Hachiman's cold word, "Stop," echoed in the silent clearing of the ninth floor. Riveria Ljos Alf froze on her way to the unconscious Bell Cranel, surprised by the abrupt interruption and the unexpected authority in the bloodied boy's voice. The other Loki Familia members reacted in various ways. Finn Deimne, the prum leader, merely narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing Hachiman with calculating curiosity. Gareth Landrock remained stoic as a mountain. The Amazon twins, Tiona and Tione, glanced away for an instant, perhaps slightly uncomfortable with the situation or the implicit rebuke to Riveria; Tiona seemed curious, Tione a bit peeved by the novice's audacity. Aiz Wallenstein, however, fixed her golden gaze on Hachiman, not with anger, but with focused intensity, her eyes quickly scanning the damaged armor, the dark green magic stone, and the black bone claw he held. Lefiya Viridis, as expected, shrank further behind Aiz.
Hachiman kept his gaze on Riveria, his voice calm but inflexible. "It's neither polite nor ethical to look at another adventurer's status without permission. Especially when he's unconscious after a difficult battle."
Riveria, one of Orario's most respected mages, seemed genuinely embarrassed at being called out publicly by a Level 1. A faint blush rose on her elven cheeks. She quickly composed herself, however.
It was Bete Loga who broke the tension with anger. "Who the hell do you think you are to give orders to Lady Riveria, you trash?! Don't meddle in Loki Familia's business!"
Hachiman didn't even turn his face towards the werewolf. His eyes moved to the small pallum, Liliruca Arde, who was still desperately trying to support Bell. "You," Hachiman said, his voice still cold, but now with clear instruction. "Get him out of here. He needs rest and probably healing. You're his supporter, take care of it."
Bete snarled, furious at being so completely ignored. "You little shit...! I'll teach you some respect!" He took a step forward, fists clenched, ready to turn his anger into violence.
"Bete! Stop!" The order came from Riveria this time, her voice firm and carrying an elven authority that not even the werewolf dared to completely defy. Bete stopped, trembling with contained rage, but obeyed. Riveria then turned to Hachiman, her expression now neutral, perhaps with a hint of reluctant respect. "You are right, young adventurer. It was an indiscretion on my part. I apologize." She gave a slight nod.
Finn Deimne seized the pause in tension to intervene diplomatically, his blue eyes carefully observing Hachiman's condition – the injuries, the damaged armor, but above all, the unusual spoils in his hands. "You seem to have had a difficult battle as well, lad," Finn said, his voice calm and inviting. "That magic stone and that claw... they aren't from common monsters on this floor. Did you face another anomaly on the deeper floors?"
Hachiman met the prum captain's gaze. He knew Finn was dangerously intelligent. He gave the vaguest possible answer. "I faced something... irregular on the twelfth floor," he said, without giving details about the Wyvern. "It was what was delaying me. I tried to stop that Minotaur when it passed me, but the other hindrance held me back." He paused, adding with studied casualness. "Perhaps the Guild should investigate why these anomalies are appearing so out of place lately." He planted the seed, even knowing the likely cause was watching everything from the top of Babel.
Finn nodded slowly, processing the information (or lack thereof). "I see. A worrying situation indeed."
Not wanting to prolong the interaction with the Loki Familia any further, Hachiman decided it was time to go. He took a step to bypass the group and head for the exit.
"Wait."
A firm hand gripped his arm, stopping him. Hachiman turned and met Aiz Wallenstein's intense golden eyes fixed on his. Her expression was serious, almost pleading.
"How?" she asked, her voice low but laden with an urgency that surprised Hachiman.
He raised an eyebrow. "How what?"
"How..." Aiz hesitated, searching for words. "How did you get so strong? So quickly?" Her eyes seemed to devour his figure, the armor, the remnants of power that might still emanate from him. She had witnessed Bell, but she had also seen Hachiman fight briefly against the Minotaur and now saw him here, injured but alive, after clearly having faced something else powerful. The speed of his growth was something her own relentless pursuit of strength could not ignore.
Hachiman sighed internally. 'Here we go. Her obsession.' He knew Aiz's story, her burning desire for power to avenge her mother against the One-Eyed Black Dragon. He had neither the time nor the patience to become the focus of her obsession. "That's none of your business," he replied coldly, trying to pull his arm away.
But Aiz held him firmly, her strength surprising. "Please! Tell me!" There was genuine desperation in her eyes now.
