11.5K words... + ~500 in notes.
Enjoy.
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"Let's begin."
The class began. Lady Idun took to the class board and began to write down the details and factors about Orario's connection with the Dungeon and its intricacies with incredible speed.
The students would frantically ask questions as they wrote their notes furiously. Despite their youthful faces, they were quite focused and determined, their questions sharp and on topic.
Silver was surprised by the dynamic between the deity and the students. The god would accurately talk about the essence of the matter while the students would try to disassemble her words with their questions.
Sometimes, even Silver had to spend a minute or two rummaging through Idun's words, learning a small thing here and there every once in a while.
Orario was a big city, and there were still many things he had to learn. For a deity that has been around for an unknown amount of time, she had much to teach about it.
Thanks to his studies from before he arrived in Orario, together with his own experience in these past three weeks as an adventurer and over a month in Orario, he was fine with answering some of their questions himself, but most of the time, he only stood beside her in silence, listening to her explanations.
To assist the class a little more, Silver made use of his Plasmids to sometimes create holograms and images of whatever she was talking about, giving the students a feel of how it would be like to witness a power-point presentation… although they wouldn't understand if he said that.
Idun was elated to see him take part more, but whenever she smiled at him, he only smiled back awkwardly, still unable to face this deity properly.
Whenever he faced her, he felt she was looking beyond him, perhaps even directly at his soul... something he began to wonder as he stood there was if disguising himself before the deities even meant anything...
The class lasted a little over an hour, and it was extremely dynamic.
It seemed the School District knew well how to manage a student's attention by creating a balance between rest and study… even throughout her class, Silver did not notice one student look away from her for longer than two minutes, and even then they were deep in thought over her statements.
He was very interested in participating in these classes a bit more… but as Idun looked at him, as if knowing what he was thinking, he snickered.
She only laughed, dragging him to another classroom despite his complaints about his need to work… it seemed he was stuck here doing unpaid community service…
They went around the district... Several classes in the morning... to being stuck with her reviewing materials for the next day during noon... to helping her with her duties throughout the afternoon... before finally being laid off somewhere before nightfall.
Like a servant, she dragged around him. With professors and deities questioning my presence, she defended Silver in a variety of ways, calling it… "extracurricular activity", much to his annoyance.
She also gave him a new badge and even a temporary identity card to better reflect his condition… the only problem was reading "Elfgard Deepwood" on it… because he also wanted to chuckle a little.
The good side of it was that he got to know quite a few more deities and the professors he had only heard about. Some of them were quite powerful.
Being at the forefront of the School District's combat power, they were usually the ones sent to resolve major issues out there, be it monsters or something else.
Because of this, some of them had already reached Level 5, and there wasn't a single professor lower than Level 4. Not only that, the prefect students were all Level 3, and he speculated some of them were already Level 4, or very close to it as well.
It may not be impressive to see a seventeen, eighteen-year-old Level 3 adventurer, as that was the highest age a student could have before they graduated, but here… these kids ranked up while facing ordinary problems of the surface; that was an achievement in itself.
When he was finally released from Idun's clutches, he took his time to pass by their library. After spending one day with her; she had grown to trust him a little, so he was now allowed to wander around... albeit not too far.
He took this chance to copy more bookshelves. One at a time, he would transcribe all the documents he wanted so he could study them in peace in the future. This time, however, he didn't commit the mistake of remaining around, leaving as soon as he was able.
As night fell, casting its gloom over the city, Silver went to the Guild to meet with Loiju. He wasn't surprised by his late visit, for he had warned him of it the day before. As such, like every other day, he took his commissions and went to the Dungeon.
This time, he only did his work and trained a little. Just enough to keep up the habit of training every day. With only two hours in the Dungeon, Silver exited the Middle Floors and traded his loot at the Guild Branch under Babel, finalizing his day like any other.
With his remaining time, he did not go to meet up with Hestia, and instead, made way to a real estate agent.
After so long, he had made his choice. For the New Year, he was going to make a surprise...
Like this, his first day as a helper for the School District… ended.
…
Nothing much changed on his second day. The schedule remained the same, but this time, people seemed more accustomed to his presence as Idun dragged him around. Some even approached him to ask about his connection to her and just to get to know him.
Most students weren't that hostile at all. Their education, as was to be expected, was extremely high. They were formal and knew how to be polite when it came to it.
Their previous hostility came from their extreme pride in their craft and studies, which likely came from being around dozens of deities all the time. Their reverence for them was probably much higher than most adventurers in Orario had for their respective deities.
He tried to act the part, but creating a story on the spot was difficult. In the end, he kept evading their questions as she dragged him around.
Today was a continuation of everything they did before. Perhaps even a bit more erratic than yesterday... Their day ended just as expected. But this time, it would be their last together, at least for a while.
The doors of the School District were going to be open tomorrow. And with it, students were going to begin their journey outside, joining Familias as interns through the Guild's programs and the like, flooding the streets of Orario.
Idun, however, told him his punishment was far from over. She was letting him off the hook for a while, but after the New Year, she would come for him if he didn't come to find her.
What a hassle… he thought… however, there was still much left to learn in the district.
His days continued. The Dungeon came and went, and as night deepened, he went around Orario with Hestia.
As tomorrow would be Ganesha's party, and not long after the New Year's Eve, they had to finish all of their business together today; otherwise, they wouldn't get the chance to do so later.
It was a bit of a hassle shopping with Hestia, but after a few hours, they settled on a suitable dress… and even then Hestia wasn't happy. Saying things like, "It should've been a surprise!", and "How much food is this worth?"…
Silver was happy to have helped her choose a good one. At least this way she wouldn't be embarrassed before the other deities when the party came. First impressions were important after all.
As for him, he would be busy tomorrow as well, after all… he had finally decided to do it.
It was time to meet Loki and prove to her he was indeed worthy of participating in their next expedition!
…
/Two days and several hours before the New Year…/
Silver stood before the Loki Familia Manor, Squinting his eyes faintly, he looked at the mighty castle before him.
"I'm here… but what do I do now?"
'I like the decorations. It's quite festive. Now then… to get inside…'
"Loki said I could just come whenever, so should I just knock on their gates?"
'It's not like you can just appear unannouceced...'
After some thought, Silver did just that. He approached the gates and spoke with the guards. Not long after, he walked in.
/Clang!/
Silver stepped through the gates, closing them behind him. On the other side, he came face to face with a large garden, 'The atmosphere around here is quite nice. Must be quite a relaxing place during the spring.'
"A bit too quiet though… where's everyone?"
'I thought they were supposed to have hundreds of members? That's more than enough to patrol the entire manor though… rather, isn't a single guard at the gates too little?'
Silver walked to a nearby field and crouched near the plants.
"Hum… I don't recognize any of them."
/Step!/
Distracted by the plants, time passed rather quickly. Soon enough, his thoughts were disrupted by footsteps echoing behind him...
"Oia, if it isn't Hestia's kid. What brings you here in this fine morning?"
The goddess of trickery in the flesh. Wearing a large winter coat covering 90% of her body.
Silver turned from the plans, straightening his back, "Nice to see you too, goddess Loki."
