The Loki Familia's dining hall was alive that night.
Laughter echoed off the stone walls, mugs clanked together, and the smell of roasted meat and freshly baked bread filled the air.
Long tables were packed end to end, covered with plates stacked high with food.
The adventurers were in high spirits... celebrating not only their successful return from another expedition, but also welcoming their newest member.
With Loki at the front, she tapped her glass with a spoon to receive everyone's attention.
"Cheers to another victory!"
Loki yelled, standing on top of a chair and nearly spilling her drink.
"And cheers to our newest recruit... Judas!"
The room erupted with applause and whistles.
"Oi, sit down before you fall and break your neck!"
Tione shouted from below, laughing as Loki waved her off.
"I appreciate the warm welcome."
Judas, seated near the center of the hall, gave a polite nod, a faint smile on his face as he raised his mug.
"Welcome to the Familia."
Tiona said, grinning as she leaned over the table.
"This is what a good night looks like. No one bleeding, no one dying, and everyone still got their limbs attached."
Loki chuckled, leaning back in her chair.
That drew a few laughs.
The conversation continued to flow around Judas... light, casual, filled with the kind of easy familiarity that only long-time companions shared.
He listened more than he spoke, occasionally responding when someone directed a comment his way.
It wasn't exactly the kind of noise he was used to.
But it wasn't unpleasant, either.
Even Ais smiled faintly.
"He seems... different from what I expected."
Lefiya leaned toward Ais and whispered.
"He doesn't really talk much, does he?"
"Mn," Ais murmured in agreement, her eyes briefly meeting Judas'.
"But he's strong."
As the night went on, the atmosphere only grew livelier.
Tiona started an arm-wrestling contest, Bete, who had just returned from the dungeon, got into a loud argument with Gareth about who could drink more.
Loki somehow ended up dancing on one of the tables while Riveria tried to drag her down.
As the evening stretched, people started clearing the empty plates while Loki went around filling mugs again, ignoring Riveria's disapproving look.
The laughter never really died down.
Judas leaned back slightly, glancing around the room... at the people who, despite their quirks and bickering, were genuinely happy just being together.
"If there are any children that wanted their status updated today, then it's fine to come up to my room after dinner."
Loki announced, standing on one of the long tables with a mug in hand.
"Of course, I'll only be doing it for the first ten people!"
She added with a mischievous grin.
A chorus of groans erupted from the younger members of the Familia.
"Only ten?!"
"Come on, Goddess!"
"You're just lazy!"
"Hey, even a goddess has her limits! You think cutting my finger open a hundred times is fun?"
Loki cackled, waving her hand dismissively.
Her exaggerated whining earned laughter from some of the veterans, while others just shook their heads.
Ais, however, remained quiet... her golden eyes briefly flickering with interest at the mention of the status update.
Later that night, the corridors of Twilight Manor had gone quiet, the earlier chaos replaced by the faint sound of footsteps.
Ais turned a corner and nearly bumped into someone.
"Ah... sorry."
Judas said, stepping back slightly.
The faint glow of a lantern hanging from the wall illuminated his face.
"Ais, do you want your status updated as well?"
"Mn," she nodded, voice soft but certain.
"I wanted to become stronger as soon as possible."
They walked side by side toward Loki's room.
The faint laughter of a few drunk adventurers echoed from downstairs, but neither of them spoke further.
When they finally stopped in front of Loki's door, Ais hesitated.
Her hand reached toward the handle but didn't move.
She fidgeted slightly, eyes darting toward Judas.
"You can go first. I can wait."
Noticing her hesitation, Judas exhaled through his nose, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Ais blinked, her expression softening.
She gave a small nod in gratitude before knocking.
"Come in..."
Came Loki's lazy voice from inside.
Ais pushed the door open, and the two stepped in.
Loki sat cross-legged on her bed, hair slightly messy, cheeks flushed from the drinks earlier.
When she saw them, her grin widened.
"Hah! I knew it! I had a feeling that you two would be the first ones to come running here!"
"Now, which one of you wants to go first?"
She declared triumphantly, pointing a finger at them.
"She can go first. She seems more eager than I am."
Judas glanced at Ais and nodded toward her.
"Trying to be a gentleman, huh? You better not be trying to win my Ais over. You know my precious Ais has rejected over a thousand courtship attempts already~"
Loki's grin turned sly.
Silence.
Neither Judas nor Ais said anything, their faces completely unreadable.
"Tough crowd."
Loki blinked.
"Alright, alright. Get out of here and wait outside while Ais... take off your shirt, show me your back, and sit over here."
She sighed and gestured at Judas.
Ais wordlessly obeyed.
As Judas quietly stepped outside and shut the door behind him, Loki stretched her arms with a yawn.
"Oh man... I might be slightly drunk."
She muttered, smirking.
"My hands might slip and do something inappropriate."
Ais didn't even flinch.
The moment Loki's hands reached a little too far forward, a knife flashed from her waist.
"Use this knife and behave yourself."
Ais said coldly, eyes narrowed.
"...Right. Totally professional. Heh."
Loki froze mid-motion, sweat instantly forming on her forehead.
She pricked her own finger, letting a droplet of divine blood fall onto Ais' back.
Blue light flared, filling the dim room.
The runes on Ais' back shimmered, and numbers began to shift... slowly, steadily.
Loki's playful expression faded as she studied the changes.
Compared to Judas, whose numbers rose like a rocket, the values on Ais' status climbed at a slow, steady pace.
Loki wasn't surprised... progress always slowed the higher one ascended.
For a level 5 adventurer like Ais, such gradual growth was perfectly normal.
However, this time, something was different...
'It's a bit higher than usual?'
Loki noticed that her gains in this update were slightly higher than in the previous ones.
The goddess of mischief arched a brow, intrigued.
When the light finally faded, Loki exhaled and imprinted the updated stats onto a sheet of parchment.
"Heh... congratulations, Ais-tan. Your magic parameter just went up from A-rank to S-rank."
She smirked, handing it to Ais.
Ais, already pulling her shirt back on, accepted the paper silently and read over her new stats.
Her expression didn't change... but her fingers tightened slightly around the parchment.
========================================
Ais Wallenstein
LV 5
STR: D 549 ---> D 565
END: D 540 ---> D 562
DEX: A 823 ---> A 834
AGI: A 814 ---> A 825
MAG: A 881 ---> S 923
Hunter - G
Abnormal Resistance - G
Swordsman - H
SKILLS: [Avenger]
MAGIC: [Ariel]
========================================
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