/During the night, somewhere in Orario…/

'Two people were currently on the ceiling of a house under the cover of the night sky, they seemed to be waiting for something…'

/Flip…/

'The blond man sitting on a beach chair flipped his book, his expressions couldn't hold his surprise.'

"..."

"How many times are you going to read this book?" Asked a girl on the lookout

"... This is just… Really entertaining. Seeing the pieces fall together…"

The more I read, the more everything just seems to make sense.

'The girl rolled her eyes.'

"But I wonder, what was 'his' objective in giving this to me. He could've just given it to Loki."

'The blond man finished reading the book, however, he once again went back to the very start of the book to read it again.'

"..."

Sigh…

'The girl wasn't surprised as she went back to her lookout.'

/Step step.../

"!"

'As she gazed towards the ground below her, she saw a very suspicious man… Elf.'

'The Elf seemed nervous, it kept looking around to the sides and behind him as he made his way to a wall.'

/Shiiing!/

'The Elf took something from his pockets and inserted it into the wall, and suddenly, the Elf was sucked into the wall and disappeared, nothing was left behind.'

"..."

'The girl looked to the side to see her God staring at the book with a smile. One much bigger and deeper than before…'

"I will be going now." She said to her God

"I will be waiting for you up here. By~e good lu~ck…"

'She rolled her eyes as she jumped from the ceiling…'

…

/Sometime later on the Hestia Familia Church…/

"Another day of training well done…"

/Ploft…/

'Silver jumped onto the bed and relaxed.'

"..."

A lot of things happened in these past few days…

'Silver stared at the ceiling as he thought.'

As the days passed, the Familias banded together to look at every nook and cranny of Orario.'

At the start, they didn't find much, but from the small clues they had, they finally found a lead as they started to clear their hideouts.

The Loki Familia led the investigations brutally, every day, several hideouts were wiped clean, most of the time, it was just an abandoned hideout. Or a bandit hideout of a group completely unrelated to the case.

"But every time they found an active hideout, the enemy would just either flee or kill themselves… If they had the chance to do it of course."

'However the specifics were kept confidential, and since the Hestia Familia wasn't part of the investigations, Silver didn't know much of the progress.'

'He knows only of the public knowledge shared by the Guild.'

'Nevertheless, this wasn't his problem anymore.'

"I wonder what they will do with that book? Said Silver as he thought about the diary

'Yesterday, an opportunity to get rid of the book appeared, and after doing a little bit of improvisation, he decided to give the book to Hermes stealthily.'

"..."

This book has information that could probably put an end to their investigation, but the information within depends on the perspective of the reader.

If you consider that the cloaked man Frederic wrote about in the diary is one of the terrorists, this would mean Dyonisus is the traitor.

However, this isn't set on stone. It could be something completely different.

"It all depends on Hermes now, will he cut down Dionysus? Or will he do something else?"

The reason I gave it to Hermes was that I was scared of what Loki might do with such information.

What I want is stability.

If Dionysus is driven to a corner and is forced to use everything he has at the same time...

And if Loki charges at Dionysus, the end result would be a battle between them and his forces, turning Orario into a battleground again.

However, the only member of his Familia is actually the Elf girl while everyone else is just people he tricked.

He used a potent drug to trick them into entering another God's Familia, not even that God knows since she was also drugged by him...

Innocent people would die, and at the end of the fight, the Loki Familia might end up suffering the repercussions, even though they are the victims…

You might think this is absurd, but people have proved time and time again that they don't care. Believing in a made-up story is much easier than trying to accept reality.

"And the Elf girl is very strong… Not something the current Loki Familia would be able to take on easily, some may die."

Even if she is weaker, the Loki Familia is also weaker than in two years, the most important thing is their Levels.

The Executives aren't Level 6 yet while their top executives are still mid-way to Level 7.

There are also the repercussions of such a clash...

How would the Freya Familia react? Would she just cross Loki?

"This situation is such a pain." Said Silver as he got up from his bed to eat something

…

/In the Dungeon…/

'A boy with shoulder-length black hair could be seen facing off against a minotaur in a dim cave.'

'This minotaur was quite strange, it held a spear in its hands, yet, it had a proper posture as if it knew how to wield a spear.'

'Its body wasn't overly bulky like the other Minotaurs… It was muscular, yet, slim. It was a build more fit for an agile spear user than the strength-reliant Minotaurs that are known for using axes.'

'Its skin was also quite strange, it was… Blue. Its eyes remained red like the other Minotaurs but its fur changed to a strange white.'

'It looked at Silver with eyes filled with rage, however, a strange determination seemed to burn inside its eyes…'

"Did I feed it too many magic stones?..." Said Silver as he looked at the Minotaur

To the point, it became an enhanced species? Might as well take a photo and show it to that girl later…

'Every day, Silver would feed a few magic stones to Mino-Tan in the hopes of increasing its strength, and as a consequence, increase the difficulty of his training.'

'More pressure, that was all he was after.'

'But one day, after beating Mino-Tan for the 78Th time… It just changed to what it is now when he returned to check up on it.'

