(Hestia POV – Orario, Northern Main Street)
I walk along the street toward the shop with a small frown tugging at my lips.
'Riven would rather fight monsters than sleep next to me…'
I know it isn't true…
'But that doesn't mean I can't still be mad about it!' I huff internally.
"He better come back soon…" I mutter, folding my arms as I walk. And after a few more steps…
I finally notice something odd.
The street is… different.
It feels empty.
Usually, Orario's main roads are packed with adventurers, laughing, boasting, even arguing. It's noisy and chaotic, but breathes vibrant energy into the city.
But today…
"Why are there so few adventurers out…?" I murmur.
Crowds are thinned, mainly filled with regular people. I walk a little slower, glancing around more carefully.
The few adventurers I spot walk with heavy faces. Small groups whisper to each other in tight circles, faces serious, voices low. Even the taverns, full at any hour of the day, look subdued and desolate.
'…That's weird.' I think. 'Really weird.'
And I don't know why.
I almost stop someone to ask, but none of them seem eager to converse, and…
"I'm almost late!" I yelp, suddenly noticing how much time I took observing.
I start speed walking, rushing towards the store.
"I'm supposed to be the boss, but I have to rush to be on time." I groan. "It's all Riven's fault."
Another item on my mental checklist of reasons to be mad at Riven.
By the time I reach the store, I'm already flustered. I hurry inside, change into my "work uniform"—which is really just one of the cute dresses Riven prepared for me in advance—and open up shop.
I take my seat behind the counter… and wait.
Customers trickle in, but nowhere near the usual crowd. The bells over the door jingle less often than normal, and the normally busy and exciting job suddenly has time for me to slack off.
Two hours pass.
Then—
BANG!
"Hestia! There you are!" The door slams open so hard it rattles the windows.
"Wah?!" I squeak, nearly tumbling off my stool.
"Hephaestus?!" I clutch my chest, steadying my breathing. "Don't just barge in like that!"
I puff out my cheeks in a pout, then freeze.
Her expression is serious and focused. Her gaze sweeps across the store like she's looking for something, looking more grave when she can't find it.
"…What happened?" I ask hesitantly.
"Is Riven still in the dungeon?" She asks urgently.
I blink. "Y-yeah. He didn't come back last night."
Her brows knit together, observing me seriously, before letting out a sigh of relief.
"…Then he's probably still fine." She mutters.
My stomach twists with anxiety.
"Fine from what?" I demand. "What's going on? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Sit still." She says. "And don't panic…"
"I am sitting!" I protest, ignoring her latter words.
"Something's provoked the dungeon." She sighs. "It's forming Monster parties on multiple floors, and every adventurer still inside is in danger."
I freeze, my eyes widen at the implication.
"The Freya Familia's forming teams to fight the monsters, but everything happened so suddenly that there wasn't any time to save the adventurers in the dungeon." She continues. "And I was worried about Riven."
As her words finish, I immediately check and see that my connection to Riven is still there.
'He's still alive.' I breathe a sigh of relief.
"He's still alive." I tell Hephaestus.
"I figured as much since you didn't look heartbroken or sad." She smiles.
"…Thanks for checking in." I smile back.
I sit there for a moment, digesting her words, and quickly…
"Phew." Relief floods my system as my worries fade away. "Riven's gonna be fine." I say lightly, waving my hand.
Hephaestus looks at me weirdly.
I rub my chin thoughtfully. "So that's why the city feels weird and there were so few adventurers around. They're probably helping with the dungeon."
"Yes, that's correct, but…" She pauses, searching for the words. "So unconcerned? Aren't you worried about Riven?"
My lips twitches.
"…Riven's probably having the time of his life down there." I mutter unhappily, when Hephaestus's hand touches my forehead, her gaze filled with concern.
"Hestia… are you feeling alright?" She asks worriedly.
(Hephaestus POV – Hearth of Threads)
"I'm fine!" Hestia swats my hand away. "Riven always does things like this. He likes dangerous stuff. If monsters are flooding the dungeon, he's probably having a great time."
'…That's not normal.'
"He actually enjoys it." She continues, launching into a rant. "Every time he goes down there, I end up stressed whenever I hear what he was doing. I'm sure this time will be no different."
I stare at her.
'He always does things like that…?'
That phrasing sticks with me.
"Hestia…" I say slowly. "How strong is Riven, exactly?"
She blinks. "Huh?"
"I don't need to hear his stats, but you talk about him like he can easily beat everything in the upper floors." I ponder.
"Well… he is." She says matter-of-factly. "They're all Level 1s, so it makes sense he can beat them." She nods to herself. "I didn't like him beating Minotaurs, but he didn't struggle much with them either."
It baffles me how she doesn't realise how crazy it all is. But, I've heard what I needed to hear.
'So, even at Level 1, he can beat Minotaurs easily?'
That explains why Hestia requested I make him a weapon. It even explains why she's not panicking when the dungeon is overrun with monsters.
But it makes something else far more troubling.
'Gathering Exelia shouldn't be difficult for him.' I analyse. 'Then why did he go into the dungeon at such an odd hour? Beating a Minotaur at Level 1 should've given him enough Exelia to Level up.'
Hunting normal monsters would be pointless for him. The timing matches up too perfectly with Goliath's spawn. Even the dungeon started acting up soon after.
"…Hestia." I say softly.
"Yeah?"
"Did Riven tell you why he went into the dungeon today?"
She thinks. "Not really. He just said there was one last thing he wanted to do before leveling up."
My stomach sinks.
One last thing.
My fingers curl slightly against the table.
"A last thing… before leveling up." I repeat.
