As the most promising genius in the entire Loki Familia aside from Riezel, how could Ais possibly not possess a skill?
Not only did she possess one, but its effect was extraordinarily powerful.
Avenger—this was the name of the skill.
From the name alone, it was obvious that it had been born from her desire for revenge against the monster that had taken everything from her.
Consequently, the effect of this skill was extremely straightforward: when facing monsters, it would greatly enhance her attacks.
However, the degree of enhancement fluctuated according to the hatred she generated during battle—the stronger the hatred she harbored, the greater the amplification granted by the skill.
Moreover, when the enemy belonged to the same dragon-type category as the One-Eyed Black Dragon, the enhancement would increase even further, rising from a massive boost to an overwhelming one.
Once this skill was activated, her attack power would become unmatched, allowing her to effortlessly challenge enemies above her level.
Because of its immense power, even Loki had evaluated it as the strongest offensive skill in the Lower World. Especially when activated together with Ariel, Ais's combat ability would far exceed the limits of her current level.
A rule-breaking magic combined with a rule-breaking skill would inevitably produce a cheat-like power comparable to Uchide no Kozuchi.
If Ais's opponent was a dragon-type monster, then surpassing a single level would not even be the limit—she might even be able to fight across two levels and still emerge victorious.
In a sense, this was her true strongest power, her greatest trump card. Its effect completely surpassed that of Ariel, the rule-breaking enchantment-type magic. If the current her were to use it, she might even be capable of single-handedly defeating a Level 8.
For that reason, Ais did not actually need to long for greater power, because she already possessed it. As long as she could master the use of Avenger, her strength would increase explosively.
Yet, there was a reason why she had never intended to use this skill.
Such a rare and powerful skill inevitably carried side effects that could not be ignored.
Since this skill originated from her desire for revenge, once activated, intense hatred and negative emotions would manifest as pitch-black flames that eroded her mind, turning her into a berserker devoid of reason, something far more severe than Finn's Hell Finegas.
Hell Finegas merely unleashed the instinct to fight buried deep within a person—although it impaired judgment, it did not strip away reason.
Avenger was different.
Once Ais sank into hatred and could no longer free herself from it, she would undoubtedly lose her sanity and become a beast that attacked everything around her indiscriminately. For that reason, the high-ranking members of the familia, led by Loki and Finn, had long strictly forbidden Ais from using this skill, effectively sealing it away.
It was precisely because he knew this that Riezel, upon seeing how desperately Ais longed for power, chose to bring out the Tears of Eldo.
With this mystical artifact, Ais's spirit, soul, and mind would be protected by a mysterious force—they would not be eroded, nor would she lose her sanity upon activating Avenger.
Of course, that was not what concerned Ais at the moment.
Riezel had exposed the existence of Avenger, which meant he had seen through her true nature.
In her eyes, she was nothing more than an ugly avenger.
With that thought flashing through her mind, Ais lowered her head self-consciously.
"You…"
Watching Ais lower her head, Riezel revealed a faint, wry smile.
"Forget it. I'll just ask you directly," Riezel said helplessly as he looked straight into her eyes. "Do you want this necklace?"
Hearing this, Ais subconsciously tightened her grip on the necklace in her hand.
Feeling the fluctuation of magical energy coming from it, along with the cool sensation it transmitted, it was as though she had already triggered its effect, as her emotions gradually began to calm down.
"…If I take it, can I really use Avenger freely?"
Ais asked in a low voice, cautiously seeking confirmation.
"Well, not exactly..." Riezel let out a sigh. "It's your own skill. Even without me reminding you, you should know what kind of consequences reckless use would bring."
Ais silently nodded.
Aside from losing her sanity and turning into a monster consumed by hatred, using Avenger also came with various other negative effects.
For instance, her weapon might not be able to withstand the overwhelming power and could break immediately, or her body might fail to endure the excessive strength, placing an enormous burden on itself.
All of these side effects were similar to the ones Ariel had before she learned Wind Breathing, except the strain Avenger imposed on both the body and weapon was even greater.
Hence, using it briefly might still be manageable, but if used over an extended period of time, either she would collapse first, or her weapon would.
