Half an hour later, at the intersection of North Main Street and West Main Street, in a quiet high-end residential district tucked away from the noise.
Inside a detached three-story stone house with its own courtyard.
Click
Haimer tossed the key lightly in his hand and looked up toward the central courtyard.
The gray-white exterior walls bore traces of age, but they had clearly been carefully maintained. Instead of looking shabby, the place carried a steady, refined sense of character.
Through the black wrought-iron fence, Haimer could even see an old laurel tree planted in the yard. Its flourishing branches spread out a patch of cool shade.
The location was excellent.
It wasn't pressed right up against the noisy main roads, yet it was only a few steps away from the bustling commercial district.
In a place like Orario, where land was worth its weight in gold, a house like this could only be described as a rare resource among rare resources.
After all, any slightly better piece of land had long since been carved up by the major Familias.
The best districts were all monopolized by giants like the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia. Outsiders could forget about getting their hands on them.
As for the second-tier locations, those had already been occupied by the medium-sized Familias that had descended to the Lower World long ago and built deep roots here.
That was class.
In Orario, real estate was not merely a place to live, but also a symbol of a Familia's strength.
For a newly descended god like Haimer, under normal circumstances, being able to find a place like that shabby two-story little house he had before would already count as incredibly good luck.
And yet now, this house, one that would absolutely have people fighting over it if it were put on the market, had landed in Haimer's hands just like that.
He hadn't even needed to say much.
Shakti had only shown her identity badge once.
"This is what power tastes like…"
After all, this was the Ganesha Familia.
A giant with an S-rank evaluation, entrusted by the Guild with maintaining the public order of the entire city of Orario.
Just the enormous headquarters they owned in the southwest of the city, I Am Ganesha, was enough to show what kind of colossal force they were.
That gigantic statue of Ganesha alone cost an astronomical amount every year just for maintenance, cleaning, and repairs.
For a giant like that, Haimer felt perfectly justified spending their money.
He had absolutely no psychological burden.
After all, this fat sheep had willingly delivered itself to his door, and had even washed its neck clean before stretching it out for slaughter.
If he still acted tactful at that point, that would only be disrespectful to the other party's kindness.
Even for a god, in this world, living with some dignity and having a place of one's own was still a matter of utmost importance.
For a drifter, a home was the only anchor in this chaotic world that could make one feel truly grounded.
Gods were no different.
Once they descended to the Lower World and cast off the shell of omniscience and omnipotence, even if their divinity still remained, the feeling of drifting would cling to them like a shadow.
Only when one held a heavy key in hand and knew that in this vast, noisy city, there was a lamp lit for oneself and a tree that belonged to one's own view,
Only then would that feeling truly fade away.
…
"Come to think of it, having Captain Shakti at my side all of a sudden really does feel reassuring."
"I imagine the people of Orario feel the same way whenever they see you, Captain Shakti."
After eating someone's food and taking their gift, one's stance naturally softened.
Haimer's attitude was no longer as hard as before.
Shakti gave a slight bow, as proper as ever.
"It is my honor to be of help to Lord Haimer."
A flawless answer.
"All right, enough of the formal nonsense."
Haimer waved a hand, clearly not expecting any interesting response from a beauty as wooden as this one.
"Since I've got a sponsor like you footing the bill, I ought to enjoy the fun of shopping properly."
"When I looked around that courtyard house just now, it was completely empty. There wasn't even a chair inside."
"Now that the new house is settled, the next step is obviously buying furniture and the like."
"I can't exactly have my children go back and sleep on the floor."
"Captain Shakti, come along."
With that, Haimer turned and stepped forward, glancing back as he motioned for her to follow.
"Yes."
Shakti answered at once and immediately fell into step behind him.
…
A short while later, the streets of Orario were still just as noisy as ever.
But around Haimer, that noise formed a strangely empty vacuum.
The two of them still kept that same distance, not too near, not too far, exactly five paces apart.
Haimer walked in front, carrying his spear with leisurely ease.
Shakti followed behind, fully armed, her expression stern.
Whenever the crowded flow of people ahead caught sight of Shakti's distinctive uniform as captain of the Ganesha Familia, the crowd scattered to both sides like startled fish, automatically opening up a broad avenue.
No one dared block the way.
At this point, Haimer found it rather convenient.
It saved him the trouble of squeezing through the crowd.
As for Shakti behind him, her gaze remained fixed on Haimer's back.
Lord of Weapons…
War Calamity…
Shakti silently repeated those titles of Haimer from Heaven in her heart.
Source of disaster.
Maker of conflict.
Father of ten thousand weapons.
What kind of story lay behind such unsettling names?
What exactly had Haimer done in Heaven?
Why was it that merely descending to the Lower World, before he had even truly begun to act, and simply obtaining a weapon was enough to make Lord Ganesha so wary?
That was what Shakti was curious about.
Even though reason told her to remain cautious and treat him as a source of danger, the more dangerous and mysterious he seemed, the stronger the urge became to uncover the truth.
…
Meanwhile, in the Dungeon, on the tenth floor,
A thin mist drifted through the air, and the hazy light made the place feel as though it were wrapped in morning fog.
And from somewhere nearby came the heavy sound of footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The ground trembled.
Out of the gray fog emerged a gigantic figure.
It stood over three meters tall, its body packed with rock-like muscles. Its skin was a sickly gray-brown, and around its waist hung only a tattered strip of beast hide.
On its enormous boar-like head, two tusks jutted outward, while its eyes shone with brutal savagery.
Orc.
A representative monster of the tenth to twelfth floors.
Known for its thick hide and terrifying brute strength, it was practically a wall of flesh that a Level 1 party without sufficient firepower had no hope of overcoming.
"ROAR!!!"
The Orc let out a deafening bellow and charged forward like an out-of-control war chariot, swinging the thick bone club in its hand.
The momentum was terrifying.
But in the very next second,
Crack!
Red and white stuff splattered.
The Orc's huge head exploded from the back of its skull, bursting apart into a slurry.
Its headless body swayed twice.
Then it crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
A moment later, the corpse dissolved into black ash, leaving behind a medium-purity magic stone and a pair of broken tusks.
"So dirty."
Amou flicked the foul blood off her hand in disgust.
First she had torn apart Goblins and Killer Ants with her bare hands.
Now it was an Orc.
She really is a monster…
Tsubaki clicked her tongue inwardly.
And it wasn't just Amou.
The others were performing just as fiercely.
Slash!
Pshht!
Rin cut straight through one Orc's spine with a single stroke.
Mary's rapier, meanwhile, drove into another Orc's eye socket and pierced straight into its brain.
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