"A helper for the War Game against the Apollo Familia, huh?"
"..... Yes, exactly. I thought you might know some powerful people outside the city."
The War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia was set. This conflict had erupted due to the unilateral and arbitrary actions of Apollo's followers, who sought to fulfill their god's obsession with seizing Bell Cranel. Following Loki's proposal during the Denatus, the gods decided to settle the dispute through a War Game. A lot drawing determined the format: a Castle Siege. In this mode, one side attacks the other's stronghold, and victory goes to whoever defeats the enemy commander.
The real problem, however, lay in the staggering disparity in military strength. While Bell was undeniably strong and had recently leveled up, his skills far exceeded his short tenure as an adventurer. The grueling training he endured under the first-class adventurer Bete Loga, combined with his experience surviving near-death encounters, had forged him into a master of adaptation. He excelled against both humans and monsters, utilized "Fast-Cast" magic that required no verbal chants, and benefited from accelerated growth. His combat prowess, honed by lethal struggles in the Dungeon, already placed him at the pinnacle of Level 2.
In a one-on-one duel, Bell would undoubtedly defeat any high-ranking Level 2 adventurer from the Apollo Familia. He possessed the techniques and maneuvers necessary to handle multiple opponents simultaneously. Even against Hyakinthos, the captain of the Apollo Familia and their sole Level 3 member, Bell's growth suggested he could achieve the miracle of overcoming a higher-ranked opponent. Had the format been a single combat duel, Al and Loki both expected his odds of winning to be high.
However, a Castle Siege required significant manpower for both offense and defense. No matter how powerful an individual might be, they could not stand alone against an entire army. Even with Welf, Liliruca, and others converted to her cause, Hestia's followers wouldn't exceed a handful. In contrast, the Apollo Familia boasted roughly one hundred and ten adventurers, including a substantial number of Level 2s.
This military gap was vast, yet the rules permitted the Hestia Familia a single outside "helper" for the War Game. Strict constraints applied: the helper had to belong to a Familia based outside Orario. Therefore, the members of the Loki Familia—who would have guaranteed victory—were ineligible. Searching for help outside the city presented its own set of challenges, including tight deadlines and the uncertainty of arrival before the war commenced.
Furthermore, the average strength of adventurers outside Orario paled in comparison to those within. Without the Labyrinth to provide efficient experience, they could not level up at the same pace. A chasm existed between an adventurer who conquered the horrors of the Dungeon daily and a fighter outside who only tested themselves against humans or weak monsters. Consequently, most available outside help would likely not exceed Level 2.
The disparity between Orario and the outside world lay in the quality of opponents and the magnitude of feats, which dictated the experience gained. Even if the Hestia Familia summoned the strongest Level 2 fighter from abroad, it would hardly shift the balance. While certain factions like the Artemis Familia possessed swift Level 3 adventurers, the Hestia Familia lacked the influence and connections to request aid from such a powerful group on short notice.
Realistically, victory seemed impossible, and a loss meant Hestia would lose Bell. However, Al Cranel, Bell's brother whose reputation echoed both inside and outside the city, remained their final hope. Hestia turned to him, believing that even if he couldn't participate, he might offer a solution or a connection.
"The Vera Familia..... they won't arrive in time."
Al mentioned the name of the Familia stationed in Belden, a land of springs and mists that had turned into a harsh environment of poisonous swamps and corrupting fogs due to a specific monster. He shook his head. The blind swordsman there could easily crush the Apollo Familia, but the distance was too great. Though that Familia's followers were high-level elites, their strength was a product of their brutal surroundings. The blighted land of Belden, where the air and grass rotted, had become as dangerous as the Dungeon. The region had barely survived destruction by offering a "Priestess" with unique magic as a sacrifice to the monster known as the Mud King. While Al had purged the mist and the monsters with the flames of the Holy Hearth during a past journey, the area remained treacherous, and no one could be summoned from there for this war.
