Is there something wrong with playing Genshin Impact in the dungeon?

"After all these years, you haven't improved at all, you little wild boar."

The burly man in the long robe seemed to be mocking the current 'strongest adventurer,' saying, 'Even this kind of trash almost took your life...'

"I'm starting to doubt whether you really defeated Chardo (and gained his recognition) back then."

******

At the same time, at the border defense line of Dashuhai...

"Boom!"

On the devastated battlefield, the appearance of a certain figure... made it even more chaotic.

The scorpion-man monster, which was slaughtering the survivors, didn't even have a chance to be stunned before it was completely trapped by the violent wind and thunder.

At this moment, Riveria looked haggard. Not long ago, she and Grace barely managed to protect Lefia and help her escape. With the help of Hedin, Hegni, and the Four Flame Warriors, they managed to stop the scorpion monster's invasion at the cost of five people being seriously injured and one person being on the verge of death.

But now...

The monster, which could have easily defeated them and wreaked havoc, turned around and took advantage of the victims.

That kind of ferocious magical offensive, that exaggerated fighting style that seemed to use magic like it was free, could probably go on for three days and three nights without stopping if it continued at this scale...

In her past memories, Riveria found only one name that matched her.

Rivera Santirini

That was the legendary figure who single-handedly founded 'Rogue Town' on the 18th floor of the underground city decades ago.

Well, perhaps not many young people are familiar with this name nowadays.

But her title—

Empress

For the past thousand years, the only one in the entire lower realm...

Lv.9.

Chapter 184 The 'Heroes' of Today

Fifteen years ago, the labyrinth city of Orario, after thousands of years of development, once enjoyed a glorious period that remains unparalleled to this day.

At that time, the 'Zeus Familia' and 'Hera Familia', which were the strongest at the time, were full of talented people and all of them were elites. Even Lv.6 who had entered the 'Hero Realm' were only qualified to be supporters during 'Expeditions'.

The father of a certain red-eyed rabbit boy was such a supporter (errand runner).

He was described by [Gluttony] Chardo as: the 'weakest' of the clan.

Even this 'weakest' character could easily defeat Otto, Finn, and others at the time.

This demonstrates the vast difference in strength between the former "strongest faction" and the current "strongest faction."

And it is precisely within the two major clans of the former that the two "strongest" are at the pinnacle of strength, alongside the "weakest"...

[Hero] Maxim

Empress Rivera Santirini

The former, at Lv.8, and the latter, at Lv.9... both suffered crushing defeats while leading the elites of their respective clans to fight the 'One-Eyed Black Dragon'.

In that battle, the Zeus and Hera clans were almost completely wiped out.

The forthright 'hero' lost an arm.

The eccentric 'tyrant' fled in disarray.

Only then did people fully realize the power of the 'Black Dragon'.

Meanwhile, the survivors also expressed their feelings after the war:

"Are humans (a collective term for intelligent races in the lower realms) becoming more and more backward as they age?"

You must know that a thousand years ago... that 'strongest ancient hero,' that man who, without 'divine grace,' was hailed by the world as the 'King of Mercenaries,' was still able to transform the terrifying 'Black Dragon' into the 'One-Eyed Black Dragon' he is today, after paying a heavy price.

Who would have thought that the 'strongest' after a thousand years couldn't even manage to 'injure the black dragon'?

A complete and utter crushing defeat.

At that time, both the Hero and the Empress, as leaders of the Zeus and Hera Families, were disheartened.

On that very day, the child of the 'weakest' of Zeus's flock and the 'incompetent' of Hera's flock was born.

A newborn baby symbolizes 'hope'.

Even though he is still weak 'now', unlike the 'monsters' who are born terrifying, who among 'humans' is not weak at the beginning?

and……

"Everyone will encounter setbacks."

"But people will never remain decadent forever."

"I believe that 'human beings' will continue to progress sooner or later, but the time to take that crucial 'step' has not yet come."

