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"One third of your life is already spent sleeping, so stop daydreaming of tomorrow and spend the two thirds of your life taking action." - Author
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Loki, Gareth, Finn, Riviera and Maria along with Ryuta arrived outside Orario, as they exited the city walls, Maria turned to Ryuta as she asked.
"Something wrong?"
Maria had a very older sister like personality but Ryuta can't help but feel that something was off about her. Despite the innocent look she had, there was something underneath those warm and kind eyes that gave him the creeps.
"Nothing- that song being played just sounded familiar"
Responding to him, Finn turned to the source of the music. It was not that far off, just a few Kilometers but the music was so loud that it had reached- albeit at this point it was closer to a murmur but for people at Finn's level it was quite clear.
"Oh, that's Elduin Ravaslor, an infamous half-elf, he's known for making loud noises. Though they do say that his songs when heard properly are quite entertaining. But unlike normal bards who sing of tales, he just sings of nonsense"
Hearing the explanation from Finn, Ryuta was truly tempted to use his "eyes" to look at the man in the distance. He may not have a clear view but-
'Why is she staring at me?'
Unfortunately, the Loki familia member, Maria Rose was busy staring holes into him.
Maybe it was her being wary of him or something else, but Ryuta did not dare to use any ability that would grab attention.
Unfortunately for him, his "eyes" have quite an effect, which was one of the reasons why he avoided that street with the famous pub.
"We're here!"
Hearing Finn's words, all members of the Loki familia stopped, Ryuta followed suit as he observed the surroundings-
'Endless wastelands… an interesting sight, yet out there in the distance, a small patch of greenery could be seen… I see, so that's where all the food of Orario comes from?'
Ryuta guessed as he watched the Loki familia set up their tests.
Why they chose to conduct their tests publicly he could only guess but based on what he understood-
He stared at Finn, the hobb- Pallum who took the role of captain for the Loki familia.
'To become the captain of a faction under a Goddess known for her trickery- this man should not be simple… if his choice of testing ground was made just a while ago…'
Ryuta smiled as he found Finn looking his way.
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(Finn POV)
I've met many tricky people over the years, getting to where I am now was not easy, especially for a pallum. As much as I hate to admit it, I've relied too much on Hell Finnegas whenever things get too hard…
But-
When I first heard of the man, Pierrot, I did not believe it, even the idea of artifacts was something I can't truly fathom.
Then-
I saw it, the weapon that seems to be calling out my name.
As the cases were opened and the two spears were laid before my eyes I knew it at that moment.
This was my tool… with these two spears…
The first spear, Gae Buidhe, a short yellow spear that could inflict what is called "cursed wounds". This spear could improve my power giving me another alternative to simply using pure force moreover-
Weight manipulation allows for an increase in weight, reinforcement increases durability, sharpness and destructive power.
Recall allows me to call the weapon to my hands so long as there is a clear unblocked line between me and the spear while magical mass is basically a small magic bomb generated upon contact with the spear so long as I infuse magic power into the spear.
These four abilities were carried by the longer crimson spear, Gae Dearg as well, but the difference between the two spears was that one, Gae Buidhe could inflict cursed wounds, while the other, Gae Dearg cuts through magic.
An interesting thing I noticed was the consumption of stamina or- will power.
It's not much a consuming force but more of a corrupting one… these artifacts… I could see the danger in their use but-
They also show off the true limits of power.
Strength does not come without a cost, even Falna forces adventurers to seek stronger and stronger opponents the stronger they become.
An individual who wishes to increase their stats, to rank up- they NEED to face dangers that could kill them.
Even maxing out one's stats forces an adventurer to face endless challenges, ranking up an even greater challenge.
The power of the artifact- as dangerous as it seems, for someone used to "going mad" I could easily gauge my limits…
But, I look at Maria-
She's been in the familia for a some time now but-
Among all the current members, she's the only one who Loki gave special privileges to…
Honestly, it got me jealous but… her strength is enough to make me flinch. Especially now that Riveria, Gareth and I all found ourselves reaching our limits.
Level 6 is something that many look up to but-
Compared to a monster who reaches S on all their stats before ranking up… level 6 is just a matter of time… no, Maria's still 18- she hasn't had her falna for half a decade and she's already at level 4.
Loki did not share all the information, but she did tell us all, with Maria's permission that she had achieved S rank for all her stats.
Year after year, the biggest question the familia had was whether or not Maria could maintain keeping all her stats at S before ranking up.
She did…
This was one of the reasons why she was made an executive.
Even now, she was being groomed to take over, time would come when she would be the next captain-
Though… for some reason-
She had this odd fascination with Pierrot for some time now.
As much as I want to scold her- Loki told me to ignore it. Since she said so, it should mean that leaving her be is the better choice.
After all, Loki is aware of all the secrets each of her familia members hold. Even the secrets they did not share with her were known.
I turned away from Maria who was sticking a bit too close to Pierrot and looking at the distance, I spotted a boulder that was about half a kilometer away.
