Ais watched Ren Isana leave and took a deep breath. She made up her mind—no matter what it took, she was going to become his apprentice.
"Ais!! Are you okay?!" Bete Loga finally ran over. Seeing her covered in injuries, he was instantly consumed by rage. Just as he was about to explode, Tione Hiryute cut him off.
"Shoo, shoo, don't cause trouble. Ais is fine!" She knew all too well that this guy was about to throw a fit. *Don't start anything right now!* If Bete provoked them again, she genuinely suspected Ren Isana might just wipe them all out.
"I'm fine. They're just minor injuries." Feeling the lingering pain across her body, Ais shook her head. She knew very well that Ren had held back; those attacks had dissipated the moment they struck her.
Combined with her timely defense, she hadn't actually sustained any severe damage. With that thought, Ais gently asked Lefiya to let go of her and began walking back toward their camp.
Seeing this, Lefiya and the Amazon twins hurried after her, leaving Bete standing alone in the wind. He scratched his cheek, shot a glaring look in Ren's direction, and ultimately swallowed his frustration as he rushed to catch up.
When Ren returned to their camp, Asuna breathed a sigh of relief. "I really thought you were going to kill her!"
That last scene had genuinely terrified her. She had already been mentally preparing to slaughter the rest of the Loki Familia to cover up the news. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that!
"We have no grudges against each other, so why would I kill her?" Ren was a bit baffled by Asuna's words. *Am I really that bloodthirsty in her eyes?*
"It's mainly because that last move was way too scary," Asuna explained helplessly. It was all because of Ren's attack. Who wouldn't be terrified seeing that dense, overwhelming swarm of wind blades?
"It was just for show. I pulled my punches," Ren replied casually before sharing his findings. "But the magic in this world is genuinely impressive. Once they finish chanting, they can continuously manipulate the elements to achieve all sorts of effects."
Hearing this, the class immediately grew interested. The group gathered around, eager to hear what Ren had discovered.
Surrounding him at the camp, Ren began explaining the mechanics of the magic he had just analyzed, detailing the empowered state one entered after completing a chant.
"Are you saying that as long as you chant an incantation, you can dominate elemental forces for a period of time to fight?" Asuna looked at Ren with pleasant surprise.
If they could truly command elemental magic in combat for a set duration, that opened up endless possibilities. *But there has to be a cost, right?*
"Exactly. The key is the chant, and it also consumes a massive amount of mental power." Ren nodded. That was the core principle. Furthermore, Ren had realized that Ais's Magic Power could almost be considered a form of True Qi.
Much like the fused energy he had created, she relied entirely on her mental power to control it. Based on the knowledge he had gathered, magic in this world was a force used to trigger supernatural phenomena.
Casting spells required chanting paired with mental power to mobilize Magic Power. Moreover, the people of this world placed heavy emphasis on mental power consumption, because the stronger one's mental power, the greater the force they could unleash.
The power Ais invoked was a combination of her own physical energy and Magic Power—somewhat similar to Ren's fusion of True Qi and Magic Power. The only difference was that she needed mental power to trigger it, whereas Ren did not.
Mental power... Naturally, everyone was familiar with this concept. After all, during their first Dungeon exploration, their teachers had given them potions that elevated everyone's mental power to a whole new level.
After listening to Ren's explanation, Asuna couldn't help but chime in. "Earlier, I asked that Elf girl, and she told me quite a bit. She said that magic can be acquired by leveling up your Status. And now you're saying it consumes mental power..."
Asuna now had a bold theory: *Does having stronger mental power increase the probability of awakening magic?* At this thought, her eyes instantly lit up.
Ren understood what Asuna was getting at. "You're saying that everyone might awaken magic eventually, right? It's possible, but... it's also possible we won't. After all, we aren't from this world."
They were visitors from another universe, and their Status boards were fundamentally different. There was no guarantee they would acquire magic the same way. It was best not to get their hopes up too high—the greater the hope, the harder the disappointment.
Hearing Ren's grounded take, Asuna realized he was right. They weren't natives of this world, so the rules might not apply to them, especially since their Status systems were entirely different.
With that in mind, the group quickly reined in their wandering thoughts and stopped obsessing over the issue. If they got it, great; if not, so be it. Even if they couldn't awaken innate spells, they could still learn magic through their own methods.
In fact, this was their unique advantage. They could acquire magic simply by studying and learning it, whereas the people of this world were strictly bound by their Falna.