Aside from such cases, Al, who rarely left Orario, did not possess the widespread influence over external Familias that Hestia imagined.
"A strong fighter from outside..... Ah, I remember. There is someone."
Hestia's face lit up with hope at Al's murmur, and she eagerly asked for an introduction. Indeed, there was someone—or rather, a group he had recently encountered who planned to move to Orario. Officially, they still counted as outsiders, and their ranks included fighters not only of Level 3 but also Level 4.
However──
"I'll choose the most suitable one for you..... I can introduce you to an Amazon warrior who is a master of poisons."
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To fight is to face fear. Strength is the means to escape that fear. For me, Bache Kalif, not a day passed without feeling fear while fighting others. The Amazons of Telskyura receive the "Blessing" from the goddess Kali at birth. As members of the Familia, they begin grueling combat training in early childhood. We learn to grip a weapon before we learn to speak, and once we utter our first words, our struggle against monsters begins. I never questioned that life; it was the only reality we knew. The feel of crushed flesh in my hands and the sound of breaking bones were parts of my daily routine, until that routine ended abruptly one day.
On that day, my opponent was not a monster, but an Amazon sister—an enemy with the techniques and maneuvers of a Telskyura warrior, not a mindless beast. I felt no hesitation in killing her; the method was the same: simply killing a living creature that looked like me. I don't know why, but perhaps because I looked into her eyes. I saw panic and terror; she was begging me to save her. The moment I saw her expression, a shiver ran through my body, and my grip tightened instinctively. A strange sensation I had never known took hold of me. My breathing faltered as if a hand were squeezing my heart, and the world went dark. I no longer heard the cheers around me; I saw only the sister standing before me.
Despair was etched on her face—a plea for survival, a question of "why?" My hands trembled unusually. I was just as terrified as she was; this was the first time I had ever felt fear. I am afraid—afraid of being killed. While she desperately tried to stab me, I felt true terror for the first time. By the time I regained my senses, I had already killed her. A lifeless, blood-soaked corpse lay before me. The cold stone arena glorifies the victor and humbles the defeated. Amidst the cheers of my tribe, I stood frozen. As the warmth of my sister's blood soaked my skin, a strange suffocating feeling remained in my chest.
Through combat and death, I gradually understood: fighting is terrifying. Injury, pain, and death all lead to fear. To avoid being killed, to avoid being devoured, I had no choice but to grow stronger. But nothing terrified me more than my sister, Argana. Despite our identical talents and abilities, I never felt we shared the same blood. Argana always sought to kill me; she was a child of war and blood, a living version of the goddess Kali, and the embodiment of the bloodthirsty spirit of Telskyura. To me, my sister was the "Grim Reaper" haunting my shadow. In fact, she nearly killed me during one of our rituals; if not for Kali's intervention, I would be dead.
I am afraid, so very afraid! And what I fear most is my sister devouring my very existence!! The terror of death and the terror of life—two contradictory fears attacked me. In the center of this storm of emotions that nearly drove me mad, I reached one conclusion: only one path leads away from fear—obtaining a strength that no one can take from me. Only then can I escape this horror. I will kill my comrades and my sister at the end of the struggle to reach the rank of a "True Warrior," the ultimate goal of Telskyura. I will do this regardless of the cost, even if I must kill my own student. With fierce determination, I continued to fight in pursuit of strength.
── And yet, I met the "Real Thing" in that harbor city.
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".....!"
It was a mixture of shock and a jealousy that felt like terror. Ais's hand trembled as she held the paper. She tried desperately to suppress the shaking, but to no avail. As overwhelming emotions flooded her, she gritted her teeth in silence, realizing a dark fire was burning in her chest.
"What a bastard.....!"
"Stop it, Bete!! Show it to me quickly!!"
Unaware of Ais's internal turmoil, Tione snatched the newsletter from Bete, and as she read the article, she and Tiona began shouting in excitement. The rest of the Familia members gathered, passing the paper around and reading the contents noisily. Even the first-class adventurers could not hide their amazement. Ais regained her composure and began reading the article like the others, though her fist still trembled with frustration.
