Chapter 47: "The Hole"

"Strange"

A murmured voice filled with doubt echoed softly in a corner of the opulent room, where no one could hear it.

Freyja stood by the window, her beautiful eyes gazing at a corner of the city, filled with confusion.

Freyja had seen the entire confrontation between Rik and Allen.

Or rather, through some special means, she had observed the process of their confrontation as if she had seen it directly.

This was a method that only Freyja could master, something even the other gods could not do.

Therefore, even though the place where Rik and Allen fought was extremely far from here, Freyja could still "see" what had happened.

But precisely because of this, Freyja was both surprised and doubtful.

"I've never seen a soul like that before."

Freyja's beautiful brows furrowed tightly.

The goddess of beauty, Freyja, had a very special pair of eyes.

They were called "Insight Eyes," which could see the essence of the souls of those in the lower world.

These were eyes she was born with, and thus did not fall under the category of forbidden divine powers. They were merely a talent, a trait, and had little practical use in the heavens.

However, in the lower world, with such eyes, Freyja could perceive the potential of the people there more acutely than any other god.

As long as she could observe the souls of the "children" (the people of the lower world), Freyja could judge their potential based on the radiance of their souls.

After all, the souls of heroes, those who possessed the tools of heroes, were bound to be dazzling and could not be as ordinary as those of common people.

In the heavens, Freyja had relied on this ability to grasp the soul colors of the ascending ones (the dead) earlier than any other god, and to collect those she favored as her treasures.

These "treasures" were the heroes of the lower world.

This was why the Freyja Familia had become one of the strongest Familias in Orario, rivaling the Loki Familia and even surpassing it in some aspects. The reason was that the main god of this Familia could recruit children with extraordinary potential ahead of time, gradually making the Freyja Familia grow stronger.

Freyja also had a particular fondness for children with remarkable soul radiance, to the point where it could be said that she deeply loved such children.

Given this, when Rik displayed unusual potential, Freyja almost immediately set her sights on him.

However, Rik's soul left the goddess of beauty, who could see through the essence of every person in the lower world, both surprised and doubtful.

"Is it not the brilliance or the unusual color, but the 'shape' that is different?"

The soul that the goddess's Insight Eyes saw was something unprecedented.

In the past, the souls of the people in the lower world, as seen by Freyja, were either of different colors or radiated light to varying degrees.

Freyja would choose whether to take them based on the "color" and "radiance" of their souls, according to her own preferences.

So far, Freyja had seen the colors and radiance of various heroes' souls.

Some had unique colors.

Some radiated brilliant light.

These were the things Freyja liked and cherished.

But Rik was different.

In Freyja's Insight Eyes, Rik's soul had neither extraordinary color nor brilliant radiance. It was merely twisted like a vortex.

No, it was not a vortex.

It was—a "hole."

A hole with no color, no radiance, completely indistinct, twisting and rotating like a black hole, as if it could swallow everything, ferment, blend, and mix it inside—the "hole."

This "hole" seemed to be telling Freyja that she could not see what it was nurturing inside, nor could she casually judge its value, blocking her view entirely.

From this "hole," all Freyja could see, or rather, feel, was one emotion.

It was a stubbornness that refused any external interference.

It was a future that refused to be scrutinized and judged by others.

This was the essence of Rik's soul.

Was he rejecting the hands that others extended to him, silently indicating that his future could only be decided and chosen by himself?

This was indeed a stubbornness.

But it was also so.

If one's future could be easily observed and examined by others, then from that moment on, it would already be fixed and confined within the scope of what others "saw."

Rik would not accept such a future.

"How interesting."

After her surprise and doubt, Freyja became intrigued.

"Unwilling to be seen by me (a god) or judged by others (the world), stubbornly and twistedly rotating. What kind of existence do you want to become?"

Freyja suddenly felt a strong desire.

A desire to see what was being nurtured inside that "hole."

"Ah, this is what the gods (we) have always pursued—the unknown."

Freyja smiled.

She smiled so beautifully that it could captivate a nation.

She smiled so stunningly that it could enchant the world.

"It seems I really have to have a showdown with Loki this time." Freyja muttered, "Even I feel a bit scared at the thought of falling out with that Loki."

