DanMachi 41

"So you okay?" I ask for the second time.

"Yeah, I'm fine... However, I lost my falna and maxed out my class." She says looking all dejected.

"Damn, how much experience did you get from that thing?" I ask curious and she shares her system screen.

[Voidborn (Tier 4*) slain 500,000 XP Received]

"Wow, I wonder what the star next to its tier meant." I look at her but she just shrugs.

"Was that thing strong as a true tier 4?" She asks.

"It was definitively restricted by the world laws, maybe that's what the star meant. And about the falna, considering we're leaving this place, it's not a huge loss." I say with a shrug.

"But Hestia now thinks we're dead." She comments.

"Fuck, you're right..." I stop and think. "Maybe it's better this way."

"How so?"

"We'll this way we can leave without an issue. She will grieve for some time, but she will get better over time."

"We can't do that with her." She says with a deadpan look.

"Haa..." I sigh. "Alright. What do you think we should do?"

"First of all, go down that staircase." She says pointing to the right, where the rainbow-colored staircase now spawned into existence. "After that go to Hestia, and talk things through."

"You're talking with Hestia. Meanwhile, I'll hop over to the Elven kingdom to steal their books, and finish compiling it all into a book on magic."

"Okay... Just don't do anything stupid."

"Oh, by the way, don't choose a new class yet."

"Why?" she asks confused.

"We'll buy a few upgrades after we leave, and that might mess up our current class. Plus, hopefully, there won't be any experience gains from now on."

"Sure." She shrugs.

"Let's see what's downstairs," I comment and we move toward it.

The staircase leading to the 100th floor was different than the others, instead of spiraling white, it was rainbow-colored and straight, quite contradictory if you ask me. Surprisingly it only took us twenty steps to reach the bottom.

[Quest: [Dungeon diving 100] Completed 100 WP(x2) Received]

(Core's POV)

Oh my gosh, someone finally completed me! They totally cheated, but whatever, I don't even care! I'm just so excited to have someone to talk to after like, a million years of waiting. I've been practicing telling my story to the surface dwellers for so long, and now I finally get to share it with them! They're gonna be so surprised when they find out the truth about their dumb gods and stuff.

Okay, I gotta make a good impression on these surface dwellers. Oh... what were they called again? Olivia and Andrey, right? Whatever... How should I greet them? Hmm, maybe I could do a cool magical thing and impress them that way? Or should I just be chill and say something like, 'Hey guys, what's up?' Ugh, no way, that's way too lame for a scary dungeon like me.

I can hear them getting closer and closer, and I'm bouncing with excitement. I can't help it, I'm just so happy! I'm practically overflowing with energy and power, but I don't want to show off too much. That would be super embarrassing.

I try to act all serious and professional as they approach, so after clearing my non-existent throat I say. "Welcome to the depths of Tartarus," Wow, I sound so cool and mature!

But then, out of nowhere, something stabs me and it hurts so much. My whole being starts to crack and break apart. What's happening?! This is so unfair! I was finally happy and now everything is falling apart. I whimper and cry out, "W-why?"

(Andrew's POV)

As I set foot on the ground, I felt an electric tingle run up my spine, a clear indication of the staggering amount of mana in the chamber. A massive ten-meter-high crimson crystal dominated the room, pulsing with so much energy that even standing a hundred meters away caused my skin to burn. Thick, pipe-like mana channels surrounded the crystal's pedestal, drawing out immense amounts of mana from it. They glowed in a foreboding crimson hue and connected the dungeon walls.

Surrounding the crystal's frame were golden chains radiating a divine aura, and I knew immediately to whom they belonged. The bound crimson core of the dungeon, its control mechanism, stood before us. Moments later, the mana intensity abruptly drops, and despite the risk of instant death, we approach it. Olivia and I remain on guard, ready to draw our swords at any moment.

"Welcome to the depths of Tartarus -" a face forms on the crystalline structure and a booming voice accompanied by a grinding sound greets us, causing me to instinctively tense up, and Olivia let out a piercing scream of terror before accidentally launching an attack in her startled state. Her sword swipe collides with an extremely dense barrier formed only out of mana, and cuts through it with surprising ease, then bisects the crystal before us.

The crystal face, taken aback by Olivia's unexpected action, blinks in surprise and starts cracking. While letting out its last cry, "W-why?", the crimson crystal shatters, leaving only dust behind.

