Danmachi: The Focalors Familia Starting from the Dungeon

On the other side, Uranda, having released the curse, failed to notice that it hadn’t taken the desired effect.

She still believed her ”love” had successfully captured its target and was gritting her teeth, maintaining the power of the curse.

”Ngh~ It hurts so much... Even though it hurts, I won’t let go... Hehehe...”

Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. Her expression was pained yet tinged with a bizarre, obsessive infatuation.

A pitch-black substance extended from her chest. The tip of the object had ruthlessly pierced straight through her own chest.

But she seemed completely unable to feel the pain. Even while panting heavily in agony, eerie, satisfied laughter spilled from her lips.

Seeing her try so hard, even resorting to self-mutilation to launch an attack, Aiden almost felt bad telling her that her curse was completely useless.

Facing the roaring tornado mixed with crushed stones, Aiden didn’t even bat an eyelid.

The invisible domain of [Silentium Eden] shrouded him. The moment the storm, capable of tearing through steel, entered a one-meter radius around his body, it was as if it had crashed into an invisible Wall of Sighs. All of its fury and clamor instantly vanished into nothingness, transforming into the gentlest of breezes that merely ruffled a few strands of his white hair.

He ignored the futile magic and the black-haired girl kneeling on the ground, casting an ineffective curse at the cost of self-mutilation. Stepping forward, he strolled casually through the remnants of the storm.

The wooden sword, moving at a speed that seemed slow yet was impossibly fast to react to, tapped lightly against Cecil’s forehead.

With a dull thud, Cecil’s vision went black, and she fell backward.

”Next.”

Aiden turned around, his gaze sweeping over the only two people left standing on the field.

Aiden’s figure vanished from where he stood. In the next instant, he appeared beside Iselina, delivering a precise knife-hand strike to the back of her neck.

The werewolf girl let out a muffled groan and collapsed limply to the ground.

Seeing the only two Level 2s in the team instantly wiped out, Shion tactfully threw away her weapon, assumed a fetal position, and shivered in fear.

Finally, he walked over to Uranda.

The girl was still kneeling on the ground, maintaining the black stake piercing her own chest, a sickly laugh spilling from her lips: ”Hehe... I caught you... I caught you...”

Aiden sighed. Extending a finger, he gently flicked her on the forehead.

”Auu!”

Uranda let out a cute, tragic cry, her eyes rolling back as she followed in her companions’ footsteps.

And with that, it was a total party wipe.

The entire process, from Cecil and the others pulling out their Magic Swords to the last person falling, took less than two minutes in total.

On the training ground, only four adorable girls remained, lying haphazardly in various poses, groaning in pain one after another.

Watching from the sidelines, Tifa, Robin, Jeanne, and the others exchanged glances.

”Our Captain...” Tifa’s mouth twitched slightly. ”He really doesn’t know the first thing about showing tenderness to women, does he?”

”In a way, this is his own kind of gentleness.”

Robin sighed softly, a trace of understanding in her eyes. ”If he doesn’t make them face reality here on the training ground, they might lose their lives in the Dungeon later.”

The battle over, Hyacine sprinted over like a fluttering butterfly, closely followed by Cassandra and Daphne.

”There, there. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt.”

While using the Healing Spray to treat the girls’ bruises, Hyacine whispered soft consolations in her uniquely sweet, glutinous voice.

”Ai-dear is already a Level 3 adventurer, and you guys are only Level 2 and Level 1. Plus, he has that totally cheap magic that makes him immune to spells. It’s totally normal that you couldn’t beat him! Don’t be too discouraged.”

Despite her words, the dejection of Cecil and the others was visibly apparent.

When adventuring in the outside world, whether they encountered ferocious monsters or hordes of roaming bandits, none were their match.

But now, they had used everything in their arsenal, even deploying their trump card Magic Swords, yet they still couldn’t last more than a minute against Aiden.

Faced with such a massive disparity in strength, how could they not feel discouraged and lost?

Aiden didn’t go over to soften the blow with comforting words.