"Alright, everyone get ready to rest. There seems to be a water source nearby. Go wash your faces if you need to, get some good sleep, and we'll continue exploring tomorrow." Ren looked at his classmates, gave his instructions, and began walking toward the water.
He planned to wash up and turn in for the night. Seeing this, the others followed suit. Checking the time, they realized it was already past eight in the evening.
Although the Safe Floor was still softly illuminated, the outside world had long since gone dark. After washing up, everyone returned to their respective tents in the camp to rest.
Some of the girls, however, decided to take a bath first. They took turns washing while the rest stood guard to prevent any peeping toms.
To this, Ren mentally scoffed. *You couldn't stop me even if you tried. If I wanted to look, I could do it anytime.* Of course, Ren wasn't classless enough to actually do something like that.
He couldn't be bothered with them. Guys didn't need to be so high-maintenance in the wild anyway. After a simple splash of water on his face, Ren went back to his tent to meditate.
While Ren and his class were settling down for the night, a grand banquet was being held in Orario's largest banquet hall.
The gods had gathered to throw a party for Hestia. Even though Loki and Hestia were constantly at each other's throats, the trickster goddess didn't try to pick a fight this time.
Not to mention, Loki was the one who had organized this Denatus banquet. Deep down, she was actually quite happy about the Shorty's arrival. They might be bitter rivals, but they were also old friends.
Hestia happily gorged herself on a massive feast. Then, at the urging of the other deities, she began explaining the details of the alternate universe. After all, out of all the gods present, she was the only one who had actually been there.
Otherwise, it was only people from that world coming over here. If the gods wanted to cross over, they would have to use their Divine Power. But since they were in the Dungeon's territory, using Divine Power would likely cause the Dungeon to instantly go berserk.
So, all they could do was drool over the prospect of this new world, waiting for the day the Dimensional Rift fully stabilized so they could cross over.
The fact that Hestia had been sucked in and gotten a free trip to another world made the other gods incredibly jealous. For immortal beings, life in the Heavens had been agonizingly boring.
That was exactly why they had descended to the lower world in search of entertainment. Now that an even greater source of amusement had appeared, how could they not be excited? They were practically vibrating with anticipation.
Hestia recounted her experiences in the other world, bragging about things like smartphones, the internet, and all sorts of video games. The gods listened with shining eyes.
This only made them want to visit even more. Loki stared at Hestia with gleaming eyes. "You've got a way, right, Shorty? You definitely know how to get over there, don't you?"
Hearing Loki's words, Hestia let out a cold hmph and replied with immense smugness, "Nope. But my Familia can go back whenever they want. And I'd advise you all to behave yourselves. Even if you do manage to go to that world, you can't just run wild. That world has its own rules!"
At this point, an idea sparked in Hestia's mind. She decided to intimidate this rowdy bunch a little—though it wasn't really intimidation since she was just stating facts.
The gods immediately shot her surprised looks. Holding their wine glasses, they leaned in, curious to hear what Hestia had to say.
For Hestia to be this cautious, things couldn't be simple. Despite her current appearance, all their Divine Power was sealed, which was why they were conversing so civilly. If their Divine Power wasn't sealed...
Many of the gods present wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat Hestia. She was, after all, one of the major deities. She might be a bit of a shut-in, but her true strength was undeniable.
"That world has God Slayers. And not just one or two—they are terrifyingly powerful. Judging by their auras, it looks like they've killed more than just a couple of gods." As she brought this up, a flash of genuine dread crossed Hestia's eyes.
She wasn't acting; she was truly wary. Ren's world was great in almost every aspect, but the one glaring downside was that it was extremely hostile to divine beings like them.
Seeing Hestia's reaction and hearing her words, the expressions of several gods involuntarily shifted. *God Slayers? Is this a joke?*
The gods scrutinized Hestia's face. Having lived for hundreds of millions of years, they could easily tell if someone was faking it. Looking at her, they realized she was dead serious.
If that was the case, then that world wasn't exactly a fun playground. *God Slayers...* This was no laughing matter. Just what kind of terrifying world was it?
If they went over there and accidentally caught the wrong person's attention, getting killed in a fight might mean they couldn't even return to Heaven. At this thought, the gods' enthusiasm cooled significantly.
"Of course, if the worlds truly connect, as long as you follow their rules, they are actually quite reasonable," Hestia added, seeing that her words had achieved the desired effect.
