"Ugh!"
The pain made Arachnia twist her lips, and her heart tightened. But Valletta's long sword continued its downward chop, breaking through the wooden roof as if it were butter.
The aftershock even shook and broke the beams, causing a large section of the roof to collapse. Without ground to stand on, Noah was forced to cancel his attack and retreat. By the time he stopped, more than half of the roof had caved in, and the two were more than twenty meters apart.
Noah swung his sword to dissipate the remaining force in his body and took a slow, deep breath. Even so, after that brief, intense burst of action, his already pale cheeks became even more bloodless.
In contrast, Valletta was covered in blood, with wounds of all sizes all over her body, making her look like a ferocious beast.
As the air fell silent, shouts were heard in the distance.
"Lady Valletta!"
"Argh! Retreat!"
"It's the Loki Familia and the Astraea Familia!"
Noah glanced over and saw that chaos had broken out on the street below. Black-robed members of Evilus were causing havoc everywhere but were being suppressed one after another by adventurers.
If it weren't for the concern for civilians, they would have been dealt with even faster. One blonde figure, in particular, moved swiftly and lightly through the crowd, cutting down enemies with a flick of her sword.
However, a golden light suddenly flashed in the corner of Noah's vision. The speed and direction seemed to be coming toward him.
"Boy, you're lucky! Next time, I'll definitely kill you!"
Without waiting for Noah to look again, Valletta turned and jumped off the roof after spitting out her threat.
...
Looking at the empty rooftops, swept by the strong wind, Noah raised the sword in his hand and saw his own reflection on the blade, which was still brand new and shiny after the fierce battle.
Valletta had just said he was lucky, and this wasn't just a remark made to save face before retreating. Although in the previous battle he seemed to have the upper hand, overwhelming Valletta, Noah knew that apart from the first sneak attack, most of the injuries he had inflicted were insignificant.
For a Level 5 adventurer, as long as the organs weren't damaged, they were just flesh wounds. As long as she didn't bleed out, it was nothing a single potion couldn't fix.
In fact, he had already exerted all his strength, and his body, still not fully recovered, was not meant for a prolonged battle.
He guessed that if the fight had continued, he would have been the one forced to retreat.
Unless…
Noah gently brushed his fingers across the cold blade, feeling the tremendous power contained within. Unless Noah was willing to use all his strength, which meant using magic.
At this moment, Noah's desire for the Falna suddenly became stronger. In both his previous world and this one, magic was a critical, game changing force.
Noah also had his own magic, which was the key to his victories against stronger opponents and his defeat of the Demon King. But his magic seemed to be a punishment from heaven.
The cost of using it was extremely high; even a slight use would take three or four days to recover from. In the final battle of his previous world, Noah hadn't even used its full power.
At most, he had used half and felt his body was about to collapse.
Noah thought about this world's understanding of the Falna. The so-called basic abilities were the "water" that the gods poured into the "vessel" of a mortal's body. When the water filled the vessel, it was necessary to sublimate the vessel itself, making it bigger.
If the vessel wasn't strong enough and was forced to bear too much power, there was a risk of it shattering.
Although Noah left his village at a very young age and wandered to survive, it only took him four or five years from when he truly learned to fight to his decisive battle with the Demon King.
During those five years, he had little time to rest, let alone receive proper training. He could only keep pushing his limits in battle. It was nothing like the adventurers in this world, who could see all aspects of their physical condition as numerical values and then conduct targeted training.
Noah felt it was because he hadn't fully developed his body that he was unable to fully unleash the power of his magic.
Alas, in the legends of both worlds, saviors are always assisted by elves and fairies.
Why is it that not only do I have no one to help me, but I don't even have time for proper training?
If he received the Falna, he would not only be able to perfect his physical development but also acquire some magic he could use normally.
Not to mention, the adventurers in this world also had a unique ability called "Skills," which were no less powerful than magic.
So, after all, he still needed to find a Familia to join.
Just as the sound of rushing wind came from beside him, Noah lowered his sword, turned his head, and met a pair of golden eyes.
Hm? Isn't this the little girl I rescued a few days ago?
"Hey, hello."
Ais forgot what she was supposed to say. After Riveria had seemingly "fulfilled" her wish and she saw the person in front of her again, she had run over with all her might.
But now that she was here, she was speechless. The intense run had made her cheeks flush and her breath come in hot gasps. Her face was so hot it felt like it was burning, and her mouth was completely dry.
The girl didn't know why she was like this; this level of running was nothing to her. But her heart was beating violently, the "thump-thump" echoing in her head, leaving her mind blank.
This child... could it be that I didn't protect her well enough and she hit her head and became slow?
