Except for Bete who was abstaining, all of the Loki Familia executives gathered inside the tent.
The three senior executives: Finn, Gareth, and Riveria.
Executives: Aiz, Tiona and Tione.
"Once again, on behalf of Bete, I apologize for his previous actions. Although there was a conflict between the Loki Familia and the Hera Familia in the past, Bete's rude behavior does not reflect our thoughts. I hope you understand."
As the captain, Finn explained the situation to avoid any misunderstandings.
"To be honest, I don't have any ill feelings towards the Loki Familia. After all, the incident 15 years ago has nothing to do with me. Actually, I just joined the Hera Familia fifteen days ago."
"Glad to hear that… Hm? Wait a minute…"
Finn realized something was amiss in Charlie's words.
"Charlie Avalon, did you receive your Falna fifteen days ago? Have you ever received a Falna blessing from Hera-sama before?"
At first, those who were less perceptive like Aiz, Tiona, Tione, and Gareth didn't understand why Finn's reaction was so strange, but after hearing the question Riveria asked, they understood and looked at Charlie with shock.
"My first Falna is from Goddess Hera. And yes, it's been fifteen days since I received my Falna." Charlie admitted.
"Seriously?! Doesn't that mean Charlie reached Level 2 in just fifteen days? Why didn't the Guild announce that Aiz's record has been broken?"
Tiona slammed the table hard enough to make it stand up because this information was too shocking.
"No, you're wrong, Tiona. Charlie leveled up four days ago. In other words, he was promoted to Level 2 in just eleven days since he received his Falna." Finn corrected.
He knew this because he had investigated Charlie's information beforehand. After all, the other party was a member of the Hera Familia, the strongest Familia alongside the Zeus Familia for almost a thousand years.
It was impossible for Finn not to investigate Charlie who came from the Hera Familia.
"Eleven days… Level 2…" Aiz muttered to herself.
She wasn't disappointed that her record of reaching Level 2 was taken by someone else. What frustrated her was that the other party made progress that she had always desired. After reaching Level 5, her strength progression was slow as a snail.
"If that's true, why didn't the Guild make any announcement? Ah, of course, I don't doubt the captain's analysis."
Tione asked hesitantly and hurriedly looked for a reason not to offend Finn, the man she loved.
"Can you tell us? If it's a sensitive topic, forget it." Finn said.
"The reason is simple, the Guild doesn't know that I've only received my Falna for eleven days. They probably think I'm a member of the Hera Familia who has been receiving Hera's blessings outside for years."
"I see. Now everything makes sense. It's the Guild's fault for not confirming how long it took you to be promoted to Level 2."
Charlie's answer dispelled Finn and the others' doubts.
"HA HA HA… You're very humble, Charlie. If there were any other adventurers in your position, I'm sure that person would brag everywhere so that everyone knows there's a new record holder."
Gareth burst into laughter, just from this brief interaction, he really liked Charlie's unassuming personality.
"Woah, you're amazing, Charlie… As expected as a—"
"Hm?"
Receiving Charlie's warning gaze, Tiona covered her mouth with her hand, she almost said the word "Hero". Previously, she and Aiz had promised him not to reveal the fact that Aishia was a Spirit.
"What's wrong with you, Tiona? You're acting suspicious. You're hiding something, aren't you?"
Seeing her younger sister's behavior, Tione narrowed her eyes.
"It's just your feeling. Ahahaha…" Turning her face away, Tiona laughed dryly.
"The woman named Aishia hasn't spoken since. Is she alright?"
After the small talk, Riveria noticed Aishia who was always expressionless like Aiz.
"I'm fine, you don't need to worry." Aishia answered flatly.
"Your name is Aishia, right? You're also a member of the Hera Familia?"
"No, I belong to Charlie."
"..."
Suddenly, the atmosphere fell silent with Aishia's ambiguous words.
"Ahem… My relationship with Aishia is a bit complicated, sorry I can't say more about this." Charlie said with an awkward smile.
"No, it's me who should apologize for asking about your privacy."
Glancing at Aiz who was in a bad mood, Riveria sighed inwardly.
"By the way, you're quite daring to explore Floor 21 alone. Kid, I know you're strong, but the Dungeon is a dangerous place. Even though you're Level 2, it's still risky to go to Floor 21 alone without bringing supplies." Gareth warned and advised.
In his eyes, Charlie was reckless for entering the Dungeon without adequate supplies.
