By this time, night had already fallen, once again illuminating the Labyrinth City, Orario, with countless magic stone lamps that glimmered like jewels embedded throughout the streets—anyone looking down from above would find the city exceptionally dazzling and beautiful.
Meanwhile, the members of the Loki Familia at Twilight Manor had finished their dinner and were beginning their nighttime activities.
However, in Finn’s office, a heavy atmosphere lingered.
In the office, furnished with a large bookcase and a fireplace, the pallum captain, Finn, sat behind his desk, the elf royalty, Riveria, stood by the wall, and the dwarf warrior, Gareth, sat on a wooden round stool beside the desk, his heavy frame making it creak under the weight.
Goddess Loki was also present, sitting atop Finn’s blackwood desk with one leg crossed over the other, showing a distinct lack of decorum.
Despite their usual composure, both the top executives of the familia and the normally carefree goddess now wore expressions of grave seriousness, exchanging tense glances.
Why?
Simple.
Riezel had arrived and stood before the desk, reporting the entire situation he had encountered in the Dungeon in detail.
"Human and monster hybrids, huh...?" Finn was the first to break the silence, his brow furrowed as he spoke softly. "To think such unimaginable existences have appeared... do the gods even know about this?"
Needless to say, the news Riezel brought had clearly shocked the top executives of the familia deeply.
Riveria and Gareth, like Finn, frowned and remained silent.
Loki, however, did not furrow her brow, though her golden eyes widened slightly.
"If you’re asking me, Finn..." Loki said slowly. "This is something even the gods didn’t see coming. Seriously... guess that’s the Lower World for ya?
Because the Lower World was filled with unknowns beyond the gods’ comprehension, they descended to this world, drawn by an irresistible fascination with it.
Loki explained to Finn that the situation unfolding now was exactly the kind of unknown that various gods longed for and found thrilling.
In other words, even the gods were unaware that human and monster hybrids existed in this world.
"Is this a good thing?" Gareth asked, sensing a flicker of curiosity and excitement in the goddess, his tone sharp. "Y’know, they are the same evil beings that threatened to destroy Babel and Orario."
"Exactly," Riveria replied, her expression grave. "Though we don’t know why they want to do this, since they are monsters, it isn’t difficult to understand."
It was common knowledge that monsters tried to break out of the Dungeon and wreak havoc on surface life. Orario had been built precisely to stop them, and Babel was constructed as a safeguard, serving as its lid.
In other words, to the monsters, Orario was a prison, and Babel was the cell within that prison, so it was only natural that they would attempt to break out of the cell.
What made them wonder was how they would accomplish it.
"Do you think they can?" Loki asked, speaking as though the matter were of no personal concern, prompting the others to fall into deep thought.
Each of them analyzed and cross-referenced the available information, attempting to extract useful insights and formulate hypotheses.
Finn, in particular, had already unleashed a storm of thoughts in his mind.
"Let’s review the known information first," Finn said, taking the lead. "Our enemies are human-monster hybrids, capable of controlling those so-called Violas seen at Monster Feria. To breed those monsters, they converted a Pantry into what they call a nursery, and used that mysterious Jewel Fetus to draw nutrients from the Pantry, nurturing the monsters to maturity."
"And the Violas all have colorful appearances, even the magic stones are vibrant..." Riveria noted, closing one eye. "Well, this matches the traits of those caterpillar monsters we encountered in the Deep Floors."
"Also, Riezel mentioned that once the Jewel Fetus takes over a monster, it turns into a woman-like form, just like the one we saw on the 50th Floor," Gareth said grimly. "Putting that together, it’s pretty clear that the new monster species we ran into on our last expedition is probably linked to those hybrids."
"On the 24th and 30th Floors, there were some crazy spikes in monster activity," Loki added, folding her arms. "Both times were caused by those hybrids and the Jewel Fetus, so it pretty much confirms that somewhere below the 51st Floor, one or more Pantries might’ve been turned into a nursery too. With that in mind, it’s kinda inevitable that we’ll run into them sooner or later."
One should know that the Loki Familia was currently exploring floors no familia had ever reached, aiming for the 59th Floor, where even the Freya Familia had never ventured that far.
Aside from the long-reigning familias of Zeus and Hera, no other familias in the world had set foot there.
And the Loki Familia now intended to reach it, becoming the third familia, after Zeus and Hera, to explore the unknown depths of the Dungeon.
If the hybrids had set up nurseries that deep and bred those woman-like monsters with the Jewel Fetus, a confrontation with the Loki Familia was inevitable.
"Even without that, conflict is likely unavoidable," Finn said calmly. "If their goal truly is to destroy Orario and Babel, we are certainly in their way."
Riveria and Gareth both nodded in agreement as they understood that those hybrids were clearly plotting in secret to overturn Orario.
As one of Orario’s strongest familias, the Loki Familia was bound to become a target.
Even though all familias in Orario were obligated to cooperate with the Guild to protect Orario, even without this regulation, no familia—including the Loki Familia—could ignore a group aiming to topple Orario.
Once Orario fell, the unchecked Dungeon would spew monsters onto the surface, turning it into a wasteland and making the world revert to the ancient times before the gods’ arrival, a dark era where monsters poured out of the Dungeon’s chasms to ravage the land.
Such a catastrophe would be unprecedented.
As the saying goes, ’if one prospers, all prosper; if one suffers, all suffer.’
Publicly or privately, the Loki Familia had to stop this scheme, so the two sides were already irreconcilable enemies.
"But the frightening part is that they seem to have helpers..." Riveria said, raising another concern. "Those zealots who strapped on kaenseki on their bodies and were willing to self-destruct just to delay Riezel and Ais... they aren’t hybrids, are they?"
All eyes turned toward Riezel, who had remained silent, waiting for Finn and the others to organize the existing information and discuss it.
Under their gaze, Riezel nodded.
"Yes, they aren’t hybrids since they lack their distinct abnormal traits. They don’t possess such immense power, can’t control the Violas, and die immediately upon self-destruction, unlike the hybrids with their regenerative abilities."
Even Asfi could tell, so proving this point was undeniable.
"Suicidal zealots, huh...?" Gareth muttered, his face contorting as if in discomfort. "Could those damn assholes be back?"
Everyone present knew exactly who he was referring to.
"Tch..." Loki clicked her tongue. "Evilus... those damn bastards not all dead yet?"
’Evilus’ referred to a group of radical familias in Orario led by gods claiming to be evil, who once opposed order and desired chaos because those gods could not accept peace, order, or light, seeking to transform the world into chaos and darkness.
And those evil gods were radical gods who, after Zeus and Hera were expelled from Orario, caused its dark period in Orario known as the Dark Age.
It went without saying that the members of Evilus were all villains—fanatics or dangerously insane individuals.
Several years ago, under the Guild’s leadership, multiple powerful familias united to defeat Evilus, ending the Dark Age and restoring peace.
Now, Finn and the others suspected that remnants of Evilus still existed, collaborating with those hybrids to sow chaos once more, which made them look grim at this possibility.
One should know that the Loki Familia had risen during the Dark Age, meaning they had long clashed with Evilus’s madmen and endured countless battles with them.
Many seniors of the Loki Familia had even died at the hands of Evilus’s members, and the familia’s main force had also played a key role in defeating Evilus years ago.
Given that, the two sides were irreconcilable enemies.
Now, with those defeated enemies showing signs of resurgence, how could Finn and the others look anything but grim?
"We need to seriously discuss this."
Finn made a decision, his expression solemn and grim.
Seeing this, Riezel quietly withdrew, mission accomplished.
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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