Regarded as Orario's and even the world's strongest familias, the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia possessed distinctly different atmospheres and roles.
Under the leadership of its executives, the Loki Familia had been united as one.
From top to bottom, they fought side by side, working together like a large family—a cohesive group that emphasized cooperation, where no one was left behind.
Meanwhile, the Freya Familia stood at the opposite extreme.
It did not value unity or cooperation and instead placed extreme emphasis on individual combat strength, causing internal contradictions and conflicts to run deep. Infighting was severe, mainly because every member held an unshakable desire.
What desire?
It was the desire to receive the favor of the Goddess of Beauty, Freya.
They were not only warriors of the Freya Familia but also devout followers of their goddess.
Enthralled by the charm of that Goddess of Beauty, reduced to those who knelt beneath her, the members of the Freya Familia were, in general, such beings. In order to make that goddess glance at them even once more, they desperately sought to display their worth—the radiance of their souls.
To elevate that Goddess of Beauty above the clouds, they would stop at nothing to grow stronger, intending to safeguard the supreme position of their goddess. In their eyes, Freya was a one-of-a-kind goddess—the heavenly maiden who deserved to possess everything in the world and to step freely into any corner of it at her whim.
Hence, to grow stronger, to attract the attention of that goddess, and to earn the favor of that goddess, they fought and trained day and night, striving to improve their strength even if only by the smallest margin.
As a result, the Freya Familia's home, Folkvangr, had been filled with constant combat between its members day and night, though these clashes were far too violent to be considered mere mock battles and far too brutal to be called training—it was more akin to ritualistic mutual slaughter, comparable to that of a warrior nation.
With no fixed opponents and no room for mercy, they continuously engaged in chaotic, large-scale battles until the sun set within Folkvangr. Through such methods, nearly every member of the Freya Familia became a fearless warrior akin to the amazonesses of Telskyura, rapidly growing stronger.
Needless to say, this was the secret behind why one of Orario's strongest familias—the Freya Familia—had become so powerful.
Relentless and brutal internal strife.
Competition that disregarded the lives of comrades.
For the sake of their goddess's favor, they advanced at a pace far surpassing that of other familias' members, driven by a near-suicidal resolve, ascending toward ever greater heights.
Under such conditions, every member of the Freya Familia was powerful, yet each was also a lone wolf who did not value unity or camaraderie. In their eyes, those outside the familia were enemies who might threaten the goddess's position, while those within the familia were rivals competing for her favor.
Consequently, they did not unite as one, nor did they engage in teamwork. Instead, they focused solely on demonstrating their own strength, relying on themselves to overcome every hardship.
One side emphasized individual strength, while the other compensated through group cooperation—this was the greatest difference between the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia, and this was also why, whether it was Ottar, Allen, or the other executives of the Freya Familia, in order to obtain high-rank excelia, they ultimately undertook solo expeditions.
Unless commanded by their goddess, they would never cooperate with one another. At most, groups like the four pallum brothers known as Bringar would fight in coordination, yet even they did not regard themselves as four individuals, but as a single entity acting together.
Naturally, they also viewed the familia's captain, Ottar, as their greatest rival, constantly seeking to defeat him—or even eliminate him.
And this was why Allen had challenged Ottar.
In order to obtain high-rank excelia, Allen had unhesitatingly chosen to challenge the strongest adventurer. If it had been on the surface, or within the familia's home, Folkvangr, Allen would never have been able to fulfill this wish.
Even though infighting within the Freya Familia was severe, conflicts among First-Class Adventurers could lead to the familia's destruction, so Freya herself had issued a strict order: executives were forbidden from fighting on the surface, and they were also prohibited from participating in the constant battles within Folkvangr.
Only within the Dungeon could they freely challenge—or even attack—their fellow familia members.
Hence, Allen challenged Ottar.
As for whether that challenge had succeeded in the end, it had not been disclosed.
Nevertheless, Allen successfully rose to Level 7.
Meanwhile, Ottar chose to seek revenge against the Monster Rex, Balor, on the 49th Floor.
Already infinitely close to Level 8, and now having defeated a powerful opponent he had once failed to overcome, this seemed to become the final push that allowed Ottar to surpass his current limits and step into a new stage.
Of course, other events might have occurred in between.
