"So that's what happened." Rex was currently sitting on one of the couches in Zanis's office, the captain seated across from him, and a bottle of Soma wine on the table between them.
He had returned to Cupidinem about an hour ago, and after showering and brushing his teeth, Rex immediately came to Zanis for an explanation. Zanis explained that the best legal way for them to take all of the Apollo Familia members was to win them through a war game. So, he did the same thing Apollo had done—took Liliruca, Soma, and some others to the Apollo Familia's home this morning and caused a commotion.
They claimed that Apollo's members had grievously injured Liliruca, one of the Soma Familia members, with multiple Level 2s attacking a Level 1 who was only trying to defend herself, and demanded compensation. The Apollo Familia tried to argue, so Zanis had Soma do what they came for—challenge Apollo to a war game. Of course, the Apollo Familia drove them away without yet accepting, but the commotion had caused news to spread across Orario in less than a day.
"Tomorrow, Denatus will be held, where the rules for the Hestia and Apollo war game will be decided" Zanis replied while swirling his wine in his glass, his gray eyes lazily gazing at the ceiling. He wore a simple robe that hung loosely around his waist, revealing a mildly toned chest, and he had been drinking when Rex arrived. "I've managed to convince Soma to pressure Apollo during the Denatus, and I'm certain other gods will support Soma."
Zanis glanced at Rex without moving his head. "If what you say about Hestia's connections is true, then I'm sure Hephaestus and Freya will also speak up in agreement with Soma and Hestia against Apollo." He returned his eyes to the ceiling. "Once Freya speaks, all the other gods will support her, so Apollo will be forced to accept."
"Huh." Rex was actually impressed. He wouldn't have thought of this. Well, he had considered something along these lines, but his idea was to attack the Apollo Familia and force them to accept, like they did to Hestia. This way seemed more 'civilized.' "I'm surprised Soma even agreed."
Zanis sighed. "It took a lot of convincing," he said, taking a swig of his wine, the setting sun reflecting off the glass. "But I promised not to bother him for a month after the war game and the member conversion."
'I doubt that will happen,' Rex thought. 'With the Ishtar event coming up… I shouldn't think of that right now. Let's focus on the war game first.' He then asked, "What about the girl, Liliruca?"
"She's being punished for her betrayal." Zanis replied. "I'm having her clean all the bathrooms in Cupidinem."
'I don't think that's enough punishment for her, but that's up to him to decide.' Rex thought as he asked, "By the way, where's Soma right now?"
"He's in his garden," Zanis said, using his glass to gesture toward the window to the side of the sitting area that overlooked Soma's large personal garden. "You're going for an update?"
"Yeah," Rex stood and stretched. "And your Grimoire should arrive tomorrow, right?"
Zanis nodded slowly, the Soma wine clearly affecting him. He had put in the order for the 100-million-valis book through the Guild, and they said it would arrive in about a week. They'd have one of their advisors deliver it to him.
Rex had told Zanis not to use it until he saw it, and Zanis agreed after Rex promised he wouldn't use it once he got his hands on it. Rex agreed—after all, he only wanted to see what Scavenger's inspection would say about it.
"By the way," Zanis's voice stopped him as he reached the door. "Have you sent the Papilio Crystallinum to the Dian Cecht and Panacea Familia?"
There was a long silence, and then Zanis glanced at Rex, who was just standing there with his mouth agape. "Don't tell me…"
"I forgot!" Rex shouted, realizing he was supposed to send each Familia 15 bottles yesterday morning! He'd completely forgotten because he was so focused on the grind. "Fuck!"
"You dumb fuck!" Zanis sat up, his face twisting into anger. "How could you forget?!"
"Come on, man," Rex chuckled. "It happens. I mean—"
"You DOG!" Zanis cut Rex off. "Do you know how important of an ally they are to us? Are you planning on fucking this up?"