'Its physical strength was reduced, but its speed and precision got enhanced. However, since it's a Minotaur, its strength is still higher than most monsters on the Middle floors.'

'He had once tried feeding all sorts of monsters magic stones, but not all of them could mutate successfully, most exploded into smoke probably due to over-saturation of Magical power.'

'There were some cases where the monster got stronger...'

'But Mino-Tan was his first successful mutation!'

"It's been a little over three weeks right Mino-Tan? Thanks to you, my Dexterity has increased by a lot…"

And the scent bag as well… Three weeks of monster farming non-stop…

"I used to think it would take a few months to reach max stats, but I did it way sooner… Although I am a little disappointed it came so soon…"

I thought I would be able to go much further…

"..."

'The minotaur continued to observe Silver, unmoving.'

'After three weeks of suffering, it learned to observe its enemy before attacking...'

'It knew it was no match head-on… So it had to think each move carefully.'

'Else it would receive a beating...'

"Looks like it will soon be the end… Can't say I am happy, I grew quite attached to you…"

My Dexterity will soon max out like the others… Another day or two and I will Level up.

/Clack!/

/… Clack… Clack…/

'As Silver was distracted by his thoughts, a rock suddenly fell from a higher position, it hit the ground multiple times before stopping.'

'However, he was alone and both he and his partner were standing still.'

"Hm? Did a monster spawn nearby?"

'Silver turned his head to the side and noticed a figure clad in dark overlooking him from a vantage point.'

"What?"

Who?...

"!"

/Fwush!/

'The moment Silver got distracted, the minotaur advanced!'

"Shit!"

'Silver turned around once again and tried to evade it but…'

"Got you…" Said a voice from behind Silver

/CUT!/

'The mysterious cloaked person suddenly appeared behind Silver and slashed with his knife at silver, cutting his back open!'

"AHHH!" Screamed Silver

'And when it seemed everything was over, the Minotaur lifted its spear, ready to strike at the falling Silver...'

"...Hm?"

'However, the assassin felt something was wrong as he didn't feel as if his strike had connected, and by the time he realized what was wrong, 'Silver' burst up in smoke, and an ice spear suddenly pierced at him through the smoke!'

"!!!"

/Pierce!/

'Mino-Tan tried to pierce the man, but his speed was no match for the guy as he parried the blow and released a counter-attack!'

/Clang!/

'However! Mino-Tan deflected his blow!'

/Shush…/

'The impact launched the two in opposite directions.'

"Mu..."

'Mino-Tan hands trembled from the impact...'

/Drip…/

'The man noticed a large gash on his shoulder, it seemed he didn't manage to fully block his enemy attack.'

'The man was surprised, asking just what this strange monster was, while the Minotaur in question didn't care much about who his opponent was, so it charged!'

"Shit…"

I need to retreat. The target must be waiting to ambush me!

'He jumped backward and focused on defense, trying to buy time as he looked for Silver.'

"..."

'And indeed, silver was currently watching the assassin by standing on the high ground.'

'But he remained invisible, trying to gain as much information as he could.'

'The hunter had become the prey!'

/CLANG!/

'Because the assassin had to keep his guard up for any sneak attacks, he couldn't keep up with the Minotaurs' speed that well, leading to a very close fight.'

"..."

Who is this guy? How did he find me?...

That's not it.

Does he know me? If he does know… That's a big problem.

I was ready to be revealed one day but through my own will!

Let's see how you fare against Mino-Tan…

/CLING CLANG!/

'The battle ragged on between the assassin and the mutated minotaur...'

I don't have any popcorn...

…

/A few minutes earlier, on the surface…/

'In the main office of the Loki Familia, now refurbished and repaired. Loki, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, were currently engaged in a conversation.'

/Cleck… Cleck…/

'Loki could be seen sitting on a chair, pecking on the table with her index finger in boredom.'

"By your face, I guess we got nothing once again right?" Asked Loki towards Finn

"We went all around Orario, but in the end, we couldn't invade other Familia's private land. We sent a team outside, but they didn't find anything. There was no lead on that end…" Replied Finn

/BAM!/

'Loki slammed on the table.'

"So we are supposed to just take this on and forget about it?!" She replied

'Finn placed his thumb on his forehead, clearly distressed.'

"I am with you, but there isn't much we can do when the enemy vanishes like smoke. We looked everywhere, but the most we found were abandoned hideouts… The rest was just common tugs and bandits." Said Riveria

"The enemies were prepared, but it is no doubt we dealt a deep blow on them, I don't think they would be capable of recovering from that in a short period…" Said Gareth

"But something is missing." said Loki

"The traitor is still out there and the culprit too… Three weeks and we achieved almost nothing!" Said Loki

"At least they won't be able to operate on Orario as smoothly as before, however, it's too soon to get our guards down." Said Riveria

"But we can't remain on standby forever…" Said Gareth

"However we can't just continue as if nothing happened, it's too risky to go on another expedition…" Said Finn

But if we don't do so our finances are going to take a big hit…

"Since when did we fear others so much? Is that how the Loki Familia acts?" Asked Riveria as she smiled

"!" x3

"We have many enemies, why should we fear a crippled enemy?"