She scoffed, "Drop the honorifics, boyo. We're not at a party."
"Very well then, Loki."
"Huh? That's a bit too relaxed though. You're not one of my kids." She said with a faint smile as she poked at his chest
Silver rolled his eyes at her teasing, "Enough daddle, I came here today to finish our past conversation."
"Right to business." Loki raised an eyebrow, "Not much of a talker, are ya?"
"I think it's quite the contrary." Silver joked as he relaxed a little, "If I get to know someone, I tend to speak too much…"
Loki raised an eyebrow, "You don't sound very confident, though."
"Haha… sometimes I just talk too much, regardless."
"Uhum… I don't know… say, you look like someone with experience."
"You're planning to join as a supporter, aren't you? Do you have any idea how these kinds of things are done? As I said before, we don't need that kind of help. I'd even dare say we have too much of it."
"I'm here to learn this much."
She stepped forward, "Why should I give the precious experience meant for my kids to you of all people?"
Silver smiled, not letting her pressure him, "I'm confident I can bring a positive factor to the expedition. I can show it to you, if you can permit it."
She was getting curious; in fact, she had been curious for a long time. Ever since she first saw him, she felt something about him felt off, "Then do it. Right here! Show me what you're so confident about."
"Right here? Well… I wasn't going to hide it for long, but fine."
His expression tensed as made a grasping motion with his right hand fingers.
"-Room-"
/Shua…/
"!"
'That is…'
Silver's arms turned black as dark fog covered it. The fog spread to the ground before rising upward like a veil.
A curtain of reflective fog, like a twisting mirror in a horror house... seeing it made her eyes narrow.
Before Loki, a smooth dark wall remained. But she could see something past it, a bunch of items piled up together in multiple piles… and as she did so, realization dawned on her.
"Crap… don't tell me this is…"
Her face was covered in sweat as she took a step back, disbelief written on her face as she understood what this meant.
Even for her, this was too much. The very idea of what transpired before her shattered her understanding of what was possible for mortals to achieve.
'The lower world is full of surprises, but this is too much!!'
"Can't you tell? This is my magic! This is Spatial Storage Magic!" Silver proclaimed as he posed before her
"You gotta be kidding me!!" She claimed out loud as she held onto her head, tugging at her crimson hair
This was just the beginning of their long history together.
…
Because of his magic's nature, Loki dragged him to her office, ignoring everything in their path, no matter who it was.
While this gathered quite some attention in itself, Loki dismissed everyone who stood in their path, even if it meant ordering them around.
After they finally arrived, she slammed the door shut and turned to him.
"Huff... now, explain it again. I need a recap!"
"Of what? Its Spatial Storage Magic… ta da~" Silver said as he made the dark fog around his fingers sparkle
"Do you even realize what you're saying? This is ridiculous! You're cheating!"
It was his turned to scoff. Against the protesting goddess, all Silver did was wave his hands at her, "Cheating? Against what?"
"Look, I know this is special, but what can I say? In a gatcha, you have your basic units and your super rare ones."
"As for me, I'm one of a kind a few ranks above that." He claimed as he tapped his chest
Loki's lips trembled as she clenched her jaws, "Just because that makes sense, it doesn't make it any easier to accept it!"
Silver walked past her and took a good look at her office, "So? How about it? I can carry all your supplies with ease. How does that sound?"
Loki was still frowning heavily. From the moment she first saw it, she had already come to terms with it. The reason for her act was another…
She sat down, looking at him from the confort of her seat.
"Just because you can do it, it doesn't mean we can. In the first place, how can we trust someone we've never worked with to take care of our supplies? Do you even know how important that is?" She claimed as she tapped her couch
'This arrogant kid, he's so full of himself!'
"I do, and that's why I'm asking. If you're talking about being reliable and trust, we can build that over time, start with small things, one step at a time."
He shrugged again, "Besides, we can make as many contracts as you want, and above all, my trustworthiness is already guaranteed." He claimed as he sat on a sofa before her
"And that is?"
'The kid's already making himself comfortable…'
"I'm Hestia's child. What better seal of trust is there?"
Loki's expression contorted as sweat fell around her eyes, "Ugh…"
'The boy's right, but I can't just say it…'
Her eyes darting back, she came with a response, "As if that mattered here! We can't go around just based on vibes."
Silver smiled, almost chuckling. He rested his elbow on the couch and looked at her with a smug expression:
"… I heard you recruit women based on how they look."
"TCHE! Their personality also matters!… I also pick the cutest, most exceptional girls!" She claimed as she crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks
"…"
Silver gave her the side eyes. To some degree, he found her rather easy to talk to... not that it made him any more comfortable.
She was still the deity of lies and trickery. Even now, it was unknown just how much information she could be taking from him. Every word was a bullet she could use against him without a moment's notice.
Seeing his expression, Loki jumped from her seat, using the table as support, she approached him, almost spitting in his face, "I don't need you to judge me! I'm doing fine!"
Silver looked her straight in the eyes, "... So I'm right."
"You sure are fearless, boy…" She said as she sat down, her red eyes looking straight into his, "Just as annoying as your goddess."
"I'd say I'm free-spirited. What's the point of lying all the time?"
"I feel like that was a jab at me..."
"Then? Can you give me a chance?"
With a look of slight disgust, she looked away with her arms crossed, "… I think I can. But before that..."
"What is that you want? Mister 'Super Supporter'? Is it money? Fame? Honor? Or something else entirely."
Silver turned serious, winking at her, "How about a date?"
Her face flushed slightly, "Piss off!"
'This boy might piss me off even more than that cow...'
"Hahahaha!..."
Amidst his laughs, he activated his "Spell-Key", "Here, I wrote a simple contract." Silver said as he pulled a piece of paper from the pocket space
"For someone talking about trust, you sure came prepared…"
Loki raised an eyebrow at his actions, trying to read into him.
"It's the minimum, Your Excellency."
"Lip talk will take you nowhere!"
He smiled, putting his hands on the couch, "It took me here already."
"Tche!"
Loki read the contract with a faint frown, "You sure are asking a lot."
Silver closed his eyes, already expecting this, "Am I? All I ask is to keep my own drop items and magic stones together with any materials I collect in the Dungeon."
"As for the hauling fee, I only ask for 5% of the loot. That's not much if I'm doing the task of your entire supply team, and you know it."
Loki's eyelids twitched as she tapped her leg, "Do you even know how much money that would be? We're talking about dozens... maybe even hundreds of millions for just carrying our hard-earned loot around. How can I, as their goddess, permit such a thing?!"
Silver opened his eyes as he listened to her response. He shook his head, a little bothered, 'Is this even necessary?' he thought as he kept his expression.
Pulling himself closer to her, he rested his elbows on his legs, smiling faintly again:
"You need to think of the other side as well. If I'm carrying everything, it makes the process simpler."
"Your children can traverse the Dungeon faster and more reliably since they don't have to protect their supplies. They can train more effectively and even choose to carry other items while I take care of the heavy work."
