Chapter 48 - Setting Off

Overall, Isaac's new gear didn't differ from his old one by much, as he had already settled into a specific preference. Still, partly because of the restriction this imposed, Isaac had had to hurry from store to store and piece together individual pieces of equipment until he had finally gathered a whole set. Slight differences in style, workmanship and material were now a minor feature of his outfit, as most parts had been made by different craftsmen. If one didn't look too closely, however, these differences wouldn't really stick out.

Just like last time, Isaac chose a shirt-style gambeson and padded trousers, which he luckily found as part of a set. They were the colour of dried blood, which was because they were made from Bloodsaurus leather. The only thing Isaac knew about these monsters was that they were commonly found on the 30th floor, but besides that, he was clueless. If Tiona hadn't mentioned them while he was picking out his new gear, he wouldn't have known anything about the material's origin. But even the Amazonesses didn't have a clue what the boots he chose were made of. While they were extremely sturdy, they were also surprisingly malleable, so they shouldn't be much of a burden while traversing different kinds of terrain. Their dark blue, almost black leather didn't look familiar, however, so it had most likely been specially treated.

The light metal armour pieces Isaac chose were all still made in the same agile, minimum-protection style and most of them were made from a dark grey material. The b.r.e.a.s.tplate, however, was a pitch-black one. Speaking about the colour black… sadly, Isaac didn't find another black, higher quality vambrace for his left arm. The only one that sufficiently fit him was made of the same aforementioned dark grey material. This time, however, it was a lot more dense and heavy, compared to the light weight it had sported before. This should enable the vambrace to easily withstand a few powerful blows. Thankfully, there was no need to worry about the weight of almost 50 kilograms either, as at this point, Isaac had already reached what could only be described as 'superhuman strength'.

All of this was at the Level 3 standard and had cost him 3.53 million valis. But of course, this wasn't the end of Isaac's spending spree.

Although there weren't too many monsters whose stats were solely focused on Endurance, there were still a few on every floor. It was possible to slay those by only attacking their weak points but Isaac didn't want to do so, as it would reduce the amount of research data he could gather from them. After all, how would he find out how these monsters reacted to having their strengths suppressed if he wasn't able to do just that? This was the main reason he wanted to upgrade his weapon as if he only tried to kill his opponents, he would likely be able to slay even most Level 5 monsters with the one he had been using until now.

To overcome stronger defenses, Isaac splurged quite a lot. He spent 2.1 million valis on a sword that even most Level 4 adventurers would envy. Usually, weapons of this quality weren't sold in stores and only a handful of them were used as promotional material. There had been exactly one weapon which fit Isaac's specifications: an about 85 centimeter long one-handed sword. Luckily, this one even felt perfect when he gave it a few test swings, so after sweet-talking the shop owner into it, he was allowed to purchase it.

Contrary to his last weapon, which had almost seemed a little fragile because of its exceedingly thin blade, this one had some weight behind it. Still, it wasn't any less elegant. It was made from the metallic bones that the Spartoi in the Deep Floors used for weapons but because it had been purified and reinforced a lot during the production, it was almost perfectly white, without a blemish. The hilt and accompanying sheath were made from simple black leather to further accentuate this aspect.

After Isaac finally finished happily sizing up his new equipment in the mirror, he went back to his room and shortly after, both he and Jakk made their way to the subordinates' base. Although the bunny boy wouldn't be taking part in the expedition, that didn't mean he wouldn't have any duties while Isaac was gone, as he would have to take care of his fellow students and deal with a few other matters.

The one who responded to Isaac's knock was, unsurprisingly, Mina. A bright smile played across her lips when she saw her lord, but at the same time, there was a little bit of sadness interspersed within. After all, she wouldn't be able to see him for quite some time starting today.

"Please assemble everyone."

A simple order and about a minute later, Mina, Kalin, Averin, Quinn and Jakk were gathered in front of Isaac, most of them still a little bit sleepy. But as they already knew that important matters were going to be discussed now, they tried to pay as much attention as they could muster.

Isaac showed an appreciative smile while gazing at his quickly growing students and subordinates, then he cleared his throat and began giving them their instructions.

To ensure that they would have enough supplies and - in case he didn't get back in time - to pay for the base's rent, Isaac had left 4 million valis with Jakk, which should be more than enough to cover for anything that could potentially come up. The rest of the money was to be spent on a little 'homework' he gave them: to gather books. Any kind of book was fine, but each of them had to buy at least one book every day he was gone. Isaac didn't explain his reason for giving them such a task, as it was related to certain plans he had for the future. As he wouldn't be able to make time to delve further into them, besides giving his subordinates simple quests related to them, for a long while, there was no need to explain the details right now.

