Who Wouldn't Break Down?

Bell Cranel's deeds caused a huge sensation throughout Orario.

No one could have imagined that, in the same period, in the same era, and even just a few months apart, a second monster rookie would appear in this world, reaching Lv.2 at an incredible speed.

Those who love a good spectacle have already started comparing Leo Eligos and Bell Cranel, with some even giving them a nickname – "The World's Fastest Twin Stars."

In the original story, Bell Cranel was known as the "world's fastest white rabbit" because of his astonishing growth rate. Although he reached Lv.2 in the present story even faster than in the original story, he is still slower than Leo, so the nickname "world's fastest white rabbit" is naturally gone.

Of course, to others, both Leo and Bell Cranel's growth rate is too incredible, so it is not unreasonable for the two to be called the "World's Fastest Twin Stars".

Thanks to this, the Hestia Familia is now extremely famous, even more so than some of the larger Familias.

Unfortunately, this isn't entirely a good thing.

Back then, it was because of this surge in popularity that Leo attracted the attention of countless people. Even outside the Familia's headquarters, there were people or gods staking out the area every day, trying to contact him, win him over, or even poach Loki's members and lure him into their own Familia.

These people or gods are not all righteous; in fact, many gods become extremely fanatical and unscrupulous in their pursuit of the so-called "unknown."

Leo did not suffer any hardship because he had a protective Chief God in his family and a powerful clan behind him capable of blocking all malice. Even if the fierce warriors of Freya Familia were to take action, they would not be able to do anything to him.

But Bell Cranel doesn't have that kind of background.

"If you can't steal Loki's wife, surely you can steal the wife of that poor little dwarf?"

There are quite a few gods who hold this idea, perhaps even a lot.

Leo could easily guess that Bell Cranel and the Hestia Familia were likely to have a tough time ahead.

But he also knew that this would be a test for Bell Cranel, allowing him to grow up faster.

At least, the original protagonist, who should have become the "world's fastest white rabbit," is definitely not in any danger.

There was no way around it; a terrifying goddess was watching him from behind.

The goddess might watch him suffer, as it wouldn't be a bad thing; it might even make Bell Cranel stronger and his soul more radiant. However, if Bell Cranel were to face real danger, the goddess would likely lash out immediately, protecting Bell even if it meant going against the entire Lower World Cranel.

Currently, Bell Cranel's affairs are unrelated to the Loki Familia, and even less so to Leo.

So, Leo simply remembered the appearance of the original protagonist and then forgot about it.

He also had his own things to do, Loki Familia wasn't in the mood to pay attention to a rookie adventurer who was just as "genius" as their monster rookie.

They are currently at their busiest time, preparing for the next expedition and investigating some unknown matters behind the scenes. Even Loki is nowhere to be seen every day, busy with something else, and has even stopped drinking much. This is truly an unprecedented situation.

Despite this, the Loki Familia continued to do their work in an orderly manner at their own pace.

And so, the day of the expedition drew ever closer.

The day before the expedition was about to begin, Loki, who hadn't been seen at home for a long time, summoned Leo.

"Your special weapon has arrived. If you want it, bring it over here right now."

When Loki's band members, who had come at Loki's behest, recited those words verbatim, Leo's eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he put down his work and rushed to the Divine Room on the top floor of the Central Tower as fast as he could.

"I've arrived, Loki."

After exchanging a brief greeting, Leo immediately pushed open the door and entered the Divine Room.

"Hehe, I knew you'd get anxious."

Loki sat on the bed looking travel-worn, cross-legged in a completely unladylike manner, holding a bottle of wine in his hand, gulping it down while letting out a long sigh of exhilaration.

"Sure enough—a drink after a busy day is the best!"

Are you some middle-aged office worker from somewhere?

Also, you drank a bottle, not a glass.

Leo suppressed the urge to complain and swallowed back the words he almost uttered.

"What have you been doing? Investigating that god I told you about last time?"

Leo had no choice but to change the subject and talk about this.

"You mean Dionysus?" Loki put down his wine bottle, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Didn't you say that we should just keep an eye on him from the shadows and avoid contact with him to prevent alerting him? So we haven't taken any big steps yet?"

"But are you really sure Dionysus is up to something?" Loki asked suspiciously. "While he is indeed very secretive and more thorough than other factions in preventing information leaks, given the size of the Dionysus Familia, they shouldn't be able to do anything substantial, right?"

The Dionysus Familia, like the Hermes Familia, is the kind of family that takes its intelligence control within its own clan very seriously, even to the point of being overly serious.

This familia is considered a mid-tier force in the Labyrinth City Orario. It has several adventurers recognized as Level 2, and its strength is comparable to that of the Hermes Familia. However, perhaps because they haven't achieved any remarkable feats in the Dungeon, the adventurers in this familia are mostly the inconspicuous type, in other words, they are not famous.

Dionysus, the Chief God, was quite prominent among the gods because of his handsome appearance, gentle nature, generosity, and exceptional charm. He was very popular with women, and many male gods considered him a thorn in their side, calling him a gigolo every day.

To be honest, Loki's previous impression of Dionysus was similar; she simply regarded him as a womanizer, at most a bit cunning, keeping his own information so well hidden while frequently going to various places to inquire about other people's clans—he was incredibly cunning. In other words, that was about all she thought of Dionysus; she couldn't think of anything noteworthy about him.

Therefore, Loki had always been skeptical about this god ever since Leo told him to pay special attention to him that day.

Only----

"The Chief God of the Hestia Familia seems to be making quite a splash lately. You must be quite familiar with her, right?"

Leo's question, instead of answering, made Loki's face instantly fall.

