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"The Yahweh and Astraea Familias have formed an alliance?" Finn frowned—hearing the news from his Familia members—then his expression relaxed.
While all Familias strived to become the strongest, the Loki Familia, unlike the Freya Familia, maintained good relations with both the Yahweh and Astraea Familias.
A bit of friendly competition wasn't a bad thing—Besides, their other rival, the Freya Familia, rarely prioritized dungeon expeditions, only doing so under pressure from the Guild.
This new alliance, however, would undoubtedly focus on exploring the deeper levels of the dungeon.
Perhaps, like the Zeus and Hera Familias before them, their rivalry would push them to greater heights—After all, both Familias possessed incredibly talented members.
"This is a win-win situation," Finn chuckled. He wasn't concerned about them challenging the Loki Familia's position—He had complete faith in his own Familia—especially their "princess," Ais, who was steadily growing stronger.
"The future is going to be interesting," he mused, a smile playing on his lips as he looked out the window at the bustling city.
High above, on the rooftop of Babel Tower, Freya gazed down at Orario, her attention fixed on the dungeon entrance. The children of both the Yahweh and Astraea Familias—they were all so—intriguing.
———
On the—37th Floor—of the dungeon, Mika directed his companions.
"Front line, hold your ground! Don't let those monsters reach the rear! Mages, unleash your full power! Alise, Gojouno, Ryuu, don't stray too far. Stay close to the formation!"
"Yes!" they responded. His voice, calm yet firm, commanded their respect. Beside him, Mellie cast Support Magic, while Airmid linked them together with [Shared Burden].
Only Alise, Gojouno, and Ryuu had reached Level 4; the others were either newly ascended Level 3s like Lyra or Level 2 novices. They had to be incredibly cautious on this floor. Without Mellie and Airmid's support, even the smallest mistake could be fatal.
However, thanks to their Magic and Skills—they had miraculously reached the 37th floor, the first level of the deep floors, where even the weakest monsters were nearly Level 4.
They had been pushed to their limits, barely maintaining their defensive line.
Only Alise, Gojouno, and Ryuu could engage the enemy directly. And even that was pushing their limits. After all, they were linked by [Shared Burden], sharing the damage they sustained. This was their trial by fire.
"They're doing well," Mika commented with a smile, watching the three girls effortlessly cutting through the monsters. Their potential was evident.
"They have the potential to become Gods," Mika murmured.
"Gods? Isn't that a bit…much?" Mellie frowned. No adventurer in Orario had ever achieved Godhood.
"Don't limit your thinking to this world, Mellie," Mika chuckled.
"It's true that becoming a God is practically impossible in this world. The dungeon's ever-increasing danger makes solo exploration incredibly difficult in the deeper levels, unless one possesses specific skills—And as adventurers grow stronger, finding suitable companions becomes increasingly challenging—Furthermore, to achieve Godhood, one would likely have to—slay a God, which is, under normal circumstances, impossible."
An adventurer's greatest strength lay in their skills and magic.
———
Mika didn't keep Alise and the others in the dungeon for long.
The Astraea Familia's average level was still relatively low; the upper floors, not the deep floors, were more suitable for their training.
They spent only half a day on the 37th floor before returning to the surface.
Their primary objective had been to assess the Astraea Familia's current abilities, to prepare for their future training.
Back at the Yahweh Familia manor, they began training the Astraea Familia.
Yahweh had already adapted the Breath Styles and Body Enhancement Techniques for Orario's inhabitants, and the Astraea Familia members were the first to learn them.
However, these techniques were only the foundation.
Mika had other plans for them.
Under his guidance, Alise, Gojouno, and Ryuu quickly mastered the Breath Styles and Enhancement Techniques.
With their superior experience and Mika's instruction, mastering them wasn't difficult—He wasn't surprised by their rapid progress. After all, these were techniques intended for weaker individuals. He had other plans for these three.
First, Martial arts—As a fundamental skill in many worlds, it was a valuable asset.
Next, Energy Manipulation—Magic power in Orario was essentially mental energy.
While incredibly potent, its applications were limited, primarily used by mages—Mika, having developed a technique for converting mental energy into a more versatile form of magic power, using principles similar to Nen, shared these techniques with them.
He was investing in their future—recognizing their potential for Godhood—Mastering energy manipulation was essential for their growth.
———
Besides Martial arts and Energy manipulation—the Astraea Familia also learned about this world's magic—a system Mellie had refined, combining Riveria's teachings with her own knowledge from other worlds.
This was to prepare them for the study of more advanced magical principles later on—These three disciplines would form a solid foundation, preparing them for their future journeys to other worlds.
———
"Excellent."
Mika, watching from his window as Alise, Gojouno, and Ryuu instructed the other Astraea Familia members, nodded in satisfaction.
Having laid the foundation, he left the rest of their training to them.
He had even delegated the task of mentoring the younger Familia members, a responsibility they would eventually have to shoulder anyway. After all, he and his companions had more—pressing matters to attend to.
He had sent Saori, Airmid, and Mellie to the Saint Seiya world to train in Cosmo, while he remained in Orario.
He still had three unresolved issues:
Modifying the Falna system—achieving the Eighth Sense—and completing the Heaven's Feel ritual.
While achieving the Eighth Sense was a long-term goal, modifying the Falna system was his current priority.
As a divinely created power unique to Orario, its potential was immense. And the key to its power was its—ingredient:
Divine blood. In any world, a God's blood was an incredibly potent substance.
Yet, in Orario, even the weakest adventurers used it regularly, a practice that would be considered incredibly wasteful in other worlds.
However, it was precisely this—abundance that made the system so powerful, its effects so comprehensive.
The most crucial aspect of Falna, leveling up, relied on this Divine blood—allowing adventurers to progress smoothly, even to Level 9.
But what about beyond that? The true realm of the Gods? Could one achieve Godhood through the very substance that defined their mortality? It was a paradox.
He knew, through his experiences, that Falna couldn't grant Godhood. It wasn't simply about the difficulty in achieving a Great Feat—the system itself had limits.
However, he didn't want to abandon it.
Mika wanted to modify it—to enhance it—to make it accessible even to Gods. He believed that a Perfected Falna System would be his Greatest asset.
But such a feat was beyond the capabilities of even Orario's Gods—including Yahweh…or rather, the past Yahweh. Having gleaned knowledge from various worlds, she now had a few…ideas. After all, such a breakthrough would benefit her greatly.
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