She grumbled as her fingers darted around, "You're right…"
"Even in the situation where supplies run low, all you have to do is send me back to the surface and I can bring back supplies to your team, I can even do this to unload items collected in the Dungeon and decrease your burden, allowing your children to remain down there for longer and develop their abilities faster."
'I was even thinking of eventually opening a delivery service. It would be the perfect job given my abilities. What better way to start advertising my services if not through the trustworthy and capable Loki Familia?'
Loki didn't want to hear it anymore, "Ugh…"
But Silver wasn't going to stop, "You guys must spend quite a bit to protect your supplies. Well, no more. All you need to protect now is me." He added as he patted his chest.
"I don't see how my price is unfair in any way. If anything, I'm asking too little."
"Fine! Don't say anything anymore… I understand."
"Do we have a deal then? You can make other requests, if you want."
Loki's expression returned to its neutral state as she calmed down, "This… isn't the kind of choice I can make on my own. I'll have to ask Finn for that."
"Hum... that's okay. But hearing your word makes me relieved."
"I didn't say anything! The one who has to decide on that is him and not me. Besides, I have one question… what is this clause over here?" She asked as she pointed at the contract
She read it out loud, "If the items given to your protection are meant to be sold in the Dungeon, you will take 50% of the profits?? Don't make me laugh!" She claimed as she shook the contract around
Listening to her throw a fit, Silver did not as much as move a muscle. No matter how much she acted, Silver barely ever showed any response to it, much to her annoyance.
"... Is it that funny? I think its fair. I know Familias like yours usually haul large quantities of items to sell them to parties around safety points. My ability could monopolize that market, and I need to draw a line in the sand."
"You guys can make use of me to make massive profits with your funds while boosting your reputation, but I can't just let you guys do that easily… because I already plan to do so you see." He said with a smile as he looked at her, "One day I will crash that market completely."
"…"
Loki looked at him with a serious expression. It wasn't greed she saw in him, it was more like… 'Just because you can, you'll do it, huh… that's a whole other type of crazy bastard…'
'What's the Dungeon to you? A playground?... This type of bastard is too dangerous... especially for those around him.'
She exhaled loudly as she crashed her back against the couch again, "Even so, half of it all is too much. How much profit would we make then?"
Silver looked at his fingers, blowing invisible dust off his fingertips, "With your strength, dozens of times at the very least. If you guys can carry two carts' worth of items to sell on the 18th floor, I can carry an entire house, and we can make the prices lower than normal."
'All I need is your reputation.'
Loki wasn't so keen to agree, "But if we do something like that, those adventurers will complain."
Silver snickered at her, "Complain about what? It's just the market. We aren't being unfair… we're just in possession of a technology that far surpasses them, trivialising their efforts."
'Even if they ask, what can they do? It's not like those bastards in the 18th floor and below have a good reputation either. They're all bastards who rip off everyone under the guise of it being "life-or-death".'
'Between one bastard ripping them off and another, isn't it best to keep the one doing it at a lower price?'
Loki raised her hand, blocking his face, "That I can't allow. It would be a hit to a reputation, and that I cannot accept under any circumstances."
'It's not that I don't understand him. This bastard would crash the entire economy of the Dungeon just for the fun of it while using our name. He'd reap unbelievable profits and not pay the price?'
'As if I'd let him do it! He doesn't even hide his intentions either! Does he think we're that desperate for money?!'
Loki looked at her beverage shelf; now, less than a third of the drinks remained...
'Well, he's right!'
Silver smiled, "You're softer than I expected."
'Grandpa used to talk about Zeus and Hera's rule of Orario. How anyone who tried to resist was obliterated.'
'Both of them were absolutely tyrannical in everything they did. If you did not conform, then you were crushed... he'd particularly talk about how horrifying Hera was.'
'Those were among the few moments he'd ever talk about with fear...'
'That said, they were not monsters. They did not kill opposing Familias and forced others to do things for them. They controlled the laws with the Guild, leading to over 900 years of peace and continuous development as the Familias kept growing stronger and stronger...'
'Zeus and Hera wanted others to grow. If they could not handle it... they were better off retiring and living their lives in some forgotten corner of the world.'
'Throughout their rule, multiple Familias with Level 6 and 7 adventurers kept rising to fight them, albeit most of them, they were crushed whenever they pointed their blades at them... at that point, no more mercy was granted.'
'There's a reason why the exact moment they vanished, the evil that had been pressed down for nearly a millennium exploded all at once, leading to Orario's Dark Age.'
'Compared with how they acted, the two ruling Familias of today... are overwhelmingly soft.'
Loki opened her eyes slightly, thinking about the past before smiling, "That's what happens when you have so much to look after."
After a slight moment, Silver looked to the side and back... "… Well, I said what I wanted to say. I'll come back tomorrow to hear the rest of your response."
"Hum? Why?"
"Because you need to speak with your captain, correct?"
"But he's already here though? All we have to do is call him." She replied as she pointed at the door
"…"
'Why are we having this conversation then?!'
As if knowing what he was thinking about, Loki snickered...
She jumped from her seat. But as she was about to leave... "Don't touch anything!"
"What am I, a child?!"
"Do I need to say it?"
"Piss off!"
"Hehe~..."
While Silver exhaled, Loki left the room to call Finn, the captain of the Loki Familia!
…
/About fifteen minutes later…/
"… That is a tempting deal indeed." Finn said as he sat on the couch before Silver
Not long after he arrived, and the details were shared with him, the greatest strategist of Orario closed his eyes, pensive.
Even he had been appalled by what he had heard. He believed his deity, but it was hard to believe the situation...
Even so, he continued, believing her words without hesitation, "The idea of greatly reducing if not removing the need for logistics entices me. I've never once thought of it even being possible, this is straight out of my greatest dreams." He added as he closed his eyes
But when he opened them, he was determined... resolute to go make his plans come to fruition.
"But I would like to discuss your requirements again… though first, I'd like to ask. Just how much can you store? And if you don't mind me asking, what are the other conditions of your magic?"
"Hmm… probably about half…"
"Half of this room? That's incredible. We could fill it all with basic supplies and…"
"Half of this castle."
""…""
Loki and Finn were flabbergasted. Loki looked at the ceiling as if to say, "But of course", and Finn closed his eyes as his lips curled to form a broken smile...
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No… I was just stunned. Please continue."
Despite his calm demeanor, Finn's thoughts raced, 'No matter how I see things, his requirements are far from enough, and he knows it. The only reason he's suggesting these values is… he wants something different from mere monetary remuneration.'
'Does he want to form a connection with us? While it seems as if he just wants to make use of us to make money, I can't help but think that's not the case... even Loki seems to believe otherwise.'
'Just what is it that he wants?... Throughout our conversation, his expression never changed, almost as if his muscles were locked in place.'
'He always replied without hesitation, as if he was taking his words from a rehearsal.... From the beginning, he knew exactly what I would say. A troublesome individual.'
Finn thought of what Loki told him on the way here, 'She's right, he's a bit suspicious. This is almost too good to be true... but she also told me it could be her being too sensitive.'
'She seems to trust his deity, so much so it makes her doubt her own decision-making... that's why she needs me, huh... a neutral party to decide.'
'But a deity she can trust like this... I'm curious about her.'
