A new dawn had just broken on the eastern horizon of Orario, sweeping a pale golden hue over the rooftops of the Labyrinth City. The morning air still felt biting, leaving dew dripping from the creeping vines on the walls of the old church that now served as the Barbatos Familia headquarters.
Inside the church, the atmosphere did not reflect morning tranquility in the slightest.
Upon the long wooden table usually used for breakfast, various supplies were laid out very neatly and methodically. Dozens of glass bottles containing thick blue liquid (High Potions), crystal tubes filled with glowing green liquid (Mind Restore), rolls of bandages soaked in healing herbs, to several layers of extreme weather protective cloaks.
Alfia stood in front of the table, her heterochromatic eyes scanning every item with the precision of a general preparing for the battlefield. Her right hand deftly packed the bottles into a large, sturdy dragon-leather backpack.
"High-level antidotes, twenty bottles. Anti-paralysis potions, fifteen bottles," muttered Alfia, checking her logistics for the third time.
Venti, sitting sideways in his chair hugging his wooden lyre, watched the silver-haired mage with a small smile. He plucked one string of his lyre, producing a crisp note.
"If you put any more items into that bag, you really will look like a traveling merchant lost in the labyrinth, Alfia," Venti teased with his signature grin.
However, a second later, the god's tone of voice became more sincere. "But... I highly appreciate your survival instinct. The depths of the labyrinth are no place for arrogance. Bring everything you feel is necessary. That is the main reason I entrusted this retrieval to you."
Alfia turned slowly, offering a flat yet firm look. "This is called survival calculation. Floor 60 is in the Glacier Territory. The temperature there can freeze blood in minutes if we lack magic resistance or sufficient gear. I will not let this retrieval fail just because we underestimated the terrain and lacked a bottle of potion."
"A perfect answer," chuckled Venti, leaning back again.
In another corner of the room, Meteria was helping Aria tighten the straps of light leather armor across her chest. Aria was now fully in her disguise as 'Sylphie'.
To perfect the disguise, Venti had painted the emblem of the Barbatos Familia—a Cecilia flower, a lyre, and feathers—on Aria's back using ordinary black ink paint.
Venti knew very well that spirits could not receive a Falna (divine blessing). The essence of spirits was too pure because they were born as personifications of nature or manifestations of the gods' own will—just like Aria, who was the incarnation of the wind element, or the Great Spirit Jupiter, who was created directly by Zeus and eventually forged a contract with the hero Argonaut in ancient times. A god's blood could not penetrate and bestow Status hieroglyphs upon existences like them. Therefore, a fake, hand-painted tattoo was the only way to make Aria look like an official adventurer belonging to a Familia.
"Done," Meteria said softly, patting Aria's shoulder. "You look like a true adventurer now, Sylphie."
"Thank you, Meteria. Get used to calling me by this name so there are no mistakes out there," Aria replied with a maternal smile.
Alfia, having finished packing her bag, slung the item over her shoulder. She stepped toward Venti, letting her serious aura fill the room.
"Before Sylphie and I step out of this church, there is something important you need to know, Venti," Alfia said, her voice lowering. "Considering you were absent for six days, you missed visits from uninvited guests."
Venti raised an eyebrow. "Guests?"
"Hermes, Loki, Freya, and Ganesha. They came here right after the dragon roared," Alfia explained, recalling the tense confrontation at the church doors a few days ago. "They were looking for you. The song about Aria you sang at the previous Denatus made them suspicious. The fact that you disappeared right when the incident occurred made them assume you were the mastermind. Even now, I hear they are holding an emergency Denatus to discuss the dragon issue."
Venti fell silent for a moment, then a small laugh escaped his lips. He shook his head slowly, looking genuinely amused.
"Interesting," chuckled Venti, his teal eyes flashing playfully. "I'm quite curious which of those gods was the first to provoke suspicion towards me. Even though I feel like I didn't do anything too conspicuous."
