"Alright, spit it out. What happened that made you so late?"
After a while, Loki recovered. She brought everyone in the Familia into the living room and questioned Ais and Tiona about their tardiness.
"Ah? Um..."
Tiona stood in the middle of everyone, at a bit of a loss, not knowing what to say.
"I wanted to learn someone's technique today. I was rejected."
Ais stated the reason for their late return with a blank expression. Tiona, at her side, was frantically trying to give her signals, but it was useless. Ais didn't understand them at all!
"Rejected? In Orario, who would dare reject our Loki Familia's Sword Princess?"
The werewolf, Bete, who was sprawled on the sofa, made a scornful sound. Although he was arrogant and deserved a punch, what he said was the truth. In Orario, who didn't know the name of the Loki Familia's Sword Princess? Even some outside countries and cities knew a great deal about the 'Sword Princess'.
"Was it an adventurer from some Familia?"
Loki, sitting in the main seat with her eyes narrowed, continued to ask.
"It was Tsuyuri Kanao, from the Lin Feng Familia."
Lin Feng Familia? Lin Feng... didn't he just arrive in Orario yesterday? I can't believe he brought a Familia with him.
"Although Tsuyuri Kanao only officially became an adventurer yesterday, I could feel... her strength is not low. She must have some unknown ability or training method."
"So... I want to learn it. To get stronger."
"I went to ask her, but... I was rejected."
As Ais said this, she looked troubled. Her strength hadn't improved for a long time, which made her wonder if she, like so many others, was about to reach her peak.
"You stayed with Lin Feng until now?!"
After finding out the reason for their lateness, Loki's imposing aura vanished, and she reverted to her usual, carefree self.
"Mn..."
"What?! Ais-tan, you can't abandon me!"
Loki suddenly shot up from her seat, trying to hug Ais, but it was completely useless.
"Ais-tan, I forbid you from having contact with that male god! No! Tiona, how could you let Ais meet him!"
Seeing Ais's persistently dazed look, Loki's anger flared. This new god, trying to steal and trick my Ais-tan! Then she turned to Tiona, who had been silent, and started scolding her.
"I did try to persuade Ais-chan, but she was the one who invited them..."
Tiona, trying to absolve herself of blame, immediately threw Ais under the bus.
"What!"
Not just Loki, but everyone present looked at Ais in disbelief. Is this the same Ais? They had all fought together for so long, and yet not one of them had ever been invited out by her. Was her first time really stolen by someone outside the Familia? A certain elf standing nearby heard this, her vision went black, and she collapsed to the floor.
"Lefiya!!!"
Tiona, who had a clear view, saw Lefiya fall and shouted, rushing over.
"Go get the Familia's healer!"
Tonight, the Loki Familia was not going to be peaceful.
On the other side, after Lin Feng, Hayasaka Ai, and the others returned to the ruined house, there wasn't much conversation. Lin Feng knew it was their first day in the dungeon. Excitement, fear, exhilaration—all sorts of emotions were rising and falling rapidly. Coupled with the constant fighting, it was normal for them to be exhausted in body and mind. So, he had them go to their room to rest early.
"Master! You still haven't used your ability extraction!"
Lin Feng was lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, thinking about who-knows-what, when he suddenly heard the little system's voice.
"Oh, right!" "Little system, give me three draws!" "Master, confirm extraction?"
"OK!"
After Lin Feng confirmed the extraction, his consciousness blurred. He tried to open his eyes but felt a strange force pressing down.
The "believer's abilities" were the magic or skills that could appear on the Grace's status panel. In that case... Hayasaka had two, Katou Megumi had one, and Tsuyuri Kanao also had one. When Lin Feng opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast, empty world. There was nothing around, and in the far distance, he could only vaguely see three dim, twinkling stars.
"Where is this place?"
The question popped into Lin Feng's mind.
"Master, this is the Endless Starry Sky."
"See those three dim stars in the distance? Those are your three current believers."
"If Master had countless believers, then this entire world would be filled with starlight, and this place would undergo a wondrous change."
After the little system's brief introduction, Lin Feng had a basic understanding of this place.
A 'God's Space', or what people would call a 'Divine Kingdom'.
"Master, hurry and extract the abilities! Your time here is limited."
Urged by the little system, Lin Feng focused his gaze on the three dim stars. Three thin, white threads emerged from Lin Feng's body, slowly advancing toward the stars.
"Congratulations, Master, you have obtained the Skills: [Combat Mastery] and [Flower Breathing], and the Magic: [Concealment]."