Bang—!
"You bunch of idiots!"
Inside the Artificial Labyrinth, the captain of the Ikelos Familia, Dix, was in a furious rage.
He wore leather armor, goggles on his face, and held a magic spear in his hand. A violent aura radiated from him.
"One Level 3 and three Level 2s went to capture two Level 1s—"
"And you still lost? One of you even disappeared?"
"What the hell do I keep you idiots around for?!"
Looking at the men before him, Dix was practically shaking with anger.
The target was in the open.
They had the advantage of surprise.
They outnumbered their opponents.
Their levels were higher.
And yet they still failed.
Absolute trash.
But Dix wasn't only angry about the failure.
What truly worried him was something else.
If their operation had exposed him—
That would be real trouble.
After all, their enemy was the Freya Familia, the strongest Familia in Orario, possessing the city's only Level 7 adventurer, along with several Level 6 and Level 5 elites.
Against that kind of power, his group would be wiped out instantly.
He hated those fools even more now.
"Dix, they probably didn't find anything."
"After all, killing and robbing people in the Dungeon is pretty common."
"Besides, except for Gran, the others are all dead."
"And Gran?"
"His body probably got eaten by monsters…"
BANG!
Veins bulged on Dix's forehead.
He kicked the speaker violently, sending him flying.
"Or maybe he got captured alive!"
"And that idiot had a key on him!!!"
That was what worried Dix the most.
The key.
The only item capable of opening the entrance to the Artificial Labyrinth.
The gate connecting the Dungeon and the Artificial Labyrinth was made of Orichalcum, a metal with extremely high resistance to magic.
Magic alone couldn't destroy it.
Even physically, Orichalcum was nearly impossible to break.
The only way to open the gate was through the bloodline of Daedalus.
The bloodline curse served as the key.
But Dix had found another method.
He removed the eyes from deceased Daedalus descendants and turned them into artificial keys.
Those could also open the gate.
And now—
One of those keys had been lost.
If someone discovered it, the Artificial Labyrinth would no longer be secure.
"Go back to Orario immediately."
"Keep a close eye on Cao Ye."
"If he shows any sign of approaching the Artificial Labyrinth—report back immediately."
"Yes, boss!"
No one dared disobey Dix when he was this angry.
Everyone knew how cruel he was.
He often acted violently even toward his own men.
Anyone who spoke too much might end up dead.
Soon, all of them rushed out to carry out Dix's orders.
Although the Dark Faction sounded dangerous, their numbers in Orario were actually small now.
Years ago, a massive purge had nearly destroyed them.
Later, the adventurer known as "Gale Wind" slaughtered many of their members.
Even though they had recovered slightly in recent years and begun secretly causing trouble again, they could still only operate in the shadows.
If they were exposed—
They would be finished.
Meanwhile – Babel Tower
Name: Cao Ye
Current Banner:Fate
Diamonds: 110
"Alright…"
"Time for another ten-pull!"
Inside his room at the top of Babel Tower, Cao Ye took a deep breath.
After learning that the Ikelos Familia was targeting him, his sense of urgency skyrocketed.
His strength was already impressive.
But it still wasn't enough.
Flash.
The summoning interface opened.
Without hesitation, Cao Ye spent 100 diamonds and started the draw.
"Let's sacrifice 10,000 years of Goddess Freya's lifespan—"
"…Hm?"
Before he could finish—
A voice filled with confusion and anger sounded behind him.
And that voice was extremely familiar.
Cao Ye's body instantly froze.
He slowly turned his head in disbelief.
Standing at the entrance to his workshop was a graceful figure.
Freya.
She had apparently just stepped out of his workshop.
At that exact moment—
The gacha animation began.
A pack appeared.
Cards started flying out.
[Black Stockings]
[Lace Black Stockings]
[Pantyhose Black Stockings]
But Cao Ye wasn't paying attention to the draw anymore.
His brain was running at full speed.
Question:
What should you do if you casually say "sacrifice Goddess Freya's 10,000 years of lifespan" right in front of the goddess herself?
Answer:
…Panic.
"L-Lady Freya…"
Freya stood there wearing a pure white dress, with delicate embroidered patterns along the sleeves and hem.
Her beauty truly lived up to her reputation as a goddess.
But right now—
The situation was extremely awkward.
"What exactly do you mean…"
"by 'sacrificing Goddess Freya's 10,000 years of lifespan'?"
Freya's mood clearly wasn't great.
Originally, she had come to ask Cao Ye for more black stockings.
But when she arrived, he wasn't there.
So she wandered around his workshop.
The box full of completed spatial rings had surprised her.
Only a few days had passed, and he had already produced so many.
Just as she heard the door open and stepped out—
She heard that sentence.
"Well… Lady Freya…"
"If I said you misheard me… would you believe it?"
Cao Ye asked cautiously.
He tried to brush the topic aside.
But seeing Freya's expression clearly saying "Do you think I'm stupid?", he knew escape was impossible.
Meanwhile—
The summoning finished.
And this time—
He actually pulled something valuable.
[Perfect Form]
Intrinsic Skill: Perfect Form
This was a skill belonging to Enkidu.
It allowed the body to restore itself using the magical energy of the earth, returning to its original form.
Since Enkidu's body was made from divine-era clay, as long as it received energy from the earth, it would never collapse or break.
It granted an extraordinary regeneration and restoration ability.
Moreover—
The advanced evolution of Perfect Form was the prototype of Enkidu's second Noble Phantasm:
"Wisdom of the People."
But at the moment—
Cao Ye wasn't celebrating his lucky draw.
He was trying to survive the much more dangerous situation in front of him.
A very curious goddess waiting for an explanation.
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