Hearing those words, a vein of annoyance bulged on Alfia's forehead. "Not doing anything conspicuous, you say? Dealing with the One-Eyed Black Dragon and bringing home a Great Spirit is the absolute definition of 'conspicuous'!"
Venti only replied with an innocent grin. "Relax, Alfia. I won't be attending that emergency Denatus. Gods' meetings are usually just long and very boring ego debates. I prefer to spend my time in this peaceful old church. Besides, my main duty right now is to guard Meteria."
Hearing the reassurance, Alfia's tense shoulders slowly relaxed.
"However, their suspicion could be a problem for your expedition," Venti continued, stopping his strumming. "Because of that, before you two enter the Dungeon, I want you to go to the Guild Headquarters first, Alfia. Officially register Sylphie as a member of the Barbatos Familia."
Alfia frowned. "To the Guild? Stepping foot in there while my face is in the spotlight is tantamount to announcing my presence to all the other roaming familias."
"Quite the contrary," Venti cut in with a calculated smile. "Hiding will only make them more curious. If you—an extremely famous top-tier mage—suddenly disappear into the Dungeon without a trace, rumors will spread wildly. Other Familias will be deployed to track you down."
Alfia remained silent, digesting the logic.
"But," Venti smirked triumphantly. "If your reason for entering the Dungeon is publicized at the Guild as 'guiding a new Level 1 member', then the threat of your movements will plummet drastically in their eyes. No sane god would send their familia members just to tail a babysitting activity on the upper floors."
Alfia's eyes widened slightly. Her genius brain immediately understood the direction of her god's thoughts.
"Besides," added the God of Wind, "this will also be my perfect alibi. If those nosy gods send envoys here again and ask where I went, I can answer with an innocent face: 'I went outside Orario to recruit my new Familia member, and here she is, Sylphie!' Everything will look very natural."
A brief silence enveloped the room, before Alfia finally snorted and gave a faint smile. "A double lie that deceives the Guild and the gods at the same time. Very cunning."
"I am merely utilizing the existing winds, Alfia," Venti chuckled.
After the solid plan was agreed upon, it was time to part ways. Aria stepped toward Meteria, giving her a warm hug.
"We are off, Meteria," said Aria softly.
"Be careful, Sylphie. And Big Sister Alfia, please take care of yourself," Meteria replied, looking at her sister hopefully.
Alfia simply nodded slowly. She turned to Venti, giving him a silent signal to keep his promise. Venti replied with a firm nod. Not a single threat in this world would touch Meteria as long as the Archon was there.
Alfia turned and opened the church door. Aria followed behind, stepping toward the harshness of the labyrinth.
Orario's main streets were fully awake. The sounds of bargaining from merchants and the footsteps of thousands of adventurers created a distinctive cacophony of melody.
Alfia pulled the hood of her cloak slightly lower as she walked through the crowd with Aria by her side. The natural rhythm and pressure emitted by Alfia subconsciously made the people around her step aside, providing a clear path to the Pantheon building—the Guild Headquarters.
"Act as naturally as possible, Sylphie," whispered Alfia as they headed to the Guild. "You are a nervous but enthusiastic rookie. Let me do the talking."
"Understood," Aria replied, offering an awkward smile that looked very genuine on her face.
As Alfia pushed open the heavy double doors of the Guild, the atmosphere inside the great hall was at its busiest. However, the moment Alfia lowered her hood, a predictable phenomenon occurred.
A wave of silence spread from where she stood. Laughter choked in throats. Loud chatter turned into suppressed whispers. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned, staring at the figure of the silver-haired woman with cold heterochromatic eyes.
For veteran adventurers who had been in Orario long enough, that face was a reminder of an absolute era. Silence. The monster from the Hera Familia.
Among the frozen crowd, familia members from Loki, Freya, and other factions immediately sharpened their senses.
Alfia was not in the least affected by the pressure of those stares. With an elegant yet deadly posture, she walked straight toward the receptionist's desk. A female Guild staff member swallowed hard as Alfia stopped right in front of her.