"At the very least, you won't have to worry about losing your sanity anymore," Riezel said, gazing steadily at her. "Of course, that is, as long as you don't willingly sink into the abyss of hatred."
Ais fell silent.
Avenger was a skill that grew stronger in direct proportion to the user's hatred.
In other words, if she, in pursuit of greater power, deliberately deepened the hatred within her heart while the skill was active, then even if she did not lose her sanity due to its side effects, she could still be consumed by excessive hatred and end up acting irrationally.
Unfortunately, that was something no item could suppress, which was exactly the situation Riezel was referring to.
"Before, I didn't give you the Tears of Eldo because I was worried that you might force yourself to recall those unbearable memories just to gain more power, pushing yourself back into a corner."
"Hatred is, in the end, a dangerous emotion. Anyone can lose themselves because of it."
"I didn't want you to become like that, which is why I didn't give you this item."
Indeed.
Otherwise, when he had returned to this world with numerous mystical artifacts, he would have already given the Tears of Eldo to Ais long ago.
Needless to say, the main reason he had refrained, it was because, in his view, every activation of Avenger was equivalent to forcing Ais to dig up the pain buried deep within her heart.
In fact, she was not the only one.
Within the Loki Familia, there was another individual who had awakened a dangerous power because of past trauma.
It was none other than Bete.
Bete possessed an enchant-type fire-attribute magic named Hati, a magic that was also extraordinarily powerful.
Even though it required a long chant, it possessed two rare effects: 'magical energy absorption' and 'damage absorption,' making it an extremely rare type even among enchant-type magic.
Once activated, he could absorb external magical energy, devouring all attacks containing magical energy that came into contact with him, thereby continuously increasing the output and power of his magic. And the metal boots he used, Flosvirt, were equipment created by partially reproducing the effects of this very magic.
Furthermore, while this magic was active, every injury he sustained would further strengthen it through the effect of 'damage absorption,' an ability even rarer than magical energy absorption.
In theory, as long as there was no limit to the damage he could endure and no limit to the magical energy he could absorb, the power of this magic could continue increasing without bound. It was much like Allen's Gralineze Fromel, a super-rare magic with no theoretical upper limit and virtually infinite potential.
By using injury as a cost and consuming the damage inflicted upon his body as fuel, Hati allowed Bete to grow stronger and stronger, surpassing all limits.
Its power was self-evident, yet Bete was unwilling to use this magic.
Not only because it was dangerous—requiring the user to suffer injuries to grow stronger—but also because its very nature of feeding upon pain reflected the deep emotional wounds he had once suffered.
He had once lived in the wilderness together with his kin, but during a large-scale monster attack, all of them were wiped out, leaving him as the sole survivor.
Before joining the Loki Familia, he had also belonged to another familia, where he had a lover who likewise died within the Dungeon. Losing what was important to him twice left deep emotional scars buried within him—scars that others could not easily perceive.
In the end, those scars ultimately manifested as the magic known as Hati.
For that reason, Bete refused to use it.
Because every time he used this magic, it was like digging into his own heartache and laying bare the wounds hidden deep within his heart in front of everyone. As a result, whenever his magic was brought up, his mood would immediately sour, and he would firmly insist that he could not use magic and would never use it.
In this regard, Ais was no different.
Every activation of Avenger was equivalent to stirring up the hatred buried within her heart and reopening wounds that had yet to heal.
Riezel could not help but worry.
He worried that if she used Avenger carelessly, she might recall those unforgettable pains, become completely dominated by hatred, and eventually turn into a doll devoid of emotion—one that slaughtered monsters without the slightest feeling.
Even with the Tears of Eldo, that outcome could not be completely avoided.
It was precisely because of this concern that he had never brought out the Tears of Eldo before.
Until today, when he finally took out this ancient mystical artifact.
"I hope you won't use it lightly, and even more so, that you won't use that skill carelessly," Riezel told Ais in a serious tone. "If you must use it—if you truly must use that skill—then I want you to use it to protect the people around you, not for revenge."
Ais immediately fell into deep silence.
Seeing this, Riezel decided to apply even stronger pressure.
"If I find out you're abusing that skill just because you have this item, then I may take it back at any time," Riezel said with utmost seriousness. "Do you understand?"