"In that case, we might as well place our 'hope' on the next era."

"Let's make the most of ourselves as 'losers' before they grow up."

……

Maxim's proposal was ultimately accepted by everyone.

First, they believed that their group could no longer remain in Orario.

On one hand, the two clans with the title of 'strongest' have made countless enemies in the past, and the 'dark faction' will definitely seize this opportunity to kick them while they are down.

Faced with this situation, even if the two major clans are not afraid at all, innocent people will definitely be affected.

On the other hand, if the "Heroes" and the "Empress" still "exist", then based on the idea that "if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up", the "next generation" will more or less develop a lazy and dependent mentality.

Furthermore...

By shifting from the light to the shadows, they can also clean up the dregs of the 'dark faction'.

Thus, after a certain 'secret meeting,' both of the former 'strongest factions' withdrew from Orario.

On the surface, they pretended to be "driven away" by the two strongest factions... namely Freya and Loki's Familia.

They also took the label of 'losers' and carried away most of the negative emotions in the city that year.

And then...

The surviving strongmen all went into seclusion in a certain 'village'.

Using this as a base, they secretly eliminated the henchmen of the 'Dark Faction'.

Several years ago, knowing that their time was running out, "Gluttony" and "Silence" decided to pave the way for their 'future' in the last period of their lives.

"We are willing to entrust everything we have to the 'heroes of the future'."

It was with this belief that he and she, as [Hero] said, gave their last bit of energy.

Thus, during that great struggle of the "seven days of death," the "dark faction" was lured into being crippled and falling apart.

Gluttony and Tranquility also sacrificed their lives to not only give birth to a new Lv.7 in Orario, but also to boost the Astrea Familia, which could have become the 'third strongest faction at present'.

Although things took an unexpected turn later, and the Astrea Familia was nearly wiped out due to the machinations of the remnants of the 'Dark Faction', the 'former heroes' did indeed fulfill the promises they made.

until today……

“Don’t make us doubt ourselves (disappointed), you little boar.”

Inside Orario City, the one-armed man who had just personally slain the unknown scorpion-man monster frowned and muttered, "If even our judgment of people is rejected, doesn't that make us look even more 'failures'?"

At the same time...

Has the title of "strongest" become so cheap now?

On the border of the Great Tree Sea, beside a huge, deep pit, the former 'tyrant' said indifferently, "(You) are so wretched... You are not even as good as us 'losers'."

At that moment, a slight gust of wind stirred the dust on the plain, lifting the brim of the woman's hood.

A pair of pointed ears, partially hidden.

She stood not far in front of Riveria, her jade-green hair swaying in the wind.

Rivera Santirini, she is a 'tyrant,' she is an 'empress,' she is... the elf whose (temperament) least resembles that of an elf.

Royal family!

"All talk and no action, their so-called 'nobility' is nothing but rubbish."

She, who once uttered such vulgar words in public, now seems to have become much more 'easygoing'.

However, her past beliefs ultimately remained unchanged.

"One's own strength is the foundation for earning respect."

"If your fists aren't strong enough, then no matter how much good deeds you do, you'll only be seen as a joke."

"On the contrary, if you are so powerful that no one dares to provoke you, then even the smallest favor you do will be praised endlessly."

……

Back then, when the young royal (Riveria) first met the infamous royal (Rivera), her worldview, which had been formed in her homeland, almost collapsed completely.

She really wanted to argue back.

But he just couldn't beat them... even though the latter, in a very mocking manner, didn't use any 'magic' and even just used his little finger.

Amusing a child?

maybe.

In short, since then, Rivera has had a goal to strive for, which is why she became so learned many years later.

However, the gap between the two sides remains as wide as a chasm.

"You're all this age, yet you're not even as good as a human girl."

“At least, she can ‘play’ with me, while you don’t even have the right to stand by and watch.”

Yes, because of the 'playing' session between the Empress and Tranquility, Rivera, who was only Lv.5 at the time, could have died if she stood too close.

And today...