The golden light of dawn began to break on the eastern horizon, slowly chasing away the thin mist blanketing Orario. Outside the city walls, remnants of morning dew still clung to the leaves.
The welcome party inside the tent had been very lively and long. Venti, with his godly alcohol tolerance capacity, kept pouring wine until morning approached. Hogni finally fell asleep with his face pressed against the table after rambling about the "intoxicating darkness", while Dina and Vena leaned exhausted in the corner of the tent. Only Hedin remained awake, sipping his drink calmly and elegantly.
Aria, disguised as Sylphie, along with little Ais, had excused themselves into the church building since midnight so Ais could sleep soundly.
Now, after dawn had truly broken the sky, Venti led his four still half-asleep new followers—except Hedin—out of the tent. It only took a few short steps for them to reach the door of the old building right behind the tent.
The Abandoned Church.
From the outside, the stone building looked fragile and overgrown with climbing vines. However, when Venti pushed the door open, the interior turned out to be very clean and well-maintained. The air felt warm thanks to the fireplace in the corner of the room, and the aroma of broth soup immediately greeted their sense of smell.
In the middle room of the church, two women sat waiting.
The first woman had silver hair with a face that looked gentle and slightly pale. Her hands affectionately stroked her belly, which was beginning to show signs of pregnancy, radiating an aura of tranquility. Beside her, sat a woman who possessed an identical face, yet radiated an opposite aura. Beside her, sat a woman who possessed an identical face, yet radiated an opposite aura. This second woman sat cross-legged with a straight back, glaring sharply with a pair of heterochromatic eyes—her right eye was emerald green, while her left eye was an ice-cold gray.
Hedin's steps instantly halted. Hogni, who was still half-asleep, immediately became fully awake. The survival instincts of the two former elf kings screamed loudly.
Hedin's eyes locked onto the woman with the cold stare. What is this aura...? thought Hedin, cold sweat the size of corn kernels rolling down his temples. He didn't know what level this woman was, but the invisible pressure radiating from her was an absolute power far exceeding anyone Hedin had ever met.
"Good morning," greeted the pregnant woman, smiling warmly without rising from her chair. "My name is Meteria. Aria told me everything last night. Welcome to the Barbatos Familia. You must be tired after partying all night, please sit down. Alfia has been up since dawn to cook that broth soup so your stomachs will be warm."
Meteria's greeting slightly eased the tension in the room. However, Hedin and Hogni couldn't help but swallow hard. They glanced toward the dining table, then looked back at the cold-faced woman named Alfia. A monster with an aura this terrifyingly dense... cooked a soup that smells that good? Hedin thought in disbelief.
Alfia simply sipped tea from her cup slowly, then set it on the table, ignoring the awed stares of the elves.
"Alfia," the woman said her own name in a flat, piercing tone. Her eyes glanced sharply, evaluating Hedin and Hogni from head to toe. "So you are the elves Venti talked about. Don't get a big head just because you have a little power out there. In this house, you must follow the rules. If you become a burden, don't finish the food I make, or cause a commotion that endangers Meteria or Ais, I myself will throw you to the bottom of the Dungeon."
Those words were curt, sharp, and left no room for compromise. However, Hedin, who was very sensitive to power dynamics, actually sighed in relief. He bowed very respectfully.
"We understand, Miss Alfia. It is an honor to taste your cooking and be under the same roof," replied Hedin without the slightest hint of offense. He knew Alfia uttered that threat purely to protect her family.
"R-Right... the darkness in my heart bows to your firmness..." added Hogni awkwardly, also bowing deeply.
Alfia only clicked her tongue softly, although the corners of her lips twitched slightly seeing their politeness.
From inside the church, Aria—who was now back in her disguise as the pale green-haired girl named Sylphie—walked closer. Behind her, Ais tailed along while holding the edge of Sylphie's shirt.
"Good morning everyone!" greeted Sylphie cheerfully. "Hurry and eat breakfast, Sir Hedin, Sir Hogni, Dina, Vena. After this, we will go straight to the Guild to register you, then I will take you to see the Dungeon."
Hearing the word Dungeon, Ais's ears immediately perked up. The little girl's golden eyes shone brightly. She ran forward and stood blocking Sylphie's path, spreading her tiny arms.
"Ais wants to come too!" exclaimed Ais in a demanding tone. "Ais is already level one. Ais has Skills. Ais wants to kill monsters!"
Sylphie smiled and crouched down to stroke her daughter's head. "It's not time yet, Ais. The Dungeon is a dangerous place. You have to practice your sword first with Uncle Venti in the backyard. The day after tomorrow, if your sword swings are strong enough, Mother promises to take you to see the first floor."
Ais pouted, lowering her head with puffed-out cheeks. Her tiny hands clutched the hem of her clothes, her face etched with disappointment. However, being an obedient child, she finally nodded slowly. "Ais will practice her swordplay... Ais will slash everything Uncle Venti teaches her."
"Good girl," praised Meteria from the dining table, making Ais walk towards her.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast made by Alfia, which was far more delicious than any luxurious food they had ever eaten when they were kings, the five of them—Sylphie and the four elves—set off for the Guild building.
The Orario Guild headquarters, the Pantheon, stood majestically with white marble pillars. The hustle and bustle of adventurers from various races passing by provided a lively and high-pressure atmosphere.
