Chapter 346: Final Raid Tower
***
The next day.
Ethan was in his office, with Sherly still there assisting him. One of Officer Darcy's staff members came into the room.
The woman had arrived to report the progress of the investigation she was conducting together with Darcy.
The guild leaders of Sword Phoenix and Fire Cloud had come as summoned by LionArk. Their arrival was solely to assist Darcy's investigation regarding the truth behind the alleged business sabotage.
According to the woman, the investigation would be completed within a week.
During the investigation period, both guilds were forbidden from confronting each other to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Ethan listened and fully entrusted the investigation to Darcy. Whatever happened and whatever actions Officer Darcy took, Ethan would take full responsibility.
The woman left the room, leaving Ethan and Sherly continuing to handle the small amount of administrative work remaining.
Gordon's role had become extremely vital in reducing Ethan's workload. Several tasks related to other officers were now fully handled by Gordon.
He didn't work alone either. Many staff members worked alongside him to assist with the workload.
This greatly improved their efficiency and productivity.
"Our work has become much easier thanks to Gordon," Sherly said.
Ethan nodded, leaning comfortably against the back of his chair.
"Yeah. Gordon and the staff working with him have helped a lot with our administration."
Sherly nodded in agreement. She understood that Ethan felt relieved now that Gordon had taken over many of the responsibilities.
By midday, all of Ethan's work had been completed. He could relax for the rest of the day.
Sherly, however, thought differently. Even though her duties were done, she decided to visit Hanss. She wanted to help him with his workload.
Ethan didn't mind and allowed her to go.
The situation had gradually become peaceful and stable after the Guild of Champions event. No significant problems appeared to disturb Ethan's thoughts.
In moments like this, Ethan began thinking about going to the Tower and doing a raid rather than sitting around doing nothing.
Should I start raiding the Tower again?
In the middle of his thoughts, the door to Ethan's office opened, revealing Ashley. That afternoon, she planned to invite Ethan to lunch.
"Ethan. Let's go have lunch."
Ethan turned and nodded, taking his LionArk cloak before leaving the office with her.
They walked side by side, chatting about various things related to work and the guild.
They didn't plan to eat outside. Instead, they would simply eat whatever was available in the headquarters cafeteria.
"The situation is so peaceful. I never expected Mavelard to become this calm," Ashley said as she carried a tray with her lunch.
"You're right. The Scavenger has been defeated. It seems the troublemaker is gone."
They sat down at one of the cafeteria tables and began eating their lunch. Occasionally, Ashley glanced at Ethan's face.
"What about your Tower Raid plan?"
While eating, Ethan explained that he intended to resume raiding the Tower now that things were quiet.
Today was a free day for him. In his opinion, it was the perfect time to explore the Tower again.
Ashley fell silent for a moment, slowly sipping the drink she ordered. After taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"I realize that Gordon and his staff have helped reduce your workload a lot. That makes things much easier for you compared to before."
"This is my decision. You should go and do the Tower Raid, Ethan," Ashley said.
"However, I don't want you to give up your position as Vice Guild Leader of LionArk. You're only allowed to do that… if you manage to obtain your third goddess."
Ethan was startled.
At first, Ashley had clearly rejected the idea of Ethan leaving LionArk to do raids. But now, her decision was completely different from what he had expected.
Even though Ashley still didn't allow him to leave LionArk entirely, she was allowing him to continue raiding the Tower to higher floors.
"Are you sure?"
"Letting you raid is the best choice. Not only will it sharpen your abilities, but it will also help increase our guild's Contribution Points," Ashley explained.
"Anything that benefits the guild has my full support."
Ethan smiled and nodded. If Ashley supported his plan to raid the Tower, then he would go.
"Alright," Ethan said. "I'll do it."
Ashley smiled happily. She reminded Ethan to always take care of himself. After all, Tower raids were still dangerous. Many deadly monsters lurked inside.
Ethan agreed.
The last time he raided, he had reached the 50th floor and hadn't continued beyond that point. If he resumed now, he would start again from the 50th floor.
"You don't need to worry. I'll be fine."
Ashley knew that Ethan was strong. But as a woman who loved him, she naturally didn't want to see him get hurt.
They finished their lunch and spent the rest of their break chatting about lighter topics.
To prevent other guild members from noticing him leaving, Ethan decided he would begin the raid at night.
When he arrived at the Tower, the time inside would also shift to night. Nighttime was the best period for hunting large numbers of monsters.
After their conversation ended, they returned to the third floor and entered their respective offices. Since Ethan had nothing left to do, he decided to prepare for the Tower raid later that night.
Afternoon turned into evening. The office closed, and many officers went out to enjoy the night.
Ethan had prepared everything. However, he chose to wear a black shirt instead of his LionArk uniform.
It would make his disguise perfect. People wouldn't immediately realize that EthanArk came from LionArk.
A gentle knock sounded on Ethan's office door. Ashley opened it and saw Ethan already dressed in his black shirt.
It was clearly an unusual sight.
"You're going to wear that?"
"There's a chance I might confront other players and even end up killing them. I don't want to drag LionArk into new problems," Ethan replied.
Ashley fell silent for a moment before nodding.
She offered to escort Ethan to the teleportation crystal at the northern gate, the closest one to LionArk Headquarters.
They left the headquarters together, walking while holding hands. That night, crowds once again filled the city's main streets. Peace had brought a calm and lively atmosphere.
They walked north and passed through the city gate. Beyond it stood the teleportation crystal, where many people came and went as they traveled between cities.
"Have you prepared everything?" Ashley asked.
"Yes."
"Send me a message on every floor. Don't disappear on me."
Ethan smiled and raised his hand, gently caressing Ashley's cheek.
"I promise I'll always inform you."