Seeing the blonde girl not saying anything but just staring at him with her moist golden eyes, Noah couldn't help but wonder. After all, he had never carried a child on a battlefield before, and he was in a weakened state at the time.
It was possible her head had hit a stone somewhere. Thinking of this, Noah's idea of joining the Loki Familia began to waver again.
What if they were about to ask him for compensation? If he went to them now, wouldn't he be walking right into a trap?
Why don't I go find the Freya Familia?
Through the records in the library, Noah had learned that the two peaks of Orario today were the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia.
However, judging by public opinion, the Freya Familia didn't seem very reputable. There was a lot of internal strife, and they weren't very focused on exploration. For Noah, who had just suffered betrayal, internal strife was the most detestable thing.
However, when lustrous, emerald-green hair appeared behind the girl, Noah knew his hesitation was no longer necessary.
Forget it. I shouldn't repay kindness with malice.
"Good afternoon."
Seeing the silver-haired boy, Riveria, like Ais, didn't know what to say. The main issue was that she knew absolutely nothing about him, so what was there to talk about?
However, when her eyes swept over the huge collapsed section of the roof in front of Noah, as well as the bloodstains and traces of a fight along the street, she suddenly recalled the roar she had just heard.
Noah Sifel? And that sounded like the voice of Arachnia, right? Wait, could it be?
With a bit of disbelief, Riveria glanced at Noah but found that although he looked a little pale and his clothes were tattered, there wasn't a single wound on his body.
So, could those bloodstains be...
After deducing an answer that she herself found hard to believe, Riveria's eyes widened slightly. "Um, were you just fighting with a woman with light red hair?"
This time, Noah didn't remain silent. He simply nodded. "Oh? You mean Valletta? It was indeed that crazy woman. She's quite powerful."
Seeing Noah sheathe his silver sword with ease while casually talking about Arachnia, who made the whole city tremble with fear, Riveria was speechless for a moment.
This young man, who looked about the same age as the girls from the Astraea Familia, could actually make Arachnia suffer. Are young people today really this capable?
I don't know which Familia he comes from.
Last time, because he obviously didn't want any contact, Riveria hadn't pressed out of politeness. But this time, she felt she had to take it seriously.
As the struggle between Orario and Evilus intensified, a fighting power that could harm Arachnia could not be ignored.
"Well, I believe this incident was caused by the trouble you ran into while helping my child last time." Riveria leaned forward and apologized with the perfect etiquette of the elven royal family, then opened her emerald eyes and stared at Noah.
"I wonder which Lord God's child you are? Please tell me. The Loki Familia will come to apologize and express our gratitude."
Noah glanced at Riveria and felt that she was definitely a reliable teammate. She was gentle and reasonable but wasn't afraid to show her edge at critical moments and fight for the interests of her allies.
If I had such a good teammate before, I wouldn't have had to work so hard. It would be great if that 'Brave' Finn really has the legendary leadership wisdom he's said to. Then I could just turn off my brain and kill happily.
"I believe you just heard my name, Noah Sifel. I am planning to visit the Loki Familia. Your goddess is there too, right? If it's convenient, could you please lead the way?"
Noah glanced to the side and saw that quite a few people, both civilians and adventurers, had gathered below.
If possible, he didn't want to reveal here that he had not yet received the Falna. It was easy to imagine the uproar that would be caused once the news that an 'ordinary person' had defeated the Level 5 'Arachnia' leaked out.
Noah just wanted to fight, not to be stared at like a women.
"Eh? Well, okay then."
Riveria was a little surprised that Noah had agreed so quickly and had even taken the initiative to visit, especially after he had been so reclusive last time. But this also saved her a lot of trouble, and she was happy to see it happen.
Before leaving, Noah noticed the girls from the Astraea Familia maintaining order and rescuing the wounded, and he couldn't help but look at them a few more times.
At the same time, the masked blonde elf in the crowd suddenly raised her head and met his gaze.
Two pairs of blue eyes looked at each other from a distance. It seemed as if something was said, but also nothing at all.
After Noah turned and left, a human girl with short black hair walked over to the blonde elf.
"Ryu? What's wrong?"
"...I feel like I've met someone important."
What's going on? Why did I feel a sense of nostalgia and a sigh in that person's eyes when he looked at me?
Noah turned and left with Riveria and the silent Ais, heading towards the north of the city. Along the way, the three of them didn't say a word.
Noah was thinking about how to convince the goddess of the Loki Familia to let him, a man with a mysterious origin, join.
Riveria, leading the way, kept glancing at Noah from the corner of her eyes, trying to analyze some useful information from his expression.
Why did he agree to visit the Loki Familia?
Who is he?