Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Miss Haruhime, who, along with me, successfully leveled up in the faction, joined the ranks of those undergoing "adjustment" a few days ago.

In her case, the main focus was on testing the level-up technique rather than physical changes.

After Haruhime reaches Lv.2, the duration of her level-up is extended from 15 minutes to 20 minutes, and the interval between reactivations is shortened from 10 minutes to 9 minutes. Of course, the maximum number of "tails" also increases from five to six.

Miss Haruhime's power is definitely the key to victory in this war game. Lily, who stayed up all night with bloodshot eyes, even ordered, "Please conduct a comprehensive test," which will eliminate any doubts about unexpected problems.

(Also, it was very beneficial for me to first familiarize myself with power comparable to Lv.6...)

Aside from the "incongruity" of just reaching Lv.5, if the effects of leveling up are added, the situation will be no joke. I might end up like a runaway bull charging around recklessly.

In fact—though this analogy is a bit strange—I suffered greatly because of this power that seemed to transform me into a dragon, and it was only thanks to Miss Diona and the others that I was finally able to control it.

Including the practical training against first-level adventurers, I would not have been able to make such an "adjustment" without the great help of Miss Tiona and the others at level 6, so I am truly grateful to them.

"It would be even better if Ais could come and help you Argonauts with your special training... Excuse me?"

"Please don't say that. I've heard that Miss Ais has her own difficulties, and I believe she will definitely cheer me on."

When Miss Ais, who hadn't come to help, was mentioned, I quickly shook my head to smooth things over.

Although I am not aware of the details... Miss Ais's teachings are deeply ingrained in me. Whether it was this training or those recent "field combat training" sessions, I have benefited greatly from her help.

Therefore, I will keep her teachings in mind and face today's great battle with all my might.

"...It's already dawn..."

Miss Chunji looked up at the sky and whispered these words.

Even inside the courtyard of a traditional courtyard house, one can see the rising sun already peeking out on the horizon.

Because the sky was dyed a fiery red.

It even makes one wonder if it is dusk.

Today is my third day of training, and also the day the war game begins.

As this pivotal day that would determine my fate finally arrived, my heart, which had been quiet, suddenly began to pound violently.

"...Argonaut, the little hero."

When I looked up at the sky, feeling both uneasy and nervous, without a trace of excitement—

Miss Tiona and Miss Tione walked over and smiled at me and Miss Haruhime.

"Keep up the good work!"

"Let's beat those Freya Familia members to a pulp!"

Faced with that radiant smile, as bright as sunshine, and that blunt yet exhilarating encouragement, Miss Haruhime and I looked at each other, and at that moment we truly felt redeemed.

So we nodded in response, smiling as we answered on behalf of the fairy, Lily, and the others:

""yes!""

*

Those are the footprints left by the giants of history.

A forest of toppled and collapsed giant stone pillars stands.

The ground is covered with countless mottled stone slabs.

Despite its slight tilt, the damaged archway has stood firm for a long time.

This ruin, resembling a collection of tombs and priests' dwellings, reveals exposed soil and raised rocks eroded by vegetation, gradually becoming part of nature. The scenery here is incredibly magnificent, yet permeated with a sense of solitude.

The most noteworthy part is that this site is located on a lake.

This is a giant depression surrounded by rugged mountains—an isolated island on the surface of a beautiful emerald green lake.

"Osa City Ruins".

This magnificent ruin is located in the northwest of Orario, nestled within the crater lake of the "Bio Mountains," and is also the stage for this war game.

This site was built more than two thousand years ago.

This is a fortified city that once fiercely fought against monsters from the "Great Hole".

Due to its geographical location, it never lacked water, and the crater lake served as a natural barrier, repeatedly preventing the invasion of monsters. Through the efforts of the local residents and the half-elves and half-dwarves who served them, it was transformed into a self-sufficient city on the island, which, according to legend, flourished until powerful monsters suddenly attacked from the sky.

Now a ruin, the site features remnants of city walls and watchtowers surrounding the irregularly shaped island. The island's dramatic topography, with its steep slopes and collapsed buildings, retains the appearance of an urban area despite the passage of time.

Among them, the "temple" is a particularly large-scale ruin built on the west side of the island.

In the "ancient times" before the gods descended, people threatened by monsters worshipped various fictional deities in search of salvation. Legend has it that the land of Osa has an ancient connection with the "fairies," and the temple built there is known as the "House of the Gods," which houses a variety of idols.

Among the gods they worship, there is also a goddess who governs beauty.