"Yes, my fault, I admit," Rex raised both arms in resignation. "But don't worry, I know a way to salvage this. I'll just say I was busy making the purified purple moth powder and spent days in the dungeon or something." He shrugged.
"I'll also give them some purple moth powder for free, so it should make up for the blunder." Rex then opened the door. "Besides, seeing how they didn't come here demanding answers, I don't think they're THAT mad."
"Haah…" Zanis took a deep breath as he poured more Soma wine for himself. "Just hurry and give them their things before your update."
"Will do," Rex lied as he glanced back at Zanis. "By the way, have you managed to sell the three purple moth powders I gave you?"
"I haven't gotten the time," Zanis replied.
"Okay, so where did you put those three bottles?" Rex asked, deciding to just take them and make one extra to give two each to those two medicinal Familias.
Zanis simply pushed up his glasses. "I forgot where I put them." He casually replied.
A silence dragged on between them.
"YOU MONKEY!" Rex roared.
———
Walking along the paved path, it didn't take long for Rex to find Soma within his large garden of greens. The god was silently watering one of his plants as the sun set over the horizon, painting the slightly cloudy sky in shades of orange and gold. It was a peaceful sight, with Soma not acknowledge his arrival, but Rex spoke up anyway.
"Can I please get an update?" he asked, holding out an ornamental-looking knife in its sheath that Zanis had given him.
Soma didn't reply and continued watering his plant. After that, he put on some large gloves and started working on other plants, leaving Rex standing there in silence. It seemed like he expected Rex to leave after about fifteen minutes, but when he saw the man was still standing there, he sighed.
Removing his gloves, Soma took the knife from Rex's hand, unsheathing it as Rex quickly removed his shirt and turned his back to the shorter god. Soon, he felt Soma's blood and his fingers moving across his back, followed by a flash of light like the last time he'd leveled up. Then, the god's voice came, lazy and disinterested.
"Mage, Crush, Swordsman, Luck, Healing Power, Healing, Spirit Healing, and Apex Hunter," Soma listed out.
Rex, who had taken more time to think about it, said, "Luck."
He decided to go with this because Apex Hunter was practically useless to him right now. First off, since the battle against the OEBD would be in a year or so, even if he picked Apex Hunter now, most of the Familia members wouldn't receive any meaningful growth in that time.
The only way he could make good use of this DA was by recruiting adventurers who were about to level up and using Apex Hunter to make their acquisition of high-rank excelia much easier. And since the rapid rank ups of his familia members will draw eyes, he needed to be stronger before that mass level up event, so getting it at level 4 was better
And before the mass level up event, he wanted to do a bit of Familia rebranding, since not everyone deserved the advantage Apex Hunter would bring. The main reason, though, was the upcoming Ishtar Familia event. He would need luck if he wanted to scavenge the most abilities from the dead bodies of the Berbera and prostitutes. He doubts he will become a level 4 by then, so getting Luck now was a must.
'If I'd entered this world at least five years earlier, Apex Hunter would have been the definite choice, but oh well,' His leveling up was completed, and just like before, he felt no change.
'I will have to test my new stats out before the war game.' he thought while handing the slip of paper to Soma. "Can you hide everything but my level, stats, and development abilities?"
Soma took and placed the cold paper on Rex's back. With a flash of light, he handed it back to Rex along with the knife and immediately went back to work. "Thanks," Rex said as he looked at the paper.
— — — — — — — — — —
Rex Magnus
Level 3
[Strength] I0 | [Endurance] I0 | [Dexterity] I0 | [Agility] I0 | [Magic] I0
[Predator] H
[Luck] I
— — — — — — — — — —
'Predator's rank increased?' Which was odd since Development abilities are supposed to take a long time to rank up. 'Eh, won't think much of it.'
He looked at the description with Scavenger, which hadn't changed, but its effect had improved. Predator stack increased from 7 to 9 and the timer before all stacks are removed increased from 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds. The buff effect of each stack and the regain effect haven't changed, accorded to Scavenger, but this improvement was good enough.
