Reborn as an Extra Chapter 607: S-rank Dungeon, A Forgotten Nation. Part-2.
Previously on Reborn as an Extra...
James led Lia down to the underground chamber of Silver Shadow, the second most formidable guild in the entire nation.
The basement floor bore an immense altar etched for activating teleportation portals, where hundreds of mages labored without pause.
Witnessing the scene, Lia found herself utterly captivated.
"I had no idea our guild possessed such a secret spot..."
At the sound of Lia's words, James grinned slightly and responded with a boastful edge,
"You're still too young, kid! You've hardly set foot in the guild since you were little; no wonder you're unaware of its secrets!"
"This is the concealed teleportation portal activation altar I had constructed just for the Silver Family's exclusive use!"
"One day you'll take over this guild from me, so I suggest you begin dropping by more regularly starting now!"
Every guild member tending to the altar's upkeep turned toward Lia, offering her warm smiles and respectful bows.
Despite Lia never having laid eyes on them previously, they all acted as if they knew her well, leaving her puzzled.
Her bewilderment quickly faded, however, upon noticing countless photographs of her and her mother adorning the basement walls!
"What in the world!? Who snapped these odd pictures? And why are they exhibited so openly!?"
A majority of the images captured young Lia in playful antics or fumbling awkwardly with a sword during practice sessions.
Gazing at that embarrassing past, Lia flushed with shame! And now strangers were viewing them!
"Hehe~ These are the shots your wonderful papa captured ages ago! Hehe~ Aren't they just fantastic? I've had them engraved on the guild's walls for quite some time now, you see!"
That explained why the guild folks all recognized her!
Through those photos, everyone had grown quite familiar with her appearance!
They were all aware that their guild master was a total doting father, showering his daughter with endless affection!
Little did they realize James had neglected Lia for years, leaving her isolated and alone for so long!
"Ugh... I never want to return to this guild... just hand it over to Rio as a wedding present down the line or whatever..."
James's eyes sparkled at Lia's remark, and he exclaimed,
"Ohhh!!! That's a brilliant notion! I could even appoint my son-in-law as the guild's head too!!! YES!!!"
"My girl has snagged a promising talent for me! Naturally, I must make the most of it!"
Lia nearly booted James from behind upon hearing that!
"Who exactly are you planning to exploit!?... hold on, actually Rio's the one who'd outsmart you with all his cunning schemes..."
"Don't come running back to me in tears later; I won't listen to a word!"
James deflated like a punctured balloon at those words and muttered in a grumpy tone,
"Ugh... my precious daughter has fallen under some scoundrel's spell... now she's even snapping at her own dad... sigh..."
"I long for that adorable Lia who trailed after me endlessly, begging for head pats... sigh, those cherished times..."
Brushing off James moping in the corner, Lia positioned herself on the teleportation portal activation altar and extended her spiritual sense across it.
[Hmm? This altar packs real power... it looks connected to a spot thousands of kilometers distant...]
[This place... it rings a bell somehow...]
’For now, memorize the coordinates; I'll employ spiritual energy to steady the portal soon. I refuse to repeat anything like the Spire of Ascension fiasco...’
During her tumble into the Spire of Ascension, Lia had been totally caught off guard, clueless on how to react, but she'd gained wisdom from it.
Harnessing Kai’s abilities, she could now sidestep future errors, and as a divine spirit wielder, she felt free to lean fully on her mighty spirit for aid.
[Something feels off about this... are you sure about proceeding with this odd training quest?]
[I truly doubt if your father has scouted a suitable dungeon for your practice...]
’I’ve got no alternatives... Link and Riya are on the cusp of reaching S-rank... At minimum, I must match their pace...’
[Stop measuring against them... you're achieving more than enough for someone your age... Remember, Tomar was only a B-ranker at your stage...]
’He faced no rivals... But I’m up against a whole crew of prodigies... I can’t let myself fall behind!’
[Sigh... alright, I only wish this dungeon isn't overly challenging... Sure, you require some high-stakes pressure to advance swiftly, but avoid pushing too far...]
As Lia and Kai exchanged thoughts mentally, a staffer approached with a tiny golem beside Lia.
"Um... Miss Lia... this small golem appears to have trailed you all the way to the guild..."
The diminutive sentient construct that Rio had retrieved from the buried prototype spire in the dragon valley clung tightly to Lia.
"Hehe! Lia! I've arrived! I'll guard you during your training quest in Rio's stead! Ehe!"
Lia hadn't planned on including the golem, yet it had somehow tracked them to the guild premises.
"Oh! I figured you were intentionally allowing it to tag along from afar! That's why I kept quiet about it!"
"But for it to journey here independently... this tiny fellow is impressive indeed..."
James, who had been pouting aside, perked up and enthusiastically clasped the little golem's hand.
"So, how've you been, RJ? Word is you got whisked into that bizarre tower and entangled in the chaos with Lia...."
The little golem wagged its head and replied,
"I stayed safe inside Lia’s space ring the whole time! Oh, and my complete name is Ri-"
Before the golem could continue, Lia swiftly grabbed it and muffled its mouth to silence it.
"W-we're running behind; let's head out right away, alright? We'll bring RJ along! Ehehe..."