Danmachi: The Focalors Familia Starting from the Dungeon

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”If that kid is willing to join us, aside from Ais-tan being off-limits, I’d even allow him to go after Lefiya and Riveria.”

As soon as these words came out, the entire Loki Familia long table fell into silence for an instant.

The parties involved, Lefiya and Riveria, were both deeply shocked by Loki’s words.

Lefiya’s face was completely red, and she was at a loss.

Riveria, on the other hand, frowned. She knew better than anyone that although Loki was usually unreliable, she valued her Familia members more than anyone else—especially veterans like herself and core successors like Lefiya upon whom high hopes were placed.

But now, for a Level 1 rookie she had only met once and whose battle she had only heard about, she was actually willing to use herself and Lefiya as bargaining chips.

This level of regard far exceeded common sense.

”Is that so... It seems we need to re-evaluate the value of the Focalors Familia.”

Finn’s thumb unconsciously rubbed the rim of his wine glass, his gaze becoming distant. ”A Justice Familia, huh...”

In his mind, another Familia involuntarily surfaced—one that also flew the banner of ”Justice,” also full of immense potential, yet tragically died young before it could fully bloom.

History was always strikingly similar, yet full of variables.

Being able to complete a challenge across levels was certainly stunning.

But being able to make a god who had lived for hundreds of millions of years willing to use her core Familia members as chips to win him over—this deeper value hidden beneath the battle feat was what surprised top adventurers like Finn and Gareth even more.

This meant that in Loki’s eyes, the boy named Aiden possessed a value that even they couldn’t estimate.

In a corner of the long table, Ais Wallenstein had sat quietly from beginning to end.

She didn’t participate in her companions’ discussion, nor did she pay attention to the surrounding noise.

She just silently drank the juice in her cup, her pure golden eyes staring unblinkingly in Aiden’s direction. No one knew what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Aiden, unaware that he had become the center of discussion for Orario’s top Familia, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After some friendly ”negotiation,” he finally got Tiona to give up that title which made him uncomfortable all over.

Hero... this title was too heavy and too attention-grabbing.

In this Labyrinth City where strong people were as common as clouds, burdening himself with such a name prematurely was definitely not a good thing.

What he needed now was stable time to develop, not to become the focus of everyone’s attention.

A moderately sized farce finally came to an end.

Only then did Furina realize with hindsight that she had been played by Aiden just now.

Her small face instantly turned beet red—half from shyness, half from anger.

”Aiden—!”

Accompanying a shout of mixed shame and anger, she sprang up from her seat like a provoked kitten. She pounced on Aiden, wrapping her slender arms around his neck. Using what she thought was her fiercest tone, she said viciously:

”To dare tease Lady Furina, who is a chief god and holds justice in her hands—this is great disrespect!”

However, reality is often harsh compared to one’s ideals.

After sealing her divine power, Furina had the physique of a genuine ordinary person, and she wasn’t a combat-oriented god skilled in fighting to begin with.

Her aggressive chokehold, when landing on Aiden, only made him feel a soft, warm sensation. The unique scent of the girl, a mix of desserts and a faint body fragrance, lingered around his nose; he didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

Seeing that Furina not only failed to do anything to Aiden but instead unconsciously delivered a huge benefit, Robin and Tifa aside exchanged a look, then both covered their faces helplessly.

What a Goddess with zero deterrence.

Simply put, she was a bit of a goofball.

Although he enjoyed this unexpected benefit very much, seeing that Furina’s face was about to steam, Aiden wisely raised his hands in surrender.

”I was wrong, I was wrong, Lady Furina. I promise, next time I absolutely won’t use that method to tease you again.”

Hearing the promise, Furina released her hands with satisfaction, sat back in her seat, and huffed proudly.

Robin and Tifa looked at Aiden with speechless ”I knew it” expressions.

—Won’t use that method, but he didn’t say he couldn’t use other methods.

Only the naive Furina would believe Aiden’s word-game nonsense.

Aiden chuckled inwardly.

As a fellow blue-themed Water Goddess, his Goddess was probably only slightly better than that other Goddess famous for being ”useless” (Aqua).

Of course, ordinary people couldn’t deceive gods. It was because of the effect of his [Descender] skill, which wasn’t bound by common sense, that he could lie in front of gods. He had already tested this on Furina long ago.

The noisy night passed, and time flew by.

Early the next morning, when the horizon was just turning pale with the first light of dawn and Orario was still immersed in quiet slumber, Aiden had already come alone to the top of the towering city wall.

The morning air carried a refreshing chill, mixed with the fragrance of grass and soil.

The wall beneath his feet was built of huge gray-green rocks, the surface covered in traces of time and weathering, wide enough to accommodate several carriages side by side.

Standing here, the view opened up suddenly.

Looking outward, there was a boundless emerald green plain, like a huge jade carpet extending to the horizon.

In the distance, rolling mountain ranges outlined a hazy silhouette in the morning mist.

Nearby, the vast farmlands belonging to the Demeter Familia were organized in perfect order. The ridges crisscrossed, lush and green, a scene full of vitality.

Aiden took a deep breath, feeling this rare tranquility, and the restlessness in his heart settled down.

Opposite him, Takemikazuchi, who had been waiting for a long time, stood quietly.

”Are you ready, Aiden?”

Takemikazuchi also held an ordinary training longsword in his hand. His expression was gentle, but his eyes held a sharpness unique to a martial artist.

”Yes, Lord Takemikazuchi.” Aiden bowed slightly, his eyes firm.

An adventurer’s ability scores could be improved not only by life-and-death struggles with monsters in the Dungeon but also through high-intensity training and fighting against the strong.

The group of madmen in the Freya Familia, who underwent brutal baptisms within their base every day, had already proven this fact best.

Although fighting Takemikazuchi meant temporarily losing the boost from Robin’s skills, being able to personally witness and experience the divine-level martial arts that existed only in legends was in itself a kind of pioneering and accumulation.

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