"Although your main goal should be to grow stronger, don't forget that your safety and survival is also of paramount importance. As you already know, the Hermes Familia will be protecting you from the shadows in my absence. If anything that they can't handle comes up, follow the emergency protocol. Understood?"

Only after they had all nodded and repeated the emergency protocol aloud did Isaac's stern expression soften.

Because it would simply be inhumane to leave Averin all alone here for the next few weeks, Isaac also gave his students permission to smuggle him into the dungeon secretly, so he could help them out and grow stronger himself as well. According to the terms he had discussed with Asfi, the Hermes Familia wouldn't be allowed to question anything related to his students or interfere with them in any way that could potentially harm them. As it was only a matter of time until Isaac would let Averin accompany him openly, he decided to risk exposing him to Hermes' 'children' for now to see how they would react. If anything went awry, Averin's mind-boggling speed could carry him to safety, after all. And should even that not be enough, there was always the aforementioned emergency protocol.

Finally, it was time for temporary farewells.

"Sorry for burdening you with taking care of them like that."

A sigh escaped Jakk's mouth when he heard this. He had already babysat everyone for quite a while now, so was this really any different? Their growth might be somewhat stagnant in Isaac's absence, but that would also give them an opportunity to solidify their foundations.

"No worries, I'm used to it."

In response to the Hume Bunny youth's resigned reply, a wry smile flashed across Isaac's lips before he turned towards the next one in line, Quinn. They hadn't known each other for long but as his future weapon of mass destruction, he had to take special care with this one.

"Don't grow impatient and focus on acc.u.mulating basic combat experience while I'm gone. Stay out of trouble, okay?"

After Isaac patted his shoulder supportively, the cat boy nodded his head resolutely. He was well aware that he was incredibly weak right now and would only drag everyone around him down if he acted impulsively.

"I promise."

Satisfied with this response, Isaac crouched down and sized up Averin, before a slight sigh escaped his mouth. The damn rooster had already started to put on a bit of weight.

"Just don't laze around too much and keep in shape."

These words didn't impress the Jack Bird at all. Quite defiantly, he only showed an arrogant smile.

"Why should I?"

"Two reasons. First, you'll be quite unpopular with the hens if you're too lazy. Second, the fatter you get, the more tasty you look."

While Averin had sneered at the beginning, thinking that there were no hens worthy of him anyway, the latter part had thoroughly shut him up. Cold sweat ran down his spine as he sneakily took glances at the people surrounding him. They wouldn't really eat him… right!?

Leaving the distracted rooster behind after innocently patting his back a little, Isaac faced Kalin, who patiently waited for his parting words. Out of all of his students, he was probably the most stable. He was the one that Isaac should be worried about the least.

"I'm counting on you to support Jakk, alright?"

With a confident smile, Kalin nodded his head, before breaking out into a wide smile. There was a slightly competitive glint in his eye.

"Just leave it to me. Next time we meet, you'll be surprised by how much we've grown!"

"I look forward to it."

After giving a fleeting glance at the stone ring on the pendant around Kalin's neck, Isaac finally faced Mina, whose ears and tail had been drooping lower than ever before all this while. Even her eyes had grown a little red and it looked like she was about to cry. Letting her wait until the very end truly felt a little cruel in retrospect.

"There, there."

Having already grown used to it by now, Isaac habitually started to pat Mina's head, this time a lot longer than before. Because her reactions had always been so adorable, he had adopted her as a pet in his heart some time ago, so his actions didn't feel out of line. Also, giving her a good head pat had never failed to calm her down.

"Stay safe and be a good girl. Otherwise, there won't be any head pats when I return."

Although it was clear that she was just putting up a tough front, the somewhat blushing Mina resolutely nodded her head and replied to this horrific threat, trying her best to hide her sorrow.

"Yes, milord! Have a safe trip!"

-----

Once he had bid farewell from his students, Isaac hurriedly made his way to the treasury. Although, according to his knowledge, there was no deadline for paying the familia tax, as he would be gone for a while, he thought it would be a good idea to pay it before he left. In an effort to not inconvenience Rakta too much, Isaac didn't beat around the bush and simply handed the shy Hume Bunny girl a pouch with almost 1.5 million valis.

"I'll be part of the expedition for a bit, so here you go. My taxes."

A surprised yell escaped Rakta's lips when she inspected the money. With a panicked face, she shook her head and reminded Isaac of something she thought he forgot, while desperately trying to return the pouch.

"That's too much! You're only supposed to give me five percent of your earnings! Five percent!!"

