For Ryota, today wasn't exactly fulfilling, but it wasn't wasted either.
To be precise, it was a day of repetitive, mechanical labor—monotonous on the surface, but laced with a subtle sense of "fun."
The entire day, he was immersed in the clanging of metal and the glow of the forge.
No battles, no tense atmosphere, no one pressuring him to make decisions.
Just a hammer, iron, sparks, and the familiar rhythm of his own swinging arms.
"This feeling…"
He lifted his hammer, eyes gleaming with a strange light.
"It's like when you first learn a skill in a game and suddenly get a +10% proficiency buff."
His hammer swings grew smoother, the movements even steadier than during combat.
The flow of Chakra through his arms formed a subtle feedback loop with the metal, guiding each strike. Before he knew it, the piece of bluish-silver ore on the anvil had turned into a delicate Chakra ring.
It didn't look like much, but it could pass as an accessory. And wearing it actually felt pretty good.
As for its effect…
"Agility again? Am I destined to get stuck with this stat?"
Ryota rubbed his chin, tossed the ring into his pocket.
For the next few hours, he made a few more little trinkets.
Reproductions of kunai, shuriken, ninja swords—stuff straight out of the Naruto world.
Nothing game-breaking, but for the upcoming siege battle, they were better than nothing.
Finally, night fell completely.
Ryota wiped the sweat from his brow, bare-chested, then slipped back into his familiar outfit.
He was about to shut down the forge and leave the workshop when—
Footsteps.
Light, cautious footsteps sounded outside the door.
Ryota paused, raising an eyebrow.
That footstep pattern… Why so sneaky?
"…Hmm?"
He narrowed his eyes.
This was the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia. Smiths were constantly coming and going.
A thief? Seriously?
He was just about to open the door and check it out when—
Plap.
A faint sound came from the high ventilation window beside him.
The next moment—
A head poked out from the edge of the window, peeking inside all stealthy-like.
"…"
Blue ribbon.
The moment Ryota saw that signature accessory, his guarded expression instantly shifted to helpless amusement.
"Your stealth skills are way too lousy."
He chuckled and opened the door.
Standing outside was none other than the twin-tailed, ocean-blue-eyed, impossibly well-endowed little goddess—Hestia.
"Lady Hestia."
"What brings you here this late? Midnight inspection?"
Caught red-handed, the little goddess puffed out her cheeks, her eyes darting about, her posture shifting from upright to fidgety in an instant.
She looked up at Ryota, pouting with a face that clearly said I didn't want to do this either.
"Hmph! What are you so happy about, huh?!"
"I—I was just… just passing by, okay?!"
Ryota eyed her suspicious, guilty posture and asked lazily:
"Then, Lady Hestia—"
"How did you know I was here?"
Her momentum collapsed instantly. Hands on her hips, she let out a dramatic sigh and rattled off at lightning speed:
"Everyone in Orario's saying you collapsed! That they had to get people to resuscitate you! Some folks are even betting you won't make it through tomorrow's siege battle!"
"I went to find you, but that damn flat-chested Loki wouldn't let me in!"
"Said something about 'resting' and 'do not disturb'—"
She mimicked Loki's tone, voice high-pitched and exaggerated, making Ryota chuckle softly.
"I had no choice, so I went to find Hephaestus."
"But as soon as I stepped into the courtyard here, I heard the sound of hammering!"
"I thought—no way, no way—"
She clapped her hands, eyes lighting up.
"And it really was you!"
"See?! This is destiny, Ryota!!!"
By the end, Hestia's face was practically glowing with cosmic-level excitement, hands clasped together, eyes sparkling like pink stars.
Ryota looked at her, thoroughly amused.
"Man… Freya Familia sure knows how to play the media game."
"Making up stories about me passing out?"
"But actually—"
He shrugged.
"It's not that dramatic."
Hestia didn't look relieved at all. In fact, she puffed her cheeks even harder.
Then she suddenly stepped forward, her tone serious.
"That skeletal giant of yours."
"You're really not gonna use it?"
Ryota nodded.
"Of course not."
"This is a War Game. I have to respect the rules."
"Hah???"
Her eyes widened, hands on her hips.
"You actually took that seriously?!"
"Who cares about some dumb rule that vixen made up?!"
"Just summon it already, stomp her little simp squad, crush that vice-captain of hers—"
"And then drag Freya herself out—string her up on the city walls!!"
"Let all of Orario know Ryota is the best!!! The strongest!!! The most—"
Her voice kept rising, words spilling out faster and faster, her gestures getting more and more over-the-top.
Ryota: "..."
He genuinely had no idea how to respond.
Watching this tiny goddess seriously strategize her "Hang Freya Plan," Ryota experienced, for the first time, the soul-crushing sensation of losing a verbal exchange.
He was about to change the subject, but before he could say anything, Hestia's mood flipped again.
One second she was scheming enthusiastically, the next her face crumpled, her eyes rimmed red.
"If you don't use the giant…"
"Loki Familia has fewer people than Freya Familia…"
"Doesn't that mean… you're definitely gonna lose?!"
Her eyes brimmed with visible anxiety and frustration.
"If you lose, that vixen's gonna take you away!"
"And then… lock you up in some dark little room at the top of Babel Tower…"
Her voice trembled.
"And then—"
"You'll get drained every day, end up with dark circles under your eyes, clutching your waist, staring out the curtains toward Orario…"
Ryota: "..."
He stared at the little goddess who had completely spiraled into her own doujinshi scenario, his expression reaching peak awkwardness.
