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High up in a bright tower, a man sat on a golden chair.
He held a glass of wine and smiled.
This was Apollo, the God of the Sun.
"Hyakinthos,"
Apollo called out softly.
A tall man stepped out from the shadows. He bowed his head low.
"Yes, my God,"
Hyakinthos answered.
Apollo looked out the large window.
He could see the entire city below him.
"Have you watched him?"
Apollo asked.
"I have,"
Hyakinthos said. His voice sounded tight. He clearly did not like talking about this subject.
"Bell Cranel is growing fast. He survived the middle floors. He is getting stronger every day."
Apollo clapped his hands together.
He laughed a bright, happy laugh.
"Perfect!"
Apollo cheered.
"He is so pure. He shines like a brand new star. I must have him."
Hyakinthos gripped the handle of his sword.
"We have many strong children in our family, Lord Apollo,"
Hyakinthos said quietly.
"You do not need a boy from a poor church."
Apollo stopped laughing. He looked at his captain with cold eyes.
"I do not just want strength,"
Apollo said.
"I want his soul. I want to add him to my collection. Hestia does not deserve a child that shines so brightly."
Hyakinthos kept his head down.
"What are your orders?"
Hyakinthos asked.
"It is time to make a move,"
Apollo said.
He picked up a white envelope from his table.
"We are holding a grand banquet. I will invite all the Gods. And I will invite Hestia and her little family."
"They might say no,"
Hyakinthos pointed out.
"They cannot,"
Apollo smiled again.
"If they refuse my invitation, they insult me and my family. If they come, we will start a fight. We will push them into a corner until they have to accept a War Game."
Hyakinthos nodded slowly.
"And the other members of his family?"
Hyakinthos asked.
"There are rumors about a man named Elias. They call him the Twilight Reaper. They say he did something miraculous in the dungeon yesterday."
Apollo waved his hand in the air. He did not care at all.
"Rumors are just stories told by weak people,"
Apollo said.
"He is only Level 2. No mortal can stand against my army. No one can beat the sun."
Apollo handed the white envelope to Hyakinthos.
"Deliver this,"
Apollo ordered.
"I want my new child."
The next day, the city was bright and busy.
Elias and Dee walked through the crowded market.
They did not talk about Apollo or the coming trouble.
They held hands as they looked at the shops.
"The food here smells good,"
Dee said, pointing to a grill.
Elias bought two skewers of roasted meat. He handed one to her.
"The invitation arrived this morning,"
Elias said calmly.
"Apollo wants us to come to his party."
Dee took a bite of the meat and shrugged.
"If he starts a war, you can just end it. You can see the lines on him, too, can't you?"
Elias nodded.
"If he forces a fight, I will cut the string that ties him to the world."
"That sounds like a plan,"
Dee said, her voice light.
As they walked, someone pushed through the busy crowd.
He was moving in a hurry.
He stopped right in front of Elias and Dee.
He was breathing heavily.
Elias remembered his face immediately.
He was the captain of the party in the middle floors.
He was the one who passed the monster wave to them yesterday.
The young man stood up straight and bowed deeply.
His head almost touched his knees.
"Please wait,"
The man said loudly.
Elias did not smile. He looked at the man with calm, cold eyes.
"You are the one from the dungeon,"
Elias said.
The man kept his head down.
"Yes,"
The man answered.
"My name is Kashima Ouka. I am from the Takemikazuchi Familia."
Elias took a slow bite of his food.
"You left your monsters with my family,"
Elias said.
"You put my friends in danger to save yourselves."
Ouka raised his head. His face was full of heavy guilt.
"I did,"
Ouka admitted.
"We were trapped. My teammate was dying. I made a terrible choice to save my family. I forced my burden onto you."
Dee watched him quietly.
She chewed her food and did not say a word.
"I am not here to make excuses,"
Ouka continued.
His voice was shaking, but he did not look away.
"I came to apologize. I looked for you all morning. I will accept any punishment you demand."
Elias stared into Ouka's serious eyes.
He saw no lies in him. He only saw a man who hated his own actions.
"An apology does not erase what happened,"
Elias said.
"If I was weaker, my family would be gone. Your choice would have killed them."
Ouka closed his eyes tightly.
"I know,"
Ouka whispered.
"I am prepared to pay with my life if you want it."
Elias stood in silence for a moment.
He looked at the long sword hanging at Ouka's waist.
"I don't want your life,"
Elias told him.
"But actions always have a price. If you want to clear your debt, you will have to pay."
Ouka looked at Elias. He waited for his punishment.
"The price is one hundred million valis,"
Elias said.
Ouka's eyes went wide. He stopped breathing for a second.
"One hundred million?"
Ouka repeated.
His voice was faint.
It was an absurd amount of money.
For normal people, it was a massive fortune.
It was enough to buy a grand estate or live comfortably for a lifetime.
But for hard-working adventurers, it was not impossible to earn.
"Does your family's life cost less than that?"
Elias asked calmly.
"No,"
Ouka said quickly. He shook his head.
"No, my friends are worth more than all the gold in the world."
Ouka looked down at his empty hands.
"But my familia is not in a good condition,"
Ouka explained.
"We don't have that kind of money right now."
Elias took another bite of his food.
He chewed slowly.
"I didn't say I wanted it today,"
Elias told him.
Ouka stood up straight. The guilt in his eyes changed into deep determination.
"I swear on my God's name,"
Ouka said loudly.
"I will pay you back. I will dive into the dungeon every single day. Even if it takes me years, I will gather one hundred million valis for you."
Elias nodded.
"Then go,"
Elias said.
"Your debt starts today. Don't die before you pay me."
Ouka bowed deeply one more time.
"Thank you,"
Ouka said.
He turned around and ran back into the crowd.
He moved with a new sense of purpose.
Dee finished her meat and tossed the wooden stick away.
"That is a lot of money,"
Dee smiled.
"Are we going to be rich?"
"Maybe,"
Elias said.
"But a heavy debt is better than a lost life. It will make him think twice."