As he was somewhat pressed for time, Isaac hastily pushed the pouch back onto her desk and explained himself.

"These 1.498.323 valis are exactly five percent of what I earned from the dungeon since last time. Anyway, I'm off. See you later!"

Giving her no chance to try to return his taxes again, Isaac quickly hurried away from the treasury, leaving behind a shell-shocked Rakta, who was staring at him absentmindedly while calculating his total earnings.

Technically speaking, Isaac hadn't exchanged all of his magic stones and drop items with the Guild, as he wanted to keep a bit of them on hand should he ever need them. So in a way, he did indeed pay the familia more than five percent of the valis he got. Still, he had calculated the precise value of everything he had gathered, so he wasn't overpaying his taxes at all.

About 15 minutes before the expedition party would set off, Isaac arrived at the main courtyard. After taking a quick look around and noticing a lot of familiar faces within the crowd, he soon saw the team of supporters he was temporarily assigned to and made his way over to them. As soon as they noticed him, he gave them a bright smile.

"Good morning!"

Even though most of them were still a little sleepy, they replied warmly. All but Cedar, that is. Isaac had noticed his unhappy glare right away but didn't let it bother him, especially because the Elf had quickly looked away, clearly trying to stay professional.

Isaac didn't have much more time to think about it anyway, as Randi, the hearty Boaz, powerfully patted his back to gain his attention. If she had done this before his latest Status update, he might have been painfully inconvenienced by her strength, but this time, it didn't impact him much, which made the redhead raise an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't dwell on it for long, however, and pointed at two large carts and six enormous backpacks.

"See those? You'll be carrying one of the backpacks."

Right after having been assigned his job, without wasting any time, Isaac tried on one of the backpacks to see how much they would restrict him. After all, compared to the expedition backpacks which were almost taller than him, his usual, personal backpack, which he kept at his side to conceal the use of his inventory, only seemed like a small pouch. The large backpacks were made from high quality, robust monster leather and a special wood and metal frame, which enabled them to hold many hundreds of kilograms easily.

"You alright with carrying this? We'll help you out if it's too much, y'know?"

Ever the helpful teammate, Claire worriedly asked, already getting ready to support him. After all, in the eyes of everyone else, Isaac was just a new Level 2 adventurer, such a huge burden should strain him quite a bit. Contrary to the team's expectations, however, Isaac didn't seem bothered by the weight at all, which earned him quite a few compliments.

"No more playing around. Get ready to set off, they're here!"

Only after Line's reminder did the team realize that the ones they had been waiting for had just entered the courtyard, so they quickly got their backpacks, grabbed the carts and got into position.

With the arrival of Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Lefiya, Tiona, Tione and Bete, the entire expedition party had finally convened. Even Loki had come along, which brought the total number of people assembled in the courtyard to 58. Three supporter teams with eleven people each and three main forces with eight people each. Coupled with all the supplies and the six large carts, even this spacious place felt a little bit crammed.

Very quickly, the chatter came to a stop while the entire party looked at Finn, Riveria, Gareth and Loki, who stood in front of the orderly arrayed teams. As expected, it was time for a speech or two and the first one who took the stage was the Captain, Finn.

"We are about to set off on a regular expedition into the Deep Floors. But even though most of you are already veterans and quite used to this, do not let your guard down! After all, you never know what will happen in the dungeon. A moment of distraction is all that could be needed to end your or your comrade's life. Never forget that and don't become complacent."

Seeing how none of the people assembled here showed signs of discontent at this warning, Finn nodded his head and continued.

"I will only consider this expedition a success if every single one of you makes it back in one piece. I, myself, will give my very best to make this a reality, so I'll expect all of you to do the same. I'm counting on you!"

Although most leaders had a propensity to hold longer speeches than they should, Finn's was short and concise. There was no need to waste more time talking about anything but the essentials, so after glancing at his fellow Top Executives during the short obligatory applause, he, Riveria and Gareth took their spots in front of the Executives of the first main force.

Seeing so many of her children eager to set off, Loki scratched her cheek awkwardly, before her trademark mischievous smile reappeared.

"Finn already mentioned almost everything I wanted to say. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. Just remember to return home and that you've got comrades waiting for you here, in this familia, this safe haven. I'll be missing you all a lot!"

Towards the end, a few tears had appeared at the corners of Loki's eyes but it was quite clear to everyone that she was simply exaggerating. Still, this heartwarming act brought smiles to most members of the party.