"—A chilly wind blows, and drifting clouds float by, but as you can see, the weather is crystal clear! In this mountain battlefield where the weather is so unpredictable, today is a good day to begin the battle! Good morning, everyone! I am the announcer for this war game! I am Ibri Achar, a talking fire mage belonging to the Ganesha Familia! My nickname is Fire Inferno Flame, and the rest is omitted!!"

"I am Ganesha! Aa ...

"This time, we've also invited Ganesha as our commentator!"

In the distant city of Orario, the ruins of Osa are reflected in a "mirror".

The "Divine Mirror" with broadcasting capabilities has been set up and is broadcasting the battle situation live under the leadership of the Urban Military Police (Ganesha Familia).

However, unlike the war game with the Apollo Familia five months ago, the city was quiet and deserted. Whether it was the adventurers in the bars, the people watching the "Mirror of God" broadcast on the street, or even the gods gathered in the skyscraper facility (Tower of Babel), everyone wore a solemn expression before the game started.

"So~! This war game is Orario's unprecedented 'Faction War'! The Freya Familia, hailed as the strongest in the city, will clash head-on with the allied forces led by the Hestia Familia! As for the theme... to be precise, the competition event is—The God-Seeking Game!!"

The only people who were particularly noisy were the announcers and commentators.

Located in the front yard of the guild headquarters, Ibri, responsible for broadcasting, gripped a magic stone megaphone with one hand and roared:

"Regarding the rules of this competition! Simply put, the side that finds the opposing god first wins! The chief gods of each [Family] will be hiding within the ruins of the city of Osa, and the Families are responsible for finding them! As the name suggests, it's a game of hide-and-seek!"

"Is this really... Ganesha!?"

"As Ganesha said, this is not a simple game of hide-and-seek! It's a chaotic free-for-all where the two sides can interfere with or fight each other when they meet on a narrow path! To protect their own gods or find the enemy gods, this will surely be a bloodbath, a competition that will destroy countless weapons!"

This statement is by no means merely a metaphor.

With as many as 47 clans signing up, this "great battle" involving more than 800 clans competing against each other will inevitably devolve into a bloody and brutal fight, regardless of the rules set.

After hearing Ibrahim's explanation, everyone in the crowd gasped in shock.

"However—! Compared to the Freya Familia, which requires finding all the enemy's main gods, the Allied Forces' victory condition only requires finding the goddess Freya! This alone is extremely advantageous to the Allied Forces, and it feels quite unfair! What are your thoughts on this!? Ganesha!!"

"Frankly, I think this advantage is still a bit too little for the coalition forces."

"Ganesha actually answered seriously, which is rare for him!?"

The atmosphere in the city was quite the opposite of the lively broadcasts; the expressions on the faces of the people in various parts of Orario varied from person to person.

"Bell..."

"Eina..."

Inside the guild headquarters, near the "Divine Mirror" floating on the ceiling, Eina, who could only silently pray for the boy's safe return, was constantly tormented by her own frustration, while her colleague Missia gently nestled against her.

"Based on this rule, it's only because I (the Omnipotent One), who can fly through the air to locate the gods or end a war (game) through a sneak attack, that I'm prohibited from participating... is that right?"

"To be precise, it's because of the talaria. Although many people still know that this magic item can make you fly, it's become common knowledge ever since you led Hestia into Freya's stronghold... You really can't accept this reason?"

"...At this point, no matter how much I protest, it will be to no avail. Besides, I have already provided all the magical items to Lilyluka Erd and the others, except for the banned flying shoes... So I can only trust them."

Asphie, who sat with the gods on the thirtieth floor of the Tower of Babel, frowned deeply, and Hermes shrugged upon hearing this.

"Ais, watching the game might make you sad... but let's watch it together anyway?"

"…………Um."

Inside the Loki Familia's headquarters, Ais, whose hand was being held by Tiona, finally raised her head, which had been bowed, and slowly walked into the reception room.

Tiony, sitting on the sofa; Grace, with her thick arms crossed over her chest; Riveria, with one eye closed; and Finn, licking his fingertips, all gaze at the "mirror" that the chief god (Loki) had placed there.

The time for war will be short.

*

"So vast..."

The ruins are so vast that even a high-level adventurer's eyesight cannot encompass them all, I murmured to myself.

"The east side is our 'Allied Forces' position... while the [Freya Familia's] position is located on the west side, right?"

"That's right... I remember it was divided at the center of that largest ruin..."