The article detailed the conclusion of the recent conflict—the War Game proposed by Loki to settle the dispute after the Apollo Familia attempted to kidnap Bell Cranel. The Apollo Familia was a mid-sized group with many high-level adventurers, while the Hestia Familia was a tiny group consisting only of Bell. It had been obvious to everyone who would win. Amidst the mockery of the gods who enjoyed the vast disparity in power, no adventurer doubted Apollo's victory.
But the result was shocking: the Hestia Familia had won! The god Apollo was forced to admit defeat, accept massive reparations, and permanently disband his Familia. Despite the presence of a first-class adventurer helper, Bell managed to defeat Hyakinthos in a one-on-one duel, shattering the "Level Gap" rule that adventurers consider absolute.
Then came the bombshell── Bell Cranel had reached Level 3. All of Orario buzzed with this achievement: reaching Level 3 in just one month. While the Familia members expressed their admiration and shock, Ais remained silent, her eyes dark.
Since his brother Al had already reached Level 8—a rank previously achieved only by the Zeus and Hera Familias—the two brothers became the center of attention for all of Orario. Even the members of the Loki Familia, who were used to Al's supernatural growth rate, could only marvel at his younger brother's speed. It was only natural for everyone to be stunned by such a rapid ascent.
"Look, Ais!! Al's little brother hit Level 3. That's incredible!!"
"Yes..... it truly is incredible."
As much as Ais was happy for Al's brother reaching new heights, she couldn't stop herself from feeling a deep sense of unease and anxiety.
"No, no matter if he's Al's brother..... Leveling up in one month is illogical. All his abilities reaching S-rank..... does it have something to do with that? What do you think, Captain?"
Finn pondered Tiona's words. Indeed, leveling up in a month was an anomaly, but there were possible explanations, such as the existence of a rare skill or an undiscovered advanced ability.
"(..... Is it a skill of the same type as Al's skills?) Well, it isn't strange for him to have a special ability, but relying on it alone would quickly lead to a dead end. His achievement of this heroic feat is undoubtedly the result of his own effort and personal will."
Finn emphasized that Bell was different from those who grew lazy by relying on powerful skills or magic. Bell might possess strong skills like Al, but that did not negate his constant struggle.
A faint tearing sound echoed as Ais's hand crumpled the newsletter. Looking at the image of Bell in the article, she felt a sharp pain deep in her chest—a complex cocktail of jealousy and envy. As an unshakeable anxiety grew, she squeezed the paper tightly. The light in her beautiful golden eyes faded, replaced by a dark flame.
It had taken Ais over two years to reach Level 3. Yet, Bell Cranel, Al's brother, was climbing those steps with ease. Ais realized the fire of jealousy she felt toward Bell exceeded even what she had felt toward Al previously. Though she possessed talent that put her near the top, she suddenly felt as if she were standing still. Perhaps because the gap she thought she had narrowed when Al reached Level 8 had widened once more, a cold darkness began to seep into her heart. She felt the distance between her and Al growing further apart.
Al had ascended from Level 6—her current level—to Level 8 in less than half a year. When would Al level up next?
"..... I must become stronger."
I don't want Al to leave me behind. If this continues, a gap will form that I can never bridge. This anxiety and terror raged within her: the fear that Al would surpass her and leave her alone again, just as her parents had done in the past. That possibility terrified her more than anything else.
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"I have no need for skills like Leaf Yggdrasil or a Continuous Desire skill that I might potentially possess. Rather, I want magic of the kind that kills the user upon activation, or a 'malingering' skill like the one Alfia had."
Al thought to himself: My skills and magic are all excessively powerful and very useful for exploring the Labyrinth. But when I think about it from the perspective of a desire for death, they become an unbearable hindrance..... I feel like I just want to simply raise Filvis's level by two or something similar.....