Is It Wrong For Me To Start With Three Skills In Danmachi ?!

But the drawback, activating the skill consumed an immense amount of mental power, magic power, and stamina. After the skill usage, with Fron's strength, he could no longer do much.

Thankfully, he had wisely chosen to rely on Riveria's ultra-long chant magic as his finishing strike.

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"Is that so, no wonder you overused your mental power and experienced mind down."

Everyone also gained a bit more understanding of Fron's skill.

Although it was an outrageously powerful skill, it could only serve as a trump card.

In normal battles, one still had to rely on one's own techniques and strategies, maintaining a steady combat state was far more important.

Along the way they chatted and laughed, without stopping at the 18th floor, and before nightfall they all returned to the surface.

Standing once again at the entrance and exit of Babel's facilities, Fron took deep breaths of surface air, it had nothing to do with adventurer level or strength, it was a sense of security that could never be replaced.

The surface was humanity's true home. No matter how fantastical the scenery of the dungeon was, it could never compare to the comfort of staying on the ground.

The night sky, filled with brilliant starlight, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Magic stone lamps dotted the streets, and the bustle from taverns made Fron feel alive once more.

Even though night had fallen, the center of the world still displayed its dazzling side in the darkness, pulling people into its charm.

"Fron?"

Finn and the others had already walked out for a while when they noticed the young man was still standing there, unmoving, and called out to him.

"Ah, you guys go ahead, I'll stroll around a bit."

"Hah? Planning to have a drink? Well, fine. Then we'll head back to the base first!"

"Alright." Watching Finn and the girls leave, Fron shook his head lightly.

Finn was in a hurry to report to Loki about the red-haired woman Revis and the Violas, while the girls… were likely just eager to take a bath.

The Amazoness sisters were like that, not to mention Lefiya, the elf girl with a touch of cleanliness obsession.

"I wonder how Ais is doing? With all attributes maxed at S-rank, dueling Udaeus, and with my [Block] amulet for protection, things should be a lot easier for her."

With that thought in his heart, he raised his head and glanced back at the ceiling of the room behind him, then left with a meaningful look.

…

In the vast, silent darkness, unbearable loneliness and desolation filled the space.

Inside a huge stone chamber resembling a temple, four torches crackled as they held up their flames.

At the center of the quiet temple, at the top of a high stone stairway, a shadowy divine figure upon a stone seat flickered endlessly against the walls with the torchlight.

On the massive stone altar, on the towering throne, sat the old god Uranus, his form heavy and solemn.

The old god rested both hands on the armrests, his azure divine eyes beneath a hooded cloak gazing downward into some part of the underground, as though he could see through the world below.

Just then, the sound of metal scraping against stone echoed within the temple.

"Is that you, Fels."

A mysterious figure cloaked in pitch-black, face shrouded in darkness, emerged from one side.

"Uranus, my [Eye Crystals] monitoring Babel's entrance and exit… have been compromised."

"Oh?"

The old god moved his heavy lips, slightly lifting his head and shifting his gaze onto the black-robed figure.

"Adventurers, then."

"Correct. And a troublesome one at that."

"Who."

"[Flame Demon], Fron Argon."

" … "

The conversation fell silent there.

Only the crackling torches echoed within the temple.

"[Flame Demon] Fron Argon, hm…"

"Yes, in my observation, he belongs to a very special type. Special people always herald troublesome incidents, that is the law I've concluded from my long life. But if it's only the [Flame Demon], that's one thing. The key issue is…"

"[Loki Familia], isn't it."

The mysterious figure nodded heavily in silence.

"The goddess Loki just launched a surprise visit here, seemingly having sensed something. That alone was troublesome enough, and now they've even caught a lead."

From the mysterious figure's tone, the information became clear, Loki herself had come here, and met with Uranus. Rather than a mere visit, "interrogation" would be the better word.

"The Loki Familia is indeed not a force to be taken lightly. With what we are doing, we absolutely cannot allow either the Loki Familia or Freya Familia to develop even the slightest suspicion. If it comes to the worst-case scenario I envision, then the entire city will fall into chaos, and perhaps even this whole world…"

The black-cloaked one, Fels, quietly listened to the old god's muttering, until silence once again filled the temple.

"So what should we do now, regarding our stance toward the [Flame Demon] Fron Argon, and toward the Loki Familia behind him?"

At this question, the old god closed his divine eyes in thought. After a long while, he spoke slowly.

"The Violas at the Monster Pheria, and the monster invasion at Rivira on the 18th floor, these clearly had an organized force operating behind them."

"The objective is obvious now: to destroy the order of this city. No… more accurately, to completely annihilate this city."

The old god carefully chose his words, identifying the true intent of the unknown enemy.

As his words fell, Fels' body stiffened slightly.

"Truly a turbulent time… But still, I believe Loki's arrival wasn't just some whim of hers, as you say."

"Why do you say that, Fels."

The mysterious figure, Fels, organized his words before speaking cautiously.

"I think she was instigated. In other words, someone deliberately guided the Violas incident at the Monster Pheria toward us. Because we do indeed have secrets we cannot allow them to know, suspicion is natural. However… both you and I know this matter was not our doing."

"I see. Guided, hm. There is indeed some possibility of that."

At this, Fels shifted the topic.

"Unlike the so-called whim you mentioned, the murder case in Rivira, together with the previous monster riot on the 30th floor, and the chaos at the Monster Pheria, all combined give me the feeling that the dungeon is slipping beyond our control."

"Earlier, when I investigated the sewers, I spied someone battling the man-eating flowers in the reservoir."

"And afterwards, I detected seven monsters of unknown true form infiltrating the city underground. But when I tried to investigate further, the trail went cold."

"Where exactly were those monsters transported to the surface from? Not even our Guild can tell. Which makes me think…"

"There must be other entrances to the dungeon besides Babel."

" … "

Uranus listened quietly to Fels' analysis, pondering deeply.

He too leaned toward Fels' deduction, that there were other entrances to the dungeon unknown even to them.