Miss Nazha, holding a longbow, began to explain to me, who had only recently arrived.

This is on one of the hills on the outskirts that offers a view of the "Osa City Ruins".

The view of the crater lake from the cliff is absolutely stunning.

If I were here as a tourist, rather than in this situation, I would probably marvel at the lake that reflects the sky like a mirror.

This is my second time visiting the "Bio Mountains". The "Idas Village", where I, the fairy, and Miss Ais accidentally wandered into when the Kingdom of Lachia's army invaded, is located at the other end of this "Bio Depression", which is the western side closer to the ocean.

Even carrying Miss Haruhime on my back, it only took me a few hours to get here from Orario—to be honest, that distance is nothing for a high-level adventurer, but I never expected the scenery here to be so magnificent.

"I heard that the Freya Familia arrived at the ruins this morning... They've probably already hidden the goddess Freya somewhere on the west side..."

Following the direction Miss Nazha pointed from the cliff, I discovered that a half-ruined giant temple ruin was located at the spot that divided the battlefield in two.

The Allied Forces are hiding their main gods on the east side of the island, while the Freya Familia is located on the west side. The main gods can hide anywhere within the area they want, such as the watchtowers on the outermost edge of the island or the central area with the best view. Having come here to explore the site, I finally understand that finding the hidden gods in this urban ruin that could easily accommodate any district of the labyrinthine city (Orario) will probably take some effort.

"To think they'd be playing war games in such a vast ruin..."

"After all, with nearly fifty [familias] participating in the battle, choosing this location is quite reasonable..."

After Mr. Cherry Blossom, who came with me to explore, finished speaking, Ms. Nazha, who was being tormented by the strong wind, impatiently pressed down her hair.

Although I don’t mean to borrow Mr. Sakura’s words, the “urban ruins” located on a huge lake look like another world that has formed independently.

The former fortified city will be transformed into a battlefield today, where we will fight our most powerful enemy.

"...Thank you for leading the way. I've memorized the layout. Let's hurry back now."

I suppressed my nervousness and turned around with Mr. Sakura and Ms. Nazha.

After descending the steep and long slope, we returned to the "camp".

Located on the south side of the crater lake, the "Osa City Ruins" has only one bridge on the south side, and the faction alliance's "camp" is set up next to the bridge pier.

Aside from myself and Miss Haruhime, who trained until the very last moment before the battle, I heard that most of the adventurers arrived at this camp the day before, where the guild and the Ganesha Familia were responsible for setting up tents—by the way, the Freya Familia seems to have entered the city ruins by raft from the north side of the crater lake.

Once the war game begins, this "camp" will become an "emergency center" to treat the wounded who are eliminated, so members of the [Deankaite Familia] can be seen everywhere on site.

"I feel like we don't have enough props... Hey, does anyone have extras!?"

"The Mih Familia has prepared a great deal! Go quickly and collect it from God Mih!"

"Am I dreaming? I actually got the 'Krozo Demon Sword' and weapons made by the Hephaestus family... but I still feel a little nervous."

The "camp" was bustling with activity.

Excited yet nervous voices rose and fell.

On the scene, I could see orcs carefully inspecting their weapons and dwarves asking their companions for help in putting on heavy armor. As I silently gazed at this scene, which was already destined to lead to war with the enemy, someone suddenly struck up a conversation with me.

"Bell Craney!"

"Ah... Mr. Lewis, Mr. Dorumur!"

I looked back and saw a group of familiar faces running towards me.

The leaders were Mr. Luvis of the Modi Family and Mr. Dorumu of the Manny Family.

It was also during our "expedition" to the lower levels that we fought side by side against the enhanced elves and dwarves.

"Are you all here to help...?"

"Of course! It was all thanks to you that I survived after losing my right arm. Such a great debt of gratitude—if I don't repay it now, when will I ever get the chance?"

Mr. Lewis, carrying the quiver and bow on his back, touched his "right arm" with his left hand.

The arm covered by the combat suit and gloves is presumably a silver prosthetic, just like Ms. Nazha's.

The sprite, who had once lost an arm and possessed an innate moral fastidiousness, smiled sassily.

"Now is the time for me to fulfill my promise, my ally of the elves, let us fight side by side."

—I swear in the name of Lewis Lillix, I will one day repay your great kindness.

I suddenly remembered what Mr. Lewis had said to me in Rivera Town after we defeated the enhanced species. Behind him were Miss Lana and the others, all wearing prosthetic legs and walking with firm steps, and they all wore the same smile.