"... As I was saying. I can easily store half of this castle inside my pocket space. Anything beyond that might be difficult."
"The magic itself is stable and doesn't consume much Mind at all. The only issue for me is creating the entrance point itself. But once a "room" is created, I can access it at any point in time without a Spell-key until I dispel it." He said as his right hand darkened
He opened the portal to his pocket space, shaping it like a door.
He stood beside it, looking inside, "The larger I make this entry point, the more Mind it consumes."
"I can store anything inside... even heat and cold, making it possible to preserve supplies better if you wish to."
"So you're saying… you can have a cold beer at any moment, anywhere?!" Loki said as she had difficulty keeping her mouth closed
Finn laughed drily, "Hahaha..."
"That wasn't my first thought, but yes… would you like one?"
"For real?!"
Silver opened the pocket space and pulled out a small bottle of ale. It was a simple one, but it was freezing cold.
'Never thought I would find a use for this.'
"Hoho! We might get along after all… cold!" Loki said as she took the bottle
She jumped backward, treasuring the bottle with a perverse smile as she fumbled around her table for a bottle opener.
Finn exhaled, "… Can we continue…?"
"Of course… Ahem, I can also manipulate and divide the inside of the storage into sections, permitting different items to be stored separately." He added as he created three other "doors" by snapping his fingers
Silver got up, gesturing at him, "People can be put inside in a moment of emergency. But once they're inside, if they try to break out of the confines of the space… they can shatter it rather easily."
"While its near impossible to access the space from the outside, it is far too easy to break free from the inside."
Silver stepped inside with Finn inside the space. After he pressed with a bit too much strength, the "air" tore as he witnessed a hole form in the darkness.
"I understand now. It's about the consistency of fabric." Finn said as he touched the walls as well
As they stepped outside, he agreed, "Correct. I can strengthen it, but maintaining that consumes Mind. In this form, I can keep this up forever… if I close the door, that is. Keeping it up also consumes quite a bit of Mind."
"But you don't have to worry much about loading and unloading things from within... I can easily do that like this." He said as he pointed at their table, having it be covered by the dark fog
As the table vanished, they stepped inside again to witness the table inside the dark room.
"Truly a wondrous thing. Riveria would go crazy over this..."
"..."
Silver said nothing at the mention of this dangerous fact...
They stepped outside only to witness Loki chugging the booze with a spin, "Getting one this cold is so difficult… AAAaaaarg!! Brain freeze!!"
""…""
They sat down again while Loki recoiled on the side, "I now have a better idea of your magic. I'm ready to negotiate things."
'Even if he has other motives, we'll be ready to dismantle them when the time comes. And if nothing happens... then we'll have made a powerful ally.'
As Finn looked at Silver, he did not feel malice coming from the boy. But something else came to his senses. A feeling almost akin to... pity?
Finn held the sheet of paper, dispersing his thoughts, "I can agree with your 5% commission fee. That much is fair if we look from the perspective of you contracting with the whole expedition as your party."
"… But I would like to review some of your other requirements given their ambiguous nature. Too many things can happen in the Dungeon, and we need to make it all clear now so we don't clash over ownership later."
"Of course. Just take it easy on me. In this life, I've yet to negotiate anything at this level."
"Then, I'd like to start…"
The two continued for over half an hour, ending with several additions and modifications to Silver's original contract.
Loki stood on the side, seemingly drinking, albeit paying attention to their discussion. No matter how much she drank, her eyes stayed clear.
When they finished, Finn exhaled faintly, taking a deep breath, "You're quite good for so-called beginner."
Silver smiled, "Thanks."
'That was fun. Though to me, the money is utterly secondary, if not tertiary... I'll make sure to make lots of this opportunity.'
'Who knows? With their assistance, I might even be qualified for a Rank Up by the time we return. I would love to see how they would react to that, especially that rude Amazon.'
He looked at the contract, "So, should I get to work?"
'Preparing for expeditions of this level may take weeks after all. If they are to depart after the new year, then...'
Loki jumped from her office table, "You sure are eager."
She moved the empty bottle around, "There's no need to rush things. We'll have to go through a few things on our end and change our plans…"
Loki tapped his shoulder, "Looks like this will be another sleepless night for you, captain."
Silver sighed, "… My apologies. If I had come a bit earlier, this wouldn't have been necessary."
"It's not your fault at all. We would've had to do this one way or another. While this will only be a partial change, it still requires several steps to be performed beforehand so everyone's in sync."
"I understand. The chain of command can be difficult to oversee."
'He doesn't quite trust me yet. He made it so only half of their supplies would be under my care, which is fair enough. If they play it safe, even if I do something, the worst it would happen is that their expedition would end sooner in failure, and that is much better than going hungry thirty floors underground.'
'Adventurers of a certain level can certainly go quite a while without food, and if they rest at a safety point, they can gather enough food and water to sustain them for quite a while. There's little risk here from a certain perspective.'
'The issue is what else they're think... regardless, that's fine for me. I prefer it this way, rather. It makes our current relationship rather clear.'
"That leaves only one thing then." Loki claimed as she walked between them
"Yes?"
"We need to know how tough ye are, yeah?"
"I'm Level 1?"
"That I know, but I heard quite a few things, and I'm not one to listen to rumors without some proof... besides, its always good to know things ahead of time. So… you're coming with me!" She said as she held his hand and pulled
"Huh?"
"Just shut it and follow me."
"I'm sorry about this... just don't push it too much, Loki…" Finn said as he looked at the signed contract
"I-I got it!"
/Clack!/
Loki pushed Silver out of the room as she closed the door, dragging him around the manor again.
"Things will get heated again... even more so when Riveria hears about this."
'Storage magic of all things... something she only ever heard about in books is now real... things won't get calm for quite a while.'
…
Loki led him to a large gymnasium built on the backside of the Familia home. Even in this cold, it was quite lively, as they could see several adventurers working out and training together.
Looking around the place, Silver reflected over it all in silence, 'A few dozen people are here, training diligently... although I don't quite approve of their methods...'
'Maybe we should build a gym one day too... although I'll probably never use it. Well, one never knows, that's why buying a place with plentiful land is important.'
'That said, I saw quite a few members of her Familia as we moved around as well... Despite how she portrays herself, Loki is quite kind. In this cold, she had most of her children remain indoors, leaving only a handful outside to protect their vast manor.'
'I also think that there' are a lot of her children working in the Dungeon to raise money for their expedition. That's a common thing for such large Familias.'
'The Guild may help finance these mega projects, especially given they're the N.1 Familia when it comes to the Dungeon, but its not nearly enough to cover the costs.'
'The Loki Familia might cause tens of billions of Valis to enter circulation every year. Perhaps even more... although that likely pales in comparison to what a business-oriented Familia like Ishtar's might make.'
'And their taxes too... thinking about it scares me.'
As they entered the gym, some noticed their arrival, albeit they all kept their distance, noticing Loki's mischievous smile...
'Why is everyone dropping their heads?...'
/Clap!/
"Alright! Let's get some fun!" She said as she put her hands together
Putting his thoughts aside, Silver turned to her, "… May I inquire what this is about?"
