Chapter 28: Battle Goliath (Part 1) (Patreon)

As these thoughts flickered through Renan's mind, Alize was already striding forward to greet the group standing beside Kaguya Gojouno.

"Riveria, it's been a while."

"And you too, Aiz. Good to see you."

As the highest-ranking member of Loki Familia present, Riveria instinctively took over the conversation with Alize.

"Good afternoon, Alize." The green-haired elf wore an apologetic look as she spoke. "Aiz and the others were resting in Rivira Town when we ran into Kaguya. She was asking around about when Goliath respawns, and out of curiosity, Aiz and a few of my children wanted to come up and watch the fight."

"Of course, if Astraea Familia, or rather that young man, minds, we can simply leave."

Clearly, back on Floor 18, Riveria had already pried it out of Kaguya: the Captain and Vice-Captain of Justice Familia were acting as bodyguards today for the boy encased head to toe in armor a short distance away.

Alize didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned to look at Renan.

"What do you say?" She didn't speak his name.

After all, their goddess had told them again and again in private to reveal Renan's identity as little as possible.

Seeing Alize toss the question his way, Renan thought it over for two seconds. Then his head, hidden behind helmet and faceguard, bobbed up and down.

"Fine."

Don't get the wrong idea. Renan had no desire to show himself off before a crowd.

He had always preferred moving in the shadows and quietly getting rich.

The only reason he agreed was that even if he refused, the Loki Familia group probably wouldn't really leave. At most, they'd go from watching openly to sneaking off and spying from hiding.

That was also why Kaguya Gojouno had decided to bring them all up after running into them on Floor 18.

Riveria now turned her gaze toward the plate-armored boy.

In fact, the moment she'd noticed Kaguya asking about Goliath, she'd put it together with the recent dealings between Astraea Familia and Loki Familia. As one of Loki Familia's three leaders, she had a hunch that Astraea Familia was probably planning to help the adventurer who had been secretly supplying the rune scrolls win a Feat today.

A production-type adventurer who could make items with effects similar to magic swords, at a far cheaper price.

In any Familia, someone like that would be considered a treasure.

Now that she had the chance to meet him, Riveria certainly wasn't about to let it slip.

Even if she couldn't invite him into her own Familia, becoming a familiar face to him would only benefit Loki Familia, with no downside at all.

With that in mind, the green-haired elf smiled and began, "Friend, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Riveria of Loki Familia. This is Aiz, and these are Tiona, Tione, and Bete, who joined our Familia not long ago."

Renan dipped his head at them, a greeting of sorts.

Then a full twenty seconds of silence descended.

Seeing that the other side wasn't biting at all, and didn't even plan to give his name, Riveria found her smile getting hard to keep up.

She opened her mouth to try saying something more.

But just then, a noise rose from the platform not far away.

Rock after rock cracked loose from the wall behind the platform and crashed down.

Everyone turned to look. Through the fissures, they could already make out the huge silhouette of the floor boss.

Alize, who had been dreading how stiff the mood was, jumped at the chance. "Whatever it is, it can wait until later."

Riveria: "…"

She shot a vicious glare at Goliath in the distance, almost fully formed and about to make his grand entrance.

If she weren't worried about angering that nameless armored boy, she'd have wanted to blast the floor boss down right then with a High-Grade Sword of Victory.

After a helpless sigh, Nine Hell nodded. "Fine."

While the two of them talked, Renan had already charged ahead toward the platform.

He even remembered to shout a claim as he went: "Everyone clear out! This guy is my prey!"

Even as he spoke, he had his sword in his right hand and his staff in his left. In an instant, he opened with "Armor Ward," wrapping himself in a transparent turtle shell.

Three seconds later, Goliath, who had been curled up hugging his knees, was spat out of the stone wall by the Dungeon.

The moment he appeared, he started with zero wind-up and fired a Roar straight at Renan.

But obviously, Renan had been expecting it and wasn't about to get hit.

Thunderclap and Flash.

Yellow-white lightning crackled across the armor he wore, and the toe of his planted right foot angled outward a dozen or so degrees more than it would in ordinary walking.

By the time Goliath's Roar landed, Renan had already appeared five meters ahead and to the right.

At that point, he was still less than forty meters from Goliath.

Behind them.

The armored boy had merely chanted an ultra-short spell and casually produced a shield that she would have needed a long incantation to cast. Sure, its defense might not match hers, but she hadn't forgotten that he was only a Lv3.

Riveria, already one of Orario's top mages, felt her lovely eyes narrow slightly.

The other four from Loki Familia weren't faring much better.

"Lightning attribute… an enchantment spell?!"

Aiz's lips parted. Her expression looked calm, but anyone who knew her could tell this was already a very shocked face.

Tiona, the younger of the Amazon sisters, had bright, shining eyes. "Oh! He's a magic swordsman?"

Even Bete, the werewolf with the worst attitude of the lot, kept his usual sour look, as if everyone owed him something. Yet he stared hard at the battle about to erupt in the distance, unwilling to miss a single detail.

Alize and Kaguya Gojouno hadn't forgotten why they were here.

Renan's charging off without a word had stunned them for half a second, but they snapped out of it quickly. They exchanged a glance, then both ran to the edge of the platform.

Ready to step into the fight or pull him out at any moment.

Renan couldn't be bothered with anyone else's reaction. Right now, his eyes held only Goliath.

After dodging another Roar, he closed to within twenty meters of the boss.

At this range, Goliath, as a giant-type monster, could attack with his arms or legs.

And sure enough, he did just that.

Right after another Roar, he struck the pose of a soccer player in Renan's previous life winding up for a thunderous shot: right leg drawn back, calf and thigh muscles bunched tight.

In the next instant, he would deliver a kick straight at Renan, who had just finished using Thunderclap and Flash.

But right then, Renan, who until now had only defended and dodged and never once gone on the offensive, wore a sudden smile on his face behind the faceguard.