The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy at Loki's casual remark.
All eyes—including those of the captain, Finn, and the high elf, Riveria—shifted simultaneously toward Ais and Bete.
A rare flicker of hesitation crossed Ais's usually expressionless face. She lifted her golden eyes, her lips parting slightly as if she were about to recount everything that had happened that afternoon.
"It was Bete—"
"Tch!"
A sharp, impatient click of the tongue cut her off.
Bete Loga, whose face had been cast in a dark gloom since the meeting began, suddenly snapped his head up. His crimson, wolf-like eyes burned with suppressed fury and a clear warning as he glared daggers at Ais.
Ais's voice trailed off. She looked back at Bete, her gaze calm but questioning.
She didn't understand.
Facts were facts. Being nearly defeated by a Level 1 using incomprehensible techniques was something the entire Familia should be alerted to and study, wasn't it? That man—the one named Lynn—had displayed a level of mastery that belonged to a realm none of them had ever touched.
But in Bete's eyes, there was only the volatility of a wounded ego and the unbearable shame of a reality he refused to accept.
The air seemed to solidify. A silent standoff unfolded across the length of the conference table; even the blunt Gareth could sense something was wrong.
Loki twirled a lock of her long red hair around her finger with interest, a mischievous grin playing on her lips as she watched the drama unfold.
Ultimately, Ais let out a soft sigh. She averted her gaze, lowered her eyelashes, and chose silence.
"It's nothing," Ais's voice returned to its usual flat tone. "Just a disagreement over tactics. It's already been resolved."
"Oh—?" Loki drawn out the word, clearly unconvinced. However, she didn't press further, merely casting a meaningful glance at Bete, who was radiating a "don't mess with me" aura. "Well, you kids... it's normal to have a bit of a temper. Just don't let it interfere with the Familia's business."
The meeting ended in a bizarre atmosphere. The executives filed out one by one, with Bete being the first to bolt through the door.
That night, Ais sat alone on the windowsill of her room, the evening breeze fluttering through her silky golden hair. She extended her right hand, repeatedly making a gripping motion, feeling the exact moment her fingertips exerted force.
It was the sensation from when she had grabbed Lynn's wrist—solid, stable, and containing a restrained, terrifying power.
But what truly kept her mind in turmoil was another image.
That unremarkable buckler.
In the fraction of a second before Bete's kick—wrapped in wind-pressure and killing intent—could hit its mark, that shield had met it at an angle and timing no ordinary person could grasp.
DONNNG—!
The crisp, resonant clash of metal on metal sounded like a thunderclap in her mind, echoing even now.
Ais closed her eyes, replaying that moment over and over. She tried to understand it, to deconstruct it.
What kind of terrifying insight was required to predict the exact landing point of Bete's attack? What kind of exquisite control was needed to execute the perfect response in the blink of an eye?
"Lynn..."
She whispered the name softly. Her golden pupils reflected the thousands of lights from the city outside, yet they shone brighter and with more... longing than ever before.
She had found it. The blurred direction of the path that would make her stronger.
"Achoo!"
Just as Lynn stepped out of the Tower of Babel, he let out a sudden sneeze. He rubbed his nose and looked up at the bright full moon in the sky.
"Who's talking about me?"
He muttered a complaint, taking a deep breath of Orario's cool night air to disperse the stuffy, metallic scent of blood that had clung to him all day in the Dungeon.
After leaving the "castle map" that seemed to connect two worlds, he had explored the rest of the ninth floor. Unfortunately, the monsters that followed were mediocre; they lacked the intensity of the Banished Knight and dropped nothing of value. It was barely worth the effort.
He made his way back to the Guild headquarters with practiced ease. Under Eina's astonished gaze, he slapped the Minotaur's magic stone onto the counter.
"Newcomer... Mr. Lynn? Are you sure you obtained this... on your own?" Eina asked, stuttering as she stared at the magic stone, which was clearly of a higher grade than anything a rookie should possess.
"Who else would have?" Lynn replied with a matter-of-fact shrug.
Eina's expression froze. Her intellectual brown eyes widened into circles as her gaze darted between the ominous, deep purple magic stone and Lynn's plain, indifferent face, as if checking to see if she was hallucinating from working too much overtime.
She reached out with her white-gloved hand, her fingertips trembling slightly as she touched the stone. The cold sensation sent a shiver through her.
It was real. A Minotaur—a Level 2 monster that usually didn't appear until around the fifteenth floor. This was a creature that normally required an experienced party of Level 1s to subjugate. And yet, this man who had been registered for less than a day—no, he was basically just a kid who hadn't even grown up yet—had actually...
"Mr. Lynn," Eina took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain her professional composure, though the tremor in her voice was impossible to hide. "Could you... could you describe the subjugation process in detail? Did you encounter any other adventurers? For instance, members of the Loki Familia?"
She thought of the briefing she had received earlier that afternoon about the Loki Familia accidentally letting several Minotaurs escape to the upper floors. Had they weakened it, only for this rookie to land the final blow? That was the most logical explanation.
Lynn tilted his head as if he didn't quite understand the question. "Loki Familia?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, I ran into them. A blonde girl and a werewolf. But that was after I had already finished the fight."
After he finished?
"Are you saying... you defeated this Minotaur in a direct, solo confrontation?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?" Lynn asked.
The problem is everything!
Eina's professional restraint nearly collapsed at that moment. Her mouth opened, and a dozen professional lectures about "mortality rates for rookies challenging higher-level foes," "the danger of enhanced species," and "the importance of teamwork" jammed in her throat.
What finally came out was a cry of pure, personal emotion: "How could you be so reckless!"
She slammed both hands onto the counter with a loud thwack, leaning forward. Her usually gentle, intellectual face was now a mask of lingering fear and thin-veiled anger.
"Mr. Lynn! Do you have any idea what the survival rate is for a Level 1 rookie encountering a Minotaur alone? It's zero! Absolute zero! You are gambling with your life! The Dungeon isn't a game; if you die, you are truly dead! There are no second chances!"
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (46 Chapters, Ongoing)
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