Her insistence, the invasion of his personal space after everything that had happened, began to irritate Hachiman deeply. His cold fury, which had subsided after the fight with the Wyvern, threatened to return. His gaze turned glacial. "I said..." he began, his voice dangerously low.
"Aiz. Let him go." Finn's calm but unquestionable voice intervened again.
Aiz looked at her captain, then back at Hachiman, frustration clear on her face. But she obeyed, releasing his arm resignedly.
Finn then turned to Hachiman, a faint diplomatic smile on his lips. "My apologies for Aiz's behavior. She can be... intense when it comes to strength." He paused, evaluating Hachiman carefully. "Hikigaya Hachiman, correct? I've heard your name at the Guild. And I've seen your potential. Your strength, your composure under pressure, your willingness to intervene... these are admirable qualities." What came next took Hachiman – and everyone else in the clearing, including the Loki Familia members – completely by surprise. "Consider this," Finn said calmly. "The Loki Familia is always looking for promising talent. If you ever think of seeking an environment with more resources and challenges... our doors would be open to you."
An invitation. From the Loki Familia. The number one Familia in Orario. Hachiman was momentarily stunned, processing the unexpected offer. Join them? It would mean access to elite training, equipment, information, deep expeditions... But it would also mean being under Finn's command, dealing with Bete daily, perhaps getting involved in Loki's and Freya's machinations more directly. And it would mean abandoning Aqua, abandoning Hephaestus and Tsubaki who had just formed an alliance with him.
It took only a brief second for him to process and decide. Returning to his normal state, he replied monotonously, without any trace of the surprise he had felt. "I appreciate the offer, Captain Finn Deimne. But no, thank you." He gestured slightly to himself. "I already have a good Familia."
With that, he turned, and this time, no one stopped him. He walked past the astonished Loki Familia group and continued his journey out of the Dungeon, leaving behind the defeated Minotaur, the unconscious hero, and the most coveted recruitment offer in Orario.
Upon finally reaching the Dungeon entrance and emerging into the afternoon light of Orario, the sensation hit him again. A pair of eyes watching him. Intense. Piercing. He stopped, looking around. People in the square stared at him, yes, mostly because of his bloodied state and the residual battle aura, but that wasn't it. It was something more. More focused. More... divine.
He slowly raised his face, following the sensation, his eyes climbing the colossal structure of the Tower of Babel that rose above the Dungeon. And then he found it. A sensation, a subtle pressure coming from the tower's peak, from the highest floor. 'Freya.' There was no doubt. The Goddess of Beauty was watching him directly.
A strange feeling arose in Hachiman. It wasn't fear. It wasn't anger. It was... defiance. The savagery he had felt in the fight against the Wyvern still smoldered beneath the surface. He thought about everything – being thrown into this world, the constant struggle, the divine manipulations. And instead of shrinking under the Goddess's powerful gaze, he did something unexpected. He found the point on the tower from where he felt the gaze coming and gave a slow, savage smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes but was a clear message of acknowledgment and challenge. 'I know you're there. And I'm not afraid.'
Ignoring the even stranger looks he received from the people around for smiling at the top of the tower while covered in blood, Hachiman turned and began walking home, his mind already thinking about recovery and the next step.
Scene Cut.
On the highest floor of Babel, Freya watched Hachiman walk away. A delicate blush colored her cheeks, and a genuinely surprised and delighted smile appeared on her lips. He had noticed her. And more than that, he had challenged her with that savage smile.
'Well, well...' she thought, feeling a frisson run through her divine being. Before, his soul was interesting for its peculiarity, its change. Gray, but with flashes of protective blue, determined red, steel being forged. But now, after recent events... something had fundamentally changed. She focused again on his soul, distant now, but still vibrant to her perception.
The common gray had almost vanished. The soul now had a concrete, permanent metallic aspect, as if it had been tempered and refined in the hottest forge. The blue and red aspects were no longer just flashes; they were woven into the very fabric of the soul, sometimes the blue of protection shining brighter, sometimes the red of fury and determination dominating, and sometimes blending into new complex shades of purple and dark crimson. It was a soul that had been broken and reforged, becoming something much denser, more dangerous, more... real.
'Wonderful...' Freya sighed, feeling an excitement that not even Bell's purity caused her at that moment. 'He wasn't just a temporary candle. He's truly becoming something more. Something that might, in fact, fight against fate.' Her intrigue transformed into absolute fascination. 'Yes. I will definitely pay even closer attention to you, Hikigaya Hachiman.' Her eyes shone with anticipation. The game had just become much more interesting.