Chapter 115: The 7-Year-Old First-Tier Adventurer
"What's the call?" After half an hour passed, Finn looked to Loki and asked.
"Looks like they have no intention of showing their face."
Loki shook her head, tossing the ball back into his court. "You're the Familia Captain. You decide whether we explore or not."
Aside from setting a few ground rules, the direction of the Familia was entirely up to Finn. Under normal circumstances, Loki wouldn't casually interfere.l
"Staying here forever isn't an option. We don't have enough supplies to survive, and we need to consider what the master of this world might do if they see us just standing around."
Finn made his decision. "Let's move out. Treat this like an expedition into the Dungeon. Proceed with absolute caution."
Rather than hesitating indefinitely, it was better to bravely step forward.
The mastermind behind this world didn't necessarily bear them any ill will. The fact that Loki could use divine power equivalent to their level proved that the creator's strength was likely unfathomable.
After prepping their gear, the group focused their minds and set out.
Stepping through the entryway, everyone kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings while leaving behind navigational markers.
"A dense, interlocking network of passages... Is this a labyrinth?"
Finn realized it instantly.
"Let's play along with their game."
The children of the Lower World might not fully comprehend what it meant to allow a god to use their Arcanum down below, but Loki understood perfectly.
To achieve something like this—whether they were from Heaven or the Lower World, or a deity utilizing a mortal vessel—indicated an utterly staggering level of power from the mastermind.
She was intensely curious and practically itching to explore this world.
"Front, back, left, right, up, down... There are too many passages. It's impossible to maintain a sense of direction."
Finn pondered for a moment before deciding, "Looks like we'll just have to pick a path and look for patterns as we go."
With him leading the vanguard, the group quickly arrived at a spacious clearing.
In the center of the open area was a raised cylindrical pedestal with a crimson sword thrust into it.
"What is this?"
Riveria asked, her curiosity piqued.
Even though danger might be lurking, this was the first interactable object they had encountered aside from the endless walls. It was only natural to be curious.
"It could be a trap, but a trap usually wouldn't be this blatantly obvious."
Finn deliberated briefly before stepping forward, warning the others over his shoulder, "Stay on guard."
Reaching out, Finn grasped the hilt and pulled the sword free.
The crimson blade instantly dissolved into floating text, projecting the numbers [1/3] in midair.
A flash of light pulsed through the area, and monsters suddenly materialized all around the adventurers.
"Monsters appearing out of thin air?" Finn was slightly taken aback, having never seen such a spawning mechanic before.
But remembering they were in a dream world, it didn't seem quite so absurd.
"Kikikiki!!"
Goblins, Kobolds, Lizardmen... All incredibly weak, beginner-level monsters.
"Loki, get behind me."
Riveria immediately moved to protect Loki, remaining on high alert.
"Don't forget, Riveria-tan, I can use my Arcanum here."
Loki grinned and raised a hand. Crimson flames danced over her palm, effortlessly incinerating a monster lunging toward her.
Because they were already on guard, and the monsters were pitifully weak, the Loki Familia wiped them out cleanly in mere moments.
Furthermore, unlike reality, where a monster's corpse lingered for a while and required a supporter to manually carve out the Magic Stone, these monsters vanished the instant they died. Their Magic Stones and drop items clattered directly onto the floor, making collection incredibly convenient.
The numbers hovering over the pedestal ticked over to [2/3], and a new wave of monsters immediately spawned.
"I see. Does this mean there are three waves in total?"
Finn deduced.
Because the difficulty was so low, the Loki Familia dispatched all three waves with ease.
Once the final monster fell, the floating text vanished, replaced by a materializing treasure chest.
"A reward?"
Finn guessed.
"This really is feeling more and more like a game. Not a bad vibe at all."
Loki laughed heartily.
There was nothing quite as boring as watching someone else play a game while you sat on the sidelines.
The gods formed contracts with the children of the Lower World, weaving Familia mythologies together. At its core, it was a grand raising simulation game. But that didn't mean the gods disliked action games—especially martial deities whose very nature was rooted in physical combat.
The primary issue was that the Dungeon utterly despised the gods. If a deity were to suffer an accident inside, it would cause a cataclysmic problem that the entire pantheon would struggle to handle. Thus, the gods were strictly banned from entering.
Loki's own combat prowess was only average among deities, and she excelled far more in lies and trickery than raw martial strength. Being unable to use her authorities was a massive handicap.
But in this world, the gods were permitted to use power equivalent to the highest-leveled member of their Familia. This allowed Loki to play a massive role.
Even though her basic stats were capped at Level 4, as a god, she possessed the capacity to output power that surpassed mortal limits—just like how Lucian could fight above Level 10.
Though the labyrinth provided no explicit directions, based on the data they'd gathered so far, they could gauge the correct path by monitoring the level of the monsters that spawned.
They still needed to verify that theory, but regardless, this world was undeniably fascinating. Especially for the gods, who starved for the "Unknown."
"A game, huh..."
Finn muttered thoughtfully, gesturing to the chest. "Loki, why don't you see if you can melt this chest with your fire?"
"Sure thing."
Loki instantly caught onto his line of thinking and blasted the chest with a burst of divine flame.
However—it remained completely unscathed.
The chest, the floor beneath it, and the surrounding walls... The flames of a god couldn't leave so much as a scorch mark on any of it.
"Looks like the chest is classified as an indestructible object, just like the walls. We can't even scan through them with detection magic either."
Loki smirked. "It really is a game."
Finn nodded slightly before stepping forward to open the chest himself.
Inside lay a collection of weapons—swords, daggers, spears... and alongside them were five jade vials filled with a mysterious liquid.
"Potions?"
Finn unstoppered one and brought it carefully to his nose. Instantly, an overwhelming surge of life energy rushed into his senses.
"These aren't anything you'd find on the market."
Riveria took the vial and inspected it. "It contains a massive amount of life energy, but the moment you opened it, the energy started dissipating incredibly fast."
The jade vials were specifically designed to preserve the liquid and prevent the life energy from leaking out.
Sealing the bottle tightly, Finn instructed the Familia's supporters to safely stow the items before leading the group forward once more.
They soon confirmed his earlier theory: moving in the "correct" direction triggered spawns of increasingly stronger monsters.
After two and a half hours of exploration, they encountered something that was both shocking and wildly exciting.
Up ahead, a blonde little girl wielding a sword was effortlessly slaughtering the monsters blocking her path, completely on her own.
This was the first time they had run into another person outside of the Loki Familia.
And this sheer strength and speed... A 6 or 7-year-old first-tier adventurer?
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