After all, Ottar had undertaken a solo expedition to the 49th Floor—and perhaps even ventured beyond. Delving that deep into the Dungeon alone may have allowed him to accumulate a significant amount of excelia, ultimately completing the necessary growth.
In any case, it was an undeniable fact that Ottar had become Level 8 and Allen had become Level 7.
'Stimulated by this, perhaps Hildrsleif, Dainsleif, and Bringar will all push themselves even harder.'
Riezel fell into thought.
Hedin Selland, Hogni Ragnar, and the Gulliver Brothers—a total of six individuals—had all remained at their current levels for quite some years. As long as they could obtain high-rank excelia, they too would ascend to a new stage, just like the executives of the Loki Familia.
In other words, these six were also in a state where they could level up at any moment.
'In the end, the Freya Familia is still the Freya Familia. It won't be easy to shake them off...'
Riezel sighed slightly.
In addition...
'Bell Cranel has already reached Level 3, huh...'
Riezel took note of this piece of news.
After only a month, this original protagonist had once again leveled up at a speed that defied comprehension, and it had taken even less time than when he had reached Level 2, which caused quite a stir in Orario. If not for the far more sensational news of Ottar and Allen leveling up overshadowing him, this Little Rookie might have become the center of attention across the entire city.
Although Bell's leveling speed was not as fast as Riezel's, it was still inhuman compared to others. Moreover, the time he took to reach Level 3 was even shorter than the time he had needed to reach Level 2, making it so shocking that one could hardly believe it.
Even Riezel himself had required more time with each subsequent level up, yet Bell had gone against that pattern, as his leveling time had not increased but had instead decreased—something that even Riezel himself had never achieved.
'Was it because of the conflict with the Apollo Familia?'
Riezel took note of the reason behind Bell's level-up.
While the Loki Familia had been rushing about, making tense preparations for the second assault against Man-Made Dungeon Knossos, the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia had apparently clashed.
Compared to the Loki Familia or the Freya Familia, the Apollo Familia was a fairly capable mid-rank familia in the city. Its familia rank was D, its captain was Level 3, and it had several Level 2 members. Among all the familias in Orario, it ranked above average, but compared to the newly established Hestia Familia, it was considerably stronger.
However, the Apollo Familia did not have a good reputation in Orario, as their god, Apollo, was a depraved deviant who pursued both men and women. Once he took an interest in someone, he would use any means necessary to destroy their familia and force them to join his familia, earning the disdain of many gods.
And this time, he had set his sights on Bell, who was hailed as the second monster rookie. For that reason, he did not hesitate to act against the Hestia Familia, even resorting to underhanded tactics to slander them and provoke conflict.
Unfortunately, Apollo had underestimated the Hestia Familia—or rather, he had underestimated Bell.
As the only person in all of Orario besides Riezel who could break through the limits of status, raising his basic abilities to SS-rank and even pushing his specialized basic abilities to SSS-rank, Bell had, after a month of training, already reached the limits of Level 2—and had even surpassed them.
In a sense, he was the same as Riezel—an existence that surpassed the limits.
As a result, the Apollo Familia met with disaster.
Their sole Level 3 was defeated in a direct confrontation with Bell, who had very likely surpassed the limits of his status once again, while the rest of their members were defeated by the other members of the Hestia Familia.
After this battle, Bell advanced to Level 3 and became a Second-Class Adventurer.
'Going up against the original protagonist and not getting wiped out by plot inevitability was already kinda impressive.'
Riezel put down the newspaper in his hand, and just then, he thought of something else.
'Now that Bell's hit Level 3, does that mean that event's about to happen?'
Riezel lightly tapped his fingers against the table.
In the original story, not long after Bell reached Level 3, he became entangled with the Ishtar Familia due to matters involving his familia companions.
It was during that incident that the Ishtar Familia set their sights on Bell, while Bell himself became entangled with them because of his companions. In the end, that foolish goddess used her charm on someone she should never have targeted.
And in doing so, she successfully enraged a certain goddess who had already set her sights on Bell.
'Ishtar Familia...'
Recalling what they had done previously in Knossos, as well as their covert assistance to the Kali Familia, Riezel suddenly smiled.
'Let's settle your account first, Ishtar...'
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