At the same time, the system also brought him an unexpected delight.
[Achievement Unlocked: Overcoming the Odds, Turning the Tide of Battle!
Exclusive Noble Phantasm Acquired: Revenge of the Weak!
Name: Revenge of the Weak (Growth Potential)
Rank: E (15%)
Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm
Range: 1
Max Targets: 1 person
When facing an invincible enemy, do you choose to flee with your tail between your legs, or to turn and fight desperately, determined to bite off a piece of them even in death? As for me... I choose to kill them!
—Nguyen Ryou]
When facing an enemy stronger than yourself, increase your damage!
Although this Noble Phantasm isn't of a high rank and doesn't seem particularly powerful, it is truly Ryou's own, a profound recognition of his self-belief!
Additionally, since he defeated the Minotaur despite being under-leveled, his energy points doubled, accumulating to 30,533.
Once he escaped this cursed colosseum, he could exchange these points for magical equipment, fully arm himself, and significantly enhance his combat abilities, instead of cowering in this hellhole.
As Ryou lay on a haystack, planning his future path and resting his eyes, he heard footsteps approaching.
Though others couldn't see the system interface, he quickly closed it just in case, opened his eyes, and sat up.
"You're in luck. The mistress wants to reward the victor," Anastasia entered with a smile that was equal parts fawning, envious, and openly desirous.
She carried several bottles of life magic potions, and behind her was a pretty maid holding a white, Babylonian-style robe that emitted a faint fragrance.
The Amazon race was deeply in tune with their instincts and desires, appearing very open or even wanton to outsiders.
They scorned ordinary men, treating them merely as breeding stock, yet pursued powerful men eagerly, willing to savor even a single night of pleasure, all for the sake of birthing strong offspring.
At its core, this was a race that prioritized the survival and reproduction of their tribe above all else, a relic of ancient matriarchal societies.
However, since the goddess had taken an interest in Ryou, Anastasia, despite her various covetous glances and barely restrained desire to devour him, didn't dare to make a move.
The maid also cast curious and admiring glances, clearly aware of his feat of defeating the mutated monster, a story that had spread throughout the Colosseum and even Orario.
Although they couldn't act on their desires, the two female ruffians used the excuse of helping Ryou change clothes to grope him in various ways.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk~ You, after suffering such severe injuries, have recovered so quickly. Are you some kind of humanoid monster?"
Anastasia remarked, seeing Ryou's nearly healed wounds and a pile of unused healing potions.
Though her words were casual, they struck a chord with him, who narrowed his eyes and replied evasively, "Who knows..."
Both the unique skills and Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits were miracles never before seen in Orario. Especially the Noble Phantasms, whose power far surpassed the skills of this world. Until he was strong enough to face anything, he couldn't let anyone, especially the gods of this world, know!
With this in mind, Ryou glanced at Anastasia, his eyes filled with even more killing intent. In the entire Colosseum, and perhaps this world, Anastasia was the only one who had noticed something unusual about him...
Antasia, however, was lost in thought, staring at his exposed muscular body. His great talent, combined with the 'size' she had just confirmed, made him the perfect breeding partner.
Anastasia even fantasized about whether she might have a chance, even if only once, after the mistress "enjoyed" him.
"Uh-hem! The mistress is waiting..." the maid dutifully reminded.
Although she also wanted to "connect deeply" with Ryou, her loyalty as a maid brought her slightly back to reality. Furthermore, as a personal maid to Ishtar, she had joined Ishtar's pleasure games many times, making her opportunities far more frequent than Anastasia's, so she wasn't in as much of a rush.
Anastasia's eyes showed a trace of regret, but she could only lead Ryou to the goddess's bedchamber alongside the maid.
Ryou felt he was still too young for this.
Just as he was puzzling over why receiving a reward required going to a bedchamber, the door was pushed open. He felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.
In the goddess's bedchamber, a unique incense produced in the dungeon was quietly burning, enveloping the entire room in a layer of faint pink smoke.
With just a small breath, Ryou immediately felt the blood flow in his body speed up, and all his basic attributes increased slightly.
These goddesses sure know how to enjoy themselves. Even burning incense is so high-end, tsk tsk~
While Ryou was inwardly slandering them, the curtains of the large bed in the center of the bedchamber silently parted, revealing a scene so alluring that any male would find it hard to control himself.