Ais raised her head and looked at him, meeting his gaze directly.
Within his eyes, she saw hesitation, concern, and a level of seriousness that clearly showed he was not joking at all, making her fully understand that if she truly abused that skill with the Tears of Eldo, then the boy before her would personally reclaim the necklace and seal away that ominous power sleeping within her once more.
"Protect the people around me…"
Ais tightened her grip on the necklace and recalled the leader of the second party that would infiltrate Knossos with her tomorrow night—Riveria.
Finn had assigned Ais, whose strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Level 6, to Riveria's second party as her deputy precisely because Riveria needed protection.
Riveria was, after all, a mage.
As a mage, she needed someone to protect her, giving her the time and opportunity to chant magic, which was why Ais had been chosen. Among all First-Class Adventurers aside from the Level 7s, she was unquestionably the strongest—there was no one more suitable than her to protect Riveria.
"For you, Riveria is practically no different from a mother, isn't she?"
As though he could see straight through Ais's thoughts, Riezel suddenly smiled faintly and spoke.
"In that case, make sure you protect your second mom this time. Don't be like last time—powerless in the face of your mom's death."
Riezel's single sentence completely ignited the determination within Ais.
"…I understand."
Ais's expression became resolute.
"I will."
As she spoke, Ais placed the necklace around her neck.
Under the moonlight, the necklace engraved with mysterious runes and patterns emitted an indescribable glow. As its wearer, she felt a refreshing clarity wash over her mind, as though all her worries had vanished, leaving her in an unprecedented state of ease.
"Tears of Eldo…"
Reaching up to touch the necklace hanging around her neck, Ais gradually began to believe that this necklace truly could protect her heart and keep her from falling into the abyss of hatred.
"Thank you, Riezel..."
At last, Ais's expression softened slightly as she turned toward him and quietly thanked him.
"Nah, there's no need to thank me." Riezel shook his head with a faint smile, then, after a brief moment of thought, reached toward his waist and untied the sword hanging there. "By the way, take this too."
Riezel actually handed Fool over to Ais.
"No..."
Ais immediately frowned and refused without the slightest hesitation.
Was he joking?
Fool was Riezel's weapon—his personal sword.
If he handed it over to her, then what weapon was he supposed to use himself?
"Relax..." Riezel smiled helplessly at her reaction. "I already have a weapon that suits me better, and I plan to use it during this operation."
As he spoke, he lightly tapped the black blade hanging at his side.
"As for this sword, it's basically optional for me now, but you're different. I'm sure Fool will help you far more than it helps me."
Fool was, after all, the finest masterpiece personally forged by Tsubaki, Orario's number one blacksmith.
Even though Fool, like Ais's Desperate, was a weapon with pure Durandal attribute, the quality of Ais's Desperate was still slightly below the standard of true first-class equipment. Fool, on the other hand, could easily be considered top-tier even among first-class weapons.
A weapon like that would undoubtedly be able to increase Ais's combat power greatly.
"In this operation, we'll be moving separately in different parties." Riezel looked directly at her as he spoke in a calm voice. "I won't be able to look after you all the time, so let it help you in my place. Make good use of it, okay?"
With that, he gently placed Fool into Ais's hands—the weight of the sword settled into her palms, carrying a faint lingering warmth that had yet to fade.
Unable to refuse any further, Ais finally accepted it and silently tightened her grip around the hilt.
At this moment, she suddenly felt that she was not alone at all.
Because there was someone who had always been thinking about her, caring about her, supporting her, and silently helping her from behind all this time.
With that realization, Ais slowly lifted her head and looked straight at Riezel, her golden eyes, which were usually cold and distant, now carrying an unusually soft light.
"Really... thank you..."
Her soft murmur quietly drifted away beneath the moonlit night.
Riezel did not respond—whether he had not heard it or had simply chosen not to reply was unclear, as he merely smiled faintly.
In the end, the two stood there gazing at each other in silence for a long while, and it wasn't until some time later that they simultaneously lifted their heads and looked up at the sky, quietly admiring the moon.
Just like that, the night before the operation against Knossos passed in silence.
And so, the next day, the various familias participating in the operation quietly departed from their respective familia homes, heading toward the Dungeon and Daedalus Street.
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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