"They lost dozens of Level 2's and 3's. The amount of Level 4's and 5's is also not low."

"We even took down one Level 6. I doubt that Familia has any stronger troops left." Said Riveria

"However, until we deal with the real culprit and find the traitor, one of us should remain behind and…"

'But Loki cut Riveria…'

"And babysit me?" Said Loki in a mocking tone

"..." X3

"Fucking hell, I never expected a day would come when I would have to fear for my own life inside my own house…"

"That won't do… Thankfully, I got this bad boy…" Said Loki as she took out an item from her pocket

It was a small glass marble

"Is this…"

'Riveria knew very well what this was.'

"Yup. The Guild gave it to me considering how serious the situation actually is, and also as an 'apology'." Said Loki

"So rest assured, you may all continue exploring the Dungeon with no trouble, if anything happens I will be safe…"

If anything happens I can pop this bad guy hehe…'

'Loki's smile seemed evil somehow…'

"And also, that two-faced bitch gave me her word Hihihi…" Said Loki as she remembered the silver-haired prostitute…

"..." x3

'Gareth closed his eyes as he smiled like the old man he is, Finn face-palmed as sweat fell on his forehead and Riveria smiled as she closed her eyes.'

"Alright then!"

"I don't believe they will stay silent for too long, and just in case, we won't do any deep territory expeditions in the meantime… We will focus on getting stronger." Said Finn

"That's fine by me!" Replied Loki

'Everyone smiled, the mood seemed a little more light.'

"So when are we going down again?" Asked Gareth

"As soon as this month ends, everyone has been on edge recently so let's give them some time to relax and prepare for the next expedition." Said Finn

"This is also good since we can give off the image as if everything is fine to them." Replied Riveria

The investigation has been kept a secret from most parties, including some low-rank Familia members, with only a few Familias participating in it to reduce the chances of the traitor finding out its progress.

So from most people's perspective, we have already cleaned all of the terrorists out of Orario!

However, this isn't enough to make our Familia members relaxed… After all, their Goddess was the target this time…

So giving them some time to relax and drink their worries away is necessary.

"So… Let's go drink later! At the usual place!" Exclaimed Loki as she ran out of the room

Freedom! No more boring reunions and being under supervision!'

I can finally drink again in peace…

"..."

'Smiling, the Loki Familia Top executives made their way outside of the office.'

'They worked very hard already, it's time to rest a little, their enemy is without a doubt in a much worse condition…'

…

/Back at the Dungeon/

'Silver gazed at the pair fighting below him.'

"..."

Who is that guy? He seems to be Level 3… However, his movements aren't that precise or fast.

A recent Level 3? Or is he someone who had low stats when he leveled up?

/Step step…/

'Silver suddenly heard the sound of people running from another entrance.'

"This is…"

'Silver noticed a group of cloaked adventurers just like the previous one.'

He had support? Now, this is troublesome… Just what did I do to deserve this?

Wait… Isn't this layout…

'Silver recognized the cloaks and masks… Took him long enough.'

Those guys? But didn't the Loki Familia and the others wipe them out?

Hm… They must've stayed hidden, but that wouldn't be possible without some help.

And most importantly, why are they here?...

Could it be… They found out who I am?

Now… That would be distressing…

Should I leave?

/Clang cling!/

'As Silver thought, the cloaked man continued on his fight against the Minotaur. It seemed that with the arrival of his reinforcements, he became bolder.'

/Clang! Crack!/

'After many blows, the Minotaur's ice spear couldn't keep up with the force and started showing signs of breaking…'

"Leader, leave this monster to us, continue the investigation!" Said one of the assassins

"..."

'The leader didn't say anything apart from nodding.'

/Fwush!/

'He retreated by jumping into the air as his subordinates took on the Minotaur.'

"..."

That's… Actually good for me.

'Silver watched the entire exchange, he wasn't confident in taking on an entire trained team of level 2's lead by a Level 3, he would have to flee.'

'It's even worse if you consider they are pretty coordinated with each other.'

'But if it's only the leader…'

I have an idea...

'He didn't want to just flee like this, he wanted to find out the secrets behind this event.'

"Alright… It's your time to shine…"

'Silver took a white spear from his inventory, it was the same one he used to save Artemis.'

/Swush!/

'He threw the spear with immense force towards the area where the Minotaur was fighting.'

"!"

'This action was obviously seen by the leader, who quickly moved his head to the side, now gazing directly at Silver.'

"... You can't escape now." Said the Leader as he ran towards Silver

"Hehe…"

'Silver opened his mouth and started to move it, saying:'

"Catch me if you can…"

'And then he disappeared.'

Goodbye Mino-Tan, your help will never be forgotten.

Make sure to buy me some time...

"..."

/Crack!/

'Anger could be seen in the man's eyes. His feet dug into the ground as he sprinted, going after Silver.'

/AHH!/

/ROAR!/

'As the leader ran, he heard the cries of anger and the clashing of metal behind him, but he didn't turn his back to see what was going on.'

'He had one mission to finish and that was to capture this man!'

'Although, at this moment. The only thing in his head was to eliminate him...'

…

.

.

.