Three mature, beautiful bodies lay on the massive bed.
In the central position was a beautiful goddess with healthy, wheat-colored skin, wearing a transparent gauze. She resembled a wild female beast, enticing any male to willingly be hunted by her. The gauze she wore, apart from making one's blood boil and eager to try, served no concealment purpose, and the goddess had no intention of hiding herself, freely and openly displaying her body brimming with endless vitality.
The other goddess, with golden hair and emerald eyes, seemed dissatisfied with her companion's dominance, unabashedly showcasing her own perfect body. She seemed to understand how to seduce men better; her white gauze was semi-transparent, highlighting her perfect body curves while exuding an ambiguous beauty. Her gem-like eyes seemed to speak, constantly inviting Ryou.
The last one wore a loose black robe, with black hair cascading like ink to her hips and eyes as dark as the night. This black-clad goddess had distinctly different features, embodying the unique delicacy and refinement of Eastern women. Compared to the other two passionate and open goddesses, her cheeks were shyly flushed, her jade-like skin radiating a bashful blush. Her slightly reserved and shy demeanor made one even more eager to pin her down.
Any one of them would be an unparalleled treasure in a man's eyes, and now they were all gathered together, allowing Ryou to feast his eyes.
Ryou had to admit, they were enchantress!
"What are you standing there for? Hurry and come over," the wheat-skinned goddess beckoned with her finger, her voice carrying a hint of seductive huskiness.
"Hee hee hee~ Maybe your eager look scared him," the golden-haired goddess teased, giggling.
"Aphrodite, you slut, are you in any position to say that to me!?"
Ishtar raised an eyebrow.
"Ah~!"
Aphrodite cried out in pain, but her voice was filled with unmistakable springtime allure.
The two goddesses began "wrestling" with each other and soon involved the nearby Amaterasu.
Watching the three goddesses' bodies, with their spring scenery exposed during the playful tussle, Ryou couldn't help but swallow hard.
Compared to Scathach in the game, he had to admit these three goddesses were more beautiful and alluring.
However, as the saying goes, good things come with challenges.
Just as the scene seemed to be developing towards an explicit direction, BOOM!
A sudden loud noise came from outside the bedchamber!
"Amazons! What's going on here!"
Goddess Ishtar, interrupted at a critical moment, was instantly furious.
Soon, the sound of chaotic footsteps approached. An Amazon, her arm dripping with blood, staggered into the chamber.
"Bad news, mistress! The Freya Familia has broken through!"
"What!?" Ishtar was both shocked and enraged. "How dare she!?"
"It's true. Lady Aisha has already led people to stop them, but the Freya Familia is too powerful. Lady Aisha can barely hold them off. Please, mistress, leave here with me quickly!" the Amazon spoke anxiously.
As if to confirm her words, the sounds of battle outside the chamber grew more intense, clearly moving closer.
"Damn it! That bitch Freya!" Ishtar pounded her fist on the bed.
But there was nothing she could do. Since this was an underground coliseum, it naturally belonged to the darker, unsanctioned activities.
Since Uranus led the Guild to take over Orario, the city's public order had greatly improved, causing the dark forces to shrink significantly. Slave trading and other such activities could no longer be conducted openly, and the bloody and cruel practice of pitting ordinary people against monsters in combat was strictly prohibited. Celebrations gradually shifted to featuring powerful adventurers fighting monsters.
Ishtar's actions this time were essentially a test, a boundary-pushing move. Unfortunately, Freya, one of Orario's "Twin Kings," acted swiftly and decisively like a thunderbolt. With the Guild backing her, she had every reason and justification to make her actions convincing.
If things escalated, it would be detrimental to Ishtar herself, so she was destined to suffer in silence.
"Ishtar, since you seem to have something urgent, we'll be on our way..." Aphrodite said cautiously, pulling Amaterasu's hand.
Their Familias were even weaker than Ishtar's and naturally dared not get involved.
So, under Ishtar's near-murderous gaze, the two goddesses hastily fled.
"Two unreliable bitches! They want to share the benefits but run faster than rabbits when trouble arises!" Ishtar gritted her teeth as the two goddesses disappeared.
"Mistress, please make a quick decision!" the Amazon urged again.
"We're leaving!" Ishtar decisively commanded.
To have developed her Familia to this extent, even controlling the dark side of the Pleasure Quarter, Goddess Ishtar naturally had the qualities of a hero. She immediately decided to abandon the underground coliseum, which had cost her countless funds and effort.
As for the man, Ryou, who had recently stirred her heart, she abandoned him without hesitation.
However, this moment presented Ryou with a rare opportunity.
"I was thinking about how to escape from here, but I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon! Goddess Freya, I owe you one!"
Looking at Ishtar's departing figure without a backward glance, Ryou couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. At the same time, a sense of gratitude toward the goddess Freya, whom he had never met, rose in his heart.
Ryou quickly took out a purple-quality magic ring from his storage space and put it on his finger.
This magic ring was called "Shadow of Stealth." It could reduce the wearer's presence, allow three uses of a stealth skill per day, and increase agility by one point.
With the ring on, Ryou immediately felt his body lighten, and an invisible "veil" seemed to envelop him.
He pulled up the system's equipment exchange panel and quickly browsed through it.
When his eyes fell on a certain item, they lit up, and he immediately redeemed it.
It was a thin mask, almost like a facial mask. Its quality was purple, and it had cost him a full twenty thousand energy points.
Moreover, this mask didn't enhance any attributes.
However, Ryou felt that this was exactly what he needed at the moment. This magic mask, called "Deceiver's Mask," was modeled after the Noble Phantasm of the Round Table Knight Lancelot, and could change the wearer's appearance at will!
Only those with significantly higher magic power than him could see through his disguise.
Based on the original work, Ryou estimated that he was currently at the level of a Lv2 adventurer. To see through his disguise, one would need to be at least Lv5.
Reaching Lv5, and being a magic user at that, was rare in all of Orario!
After all, the mage profession required both money and talent—not everyone could become one.
Next, Ryou redeemed a pair of blue gauntlets. Yes, gauntlets.
Ever since he had smashed a Minotaur's head with a single punch, He realized he had awakened a peculiar taste—fist-to-flesh combat, smashing heads!
These gauntlets cost him another ten thousand energy points, leaving him with just a handful of points.
Ryou put the mask on his face, and it instantly transformed into a puddle of soft mud, morphing according to his will.
A minute later, he looked at the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
The face in the mirror was extremely ordinary, to the extent that you'd lose track of it in a crowd in no time.
For him, who wanted to hide his identity, this was perfect.
Soon, Ryou was stealthily moving through the coliseum like a ghost, deliberately avoiding the direction from which the loud sounds of battle were coming—the obvious focus of the Freya Familia's attack.
As he passed the entrance to the prison, he couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression, then changed direction towards the prison.
His purpose in going to the prison was to release the slaves in the cells. Ryou did this not out of a sense of altruism but simply to create chaos. Whether the slaves could escape or not was no longer his concern.
Although he inherited the Noble Phantasm "Crying Warmonger," he was not Spartacus and couldn't lead a group of slaves to overthrow the Roman Empire's army.
Ryou entered the prison. Under the gazes of slaves who were either pleading, curious, or numb, he smashed open the prison door with a single punch.
"You are free now, go," Ryou said, then started to smash open another cell door.
As the first slave cautiously stepped out, the ones sitting in their cells gradually began to move.
By the time he opened the last cell door, the slaves surged towards the entrance of the prison, like a tide. Their eyes no longer held only despair and numbness but were now filled with longing and hope for freedom!
Every slave who passed by Ryou looked at him with gratitude.
Though he wasn't aiming to be a hero, standing up for the weak against the strong felt surprisingly good...
Rebel, a thought suddenly arose in Ryou's mind.
As this thought surfaced, Ryou suddenly felt a stirring from within his body, from something called "Crying Warmonger." Using this Noble Phantasm now felt smoother and more natural.
At the same time, the system sent a message.
However, there was no time to delve into it because a figure suddenly appeared at the prison entrance.
"You despicable slaves! How dare you run away!"
The intruder was none other than Anastasia, but unlike her usual spirited self, she now appeared utterly disheveled.
One of her hands was wrapped in thick bandages, yet blood continued to flow ceaselessly, and her arm above the wrist was gone. Her body was also covered in numerous wounds, both large and small.
Despite her condition, Anastasia seemed even more dangerous now, like a severely injured, dying beast.
Ryou's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, signaling the slaves to hurry and escape.
"Who are you? Someone from Freya's Familia?"
Anastasia also noticed unusual about him, but with his face covered by the Mask of the Deceiver, she didn't recognize him.
With her battle-hardened instincts, Anastasia immediately sensed the danger posed by the man in front of her, as if any lapse in vigilance would result in a devastating blow from him.
Unable to move rashly, Anastasia could only watch helplessly as the slaves carefully skirted around her.
As the last slave escaped through the prison gate, the irritable Anastasia's foot shifted slightly.
Bam!
Ryou instantly stomped the ground with force, accelerating from zero, transforming into a storm as he charged towards Anastasia.
Anastasia scoffed and swung her sword at his head.
Ryou neither dodged nor avoided, and his gloved fist collided with the sword blade.
Sparks flew, and Anastasia was shocked to find that her sword blade had already snapped.
Ryou snickered inwardly; anything produced by the system was bound to be top-quality. Daring to clash hard with such trashy standard equipment was a death wish.
In this exchange, Anastasia immediately fell into a disadvantaged position.
She didn't dare to clash her sword against Ryou's gauntlets, whereas Ryou, bolstered by his gear, fought as if his life depended on it, ignoring all attacks except those aimed at vital points.
Although Anastasia continually left wounds on Ryou, she was dodging left and right, completely avoiding any confrontation.
"It's you!?"
Having sparred with Ryou for over half a month, how could Anastasia not recognize this familiar, life-risking style?
"Of course, it's me," Ryou replied coldly.
"Damn it! I should have killed you back then!"
Anastasia couldn't help but deeply regret her past decisions.
From the first day she sensed that terrifying trait in him, she had this thought. However, due to various concerns, she could only use indirect, subtle methods, like depriving him of medical treatment.
Who would have thought that Ryou would survive each time and grow stronger, now baring his fangs at her!
In a life-and-death battle, she couldn't afford any distractions, especially being severely injured already.
Ryou seized the opportunity, punching the center of her sword and breaking it, then immediately following up with a punch to her abdomen.
This punch, delivered with nearly all his strength, ignited a strong magical glow on his arm.
Ryou's fist struck Anastasia's abdomen, causing it to cave in, and leaving a distinct fist mark on her back.
Anastasia was sent flying, crashing hard into the stone wall, and then slowly sliding down.
Ryou walked slowly to Antasia's side, looking at the Amazon whose breath was gradually fading, his expression complex.
Despite her ill intentions and murderous intent, it was through constant sparring with her that he had grown so much in less than a month. Her contribution was at least thirty percent.
Ryou was someone who distinguished clearly between gratitude and enmity, repaying both kindness and grudges in full measure.
"Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Ryou asked softly.
"Ugh!"
Antasia tried to speak but involuntarily coughed up a mass of blood mixed with pieces of her organs.
"Y-You... When you leave, make sure to set a fire and burn... my corpse along with this place!"
Anastasia panted heavily.
"I have many enemies and don't want my body to be desecrated after death!"
"Alright," Ryou agreed solemnly.
Having received his promise, Anastasia's eyes turned hazy as she looked at the stone ceiling above. She then slowly raised her hand, touching the scars on her face, and with a wistful smile, began to speak to herself.
"From the beginning, I've always had a bad eye for men..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Anastasia lost all signs of life.
Ryou sighed deeply, closed her eyes, wiped the dirt off her face, and tidied her clothes. He then collected some dry straw from the cell, piled it up, and gently laid her body on it.
He used a torch to ignite the makeshift pyre and threw the torch into the straw-filled cell. Without looking back, Ryou walked away.
Behind him, the flames turned into purifying red lotuses, engulfing everything.
When he emerged from the prison, he immediately realized that freeing all the slaves was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The Ishtar Familia, already at a severe disadvantage, had completely collapsed.
Wasting no time, Ryou quickly found his bearings and escaped the coliseum amidst the chaos.
