As the conversation ended, Zephyr's attention quickly shifted to the sumptuous meal in front of him, but when his gaze swept across the table, he noticed something unusual about the girls beside him.
Lili and Lefiya were looking at the dishes on the table, but they didn't seem to have any intention of picking up their forks.
Zephyr frowned. "Go ahead and eat. What are you all just staring for?"
"Um..." Lefiya nodded shyly.
The tips of her ears were gradually covered in a rosy flush as she realized that she had been secretly watching Zephyr eat the whole time and had been caught.
She quickly looked away but her previously tense shoulders finally relaxed upon hearing Zephyr's frank answer earlier about not leaving the Loki Familia.
No matter what, they wouldn't be separated.
The corners of her lips curled up.
She raised her fork, picking up a rib and putting it into her mouth.
However, when Lefiya looked up, her gaze involuntarily fell once more upon the face of the boy beside her, who was busy eating. She couldn't look away at all.
After what Loki had said earlier, and her praise for the cuisine, Lefiya couldn't help but feel conflicted inside.
When the seniors of the Familia finish their expedition and return to Orario, would she still be able to eat the food cooked by Zephyr anytime and anywhere like this?
When those seniors who followed the Familia on the expedition return to the Loki Familia headquarters, the atmosphere would surely become quite lively. By then, the dishes cooked by Zephyr would surely be accepted by more Familia members, so would she still be considered?
As her thoughts drifted here, a faint sense of loss, vaguely tinged with possessiveness that even she herself hadn't noticed, appeared on Lefiya's face.
She thought to herself, 'It would be great if I could eat this in the future too.'
Zephyr, whose entire attention was focused on eating, kept feeling that Lefiya was looking at him with a strange gaze. But right now, his stomach had taken over his brain, and he had long since given up on thinking.
—
The atmosphere of this meal was quite pleasant overall. However, the vast majority of the food was stuffed into Zephyr's stomach and not even the salad had any leftovers.
With Rapid Absorption, that feeling of fullness was constantly fading away.
After the meal, everyone moved to the reception room of the Familia headquarters.
Zephyr sat on the soft sofa and turned his head to look at Loki, who was sprawled out, her face full of satisfaction.
After eating the Crab Pig, which was stronger than an Infant Dragon, he wondered if it could bring a significant improvement to his stats.
After all, during the last update, the overall increase was slower compared to the progress he had made before.
Could the higher-quality Gourmet Cells obtained from Crab Pig bring about another qualitative change in his strength?
He looked at Loki. "Loki-sama."
"Hmm?"
"Could I trouble you to help me update my status?"
"Oh."
Loki sat up straight on the sofa and adjusted her state.
"Updating status is something a god is supposed to do anyway, there's no need to talk about whether it's a favor or not. That's a bit too distant. Come on then."
"Thank you." Zephyr nodded.
After taking off his shirt, he sat by the sofa, exposing his entire back, where the jester emblem symbolizing the Loki Familia was quite conspicuous.
Loki rummaged through the drawer for the silver needle and parchment.
After this period of exploring the Dungeon, how many more surprises could Zephyr bring her?
As the silver needle pricked her fingertip, blood dripped onto the Falna mark on Zephyr's back. Light gushed out continuously and the characters rearranged themselves.
Zephyr
Level 2
Strength: I32 → H135
Endurance: I29 → H150
Dexterity: I28 → H122
Agility: I31 → H117
Magic: I30 → H120
"?!"
Is this really reasonable?
It had been less than two days since the last update.
The increase in Zephyr's stats exceeded Loki's expectations of Loki.
In terms of numbers, it didn't look particularly impressive at first glance. But the key issue that needed to be considered was that this was only the second time she had helped Zephyr update his status since he ranked up to Level 2.
For a normal Adventurer, when updating their status each time, a total sum of 100 points across all attributes could already be considered excellent.
What about Zephyr?
An average increase of 100 points for each attribute.
It meant that each of his explorations was equivalent to the progress of nearly 5 explorations for other Adventurers, and the final result might be even more unbelievable.
Her gaze fell on the boy who was sitting with his back to her, patiently waiting for the results. Deep inside, she was surging with irrepressible shock.
"You... It feels like you're an out-and-out monster."
I'll just take that as a compliment, I suppose?
Zephyr put on his shirt and took the parchment to browse through it. The specific increase in his stats matched his current expectations.
Most importantly, through this exploration, he reached a final conclusion: with higher-level Gourmet Creatures, he could maintain his previous growth rate.
However, the boost provided by monsters like Minotaurs was quite minimal, so the idea of staying in the upper floors wasn't feasible. In his future explorations, he would have to keep heading to deeper floors.
Just then, Loki suddenly remembered what she wanted to say today. She reached out to prop herself up on the sofa armrest and asked, "During your exploration these past two days, did you encounter any problems?"
Was this like a teacher's routine homework check?
Zephyr carefully recalled his entire exploration experience in his mind.
Those ordinary Dungeon monsters weren't hard to deal with. However, when encountering certain Gourmet Creatures, like Crab Pigs, he needed a handy weapon to kill them.
"Actually, there is. Some monsters have very bulky bodies, and I don't have a way to quickly pierce their defenses. I feel like I'm lacking a rather handy weapon."
With the benefits he received as a member of the Loki Familia yesterday, plus the gains he had accumulated from exploring the Dungeon during this time, Zephyr estimated that he had saved up nearly 300,000 valis.
Without thinking too much, he asked, "Loki-sama, do you know of any affordable weapon shops you could recommend? I only have a budget of 300,000 valis. Can I buy something suitable with that?"
Hearing this, Loki couldn't keep a straight face. She could clearly feel that Zephyr wasn't trying to ask her for money. He wanted to use the money he had saved to buy a weapon.
Honestly, with his talent, he would be treated like a treasure in any Familia.
As for why he had such an independent personality?
Loki thought of the chaotic Soma Familia.
It must have been that kind of environment that fostered such a mature personality?
She said, "You don't need to worry about the weapon."
Loki scratched her head, her smile carrying a hint of embarrassment. "I was actually going to tell you, but I got distracted by the food."
"I haven't prepared a proper welcome gift for you yet. Yesterday, while I was idling around in Orario, I went to a friend's shop to take a look. Customizing a weapon takes quite a while. So, I'll prepare a transitional weapon for you first. Don't worry about the price."
"Huh?"
When Zephyr heard this, he was a bit caught off guard by this turn of events.
Room and board covered, pocket money maxed out.
And there was even a welcome gift?
He looked at Loki, but she didn't look like she was joking at all. Just as he was about to speak, he saw her wave her hand.
"Don't rush to refuse me and don't say thank you."
Loki emphasized, "With your talent, I think you'd get the same treatment in any Familia... well, except for the Soma Familia where you were before."
She was worried that Zephyr might feel burdened by it and continued, "The more Gourmet Creatures you take care of, the more delicious food you can bring back, so I'm not entirely just helping you."
"Tell me. What kind of weapon do you want?"