It's no wonder he thought that way. After all, Charlie and Aishia didn't seem to bring any supplies.
"What Gareth said is true. The Dungeon is unpredictable and anomalies can happen anytime. Even we, the First-Class Adventurers, might die if we're reckless."
Finn agreed with Gareth's point of view.
"We brought plenty of supplies." Aishia stated a fact.
"Really? I don't see any supplies, maybe you lost your supplies due to a monster attack? That often happens, I often experienced it back then." Tiona recalled the past when she had to struggle hard because her supplies were lost.
"All the necessary supplies are here." Charlie patted the shoulder bag on his chest.
He didn't intend to keep the Space-Time Cache a secret. On the contrary, he wanted many people to know, especially those from the top Familias.
He was sure his product would sell like hotcakes if he sold it even with a high price tag.
In his plan to make money quickly, Charlie applied the law of supply and demand: when the amount of goods available is scarce, the price of the goods will rise.
The Space-Time Cache would be an exclusive item that only a few people would possess. Thus, its selling price would be very high.
'It's a coincidence to gather with the Loki Familia executives, this is a great opportunity to promote my product.' Charlie thought in his mind.
"This bag is called the Space-Time Cache. Its function is to store items in the dimensional space inside it."
Under everyone's surprised gaze, Charlie took out various items from the Space-Time Cache until they formed a pile on the table.
"How can such a small bag hold that many items?! I'm not mistaken, am I?" Tiona rubbed her eyes, but she still saw what she saw before.
"Hmmm… I see… The Space-Time Cache is a spatial item, right?"
In a short time, Finn had guessed the function of the Space-Time Cache.
"Captain Finn is right. There's a small dimension inside this bag and it has a volume of 50 cubic meters." Charlie said lightly.
"Gareth, the Dwarf Race is very proud of their forging skills. Can you produce something like this?" Riveria asked to make sure.
"It's true that there has long been an idea to create a spatial item that can hold a lot of items. Unfortunately, production has never been successful due to its complexity. This is the first time I've seen a spatial item." Gareth shrugged.
"Charlie, can you tell us where you bought it?" Finn asked excitedly.
In his mind, he could already imagine the many strategic benefits that the Space-Time Cache would bring, saving a lot of expenses.
"The Space-Time Cache is my creation."
"WHAT?!"
Who knows how many times they were surprised every time Charlie revealed new information as if he was a mystery box filled with surprises every time it was opened.
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"You are truly amazing, Charlie… You have created something that we dwarves have failed to do for hundreds of years… HA HA HA HA… I wonder what kind of expression other Dwarves would show if they knew about this…"
Although Gareth the Dwarf, his focus wasn't on Forging like other Dwarves, he focused more on enhancing his main strength as an attacker.
"Can you make another Space-Time Cache?" Finn asked seriously.
"I can." Charlie nodded.
"Would you be willing to sell a Space-Time Cache to the Loki Familia? Tell us the price!" Finn didn't worry about the price at all.
The Loki Familia is one of the top two Familias in Orario, along with the Freya Familia. Their finances are beyond question.
"..."
Charlie didn't answer immediately and carefully considered the selling price of the Space-Time Cache.
'Since I want to make the Space-Time Cache a premium item so it has a high selling price, I can't give it a price that's too high. If no Familia can afford it, then it will backfire on myself.'
'Hmmm… I should sell it for how much…'
It's true that Charlie already had the idea of selling the Space-Time Cache to make money quickly, but he wasn't too serious about thinking about it. Especially since he didn't have any connections in Orario, it's useless to have a good item if there are no buyers. After all, his target buyers are big Familias.
"100 million valis or a Grimoire. You can choose one of the transaction methods." Charlie gave an answer after pondering.
"Riveria, you still have a Grimoire, right?" Finn asked Riveria.
"Yes, there are still some Grimoires that are unused."
"That's great! Then, the Loki Familia will buy the Space-Time Cache by exchanging a Grimoire." Finn said quickly, afraid that the other party would change their terms.
In fact, the Loki Familia didn't have much money left. Most of their funds were spent on this expedition.
Equipment maintenance, potion purchases, food and drinks, and so on. All of this requires a lot of money.
There is a possibility that the Loki Familia will be in debt if they experience an unforeseen event that causes a major loss during the expedition. There has been a precedent for this in the history of the Loki Familia.
Therefore, Finn preferred to exchange a Grimoire instead of buying the Space-Time Cache with money.
"The item will be given after you return to the surface, what do you think?"