And though he got no new skill or magic from leveling up, one of his skill he had scavenged had improved. This was a skill he had barely used because of its requirement, a skill he quite liked and hated that it was just collecting dust—Tremor Sense.
'Hehe~.' Rex closed his eyes and took a step.
The moment he touched the ground, the vibration that rippled out from his feet was like dropping a pebble into a still pond, expanding in smooth, precise circles around him. Each ripple of vibration brushed against unseen objects, climbing up their frames, then returning to him to be instantly interpreted by his skill, giving him the outline of everything in his surroundings.
It wasn't sight exactly—it was as if he was standing on a dark, colorless plane, and everything he sensed were stationed around him, sticking out of the ground.
When he is standing still and not sending out his own vibration through his feet, the only things he would 'see' were the things that released their own vibrations—like Soma walking around or the swaying plants. While stationary objects, like rocks or someone standing perfectly still, would become invisible.
So, he had to literally send vibrations through his feet, which would return to him like a sonar, to see clearly. Even then, he wouldn't be able to detect small things or objects moving through the air.
On the plus side, he could 'see' behind obstacles, perceiving both the wall and the object behind it in his 3D sonar plane, and he could perceive shapes with better clarity. And the harder he slammed his feet, the more vibrations were sent out, and the further the range of the skill extended. The maximum right now being about 25 meters—
"Stop killing ants and leave," Soma's voice snapped him out of his trance.
Rex looked back at the god, who had grown annoyed at him stomping around for the effect of his Tremor Sense, and nodded. "I'll be on my way, then," Rex said as he walked away.
The good thing about Tremor Sense was that it was an 'active-passive' skill. Unlike skills like Strong Body, which required constant effort to stay active, once activated, Tremor Sense remained active until deactivated.
However, receiving the data from Tremor Sense while still using his normal vision wasn't as seamless as he'd hoped. It was distracting, with the two senses overlapping in an annoying way, and both Tremor Sense's clarity and his normal sight weakened, so he deactivated Tremor Sense and just walked normally.
'In the next few days, I should get used to tremor sense.' He grinned, just imaging the way he can bully people by blindfolding himself and saying, fight me. 'I will become, Rex Beifong...'
'How many names do I have now?'
Returning to the main building, he climbed up to the fourth floor and knocked twice on Zanis's door before opening it. Zanis was still sitting lazily on his couch, almost looking out of it due to the Soma wine. His Level 2 status barely kept him aware of his surroundings as Rex walked up and placed the paper on the table.
"I leveled up," Rex said.
Zanis slurred, "And I'm a Level Seven." He sat up for another drink. "Just go do your job."
Rex didn't argue and left, closing the door behind him. Just as he did, Zanis managed to catch a glimpse of the paper beside his glass. There was a long silence then;
"WHAAAT?"
All the effects of Soma on him instantly disappeared, and he rushed out of the room—but Rex was already gone.
———
The next day quickly came, and early in the morning, most of the gods gathered to hold the Denatus for the war game between the Apollo and Hestia Familia. Soma was not among them, having hidden himself in his brewery to avoid being forced by Zanis to attend. But who would have thought the glasses-wearing man would find him inside the barrel he was hiding in?
"…" The duo stared at each other, the god squatting inside the empty barrel like a hermit, hugging his legs and looking up at the human holding up the cover.
Zanis's glasses lenses shone white, reflecting the morning sunlight streaming through the brewery. Soma then glanced at Rex standing behind Zanis, who was suddenly very interested in his fingers, immediately knowing it was Rex who had led Zanis to his hiding spot.
"I've prepared the carriage," Zanis said as he placed the barrel's cover beside it. "So we should get going before the Denatus is finished."
Soma said nothing and stood up, climbing out of the barrel. He opened his mouth to make an excuse, but Zanis cut him off. "Seeing as you were hiding, I guess you had nothing else to do," he pushed up his glasses, the lenses no longer reflecting the light. "Am I right, my lord?"
