To be precise—what he felt was anticipation.
The timing was already set. There was no further preparation needed.
No other Familia would be allowed to intervene.
Which meant…
The matter became very simple. Use the remaining time to strengthen his ability values and prepare as needed. As for the difference in numbers?
In the face of absolute stats and mechanical superiority—
—it wasn't worth mentioning at all!
Compared to Liang Yue's calm demeanor, the goddess Hestia finally let her composure collapse once they left Apollo's territory.
"Liang Yue-kun…"
As a goddess founding a Familia for the first time, she had never imagined a "War Game" would come so suddenly!
The price of failure…
…was the loss of everything her Familia had. Even before attending Apollo's banquet, Hestia had prepared for this possibility.
Defeat meant dissolution.
Expulsion from Orario, never again able to run a Familia—meaning she could no longer even see Liang Yue.
Though she held absolute faith in him, her heart was tight with anxiety. Now, she finally understood the meaning behind his earlier words: "What do you think of this place?"
"So… you've already set your sights on Apollo Familia's assets?"
"You want to claim them, legally and justifiably, through the War Game?"
"…Not entirely wrong."
He didn't deny it.
From an objective standpoint, once Apollo targeted him as prey, only two outcomes existed: either he was forced to join Apollo Familia…
…or he abandoned Hestia to seek protection from another powerful Familia.
Neither was acceptable.
So, Liang Yue decided—it was better to strike big. Using his foreknowledge of the story, exploiting the information gap, and luring Apollo into this War Game.
Failure meant total loss.
But if he succeeded, Hestia Familia would escape all hardship and gain the means to thrive in both daily life and dungeon exploration.
"Apollo Familia's captain approached me a few days ago—inviting me to join them. Of course, I refused."
"…"
Hestia lifted her head. He hadn't told her about this before.
"Afterward, when I went about in Orario, I noticed their members shadowing me."
"When I entered the dungeon for a simple exploration, Apollo Familia couldn't hold back—they abandoned normal activity and sent a hunting squad after me."
At that point, Hestia already understood the gravity of the matter.
The rest of his words were unnecessary.
Apollo Familia's assassination attempt had failed—so now they resorted to their final option: the War Game, to seize Liang Yue.
She hadn't realized the conflict had already escalated beyond reconciliation. Even tonight's banquet had unfolded exactly as Liang Yue anticipated.
No matter what—
As the god of her Familia, she had to think from her children's perspective.
She didn't scold him. Instead, she asked gently, "I never imagined things would develop this way… but can we win, Liang Yue-kun?"
"We will win."
As a devoted fan of Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen, Liang Yue smiled lightly—but his tone was firm, brooking no doubt.
The next two days would be for dungeon exploration. Apollo Familia likely wouldn't interfere.
All that remained was for the gods' assembly to decide the battle type—whether siege or otherwise—after which he would make the final call.
He looked at Hestia, his brows carrying unshakable conviction.
With his smile fading into seriousness, he declared:
"For the sake of our Familia's future, everything is worth it."
"…Alright."
It wasn't a lie. It was his true belief from the bottom of his heart.
Having heard this much, Hestia's shoulders eased. Even if they failed, it wasn't complicated. She would simply return to Tenkai.
And then, even if it took ten thousand years before she descended again, she would seek out Liang Yue's reincarnation. No matter what, she vowed—she would spend ten thousand years in love with him!
"I believe you. Do your best—whatever the result may be."
"Liang Yue."
"Tomorrow we'll hold our first Familia meeting. As for intelligence on Apollo Familia's members—I'll find a way to gather it."
Her demeanor, usually that of a carefree girl, was now more serious than ever.
Collecting information on Apollo Familia's members—this was one of the few things she could do.
The War Game forbade interference from other Familia. If push came to shove, perhaps they could even seek help from Takemikazuchi.
Liang Yue wanted to tell her it wasn't necessary. But seeing Hestia, for once, radiating the true dignity of a goddess, he only smiled:
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lady Hestia."
—
For Orario's gods, who had little to do beyond entertainment, the news of a War Game was a feast of amusement.
"The World's Strongest Rookie vs Apollo Familia."
The controversy was explosive.
Naturally, the news spread like wildfire. Many adventurers hadn't expected that the boy who had just created miracles would immediately take on the impossible.
The difference in strength was too great—victory seemed impossible.
This became the hottest topic of discussion among adventurers and even ordinary townsfolk.
The true frenzy, of course, came from gamblers in bars and casinos.
Once the news was confirmed, the "largest casino" quickly opened betting lines—analyzing strength and calculating the odds…
The final numbers were staggering:
Winner: Liang Yue → Odds: 99.9
Winner: Apollo Familia → Odds: 0.01
The casino wasn't in the business of charity. Their goal was controversy. And still, plenty of gamblers bet on that faint, impossible chance.
—
Liliruca, long familiar with Orario's underground gambling scene, naturally had her own channels.
Using her "Cinder Ella" magic to disguise herself, she entered the largest casino accessible to common adventurers.
Carrying a heavy pouch of 2,000,000 valis she had prepared, she set it down on the table.
Facing the clerk's skeptical stare, she raised her hood and said coolly:
"Two million valis. All on Liang Yue to win."
"Uh… understood. Here's your betting slip."
The clerk was briefly stunned, then handed it over quickly. He had never seen someone throw away money so brazenly.
"…"
Leaving the chaotic atmosphere of the casino, Lily pulled her cloak tight and walked quickly, wary of being followed.
She never cared for gambling.
Her reason for coming tonight was simple—when she delivered Liang Yue's repaired weapon earlier, he had explained the truth and suggested this.
Betting everything on his victory.
Madness. Yet, it fit his character perfectly.
If he won—they would collect a fortune.
If he lost—well, all the profits from their expedition would go to Apollo Familia anyway. So she didn't object.
"…Not sure if this really helps, but still…"
—
If taverns and casinos were the most chaotic corners of Orario, the opposite was the Guild.
The Guild was also the hub of information.
Naturally, Apollo Familia's War Game challenge against Hestia Familia spread among the staff.
Hearing the chatter of her colleagues, Eina couldn't calm her heart.
Just days ago, she had promised to go on a real date with him during her vacation. And yet… things had spiraled far faster than she imagined.
A War Game.
For Liang Yue, a boy known for miracles, she still wanted to believe. But this development was beyond her comprehension.
Can he really win?
She wanted to rush to his Familia's home, but worried she might disturb his preparations. So she kept her worries to herself.
The result was obvious: her entire morning's work was done absentmindedly.
Thankfully, Royman hadn't scolded her—or she would have been in real trouble.
"…"
"Your Liang Yue… really knows how to shake Orario."
Seeing her friend so quiet, Misha leaned over. Not with her usual gossip, but with gentle reassurance.
Resting her chin on her hand, she spoke cheerfully.
"For someone to rise in levels that quickly—his strength must be solid. And he even led a Familia expedition, defeating the 17th-floor Goliath alone."
"If he didn't have confidence, he wouldn't have agreed to the War Game."
"…I hope so."
Eina shook her head. Though she said that, she couldn't completely ease her heart.
With nothing else she could do, all that remained was to wait.
Just after the Soma Familia's destruction, now a War Game against Apollo Familia. Perhaps this was the price of brilliance.
At least, she thought bitterly, he wasn't breaking the law anymore…
—
The next day, despite her comrades' protests, Mikoto arrived at Hestia Familia's home.
Her reason was simple.
"Even if I've only been a companion for a short while, I am still a companion."
She couldn't abandon her friends. And she had full confidence in Liang Yue's strength.
Against Apollo Familia—with only a single Lv.3 adventurer—victory wasn't impossible.
Arriving at the church alongside supporter Liliruca, she exchanged only a brief smile with her.
That was enough.
They stood united, awaiting Liang Yue's instructions.
Looking to Hestia, Mikoto spoke firmly:
"In this War Game—what can I do?"
As a fellow Lv.2 adventurer, with her "Takemikazuchi" skill, she could at least stall enemies of equal level.
Hestia hesitated. She hadn't wanted to drag Mikoto into this. But Liang Yue's slight nod silenced her.
"We don't yet know the battle type. But as for you two…"
Liang Yue looked at Mikoto and Lily, then said brightly:
"Protect Lady Hestia."
"As for everything else—it's simple."
"Leave it all to me. Apollo agreed the War Game cannot be stopped midway—I'll take down every one of his members."
"?!?!"
"…Understood."
For any other adventurer, claiming to wipe out Apollo Familia singlehandedly at Lv.2 would be absurd.
But when Liang Yue said it, Mikoto found it strangely believable—almost natural.
The others' roles were unnecessary.
Sweeping his gaze across them, Liang Yue finally looked to Mikoto again.
"The next two days, we'll explore the dungeon as usual. But I'll need your help—use your magic to create high-intensity training for me. I want my ability values to undergo a transformation before the War Game."
"No problem."
Being able to help Liang Yue made her glad.
Since joining Hestia Familia, she had noticed her ability values growing faster whenever she trained with him.
But when it came to "ability values"… she grew conflicted.
As a fellow Lv.2 adventurer, her strength was nothing compared to Liang Yue's. His numbers had to be extraordinary.
Glancing nervously between him and Hestia, she finally asked:
"This might be presumptuous… but I'm really curious. What kind of ability values does Liang Yue have?"
As a goddess, Hestia naturally had to steady morale before the War Game. She didn't reveal too much, but with pride in her voice, she said:
"How should I put it…?"
"They're at the level of creating miracles."
"!!"
Compared to the War Game itself, this news was even more shocking.
Mikoto could only look at Liang Yue with pure awe.
To rise faster than anyone in Orario's history—and to have ability values that themselves were miraculous?
"This is… too much…"
Had he already reached Lv.3? Perhaps in just a few days, he would surpass even Ais Wallenstein, the so-called Sword Princess!
Her feelings grew more complicated.
But looking at Liang Yue's unchanged composure, she realized—he felt no pressure from the War Game.
Instead, she pitied Apollo Familia for being the ones who had challenged him.
"…The truth is probably even crazier than this."
Lily, who had stayed silent until now, clenched her lips. If not for Hestia being present, she would have revealed it all.
That every step had been planned by Liang Yue in advance.
And that he had even staked all their Familia's assets on his inevitable victory.
Such was the depth of his confidence in his own strength.
---
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