Chapter 361

Chapter 364: Ais: That Annoying Wild Boar-Man (Please Subscribe!)

The faint sound of clashing blades echoed throughout the area.

Mixed in were the roars of monsters and the strained cries of effort.

It seemed that some adventurers had managed to hold back the rampaging Minotaur.

Finn, with his seasoned adventurer’s experience, made this judgment internally.

However, the commotion from afar wasn’t his primary concern at the moment.

More pressing was the Halfling Tribe Leader’s curiosity about why Ota was here… or rather, his purpose.

“Is the unrest in this area, the rampaging Minotaur, something you caused, Ota?”

Seeing Finn ask with a smile on his face, Ota responded in a low tone, “Everything is as the Goddess wishes.”

“Freyja’s Attitude?” Upon hearing this, Finn’s expression turned slightly more serious. “An attack on our faction’s officers… also part of that goddess’s attitude?”

“Can I take this as a declaration of war by divine will? Equal to a Familial Group conflict?”

As these words left his lips, Ota fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke again.

“…My own unilateral decision.”

After saying this, the warrior exhaled calmly. He judged that staying there any longer would be futile. There was no chance of victory in battle, nor could he stop them.

Thus, the warrior discarded all his weapons and began walking towards the cavern entrance where Finn and his group had come from.

This failure to stop Loki Familia was entirely his fault.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

The “adventure” truly anticipated by the goddess had already begun. Even if they passed through, given Ota’s understanding of this old rival over the years, he wasn’t the type to interfere in others’ battles.

At most… he’d merely spectate from the sidelines.

His goal had been achieved.

With that, Ota said nothing further, ignoring the presence of Loki Familia altogether as he departed along the narrow, dark passageway.

Finn leaned his Spear of Command against his shoulder after watching Ota’s retreating back for a while.

“This unexpected obstacle is gone now, and I’m genuinely curious what secrets he hid ahead. I want to check it out. Anyone care to join me?”

If before, the Halfling Tribe Leader had been somewhat concerned about the Minotaur situation…

Now, after this little drama, his interest had become intense.

Specifically, curiosity.

What exactly was Orario’s strongest known force up to by causing such an uproar in the upper levels?

“My feelings are probably similar to yours, Finn.”

Not just him but Riviria wanted to know too.

“I! I want to see too!”

“Just go already. All this chatter is pointless.”

“Ah!? Bert, do you have something against the leader—?”

“No way! Crazy woman! Stay away from me!”

First-tier adventurers, each harboring different mindsets, hurried toward the source of the monster’s roar.

Izay, who knew the reason, remained relatively calm compared to the others. At this moment, he was reflecting on his earlier fight with Ota.

Though their clash lasted mere minutes at best,

the battle had still been enlightening.

Most importantly, the initial irritation of being attacked without provocation had dissipated.

Actually, during the early stages of the fight when Izay had managed to land a sneaky hit on Ota, much of his anger had already faded.

Continuing the fight afterward was purely because neither could stop until one side clearly won.

Through this experience, Izay gained firsthand insight into the strength of Orario’s top fighters.

Apart from raw combat with cold steel, almost nothing else would significantly affect someone like Ota.

As for magic… Izay’s wide-area spells were powerful, but would anyone stand still to get blown up?

Once Ota activated his own magic and skills, there was no way Izay could restrain him now. Such thoughts were wishful dreaming.

Even though Izay could theoretically prolong the battle indefinitely using his “Intuition,” “Mind Eye,” and ‘Starlight,’

winning was practically impossible.

In this era of Orario, the only one with a high probability of defeating Ota head-on would be Philais in her complete form.

Anyone else would just get steamrolled.

Still, Izay wondered where the courage came from for Freya Familia’s Level 6 plus four Level 5s to constantly challenge Ota.

Do they not understand their own power levels?

While Izay was lost in thought, Ais suddenly remembered something and tilted her head in confusion.

“Earlier… why did you and Ota start fighting, Izay?”

The girl was curious.

If it was simply due to blocking the path, that reasoning didn’t quite hold water here.

Because with Space Magic, Izay should’ve been able to break through despite Ota’s attempts to stop him, turning the situation into a chase instead of a fight.

“That can’t be right, Ais. You’re still hung up on that point?”

“Because… I don’t understand…”

“……”

Ais’s honest admission left Izay momentarily speechless.

But since there was nothing embarrassing about it, Izay thought for a moment before replying, “To put it bluntly, he picked a fight, and I retaliated. In the end, he didn’t gain any advantage.”

Ais nodded with an “Oh.”

She didn’t fully grasp what Izay meant.

But one thing she understood:

Ota initiated the first strike; Izay was merely defending himself.

That wild boar-man was truly despicable! To attack Izay without cause.

Miss Sword Maiden’s overall impression of Freya Familia plummeted several notches.

……

When the group arrived at the cavern where the pure-hearted warrior battled the Minotaur, Bell Cranel’s fight against the Minotaur had already commenced.

“That white-haired one, isn’t she an acquaintance of yours, Izay? What do you think? Should we save her?”

“Bert, what nonsense are you spouting? Her fight against the Minotaur doesn’t seem like it’s going poorly at all. Need you to save her?”

“Hmm, I agree.”

Standing at the edge of the battlefield, Bert’s comment was quickly shot down by Tiona, followed by Izay’s jab. The werewolf felt like he’d been stabbed in the back and fell silent.

“A month ago when I saw her… she was running away from a Minotaur.” Ais quietly stated.

Her words left everyone momentarily speechless.

Finn and Riviria also revealed a hint of surprise.

In just a month, she had grown strong enough to engage a Minotaur.

Such a growth rate… they’d only seen it in Izay.

“So, does that white-haired girl possess it too?” Tione mused aloud.

The “Rare Skill” that accelerates growth. That’s what she referred to.

Given Izay’s precedent, it wasn’t hard for everyone to guess Bell’s secret.

“Another gifted adventurer whose talent leaves one awestruck. But I wonder which faction’s child she belongs to.” Finn, carrying his Spear of Command on his shoulder, sighed with admiration.