It was the break of dawn... the first light of the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon.
"Breathe in... breathe out."
A glowing magic circle illuminated the training grounds.
In the center of the Loki Familia's base, seated in a meditative pose, was Judas Spade, his body surrounded by radiant streams of light.
'Now that my body's gotten used to waking up this early... the time I used to spend training with Alfia and Belle, I'll use it to repair my mana core instead.'
Even with his schedule packed to the brim, his top priority remained the restoration of his fractured mana core.
Never slacking for even a moment, a faint humming filled the air as a whirlpool of mana gathered around him.
"Even when Silence gives him a day off, he's still working this hard."
From the window of her room upstairs, Loki watched with a soft smile before taking a slow sip of her coffee.
"I've got a good feeling about today."
Her gaze drifted toward the Tower of Babel in the distance, where the dungeon was located.
Her smile widened as anticipation colored her voice.
Her godly intuition told her that the quiet, peaceful Twilight Manor was about to be quiet and peaceful no more.
...
"Oh? Are my eyes deceiving me? Miss Belle, you're actually early today!"
Lili exclaimed with wide eyes upon seeing the familiar white-haired adventurer arrive before her for once.
"Miss Lili, that's a bit of an overreaction..."
Belle muttered weakly, scratching her chin.
"Huh? You don't get to talk, Miss Belle."
"Who's the one who always makes me wait forever and never shows up on time... every single day?"
Lili said indignantly, clear annoyance in her tone.
'That's because my aunt's training sessions are too brutal... my body can barely move afterwards.'
Belle thought with a wry smile.
"Right, right, sorry, sorry."
Belle bowed her head in apology until Lili was satisfied.
"Hmph... since you said you're sorry, I guess Lili will forgive you."
Lili crossed her arms, looking smugly content.
Then her expression softened, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"That said... is it really true? You didn't lie to me about what you said yesterday, right?"
She leaned forward slightly, a small blush creeping onto her face.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Belle asked, genuinely puzzled.
"I mean when you told me you were training with Mister Judas... is that true?"
Belle instinctively took a step back as the memory of Judas... drenched in sweat, completely shirtless... flashed across her mind.
Her cheeks instantly turned red.
"Um... yeah, it just happened."
Belle said, scratching the back of her head while trying to look away.
"How?!"
Lili suddenly shouted.
"No offense, Miss Belle, but how did someone like you manage to convince someone from another familia to train with you? Especially someone as amazing as Mister Judas?"
Lili pressed further, stepping closer until she was practically in Belle's face.
The white-haired girl flinched and backed away, breaking into a nervous sweat.
"You didn't try to seduce him, did you?"
Lili narrowed her eyes, giving Belle a skeptical once-over before sighing.
"No way... you're way too naive and innocent to pull off something like that."
She shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous thought.
'Seduce? Me?'
Belle's mind blanked, steam practically rising from her head.
For some reason, she could almost hear her grandpa's booming laughter echoing in her mind, his thumb raised in approval.
'My dear Belle... heroes are weak when it comes to women...'
His laughter echoed again, full of mischief and warmth.
'Doesn't matter how brave they are in battle... one wink, one smile, and they crumble faster than a goblin under a greatsword!'
He crossed his arms, the lewd grin on his face widening.
'What garbage are you teaching her?'
A menacing presence loomed over him.
'Gospel.'
Of course, before he could even finish or explain himself, Alfia would always step in and send her grandpa flying like Team Rocket, causing the roof to blow off the house.
Belle smiled fondly at the memories of the time before she came to Orario.
...
Inside the dungeon, a small army of adventurers marched forward.
The sound of metal boots clanging against the floor and the steady rhythm of footsteps echoed along the dungeon walls.
"Urgh! What a shame for us to retreat like this!"
A frustrated female voice rang out.
The speaker was a tan-skinned, flat-chested woman wearing as little clothing as possible... the ever-lively Amazoness, Tiona Hiryute.
"Tiona... are you doubting the captain's orders?"
A sharp voice cut in.
Her twin sister, Tione, snapped her head toward her with a glare, brows creased.
They shared the same dark skin and style of revealing clothes... but unlike Tiona, Tione's figure was considerably more... well-endowed.
"Tione... I don't think Tiona meant it like that."
A soft, meek voice interjected.
The twins turned toward the speaker... an amber-haired elf wearing a light pink dress, her lips curled into a dry smile.
"Hmph... she better be."
Tione huffed before running ahead toward a blonde-haired pallum walking at the front of the formation.
"Everyone, we're about to enter the middle floors! Our time to head home is drawing near!"
Raul, a black-haired human boy, called out loudly.
He might have looked plain and unassuming, but Raul was a Level 4 adventurer of the Loki Familia... and the leader of the second-string team.
The rest of the group finally relaxed their shoulders, quiet sighs of relief passing through their ranks.
The tension that had gripped them for hours began to fade.
"Finally! I can't wait to take a bath and wash off this disgusting acid smell."
Tiona cheered, her usual cheerful grin returning at the thought of leaving the dungeon.
"Mmn."
Beside her, the golden-haired swordswoman gave a soft hum of agreement.
Her golden eyes matched her hair, and her expression remained perfectly neutral... serene and unreadable like that of a doll.
Her hand never once left the hilt of her sword.
The Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, stayed alert even now.
Then —
"?"
She noticed that the march had suddenly stopped.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Tiona asked, curiosity sparking as the sound of deep, guttural roars echoed from the front. She pushed forward to get a better look.
"Looks like a group of Minotaurs has blocked our path."
The calm voice of Riveria Ljos Alf, vice-captain of the Loki Familia, echoed as her sharp gaze focused on the massive, bull-headed monsters ahead.
"It appears so..."
Finn Deimne, their captain, muttered before turning toward the black-haired boy beside him.
"Raul, take command. This will be a perfect opportunity for you to gain experience."
Though nervous, Raul quickly nodded and saluted.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Hehe, this is going to be fun."
"Hey, you bull bastards! Come here and get crushed!"
"Moo?"
But just as Raul began issuing orders, the sight of Bete, Tiona, and other top-level adventurers stepping forward sent the Minotaurs into a panic.
The monsters froze for a moment... then turned tail and bolted in the opposite direction.
"Huh? What just happened?"
"Did the Minotaurs just... run away?"
"What the hell? They're monsters... they're supposed to charge at us like mindless beasts!"
The Loki Familia members exchanged baffled looks.
"Those Minotaurs are heading toward the upper floors! Everyone, stop them!"
While the others were still stunned, it was Finn who reacted first, shouting sharply as realization struck.
----
(A/N: We've finally reached the point where the canon story of the original series begins. Here we go!)
+15 chapters at patreon.com/drdedot