As he fled, he suddenly felt a peculiar gaze fixed upon him.
The gaze was slippery and sticky, like a python coiling around his body, filled with blatant possessiveness.
Startled, Ryou pressed himself against a wall, cautiously scanning his surroundings. Strangely, as soon as he sensed it, the gaze vanished without a trace, as if it had all been his imagination.
Perplexed, Ryou could only conceal himself further and carefully distance himself from the coliseum area.
Once Ryou's figure had moved away, two figures appeared on a rooftop.
One was a burly, muscular warrior with a serrated greatsword on his back. His entire body was like forged steel, brimming with immense power. His presence exuded a wild, beast-like aura and the unmistakable air of a strong warrior.
He was none other than Ottar, the only publicly known Lv. 7 in Orario, renowned as the Ultimate Weapon and King, and the captain of Freya's Familia.
However, Ottar stood half a step behind, like a guardian, protecting another figure.
The only person Ottar would personally guard could only be one individual: the figure was unmistakably Freya, one of Orario's "Twin Kings" and the head of the strongest Familia.
Tonight, the goddess of beauty and love had hidden her body, which could drive any man wild, under a wide hooded cloak.
Yet, even with only her extraordinarily beautiful face exposed, she outshone the moonlight.
Her silver-gray hair glistened like pearls under the moonlight, and her violet eyes were mysterious and elegant.
Among Orario's three beautiful goddesses, if Ishtar embodied wild and untamed beauty like a deadly leopard, and Aphrodite symbolized the golden rose, noble and splendid, then Freya was like her eye color, symbolizing mysterious and elegant amethyst.
The wide hooded cloak could hide her beauty but not her allure.
However, the usually dignified and elegant goddess was now transformed into a love-struck fan girl, staring obsessively at Ryou's retreating figure, her face full of infatuation. If expressed in anime terms, her eyes would be two heart shapes, a pure love-stricken maiden.
"Originally, I came just on a whim to warn Ishtar. But who would've thought! Who would've thought I'd encounter such a splendid soul's light!"
Freya clasped her hands tightly to her chest as if trying to squeeze out that abundant feeling.
"Ah! How fate favors me! I must have him! I want him now! Ottar!"
Ottar, who had been silent and steady as a stone, instantly sprang into action upon receiving his mistress's command, turning into a perfect execution machine.
But just as he was about to move forward.
A figure appeared before him as if by teleportation.
Ottar, who had originally been calm and indifferent, suddenly changed his expression. Despite being the strongest on the surface in Orario, he hadn't even noticed how the other person had appeared. The gap in their strengths was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.
Before he could react, he felt a tremendous force hit his abdomen, and he was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing through five or six buildings before landing in a pile of rubble.
"Who are you?" Freya, who had been infatuated, suddenly turned pale with fright.
In the moonlight, a purple-black figure stood gracefully—it was the long-absent Scáthach.
The cold and proud Queen of the Shadow Land slightly raised her right foot, clearly indicating that the so-called strongest warrior of Orario had been kicked away by her without any resistance.
Faced with Freya's question, Scáthach only gave her a cold glance before looking cautiously in another direction.
Yet, even that single glance made Freya feel an overwhelming sense of menace as if a god-slaying spear was pressed against her neck.
From Scáthach, Freya sensed the aura of a mortal enemy of the gods—someone who had slain countless deities, drenched in divine blood, and cursed by many gods—a true god-slayer.
"You! You! You!" Freya trembled uncontrollably. In her millions of years of existence, this was the first time she felt death so close!
Heaven help her, she was merely the goddess of love and beauty. Though she led the Valkyries to guide the Einherjar, that only symbolized her excellent leadership. There were no myths extolling her warrior prowess.
Now, facing Scáthach, a super-killer with countless god-slaying deeds, not collapsing to the ground was already her limit.
Crash!
Ottar suddenly pushed away the rubble on top of him, limping and covered in wounds, he stood protectively in front of Freya.
Seeing Ottar's loyalty, a trace of admiration flashed in Scáthach's eyes, but it was fleeting.
Neither Freya, the vase-like goddess, nor Ottar, the so-called strongest who was inferior to her worst disciple, mattered to Scáthach.