After all, that was the trickster god who had once caused the end of the world in the heavens, deceived the gods multiple times with his schemes, and almost brought about a true Ragnarok by inciting the gods to kill each other.

Even Freyja would be cautious at the thought of falling out with that evil god.

"But, this is also a kind of fun."

"Let's take it slowly."

"Anyway, I'm not in a hurry."

Freyja smiled, turned, and left.

She still had to go and comfort the little cat that had been accidentally injured because of her mischievousness.

By then, night had completely fallen.

Rik, covered in blood, took advantage of the darkness and walked into the Dusk Mansion under the watchful eyes of the surprised and uncertain guards.

He had intended to return to his room without drawing any attention.

Unfortunately, he did not get his wish.

"Rik?"

Accompanied by a surprised voice, someone had returned to the Familia just before or after Rik.

Rik stopped, feeling somewhat helpless.

"What happened to you?"

A female swordsman with flowing golden hair, fully armed, had just returned from outside and happened to meet Rik, who was about to enter the mansion. Seeing his bloodstained body, her transparent golden eyes were filled with surprise and concern.

"Ais."

Despite his helplessness, Rik turned to face Ais.

"Did you go to the Labyrinth?"

Rik glanced at the fully armed Ais and asked.

"Yes." Ais nodded and said, "After you and the leader left, I went to the Labyrinth."

This girl was still so diligent and ambitious, clearly spurred on by Rik.

"Be careful then." Rik smiled and said, "If Riria finds out, you'll be in trouble."

Hearing this, Ais involuntarily shrank back.

The girl feared Riria the most, who had been like a mother to her, always by her side, protecting her as she grew, and taking care of her.

Riria had often scolded her for not resting properly after returning from expeditions and for frequently diving into the Labyrinth for days on end.

Ambition and effort were good, but Ais's level of ambition and effort had far exceeded that of others, to the point where it was worrying whether she would overexert herself to the point of collapse.

In a certain sense, Ais and Rik were indeed of the same kind.

Both were willing to risk everything, even their lives, to gain the slightest opportunity for growth, striving to become stronger as quickly as possible.

Given this, it was clear from how reckless Rik usually was that Ais's recklessness was no less, if not more, than his.

Because of this, Ais had already been a headache for the leadership of the Loki Familia, and now with Rik, Riria's worries had multiplied to the point of exhaustion.

Of course, there were some differences between Ais and Rik.

Rik had self-awareness and insisted on his own path, while Ais was somewhat timid and guilty, always fearing Riria's scolding.

"Don't change the subject." Ais gazed at Rik and said, "Are you injured?"

"Sort of." Rik pursed his lips and said, "Just a minor injury, already healed."

Well, if an injury could be healed with a universal medicine, it should be considered minor.

"Liar." Ais mercilessly exposed Rik's lie, "Your face is pale, you must have been seriously injured."

That was the flaw.

While the medicine could stop the bleeding and heal the wounds, the pallor from losing a lot of blood was not so easily concealed.

Ais was particularly concerned about this.

She could not imagine what kind of danger Rik, with his current strength, had encountered to be so seriously injured.

If it was just a routine trip to the Labyrinth to kill monsters, it was unlikely to result in such a state.

Unless Rik had ventured into the deeper levels below the 37th floor, or encountered an unusual situation.

But the deeper levels below the 37th floor could not be reached and returned from in a day, and if an unusual situation had occurred, it would have been reported to the guild and spread among the adventurers, which Ais had not heard about.

Therefore,

"Did you fight someone?" Ais whispered, "A strong enemy?"

Rik remained silent.

This woman, who looked cold and indifferent, was surprisingly perceptive.

Rik could only nod and say, "Don't tell anyone, I want to handle it myself."

"Okay."

Ais was silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

However, from her hesitant gaze, Rik could tell that Ais was conflicted.

This girl, who appeared cold, was actually somewhat naive and clearly did not know how to handle the situation.

Seeing this, Rik instinctively reached out and patted Ais's head.

Ais froze, then instinctively looked up at Rik.

Meeting Ais's eyes, Rik smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm not the type to take a loss."

Hearing this, Ais silently lowered her head.

The girl's face, hidden by her bangs, turned slightly red.

New book, seeking support! Seeking recommendations! Seeking collections! (*^▽^*)

(End of Chapter)