"G-Good morning... Lady Alfia," greeted the staff member, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "Is there anything the G-Guild can help with today?"
"I have come to register a new member into the Barbatos Familia," Alfia replied with a flat tone that echoed clearly in the silent hall. She motioned to Aria. "Step forward."
Aria stepped forward, showing her face with an innocent, friendly smile. "My name is Sylphie. Please guide me."
The Guild staff member blinked, surprised to see a very ordinary-looking beautiful girl under Alfia's supervision. She reached for a stack of blank registration forms with trembling hands.
"V-Very well. Please fill out this registration form, Miss Sylphie," the staff member stammered. "A-And as standard procedure, we require an official stamp or signature from God Barbatos on this document as proof of approval to join..."
Before the staff member could finish her sentence, the air pressure in front of the receptionist desk spiked drastically. Alfia's heterochromatic eyes narrowed sharply, looking straight into the staff member's eyes with a gaze that could freeze a heart.
"Are you doubting my presence here?" hissed Alfia, her voice very quiet but slicing through the air like a razor. "I brought her here myself under the orders of my God. She is our new member. Level 1. I do not have time to deal with your ridiculous bureaucracy and time-wasting piles of paper. Just write her name in your archives and stamp her registration document right now."
The physical presence and murderous aura radiating from the Level 7 adventurer shattered the staff member's courage to pieces. Forcing an executive of Alfia's caliber to go back to retrieve a god's stamp and follow lengthy bureaucratic rules suddenly felt like a very stupid, suicidal idea. Alfia's presence alone was the absolute guarantor.
"Y-Yes! I-I understand!" The staff member broke out in a cold sweat, her hands hurriedly writing Sylphie's name in the Guild archives and stamping the registration document without asking any more questions. Alfia's intimidation succeeded in perfectly cutting down the registration process.
"T-The registration is complete, Miss Sylphie," reported the staff member, handing over a copy of the document. She fell silent for a moment, hesitating, before finally gathering the courage to ask the last question required by the Guild. "E-Excuse me if I am presumptuous, Lady Alfia. Are you planning to descend into the Dungeon today? The Guild needs to record your estimated route for safety purposes."
The entire room seemed to hold its breath. The familia members strained their hearing to the maximum limit.
Alfia let the silence hang for two seconds. Then, she smirked faintly—a very characteristic condescending smile.
"Where do you think I would take a rookie who has never even held a weapon properly?" scoffed Alfia, her voice modulated so it could be heard throughout the room. "I will only take her around Floor 1 to Floor 5 at the furthest. Teaching her how to walk so she doesn't trip over a rock and die foolishly."
Instantly, the tension in the air evaporated.
The Guild staff member let out a long sigh that sounded very relieved. "V-Very well. Rookie guidance on the upper floors. We have recorded it. Please be careful on your way."
In the corners of the hall, the unseen observers from various factions exchanged glances before leaving quietly. The reports they would bring back to their gods would not trigger a military panic.
Venti's plan worked flawlessly. The curtain of lies had been lowered.
"Come, Sylphie. We have many boring floors to get through," ordered Alfia, turning and walking toward the exit. Aria nodded obediently, following her steps toward the Tower of Babel.
The giant shadow of the Tower of Babel enveloped them as the two walked down the wide spiral marble stairs. The warm sunlight was cut off, replaced by the bluish phosphor glow illuminating the ancient stone corridors. The smell of dampness and moss crept into their sense of smell.
They had officially passed the gates of the Dungeon.
On Floors 1 through 3, they still passed several parties of rookie adventurers hunting Kobolds. Alfia and Aria walked at a leisurely pace, completely maintaining their act in front of witnesses.
However, once they reached the entrance to Floor 6, the crowds disappeared entirely. The terrain route became more complex, the lighting dimmer.
Alfia stepped into a quiet corridor. She stopped for a moment, focusing her hearing, scanning the shadows in every corner. After ensuring that not a single shadow adventurer was following them, Alfia let out a long breath.