"You see, while everything you've said so far is fine, I still need to check how dependable you are. In the Dungeon, you at least need to protect yourself after all."
'And I want to see how true those rumors were.'
"Thank you for the worry, but at least until the Middle Floors, I can take care of myself."
"We'll see about that."
'I wasn't worrying about him either, but so be it.'
Loki scanned around the gym until she found the right person, "Oiii! Ryanon!"
"… Huh? Yes?"
A dark-haired human man in a tank top dashed from the corner of the gym, approaching Loki with a confused expression.
The man looked quite average in every way. He wasn't that tall, his muscles weren't defined, his face was plain, his hair was boring, and even his expression was dull…
Just your averaged Joe...
"Do me a favor real quick. Fight this guy over here."
Ryanon almost stumbled forward, "Huh?"
"That's what I said…" Silver added as he scratched his head
He turned to Silver and then back at the deity, "Loki-Sama… who's this guy? A recruit?"
"Not quite. But he'll be around on our next expedition, so I was interested in testing him out a bit. He'll likely be fighting next to you, so get a good feel of him while you're at it."
The man raised an eyebrow, "So you called me for… very well."
Silver gave him a nod, a little apologetic for interrupting his training, "I'm sorry for the interruption."
"It's okay; this is the least intrusive thing she has ever done."
"Hey! Not in front of the outsiders, I need to keep my prestige, especially in front of him!" Loki claimed with a frown as she pinched the man's stomach
"Arg! L-Let go…"
"Humph! Don't embarrass me! And you… let's see how well you fight!"
She almost slapped his back on instinct. Thinking about the mess Hestia would cause if she knew of it... but then again, wouldn't she throw a tantrum, regardless?
/SLAP!/
She slapped his ass, "Get up there!"
Silver wanted to get back at this goddess, but like children, often the best course of action was to ignore them...
"Sigh… very well."
Silver followed Ryanon to a small ring at the center of the gym. Soon enough, they were both given training weapons.
Ryanon used a standard saber while Silver took a blunt spear from the weapon raft.
He inspected it, getting used to its shape, 'It's heavier than expected; is this even wood? It feels like I'm holding iron...'
'In this even safe for a mock battle?'
Silver didn't really have a preference for a weapon; in fact, he trained the most with knives and swords. His reason for sticking with it, however, was because of his belief that spears were the most effective weapon against monsters.
When 99% of monsters fell when their magic stones were damaged, the most effective weapon was one that could precisely strike it, even through thick armor and flesh... or so he believed.
So far, however, he only stuck with it because he was overly cautious... rather to have a weapon with range, then a knife forcing him to step closer to a monster.
As they stepped into the ring, Loki rested her hands on the cables surrounding them, "Simple rules, right? Common sense... don't go too far." Loki said as she watched from the side
"Sure thing goddess."
"I wasn't planning on going that far either."
The two of them nodded to each other in respect…
She smiled, "Then with that… battle… on!"
/Dash!/
Ryanon ran forward with his saber, wanting to draw in distance.
/Clack!/
To his surprise, Silver intercepted him with a precise thrust, drawing distance instead!
Ryanon withdrew his saber with some difficulty, surprised at the skill of his opponent. He stepped back as he performed an overhead swipe, but Silver once again parried it by swinging the tip of his spear against it.
With this singular exchange, Ryanon figured out Silver was stronger than him!
/Clack!/
They clashed weapons two more times, but with the third exchange, Ryanon used the opportunity to come from the side and slash at Silver's chest!
/Clack!/
But Silver easily blocked the strike by shoving his spear against the ground and feet, using his legs to throw Ryanon down before pointing the spear at his chest.
"Well fought." He said as he stood in place
"Harf… you're good."
'For a moment there I felt like I was fighting captain again. He's well trained.'
/TAP!/
""...""
"Ugh… how can you lose so easily, Ryanon?!" Loki exclaimed from the side as she puffed loudly
"Hahaha… he's not a novice goddess, this loss was fair."
'Though I didn't expect to lose this easily either… I wasn't holding back much, and he easily blocked my strikes. Looks like he's a high Level 1 like me as well.'
Silver turned to Loki, "Is this enough?"
'I'm technically more skilled at fighting people than monsters. It's just the natural course of things given our resources.'
"Tche… so you can fight a little well, fine! Let's do this then!" She said as she smashed her hands together
""…""
Silver and Ryanon looked at each other, smiling awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Loki looked around the gym again and smiled, "Hey! Line! I see you over there, hiding in the corner! Come here!"
/Step, step!/
A young girl with long, tied black hair and brown eyes ran to them as she wiped the sweat off her face. Like the others, she too was working out even in this time.
"You called, Loki-Sama?"
She nodded, raising her thumb and pointing it behind her, "Yup, step into the ring and teach this guy a lesson!"
"P-Pardon?… Hum?! It's you!" She exclaimed as she looked at Silver
"We meet again, miss." He replied as he gave her a formal nod
Loki looked at the two of them and frowned, "You two know each other?" She asked as she pointed at each of them
'I do know he met Ais... I should've realized it sooner. Wait, now that I think about it, we've met quite a few times, and he always ends up putting himself in Ais and the others' minds, causing them to think about him for a days on end.'
'Ais herself couldn't stop thinking about the day she learned he was Level 1. Even I thought it was exaggerated, but I'm starting to think that wasn't the case...'
'He almost acts with that intention... is it on purpose? Is this guy playing games with me?!'
Silver nodded as he turned to Loki, "We met in the Dungeon a few weeks ago… more than once. I didn't expect us to meet again like this."
'Line Arshe. Level 2 Mage from the Loki Famillia… I only know about her because I met her and asked around the Guild a bit. She's just too average for me to keep in mind.'
'Given she's a mage, her physical stats shouldn't be too high, but the boost from a Rank Up is considerable. Enough to suppress my stats.'
'She might not be as strong as a Minotaur, but its not like I can block a Minotaur either… they say each increase from Level 1 is higher than the prior level.'
'If even a trained adult man would find himself matched with a teenager who just receive Falna, just how much of an increase would it impose as one rises from Level 1 to Level 2?'
She frowned a little as she understood the situation, "Goddess… I'm Level 2, it's not suitable for me to fight him."
"If I say, just do it!"
As he listened, Silver couldn't help but butt in... "Do I have a say in this?"
"Not at all!"
"… Sigh…"
Silver stood before the girl as she grabbed a small training staff from the side. As a mage, she had little experience with other weapons aside from her staff.
From her stance alone, Silver could tell she was a novice. Fighting someone in a duel and being battle-ready in the Dungeon were two completely different things.
Silver even thought she looked too timid for an adventurer, which was a normal thing he had noticed in recent weeks... too many people seemed far too mentally weak to challenge the Dungeon.
He wasn't free of criticism either, but he had one thing going for him...
Silver had fun in the Dungeon, while all others dreaded it... unable to even conceive of having fun inside. Perhaps this was also his greatest weakness, and the biggest sign of his own child-like immaturity.