Their destination was the perilous middle floors of the Dungeon.

With Cecil and Iselina’s Level 2 strength, they might barely adapt to the early environments. But if Level 1 Shion and Uranda tagged along, they could only serve as fringe supporters, and they could be seized and killed at any moment by enemies far more cunning and powerful than those in the upper floors.

Today’s harshness was for the sake of their lives tomorrow.

When Aiden changed into clean casual clothes and stepped onto the second-floor balcony, Astrea was leaning quietly against the railing, gazing into the distance.

On the training ground below the balcony, Tifa, Jeanne, and Daphne—who had just finished a sparring session of their own—were resting and sharing their insights.

Sunlight fell upon their youthful faces, brimming with vitality and hope.

”Lady Astrea,” Aiden walked up beside her, chuckling with a slightly joking tone, ”you don’t blame me for hitting too hard, do you?”

”Of course not.”

Astrea turned her head, looking at him gently. ”You did very well. To be honest, I was actually worried about how to refuse these children’s requests. After all, what I’m about to do next is simply too dangerous for them.”

Her smile remained as gentle as ever, as if she truly didn’t mind at all that Aiden had just beaten the living daylights out of her children.

Then, as if bringing it up casually, she said, ”I noticed your sword skills are very good. Did you learn from someone? That’s not a sword style that can be honed purely from fighting monsters.”

”Yes, I learned from God Takemikazuchi for a while,” Aiden answered honestly. ”Thanks to him, my sword skills have improved so much.”

”I see...”

Astrea nodded thoughtfully. Then, a hint of mischievous amusement flashed in her beautiful eyes. ”Actually, my sword skills are pretty good too. I’m not inferior to Take. If there’s a chance, let me teach you. Consider it an extra token of gratitude for this request.”

She crossed her hands over her stomach. Her posture was elegant, her tone gentle, as if she were inviting someone to afternoon tea.

Aiden’s expression turned a bit strange. He looked at the Goddess of Justice suspiciously and probed, ”Lady Astrea, you... you aren’t just looking for an excuse to beat me up, are you?”

”Pfft.”

Amused by his blunt guess, Astrea covered her mouth and giggled.

”How could I? I merely felt the joy of a hunter seeing fine prey. After all, back in the day, I personally taught Ryuu and the others all their sword skills.”

”Is that so...” Aiden rubbed his chin.

He had heard that most of the former members of the Astrea Familia were excellent sword users, none of them mediocre.

Since they learned their sword skills from this goddess, her techniques must be at the absolute pinnacle.

”It would be my honor to study swordsmanship under Lady Astrea.”

He nodded, not refusing.

After all, he didn’t think he would be unilaterally beaten up.

No matter how strong Astrea’s sword skills were, she currently possessed the body of a mere mortal. At best, she would be like God Takemikazuchi—capable of fighting back and forth with a Level 5 adventurer.

With his current Status, he wouldn’t be entirely defenseless even against a true Level 5.

Furthermore, if he used his magic and skills, as long as Astrea didn’t break the rules and use divine power, she couldn’t possibly defeat him with sword skills alone.

Thinking of this, Aiden even felt a faint sense of anticipation in his heart.

The atmosphere of the conversation relaxed. After pondering for a moment, Aiden finally voiced a question lingering in his mind.

”Speaking of which, Lady Astrea, are you truly not going to inform Ryuu about this operation? With a Level 4 powerhouse like her around, our safety in the Dungeon would be even more guaranteed. After all, her Level is higher than mine.”

At the mention of that name, the smile on Astrea’s face slightly faded, turning into a long sigh.

”There’s no need.”

She shook her head, her gaze drifting into the distance, carrying a hint of helplessness and affection. ”That child... hasn’t truly stepped out from the shadows of the past. Once she learns about Alise, given her personality, she will definitely do something irrational.”

”That child, Ryuu, is far too stubborn, and far too clumsy.”

Astrea’s voice was full of tender pity. ”So, some things are better left unknown to her. This is also... for her own good.”

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