Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Be the Main Character in Orario?

"Let's put everything else aside for now and talk about this thing first."

Loki pointed to the green sphere on the table.

Through the translucent green membrane, the fetus-like creature inside was clearly abnormal.

Anything that could cause both the Guild and the Dungeon's third-party forces to fight over it was certainly no ordinary object.

"You discovered the existence of the Dungeon's third-party forces through studying this thing. So you must have a clear understanding of what it is, right?"

"Yes."

Bell admitted his understanding of it.

"This is a fetus that has already absorbed a sufficient amount of power. Its purpose is to parasitize, assimilate, and devour. Once it breaks out of its membrane, it must attach to a living being to grow rapidly and return to its original form."

Loki didn't need to hear more—those words alone told her how dangerous this thing was.

What worried her even more was that it could grow rapidly and revert to its original form. That alone made it clear this was no simple matter.

"What was this thing originally? No—what kind of being was it?"

Bell wasn't surprised Loki had so quickly grasped its nature.

"Based on my investigation and analysis, once this fetus absorbs more energy, it can parasitize any living organism and rapidly restore its original form."

"And judging from the data on its origin and degradation, the being that produced this fetus likely had the power of a Lv.8."

Orario's current top-tier combat strength capped at Lv.7—yet the entity that spawned this fetus had already surpassed that. Lv.8 was well beyond the norm.

Loki's face grew noticeably grim.

"Then what level can this fetus recover to?"

With a snap of his fingers, Bell projected a series of data above the fetus, along with a basic assessment of its energy and level.

"Judging from the deterioration, this fetus, in its most complete form, should reach Lv.7."

"Additionally, during my study of its internal structure, I discovered signs of potential ink-like propagation."

Hermes's face darkened as well. A mass-produced Lv.7-level fetus? The intentions behind that were all too obvious.

Loki kicked the table hard.

"Those bastards just won't quit."

She had already discussed this topic when she last met with that flirt.

Back in the days when Zeus and Hera were in charge, Evilus didn't even dare show their faces. But now, under new leadership, they were acting bolder than ever.

'Looks like agreeing to this kid's plan was the right call after all.'

Right now, Loki urgently needed to boost her Familia's strength.

Lv.6 wasn't enough to intimidate these pests. Even Lv.7 was likely to be barely sufficient.

But she definitely needed at least three Lv.7s in her Familia.

Otherwise, those rats would just keep crawling out from the shadows every other day.

Bell, on the other hand, took a more relaxed view and tried to reassure Loki-sama.

"Please don't worry too much, Loki-sama. Even though these fetuses are mass-produced, that very fact limits them. Most of them don't have the potential to evolve into Lv.7s."

That conclusion eased some of Loki's irritation.

"Why is that? Has the fetus deteriorated?"

"No."

Bell shook his head slightly in denial.

"The fetus is stable. As long as it absorbs enough energy, it can complete its transformation to Lv.7."

"So it's a matter of insufficient energy."

Hermes immediately grasped the key point.

"Yes, the fetus has the potential to ascend to Lv.7. Once it absorbs enough energy while parasitizing a living being, it can quickly complete its transformation. The main limiting factor is energy."

Bell nodded to confirm, making it clear that energy was the crucial factor in the fetus's growth.

"As for the other reason, it's actually tied to degradation."

"The fact that these fetuses have become externally visible imposes a major limitation on their development. While they can more easily evolve to Lv.5 after consuming a certain amount of energy, the amount needed to reach Lv.7 is even greater than what Lv.7 would normally require."

"Of course, I'm not denying the validity of the decision to go the mass-production route."

"Compared to consistently producing fetuses that can stably ascend to Lv.7, focusing on mass production is more efficient. After all, even Lv.5 individuals are scarce in Orario right now. A large number of fetuses capable of reaching Lv.5 could still inflict a devastating blow."

"Lv.5 requires less energy and is easier to produce."

That statement instantly made Loki's eyes flush red.

Wasn't that just a direct jab?

It had to be—definitely a jab at her!

She took several deep breaths before finally calming down a little.

"Secondly, aside from the energy the fetus itself requires, the original body—the producer—also needs a tremendous amount of energy to generate them."

"And from that point, I developed a whole new theory about those New Variants."

"Loki-sama, what if those New Variants your Familia encountered on the fiftieth floor were actually created to help gather energy for the fetus's original body?"

That question immediately made Bete, standing behind Loki, open his eyes.

Having personally fought on the fiftieth floor, he understood this phenomenon better than most.

"To gather energy for the original body..."

Bete remembered those acid-spitting insects. When they encountered them, the creatures were already attacking monsters on the fifty-first floor, as if indiscriminately slaughtering everything alive.

That kind of behavior... definitely looked like energy collection.

"Those creatures had Magic Stones that were different from normal monsters. So, you're saying they weren't born from the Dungeon, but from the fetus's original body?"

Bell didn't deny it, but he offered a clarification.

"I can't say for certain whether they were born that way. But isn't it strange that the Dungeon suddenly produced completely new kinds of monsters?"

"The Violas' defenses are so strong that even a Lv.5 can't easily pierce through them—especially their roots. Unless you're using a First-Class weapon, you can barely do any real damage."

"And those monsters also have an intense reaction to magic. If they weren't designed to gather energy, then I can't imagine what other purpose would lead to that kind of evolutionary path."

Bete couldn't help thinking back to how those monsters responded aggressively to magic and Magic Stones—how just throwing a Magic Stone could get them to temporarily ignore their targets.

If they weren't configured to prioritize energy, then under normal conditions, Dungeon monsters should target adventurers first. But these new ones were completely different.

Bell clapped his hands, pulling everyone's focus back to him.

"Now, regarding my research and investigation into the fetus—thanks to my experiments, I've been able to confirm its identity."

"But the answer honestly gave me a bit of a shock."

"A Spirit."

"That's what the fetus originally was."

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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