"…Is that bad?" She asks in confusion.
I take a slow breath.
"It might be nothing." I say carefully. "But there's a chance you're underestimating how… direct Riven is."
She tilts her head. "Direct?"
"Hestia," I continue, "is there any chance that he went into the dungeon to fight… Goliath?"
She stares at me.
Then she laughs.
"Goliath? No way." She waves it off. "He's Level 1. That thing's a Level 4 Monster Rex. And it gets killed quickly whenever it spawns anyway. Even if he wanted to, it would've been long dead."
Relief loosens my chest in the first half.
"It is there." I remind her.
She stops waving her hand.
"It respawned recently. Around the same time the dungeon started acting strangely."
Silence.
I watch the words hit her.
At first, she doesn't react.
Then her brows knit.
Then her eyes widen.
Then her mouth opens slightly.
"…Hephaestus." She whispers. "You're joking, right?"
"I wish I was."
"…Goliath didn't spawn again." She says in denial. "It can't have."
"It did."
Her shoulders tense.
"But you said he couldn't—" I begin, when she cuts me off.
"That's because I didn't think he'd find it!" she blurts out.
She shoots to her feet.
"Would he do something like that?" She mutters, pacing around the store. "Yes. Of course he would. That's exactly the kind of stupid thing he'd do for fun!"
She presses a hand to her forehead.
"He was acting weird last night… Why else would he update his status, then go to the dungeon immediately after? I should've known."
Her steps grow faster, and her breathing quickens.
"I should've stopped him." She wheezes, looking like she's about to have a meltdown.
"Hestia—" I stand and hug her, trying to calm her down.
"He's Level 1!" She snaps, panic finally breaking through. "Goliath can kill a whole party of Level 3s easily!"
She looks at me, eyes wide and glassy, brimming with tears.
"…What if he actually went after it?" Her voice quivers, looking at me for guidance. "What if…"
I hug her tightly. "Don't worry. Riven's still alive, and he's smart enough to know when to run." I say supportively, but Hestia's continued silence makes me worry.
'Don't you dare die, Riven.' I think, glancing in the dungeon's direction. 'Hestia needs you.'
(Freya POV – Tower of Babel, 50th Floor)
Divine Mirrors fill the room, each one displaying a different floor of the Dungeon.
Yet my eyes never leave the one that shows him.
Riven's figure is small when measured against Black Goliath's massive form, yet he keeps rising, bloodied and smiling, charging back in after every fall.
I recline in my seat, crossing one leg over the other.
"Is my Familia's performance… satisfactory, Ouranos?" I ask lightly.
A heavy silence fills the air.
"We both know you're deliberately slowing their advance." Ouranos replies, his voice echoing through the chamber with restrained displeasure.
"That is not what I asked." I laugh softly. "They have secured the First through Fourth Floors. And this far, no monster has escaped the dungeon."
My lower-ranked children sweep for survivors and stragglers, while my elites take their time mowing everything down.
"Multiple Level Fives should already reached the Seventeenth Floor." Ouranos says. "You are stalling."
"I wouldn't phrase it that way." I sigh, folding my hands in my lap. "They were dispatched on short notice, with incomplete preparations and supplies. Surely you can't expect perfection."
Another long silence.
Then, a tired breath.
"You are playing with lives, Freya." Ouranos says sternly.
I simply smile.
All those who enter the dungeon should have been prepared to die in the dungeon. Both Ouranos and I understand this.
Whether my Familia could've saved them or not, their deaths are their own faults. Such is the price of being weak.
'At this moment,' I muse, 'my Familia controls access to the Dungeon.'
'How… inconveniently attached everyone has become to him.' I think, recalling how a few meddlesome kids from the Loki and Hephaestus Familia wanted to search for Riven.
"…Can't he just simply be mine?" I murmur.
On the mirror, Riven staggers upright once more, numerous injuries grace his body, simply from the aftershocks of Goliath's attacks.
And yet—
'That smile.'
That maddening, bloodthirsty joy as he charges Goliath again.
The more I watch him…
The more my curiosity deepens.
The more beautiful he becomes.
'How can a mere Level 1 shine like this?' I wonder, delight blooming in my chest.
Two hours.
Two full hours of survival against a Variant Monster Rex.
"At this rate, he will perish before your Familia reaches him." Ouranos says. "Surely that's not your desire."
I tilt my head.
"The Divine Mirror exists solely for entertainment. I may observe… but I may not act on what I see." I smile gently. "Even if I wished otherwise."
'Nice try, Ouranos.' I muse.
'Besides… a gem cannot be polished without friction.' I think. 'Nor can a man be perfected without trials.'
And Riven—
Riven is radiant.
Where Ouranos sees his struggles, I see his perseverance.
Where he sees reckless attacks, I see patience.
Where he sees desperation…
I see growth.
His movements are changing.
His timing is improving.
I even see something stirring in his soul.
'…You're planning something.' I think, watching him narrowly avoid another killing blow. 'I can feel it.'
My lips curl upward.
"Take your time." I whisper.
"Struggle."
"Break."
"Shine."
"I will be watching…" I murmur softly. "No matter how long it takes."
********
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, this is a bit of a cooldown from the fight. Letting it breathe, mainly because it'd have just been Riven surviving for a few hours, and this adds more to the rest of the world.
I actually don't have much to say this chapter, with the only point being Hestia talking about Riven's feats. Well, an adventurer's status is private, but what they've accomplished (and the assumptions of their strength beyond that), isn't too secretive. At the very least, Hestia talking about it to her best friend isn't too weird, plus the situation.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
So yeah. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and have a wonderful rest of your day/night😁