Chapter 5: He Comes from Another World
Finn and the others looked at the red-haired boy with immediate vigilance.
Then, after approaching to within about ten meters of the group, the boy—whose pure white suit was completely free of even a speck of dust—scanned the crowd with his pale golden eyes, in which lightning seemed to dance. His gaze lingered for a few seconds on the face of the golden-haired girl, Ais, and he suddenly revealed an expression of keen interest.
"The Loki Familia, I presume..."
When he saw Ais, Shirou already understood that this party of adventurers was, without a doubt, the [Loki Familia].
"Who are you? Why are you in this place?"
After confirming that the red-haired boy was human, the members of the [Loki Familia] relaxed slightly. Then, like curious children, they bombarded Shirou with a slew of questions.
The Amazonian sisters asked the most. They scrambled to get close to Shirou to observe him, as if they were trying to figure out his very anatomy. After all, in their experience, even the most formidable adventurers could never reach such a deep floor alone.
"My name is Shirou Orihara. I am not an adventurer."
"What? Not an adventurer!?"
Tiona, the younger of the Amazonian sisters, was the first to exclaim in shock. The elder sister, Tione, followed up: "If you aren't an adventurer, then how on earth did you survive?"
The fact that someone who wasn't even an adventurer could reach the 50th floor left everyone completely bewildered.
"Besides the gods, who else could come to such a deep floor so easily by themselves..." one member voiced their confusion.
Finn also frowned. "The gods are bound by rules and do not enter the Dungeon casually. Forcing their way in would cause the Dungeon to exhibit a rejection reaction toward them."
While everyone was busy speculating, Shirou spoke in a relaxed manner.
"I am not lying to you. To be more precise, I have come from another world."
Hearing this, gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the entire [Loki Familia].
"Another world—!!!?"
"Could he be a god, to be able to do something like this!?"
"Hey, hey! You're joking, right?"
Shirou replied: "Although I do possess divine power, I don't think I count as the type of god you are familiar with."
Instantly, a commotion swept through the Familia. Everyone chattered away, as if they had an endless supply of questions. Finally, Finn calmed the increasingly rowdy atmosphere and asked Shirou, "Mr. Orihara, what do you plan to do next?"
"I intend to go to the surface," Shirou replied with a smile. "What about you?"
Hearing this, Finn immediately answered, "We plan to rest briefly and then return to the surface immediately. We expended too much energy on the 49th floor, and the monsters in the Dungeon have been acting quite frantic today. Exploring further down would be far too risky."
"I see. Since you are returning as well, we might as well go together," Shirou said with a smile.
"Of course." Finn nodded.
After all, having a god-like existence from another world who was not bound by the rules of "Orario" join their party would be a tremendous help. Being able to get to know such a being was also a wonderful opportunity.
Once they returned, Loki would surely come rushing over in excitement, Finn thought.
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The origin of the "Dungeon" dates back to ancient times. It appeared long before humanity had even noticed it, and no one knew where it came from. This massive "cave" could birth an infinite number of monsters; it was a demonic den.
Alien, monstrous creatures spewed forth from the "cave" and ran rampant across the surface, sweeping through forests, mountains, valleys, oceans, and the sky—every corner of the world. For a time, humanity was helpless and suffered under the devastation.
To reclaim their dignity as masters of the surface and to avenge their kin, humanity crossed racial barriers and launched a counter-offensive through united effort. Fortunately, thanks to the valiant performance of those later called "heroes," humanity engaged in a back-and-forth battle with the monsters, eventually reaching the "cave" that served as the root of these creatures.
Deep within the "cave" lay another world, different from the surface: the "Dungeon," a labyrinth divided into countless floors. Even without sunlight, it was filled with mysterious light sources, flourishing with strange flora and fauna never seen before, and housing minerals that could only be harvested in that place. Not only were there precious resources, but there
were also monsters that generated "Magic Stones." In this labyrinth—the "Dungeon"—the "unknown" was everywhere.
Thus, humanity began building towers and fortresses above the "Dungeon," recruiting various races to defend against the monsters that were continuously birthed from within. At the same time, some explorers appeared, dedicated to probing the "unknown" within the "Dungeon," willing to spend their entire lives trying to uncover all its secrets. But even to this day, no one has succeeded. Perhaps some truly did see everything, but they have been buried in the long passage of history.
As more and more people came to help defend against the monsters, the term "Adventurer" appeared before anyone knew it. Since that time, time has flowed on.
In that era, the world faced a turning point. The gods, who wanted to experience the pleasures of the mortal realm, descended. The world's original appearance underwent a radical transformation. With the "Blessings" of the gods, which brought infinite possibilities to the people of the lower world, humanity's power surged rapidly, and they began to embark on a path of development.
The land with the monster nest in its depths was no exception.
The Labyrinth City, "Orario."
Having weathered cycles of rise and fall, the fortress once built atop the "cave" grew into one of the greatest metropolises on the continent. A place of fascination for wealth, fame, and—most importantly—the "unknown" that still lay dormant. Outlaws possessed by desire, adventurers deeply fascinated by the "unknown," and gods in pursuit of entertainment all gathered at the center of this world.
The thoughts and stories of many people crisscrossed in this place.
The ancient era of praying to the gods for salvation had ended. This was now an era where people begged the gods for a small bit of humble help, grasped that meager gift, and relied on themselves to realize their wishes.
Wealth, fame, the unknown. The unreachable heights, desires—and long-cherished wishes.
Up to this very day, the [Loki Familia], which boasted the largest number of Level 6 adventurers in the entire Labyrinth City of "Orario," had launched an expedition to explore the deeper reaches of the "Dungeon." However, unfortunately, before even reaching the floor designated as the starting point, they were forced to return empty-handed. Such a turn of events weighed heavily on the spirits of the Familia members. Yet, the sudden appearance of a god-like existence from another world made them briefly forget all their frustrations and ignited everyone's curiosity about the unknown world.
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