'To be Level 2, she must've experienced certain death once. But as a back-line mage, she fights with magic and not technique. Did Loki put her against me merely because of the Level suppression?' He thought as he watched her climb onto the ring
'She's underestimating me a bit much. If I put in everything I had, I could force her to not even move. Even a Minotaur with all of its strength cannot move if I press it down with Telekinesis, much less a frail-looking girl such as her… then again, I could also be underestimating her.'
'Appearances can be deceiving. That's in the first few paragraphs of an adventurer's rulebook... only some deities can tell an adventurer's power from gaze alone... and maybe some exceptionally skilled warriors.'
"Hey, hey! Space to man, space to man! You're thinking quite a bit, aren't ya?" Loki asked as a smirk formed on her face
"Of course I am. Thinking is what I do and enjoy best. Maybe only behind alchemy and sleeping... eating..."
Just as Silver was about to lose himself in his thoughts again, Loki interrupted him, bringing him back to reality, "Is that so… well, I'm counting on you, Arshe!… Battle… on!"
Arshe began by giving him a nod, "Take care of me."
"I say the same." Silver replied as he bowed to her in kind
After a moment of stillness, the battle truly began.
/DASH!/
He began running in her direction, but Arshe wasn't surprised in the least. To her, his speed wasn't anything impressive.
She raised her staff… and Silver slammed his spear forward!
/CLACK!/
"!"
'The force…'
A surprising weight clashed against her staff, almost sending it hauling back.
/Clack!/
Silver struck again, forcing her to block or evade. Like before, the impact reverberated through her arms, surprising Arshe.
'This isn't just strength. He's making it as awkward as possible for me to block.'
/Clack!/
She blocked again, this time biting her lips as she stepped back, 'Aiming at my weakness… has he figured out how skilled I am this quickly? In that case…'
/Clack!/
/KICK!/
The moment she parried his fourth strike, Arshe followed up with a horizontal kick to his stomach! But to her surprise, Silver had anticipated it and twisted his body to the side!
/CLACK!/
She barely blocked his overhead strike by putting her staff between them.
/Fwoop!/
"Ugh!"
Silver quickly moved his feet, sending her crashing down. Like the other person before her, she lost the same way... put in a position where she couldn't balance herself, she too fell prey to the simplest of martial arts.
But this wouldn't work on anyone other than Arshe. A proper Level 2 adventurer would probably be like kicking a concrete post. Even he created the opportunity to strike them down, what prevented them from just speeding up and walking back?
Like a fly before a hand, they were just too agile for the eye to properly keep up with.
"I win." He claimed as he put his spear to her throat
"You did… well fought."
As Silver helped Line to her feet, and they exchanged greetings, Loki gnashed her teeth, her facing flushing as if she had drunk too much, "Don't get your hopes up! We're far from over!"
"That's what I like to hear!"
"Who's next? Is there a prize on the line?"
"The loser's going to clean the dishes."
""Hahaha!""
The commotion Loki was causing, together with their duels, slowly took the attention of the others training in the gym.
Interested in seeing their goddess' newest scandal, which was almost a daily occurrence, they gathered around the ring, whispering to each other.
This only made it easier for Loki to pick a candidate, "Moare! Come here!"
"Yes, sir!"
A catboy with dark hair and fur and with a somewhat well-trained body stepped forward with a tense expression, saluting Loki as his tail stood erect behind him.
He was quite handsome compared to the first man. Silver wondered if cat people had better genetics overall, but then he remembered the ugly people he saw recently...
'Right, how could I forget? This is Loki. If you aren't half-handsome in some way, you're not making the cut... I'm surprised she even took in Gareth, but maybe he's handsome for Dwarven standards...'
As his thoughts raced like always, Loki kept with her antics, "Pick up a training weapon and fight that boy over there!" She ordered as she pointed at Silver
"I have a name…"
'Has she actually spoken my name even once?'
"Step up! Chop chop!"
/Slap!/
Loki slapped the catboy's ass, and the boy jumped high in the air above Silver and reached to the other side of the arena as Arshe stepped down.
"Erm... am I supposed to give him a handicap or something?"
Loki swung her hand violently in the air, "NO!"
"..."
'Thanks for the consideration...'
"You can't lose, Moare! If you do, you'll be cleaning the streets during New Year's eve!" She claimed as she stomped the ground
"Nyo?! That can't be!" The catboy claimed as his face palled
"Come on, Moare! Don't go losing to a Level 1!" Someone claimed on the side as they raised their fist
"That would be shameful indeed. Can we add the punishment of him wearing a "green hat", as some deities like to say?"
"Can we have him clean the toilets instead..."
"Don't try to escape your own punishment, Orba!"
/Laughther!/
/Grab!/
As this transpired, Moare took a large wooden hammer and placed it on his shoulder, "I am Moare! And one day I'll be an Executive of the Loki Familia!"
Silver, however, was not as energetic as his expression darkened... "… Don't go raising death flags, man…"
"Yeah! Don't say that, Moare! Especially in the Dungeon!" Loki claimed as she nodded at his words
Moare palled as his ears and tail flopped, "Ehh? But I thought that was a cool dream…"
Silver shook his head, "Mellios Silver, thank you for having me." He said as he put his spear before him
Loki snickered, "Enough chit-chat! Battle… on!"
/Fwoosh!/
The catboy dashed with such speed Silver momentarily lost him! Despite that, his spear was already moving to intercept him.
/CLACK!/
"Ugh!"
Silver blocked the hammer, but he could feel his bones rattling and his fingers protesting! 'This boy is stronger than a damn Minotaur!'
In short, he couldn't last another strike, not without modifying his body. It was already impressive he kept his body steady. So Silver clenched his teeth and angled his spear.
/CLACK!/
"Oh?"
'He parried this?' Moare thought as his hammer slid down the spear's shaft, 'He's more skilled then I thought!'
'Let's step things up then!'
/FWOOSH!/
Moare raised his hammer and aimed it sideway. He was so fast Silver's most swift movement looked as if he were underwater to him.
/Step!/
Silver stepped forward as Moare crashed with his hammer, using his spear to block the shaft rather than the hammer itself!
Even now, his body was already twisting in anticipation to his next move.
/SMACK!/
"UGH!"
Silver headbutted Moare, taking him by surprise... albeit not causing any damage. Perhaps only a headache at himself...
/SWING!/
Moare moved his right arm, sending Silver flying across the ring as he tapped his forehead.
As the others laughed at his carelessness, Moare bit his lips, dashing as he planned to end things with the next overhead hammer strike!
/SMASH!/
"HUM?!"
'My hammer!'
Just as his hammer was about to collide with Silver's head, it came to a sudden halt as Silver's right palm opened in its direction.
'Not just my hammer, but my whole body!' Moare thought as he realized he was frozen
""?!""
The crowd was taken by surprise! Their mouths opening in confusion as they witnessed the bizarre scene!
Even Loki noticed something was odd as she noticed Moare's look of desperation, 'That is! It can only be that weird magic Tiona kept blabbering about!'
Silver took a quick breath as he stepped out of the hammer's range, "That almost cracked my skull open..."