"…Hold up."
"Where is this even going? And who said Loki Familia is gonna lose?"
Hestia looked up at him, eyes earnest, carrying that inexplicable divine stubbornness.
"I'm just worried about you!"
"Are you really not gonna use the giant?"
"You don't understand, to me—you're precious. Special."
"If Freya takes you away… I'll… I'll—"
Her lips quivered, her voice faded to a whisper. Then she crashed into Ryota's chest, clutching his shirt tightly.
Feeling the full-force impact of her Grand Canyon-level cleavage, Ryota looked down at the tiny goddess clinging to him and sighed softly.
"…Relax."
"Even without the skeletal giant, I'm not gonna lose."
...
The night passed without further incident.
Morning came.
Orario woke from its slumber.
Today was the second round of the War Game—the siege battle.
Unlike the previous one-on-one match, this was a full-scale, all-out war. The decisive round that would determine whether Freya Familia or Loki Familia came out on top.
A battle with everything on the line—honor, pride, even personal freedom.
From early morning, the streets and alleys of Orario were packed to bursting with Adventurers and spectators.
Adventurer Street was always crowded, but this? This was unprecedented in years.
The taverns were so packed people were climbing onto windowsills just to watch.
Shouts, arguments, gossip, betting—it all surged like a tidal wave.
Like in the first match, light screens displaying real-time footage appeared across the entire city.
Everyone was watching, waiting for the War Game to begin.
At the same time, away from the crowds, in the Guild's secret chamber, most of Orario's gods had gathered.
Unlike the first round, no Loki Familia members were present below.
On the high platform, Loki sat lazily in her seat, squinting at the screen showing the siege fortress.
It was a battlefield approved by Ouranos and built by Hermes—a massive stone fortress, magic barriers, complex defense mechanisms—every bit as oppressive as the real thing.
Beside her sat Hephaestus and Hestia, her longtime friends.
Unusually, the tiny goddess was completely silent today, staring intently at the screen.
All three of them knew—this battle would decide Ryota's fate. Who he belonged to.
As for Hermes?
That guy was off doing his usual "now you see me, now you don't." He'd probably pop up any second.
Loki glanced over at Freya, who was seated at the other side of the gods' section, and spoke slowly:
"This siege battle, the Guild didn't tweak the rules much."
"Break into the main castle and plant the flag within an hour—that's the win condition."
"However—"
She paused.
"There's one new clause. No killing allowed."
Hephaestus nodded slightly.
"A War Game between gods—real deaths would be too much of a mess."
"The Guild's just doing what it has to."
Loki crossed her arms.
"Yeah, that's what the rules say."
"But…"
Her eyes swept over the labyrinthine defenses and the silently waiting Freya Familia forces on the screen.
She narrowed her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"With a battle this big, you telling me no one's gonna die?"
"Magic, traps, mechanical devices…"
"Tch. That clause is basically bullshit."
"The Guild knows it too—that's why they left themselves an out. 'No killing,' huh?"
"Dead men don't talk anyway."
Hestia and Hephaestus stayed quiet, not replying.
At that moment—
Buzz!
The screen flickered.
The feed switched to the attacking side's formation.
The advancing team moved in perfect sync, stepping into the siege battlefield's starting zone.
At the front was Finn, captain of Loki Familia. Beside him stood Riveria and Gareth Landrock.
The Big Three led the charge, followed by Ais, Lefiya, Bete, and the other core members.
Behind them were Loki Familia's various Level 1 to Level 3 members.
Hestia's eyes darted back and forth, scanning the entire formation.
From front line to middle ranks, from main force to ranged support, she checked again and again.
"Wait, wait—"
She suddenly sat bolt upright, hands gripping the armrests, her voice panicked.
"Hey! Where's Ryota?!"
"Why isn't he in the shot?!"
Her outburst startled Hephaestus, and even the gods sitting at various corners of the chamber looked up, eyes locking onto the constantly updating screen.
Their expressions began to shift.
From confusion, to realization, then to a subtle understanding.
At the same time—not just in the Guild.
Out in the streets, in the taverns and gambling dens of Orario—
Everyone watching started to notice the same thing.
"Wait a second… where's Ryota?"
"Loki Familia—why isn't he there?"
"Isn't he supposed to be the main force? Why's the main force not on the field?"
"..."
The crowd stirred, murmurs spreading like wildfire.
Some tried to tell themselves it was just a camera angle problem, but the screen updated over and over, switching viewpoints, and still—no sign of Ryota.
Then at some point—
Someone in the crowd whispered:
"Could it be… that rumor was true?"
"Not only can Ryota not summon the giant, but he can't even go to the battlefield?"
That sentence spread through Orario like Fire.
"No wonder the cameras never caught him…"
"If he's not even fighting, what's the point?!"
"This is over. Loki Familia's gonna lose for sure!"
"Freya Familia's defending with dozens of people, and Loki's side lost their ace—who's gonna break through?"
"Freya's won! It's a slaughter!"
"Quick, cash out your Freya bets! Don't waste time watching!"
"..."
A sense of preordained outcome was quietly taking shape among the spectators and gods alike.
They started to believe this War Game was nothing more than a formality—a guaranteed victory for Freya Familia.
As for Ryota, the monster who'd shocked the gods in round one?
Now it seemed like he couldn't even step onto the field.
As everyone's expectations shifted from hope to resignation—
BOOM!!!
A massive drumbeat exploded from the screen.
The second round of the War Game—the siege battle—had begun!
----
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