"No problem."
The business deal went smoothly, Charlie and Finn were satisfied with this transaction.
"Charlie, would you like to spar with me?"
Seeing the serious discussion end, Aiz, who had been watching, now spoke.
"What are you talking about Aiz? Charlie is only Level 2, while you are Level 5, that—"
"But Charlie fought Bete without losing."
Aiz interrupted Riveria and pointed out that Charlie's strength couldn't be measured like a typical Level 2.
"Okay, I agree." Charlie answered lightly.
Since the people involved had agreed, Finn and the others didn't say anything anymore. Then they looked for a suitable location for sparring, not far from the campsite.
The other members of the Loki Familia were interested in the actions of the executives who gathered. So they came to ask what happened to Tiona and Tione. After learning that Aiz would be sparring with Charlie, who was a rising adventurer lately, they didn't want to miss the opportunity to watch. Even Bete came to watch the sparring.
"Sorry for suddenly asking you to do this. But I want to test how strong you are." Aiz held the Desperate Sword with a perfect stance. Her golden eyes stared straight at Charlie.
"No problem. As it happens, I also want to test my swordsmanship progress, the Sword Princess is the most suitable opponent for this." Charlie, with his steady breath, raised his Damocles Sword, his legs slightly bent, ready to dash at any moment.
"..."
The next moment, both of them moved at the same time.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
The clang of sword meeting sword echoed, shattering the silence of the night.
Charlie and Aiz moved at lightning speed, clashing sword techniques, making those who saw them terrified. The countless clashes of the Damocles Sword and the Desperate Sword left beautiful white and yellow sparks.
The adventurers watching were stunned by their incredible speed. Aiz is Level 5, so they thought this was normal. But Charlie is Level 2, he moved with incredible precision. Every slash and block seemed to be practiced repeatedly until perfect. His swordsmanship, though not as strong as Aiz's, had incredible sharpness and speed.
"How is this possible?" Lefiya muttered in disbelief. "That hooligan man is only Level 2… how can he match Aiz-san?"
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
Meanwhile, although Aiz's face remained flat and calm, her mind was spinning rapidly, analyzing every move of Charlie.
'He's fast… Too fast for someone at Level 2. His strength is also unexpected… So this is the power of a hero when receiving Falna? If only father had received Falna back then…' Aiz thought sadly, remembering her parents.
*CLANK*
Desperate met Damocles again, and Aiz pushed Charlie with her Level 5 strength. However, Charlie remained standing, although it was clear how heavy the push was.
'The level gap between us is too big. Even though all my stats in basic abilities are EX Rank, I'm still Level 2. In the end, defeating Level 5 is impossible without Spirit Art.'
Although Charlie thought so, he didn't intend to use Spirit Art in this sparring session. After all, Aiz only pressured him with the difference in basic abilities between them.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
The two of them clashed again, this time Aiz started to get serious. She increased her speed, sharper and stronger attacks began to rain down on Charlie. Her sword danced in the air, leaving silver shadows every time it slashed. Charlie felt that every time he blocked an attack, his hand trembled slightly due to the impact of Aiz's strength.
However, amidst the pressure, a faint smile appeared on his face. To others, the smile might seem crazy, but to Charlie, this was the moment he had been waiting for. This is the feeling of fighting someone far stronger than him, and even though he knew he was at the limit of his abilities, he felt excited.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
On the other hand, Aiz began to notice a slight change in Charlie's fighting style. Every time she attacked with greater force, Charlie shifted his body position slightly to reduce the impact of the attack.
Every move of Aiz, although fast and strong, seemed to be anticipated by Charlie.
'Such sharp observation skills.' Aiz thought while fighting. 'He's reading my movements… Taking advantage of any weaknesses to defend. As father said, the talent of heroes is amazing, they develop in battle.'
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
Sweat began to drip from Charlie's forehead, but he kept moving, matching Aiz's attacks. The clang of their swords showed no sign of stopping, as if these two fighters were trapped in the rhythm of a deadly dance.
'With strength and experience… I can't match Aiz… In my previous life, I never used a sword. As I expected, fighting Level 5 without using Spirit Art, I have no chance of winning.'
Charlie could feel his hands numb from parrying Aiz's barrage of attacks. However, he could also feel his swordsmanship making progress every second. It must be said that the Prodigy Swordsman Skill was beginning to show its true potential.
Gradually, he began to be able to match Aiz based on swordsmanship alone.
There are two options for accessing more chapters.
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