The war was one-sided. Members of the Apollo Familia fell silently, without a sound, a testament to Ren's precise power.
Ren ignored the city gates and leapt forward. A man appeared in front of him. Just from his expression, Ren knew he was a scum. The answer was already in Ren's blade.
Facing Ren's sword, the Level 4 adventurer shivered. He couldn't understand why just the aura of someone holding a sword could make him afraid. Clearly, the man in front of him was only Level… He quickly dismissed that thought.
Though the Apollo Familia had few strong fighters, there were many Level 2s. Could someone of the same level be instantly killed? Obviously not. There was only one possibility: Ren had either lied about his level or had leveled up.
He leaned toward the latter, because the former would mean Ren had already reached Level 3 earlier, something he refused to believe.
Ren didn't say a word. He vanished from sight, attempting to win with speed.
"Damn it, I'm Level 4… and I still can't see him clearly?" The adventurer grew anxious but remained composed. He had fought countless adventurers before. Compared to monsters, he was better at fighting humans.
He grabbed a companion to act as a meat shield, letting the sword pierce through while launching a fierce attack toward Ren's position.
"I see." Ren released his grip and lightly leapt backward, avoiding the deadly strike.
"Bah—what's a swordsman without his sword?" The man spat and lunged at Ren.
Though Ren rarely fought with fists, he was just as skilled. His figure disappeared, cracking the ground beneath him.
"Huh?" The man didn't understand why he saw the sky. A moment later, a sharp pain erupted in his abdomen. He was sent flying, reacting too late.
He hadn't seen when his opponent moved. Gritting through the pain, the man rolled, but the ground where he had been already split.
"Not bad, but you're about to die." Ren paused his attack.
"Die? The fight just started…" The man looked at his abdomen and saw a gaping hole. A single punch had pierced him, leaving no chance of survival.
He never understood why he had lost to a Level 2 adventurer.
"This must be him hiding his level!" Apollo shouted in rage. With the Level 4 dead, defeat was inevitable.
"Apollo, you've already lost. It's time to honor your promise." Hestia showed no mercy. From this War Game, she could tell the other side would not treat her Familia kindly if they lost.
"Wait, I can trade my wealth!" Apollo quickly said under the gaze of the gods. He didn't want to leave Orario; gods lived long lives.
"No." Hestia refused outright. Letting him continue would bring unrest to everyone here.
"Humph." Apollo didn't say anything more and just turned to leave.
"Wait, dissolve your Familia first." Hestia wasn't foolish.
"Apollo, this is a Familia' War Game. Are you trying to break the rules?" The other gods' expressions stiffened.
Immediately, Apollo's face drained of color. Reluctantly, he dissolved his Familia, withdrew his divine blood, and turned to leave.
At the Familia' War Game site, many breathed a sigh of relief. Freed from Apollo, they could rejoin other Familia.
Like Ren, they had once been forced into Apollo's Familia through his schemes, but they lacked Ren's strength to resist.
"Thank you…"
"You're welcome. Go ahead, I didn't use much force." Ren crouched, his gaze gentle.
"Ren-san is really gentle." Bell came over. He had also tried to provoke the others, but no matter what he did, they ignored him, keeping their eyes only on Ren.
He realized that Hestia and Ren had instructed him to stay safe before the battle. He had no role to play here.
"If you carry so much resentment, life becomes unbearable. But remember this, Bell: only the strong can act freely. The kindness of the weak will only bring trouble." Ren lectured Bell calmly.
"Yes, Ren-san. I'll work hard to become stronger."
"Becoming stronger isn't about words, it's about action." Ren sighed and continued, "Let's go find Lady Hestia. It's time to celebrate."
"Mm."
The two left quickly. The adventurers left behind looked at Ren deeply before slowly getting up and leaving. Thanks to Ren, none of them had been hurt.
At the gods' observation area, Hestia rushed to Ren and immediately clung to him. "Ren, you're amazing. I knew you'd win."
"Lady Hestia, calm down. How much did we earn this time?" Ren asked with a smile. Finally, there was money.
"I borrowed a hundred million from Hephaestus to bet on you. I'm already rolling in it." Hestia was proud. Ren's odds had been 2.
"Perfect. Now I can relax." Ren squinted his eyes.
At that moment, members of Loki Familia arrived.
"Yo, Ais, Lefiya. Here to cheer me on?" Ren greeted them.
"Shorty, keep an eye on your Familia member. My beauties almost got kidnapped." Loki said bluntly.
"That's exactly what I was going to say." Hestia immediately blazed with anger.
"Congratulations," Ais said calmly.
"So now, Ren, you're completely famous in front of the gods. By the way, are you really only Level 2?" Lefiya asked, curious.
"I'm already Level 3. After all, I fought alongside Ais against the 37th floor boss. My achievements and experience are enough," Ren said, winking at Ais.
Ais didn't fully understand what Ren meant, but she didn't argue.
"What? Level 3 already? How long has it been?"
"Did the Sword Princess carry you?"
"Even so, that's way too fast."
Immediately, the gods began chattering, more and more of them growing interested in Ren.
A Level 3 challenging a Level 4—his stats must have been through the roof. They wanted to know the data.
"This is bad, Ren. Let's go. These perverts…" Hestia didn't even bother arguing with Loki. She grabbed Ren and gestured for Bell to run with them.
Meanwhile…
"Damn it, Ren. You actually made me lose control. I can't forgive this," Apollo said angrily. He hadn't left Orario and wouldn't appear in public for a while. After all, the War Game couldn't be taken lightly.
"Who's there? Show yourself," Apollo said, staring into the shadows.
"Apollo, the target I have my eyes on isn't something you can touch," a voice said before anyone appeared.
The voice was beautiful, but Apollo's face darkened. He recognized the speaker immediately and said, "Freya, if you unleash your power, you'll be forcibly sent back to the Divine Realm and can never descend again."
"You'll be the one sent back, Apollo. That child is mine," she replied.
"I see." Apollo laughed bitterly. He began losing control and unleashed his divine power. By the time anyone noticed, he had vanished. His remaining life would probably be spent in the Divine Realm.
But for the gods, this was catastrophic. For countless ages, Orario had been their only way to pass the time.
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