At one of the registration counters, a Receptionist hurriedly adjusted his sitting posture as Sylphie placed four parchment registration sheets on his desk.
"New member registration for the Barbatos Familia," said Sylphie friendly.
The receptionist swallowed hard. He remembered this green-haired girl's face very well. About a week ago, this girl came to register with Alfia—a monster whose reputation as a Level 7 was enough to make any familia in Orario break out in a cold sweat. Of course, the Guild had no idea that Alfia had broken through to Level 8, but the name "Alfia" alone was more than enough as a guarantee of absolute terror.
"O-Of course, Miss Sylphie! I will process it immediately," replied the receptionist with a polite yet stiff smile. His hands trembled slightly as he took the documents.
His eyes glanced briefly at Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena. The Guild papers showed that these four Elves were Level 3. A very impressive number for newcomers, but still reasonable for veteran Elf races. Because of the "Status Lock" feature Venti performed, everything about their anomaly and magic was tightly closed from the Guild's view.
The advisor's attitude was very respectful. Considering the Barbatos Familia was the shelter of an Alfia, he absolutely did not dare to look for trouble or underestimate the new members of this Familia.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Without asking many questions, the receptionist immediately affixed the official Guild stamp on the four form papers.
"Done. Sir Hedin, Sir Hogni, Miss Dina, and Miss Vena. Starting today, you are officially registered," the man said politely, handing back their registration sheets. "May protection accompany the adventures of the Barbatos Familia."
Hedin nodded slowly. "Thank you for your assistance."
The bureaucratic matter was completed very quickly and smoothly. They walked out of the Pantheon toward the main square where the Tower of Babel soared through the clouds.
"Wow, that went so smoothly!" said Sylphie with a smile. "Come on, I'll take you down to the first floor. You must familiarize yourselves with the layout of the corridors and the air inside the Dungeon."
"Certainly, Miss Sylphie," answered Hogni, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword.
However, without them realizing, in a dark alley at the corner of the Babel square, a pair of eyes watched their every move.
A shabby hooded man leaned against a brick wall. His eyes narrowed, piercing through the crowd of adventurers, and locked his gaze right on his target. A satisfied glint was visible in his eyes when he realized one important thing: there was no silver-haired monster figure following the group.
"Finally the prey is off its mother's leash," murmured the man softly.
He was a scout from the Ikelos Familia. A few days ago, Dix Perdix had given an absolute order to his troops to watch the Babel area. They were tasked to ambush the girl named Sylphie, but were only allowed to move when the girl was separated from the former Hera Familia executive.
As soon as he saw Sylphie guiding a group of new elves entering the mouth of the Tower of Babel purely without Alfia's escort, the scout didn't waste time. He pulled his hood lower, spun around, and hurriedly disappeared into the labyrinth of Orario's narrow alleys, running as fast as he could toward Daedalus Street. He had to go down to Knossos immediately to report to his captain.
In one of the hidden upper sectors of Knossos—only a few hundred meters below the slums of Daedalus Street—the air felt stuffy with the smell of rust and sweat. In a stone room repurposed as an operational smuggling barracks, Dix Perdix was sitting casually in his iron chair.
The man rested his boot-clad feet on a wooden table filled with stolen valis, still admiring the new Level 3 power flowing in his arms, when the heavy iron door of the barracks opened hurriedly.
"Reporting, Captain Dix!" exclaimed the hooded scout from earlier, panting after running across half the city. "Our target, the rookie girl named Sylphie... she just entered the Dungeon! And most importantly, that former Hera executive monster is not with her!"
Dix immediately took his feet off the table. A wide, condescending smirk instantly printed on his rough face. "Hahaha! Finally! She really walked into our cage alone?"
"She is not completely alone, Captain. The target was seen bringing four new elf followers with her toward the Upper Floors," added the scout quickly.
Instead of worrying, that information actually made Dix laugh even harder. In his eyes, followers brought by a Level 1 adventurer must just be new burdens who didn't yet know the cruelty of the underground world. Testing his new strength by slaughtering weak adventurers was his favorite scenario.
"Perfect," hissed Dix, pulling his black-and-red spear from the back of the chair. His eyes flashed ferociously behind the thick goggles covering the curse on his pupils.
"Gather our ambush squad now! We're going up to the Upper Floors!" ordered Dix, his voice echoing commanding all the Ikelos smugglers in the room. "According to my plan, ambush them in a blind spot. Slit the throats of those four new fairies on the spot so that girl Sylphie sees it directly. Leave only her alive for me!"
The Ikelos Familia members grinned cruelly, drawing their daggers and weapons enthusiastically. Hunting weak prey was their main specialty.
The footsteps of the Ikelos Familia troops marched quickly down the secret corridors of Knossos toward the intersection point with the Upper Floors of the Dungeon. Dix led in front, imagining Sylphie's screams of despair when her comrades' blood spilled on the rocky floor.
However, behind his arrogance as an adventurer who had just leveled up to Level 3, Dix Perdix was completely unaware of the deadly reality waiting for him up there. He was not trapping a herd of Level 1 rabbits. Unbeknownst to him, that blind arrogance had just led him and his entire squad to knock on the door of true hell.
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