Chapter 27: Loki Clan (Patreon)

The next three-odd weeks slipped quietly by in a cycle of Renan crafting magic gear, renovating the courtyard, and updating his Falna.

Then one day, someone knocked abruptly on the door of his villa.

Renan pulled it open and blinked in surprise. Standing outside were Alize, already wearing the magic armor he'd helped make, and Kaguya Gojouno, a magic tachi hanging at her waist.

Seeing the boy step out of the villa, Alize raised a hand with a grin. "Yo, Renan! Morning!"

Kaguya Gojouno gave a small nod beside her.

Renan returned the greeting politely, then thought for a moment. "May I ask what brings you both here today?"

He hadn't started out all that familiar with Alize or Kaguya Gojouno.

But over the past while, Astraea had shown up at his place every other day, if not every single one. To drag the goddess back, who was so happy here she'd forgotten the way home, Alize and Kaguya Gojouno, or sometimes other members of the Justice Familia, would come knocking at the villa door.

On top of that, Renan had made each of them a piece of magic gear that, in theory, could be used indefinitely.

One visit led to another, and before long they'd all gotten to know each other well.

Alize planted her hands on her hips, a bright, easy smile on her face. "Lady Astraea told us you've pushed several Abilities up to D lately, and that you're planning to take on Goliath for a Feat to level up. Kaguya and I did some figuring. It's been about half a month since the last floor boss was slain, so Goliath should be reborn from the Dungeon any day now. Probably in the next day or two."

Renan raised an eyebrow. "So you're actually here to invite me into the Dungeon?"

"Exactly." This time it was Kaguya Gojouno who answered. "We promised to help you earn a Feat to level up. Granted, you're a freak, and your stats are growing abnormally fast. By the time you go from Lv.2 to Lv.3, the Feat you'll need might be as hard as the ones Alize and I had to earn. But at least for this stage, the jump to Lv.2, with the two of us watching over you, we can make sure nothing happens to you."

Half a month ago, when Renan had finished converting his whole set of magic equipment, he'd already thought about taking a crack at Goliath.

But when his Falna was updated that night, Astraea had shot the idea down flat.

In the goddess's words: "Goliath is a floor boss, stronger than ordinary monsters. A Lv.1 Falna doesn't give you many stats, but when you're going for a Feat, every little bit of strength helps. So until you have two... no, three or more D-rank Abilities, I won't let Alize and the others take you into the Dungeon."

It hadn't crossed Astraea's mind that Renan might go into the Dungeon alone after being refused. They'd known each other long enough that she had a clear picture of the boy's cautious nature.

So the day had finally come?

The black-haired boy standing before Alize and Kaguya Gojouno let out a long breath, and an invigorated look spread across his face.

Hadn't he held back all this time, refusing to go into the Dungeon to farm monsters and rack up kills, precisely so he could solo Goliath and earn the Feat that would take him to Lv.2?

Now that the captain and vice-captain of the Justice Familia had extended the invitation, Renan certainly wasn't going to turn it down.

"Give me a moment."

With that, he vanished in a Thunderclap and Flash and reappeared in front of the armor stand on the first floor. In three or four quick movements he had [Astraea's Armor], its interior engraved with a dense web of rune combinations, strapped on. Then he hung [Astraea's Blade] on the left side of his waist and slid his staff in on the right.

Last of all, he didn't forget to shoulder his pack, which held over twenty bottles of recovery potions, Mind potions, antidotes and panaceas, plus more than two hundred rune scrolls of every kind.

"Thanks for waiting."

When the boy reappeared, armed to the teeth, Alize and Kaguya Gojouno, who'd meant to pass on a bit of veteran advice as senior adventurers, exchanged a glance.

Then they shrugged.

"All right, let's go."

…

From the surface to Floor 17, if you avoided fights as much as possible, the trip normally took eight to nine hours.

But Renan, Alize and Kaguya Gojouno had all learned Thunder Breathing. The latter two especially: they'd picked up the skill far later than Renan, who shared his experiences in the Demon Slayer world, yet they'd already brushed up against the edges of Total Concentration Constant.

Add the movement boost of Thunder Breathing's built-in technique, Thunderclap and Flash, and the three of them reached their destination shortly after lunchtime.

"Goliath hasn't spawned yet?"

Alize glanced at the empty platform not far ahead and shrugged.

Kaguya Gojouno was more cautious. "I'll make a round through Rivira and confirm the situation."

"Sure." Alize waved a hand. "Then Renan and I will stay on Floor 17. Perfect chance for Renan to practice on the regular monsters."

Renan had no objection to their plan.

Truth be told, it had been a while since he'd properly fought, and he could use a bit of practice to find his rhythm.

Apart from Goliath, the floor boss, whose challenge rating reached Lv.4, the monsters spawned on Floor 17 were only around Lv.2. And since adventurers passed through this area all the time, it was extremely rare to see a so-called enhanced variant.

So for the next half hour or more, Renan set off on his own little monster massacre.

Since Goliath could appear at any moment, he didn't use the [Mind Magic] he shared from the Harry Potter world at all. He didn't even activate [Astraea's Blade], which had long since lost any usage limit, for so much as a second.

Even so, the combat strength Renan displayed left Alize, standing guard nearby, gaping in astonishment.

Not one monster managed to withstand a single sword stroke from him. Either its neck was sliced through or the magic stone inside its body was pierced and shattered.

And Renan, his whole body sheathed in plate armor, hadn't even changed his breathing rate much.

Then Kaguya Gojouno, who'd gone off to Floor 18, came back. To his surprise, she had five figures with her.

Walking on the black-haired girl's left was a green-haired elf woman whose name was known to everyone in Orario: Riveria, "Nine Hell," one of the three great leaders of the Loki Familia.

The two girls on her right, judging by their revealing outfits and tan skin, seemed to be Amazons.

There was also a werewolf and a blonde human girl.

Clearly, barring some surprise, all of them were from the Loki Familia. They were very likely the Amazon sisters, the werewolf Bete, and the Sword Princess whom Renan had known from the anime in his previous life.

He just had no idea why they were traveling with Kaguya Gojouno.