Chapter 181: Pause and Return
Logan could only smile, seeing the large mana crystal twice his size. Everyone stared at him, waiting to see what he would choose to do with it.
"Well, don't just stare at me. We all defeated it together. What should we do with it?" Logan asked, wondering who to give it to. He thought that if it were given to one monster, it might raise their level to the late sixties.
"I think… we should give it to the Warks," Chloe pitched in, while Kai nodded. She felt they were lacking in the battle, so having all five nearing level fifty would be a good idea.
As for Kai and Chloe, before they were tamed, they measured their stats in colors. Now, with Logan's hero system, they noticed that they had a numerical value to their stats. Both Chloe and Kai were in their late fifties, so using the crystal would be a waste. At most, they calculated they would get to level sixty-two if they both used it.
"Anyone else have a say in this?" Logan asked before doing what his two knights suggested.
"I don't mind, as long as we can clear the next floors faster," Ms. Claire pitched in. She was a little excited to use her skill on a stronger army. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
"I basically just stood there… so I don't really have a say," Alma added while yawning.
"Good then, Wayana, Wohan, it's yours. Have the Warks use it; it should be enough to get the others to their next evolution," Logan beckoned them to come closer. While the girl and her father were already evolved, it would at least help them get stronger, hopefully reaching level fifty by the end.
"I think we should stop our progress here. I have to get back and handle my town. Only after that should we return with Silvia, who could hopefully make teleportation arrays so we don't have to walk from the first floor to this one and waste time," Logan suggested as everyone waited for the Warks to finish draining the large crystal.
Everyone nodded, realizing that walking any further would mean wasting time. Their supplies were also limited, having been six days since they arrived. Adding in the three days to return, a total of nine days would be used, and their supplies would just be enough to get back.
"Good, well at least we didn't waste time going to the fortieth floor to fight such a beast. As for our class, we couldn't go above the fiftieth floor, and that was with everyone fighting those beasts together," Lisa shuddered, thinking about how they almost died at the hands of the gargoyles that prevailed on that floor, especially the three largest ones that made it hard for the class to defeat with their coordinated attacks.
"Yeah, I think we could take them now that we've evolved, but even then, we would need no less than twenty of us," Alma recalled the horror they experienced and survived with the help of the soldiers.
"So you're telling me we have to fight whatever you faced during the twentieth floor?" Kai asked, a little hesitant to keep going.
"Probably…" Alma nodded while yawning again.
"Well, we now know that the space is big enough for Scorch and Silis to enter, even if a bit crowded… but they will be the firepower we need to keep going without problems," Logan said, noticing that the Warks were almost done with the crystal.
"We should leave then. Staying here will probably cause the dungeon to spawn another beast to prevent us from going further," Ms. Claire warned, recalling what Theron the commander had told her before when they had taken too long on a certain floor in the labyrinth of Dracone Ridge.
Having marked the return points, they exited the labyrinth in about a day. It was a long journey back, requiring many breaks and buffs to keep going.
After that, they met the camp waiting outside. Ruri rushed forward, seeing the unspirited team that exited the labyrinth.
"We have made a grand meal with the little we have so you can enjoy yourselves and relax!" She tried cheering everyone up while handing out pieces of fried meat in platters that made everyone's stomachs growl with the scent of spices and meat.
Logan had spoken to her just prior to leaving the dungeon to have the meal ready for when they got out.
"Thanks, Ruri. As always, you know how to raise my spirits," Logan said, biting into his steak, making him feel alive again.
The trip back took half the time it took them to find the labyrinth. Logan took to the sky with Zephyr to mark major landscapes to speak with Rubina about. They had yet to understand if it was part of his territory or if it belonged to the country to the north. So far, there were no man-made structures, meaning the land was not owned yet.
Logan did see a fort on the other side of the mountain, only visible by using Sharp Vision, Zephyr's useful buff that let him see even further away. He did not try getting close to it, wanting to know first if this was his part of land so that later it wouldn't be contested.
Three days later, they arrived back near his town. At first, Logan thought he was imagining things. The Warks village was larger, and his own town now had housing outside of parts of the walls. The rose-covered dome that still protected it seemed larger for some reason.
Logan, who was in the sky, got closer to the dome as it opened a space for him to fly inside. His mansion was no more. He was confused as the area where it should have been was now covered by a large medieval castle. If his mansion was a yacht, the castle seemed to be a cruise ship. Logan just wanted to know why the radical change had happened without his consent.
He rushed forward, hoping it wasn't caused by an invasion.