Aston truly didn't expect to encounter Lili and the others on their way back from the expedition, especially under such extraordinary circumstances. Not only Aston was taken aback, but even the members of the Loki Familia were stunned, staring in disbelief.
The reason for their astonishment was that Lili and her group were in the process of defeating the 27th floor's boss, Amphisbaena. And by defeating, it means that Amphisbaena was completely overpowered and restrained by Lili's group, covered in wounds from both magic and physical damage, with no chance to escape.
The close combat members had Amphisbaena tightly surrounded, with Lyd, Gros, Ray, and Ranye leading the defense in all four directions, making it impossible for Amphisbaena to break through. Every attempt at escape was thwarted by the vigilant members of the Hestia Familia, who would immediately repel it back into the fray.
Then, the magic corps unleashed a barrage of group fire spells on Amphisbaena, inflicting severe damage. Essentially, the Hestia Familia was overpowering the floor boss with sheer force.
Shortly after Aston and the others arrived, Amphisbaena was obliterated under the combined assault of the magic corps and the close combat team, leaving behind only a massive magic stone embedded in the ground.
Finn, having witnessed the entire battle, couldn't help but express his amazement at the rapid growth of the Hestia Familia. "To be able to defeat Amphisbaena, even without you, Aston, they're already capable of standing among the large Familias."
His comment was met with unanimous agreement from the surrounding and following members of the Loki Familia. While the Loki Familia's first-class adventurers could defeat Amphisbaena without intervention, it would come at a significant cost, unlike the Hestia Familia, which managed to encircle and kill Amphisbaena without giving it any chance to escape—a feat not achievable without the participation of first-class adventurers.
Riveria remained silent, observing Airel leading the magic corps with a thoughtful expression. She had recognized the strength of the magic corps during the War Game, but she hadn't anticipated that in just half a month's absence, they would become powerful enough to severely injure and even kill Amphisbaena.
"Is the power of the same magic, when used in coordinated combat, really this strong?"
"It would be great if the Loki Familia could replicate this situation." Riveria mused internally.
However, Riveria didn't harbor any real hope for this. Aside from the Hestia Familia, no other Familia in Orario possessed mages with the same magic, including the Loki Familia. Naturally, it was impossible to replicate a magic corps with identical magic.
While Lili and her group surrounded and killed Amphisbaena, there were not only Aston and his group returning from their expedition but also adventurers from other Familias, all showing shocked expressions. It was likely that by tomorrow, the news of the Hestia Familia's feat against Amphisbaena would spread throughout Orario.
This would surely cause a sensation. Even without the context of Aston's expedition, the Hestia Familia's rank was set to leap several levels.
"Aston-sama!" After they had surrounded and killed Amphisbaena, the group quickly approached Aston, with Lili running ahead to stand in front of Aston, looking up at him excitedly, clearly seeking praise.
Aston didn't disappoint Lili. Gently patting her head, he then scanned all the members of the Hestia Familia present and spoke warmly, "Well done."
These simple words excited all the Hestia Familia members present, who cheered joyfully. For the members of the Hestia Familia, whether they were elves, Xenos, or from other races, Aston held an incomparably noble position in their hearts, surpassing even Hestia in some respects.
Just a simple word of praise from Aston was enough to give them an immense sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Witnessing this scene, Finn felt envious. As the captain of the Loki Familia, his status within the Familia is indeed high, second only to Loki herself. Yet, even he couldn't inspire such adoration and fervent loyalty in all his members as Aston does with his. In some decisions, if his views differ from other members, he could be questioned.
Unlike Aston, Finn could see that the members of the Hestia Familia have unwavering trust in Aston, practically hanging on his every word.
"I see the Hestia Familia has grown strong enough to handle expeditions on their own. Next time, let's go together, and bring them all along," Finn suggested to Aston after his moment of contemplation. This time, Finn intended to invite the entire Hestia Familia, not just Aston.
With the Hestia Familia members, they could venture into the deeper floors, 40-49, without concern. Finn had clearly seen the firepower of the magic corps; although not quite on par with Riveria, it was definitely at a Level 6 standard.
Finn believed that if they encountered powerful monsters like Balor in the vast wilderness, with the Hestia Familia's magic corps, Riveria, and the magic swords held by him and Gareth, they could confidently defeat them without injury.
Unbeknownst to Finn, Balor had already been eliminated by Aston and wouldn't reappear for at least half a year, making Finn's plan unfeasible.
Hearing Finn's proposal, Aston pondered for a moment, well, five seconds, before internally making a decision. However, Aston didn't immediately agree.
"I need to discuss this with Hestia first and will get back to you later," Aston responded with a smile.
"Of course, that's only appropriate," Finn replied with a smile.