While Loki was saying her goodbyes, Isaac noticed the still-cloaked Hel sneaking a glance at him from one of the windows of the main building. After making sure that nobody was paying attention to him, he waved at her stealthily, which made the gloomy goddess smile slightly. He hadn't really had a good chance to bid her farewell in any other manner, so this should suffice for the time being. Hopefully, the little stalker would be fine in his absence, but honestly, there wasn't really a need to worry. She could always just turn invisible should there be any sign of danger and he had already asked his students to take care of her should she come to them for help. Of course, he had also cautioned them to not get taken advantage of by her. So Hel should do just fine… probably.

Once the party had made its way through the small alleys and arrived on the northern main street, what greeted Isaac was very different from what he had become accustomed to. Usually, at this time of the day, not many people wandered the streets. After all, it was still quite early, not everyone was an early riser. This time, however, the streets were unusually lively, while people had generously left a huge amount of space in the middle of the street for the party to pass through.

Understanding flashed in Isaac's eyes as he observed the vast amount of cheerful observers, both old and young. An expedition wasn't only a voyage the Guild required exploration type familias above a certain rank to embark on regularly, rather, it was a publicity tool. More and more people would be incensed to chase after their dreams in the dungeon if they laid eyes upon the very best adventurers resolutely marching towards an exciting adventure. Another reason for the huge reaction of the populace was the fact that once someone entered the dungeon, there was no guarantee that they would ever return. So wishing people the best before an expedition had become somewhat of a tradition. One could even call it a good luck ritual.

The Loki Familia was in a rather unusual situation, however, seeing how there were even fan clubs for most of their strong adventurers, whose members cheered for the safe return of their idols. Such a thing happening, at least to a certain extent, couldn't be helped, as the Loki Familia was one of the two most influential exploration-type familias in Orario. Its members were at the very top of the food chain. Admittedly, however, the main reason was that almost everyone in the familia was good-looking. Whether that was due to Loki's careful arrangements or just a coincidence, Isaac couldn't say.

Still, even as a random extra, a faceless part of the background actors, having tens of thousands of people cheering for their party's safe return… didn't feel too bad.

Thirty minutes of travel later, the party finally reached Babel. This time, instead of entering through the usual northern main entrance, the supporter teams got their carts and moved to the northern cargo entrance before having the Guild perform security checks on their supplies. Obviously, if they had any illegal goods or otherwise questionable things with them, they would be stopped here. But how could one of the poster children of Orario possibly make such a blunder? Without a problem, the supporters entered the tower after the routine inspection.

To descend to the first floor of the dungeon Isaac would have usually taken the spiral stairs but this time, they were taking the adjacent cargo elevator there. As it was built with the most advanced technology this world had to offer and was heavily enchanted with multiple magics, the elevator had no problem transporting the tens of tons of supplies the Loki Familia carried with them. Even by the time they returned, with lots of drop items and magic stones, which were a lot heavier, there wouldn't be any problems. This was far from the Guild's first rodeo, after all.

When the main forces, who had taken the normal route into the dungeon, finally came into view again, it was time for Isaac to be stunned. Currently, they were besieged by hundreds of goblins and kobolds, way more than he had ever encountered at once in the dungeon. If they weren't blocking the monsters' advance, Isaac had no doubt that the cargo elevator wouldn't have any space to descend. The monsters' insane numbers only got worse once the entire party reconvened.

Seeing the slight shock on Isaac's face, Randi, who pulled one of the carts their supporter team was responsible for together with Auroch, explained the situation to the young man marching along next to her.

"The more people are in close proximity to each other in the dungeon, the higher the chances of encountering a Monster Party. Now that there are this many of us, we will practically be assaulted by multiple simultaneous Monster Parties nonstop. Only very rarely will we be granted opportunities to catch our breath. Quite exciting, huh?"

After thanking her for the information, Isaac refocused on his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, Loki Familia main force members were cutting a path of blood through an almost literal wall of monster flesh. Taking the many carts and supplies that would bog them down even more into account, it was no wonder why expeditions always lasted for a few weeks.

Moments after advancing a few meters, Isaac tried to bend down and collect a few of the magic stones from the monster corpses all around. Before he could do so, however, his senior supporter, Randi, interrupted him again.

"Don't even bother. We only have that much storage space, it's more efficient to only collect the highest value magic stones and drop items."

"Okay…"

Reluctantly, Isaac let go of the magic stone he had just ripped out of a goblin's chest. Or he pretended to. Once it had hit the ground, he sneakily touched it with his boot-clad right foot and put it into his inventory. When he glanced at the thousands of monster bodies in the expedition's wake, he felt his heart ache and his eyes became slightly bloodshot.

'Letting all this money go to waste… such a tragedy!'