"I thought I could beat you with skill alone, but I can't guarantee doing that without hurting you severely. I apologize." He said as his hand glowed with light
"Ugh… what is this?!" He asked as he tried to move but to no avail
"My magic, telekinesis." He replied as he waved his hand in the air, throwing Moare away like a bag of dirt
Moare cried as he flew out of the ring, "Ahhh! Dammit!"
/Thud!/
As Moare fell onto a cushion out of the ring, Loki looked at Silver as if her eyes were about to fall out. He tried to evade her glance, but the deity's gaze was almost magnetic...
As the crowd stood in silence, she almost began gnawing on the ring's boundaries...
"What was that?!" She claimed as she pointed at him, hands trembling
"I just said it, telekinesis."
'And quite a lot of it. I almost didn't stop his hammer on time... and he was too strong as well. Keeping my body straight while also straining it this much... doesn't do well for my Mind reserves.'
"But where's the chant?! You just waved your hand, and he was sent flying!"
"That's what telekinesis is all about…"
"I know that! I'm asking "how"... How did you do it?"
She wasn't the only one interested. All of those watching him nodded in anticipation.
How did things get like this? He wondered with a faint smile as he checked his hands.
"My magic… was already activated prior to these fights. Not much else I can say."
'It's best to make it mysterious... it makes my persona that much cooler.'
Her eyelids twitched. Knowing full well what he was trying to do. She could see it in his amused eyes!
She originally wanted to test Silver, but now, it was about her pride. If it were anyone else, she would've stopped and maybe even congratulated them a bit, but this was "that woman's" child… her pride couldn't take it!
"What you said before… you said you could win even without that magic of yours?"
"Yes. If conditions were other, I believe that would've been within my abilities... even if it meant losing an eye or a finger."
Moare scratched the back of his head, "Man, that's scary..."
"You're quite arrogant, aren't you?"
Silver smiled widely as he looked down at her from above the ring, "For you, it is arrogance, to me, its just a fact."
He even posed faintly as the ceiling lights fell on her body. The perfect angle to act cool before her.
'My abilities also include a bunch of other things… as for beating him with skill alone, I think its more than possible. Technique, martial arts alone can bridge the gap in levels. I'm a firm believer in this.'
Loki's teeth showed fully as she replied deeply, speaking as she clenched her teeth, "#!! Since you're so confident, let's continue!"
But someone understood now wasn't the time to give in to emotions, "Loki-Sama, this has already gone a bit much…" Arshe added as she stepped next to her
Loki, however, wasn't having anymore interruptions, "What's wrong with getting a bit beaten up, anyway? Worse comes to worst, we'll patch him up like any other time!"
"OI! Jungo!"
A tired and annoyed voice echoed from the crowd, "Ugh… Just on the day I decided to pass by…"
"Get your lazy ass up here!" Loki said in a deeply authoritative tone
/Step…/
A young dwarf stepped into the ring. He was burly and wide like most dwarves, and he also had a chubby beard despite looking rather young.
"I, Jungo, am here… unfortunately." He said with a sigh as he looked away
He even went to scratch his back, yawning.
"Stop being a lazy bun! Show this arrogant kid how its done here in the Loki Familia!"
"How its done?… You mean like, our schedule? Well... I start my day with a toast and some bread..."
She almost burst on the spot, "Don't act like an idiot!! You understood my words full well! Grab a weapon and beat him up!"
Jungo took a deep breath, "Welp… you heard her. She's a very fickle deity, and you somehow pissed her off just right."
"Reminds me of when the last batch joined in not long after that girl joined in... we also had a few troublemakers that didn't know when to step down." Jungo said as he walked to the side, grabbing a large sword
"You don't look like one of those cases though... its more like the other way around." He added with a sigh as he rested his sword on the ground
He exhaled again... "I usually hold a shield as well, but let's take that out of the equation…"
Loki interjected, far calmer then before, "Eeehh? Why not?"
He shook his head, "Goddess, give him a break... I just can't do it. It doesn't feel right otherwise."
Silver stretched his neck, "Alright… this will be fun."
"I'll give it my all." He said as he slammed the spear on the ground
'This guy... he's Level 3, I can feel it. This... is a tad too far above my pay cut.'
Jungo "Yawn… I would usually say something about pride and such, but I'm tired. I've been repairing our equipment for the past two weeks for the next expedition."
"I'm too tired to say anything like that. So let's do this or something..."
"Oi! Jungo! At least fight properly!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed with a half-smile as they looked at him
"Quit it, Arcs. Stay put and don't distract me. Also, I'm not rubbing the toilet or anything like that even if I lose. I'm stumped with work regardless so I'd rather just lay in the snow and freeze then get more work."
"Very well... If the both of you rea… What are you doing?!" Loki exclaimed as she looked at Silver
""Yeah?!"" The others agreed as they looked at him
Everyone watched in confusion as Silver reached for his shirt, taking it off, "I'd rather not rip my shirt apart. It's new… so I'm taking it off."
For some reason, he almost seemed to pose as he did so. Did the surrounding lights focus on him or something?!
Loki's face tensed as a vein surfaced on his her forehead, "Would you take your pants off if they were new as well?!"
"Hm… maybe... besides, these aren't that new…" He replied as he looked at his black pants
"Heh, you're not half bad. Impressive." Jungo said as he looked at Silver's body
"The new guy's quite good!" Someone in the crowd added as they chuckled
"That's not an easy body to form." Another man added with a scholarly nod
"As the goddess says, Eighto Pack!!"
""...""
The ladies did not voice their thoughts like the men...
Silver tapped his chest, and smiled, "Thanks everyone. It took quite some work to get it like this. If you guys want some tips..."
Loki interjected all of a sudden, "Enough! Jungo! Stop praising the opponent! You guys too... and YOU! Stop posing!! I'm starting to think you only took off your shirt for that purpose!"
Loki's forehead was so tense some of them started to fear she would knocked herself out soon enough, "Anyhow! Are you ready? We've wasted enough time already."
"I sure am." He claimed as his chest weaved up and down
"##!!"
"I'll be putting my all into this fight."
'If I don't do so, I fear I'd be knocked out in a heartbeat. I at least want to put up a fight… or at least a resistance.'
'... but at the same time... I want to win.'
With that, he raised his left hand…
/Crunk…/
""!""
/Float…/
Everyone watched in surprise as Silver lifted all the nearby equipment with telekinesis, having it all float around him.
Shields protected him, spears pointed at his enemy, swords remained erected behind and above…
As everyone watched in awe, "Haaaa… what did I sign up for?" Jungo complained as he drew another heavy sigh.
"Don't throw the towel yet, Jungo! You're supposed to be a shield for the Second String!"
Before Jungo somehow dropped dead, she proclaimed, "Enough waiting! If both of you are ready, then… BATTLE ON!"
…
/Meanwhile…/
/Chattering.../
The echoes coming from the gym reverberated throughout the manor as more and more people gathered around Loki...
"Say… what's this commotion about?" Tiona asked as she walked forward
"From the looks of things, Loki's causing trouble again." Her sister replied as she checked her nails, cleaning them off
"… Should we check it out?" Ais asked as she went after Tiona
"We just came out of an overnight Dungeon run, I'd rather go take a shower…" Tione claimed as she sniffed her hair
A voice rang behind them, "You definitely should."
