Apollo might have been a creep, but he wasn't stupid. Anything Hestia opposed, he was naturally going to support.
"I think we should let Hermes finish," he said with an air of mock generosity.
With Apollo's backing, Hermes didn't hesitate. He revised his proposal on the fly and stated: "I propose that both sides be allowed to invite one other Familia to assist. However, since this is a dispute between the Hestia and Apollo Familias, the number of guest members must be limited to five or fewer, and their level cannot exceed the highest-level member of their respective host Familia."
He had originally intended to suggest five helpers with no level cap, but added the restriction after Hestia's obvious resistance.
As expected, the twin-tailed goddess exploded. "Hermes, what is wrong with you?! You know I'm at a disadvantage, yet you propose a plan that clearly benefits Apollo?!"
Apollo burst into a booming laugh. "Hestia, it seems you don't have as many friends as you thought." He slapped his chest. "I accept Hermes's additional rule! The highest level in my Familia is my captain, Hyakinthos Clio, at Level 3."
"As for your Levi Bright... I'll be generous. Let's count him as a Level 2 for the sake of the guest limit."
Hestia ground her teeth. For a split second, she wanted to scream out her boy's real level. But she forced herself to stay quiet. Apollo was revolting enough—and she still had Freya watching from the shadows like a hawk. If Levi were targeted by even more "pleasure-seeking" gods...
While her lover's strength would likely be exposed once the War Game began, every extra bit of time she could buy for him to grow was worth it.
"Since you've accepted Hermes's proposal, I get to set the date," Hestia said decisively. "Two months from now."
Apollo refused without a second thought. "Absolutely not."
Hestia shrugged. "Then I don't agree to Hermes's extra rule either."
"I think—" Hermes started, attempting to play peacemaker again.
He was immediately met with three sets of "death glares." One, obviously, was from Hestia. As for the other two...
'Hephaestus and Freya? What is going on with those two?' Hermes lowered his hat, suddenly finding the situation hard to read.
Apollo, despite his arrogance, was fundamentally cautious. "Two months is too long. Even one month is pushing it. I'll accept two weeks at most."
Hestia curled her lip. "Deliver that one billion Valis to the Guild first. If you don't even have the stakes ready, I'm not playing with you."
She offered a mocking laugh. "If you can't even produce the pot, why should I bother?"
"You!" Apollo's face twitched, but he quickly regained his composure. "Fine. Once I have the money ready..."
Hestia cut him off forcefully. "The clock starts the moment the one billion Valis hits the Guild's vault. Two weeks from that point."
"...Fine!" Apollo bit out the word, finally nodding in agreement.
None of the gods present were fools. By now, they had all realized that Hestia was almost certainly hiding Levi Bright's true level. They just didn't know if he was a veteran as Apollo claimed, or if there was something else.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi : I'm Surrounded by Goddesses (132 Chapters, Ongoing)
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"Hestia, you were reckless this time," Hephaestus said, poking her friend's forehead back at the workshop. Her tone was laced with exasperation.
"Levi is strong, and he's reached Level 4, but he's still hiding his level and he's only one man. Even if I lend you five of my Level 2s and provide an ample supply of Magic Swords, I can't guarantee a win in a Legion War."
Compared to Hephaestus, Hestia—the one actually on the hook—looked entirely unconcerned. She simply smiled and hugged Hephaestus around the waist. "Don't worry! My Levi is incredibly powerful."
"Forget Apollo's six Level 3s—even if his captain somehow hits Level 4 before the game starts, Levi's victory is 100% guaranteed!"
Seeing her so full of confidence, Hephaestus began to catch on. "I see. Did Levi gain a new ability after his rank up?"
Hestia smiled but didn't answer.
Naturally, she was subjected to Hephaestus's "tickle torture." "Won't even tell me? You've grown quite a backbone, Hestia!"
"Hahaha! Stop! I'll tell! Hahaha! I'll tell!"
With no one else around, Hestia cleared her throat and began to recount what she had seen three mornings ago...
Floor 18 of the Dungeon.
Levi, who had been searching this safe floor for three days, had no idea that his Goddess had just declared war on Apollo over an old grudge. But even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared.
Upon reaching Level 4, the Dimensional Gacha had unlocked the Level 4 stage. Within the permanent Danmachi pool, new 6-star items had appeared. Among them was the skill Levi had been anticipating most: Liaris Freese (一心憧憬), which provides resistance to charm. There were also powerful skills and magic like Revenge Princess, Flowers of White Flame, and Dimensional Severance.
However, after reading the skill description, he temporarily abandoned the idea of pulling for it.
[Liaris Freese · 6-Star (-)]
Early Maturity: Drastically accelerates the growth of basic abilities.
Immunity: Grants immunity to all non-Authority based Charms.
Condition: Only active when anchored to a specific object of longing (the target must be stronger than the user). If the longing is betrayed, or if the target becomes weaker than the user, the skill immediately deactivates.
Note: Deities with sealed divine power are considered weaker than adventurers.
Levi's only close connection in this world was Hestia. As for other adventurers... could they keep up with his pace? Could they achieve longevity? With the Gacha system as his cheat, Levi no longer saw himself ending his life as a "short-lived species."
Because of that, he never intended to form deep bonds with ordinary adventurers. And the effect of Liaris Freese required him to fall for another adventurer. Moreover, while Levi considered himself a devoted person, he couldn't be like the original protagonist, Bell, and harbor a pure, unwavering longing for a single specific target.
Without Liaris Freese, the value of the Danmachi pool dropped significantly. While other skills offered great buffs, they felt redundant for someone like Levi, who could already fight far above his level. A skill that adds 1,000 points to a stat might only translate to 500 or 250 points after level scaling. Unless he could stack multiple buffs to trigger a qualitative change, his Valis were better spent on other pools.