"Huh? Who are you talking about? Who's close to that poor little dwarf?" Loki reacted strongly, as if he had been stressed, his voice rising as he shouted, "I'd love to rip that young goddess's breasts off, and you're saying we're close to her? Which bastard spread this rumor?"

"Really?" Leo said without changing his expression, "Anyway, I've heard that you always get along really well with that goddess whenever you meet."

"You mean literally, you're really getting along well?" Loki said with a forced smile. "That's for sure. If we ever run into each other, we'll definitely fight. Whether it's hot or not doesn't matter; the main thing is that just seeing her makes me furious!"

Loki was quite angry when he thought of that poor little god of poverty.

She knew that Hestia had recently Lower World, and that she had been living off her friend Hephaestus for a while, becoming a freeloader, before being kicked out of the house by the blacksmith god who couldn't stand it anymore. As a result, she had to form a familia to make a living, and her life was quite miserable.

Not only did the clan have only one member, but their base was also located underground in an abandoned church. The entire clan was dirt poor, going hungry nine times out of three. If they weren't at least dressed like human beings, they might have changed their clan name to the Beggars' Sect.

Loki and Hestia were old acquaintances back in the Heaven, but their relationship wasn't exactly bad; it was more like they were irreconcilable enemies.

The reason is actually quite simple----

Loki was dashing and slender, her looks certainly living up to her goddess-like reputation, but her figure was surprisingly unfortunate. One could only tell at a glance that she came from an extremely wealthy family; otherwise, she couldn't possibly afford to own an airport.

In contrast Hestia short, incredibly immature, and poor, but one particular feature is exceptionally prominent, so spectacular that even most voluptuous, mature goddesses can only marvel at it.

The two are complete opposites, both in terms of physique and personality.

How could their relationship possibly be good under such circumstances?

Of course, there was no deep-seated hatred between the two; they just couldn't stand each other. In today's terms, they were used to a love-hate relationship. If they didn't argue a few times when they met, they definitely wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully at night.

Because of this, Loki learned that the little dwarf had come to the Lower World and was doing so poorly, and he mocked him quite a bit, both privately and in public.

Who would have thought that the other party would get incredibly lucky, as the only member of their clan they accepted turned out to be a hidden gem.

"World's Fastest Twin Stars"?

My most prized child is now ranked on par with that short kid's child?

What makes her so special?!

"Wait a minute, we were talking about Dionysus, why are you suddenly bringing up that little dwarf?" Loki's gaze towards Leo began to grow wary, even dangerously so, and he said in a sinister tone, "You wouldn't happen to be attracted to that little dwarf's sleazy figure and planning to switch sides, would you?"

Leo felt a chill on his neck, a feeling that if he accidentally said the wrong thing, a jealous Chief God would pounce on him and bite his throat.

"I'm warning you, kid, we're only turning a blind eye to your close relationship with Ais because we really didn't want to. If you dare to start something and then abandon us, I'll truly curse you!"

Loki spoke these words in a low voice, and his expression made it clear that he was serious.

"What are you talking about?" Leo's lips twitched, and he said somewhat speechlessly, "How could I possibly switch jobs?"

"Don't even mention Ais being here. The captain and Riveria Ljos Alf are my mentors in melee combat and magic, respectively. Plus, all my friends and companions are in this familia, and you've been so protective of me. Even if I were heartless, I wouldn't be thinking of switching sides, right?"

The people of the Lower World cannot lie before God, for their lies will be immediately apparent.

Therefore, Loki could tell at a glance whether Leo's words were true or false.

Loki, realizing this wasn't a lie, immediately brightened up, but still asked with some doubt.

"Then why did you bring up that shorty?"

Upon hearing this, Leo paused for a moment, then said this.

"I've heard that he had a close relationship with Dionysus back in the Heaven, almost like they were neighbors." Leo stared at Loki and said very seriously, "My suggestion is that you'd better go and ask your nemesis what kind of god Dionysus was back in the Heaven."

"At that time, you'll probably understand why I wanted you to pay attention to that deity."

Upon hearing this, Loki's brows furrowed so deeply they looked as if they could trap a fly.

"Should we go ask that shorty for information?"

He looked very unwilling.

But judging from Leo's expression, Loki knew that this was a very important matter.

Therefore, despite his reluctance, Loki reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, let's go meet that shorty. Let's just have some fun."

Just don't become a laughingstock, really.

Leo opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say those words.

He wasn't worried that Loki would lose an argument to Hestia, but rather— Loki was at a natural disadvantage in this area!

You compare the size of your family's household with others, while they compare your physique to theirs.

You compare your child's excellence to others, while they compare your physique to theirs.

You compare your wealth with others, they compare their physique with yours.

If you compare yourself to someone in terms of fame, they'll still compare themselves to someone in terms of physique.

The end result is that if you don't break through their defenses, who will?

This is not a fault of war!

Leo wanted to say something to Loki, but considering Loki's relationship with Hestia's sword, he felt that even if he tried, Loki would definitely not take it seriously.

This goddess must have been very confident in herself, not believing she could lose to a mere poor god of war like Loki. But, well—in the end, it's always you who ends up shedding blood and tears.

However, Loki and Hestia have a love-hate relationship; they argue whenever they meet, but in reality, they're not that hostile towards each other.

At least, Loki definitely prefers this poor god to some Lovesick Goddess he doesn't like.

Thinking of this, Leo stopped trying to persuade him.

Do whatever you want. It's just a matter of breaking down defenses; as long as the goal is achieved, that's fine.

"Didn't you say my special weapon had arrived? Where is it?"

Leo got down to business and looked around the Divine Room.

Soon, Leo noticed something, his gaze fixed on it, and he didn't move.