sol got to work, her beautiful back appeared before him.

Suppressing his more wayward thoughts, he began the status update, his divine blood revealing Riveria's progress.

Her attributes had grown substantially, particularly in magic, which had increased by over 200 points—an impressive leap for an LV7!

Stunned, Sol paused.

Could an expedition raise her stats this much? Even an endless string of magic usage wouldn't yield results like this.

"Perhaps it's the effect of Haruhime magic," Riveria mused. "In my promotion state, it may have amplified my magic, accelerating my attribute growth."

"Does the Magic Mallet have that effect? That's great news…"

Though Sol couldn't entirely understand the mechanism, Riveria's explanation was logical enough.

But he wasn't inclined to spend more time on this. Not now.

With Riveria lying before him, wasn't it time to focus on more pressing matters?

"Oh, when we returned, we saw members of the Ganesha Familia preparing for the monster festival again," Riveria commented.

"That's right—you must've seen Ganesha's monster-hunting team. He invited me to a banquet recently."

"Let's go to the festival together," Riveria suggested, leaning into Sol's chest, her cheeks tinged with a warm blush.

"Who else would you go with to the monster festival?"

"Seriously, you can't be serious when you're talking about business! Get up already. You need to update the expedition team's favors today, so don't keep everyone waiting."

Feeling Sol's hand wandering mischievously again, Riveria's body stiffened. Flustered, she quickly let go of him, her composure slipping for a moment.

It was still early in the morning, and she didn't want things getting too carried away—especially since someone might knock on Sol's door again any moment.

"Anyone who needs a status update, come in one by one!" Sol called out helplessly as Riveria headed to the door.