Long emerald hair and a mature expression. The princess of all elves, one of the strongest mages of this generation… Riveria Ljos Alf stood in the hallway with a faint and welcoming smile.
Tione pouted, "Riveria! You can't just come and say I stink!"
"I didn't say that. But I won't say the contrary either…" She replied with a thin smile as she held her nose, looking away with a teasing smile
"Uggh… I'm going! I can't let captain see me like this!"
Seeing Tione run off, her sister smiled, "Haaa… there she goes… should we go as well? In this cold, I kind of want to melt in a hot shower."
"Yes… I want a bath as well. And maybe some sleep after." Ais added as she stepped after Tione
But something stopped her.
"… Stop praising the opponent!"
""Hm?…""
"Was that Loki's voice?" Tiona asked as she turned to the hallway
Riveria sighed out loud, "What do you think? I was going to check out what the commotion was all about when I met you guys."
Ais tried to listen more closely, but she couldn't hear it very well, "… Curious. Loki doesn't talk like that often."
"How unusual, you of all people wanting to go check out what Loki's doing… well, the bath can wait a little longer, right?"
"…"
Ais looked at herself, her stained dress, hilt, boots, gloves, the sheen of her armor... gone. And a grimace formed on her face.
Part of her wanted to cross her arms like an "X" and ignore it all. But another part was pulling her along, pointing at the end of the hall in curiosity, like a child before a toy-store.
Seeing this, Riveria knew she had to step up and help her decide, "Sigh… let's just watch it from afar. Come on." Riveria said as she walked ahead of them
"Okay! Let's go, Ais!"
"Alright…"
…
They arrived right on time...
"BATTLE ON!"
…
/Meanwhile… just as the fight was about to start.../
"…"
'I see only one possible way of winning this... To prevent confusion, with me already showing two "spells", this leaves only one spell slot available.'
'It doesn't matter much even if my magic as a whole is leaked, there are already others with far greater magic potential. What matters is what I can do with it... and people figuring those things out.'
'Until then, I have to keep some aspects of it hidden... With that remaining "slot", I need to create an opportunity and deliver a "fatal" blow.'
'Let's do this.'
…
"… That person is…"
As Ais and Tiona arrived with Riveria, they were met with the scene of Silver lifting over two dozen weapons and launching them forward!
/SHUA!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
A dozen spears pierced the air in unpredictable arcs, forcing Jungo to move his great sword around with twisting and spinning arcs to deflect them all.
The great sword moved faster than the eye could see, ripping through air like a bullet with a will of its own!
While he wouldn't be hurt even if one of them collided with his body at full speed, this was a mock battle after all. Whether it hurt or not didn't matter as much as landing the strike.
Jungo used all of his power to block the attacks, waiting for an opportunity to rise.
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
/Clack!/
Despite Silver using a lot of power to launch them forward, to Jungo, each weapon moved as fast as a snail on the ground; blocking them all was so easy… but time-consuming.
Instead, he dashed past them all towards Silver!
As he stepped before him like a sudden bolt of lightning, he muttered, "I'm sorry for this." Jungo said out loud as he pierced with his sword, his speed so incredibly sharp Silver never noticed him move.
However, as he approached him, he noticed that Silver was smiling.
"!"
""!!""
The moment Jungo's blade collided with his chest… it went right through!
Silver looked down at Jungo as his blade entered the pocket space, "Nifrael." He said out loud with a resolute expression as cold air gathered around his right hand.
"Crap!"
'My sword... A single keyword! I need to… my feet… why am I flaoting?!'
Unable to evade, Jungo stood there in shock. But a split moment of hesitation was all he needed.
/SHUAAA!!/
""!!""
A torrent of glacial wind burst before Silver, covering all of the ring as Jungo was buried in the wave of snow.
Frigid air burst down to the people around them, and causing many of them to tremble a little...
Loki sneezed... "ATCHIU!"
/SLASH!/
At the same time, Silver pierced with his spear, aiming for the cloud of freezing fog!
/CLACK!/
"AGH! My head!" Jungo exclaimed as the fog dispersed
"This…"
What was revealed to all was the scene of poor Jungo frozen into a block of ice, his limbs trapped as Silver's spear rested above his head, a single tear falling down his right eye.
"Is this what I get for working overtime?" Jungo mumbled to himself as he dropped his head
Silver felt a little bad, this Level 3 adventurer was far from being in his best condition, "I'm sorry." He said as he pulled his spear back.
"Man… this is utterly embarrassing." Jungo claimed as he yawned again, almost falling asleep in the process
""…""
Everyone was shocked beyond belief. So much so they ignored the cold. But Silver didn't pay much attention, turning to Loki.
"I win."
"… D-Damn… Atchiu!"
'Was that what I think it is? Was it an enchant type magic like Ais'?! I don't believe it! Something's wrong with this guy!!'
'Two rarely seen spells so rare they'd be like the curse of curses, and an enchant type just as rare as a curse?! Where did loli-boob find this child?!'
'Something is wrong with all of this! He is hiding something!'
Amidst the confusion...
/BONK!/
Riveria appeared and slammed her staff onto Loki's head. A light and smooth action, slow and gentle… even Silver saw her moving it, so it was certainly not that painful...
"GUAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Yet the goddess fell down, clutching her head and screaming as if it had split open.
…
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Notes
Thanks for reading!
I liked this chapter. I could've definitely have added more interactions, but I decided to keep some of them for another time.
Compared to the original, Silver is far less fearful of exposing some of his abilities. He even shows himself off with pride now, even if only to tease others.
He's far more ambitions with what he wants to do, and is not afraid of stepping forward to do it, which I think is more in line with his character. Silver technically took over a city-nation and built it up from the ground up by raiding multiple timelines and parallel realities. He shouldn't have been so meek.
He still has some concerns, especially given that it's common for some deities to force themselves on others to acquire individuals of talent, which is why he started with Loki, but he's not opening himself fully yet, and perhaps never will... although there will definitely will be more interactions as he grows stronger and stops caring about it all.
He has his reasons for joining an expedition, and I think it's proper as well. He will have to interact with such elements in the future, and he himself has made the decision to not quite act alone, so I think this is fair enough.
Silver will interact more with other Familias as well, for I think someone in his position would be walking around more proactively than in the original.
Not just for tutoring, but for challenges and other wacky interactions as well. When you have someone with near creative/sandbox level abilities, why not shove him around other characters and see how they react to his thoughts that are the closest to the deities?
Silver is probably the only human able to partially understand how the deities talk, from their jargons to their references, so seeing him speak more like that as we have seen him do is something I have been thinking about doing for a while.
Anyhow... I've spoken enough. Since this chapter was quite big, I'll probably not be releasing another for a little while. I'll be focusing on another work, which will probably be another massive chapter as well before returning here.
As for my progress, I only have to reach Volumes 21 and 16 of the light novels, and I'm halfway through Volume 20, which I'll probably finish this weekend.
Thanks to all who have followed through with the story. I have a lot more to say, but let's stop it here.
I'll see you all soon.