Room of Prayers.
Hidden beneath the guild building, it is the place frequented by a select few. It is the lodging of Ouranos, the god who 'keeps' the dungeon silent through his prayers—divine will. He is one of the Supreme Gods who descended to Gekai in order to keep the agreement between the gods and the dungeon.
As a price, Ouranos couldn't move a single step beyond his seat. The prayers in the dungeon would collapse, which would cause the dungeon to go berserk. All of the monsters inside it would go into a frenzy to go to the surface.
In simpler terms, a dungeon break.
It is the main reason why Ouranos chose a proxy—the renowned sage, Fels. Other than him, only select gods could come in contact with him. One of them happened to be Hermes.
"Knossos…"
Ouranos couldn't help but reminisce about his former familia member, Daedalus. The prodigy was responsible for designing the entire Orario—from the districts and infrastructures down to the sewage system.
"It is indeed his writing." He placed down a copy of Knossos' section. "Sirius handed it over?"
"He gave us a copy. I saw the original for a while, though."
Ouranos turned to Fels, the robed skeleton.
"How was it?"
"Everything seems normal, but there is a surprise."
He briefly paused, feeling complicated by what he discovered. "
"The entire Hephaestus Familia home is covered with dozens of spells. A complex interweaved network of spells that are always active. If not for my luck, I wouldn't have seen it."
The sage was shocked by the defenses erected by Nobu. He knew the difficulty of learning magic in this world. He took nearly a hundred years with [Mysteries] skill to create the philosopher's stone. As for the resurrection magic he had prepared, it is laden with restrictions. Even the difficulty of using it is another matter.
To see a child—much less a twelve-year-old boy—be on the same level as him is shocking.
His 'familiar' was almost detected if he chose to go further. Though unbeknownst to him, Nobu noticed everything.
Both gods fell silent. They had varying reactions to Fels' words. The discovery of another adventurer who even surpassed Sword Princess is something not to be made light of.
They are aware that this era's heroes are the final batch. The success of eliminating the final of the three Great Quests, the One-eyed Black Dragon, rests on them. Hermes and Ouranos made their preparations exactly for this moment.
The former placed his bets on the seed left by Zeus while the latter keeps the dungeon in check. That, and the 'anomalies' he had found years ago.
With the arrival of 'the brightest star', the chances went up.
Suddenly, Ouranos recalled something.
"What do you think of him?" He asked Hermes.
"Sirius? He's suited to be a great adventurer. The boy is the type to break even gods' expectations. He is currently the best choice to lead this era, I admit."
"I see."
Ouranos fell into a momentary silence once more.
"Have you investigated his origins?"
Hearing this, Hermes had seemingly caught onto something.
"Yes. His background is clean. He was with the Artemis Familia outside Orario. The towns and villages they had passed through had traces of him."
Hermes and Ouranos exchanged some words before the former left. It is mainly inquiring about the validity of Nobu's intel regarding Enyo, Evilus, and Demi-spirits.
Surprisingly, Ouranos acquiesced and confirmed the existence of Demi-spirits. Coupled with 'Enyo', an enigmatic figure who sought Orario's demise, Nobu's information was further validated.
Once Hermes left, Fels asked his doubts.
"Ouranos-sama… Is Sirius connected to that crack?"
Twelve years ago, a 'crack' appeared in Gekai. It occurred during the Zeus and Hera Familia's expedition. Although, it lasted briefly. Only Ouranos managed to 'perceive' it clearly. The second time it appeared was eight years ago.
Two months ago, it appeared again. This time, its duration is far longer. It is similar in nature, albeit possessing a certain difference. Compared to the 'crack' from twelve years ago, it is more stable.
Ouranos saw its nature and discovered one thing—it spans between dimensions.
"Possibly. He might be a being beyond it."
An otherworlder.
During this era nearing its end, the existence of an otherworlder is akin to a joker. Nobody knew its possible effects. It could be helpful; it could be harmful.
"It could explain his knowledge… But, the depth is another thing. Is his talent this absurd?" Fels murmured blankly.
In the face of an otherworlder, they chose to remain cautious. It is uncertain whether he will be on their side or not.
*****
"Hah… What was that..?"
