The War Game was two days later.
Roy and Liu did not continue to descend into the Underground City.
Firstly, Roy's ability values were already close to the limit of LV.1, and the rewards from ordinary Underground Citys were decreasing, unable to provide him with more attribute points.
Challenging high-difficulty Underground Citys carried uncontrollable risks, and if something unexpected happened before the War Game, it would be a laughingstock, dying before even starting.
So, after recovering from his injuries, Roy chose another path: training for combat against people!
The instructor was, without a doubt, the Elf Girl.
After joining the Astrea Familia, Miss Liu's attitude towards Roy had noticeably improved; she no longer threatened to kill him at every turn as she used to.
In the courtyard of the Star Garden, two figures flashed quickly, constantly intertwining, and the crisp sound of weapons colliding vibrated in the air.
It was Miss Liu and Roy.
Both held training weapons, which were swords with sharpened blades; Adventurers were not that delicate.
Combat against people was completely different from fighting monsters; monsters had no intelligence, only the instinct to kill enemies, while intelligent beings were cunning.
To give a simple example, if Roy slashed with his sword, a monster would charge forward like a blockhead, but an Adventurer would dodge, parry, counterattack, or even deliberately expose a weakness to lure the enemy.
In short, when fighting people, unless you have absolutely overwhelming strength, you must be extremely cautious; your opponent might pull out a powerful magic sword or unleash strange skills the next second.
"Too naive!"
Once Miss Liu entered instructor mode, she became ruthless; although she wouldn't use her blade, her fists and feet landed on Roy without mercy.
Her LV.4 stats completely overwhelmed Roy.
The power that erupted from her delicate small hand sent Roy flying like a mountain.
Before long, Roy was beaten black and blue; of course, this was also Roy's request—if you don't sweat in training, are you planning to bleed in battle?
"How miserable!"
Listening to the sounds from the courtyard, the Ganesha Familia members at the gate clicked their tongues; LV.4 fighting LV.1 was a battle with no suspense, purely seeking abuse.
Roy often brought them snacks, and they had a good relationship, but at this moment, they were powerless.
As for Roy, it was a coexistence of pain and pleasure.
Breaking through his ability limits, awakening skills, and single-handedly wiping out an American squad—it was impossible for him not to feel a bit of pride and complacency, but Miss Liu directly smashed him from the clouds to the ground, making him realize that he was still a LV.1 rookie!
As long as one hadn't reached LV.2, the treatment in Orario was worlds apart.
There seemed to be many Adventurers in Orario, but more than half of them were struggling at LV.1.
Only Adventurers above LV.2 could be called high-level Adventurers, gaining developmental abilities and receiving titles bestowed by the gods; no matter which Familia they were in, they would be honored guests and could join any other Familia at any time.
On the other hand, under Miss Liu's fists, Roy's combat experience against people rapidly improved.
After about five hours, Roy's stamina bottomed out, and he couldn't even stand anymore.
Miss Liu said, "Take a rest."
Roy collapsed onto the ground as if paralyzed, covered in injuries, with deep fatigue on his face.
Miss Liu's beautiful brows furrowed.
Sensing Miss Liu's displeasure, Roy immediately straightened his back; she often warned him that Adventurers must always remain vigilant! The more fatigued one's mind, the more important it was to remember this, as enemies would also seize the opportunity to attack at such times.
Seeing this, Miss Liu left with satisfaction.
Roy rubbed his aching back, shaking his head with a smile; under Miss Liu's Spartan training, his combat instincts were almost ingrained in his bones.
In the evening, Remel, the Guild's unfortunate soul, came over to check the qualifications for the War Game.
When Remel saw the Sword of Justice and wings on Roy's back, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes; at this time, someone was still standing with the Astrea Familia, which he had to admit, took great courage.
Remel said, "Alright, confirmed participants for the War Game are two: Liu Rion and Roy."
Roy asked with a grin, "How many people from the Rudra Familia are participating in the War Game?"
Remel's mouth twitched; to openly inquire about inside information like this, this person was truly thick-skinned.
In principle, he shouldn't tell the other party, but since the principle himself (Uranus) had spoken, and without affecting the overall situation, due to the Astrea Familia's past merits, some consideration could be given.
Roy also knew this; the other party would tell him!
Remel lowered his voice, "The number of people from the Rudra Familia participating in the War Game is one hundred and fifty-two!"
"That few?"
Roy and Miss Liu looked surprised; they had thought the other side would have at least three hundred or more.
In Orario, where gambling, prostitution, and drugs were legal, it was hard to stay good and easy to go bad; the number of dark-hearted people was beyond imagination, and these people were the new blood of the Dark Faction.
And the attitude of those evil gods was that the more evil the temperament, the more they liked it; scoundrels were everywhere, and they rejected no one.
The number of Darkness Familia members was naturally very large.
Remel explained with a bitter smile, "Because you raised the bounty, many people from the Rudra Familia have been killed these days, including not a few LV.2 Adventurers."
With that explanation, the two understood.
"Let them collect the bounty based on headcount," Roy smiled, "that immediately halves our pressure; those Adventurers have made invaluable contributions, it would be inhumane not to give them the bounty; give and take, that's how business lasts."
…
Artificial Labyrinth, Daedalus.
The last work of Daedalus, the craftsman who built the Babel Tower a thousand years ago, remained unfinished until his death; it was a labyrinth similar to the Underground City.
Now, it had become the most important stronghold of the Dark Faction.
In the central hall of the deepest part, stones emitted a faint light, illuminating the surroundings.
The walls of the hall were adorned with emblems displaying the divine factions: hearts of iron and bronze, and a black single-winged emblem resembling a grim reaper's scythe.
Thanatos Familia!
The man sitting on the stairs exuded a faint divine aura, and upon hearing the report, he said, "A War Game in the Underground City? Hahaha, how interesting, those guys on the surface always come up with some fun things."
The subordinate standing below said, "The Rudra Familia wants us to help transport some supplies."
The Underground City entrance of the Babel Tower was blocked by the Guild, so neither Familia could enter in advance, but the artificial labyrinth was another entrance to the Underground City!
"Tell them to get lost; over a hundred people against a little girl, and they still want to play these petty tricks, it's truly despicable," Thanatos, the God of Death, scoffed.
Their strength and foundation were completely on a different level from the Rudra Familia! Having gathered the remnants of the Dark Faction who were defeated during the Great Rebellion, the Thanatos Familia had Adventurers of LV.3 and LV.4 everywhere, and even no shortage of LV.5 and LV.6 powerhouses!