"Total war...?"
When Loki first heard the news, she thought Ouranos had lost his mind. But after learning that Hermes had uncovered something, she realized it wasn't a joke.
"Ugh, barely two days of peace, and those bastards are already stirring up trouble again."
Honestly, Loki was truly annoyed by people who caused chaos for no reason.
Especially those idiots from Evilus.
Right now, she really didn't want to deal with such a headache—her own affairs were still unresolved. How could she have the energy to worry about this mess? Thankfully, Ouranos wasn't asking her to take action, just giving her a heads-up to keep an eye on the situation.
"Loki."
Finn's voice brought her restless tossing on the sofa to a stop.
"What should we do now?"
"Hmm... Leave the investigation to Hermes. No point wasting our effort there. Though I bet Hermes is banging his head over it right now."
"Has Hermes-sama hit a wall in his investigation?"
"He definitely has!"
Loki didn't even need to think—there was no way that errand boy hadn't run into trouble.
"If he'd found anything more concrete, he wouldn't have just said those guys were making moves. He would've spelled out what they're preparing, where they're doing it, and the details of their setup."
"Damaging the enemy's facilities before war breaks out is standard practice. You really think Hermes would overlook that?"
"That guy definitely found something specific. But he probably figured that messing with their plans too much might push them into a corner, so he settled for a compromise. No deep dives into their setup. No investigation into their location."
Typical of that old fox—Loki wasn't surprised in the slightest.
If Ouranos had made that kind of decision, then it meant he had no intention of taking any further action until things kicked off.
'Still, I can't just sit around doing nothing.'
Even without solid intel, she could at least stir up a little harmless mischief.
With that in mind, Loki sat up and looked at Finn, who was still resting his chin in his hands.
"Finn, you, Riveria, and Gareth—have you three been training on the 50th floor all this time?"
"Yeah. After leveling up, it became hard to manage our speed and strength. It took us over a month to finally get things under control."
"Is the gap really that big?"
"Way more than I expected. I'm starting to understand what Bell meant when he said Lv.7 to Lv.9 is where true high-tier adventurers begin. Maybe that's the real reason."
Finn remembered how, back when he hit Lv.6, it only took him three days to adjust. But this time, it had taken an unbelievable amount of time, and even now, his body still wasn't fully stable.
Seeing Finn lost in his own thoughts, Loki casually reminded him:
"The higher the level, the bigger the difference between tiers. You should've noticed that already just by fighting monsters of the same level. Think about the gap between a Lv.4 Goliath and a Lv.5 Amphisbaena—you know it better than anyone, right?"
"Yeah."
"And the difference between Lv.7 and Lv.8? You guys who've been on expeditions should know just how huge that is."
It really was massive.
A faint hint of frustration showed on Finn's face. The difference was so overwhelming, so despair-inducing, that even after more than a month, he hadn't been able to shake it.
Then, without thinking, an image of a certain person surfaced in his mind, prompting him to ask:
"Loki, how big do you think the gap is between us and Bell?"
"Him?"
A strange look crossed Loki's face—she clearly hadn't expected that question. But soon, her expression turned a little awkward. Damn... the gap really was enormous.
"Well… there's still a gap between you two. After all, he's not as strong as you yet, nor has he reached your level."
"I don't want polite talk, Loki."
Finn instantly knew Loki was just being courteous, but that wasn't what he wanted. His expression hardened as he asked again.
"Loki, I want the truth."
Loki looked uneasy. She knew Bell's strength well—and the gap between Bell and her own children was all too clear. But while Bell might be difficult to explain, Finn was impossible to fool.
"Really, Finn? I just don't want my child to lose his will to fight because he feels discouraged."
"...So, has the gap between Bell and us grown so vast it could crush my fighting spirit?"
Loki hadn't said it outright, but to Finn it sounded like she had just voiced the harshest, most brutal truth. Yet those words also helped him brace himself.
"Go ahead, Loki. I'm not so fragile that knowing the difference will kill my motivation."
Seeing how serious Finn was, Loki's tone grew more sober.
Bell's case was hard to explain clearly. His rate of growth and potential simply couldn't be compared to that of normal adventurers. Even prodigies like Ais and Ottar barely measured up to an average standard beside Bell's potential.
Still, putting those facts plainly might hit Finn hard—the difference was too great for any ambitious adventurer to ignore.
"Alright."
"He's already at Lv.6."
Even though he had prepared himself, Finn felt the words land like a hammer blow, smashing his perception and leaving him breathless.
Thankfully, Loki's earlier warning had softened the impact enough to keep him from sinking into despair.
Even so, his face turned grim.
"He achieved in less than a year what took us more than ten, maybe twenty years to manage."
"The gap really is that huge."
His voice carried disbelief and a trace of bitterness.
It wasn't a distance one could simply reach—it was a true, unbridgeable gulf.
Feeling for her captain, Loki swung her legs off the sofa, walked over, and gently placed a hand on his head.
"Finn, don't envy others' achievements. You have your own pride, your own dreams to chase. Those aren't things comparisons can take away from you."
"Your life isn't about measuring yourself against others—it's about achieving your own path."
The goddess's words seemed to hold a quiet magic, easing the jealousy and confusion in Finn's heart. When he turned and saw the care in Loki's eyes, the cracks left by harsh reality began to mend.
"Hmph… Loki, at moments like this, you really do sound like a goddess."
"Ha! I am one!"
"Hahaha!"
They both laughed, their gazes meeting. In that moment, the bond between goddess and follower felt purer—closer to that of true friends.
...
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