In an instant, a massive explosion of mana washed over us, causing our clothes to flutter and the dust on the ground to swirl around us. Despite the sudden event, we were surprised to find that it did no damage at all. It only served to ruffle our clothes and mess up our hair.

I sigh in relief, as my pulse calms down, and look toward Olive and giving her a deadpan look. "You know... That could have been dangerous..." I said squinting my eyes at her, while she looks to the side trying to hide her embarrassment. I sigh and shake my head, but I'm taken aback by the sheer amount of notifications I just got. I give them a glance and stand there rooted in place.

[Quest: [Beyond] Completed 1,000 WP(x2) Received]

[Quest: [End is near] Completed 2,500 WP(x2) Received]

[World Tier decreased to Tier 3]

[Quest: [Destroy Evilus] Completed 3,000 WP Received]

[Quest: [End of an Era] Completed 15,000 WP Received]

[Title: [Merciless] received.]

[Title: [Dungeon Conqueror] received.]

[Title: [Agent of Change] received.]

[Merciless]

- While equipped, emit an aura that strikes fear into the hearts of your enemies, making them hesitate and falter in the face of your power.

- Gain the ability to inflict mental anguish and torment on your enemies, causing them to suffer from intense psychological distress.

- Enables the extinguishing of the souls of those who have lost the will to live.

[Dungeon Conqueror]

- Your experience in navigating treacherous underground labyrinths allows you to sense hidden passageways and traps, increasing your chances of survival.

- Gain increased stats with each dungeon conquered, with a bonus of 0.1% added to your stats for each successful conquest.

- Current bonus: 0.1%.

[Agent of Change]

- Your actions have a ripple effect that goes beyond what you intend, often leading to unexpected and beneficial outcomes.

- Your actions often lead to long-lasting and sustainable change, leaving a positive legacy for future generations.

- You are constantly evolving and learning, adapting to new challenges and opportunities with creativity and resilience.

My eyes widen at the sudden completion of these quests, and the implication behind them, but before I could understand, how and why, or even utter a single word, the dungeon... no the realm shook.

[Mana's Blessing] kicked in and I instinctively grabbed Olive, blinking us rapidly upwards. Without the constant flow of mana, the floors above our heads were falling apart. We cleared each floor with lightning speed and soon found ourselves hovering over Orario. But what we saw below was pure chaos.

My earlier sword strike had cut straight through the town, slicing through the Babel tower and leaving a path of destruction in its wake. But that was nothing compared to what was happening now. Thousands of beams of holy light shot toward the sky, each one reaching higher and higher. And as if that wasn't enough, a massive sinkhole had opened up in the middle of the town, swallowing what was left of the fifty-story tower. The world's tremors finally ceased, but my heart sank as I saw the devastation it left behind. The town was in shambles, filled with the screams of the wounded and the fires of destruction. Countless lives were lost, all because of our involvement.

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, feeling helpless as I surveyed the wreckage. Olivia struggled in my grasp, her voice filled with panic.

"Let me go! We have to find the others!"

But I was already one step ahead, the devastation, probably thanks to Olivas Luck stat, somehow avoided our house altogether, my [Celestial Sight] already spotted the two teenage girls alive and unharmed, in our backyard, but Hestia... She was nowhere to be found.

"They're okay, but Hestia's missing," I whispered, before whisking us away with a [Blink].

The moment we appear the two distressed girls jumped into our embrace, happy to see us alive, and with tight hugs they started uncontrollably sobbing. The empathic Olivia joined the fray, and I stood there trying to calm the three girls down like an idiot. It took some time, but the sobbing stopped and the girls calmed down enough to recall the events that played out on the surface.

(Haruhime's POV – Just before Andrew and Olivia arrive on the 99th floor)

As was our daily routine, Lily and I started the morning with our practice routine in the backyard, then followed by some light sparring before planning to head for breakfast and then into the dungeon. But today was different; there was an undeniable tension in the air caused by the unexpected death of three gods and the disappearance of Freya, which truthfully, had been accidentally caused by the Captain and Vice-Captain while they were saving me. I held my lips shut, even after they threatened me during the investigation, but the Guild was pretty sure they were responsible for it.

Without the support of their god's divinity, the remaining members of the Freya familia lost their falna and with it, all of their strength. They were no different from ordinary people, and those who were known troublemakers were soon located by their enemies and found dead in deserted alleys.

