At the banquet, Ren and Hestia saw Bell. He was injured and carried a stronger determination to become stronger than before.
"Hestia-sama, Ren-san, sorry for causing trouble." Bell already knew that the two had fought Apollo in a War Game to save him.
Although he didn't fully understand War Games, it was clear from the context that it was no trivial matter.
"It's fine. You're part of my Familia. That alone is enough." Hestia comforted Bell, not wanting him to bear any psychological burden.
"As a veteran, it's only natural to take care of rookies." Ren patted his head.
"Thank you. I'll work hard to become stronger." Bell bowed, speaking sincerely from his heart.
"Ren, do you need help?" Ais arrived.
"Other Familias aren't welcome here." Hestia frowned, annoyed that Ais was trying to get close to Ren.
"I do need someone to spar with. I want to test my strength." Ren ignored his goddess and spoke to Ais.
"Alright. Come to the Twilight Manor gate first thing tomorrow morning." Ais agreed, then left with Loki, who seemed like she had more to say.
"Ren, the Loki Familia doesn't have good people. Try not to get involved." Hestia warned Ren earnestly.
"Okay, let's head back." Ren led the two away.
The three of them walked in silence, moving in perfect harmony toward home. When they reached the front door, Bell stopped and apologized to them again.
Looking at his expression, Ren realized that if nothing was done, this would become a heavy emotional burden for him.
"Bell, if you truly feel sorry, then work hard to get stronger. Become strong enough to share the burden with us. Now go rest. Tomorrow, you'll keep getting stronger." Ren said firmly.
Hearing this, Bell felt reassured. He smiled brightly again and fell in step with them.
The next morning, Bell got up early, said goodbye, and headed to the dungeon. Ren, meanwhile, arrived at the Loki Familia gate and saw Ais waiting.
"Good morning." Ren greeted warmly.
"Mm." Ais nodded and led the way to her usual training spot.
"Let's start. Give it your all." Ais drew her sword. She had just reached Lv6 and wasn't fully accustomed to it, but she felt confident enough to face Ren.
"Alright." Ren drew his sword as well and faced Ais.
Ais felt a chill run down his spine. When Ren held his sword, his aura changed, sharp and piercing, like a knife stabbing straight into the chest. It made Ais wary.
The next moment, Ren moved. Before his body arrived, the wind did.
Ais hurriedly raised her sword to block, but an overwhelming force surged through her hands.
She couldn't believe it. She didn't rely on brute strength, but still, she was Level 6.
"Ais, use your full strength. You also need to stabilize your newly upgraded power," Ren reminded.
"Alright." Ais stopped holding back and chose to trust Ren.
"Gale Dash." Ais, a swordswoman known for her speed, wielded her rapier prepared for this very purpose.
Ren countered with his sword. The blades barely touched before Ais vanished, leaving only a gust of wind behind her.
Her previous strike hadn't even finished, yet Ren dodged to the side, feeling it wasn't thrilling enough.
He began casting enhancement magic, boosting both his speed and strength.
"Ren, I can't control my power like this," Ais warned. She didn't want to accidentally kill her opponent.
"Ais, this is also a way to grow stronger quickly. Gale Dash." Ren unleashed his magic, catching Ais off guard for a moment.
By the time Ais reacted, it was too late. She couldn't dodge, but years of battle experience prevented her from doing nothing.
She used her sword to block while simultaneously easing the impact.
Though it looked like she had been thrown across the room, Ais wasn't hurt. Using a pillar to push off, she charged toward Ren.
She didn't understand how Ren could also use Gale Dash, but now she had only one thought: defeat him.
Standing face to face, at Level 6, combined with Ren's enhancement magic, Ais's speed and destructive power far exceeded that of a normal Level 6 adventurer.
Around them, pillars and the ground cracked under the force.
As time passed, Ais's speed began to slow.
She clearly sensed that Ren was feeding her moves.
She didn't understand. Ren's level was lower, yet his sword techniques were countless.
Ais realized these attacks weren't meant for monsters—they were meant to kill.
Thinking this, curiosity about Ren's past stirred within her.
Ren carried the shadow of a hero, already strong even in his mortal phase.
With this in mind, Ais attacked even harder, discarding all defenses.
Fighting a powerful monster recklessly was dangerous, as monsters would fight with a "take damage to deal damage" mentality.
But with humans, there were hesitations.
Ren was no different.
In practice, there was no need to strike with full force.
Any injury would be bad.
Precisely because of this, Ais found no openings and began pressing the attack relentlessly.
In just a minute, Ais realized that her attacks couldn't reach him. She immediately said, "You can use healing magic, don't worry about me."
"Okay." Ren didn't hesitate anymore and launched his attack toward Ais at an even faster speed.
"Can't keep up…" Ais widened her eyes in rare surprise, unable to understand. She had already reached Lv6, so why was this happening? What was going on with Ren? His aura gave nothing away about his level.
Ren struck her with the hilt of his sword. The blow hit, causing pain, but no blood appeared.
"He's holding back." Ais quietly sensed his position and attacked recklessly. Even though her body ached and throbbed with pain, it didn't make her hesitate.
"Impressive." Ren jumped back, his arm slashed open, blood gushing out.
"Sorry." Ais apologized sincerely. Then, in a daze, she collapsed to the ground. The aftereffects of her skill and the incoming attacks from Ren made it impossible for her to hold herself up.
The scent of earth didn't reach her. Instead, a strong masculine aura filled the air. Ais had no time to react, her body groaning from the pain.
Ren let her rest on his lap and used healing magic to mend their wounds. Ais's aching and soreness didn't disappear, so she could only lie there on his legs.
Sitting on the ground, watching Ais lie there, Ren felt a warm satisfaction. Before, he would never have dared imagine this scene.
But now, thanks to his other selves, he had grown stronger, and a beautiful girl like Ais was no longer out of reach.
Of course, someone else had seen this. Lefiya often came here to see Ais. She had been visiting less frequently lately, but today she came, only to witness a scene that made her heart ache.
The one she admired was lying on the lap of the man helping her. She felt her heart twist painfully. She didn't know who exactly she was jealous of, but she understood one thing: she didn't want to see this. She wanted to stop it, but didn't know what excuse to use.
She wanted to leave but couldn't just let it continue. So she hid in the corner, peeking at everything, silently praying that they would separate.
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