Her blood-red eyes remained vigilant, fixed on an empty rooftop.
"Hehe~ It seems quite a few people have taken an interest in that child," a mysterious voice suddenly said.
Suddenly, a mass of 'black mud' appeared at that location, and from it emerged a goddess with enormous dragon horns, silently materializing.
The moment the dragon-horned goddess appeared, two blood-red magic spears appeared silently in Scáthach's hands, their tips pointed directly at the dragon-horned goddess.
"Indeed, given that child's talent alone, it's comparable to that of ancient heroes—truly a... hero's egg," the dragon-horned goddess said, seemingly unfazed by Scáthach's undisguised hostility.
"He is a warrior chosen by me, Scáthach. If you don't want to die by my magic spear, don't meddle, Mother of Saltwater," Scáthach said coldly.
This mysterious dragon-horned goddess was none other than Tiamat, one of the creation deities from Mesopotamian mythology, symbolizing saltwater!
No wonder even the haughty goddess Ishtar behaved so respectfully in her presence.
In this world of Orario, where gods coexisted, Primordial deities held the highest status.
Even though the gods had sealed their divine powers by mutual agreement, these primordial beings could easily bypass such restrictions and wield their powers without being expelled from the mortal realm.
To put it simply, if Orario were like a massive online game, the gods would be like the programmers, while the Primordial deities would be akin to project managers with higher-level permissions.
Powerful and enigmatic.
"Don't be hasty, Queen of the Shadow Land. I believe we might not be enemies..." Tiamat said calmly and with a smile, despite Scáthach's unmerciful threat. "After such a long time, it's rare for anything to capture my attention, but that child has deeply intrigued me!"
"Indeed, regardless of our ultimate goals, our positions are aligned in wanting that child to grow stronger. Am I right, Queen of the Shadow Land?"
Though Scáthach remained silent, Tiamat knew this signified her tacit agreement, giving Tiamat more confidence in persuading her.
"So, why don't we join forces? As for the end, let the child decide—between you, me, or someone else!"
"What is your goal?" Scáthach seemed unmoved.
"Possibility! I want to see that child's potential! Whether he reaches the divine realm with a mortal body, or beyond! I want to see the immense potential within that child come to fruition!"
Tiamat's eyes sparkled with extraordinary fervor, not the pursuit of knowledge of a mad scientist, but a relentless obsession that had waited for hundreds or thousands of years, just for that moment of brilliant splendor.
"Remember what you said today. If you break your word, I, Scáthach, swear as the Queen of the Shadow Land, I will take your life!"
As Scáthach spoke, the magic spears in her hands turned into red light and dissipated into the air, indicating her agreement with Tiamat's proposal to join forces and witness, even catalyze, Ryou's growth.
As for the possibility of Tiamat lying, Scáthach was not worried at all.
Gods might conceal the truth, but they do not lie. At their level, they even disdain concealment.
As for Freya and Ottar, standing nearby, both Scáthach and Tiamat treated them as if they were invisible.
Orario's 'Twin Kings'? The strongest familia? The ultimate weapon?
These titles held no significance in their eyes.
After reaching an agreement, the figures of the two powerhouses disappeared into the night.
Ottar's face displayed a strong sense of humiliation and unwillingness. So this was how powerless he, the 'strongest,' truly was.
"Hehe~ Haha~ Hahahaha!"
Freya, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly began to giggle, then laugh louder and louder, finally breaking into unrestrained, manic laughter.
At that moment, her violet eyes were filled with endless madness.
"What about the Mother of Saltwater, the Primordial!? What about the Queen of the Shadow Land, the God-Slayer!? That child, that child alone! I must have him!! If you want my life, I'll gladly give it to you!!!"
Neither Tiamat nor Scáthach regarded Freya, the vase-like goddess, as significant.
However, they forgot that even a vase can be extremely terrifying when it goes mad.
Moreover, this goddess Freya was no ordinary lunatic. In mythology, she could search the entire world crying for her lost husband, and she could also do unspeakable things with four dwarves just for a golden necklace.
Putting everything else aside, her determination to achieve her goals was chillingly horrifying.
As Ryou left the gladiator arena, the entire labyrinth city began to stir...
PS: MC almost gang(Goddess) r***!