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However.
Alex stopped the punch with a single finger.
"How is that possible?!"
"No way… am I seeing things?"
"Hyakinthos is Level 3! Blocking him with one finger? Even a Level 5 couldn't do that so casually!"
"Figures. If even their regular members are monsters, how could their captain be weak?"
Hyakinthos stared at Alex like he'd seen a ghost.
Alex applied the slightest pressure. Hyakinthos was sent flying, smashing into the ground and coughing up blood.
Then something even more shocking happened.
Alex cast a healing spell, restoring Hyakinthos completely, and turned to Bell.
"Go knock him flat. Take back the pride you lost."
Bell took a sharp breath, his eyes blazing with determination, and nodded.
In the original story, Bell had been Level 2 during the War Game, but his absurdly high stats let him defeat Hyakinthos anyway.
Now he was Level 3, with stats nearly all beyond limits, SS and even SSS rank. There was no reason he couldn't win.
As a member of Hestia Familia, the dignity he lost had to be reclaimed by his own hands.
Hestia Familia had no cowards.
Hyakinthos, seeing this, was furious.
To him, Alex's actions were pure humiliation.
The viewers watching the broadcast erupted into cheers. This was what adventurers were supposed to look like.
Level 3 versus Level 3. Fair and square.
Hyakinthos roared and charged again.
But this time, Bell stepped forward and blocked his path.
"From now on, I'm your opponent."
The two clashed instantly.
In the original story, Bell learned combat from Ais, who wasn't particularly skilled in PvP. What she taught leaned more toward fighting monsters.
But now things were different.
Every member of Hestia Familia was proficient in PvP.
Under their guidance, Bell's combat ability and technique had improved by several times compared to before.
Superior technique, combined with overwhelming stats.
Hyakinthos was knocked down within moments and couldn't get back up.
With that, the War Game ended.
Hestia Familia was victorious.
The entire city of Orario erupted in celebration.
This War Game revealed only the tip of Hestia Familia's true strength, yet even that was enough to shock the world.
From this day on, Orario's era of two dominant powers was over.
A new three-way balance had begun.
Loki Familia. Freya Familia. Hestia Familia.
All standing at the top.
Only after them came large familias like Ganesha's.
After the victory, Hestia claimed all of Apollo Familia's assets and their familia rights.
Apollo himself was exiled from Orario, forbidden from ever returning.
Still, Hestia didn't go too far. She only accepted Daphne and Cassandra from Apollo Familia and declined the rest.
She placed no restrictions on the others. They were free to remain in Orario and join new familias, or leave with Apollo if they wished.
Soon after, countless adventurers sought to join Hestia Familia.
All of them were rejected. No exceptions.
With the chat group backing her, Hestia lacked nothing when it came to geniuses.
Those without talent or proper character weren't worth taking in.
The War Game over, all post-battle matters were handed to Alex.
He took great interest and immediately launched sweeping reforms.
First, Apollo Familia's former base was renovated and turned into Hestia Familia's second headquarters.
From now on, Bell would manage the second base, and all male members would live there.
The first base was for female members only.
Yes, he was absolutely abusing his authority for personal gain.
No one objected.
By now, most of the women in the familia were fond of Alex. Calling it his harem wasn't even wrong.
Esdeath was already his woman. Merlin, Morgan, and Artoria were his Servants.
Erica, Liliana, Arianna, Karen, Yuri Mariya, Ena Seishuin, Hikari Mariya, and Kaoru Sayama all came from the Campione world and served him as their king.
By that count, over half the women in the familia already bore his mark.
Once the second base was complete, Alex bought several adjacent shops in North Street, knocked down the walls, and renovated them into a tavern.
Its name was "Otherworld Gourmet Pavilion."
After all, the food and drinks served there weren't limited to the DanMachi world. They came from countless other worlds as well.
Once the tavern opened, Alex handed its management to Sella, Leysritt, Arianna, and Karen.
All four were trained maids, masters of household and service skills. There was no better choice.
That left only one truly idle person in the familia.
The school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa.
Alex sent her to the Miach Familia, arranging for her to study medicine under Miach.
Once she mastered the craft, his own familia would finally have a dedicated doctor.
Oh, right. Shinobu Kocho was a doctor too.
After dealing with Kibutsuji Muzan, he planned to have her settle in Orario long-term. She and Shizuka Marikawa could open an apothecary together, turning it into the familia's second side business.
Between all the running around, nearly a full month slipped by.
In that month alone, Alex burned through every last coin from the Apollo Familia's assets, along with all the money he'd won from gambling.
Fortunately, the familia was finally on track. Bell had moved into the second base, and the Outland Gourmet Tower had begun turning a steady profit.
Modern-style dishes, alcohol, and beverages exploded in popularity the moment they hit the market.
As a result, the business of "The Hostess of Fertility" took a sharp nosedive.
Still, Alex hadn't wasted the month.
Hephaestus had returned from the Swordsmith City, so Alex visited her every day to study divine forging techniques.
At first, she refused outright. Divine forging wasn't something mortals were meant to touch.