Tightly, I gripped the spear, Gae Buidhe, infusing it with magic covered it with a layer of dark purple energy. I could feel the terrifying cursed energy that was being released by the spear but knowing it won't affect me I took on a stance.
With my base abilities, I reinforce the spear to a point where it won't break and I could feel the spear resonating with me, with my spirit and with my falna-
Loki said that the spear had reflected my own stats the moment I "binded" with it. Which means that the spear holds the same strength as me-
Which would also mean that "Reinforcing" it would make it have greater durability and strength-
Truly a frightening weapon…
I could see why a true "artifact" was something on the realm of God's.
It not only grew with the user, it also matched the user's power.
Adventurers would usually spend millions on buying a single powerful tool to last them a long time. The stronger one get's the greater the cost of maintaining one's weapon.
I've already broken quite a few expensive spears, which is why Gareth and I rarely buy expensive equipment.
Riveria's the only one who could actually spend money on high quality gear as her tools are not subjected to as much strain as ours.
At least- her staff won't break during combat, unless Gareth and I die- her staff would remain intact.
Now that I think about it… this is not really the most expensive tool we've purchased… but-
The magic power on the spear has reached the critical point, I increase the weight of the spear and three it towards the boulder.
It flew in a straight line, like a bullet it quickly reached the boulder but, instead of piercing through it, the moment it touched the boulder-
*BOOOOM!*
A huge explosion of dark magical energy occured, a dome of purple energy formed around the boulder.
If it weren't for the fact that I could "feel" the state of the spears, I would have started to panic but-
"Recall"
I extended my hand and the yellow spear shot out of the huge crater and arrived on the palm of my hand in a second.
Riveria, Loki and Gareth stared at the scene wide eyed. I also did not know how to react but-
"It seems that we got something truly frightening huh?"
I said as I held onto the spear, Riveria stared at the spears, a look of deep curiosity in her eyes while Loki smiled as she peered into the distance, staring at the large crater formed by my attack.
"Phew~ looks like the money was well spent"
She said as she turned to the man, Pierrot who was explaining the use of two mechanical birds to Maria.
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Ryuta sneaked a peak at the explosion-
'The power is really amazing, that explosion did not only hold power but it also held a certain- "law"... is it the effect of Falna?'
He thought to himself, he felt that something was off about his fight with the minotaur. He could have solved everything by using curses but-
There was an obvious suppression of his strength…
'Was it the seal or… something else… is Falna a "law"? Is it an "authority"? But whose? The world? The God's? … The Dungeon?'
The information he had about Falna made it nothing more than a magic crest. It was simply a way for God's to share their strength with mortals but with given limits.
Hestia and Hephaestus said that it "brought out" the power within the members of the Familia but- if that were the case, why would those whose God's perish or those who were kicked out of a familia not have access to this "inner strength"?
'It makes for an interesting dynamic for a game setting, or a fictional world. It allows the writer to turn the Gods, a source of endless power, into a weakness. Adventurer's could reach demigod level strength but they could just as easily become an ant if their Patron God is kil- sent back to heaven'
Ryuta thought deeply about the things he noticed now. He did not see any changes in his strength, he did not notice any alterations to his magecraft but- he did find a certain suppression…
'Like the suppression the World places on Reality Marbles- speaking of'
Ryuta recalled his recent activation of his Reality Marble. While small trinkets could be made using simple alchemy. If he wanted to create a mystic code level item, he would need the power to manipulate laws.
During that time, he realized that the cost for maintaining the reality marble had decreased. Unlike when he initiated it in the Nasuverse where he had to expend OD to keep the reality marble from collapsing in on itself and being crushed by the world.
In this world, all he had to do was stop the marble from collapsing-
The world did not act upon his reality marble-
'Since God's walk the land… maybe- this is the so called- "Age of God's"?'
He postulated as he continued to explain the operation of the two golems, Huginn and Muninn to Maria.
When Ryuta told Maria the names for the two golems, he felt an intense stare from Loki but he ignored it as he continued to explain their operation-
'Now I know that she's familiar with these names, which should mean that Odin should also exist in some form which means, Zeus must also exist but- why are they not in Orario?'
Loki, Freya, Ishtar, Hestia and Hephaestus, these are the God's that Ryuta had heard of in the past few days.
'It seems there's something about this world, something deeper that I need to understand'
Realizing that he had more to learn, Ryuta found himself forgetting about the "weird" feeling he got from Maria as he started to unconsciously help her test the various artifacts.
While his mind was busy thinking about various hypothesis and theories, his body was moving unconsciously, helping Maria hold the guns. Teaching her how to aim and all that. The two were so close that people would mistake them as lovers flirting but with Loki's insistence, Finn and the rest of the Loki familia maintained their distance.
The Goddess of Trickery stared at the duo- Ryuta in particular with a regretful look, why, only she would know. But her eyes did focus on Maria's bright smile for a few moments before turning away.
'Good luck kid'
She thought as she watched Finn spar with Riveria, their battle causing quite a bit of destruction.