The Journey Begins in DanMachi

Noah tightened his grip on the paper and nodded silently.

It remained the same truth: unique magic and special skills were deeply intertwined with an individual's aptitude, past experiences, and inner landscape, acting almost as an exposure and reenactment of one's own spiritual world.

Elegy of Light—so that was the name of my magic?

Just as the incantation described, Noah's magic was one that devoured everything, more akin to a Demon King than the Demon King himself. It was an exceptional magic that could consume matter, magic power, and even an enemy's attacks, converting them all into Noah's own strength.

Of course, there was no such thing as absolute invincibility in this world. Just as water extinguishes fire, a fire strong enough could evaporate all the water; any conclusion drawn without considering the scale was meaningless.

Activating this magic not only caused immense physical damage to his body but also placed a staggering burden on his spirit.

Killing intent, pain, sorrow, despair, grief, desire... these emotions would all surge into his inner world at once.

Sometimes Noah wondered if he was the true Demon King.

After all, if he used this magic a few more times and somehow survived, he would likely transform into an incarnation of darkness a hundred times more terrifying than any Demon King.

"Well, I don't care about the rest, but now that you're family and I'm your deity, I have a demand—"

Walking to the bedside, Loki slapped Noah on the head.

"—you are absolutely forbidden from using that magic carelessly!"

The moment she saw that magic, Loki was reminded of the skill belonging to her own problem child: Revenge Princess.

That skill, fueled by hatred, was arguably the strongest offensive ability in the history of the Lower World.

She had thought her princess was already invincible, but who would have thought someone could be even more ferocious than Ais?

Whose familia did this guy belong to? I... oh, he's mine now.

Well, that settles it; I have to keep him in line!

How could such terrifying skills appear twice in one go?

Don't let that kid's mature and reliable appearance fool you; one look at his magic and skills revealed he was definitely a problem child just like Ais!

Oh, and an overage problem child at that!

But never mind, I'll just dump it all on Riveria; she's the best at taking care of problem children anyway.

The warmth on his head left Noah momentarily stunned, his mind drifting.

Family, huh?

"Rest assured, I haven't found a reason worth using that magic again yet..."

The hero Noah was already dead!

The one who stood here now was the adventurer Noah!

Seeing Noah regain his spirit, Loki couldn't help but smile before waving her hand.

"Since you're better, you can get lost. Go find Riveria and let her arrange what comes next. Also, tell Riveria to notify the cafeteria; we're holding a welcome party tonight! Hehehe, finally, I can have a good, proper drink!"

Retrieving his sword, Noah was about to walk out of the bedroom when he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Speaking of which, Loki, does the familia's cafeteria have a dedicated chef?"

"Where would I find the money to waste on that Hephaestus? The members take turns cooking."

"In that case, could you let me be in charge of tonight's banquet?"

Pouring herself another drink and downing it in one gulp, Loki looked at Noah with a confused expression, her face already slightly flushed.

"Huh?"

"I have a bit of confidence in my cooking skills!"

20 Riveria is having a headache

Orario, surrounded by its towering city walls, always welcomed the night earlier than the outside world.

While the western sky was still stained a fiery red by the sunset, the magic stone lamps throughout the city were already flickering to life.

In this unsafe era, ordinary residents hurried home early, leaving only adventurers to linger in and around the various taverns.

Based on Loki's policy that "everyone must eat breakfast and dinner together," all members—whether they had spent the day running errands for other familias, delving into the Dungeon, or visiting the Guild—had returned to the familia headquarters, save for those still on patrol for Guild missions.

Twilight Manor was composed of seven spires surrounding a central tower, all connected by stone skywalks.

Due to their deity's peculiar preferences, the Loki Familia had more women than men, so the seven towers were divided into three for men and four for women.

Public facilities like the library and dining hall were not concentrated in one place but scattered across the towers, creating a sense of extreme chaos.

At this moment, the sounds of conversation—people sharing the day's news, discussing plans for the next day, or complaining about troubles encountered during missions—echoed throughout these spaces.

And amidst the clamor rising from every corner of Twilight Manor, a cry of astonishment rang out from an office high up in the North Tower.

"What is this? This magic and these skills!"

A massive, bearded face was pressed almost against the desk, and eyes as large as copper bells were now widened even further, staring fixedly at the paper spread out before him.

Though not the vice-captain, he was a Dwarf respected and cherished by the familia members for caring for his juniors like an elder.

Gareth Landrock, a Level 5 adventurer bestowed with the title of Heavy Hero by his deity, looked up at his goddess.

"Hey, Loki, are you sure there isn't some mistake?"

Loki crossed her legs on the sofa, shot a sidelong glance at Gareth, and snorted as her only reply.

Gareth scratched his head, having no choice but to turn his gaze toward the blonde Pallum beside him.

"Finn? What do you think?"

Though nearing forty, Finn still retained the appearance of a beautiful youth due to the traits of his race and the influence of his Falna. He snapped back to reality.

Generally speaking, an adventurer's Falna data—including their status, magic, and skills—is classified information known only to their Familia's deity and the adventurer themselves.

After all, Orario is hardly an idyllic paradise free of danger; not only does the Dark Faction lurk in every corner, but being attacked by hostile Familias within the Dungeon is a common occurrence.

Once personal ability data is leaked, an adventurer is highly likely to be targeted by adversaries, drastically increasing the risk of death.

Therefore, adventurers are only required to disclose their Level and the depth of their Dungeon exploration to the Guild; some Familias that do not engage in intense combat do not even share this information with their own captains.

