Danmachi: The Multiverse Portal

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August and Lili were surprised by how efficiently these Familias worked. They thought the groups would slow things down or even try to get in each other's way.

"I underestimated how thirsty you Adventurers are for Feats," August realized.

It made sense. The Daedalus family's monster army on the surface was massive and really dangerous. For professional Adventuring Familias, defeating them was a big opportunity.

Winning meant more prestige and the important Feats needed to level up.

"HAHAHA, NO NEED TO SAY IT OUT LOUD," Gareth laughed.

Everyone knew it, even if no one said it. Whether fighting in the Dungeon or chasing rogue groups above ground, these enemies had to be defeated.

Taking them down earned the Excelia needed to move up in rank.

"Since you guys are putting in the work, I won't be stingy."

The Loki Familia was getting ready for a big fight, and since August had started all this trouble, he thought he should make it up to them somehow.

"Here—" He tossed over a few Daedalus Orbs.

"This is!!" Gareth was surprised.

The Loki Familia had searched the whole city for these keys to get ready for a raid on Knossos, and now August was simply giving them away.

"Consider it payment," August said.

"Your executives have been stuck at their current levels for a while now, haven't they? Conquering the Artificial Labyrinth should give you the push you need."

He understood just how much top Adventurers craved Feats.

"I won't turn that down." Gareth gladly pocketed the orbs.

The younger members of the Loki Familia stayed quiet in the background, acting like they hadn't noticed anything. The deal was done.

"Let's go. We can't stay here much longer." August glanced at his watch. He definitely didn't want to spend the night in the Dungeon.

"Alright." Gareth signaled his squad to follow.

The Xenos stayed behind in the hidden base, waiting for Gros and Lyd to return.

The group headed up. It took them a few hours to get from the eighteenth floor to Daedalus Street, but the long corridors of the Artificial Labyrinth helped them move faster.

As they walked, the Loki Familia learned the layout, and Lili showed them unmapped areas and hidden spots where Evilus members might be hiding.

When they finally reached Daedalus Street, the sun was setting.

August and Lili said goodbye and went west. Since the new compound wasn't finished yet, they were going back to the ruined church.

But right before they left, both August and Lili gave Tione Hiryute a strange, almost sympathetic look.

Tione noticed their look and frowned, completely confused. She decided not to think about it and followed her squad north to the Twilight Manor.

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When the Loki vanguard got to their headquarters, Loki was outside, relaxing and enjoying the last bit of sunlight.

"Oh, Gareth. You're back." She sat up, surprised. They were way ahead of schedule—she thought they wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon.

"Back already?" Riveria Ljos Alf looked up from her book in the courtyard.

"We ran into August on the nineteenth floor. He cleared it," Gareth said, waving the tired juniors toward the showers.

Gareth stayed to update the executives, with the Hiryute sisters staying to listen in.

"Oho? The kid actually pulled it off. Not bad." Loki grinned.

Most people thought clearing the nineteenth floor was just normal Adventurer work. But she knew how August did it—he gathered all the monsters into one spot and took them out at once. He had failed there before and still held a grudge.

"Tens of thousands of monsters, all wiped out! After what happened last time, he was amazing today." Tiona said seriously.

Tiona knew she couldn't do what he did.

The nineteenth floor only had Level 2 and Level 3 monsters, but fighting thousands at once would be deadly for anyone alone. August had wiped out almost all of them, hitting so hard the whole floor shook.

"Impressive..." Loki whistled. In just a few days, he had already crushed the challenge that stopped him before.

The kid was like a walking cheat code.

"We also scored the keys to the Artificial Labyrinth from him." Gareth pulled the orbs from his pocket.

"Whoa. The eyes of the Daedalus bloodline."

Loki understood the magic items right away. She had wondered how the Evilus group kept Knossos sealed and was already thinking of ways to open the doors.

The answer was simple—they used their own eyes as keys.

"Where's Finn?" Gareth asked, noticing their Captain was missing.

"Yeah, where is he?" Tione chimed in, craning her neck for the man she was obsessed with.

Suddenly, she realized the answer.

"Finn?" Loki rubbed her chin, glancing nervously at Riveria. She obviously didn't want to be the one to tell the unpredictable Amazon.

Riveria, acting as the Familia's unofficial mother, decided to tell the truth directly.

"He went on a blind date."

"Huh?" Tione froze. She turned to Riveria in shock.

A blind date?