In the middle of the night, Cassandra was woken up. Unlike most people, she could always recall her dreams. Her prophecies always the form of 'dreams' before 'remembering' cryptic lines from them.
It was the same this time.
"Shadows…"
In her recent dream, she saw shadows. Her surroundings were vague. All she could remember was it.
"Destiny fulfilled…"
Cassandra 'constructed' the cryptic message in her dream.
The dawn came near;
Buried in the past;
When the clock starts;
The star's destiny shall be fulfilled.
"Star… Is it Sirius-san again?"
She immediately drew a connection with her previous dream. The term 'star' was also used which pointed out to Sirius—Orario's brightest star. His title said it all. Upon knowing that something did happen to him, Cassandra confirmed that Nobu is the 'star'.
She was quite surprised to dream of his 'future' twice.
"Dawn… Does it indicate time?"
"Buried… Past… History?"
"When the clock starts… It is vague."
"Fulfillment… Was it a certain event?"
Unbeknownst to Nobu, he indirectly caused Cassandra to lose sleep.
*****
"Hm… It worked."
Currently, I am testing one of the magic nails. It is easier to make than swords, thus I sometimes opted for it. As long as they are planted pre-emptively, they could take effect.
Under these nails, my body became immobile. I tested the range and effects of it. A Level three like me couldn't resist it at all. It lasted for eight seconds before disappearing.
Valletta was stunned for at least four seconds. Factoring [Shaldo], it would have a huge effect for level five and below.
The principles it worked are similar to the arrows fired by Rethusa-san. I did not limit my creations to swords but also consumables.
When I discovered that [Miracle Maker] affected all of my creations, I had this idea. It is the reason behind the creation of several power tools. If not for it, I wouldn't have initiated the creation of guns two days ago.
The skill resulted in an overall boost of what I could create. It shouldn't be long before I could create motherboards and the likes—maybe a year or so. That time, I will usher to another batch of improvements.
"If I made a nail gun… yeah."
I jotted down the ideas on my notebook. The pages are about to run out, hence I started stuffing some scratch papers on it. Then again, I am planning to buy a new one soon. The papermaking industry in Orario is mature enough for paper to be cheap.
I tip my hat off to them. They unlocked the possibility of education through it. Although gods made their progress messy, it also has benefits.
"Looks like I'll save [Memoir Manifest] for later."
There are times when I got something useful from it. Unfortunately, I couldn't manufacture them with their complexity. I could create some downgraded versions, but it wouldn't help much.
I treated the skill as a personal gacha of sorts.
Who knows, maybe I could summon Satoru-san and put an end to Gekai's problems?
Just kidding.
"Teacher."
"How was it?"
While I was busy testing it, Lili underwent the gravity training. She could withstand around seventy kilograms under the gravity slab. Her status also increased by a huge margin since we started training a month ago.
Unlike most adventurers, her status never stopped improving. She didn't slack off and fought many strong beings inside [Alice's Wonderland]. The experience and techniques gained from those battles counted as excelia. Add to that her progress inside the dungeon, it was inevitable to be like this.
Nevertheless, it was far slower than the insane improvements I got.
Lili is far from the requirement of leveling up. It might take her around a year to do so. Gaining high-quality excelia is quite easy for her after fighting a plethora of enemies, hence Lili only has to focus on gaining more status. It'd be best if she reaches S in one stat before leveling up, too.
I heard that is the baseline for Aiz-san and Tiona-san.
"I could still endure it, teacher." Lili said. "Can I add another set of bracers?"
"Oh? Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
The training continued.
*****
Inside Knossos, the ocassional sighs of a god filled the cave.
"Huh… Things might be over earlier?"
Thanatos recalled the recent events. Yesterday, Valletta and Olivas Act left for Sirius—Akasaka Nobu. Both had a grudge against the recent star of Orario. They fell to his hands.
They were two of the remaining high-end combat force, hence they were left alone. However, an unexpected thing happened. Valletta Grede and Olivas Act, level six and level three creatures respectively, died. Thanatos sensed the falna on their backs disappear as they left for the underworld.
"Sirius… How intriguing."
Thanatos lazily crossed his arms.