She had two motives for doing this. First, she wanted to instill a sense of awe and fear regarding Ren's world, so these troublemakers wouldn't run over there, cause chaos, and get themselves slaughtered.
Second, she needed them to understand that people from the alternate universe were not to be trifled with. Since her Familia consisted entirely of otherworldly visitors, anyone plotting against them would have to think twice.
Either way, the goal was the same, and it seemed she had succeeded. Hopefully, no blind fools would try to pull anything on Ren and the others now.
She cast a subtle, fleeting glance toward a certain someone. Right now, the person she was most worried about in Orario was *that* woman. After all, that goddess was nothing but trouble.
Perhaps noticing Hestia's gaze, the woman simply raised her wine glass in a polite toast, looking completely unassuming.
Hestia merely curled her lip and said nothing. The banquet continued, and the gods walked away with a basic understanding of the alternate universe.
When the event finally concluded, Hestia left the banquet hall alongside the other gods. Outside, quite a few people were already waiting.
They were all members of various Familias, ranging across different levels, here to escort their respective deities home. As they stepped outside, Hephaestus couldn't help but ask, "Hestia, do you need me to have someone escort you back?"
Hearing this, Hestia immediately declined her friend's offer. "No need! I have people coming to pick me up!"
Hephaestus looked puzzled. "Didn't your Familia go down into the Dungeon? Did someone stay behind?"
She knew very well—or rather, all the gods present knew—that the members of the Hestia Familia had entered the Dungeon today. After all, those otherworldly visitors were incredibly conspicuous.
Coupled with the fact that no large Familias had launched major Dungeon expeditions recently, Ren's group had naturally become the center of attention for many.
Hestia nodded but didn't elaborate. Either way, she had her ride, so she didn't need her friend's escort. Besides, this was all part of their grand plan!
Just as Hestia was thinking this, a brilliant purple Magic Circle flared to life a short distance away. The next moment, Natsuki Minamiya, dressed in her signature purple gothic lolita dress, and Yor Forger materialized on the spot.
Seeing the two women arrive in such a manner instantly drew the gazes of all the gods. They could immediately tell what it was. *[Spatial Magic]?*
The duo made no effort to conceal their auras upon arrival. In that instant, all the Familia members who had come to pick up their gods stared at the two women with grave expressions.
*Danger, danger, danger. Extreme danger.* Even the massive man standing beside Freya couldn't help but step forward, his eyes locked dead onto the two newly arrived women.
His muscles were completely tense, shifting into a stance ready for combat at a moment's notice. The woman who looked incredibly gentle gave off a lethally dangerous vibe!
He was the captain of the Freya Familia, widely recognized as the strongest combatant in Orario. Yet right now, he was staring at Yor and Natsuki as if facing a catastrophic threat.
Yor naturally noticed him immediately. She merely glanced up at him before losing interest. She couldn't care less about these people.
"Natsuki-chan, Yor-chan, you're here! Let's head back!" Hestia didn't overthink it. With their arrival, their plan was officially complete.
She was confident that the names of these two women would spread throughout all of Orario by tonight. This was the result of their prior discussions—since they were part of the Familia, it was only natural to show their faces, right?
At the same time, it would serve as a powerful deterrent against the various monsters and schemers lurking in Orario. That was exactly why tonight's spectacle had been orchestrated.
Hearing Hestia's words, Yor nodded. She walked over, gently patted Hestia on the head, and said softly, "It seems you aren't drunk."
Hestia immediately rolled her eyes. *Is she treating me like a child?* She was hundreds of millions of years old, yet Yor was treating her like a little kid. It made her incredibly depressed.
"Let's go," Natsuki said simply. She quietly swept her gaze over the crowd. The next moment, a purple Magic Circle flared up, enveloping Hestia and Yor before they all vanished from the spot.
Only after they disappeared did the surrounding silence break. Many people gasped in shock. *Those two women were insanely strong.* Naturally, none of the escorts present were weaklings.
Especially since everyone had seen the reaction of the Lv.7 Ottar. From that alone, it was obvious he was on high alert. Did that mean those two women were also Lv.7? Or perhaps even higher?
With this, the gods of Orario finally had a clear understanding of the Hestia Familia's true strength. *Are people from the alternate universe really this absurd?*
Hephaestus, on the other hand, was a bit puzzled. She hadn't seen Natsuki Minamiya or Yor Forger before. Had Hestia intentionally hidden them? Or had they only recently arrived? Regardless, she could finally put her worries to rest. With combat power like that... *Tch, it's truly absurd!*