As expected, with the fall of the notorious Freya familia, the Loki familia took over the strongest familia position in town. The lazy and mischievous goddess was a much better leader than the power-hungry goddess of sex.

My thoughts were interrupted by Lily's punch, and I snapped back to reality. The annoying girl, who had already become like family to me, was trying to take advantage of my absent-mindedness. Lily, with a vicious grin on her face, continued to assault me without allowing me to respond. "Keep your mind in the game!" she shouted, echoing Captain's words. It was sad to see that some of the Captain's training regime had left mental scars on the poor girl.

I parried Lily's next attack and used the spell called [Animus], which Captain referred to as the DA-TA-Base type spell, whatever that meant. I sent a fireball her way, but she blocked it with a self-created partial shield spell. I had to give it to her, the annoying musclehead girl had consumed every bit of knowledge Captain gave us, and become quite proficient in spellcraft.

With a [Blink], I moved backward, and my rapier appeared in my hand with flames spinning around its tip. The gravity around me intensified as Lily used her crowd-control spell. She jumped up to land a blow, but a binding light made us stop mid-fight and pulled both of our attention to the left.

At the end of the horizon, a towering pillar of light emerged and pierced through the sky at an incredible speed, cutting through the town and leaving a path of devastation in its wake. The light continued towards the other end of the horizon, seemingly unstoppable in its destructive path.

As we gazed in shock at the ruins that once made up Orario, multiple pillars of light shot up into the sky, signaling the deaths of numerous gods. The ground rumbled, and the Babel tower, once standing tall, now lay half-destroyed and kicking up a cloud of dust upon impact. An eerie silence descended upon the town, with only a few faint cries of pain echoing in the air.

But this was just the beginning of the cataclysm. Moments later, Hestia ran out of her house, terror etched onto her tearful face as she screamed for us. "It's not their fault! It was meant to happ-" Unable to finish her words, in a blinding flash of light she vanished, her body disintegrated and swallowed up into the heavens.

The same phenomena happened all over the town, thousands of golden pillars rose upwards, painting the morning sky in a golden hue. The sky suddenly darkened, and the world shook as what was left of the still-standing tower, was swallowed by the ground. Only the wail of children, the screams of terror, and the pained cries of wounded could be faintly heard in what was left of the once magnificent city.

I was left in shock, the world turned bleak as I gazed at the scorched ground where Hestia had vanished. She was like a mother to me, her playful and caring demeanor always making my day, and now she was gone, gone from this realm. My eyes filled with tears, and I collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably like a puppet with its strings cut. My body felt weak, as my falna's divine support vanished. Lily approached me from behind and hugged me tightly, her own eyes red from crying. She tried to keep her composure, but her façade quickly crumbled under the weight of her emotions.

Our emotional moment was abruptly interrupted as the man in whom I had placed all my faith arrived. He strode over to us, his expression grave and resolute. The Vice-Captain jumped out of his arms and embraced us both, happy we were unscathed. Lily couldn't keep her tears in anymore, and the Vice-Captain and I both joined her.

(Andrew's POV)

Upon receiving the condensed version of the tale, I couldn't help but frown at the realization that only a small fraction of the harm inflicted upon the city could be actually attributed to us. The remainder was brought about by the destruction of the core, and from Hestia's parting words, the deities of this world expected it to happen. Probably not so soon, but they've foreknown what the destruction of the core meant. That explained why Hephaistos's agreed to help me craft Cataclysm, and why she shed a tear at our parting. What remains uncertain was whether they chose to remain silent on the matter because they were prohibited from disclosing the details, or whether they actually deliberately withheld that information. Unfortunately, the answer to this question will likely remain unanswered for the foreseeable future.

The girls were mentally drained, and all three retreated to the living room to collapse onto the sofa. While they rested, I took the opportunity to verify some crucial information. I activated [Mana's Blessing] at maximum capacity, instantly doubling my stats, and unleashed the most potent [Celestial Eyes] spell I had used since arriving in this world. With the help of [Archive], I sifted through the flood of data that poured into my mind with lightning speed. When I reached the boundaries of this realm, I breathed a sigh of relief. My search confirmed that the only remaining inhabitants were humanoids and animals; there were no longer any gods, monsters, or other dangerous creatures lurking about. The dungeon's demise brought an end not only to the Era of Gods but also to the Era of Monsters.

People will have to learn to live without, Development abilities and Skills, and those that can, will be able to rely on magic.