In the current Freya familia, there was a little-known fact that every officer remembered.
When the original captain, Mia Grand, retired to run a tavern and the positions of Captain and Vice-Captain were up for election, Hedin had originally been slated for the vice-captain role.
But, for reasons unknown, he refused the position.
Thus, the role went to Allen Fromel, known as the Vana Freya.
For context…
Within the , many adventurers bore the title of "strongest" in their respective fields:
"Strongest Female Swordsman" Ais
"Fastest in the City" Allen
"Ultimate Weapon" Ottar
Each represented the pinnacle of their specialty.
Hedin's unique strength lay in his extraordinary control of magic.
It was said that when he unleashed that barrage of lightning arrows earlier, he could precisely manipulate each projectile's trajectory according to his will.
So precise that, if two people walked hand-in-hand, he could make only one vanish while leaving the other unharmed.
Lightning… the raw power of it needed no further explanation.
Yet Hedin was one of the rare few capable of truly mastering it.
And, like Ryuu Lyon, the master of parallel incantation, Hedin was also a Magic Swordsman.
His swordsmanship was formidable, making him a lifelong rival to Hogni, the Dainsleif.
Right now…
["Fight eternally, immortal soldiers of lightning"]
["Caelus Hildr!!!"]
In this world, indigenous adventurers had at most three magic slots.[1]
So each perfected their awakened techniques to the maximum.
Talent dictated the height one could reach, and Hedin's precision meant that each head-sized lightning arrow in his hands was a controllable soldier of lightning.
As the lightning barrage advanced toward Lumine, she refused to sit idly.
Also able to use Pseudo–Wind King Barrier, she amplified her own combat strength and began weaving through the dense storm, using Elemental Vision to track the energy trajectory of each arrow, narrowly dodging repeatedly.
She gradually closed in on Hedin.
Then…
[Strike eternally, immortal general of lightning]
["Varian Hildr!!!"]
Beside Hedin appeared a massive lightning arrow.
If the previous barrage was a soldiers' charge, this was the general entering the battlefield. Its power far exceeded anything Lumine could block head-on.
Moreover…
"Rapid consecutive incantation?"
This technique rivaled parallel incantation in difficulty.
Magic here wasn't simply chanting words. Practitioners had to synchronize their internal mana with the spell.
Under such conditions, rapid consecutive incantation was akin to Renjiro's previous life on Earth: singing multiple songs of different genres line by line while participating in a rapid-fire Q&A challenge.
Ordinary minds would fail.
Hedin, however, had long since mastered it.
The technique allowed him to drastically shorten the interval between spells, a practical CD reduction.
Perfect it, and it was as if the concept of cooldown time didn't exist.
Lumine, forced to retreat again, relied on her elemental-enhanced mobility.
"BOOM~"
The giant spear carved a long trail into the ground.
Had it struck directly, Lumine would have been obliterated.
"Tch~"
Even dodging at the last moment, the surrounding thunderstorm area still cut her HP by one-third.
In an RPG, this might be called a paralysis effect.
Luckily…
"Travelers and Genshin characters only lose HP when shocked; their action speed isn't affected."
Lumine wasn't going to let Hedin freely unleash his spells any longer.
He was, in gaming terms, too comfortable in a safe DPS environment.
So…
"SWISH~"
In a wind-elemental state, Lumine slashed out a half-moon arc of wind toward Hedin's position.
"Wind Slash", a passive talent the Traveler awakens upon the first breakthrough.
In-game, this skill automatically triggers at the end of a normal attack, with minimal combat efficiency.
But in reality…
"SWISH SWISH SWISH~" ×N
Lumine, consuming mana, could now perform what her predecessors would in endgame scenarios.
Now it was Hedin's turn to face a barrage.
"Hmm, not bad."
For the first time, Hedin lifted his staff-sword from the ground and began to move.
At the same time…
"BANG~ BANG BANG~"
Renjiro (Aether) and Hogni's duel had stretched farther apart. The original 2v2 battle became two separate 1v1 fights.
Lumine allowed this trend, perhaps all four participants silently agreed.
Spectators marveled at the Twin Stars' combat prowess.
"Those two elves are even being pressured?"
The Gulliver Brothers, knowing the strength of the White and Black Knights, were stunned.
Even with their cooperative techniques, four Lv.5 adventurers against Lv.6 elites would be a gamble.
And yet…
"Freya's adoptive children… they don't seem human."
Well said, third brother (Berling).
The others fell silent.
Nearby, Lefiya realized she shouldn't have come to watch.
"This is Lv.3? The same as me?"
Lumine and her brother could challenge Lv.6 adventurers at Lv.3…
"They're incredible."
Riveria noted, "Hedin's earlier strike could have killed an ordinary Lv.5."
"He didn't hold back."
"Yet Lumine successfully avoided it using her magic."
Seeing a junior take such a blow without mercy… it made Mama-san angry.
She recalled that Hedin had struck her royal self before, yet she hadn't minded. But now, seeing other familia members threatened, she was enraged.
"That spell… is a new technique based on Ais's Ariel. And Lumine uses it even better."
The talent was terrifying. No wonder Lefiya felt so intimidated.
"The Freya familia's 'madness' lives up to its reputation."
Gareth stroked his beard, sighing.
"I hear battles like this happen multiple times daily in the Field of Warfare. No wonder the goddess' followers train such skilled healers."
Even a veteran dwarf couldn't deny the efficiency of their harsh, forced growth methods.
Instinctively…
"If one day we truly face the Freya familia in battle…"
"Does the current Loki familia stand a chance?"
The thought barely formed before the answer became clear: defeat was inevitable.
"At least the next generation has girls like Ais and Lumine."
"Maybe I'm just worrying too much~"