But after Hestia begged her again and again, and Alex demonstrated his extraordinary talent, she finally relented.
In just one month, he fully mastered divine forging.
The task Hestia had assigned him was complete.
To keep him from returning to the Type-Moon world, she immediately issued a new long-term mission: reach Level 10.
Alex accepted without hesitation. That meant he could stay in Orario a while longer.
During that same month, Roxy and the others continued their daily dungeon runs, grinding monsters and levels.
They even organized expeditions from time to time, just like the Loki Familia.
Over in the Akame ga Kill world, the Empire had stabilized completely.
Before long, Najenda and Esdeath would be able to hand over power and bring Night Raid and the Jaegers to Orario.
That left one thing next.
It was time to deal with Shinobu Kocho and Takatsuki Sen.
Takatsuki Sen's situation was complicated, so Alex decided to start with Shinobu.
He gave himself three days off to rest properly.
Only then did he contact her.
"Shinobu, I've wrapped everything up on my end. I can help you deal with Kibutsuji Muzan now."
"Okay. I'll issue the task."
[Group Member Shinobu Kocho has released a mission: Eliminate the Demon King. Difficulty: ★★★. Reward: 100 points.]
[Group Member Alex has accepted the mission!]
…
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Butterfly Mansion.
A flash of light appeared, and Alex materialized in front of Shinobu.
As soon as he arrived, he asked, "What point in the timeline are we at right now?"
Shinobu froze for a second, then understood.
He was asking how far the story had progressed.
"The protagonist, Kamado Tanjiro, has already joined the Demon Slayer Corps. He just completed the Natagumo Mountain mission not long ago and is currently resting here at the Butterfly Mansion."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "So we're already there. That means Nezuko being a demon has been exposed. How did the Corps handle it?"
Shinobu shot him a sideways glance. "Same as the original story, of course. Nezuko is kind and adorable, and she later overcomes a demon's weaknesses. There was no way I'd let anything happen to her."
After watching the Demon Slayer anime Alex had uploaded, Shinobu had long since accepted Nezuko.
So when Nezuko's identity was revealed, Shinobu firmly backed Tanjiro and secured Nezuko's acceptance within the Corps.
"That works. Then the next arc is the Mugen Train," Alex said after recalling the plot.
Shinobu's expression turned serious. "Yes. In the original story, the Flame Hashira dies. But I can't warn him directly. If I do, it'll expose the fact that I know the future."
"So you want me to help Rengoku?" Alex asked with a grin.
"Yes," she said, nodding firmly.
"I'm in. And while I'm here, I've got a gift for you too." Alex smiled mysteriously.
"A gift?" Shinobu's curiosity was piqued.
Instead of answering, Alex asked, "Have you watched Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?"
She nodded. "I've watched everyone's anime from the group."
"Then do you remember Season Three, when Fels resurrected the Xenos, Wiene?"
Shinobu froze, her breathing suddenly quickening.
Resurrection magic.
Magic that could bring the dead back to life.
In that instant, her thoughts flew to her sister, Kanae Kocho.
"R-really… can it revive someone?" Her voice trembled with excitement.
"I don't know for sure," Alex said honestly. "But we can try."
"But you don't have that magic, do you? Everyone in that world awakens different spells," she said, suddenly remembering.
"You forgot about the chat group shop," Alex reminded her. "I can buy it directly."
"But… it's way too expensive!" Shinobu opened the shop and searched.
Dia Orpheus. Price: 1000 points.
"That's not bad," Alex said casually.
He had over ten thousand points now. This was pocket change.
Shinobu glared at him again.
That kind of humblebrag was honestly infuriating.
Still, since it involved reviving her sister, she decided not to hold it against him.
After preparing everything, the two headed for the Demon Slayer Corps cemetery.
Everyone buried here was a hero.
Over a thousand years had passed. No one knew how many had been laid to rest.
The entire mountainside was covered in gravestones.
Some graves still held remains. Others were empty, nothing more than memorials.
Fighting demons rarely left a body intact.
Lose, and you became demon food.
Luckily, Kanae Kocho's body had been preserved. Otherwise, resurrection would've been impossible.
Alex and Shinobu stopped in front of Kanae's grave and lit incense.
After it burned out, they began digging.
Before long, Kanae's remains were unearthed.
Years of death had reduced her to nothing but bones.
They carefully cleaned them and laid them out on a mat, assembling the skeleton piece by piece.
Shinobu's heartbeat quickened, anticipation and fear twisting together.
She longed to see her sister again, yet worried the magic might fail.
The conflicting emotions left her restless.
Noticing this, Alex placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look.
"Don't worry. Even if this fails, we have other options. Remember the Naruto world? The Rinnegan has the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. That can revive people too."
"…Right." Shinobu nodded, her heart finally calming.
Alex opened the group shop and spent 1000 points, successfully purchasing the resurrection magic, Dia Orpheus.
After learning it, a small smile curved his lips.
Normally, this spell had a chance of failure.
But the version bought from the group shop came with a 100 percent success rate.
That meant this resurrection was guaranteed.
"..."
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