Soma stared at him, his mouth open, then closed it and turned around. "…Let's go…" He sounded completely over it.
Zanis then turned to Rex and stuck up a thumb, with Rex returning it. The trio left and entered a carriage waiting outside the brewery. The coachmen were two gangster-looking Weretigers, both standing over 200 cm (6'7") tall.
One had a huge, bulky build, while the other was more agile but still muscular, with a few scars on his face. Both had dark orange hair, slightly tan skin, and orange eyes, with a tiger ear sticking up from their head and a long orange tail.
These twins were the second and third strongest Level 2s in the Familia, with Chandra being the only one stronger than them. They were essentially Soma's drivers and guards, following him around anywhere outside Cupidinem.
After all, no matter how safe Orario had become after Evilus's destruction five years ago, having Soma walking around alone where he could be killed by a random attacker wasn't smart.
The trio entered the carriage, Rex and Zanis sited beside each other with Soma across of them, and the coachmen immediately started it. "Let's go over the plan again, my lord." Zanis began as he started talking.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at Central Park around Babel, where the Denatus was being held. Rex held the door open for Soma, who sighed and climbed down. The two Weretigers were instantly by his side, with Zanis saying;
"Make sure he gets inside the room." The duo nodded and followed behind their god.
'They're not talkers, are they?' Rex had met them a few times in his five years in the Familia, and they never spoke. "Are they mute?" he asked as they walked away, closing the door.
"You could say that," Zanis replied, relaxing. "Their voice boxes were removed by the black market."
"Hmm?" Rex glanced at the man.
"They were combat slaves," Zanis explained. "I bought them from the black market to be Soma's guards."
"Okay…" Rex nodded. "Slavery~."
"No, not anymore," Zanis shook his head. "They're practically free now, and they basically live better than most people in this city, so I don't think they mind it."
"Uh-huh," Rex nodded, watching the trio disappear into Babel. "But why remove their voice box?"
"Dogs don't need to bark, only bite." Zanis replied before glancing at Rex.
"Makes sense." Rex nodded, though he couldn't help but feel a bit attacked.
The Denatus was held on the thirtieth floor of Babel. Gods and goddesses filled the circular bleachers beneath a web of towering pillars that stretched up to support the lofty ceiling. Natural light streamed through tall windows, illuminating the chamber, while magic stone lights reached corners.
Soma entered unnoticed, taking a seat on the higher bleachers as the Denatus was drawing to a close.
"—Fine, then," Apollo said, waving his arm dismissively. "There may be one outsider. However, that outsider must belong to a Familia outside of Orario."
No objections were raised to Apollo's conditions, and the new rules were added to the War Game as stated. The blond-haired god looked thoroughly pleased with himself as his gaze flicked toward Hestia, who sat silent and despairing. Just as Loki was about to call an end to the Denatus, Soma opened his mouth to speak—but someone beat him to it.
"Wait, Apollo." All eyes turned to the god who had spoken. "Didn't the Soma Familia challenge you to a War Game?"
Silence fell, followed by an uproar.
"Yeah, I heard about that."
"Apollo gravely injured one of Soma's members during his attack on the Hestia Familia."
"She was so badly hurt that the hermit god had to come out of seclusion."
Apollo frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.
"Are you not planning on accepting the challenge?" the god pressed.
"I'll deal with them later," Apollo spat, spreading his arms wide. "I'll hold another War Game with them after this one."
"But that's boring~" a goddess groaned, slamming her forehead onto the bleacher table in front of her.
"Ain't nobody wanna watch two of your War Games back-to-back."
"Yeah, it'll get stale."
Hestia's lips curled into a cheeky grin. "How about you fight both of us at once?" she suggested, her voice cutting through the noise. The room fell silent. "Eh, Apollo?"
Apollo's eyes snapped to her, and he scoffed. "No. I'll deal with them after."
