Faced with the special situation known as the "Monster Feast," the key issue was still the extreme difficulty of the Soulslike Dungeon. Achieving absolute safety was fundamentally impossible.
Moreover, because of the unique nature of the "Revival" skill, Ron voluntarily took on greater monster pressure during this joint operation. The final result was the consecutive consumption of two revivals.
He completed the full extermination mission and successfully returned to Orario.
Gazing at the bright white moonlight blanketing the city, and at the brilliantly lit, bustling streets, there was not the slightest ripple in his emotions at this moment.
To be precise, this was the numbness brought about by high-intensity combat. Even though his techniques had improved at a pace visible to the naked eye, when faced with sieges by the same type of monster groups, it was truly difficult to feel any joy…
Even games have anti-addiction systems, let alone conducting daily, blade-edge exploration in a Dungeon where one could lose one's life at any moment.
'Rest well tonight.'
In short: he was burned out.
Ron's original purpose for exploring the Dungeon had not changed—whether it was the still-unfinished Black Dragon subjugation commission in Orario, or Apollo.
All of these were driving forces.
And during this rare period of rest, he urgently needed to replenish his energy. "You head back to the collective dorm first. I'll go to the weapon shop to find Lady Hestia."
"And deal with the spoils while I'm at it."
"Okay."
Noticing the visible exhaustion in the black-haired boy's delicate face, Mikoto understood clearly that this was all because she had not yet become familiar with the pace of exploration.
Once the Familia activities were dismissed, what remained was free time.
She also needed some time to absorb the experience gained from today's Dungeon exploration, so that when they truly faced the Apollo Familia, she would be able to help Ron.
"Then… see you tomorrow?"
"Of course."
How could one ensure their condition stayed online?
In his previous life, after finishing work, Ron would scroll through videos of beautiful girls. But in the world of DanMachi, nothing restored his spirits more than staying close to her.
Standing at the entrance of the Hephaestus weapon shop, he did not even need to greet her.
Having already handed over her shift, Hestia had changed back into her white, form-fitting dress, to the extent that his gaze simply could not ignore the girl's figure.
The existence of the blue chest ribbon even outlined a sense of fullness on the verge of bursting forth.
A figure that was absolutely unfair.
Paired with Hestia's still-youthful, childlike face, the image woven together—if Ron were to evaluate it—would be a perfect score without question.
"Lady Hestia…"
"Oh."
Compared to her usual energetic demeanor, the girl was clearly distracted. However, this state was quickly concealed once she saw Ron. Hestia carefully examined him.
Only after confirming there were no signs of injury did she nod in satisfaction.
"Ron, you actually came back this late today?"
"Mm."
"The Floor you explored was deeper, so the round trip also took time. That's why I got back later." Ignoring the dangers encountered in the Dungeon, Ron summarized the process as lightly as possible.
He spoke from the perspective of gains—such as the magic stone pried from the Watchdog staff weapon, the drops and magic stones obtained after killing monsters, and so on.
This Dungeon exploration could even rival the income of an ordinary Familia expedition.
And the true unexpected gains were actually the "Shattering Crystal," as well as the various practical Combat Arts he had already mastered through repeated technical training.
"It sounds like the gains were pretty good."
With "Dungeon's Hatred" weighing on him, how could the exploration process possibly have been that easy?
Ron did not go into detail, because he was afraid she would worry. Hestia did not expose it either—perhaps that was simply the tacit understanding between a god and their child.
Noticing the large backpack slung over the boy's shoulders, her smile became especially radiant as she took the initiative to explain: "You go find Hephaestus first. I'll go to the restaurant and pack a few portions of dinner. By the time you get home, you can eat while it's still hot. You must be starving…"
"Alright."
Her attitude was slightly unusual.
Compared to this faint sense of distance tonight, Ron preferred the Hestia who would even quietly sneak onto the sofa while he was sleeping.
Standing in place, he watched the girl's departing figure.
And then, he noticed an exquisite envelope lying on the ground. It looked like an invitation letter—most likely something Hestia had accidentally dropped just now.
When Ron bent down to pick it up, he did not even need to open it to check the contents. When the corner of his eye caught sight of the emblem of the Apollo Familia, his heart had already arrived at a simple answer.
"So…"
"They're preparing to make their move?"
...
Dionysus Familia.
Compared to the lively atmosphere of other Familia, the vast Familia residence appeared exceptionally quiet. Even though the lights were brightly lit, there was not a single adventurer in sight.
After all, the current Familia was left with only the "Maenads" Filvis, a Level 3 adventurer.
As for the former members of the Familia, they had long since been transferred—under Dionysus' manipulation and without either side being aware—to the service of Penia, the goddess of poverty.
The objective was simple.
That was to carry out the "Rampage" plan. Fifteen years ago, when the Zeus and Hera Familia expedition against the Black Dragon failed, Dionysus had already begun plotting.
To destroy Orario.
To return the world to an era where monsters ran rampant.
And the unique existence of the "Corrupted Spirit" had already allowed him to see hope. After reaching an agreement, he arranged for the remnants of Evilus to join forces with underground factions.
After all, the opportunity would come only once.
Dionysus did not rashly launch into action. Instead, he continued to accumulate strength, until he learned information about the Dungeon from Filvis.
"Ancient ruins that exist within the Dungeon…"
"So—"
"The recent abnormal incidents in the Dungeon were all the result of human intervention?"
He gently swirled the silver wine cup in his hand. Under the light overhead, the dark red wine refracted against Dionysus' contemplative expression.
The Adventurers Guild had not deliberately concealed the news.
In the region of the 1st Floor, the appearance of a Floor Boss anomaly was something almost all adventurers already knew. If the outcome truly matched his speculation,
"Things…"
"Are gradually becoming interesting."
Every god pursued something of their own.
What Dionysus pursued was "Chaos." At the thought of the despair and fear in the eyes of the lower world's humans, his mood filled with delight.
His intuition told him that the cause behind the Dungeon's abnormalities was the crucial fuse of the "Rampage Plan."
Most importantly, the one who caused the Dungeon's turmoil and brought fear into the hearts of adventurers might very well share the exact same ultimate goal as himself.
"Mm."
Compared to puppets he could manipulate at will, there was no satisfaction more surging than finding a like-minded companion to overturn Orario together.
Dionysus smiled brightly.
He issued his command: "Filvis, next, go investigate the cause of the Dungeon's abnormalities. Destroy the Labyrinth City, and turn everyone in Orario into your kind."
"Your pursuit will likely be realized very soon…"
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