However, the Loki Familia is an exploration-focused group that frequently ventures into the deep levels, so Finn and his two fellow commanders have a need—or rather, a duty—to understand the situation of every member.

Thus, after obtaining consent from Noah, Loki handed the data over for the three of them to see.

Yet, even for Finn, this was the first time he had encountered such skills and magic.

After taking another look at the data on the paper, the captain of the Loki Familia sat in a large chair that looked quite mismatched with his small stature and nodded slowly.

"I can only say that I am also surprised. To be honest, it reminds one of those monsters from seven years ago..."

The monsters Finn referred to were not the creatures of the Dungeon.

They were anomalous existences who, despite having human forms, had transcended all limits far beyond any monster.

"Could this kid be a descendant of the ancient heroes? No, he might even be stronger than them!"

Hearing Gareth mention 'ancient heroes,' Finn shifted his gaze to the wall across the room.

Hanging above the white stone fireplace was a tapestry.

The pattern, woven with gold and silver threads, depicted an armored woman surrounded by various weapons: spears, axes, hammers, and swords.

She was Fiana, the fictional goddess revered by the Pallum race.

If the prologue of the Age of Heroes was opened by the 'Jester' Argonaut, then the main theme running through the entire Age of Heroes was the 'Fiana Knights' composed of the Pallum race.

That was the first and final glory of the Pallums.

Even after the Pallums declined following the Age of the Gods, the Fiana Knights were mythologized into the concept of the Goddess Fiana and worshipped by all.

For Finn, who had made it his personal mission to revive the ancient glory of the Pallums, it was impossible to remain indifferent after seeing an existence suspected to be an 'ancient hero's descendant' appear before him.

"Well, as we've seen in several expeditions, the Familia is lacking a powerful vanguard core. I originally wanted to wait for Ais to grow, but this seems to solve our pressing problem. As long as he grows up..."

"Gareth, it's too early to say that. Even the most promising adventurer is weak at Level 1. If there is no one to educate and protect him..."

The Pallum captain and the Dwarf warrior exchanged a look, and the corners of their mouths suddenly curled up. Their gazes converged simultaneously on a certain Elven royalty who had been silent in the room.

Upon hearing the words 'educate and protect,' Riveria, who had been lost in thought, instinctively grew alert and met their eyes.

"Wait... don't tell me it's me again?"

Finn shrugged, spread his hands, and revealed a frivolous smile he would never show in front of his subordinates.

"It can't be helped. After all, haven't you already had experience raising children—ahem, educating newcomers?"

The Dwarf uncle beside him also wore a comical grin, revealing his large teeth.

"That's right, that's right! This is a newcomer with great potential. Riveria, haven't you always been troubled by the fact that Elven mages cannot be protected on the front lines? If this kid grows up, that won't be a problem at all!"

If one only looked at Levels, the Loki Familia—with three Level 5s—seemed to have a significant gap compared to the Freya Familia, which boasted one Level 6, three Level 5s, and four Level 4s. Yet, the two were known to the outside world as the two great factions.

The reason for this phenomenon was magic!

In addition to the 'Nine Hell,' the strongest mage in Orario, the Loki Familia possessed a magic unit composed of Elven mages.

In Orario, only magic is generally considered a means to transcend Level limits and defeat higher-level adventurers.

Many adventurers believe that if the two Familias were to go to war, unless the 'Brave' and the others could strike down the 'Nine Hell' before her artillery magic was ready, at most the top four adventurers of the Freya Familia would survive.

Therefore, the two Familias could stand side-by-side not because they were perfectly equal in Levels, but because both had the ability to drag the other down with them.

But—

Who wants to drag them down with me!

Whenever Riveria heard the praise that she could take down the Freya Familia with her, she couldn't feel happy at all.

However, it was an undeniable fact that the Loki Familia lacked the abundance of powerful vanguards that the Freya Familia possessed.

After all, Finn had to command from the center, and Gareth had plenty of defense but lacked the speed to provide comprehensive support.

During expeditions, there had been many times when monsters broke through the front-line defenses, causing casualties among the mage unit.

So... she was truly happy that a powerful swordsman like Noah could join the Familia.

It was just that at the thought of having to raise another child... and a big child who looked mature but might actually be as troublesome as Ais, Riveria felt a sharp pain on both sides of her forehead.

21 Those who play with tactics have dirty hearts!

"Honestly, I understand..."

After much struggle, Riveria recalled the young Elves who respected her, and finally nodded, accepting the task.

Although it was said to be "guiding," Noah was not a seven or eight-year-old child after all; he only needed to be taught some basic adventurer common sense.

Moreover, judging from their previous encounters, Noah himself seemed to be a very mature and steady youth, so she probably wouldn't need to spend too much time on him... right?

Looking at the magic and skills recorded on the paper, Riveria could only force herself to be comforted by this thought.

From the perspective of combat power, Riveria had no doubt that the boy would soon surpass her.

But from the perspective of whether a junior could put his senior at ease and save her trouble, Riveria had a very ominous premonition.

An older problem child was much harder to deal with than a purely stubborn little girl.

Watching the Elven royalty secretly distressed and conflicted, Finn and Gareth exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mischievous smiles.

With her keen senses, Riveria immediately noticed the amusement in her companions' eyes, snapped out of her distress, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Laughing?

They should enjoy laughing while they still could, because it was hard to say if they would be able to smile so happily in the future.

That child would absolutely be the one to stir up a storm that would sweep through Orario.

As for the Loki Familia, who were at the center of that storm, none of them would be able to escape!

"There is one more thing I haven't told you. When I ran into him at noon, Noah was fighting the Dark Faction. Do you know who it was?"