Her posture changed in a matter of seconds. Her aura returned to being incredibly pressurized, typical of the adventurer who had dealt the final blow to defeat the Leviathan.
"The act is over," Alfia said, her voice turning ice-cold again. She turned toward Aria. "There are no more watching eyes. From this point on, we will not stop to kill lowly monsters. We will use maximum speed. If anything blocks the way, destroy it without slowing down."
Alfia slowly raised her left hand, letting an incredibly dense silver mana glow crackle at her fingertips. The deadly magic light flashed, overpowering the surrounding phosphor glow.
"Listen, Sylphie. Our destination is Floor 60. I do not want to waste my stamina on the upper floors," continued Alfia, offering a challenging look. "Can you keep up with me at full speed?"
Aria, who had maintained her innocent smile all this time, slowly looked up. That innocence was gone. Her eyes, still cloaked in the hazel illusion, radiated burning determination—the longing of a mother ready to tear the world apart to fetch her daughter.
With a very graceful snap of her fingers, the air element in the corridor instantly obeyed the absolute command of the Great Spirit. A pure wind vortex formed, circling her body like a shield, eliminating air friction and manipulating the gravity around her.
"Maximum speed?" repeated Aria, her tone melodious yet capable of freezing anyone's mentality. "Alfia... the wind never lags behind."
A feral smirk formed on Alfia's lips.
"Good."
BOOM!
The stone floor beneath Alfia's feet shattered to pieces due to the sudden explosion of pure repulsive force. The mage's body shot forward like an arrow, leaving a shockwave that swept away the dust along the tunnel.
Aria hovered just a few centimeters above the ground, letting the wind carry her. She darted, following Alfia's trail at a speed that nearly tore the sound barrier.
For regular adventurers in the Middle Floors, what happened next was an anomaly inexplicable by common sense.
On Floor 7, a party consisting of Level 2 adventurers was struggling to close their formation, trying to survive an ambush by a group of Killer Ants. Their tank had just shouted for help, but before a sword was drawn, a flash of silver light streaked past them, accompanied by an ear-splitting sonic boom. Alfia's Gospel magic shattered the monsters to pieces, leaving nothing behind. A second later, an emerald wind storm swept away the remaining dust. The adventurers could only stand frozen with dropped jaws, wondering if a labyrinth storm had just saved them.
On Floor 10, a similar thing happened. When a pack of Silverbacks leaped from the cliff ceiling to ambush a passing group, the monkey monsters were suddenly minced in the air by invisible wind blades created by Aria. The adventurers preparing for the attack only felt an incredibly strong gust of wind blowing their cloaks, followed by a slow rain of monster ash.
The peak of that madness occurred when the two extraordinary existences arrived on Floor 17.
In front of the giant room where the regular boss, Goliath, resided, dozens of adventurers from various familias were forming a massive raid formation. The seven-meter-tall giant boss had just risen from its alcove, beating its chest, and drawing in air to roar.
However, before the raid commander in the front row could give the order to attack, a silver comet shot through their formation as if they were merely decorations.
"Gospel!"
Concentrated sonic magic struck and shattered the giant's knees in the blink of an eye. As the Goliath fell to its knees with a thud that shook the floor, a storm-clad shadow hovered past it. A high-pressure wind pillar drilled straight into the monster's heart, instantly destroying its core magic stone.
The entire raid party on Floor 17 froze in place. Their weapons were still awkwardly raised in the air. The floor boss, which was supposed to require hours of battle to defeat, had now vanished into ash in less than two seconds.
Without wasting a single breath to watch the giant's ash fall, the silver flash and emerald storm immediately jumped straight down the hole to Floor 18.
"W-What just happened...?" murmured one of the veteran adventurers, his shield slipping from his grasp and clattering onto the stone floor. "Did a strong adventurer descend into the labyrinth?"
The two free-fell through the labyrinth corridors like two unstoppable streaks of death light. What was initially recorded as a peaceful rookie training session at the Guild had now turned into a mass extermination expedition that would carve a new mysterious legend along the journey to the bottom of Orario's hell.