"What? Are you scared~?" Hestia leaned in, her tone teasing.
"Don't take me for a fool, Hestia," Apollo said, folding his arms. "This is a War Game between you and me alone. I won't be fighting two Familias at once."
"Aww~ Little Apollo's scared~" Hestia continued, her voice dripping with mockery, causing a vein to pop on Apollo's forehead.
"Yeah, I agree with Hestia on this one," a god chimed in. "Wouldn't it be more fair if Apollo went against the Hestia and Soma Familias?"
"Fairer," another god corrected, causing the first to glare at him.
"I'm gonna punch you."
The other gods began to side with Hestia.
"Soma and Apollo's Familias are almost the same size. It'll be funner to watch."
"Funner? I think you meant more fun"
"Yo, who the fuck do you think you are"
"Anyways. It wouldn't be entertaining to watch Apollo dog-walk a one-member Familia."
"But then again, Apollo's right. It's one on one."
"It's been a while since we had a War Game. This needs to be interesting, or I'm gonna start another Evilus just for the hell of it."
"Nah, send this guy back to heaven."
"I refuse," Apollo's voice boomed, silencing everyone. "I won't be pressured into accepting this—"
"Ya scared?" Loki's voice cut him off, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Loki," Apollo shot her a glare. "Don't think helping Soma will make him marry you."
"YOU!" Loki nearly launched herself over the table, but the other gods grabbed her and pulled her back into her seat. She settled for glaring at Apollo and dragging her thumb across her neck. He ignored her.
"Besides," Apollo continued with a shrug, "I have more high-class adventurers than the Soma and Hestia Familias combined. It wouldn't matter if I fought both of them at once. I would... still... win..."
His words trailed off as he noticed Hestia's triumphant smile and the growing grins on the faces of the gods around him.
'Oh, fuck.' Apollo closed his eyes as the room erupted.
"EXACTLY!"
"What fun would it be to watch two War Games where you easily destroy them? One where you barely win would be better!"
"I agree with the person above. Make it two versus one! It'll bring you more glory if you win!"
"Two versus one!"
"Two versus one!"
"Two versus one!"
Even the gods who had supported him earlier joined the chant. Hestia sat back, arms folded, a satisfied smirk on her face.
"Enough!" Apollo's voice silenced the room as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Fine. I'll agree to two versus one, but..." He raised a finger. "Only if Soma is here to agree on it himself."
"Booo!"
"You know he won't be here."
"That hermit never comes to any Denatus!"
"I'm here."
"Fuck you, Apollo. You bitch-ass pussy!"
"Yeah, why so scared?"
"I'm here."
"I can even hear his voice because I want him here so damn bad..."
"No, he's genuinely here."
"Eh...?"
All eyes turned to Soma, seated at the far back, where barely any light reached. They stared at him for what felt like an eternity before slowly turning back to Apollo, their grins widening, and eyes glinting.
"Dammit," Apollo muttered, palming his forehead.
"So, what do you say, Apollo?" Freya asked, her smile serene as she drew all eyes to herself. "Don't tell me you'll go back on your word."
Apollo turned to the silver-haired goddess then sighed. "I accept," He raised a finger. "But—"
"NO BUTS!!!" the gods roared in unison.
[Author's Note: This chapter was fun to write, especially the Denatus. Hoped you guys enjoyed it. Thanks everyone that voted for what War Game it should be, and I have come up with an interesting idea.
And you might also noticed I didn't give MC any skill after level up, and if you want to know my reason is because I don't want things to become too convoluted. Too much abilities will drive me mad, especially since I don't like giving the MC an ability that he will never use.
That's another reason Tremor Sense was buffed after the level up, so he will have more use for it and wouldn't need to sacrifice his foot. And just a heads-up, when the MC goes down to Large Tree Labryinth, where there are a lot of magic and skills, he will get a LOT more picky.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and please drink and drive (ᵔ◡ᵔ)]