"I guess I went a bit overboard."
Sighing, Yuki shook his head...
Ais wouldn't let go; since Undeus was defeated, she clung to Yuki with strength. Even when he gave her an elixir, she didn't release him...
She held onto him like an octopus, almost as if she wanted to fuse their bodies. Even with her body badly wounded and her muscles torn, she continued hugging him. This tenacity surprised Yuki a bit.
"I apologize for everything, Yuki-sama, having to go through this."
Beside him, Riveria apologized. After everything was over, they approached, seeing Ais crying like a little girl who lost her parents.
Needless to say, when Ais saw Finn and Gareth alive and well, her crying intensified. She hugged Yuki even tighter.
If Yuki didn't have the physique of a ninja and the Apocalypse virus in his body, surely one or two broken ribs would be a minimal price to pay.
"It's okay; it's been tough for her."
Taking responsibility for his actions, Yuki let Ais continue hugging him. Her mind was surely in complete chaos.
And although the rest of the group was eager to ask questions, they understood it wasn't the best time.
Especially, they would like to know how Finn and Gareth survived.
Well, Yuki kept his watch on the group, forcing them into a dead-end. So, he patiently waited for the moment when one of them would fall by Undeus's sword.
And he didn't have to wait long, as Finn was the first, seizing him at the critical moment in his shadow. Yuki transformed his clone to take the form of the deceased Finn. Needless to say, he did the same with Gareth.
After doing so, he briefly explained his motives to Finn and the purpose of all this. And even though Finn and Gareth disagreed, they had to admit that watching their family fight for them touched their hearts, especially Finn, as Tione gave everything to avenge him. In one way or another, this changed his perspective on her.
And if Yuki wasn't mistaken, maybe the next time he sees them, they will be a couple.
As for the rest of the group, it could be said that it was an unexpected harvest. Their parameters increased significantly due to their pain and hatred. They broke their limits in those moments.
When they return to their family, surely one or two of them will level up, as those who survive death become very strong.
But the most anticipated gain is Ais. She managed to use the Eight Inner Gates; her learning speed is terrifying. She achieved it in a very short time, and if she continues at this pace, opening the second gate won't be far off.
But there's still a long way to go...
"All right, it's time for you to return to Orario, and don't worry about the expedition; I've prepared a report."
After clarifying this point in his mission, Yuki knew that as they are now, they were powerless if they wanted to continue advancing on the dungeon floors.
"I appreciate your help, Champion-sama."
"Don't worry; I'll make sure you get all the credit for this."
The purpose of their expedition was fulfilled, so Yuki wouldn't mind giving them the credit.
"All right, that's it... Hm? Ais... I have to go."
Looking at the now injury-free group, Yuki wished to return to his family, but Ais still clung to him, leaving him defenseless.
"No..."
Muttering, Ais refused to let him go. She squeezed her arms tighter while shaking her head gently.
"Ha~"
Sighing again, Yuki could only smile wryly. It's exciting to be clung to by a cute girl, but that doesn't mean he'd like Ais to keep him pressed for hours.
"Well, as a reward, I'll let you continue like this."
"..."
However, Ais worked very hard, so Yuki didn't mind rejoining the expedition group.
Ais, on the other hand, continued to cling to him, with no intention of letting him go.
---
At the same time, in the Loki family.
"It's done, Loki-sama."
A Yuki clone emerged from the shadows, smiling at Loki, who furrowed her brow.
"Really? Nothing bad happened to him, right?"
"Nope"
Shaking his head, the clone continued to smile.
"That's good~"
On the other hand, Loki's shoulders slumped, as if a huge burden had been lifted.
"By the way... This is a recording; I hope this helps your children level up."
Materializing a small camera, Yuki pressed a button, and the video of the fight with Undeus was revealed.
Watching the video, Loki's body trembled, and she clenched her teeth, especially when she saw her children die.
But then she recovered because Ais showed something astonishing.
"This was more brutal than I expected."
"But it was necessary, wasn't it?"
"You're right, Your Excellency."
Unable to refute his actions, Loki smiled bitterly. After all, they had planned this adventure.
Loki knew why the dungeon acted irregularly, but still, she urged her family to accept this mission, regardless of the costs and dangers.
It's for their children to level up...
Only in a moment of life and death will living beings awaken their potential.
And with Yuki taking care of them, Loki was more than willing to let them grow. The war is approaching, and with their poor stats, they will die. Loki doesn't want to see her family destroyed.
These two were very similar when it came to mischief, as after that day in the tavern, they stayed in touch.
As birds of a feather, they understood each other very well. That's why Yuki mentioned the 'trial' of Ais to her.
At first, Loki didn't agree, but as time passed, both sat down and had a discussion about the matter. So, they planned this scenario where her children would undergo a deadly trial to improve.
Although Loki felt a bit bad, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she praised herself for being so intelligent. Yuki rolled his eyes, as this was his idea.
"With my part done... What about my payment?"
Clapping his hands, Yuki smiled cruelly. Nothing is free in this world.
The chatroom knew it, and so did Yuki. A good merchant always has to think about profits.
"Oh, I know! I'll heal you when your main body returns."
Growling in response, Loki knew she had been tricked.
Yuki, on the other hand, widened his smile. After all, when he found out he was injured, he roamed all of Orario looking for a solution. Rasiel didn't have the solution, and neither could Freya help him. This depressed him.
Because even he couldn't find the problem; his body was in perfect condition, as was his chakra.
Fortunately, Loki gave him a hint about his problem, and that was that his soul was injured.
This confused him, as Hestia mentioned something about his fate. However, Loki dismissed Hestia for her lack of information about the Champions. They don't have a fate, so the only injury Yuki had was to his soul.
Healing the soul is a significant matter; Yuki himself didn't know how to heal it.
But that doesn't mean Loki didn't. She vaguely mentioned something about healing him if he agreed to some of her requests. Still, Yuki couldn't accept her unreasonable demands, as Loki wanted to bind him to her family.
So, after some time, both parties agreed to join forces in an alliance, where Yuki would provide external help to her children, and Loki would assist him with his problem.
"I'll be waiting~..."
Waving his hand, the clone disappeared into the shadows.
"I'm not getting used to that."
Seeing Yuki come and go from her family gave Loki a headache, as sometimes Yuki appeared when she was in the shower.
This made her hair stand on end.
By a demon, she was being spied on, instead of her doing the spying.
But well, after going through this, she gradually got used to it.
"Hehehe, I can't wait to see their stats~"
Shaking her head, Loki smiled. Her children went through a great adventure, so their stats must be very high, especially Ais.
And she was correct because two days later, Ais leveled up.
[Ais Wallenstein
Level: 5 -> 6
Strength: S-- 999 -> I-- 10
Endurance: SS-- 1120 -> I-- 10
Dexterity: SS-- 1190 -> I-- 10
Agility: SSS-- 1330 -> I-- 10
Magic: SSS-- 1390 -> I-- 10
Hunter: G -> E
Abnormal Resistance: G -> B
Swordsman: H -> B
Spiritual Healing: I
Berserker: I
Hachimon Tonko (Kaimon)]
(What?)
Of course, Loki, upon seeing her statistics, couldn't help but open her mouth.
"Ehhhhhhhh?!"
---