Chapter 122: The Fragile Level 5

"Damn it!"

Ishtar flung the pipe in her hand to the floor and stomped the eye bag underfoot, crushing it completely.

"Loki!!!"

"Why you?! What grudge do I have with you? What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

Consumed by fury, the Goddess of Beauty had shed all traces of elegance—her contorted face now struck fear into anyone who saw it.

She never could've imagined things turning out like this.

If Freya had been the one to come after her, she wouldn't have taken it this hard.

She had always seen Freya as her biggest rival. Both were goddesses of beauty, both flaunted their charms—but Freya's reputation had always been better than hers. Why?

She could never stand Freya. They were the same kind of woman, so why did Freya get to be admired while she was scorned?

That kind of disparity had made it impossible for them to ever reconcile.

But now Freya wasn't even paying her any attention. Instead, it was Loki—someone she had no enmity with—who struck. That baffled Ishtar.

...

Two Amazonesses burst in from outside, panic written all over their faces.

"Ishtar-sama, the underground passage leading out has been sealed off by the Ganesha Familia."

"Ishtar-sama, there's also a large number of Ganesha's Familia members surrounding the Pleasure District!"

"Ganesha... could it be him?"

Ishtar's enraged expression twisted into one of deep contemplation, then contorted further in anger.

'Could it be that our business has caught Loki's Familia's attention?'

If that were true, then she really was out of luck—getting targeted by Loki's people of all things.

'Damn it!'

'If I'd known this would happen, I'd never have gotten involved in the trafficking of Pallum and Elves.'

At this point, Ishtar felt truly cursed. All this trouble, just because she was dealing in people—and now she was on Loki's radar.

She thought back carefully. As far as she could recall, this was the only possible grudge between her and Loki. She couldn't think of any other reason for such open hostility.

'...So that's why Loki called Aisha over earlier—she was investigating this all along?'

A wave of dread hit her like a crashing tide.

"Where's Aisha? Where did she go?"

The two Amazons hesitated for a second, then reminded her,

"Ishtar-sama, don't you remember? Early this morning, Loki's Familia summoned Aisha."

Ishtar froze, then her face darkened with fury.

'Aisha... you actually betrayed me.'

She had been wondering why Aisha hadn't figured out Loki's intentions. But it turned out the one she sent to find answers had been the one who betrayed her.

No wonder she hadn't learned anything.

The one she sent to investigate had betrayed her—how could she possibly have known what Loki was planning?

As for that hidden tunnel to Orario's outskirts, that had to be Aisha's doing. No one unaware of it could have found it, much less blocked it.

"Where's Phryne Jamil?"

"She's engaging the Braver."

That idiot!

Ishtar cursed under her breath. That moron really had no self-awareness—charging in as a mere Level 5 against a Level 6, and not just any Level 6, but Loki's strongest Pallum.

Who in Orario didn't know the name Finn Deimne?

A Pallum, a Level 6 Adventurer.

And the Braver hadn't just recently hit Level 6—he'd been at that level for years, a powerhouse whose strength already exceeded most others at that rank.

He was just one great deed away from reaching Level 7.

Even most Level 6 Adventurers wouldn't dare challenge him. And Phryne, stuck at Level 5, was throwing herself right into that meat grinder.

"Take Haruhime to the front line immediately!"

A Level 5 had no chance against a Level 6.

Though she hated it, Ishtar knew that right now, she had no choice but to rely on Haruhime's power.

...

Clang!

Sparks flew as spear and axe clashed.

Phryne Jamil, a toad-like woman, swung her axe with both hands, but her towering two-meter frame was steadily forced back by the sheer force of a single thrust.

Finn didn't budge—not even ten steps.

Holding his golden spear, his face was devoid of kindness. Only an overwhelming killing intent radiated from him.

As she blocked the next blow, Phryne felt a deep chill grip her heart. That pure, undiluted bloodlust made her uneasy to the core, driving her to the brink of dropping her weapon and running away.

"What? Is that all the strength a Level 5 has?"

Power wasn't Finn's forte.

Pallum were naturally weak in physical strength. Aside from their agility and nimbleness, both strength and endurance were typical weaknesses.

And yet, Finn showed no signs of inferiority even against a Level 5 who specialized in brute strength and stamina—in fact, he was slowly gaining the upper hand.

That was the difference between Level 5 and Level 6.

There may have been a stat gap between each level in the past, but reaching Level 6 was enough to close the gap in all attributes accumulated up to that point.

The hidden power difference was simply too vast—so wide that it couldn't be overcome.

"Damn it!"

The sudden taunt and insult made Phryne—who was always dominant in front of men—feel a rare wave of shame.

But that very insult also made her temporarily forget her fear.

"Finn! Why is your Loki Familia attacking us?"

"Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"

Perhaps it was panic creeping into her heart, but her voice unconsciously rose.

She wanted to escalate this into a conflict between Familias.

Everyone knew that within Orario, it wasn't allowed for one Familia to directly attack another.

Most disputes were resolved through War Games.

If a Familia crossed the line, punishment from the Guild was swift—and even the Familia God could be dragged down with them.

But Finn, spear in hand, remained utterly calm.

"Phryne Jamil, you're not in a position to raise this to that level."

"The problems within the Ishtar Familia aren't exactly a secret."

"And even if you did escalate it, do you really think the Guild would take your side?"

"!?"

Phryne's heart sank.

As the captain of the Ishtar Familia, she knew exactly what skeletons were hidden in their closet.

She didn't know what Loki's side had discovered, but her instincts told her—it wasn't good.

Finn stood coldly, spear poised.

"So, are you going to surrender... or resist?"

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake