CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 396: LOKI ON THE VERGE OF EXPLODING

"But what’s the issue with that?"

"It’s a huge problem."

Bell let out a sigh at Loki-sama’s confusion.

"If every floor in the Dungeon is like this, then the Spirit Fetus won’t be able to absorb enough energy in time. Honestly, by the time Captain Finn and the others encounter it, we’ll be lucky if it’s even grown to Lv. 6."

"Wouldn’t that mean the difficulty’s gone down?"

Anyone who couldn’t grasp the implications by now would have to be a fool—and Loki certainly wasn’t one.

Still, her moment of relief vanished the instant she saw Bell’s frown.

"Isn’t that a good thing?"

"A good thing? This is the worst kind of news."

Bell didn’t sugarcoat it. He spoke in the harshest tone he could manage.

"If we want to help Captain Finn and the others break past Level 6, the key lies in the strength of the enemy. I believe only an opponent at Lv. 8 can push them over that wall. But if the enemy isn’t strong enough? Then this whole thing becomes a wasted opportunity."

"..."

Loki fell silent. She was the one who had agreed to this trial for Finn and the others—it was supposed to be their breakthrough.

But if they let this moment pass them by... would Finn and the others really get another chance? Would they truly be able to keep up with Ais going forward? That seemed doubtful now.

"I won’t let them waste this chance."

As the centerpiece of the entire plan—and someone directly tied to the invitation from the Sword Princess—Bell wasn’t about to let things fall apart here.

"Even if I have to force it, I’ll raise the Spirit’s power. But that also means some things might spiral out of control."

Loki suddenly felt a wave of unease.

"Hey, what are you planning? Don’t do anything reckless!"

"Please don’t worry, Loki-sama. Captain Finn and the others are directly tied to the success of my future plans. I wouldn’t let them be wiped out so easily."

Bell hid whatever he was feeling behind a soft, almost refreshing smile, doing his best to reassure her.

"I don’t believe a word you’re saying!"

Loki completely snapped. After the Black Dragon incident, she had finally figured out what this kid was really like.

If he said something was serious, it usually meant it wasn’t that bad.

But when he started brushing things off like they were no big deal—that’s when it was time to panic.

"With your overly cautious personality, being on guard is your default. You usually assume the worst in every scenario. But the moment you stop doing that, it means things have slipped out of your control."

Having grasped that fully, Loki was in no state to stay calm.

Bell looked a little surprised at how riled up Loki was on the other side of the screen.

"I didn’t expect Loki-sama to know me this well. I’ll make a note of that and change how I speak next time."

"This isn’t about how you talk! We’re talking about my children here! This is about their safety!"

"I already said it—Captain Finn and the others are tied to my plans for the coming battles. And the matter involving the ’Sword Princess’s’ parents is another key point I need to break through. I have no intention of letting them die here."

Loki looked ready to burst, still red in the face and trying to argue, but Bell clearly had no interest in hearing it.

"Loki-sama, you know I’m driven by profit. And right now, Finn and the others are directly tied to my future interests. So you should know I’m not joking."

That shut Loki up completely. Her face looked like an overinflated balloon—flushed red, tense, with no outlet for the pressure.

"Then I’ll end the connection here. Goddess-sama, Hephaestus-sama, Loki-sama—have a pleasant evening."

With a snap of Bell’s fingers, the feed was cut.

"...Aaaaghhh!"

Loki instantly jumped up, ready to hurl the table and chairs across the room.

Too bad all the furniture in her home was naturally grown and fixed in place—part of the architecture. They couldn’t be moved by hand. So despite all her flailing, all she accomplished was turning even redder in the face.

"Don’t bother. You already know everything here is built in. Unless we unlock our divine powers, there’s no way we can budge this stuff."

Hestia, completely unfazed, leaned back comfortably on the couch, speaking in her usual calm tone. She’d long since gotten used to Loki’s tantrums.

"You say that like it’s nothing!"

The shorty’s attitude just made Loki’s blood pressure spike even higher.

"...They’re not your children, so of course it’s easy for you to talk like that. But they’re my children!"

"Come on, what good does panicking do now?"

Hestia ignored Loki’s shouting. She knew Loki was stressed, but also felt she didn’t need to be.

"Bell-kun wouldn’t say he’ll protect your kids if he didn’t mean it. And didn’t he just say it himself? Your children are a crucial part of his future plans. From a profit standpoint alone, he’s not going to let them die."

"Damn it!"

Both of them, standing around throwing out casual comments—Loki was about to blow a vein. The expedition hadn’t even ended, and she was already on the verge of being sent back to Tenkai from sheer stress.

To be honest, even Hephaestus was starting to worry that Loki might actually get killed—by stress, not monsters—thanks to Hestia and Bell.

But could she do anything about it? Not really.

She wasn’t going to interrupt Bell’s plan just for Loki’s sake. This was about Bell’s future, and frankly, she’d do everything she could to support him.

As for Loki? Well, compared to a lover, a fellow god was just a fellow god.

"Loki, just take a breath. What’s the point of freaking out now?"

"I..."

Loki was fuming. She knew raging like this wouldn’t change anything—after all, she had agreed to the plan. She also understood that Bell would go out of his way to keep the ones tied to his interests alive.

But what about the rest?

What about those who had nothing to do with his plan? Were they going to make it out alive?

Loki didn’t have the confidence to say, "They’ll be fine." Because for those people... there was no guarantee. No connection to Bell’s profit meant no promises.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

[email protected]/PinkSnake