"It could only be him."
Nobu was in his sights back when Valletta was recently resurrected as a creature. Her obsession with Nobu had long been obvious to Thanatos. He expected she would be able to go past this and grow into a reliable leader.
"I wonder how he did it."
"What do you want?"
A man with disheveled hair talked to Thanatos as he hammered through the cave. His thin and sickly body stood out. It's as if he was long tired with life. Although, beneath his pupils lay determination—or rather, a crazed pursuit.
Such was the fate of those bearing the Daedalus bloodline. A thousand year curse is passed from the moment of their birth.
"How many cursed tools could you make? I have a feeling it'll be needed in the future."
"I don't have time for this. Our time is limited."
"But Hephaestus Familia might have found this place? Your brother brought the book with him."
Thanatos arrived at this conclusion solely due to the failure of Valletta's ambush. The notebook contained blueprints of the Knossos. Though, the entrances on different floors weren't included since they are impromptu.
"...Alright."
Seeing Barca agree, Thanatos had accomplished his task.
"Enyo… I wonder when you'll show yourself."
*****
Bam-!
"Damn it!"
Completely unlike his facade, Dionysus showed a hysterical look. He had been relying on his divine wine to get himself drunk. That way, he could maintain his persona. Once it dies down, his mask falls off.
"How useles! Evilus..!"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Should I abandon them? No. They still have their uses."
He thought of the Demi-spirits he had planted. All six Jewel Fetus were planted through Evilus' help. Their dealings went as far back as twelve years ago. Orario was still in its 'Dark Age' due to the defeat of Zeus and hera Familia. Order had nearly collapsed if Loki and Freya Familia hadn't acted in time.
The power Evilus held in the past was sufficient to go down the lower floors. The most developed Jewel Fetus was planted in the sixtieth floor. The next one was planted in the fifty-ninth floor.
As for the rest, they are located between the forty to fifty floors.
"I need to transfer their locations..!"
The biggest dilemma faced by him was transferring the Demi-spirits. A total of three Demi-spirits are being housed inside Knossos. They required nutrients in the form of adventurers and monsters alike, thus they were left alone for a few years.
There could be accidents which could kill the Demi-spirit. In that case, the Jewel Fetus had to be preserved and planted to another monster. Unfortunately, doing all of these proved to be difficult without external help. Valletta's disappearance impacted his plans a lot. There is no longer someone willing to fully cooperate with him.
Actually, it isn't theoretically a problem. There is still someone on their side who could do this. However, whether she was willing or not depends on her mood.
"If I had Filvis..!" He grimaced at that thought. "Damn it!"
Slowly, his twelve years of planning fell apart.
*****
In the midst of the night, members from Ganesha Familia patrolled around Daedalus Street. Not many adventurers wandered in this street. Nevertheless, there are people who saw their unusual act.
Whenever someone passed through a certain location, they would be stopped.
"This is a restricted area. Please stay away."
"Restricted area?" One of the adventurers was dissatisfied. "I am using this route ages ago. Since when was it a restricted area?"
"It is an order from the guild."
Hearing the guild's name, he reluctantly accepted the explanation.
When the adventurers went away, the members of Ganesha Familia started chatting.
"This mission…"
"Yeah. It's quite abrupt."
The Ganesha Familia was only briefed three hours ago. They were publicly told that there would be a joint-operation with several familias to eradicate the remnants of Evilus.
"Let's trust in the captain. She knows what we're doing."
The person in question, Shakti Varma, is standing in front of a massive door along with the other familia captains. They entered the sewage from Daedalus Street. Much to their surprise, something remained hidden in this inconspicuous floor until now.
"This is made of orichalcum..?"
She was stunned to see a tall door made of pure orichalcum. Level five adventurers wouldn't be able to damage it whilst level six could barely do so at an incredible expense.
"It remained hidden after all these years… Without his help, we wouldn't have discovered it easily." Asfi mumbled.
She took out a red orb engraved with "D". She controlled the circuits to let out the specific frequency.
Hum.
A strong sound was made as the door to the hidden labyrinth opened. A long pathway welcomed them along with the chilling wind.
The hidden labyrinth welcomed its first guest in a while.