"WHO. WHO IS IT!!" Her voice dropped to a lethal growl. "Who the hell is playing matchmaker? I'm going to rip her to shreds!"

Tione was furious. Everyone knew the Captain was already taken, so who would dare mess with his love life?

Ais Wallenstein sat quietly with her book, thinking for a moment before she delivered the final blow.

"Finn set it up himself."

Snap. It was as if you could hear Tione's heart break.

"That's impossible!" Tione started to panic. It didn't make sense.

"Who is the girl? I'm going to butcher her." Tione grabbed her weapons and turned, ready to head back into the city.

"Whoa, calm down, sis!" Tiona grabbed her from behind and pulled her back.

"It's Liliruca Arde," Loki sighed. "The Supporter from the Hestia Familia."

Loki understood exactly what Finn was thinking.

Finn's main goal was to become a symbol of hope for the Pallum race, which was why he hadn't settled down yet.

Gareth might seem tough, but he already had a family. Riveria didn't have a partner, but her standards were high, and as a high elf, she had centuries to decide—elves could have children even after a hundred years.

Still, Finn's marriage prospects always worried Loki. He looked young because Pallums aged slowly, but time was still passing. As the Braver, he could choose any woman in Orario, but he was determined to marry a Pallum.

And finding an exceptional Pallum was very difficult.

The race had a bad reputation in Orario for being cowardly, greedy, and untrustworthy. Outstanding Pallum women were almost impossible to find.

So when Liliruca Arde became known, Finn saw hope for his race.

But Loki saw the bigger picture. Finn was treating this like a political marriage. Lili was a teenage girl who had survived real hardship—and August was more than just a captain to her—he was the one who helped her out of the darkness.

Loki understood why the Hestia Familia called her Little Light: she had found her own way even in tough times.

Her Braver was heading for a harsh rejection!!

"..." Tione froze.

She remembered the strange look August and Lili had given her before they left. Now it all made sense. They had already read Finn's letter.

"No way..." she groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Did they know I liked him the whole time?"

She felt totally embarrassed.

"Hey, it's not that bad," Loki said, patting the upset Amazon on the shoulder.

"Finn's going to fail anyway—"

"Wait, what?" Even Riveria and Gareth stared at their Goddess in shock.

Did she really have to drag her Captain like that?

"Look, Finn wants to bring back his race's glory..." Loki explained.

"...But Lili doesn't care about that. She went through a lot with the Soma Familia, but she never let it change who she was. That's why the Shrimp calls her Little Light. Darkness tries to cover the light, but light always moves toward something brighter."

"August was the only one who helped her when she needed it. How can Finn compete with that?"

Finn had no chance. August had saved Lili, and no one could compete with that kind of loyalty.

"Fair point," Riveria said with a nod.

The logic made sense. Finn was facing an impossible challenge—trying to beat August here was hopeless.

"But hey, Tione, this is your big chance!" Loki grinned, encouraging her. "Think about it! When Finn comes back heartbroken, you can be there for him and maybe win him over!"

It was the perfect chance. Once Finn was feeling down, he wouldn't be able to resist her.

"Uh, is that really okay?" Tione asked, surprised. She hadn't expected her Goddess to suggest something like this. It felt a bit sneaky.

"What else can you do?" the rest of the Familia said. Everyone knew how Tione felt. If Finn was going to be rejected anyway, being there for him wasn't wrong. It was just good timing. All's fair in love and war.

"SIS, IF THIS WORKS, YOU'LL GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT!" Tiona cheered.

"I... guess you're right." Tione brightened up. The more she thought about it, the better her chances seemed.

"Alright then! Tonight, we celebrate! We're having a victory party for Tione in advance!" Loki said.

She didn't feel guilty about the plan. Making her children happy was the right thing to do. It was time to celebrate.

"YEAH!" Tiona, Lefiya, and the other girls cheered. They were all excited to celebrate early for Tione getting her dream guy.

"See? We're all here for you!" Loki laughed. "Don't worry, he'll be yours soon enough."

"You can do it, Tione!"

"Go win him over!"

"You're basically the Captain's wife now!"

The Familia whistled and cheered. Even Bete Loga nodded in support, though he still looked a bit doubtful. "It's a good plan. But celebrating before he even gets rejected feels like asking for bad luck."

"Shut up! Don't spoil the mood!" Loki kicked the werewolf in the shin.

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BULK UPLOAD OF 5 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 900 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!

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