Seeing Hestia's smug demeanor, Loki seethed, grinding her teeth and glaring, half-wishing she could flatten those prominent curves on Hestia's chest.
"I get it now," Loki said, her gaze lingering on Hestia's figure before curling into a sneer. "Spill it, Hestia—did you use your wiles to lure him in?"
Goddesses' appearances catered to mortal aesthetics.
Even Loki, often slovenly in men's clothes and exuding a scruffy vibe, could turn heads if styled properly.
Hestia's allure was undeniable.
"Who'd seduce anyone?!" Hestia quivered, masking her fluster with a sharp retort.
"Loki, you're just jealous, slandering me with cheap shots!"
"Despicable!" she added, glaring to hide her unease. Truth be told, Hestia suspected her "encounter" with Roy had a hint of charm at play.
Roy's stated desire for a goddess connection had likely tipped the scales for her otherwise bare-bones Familia.
"Too suspicious," Loki said, stroking her chin, frowning at Hestia.
"Besides that lewd figure, what else could draw talent like him to a deadbeat goddess like you?"
"Don't attack me like that," Hestia snapped, refusing to concede.
"You lack goddess charm yourself, so you drag others down to prop yourself up, huh?"
"What if Roy was drawn to my allure? None of your business! If you're so great, charm a stellar child to your Familia!"
"Good luck with that—men probably mistake you for Apollo's type," Hestia fired off, her verbal barrage deflecting Loki's probe while landing a jab.
Apollo, notorious among gods for his indiscriminate romantic pursuits, was a low blow.
"Shorty, you wanna throw down?" Loki growled, veins popping, incensed by the Apollo comparison.
The goddesses' bickering drew helpless sighs from Riveria Ljos Alf.
The nearby waiting adventurers, caught in the crossfire, kept their heads down.
With Loki, backed by Riveria and Tiona of the mighty Loki Familia, they dared not gawk.
"No class," Hestia sniffed, brushing off Loki. "I'd never stoop to such undignified antics."
"Speaking of, Roy's back," she added, grinning.
"Wonder if those 200,000 Valis I won came from a flat-chested goddess? Hahaha!"
"#!" Loki's chest heaved with rage.
"Don't get smug, Shorty! One win's nothing!"
"It's just one win," Hestia said airily, sauntering to the betting counter.
"I'm betting again, Loki. Got the guts to follow?"
'Aggressive tactics, huh?' Loki thought, fuming.
"I don't buy that kid winning forever!" She stormed after Hestia, doubling down on Roy's opponent.
"I'm in for 400,000," Roy had instructed Hestia to keep betting his winnings on himself.
Though reluctant to risk so much, Hestia trusted his confidence and placed the bet.
"Loki, didn't you brag about your pocket money?" Hestia taunted.
"Why not outbet me this time?"
"Mind your own!" Loki growled, slamming down 800,000 Valis, escalating her wager.
The next two matches darkened Loki's mood further.
Roy didn't just win—he dominated, leaving Hestia ecstatic and Loki livid.
"Can I switch to the advanced arena now?" Roy asked the arena official after his third victory.
"You sure?" the official said, his expression wary.
"Advanced arena's no joke. Opponents aren't just LV2—could be LV3 or even LV4."
Higher-level adventurers often wielded unique skills, making level gaps less decisive, which fueled the arena's thrill.
"No LV5s?" Roy asked.
The official rolled his eyes. "First-class adventurers rarely bother with these unless it's a special event. They're not here for fame or cash."
LV2s were third class, LV3-4 second class, and LV5+ first class.
"Switch me over," Roy said, smiling.
"Fine, I've warned you," the official said, intrigued by Roy's potential. Leapfrogging levels was rare but marked prodigies destined for greatness.
"By the way, we sell recovery potions. Need any?" the official offered en route to the advanced arena.
"Save 'em for my opponents," Roy quipped.
"Everyone!" the advanced arena host bellowed, rallying the crowd.
"A rookie joins us, fresh from three lightning-fast wins in the beginner ring—human Roy Flott! Can he claim glory here too?"
"Bold move, jumping to advanced after a few wins."
"His ego's gonna crash hard."
The advanced arena's crowd murmured.
Loki, slumped from three straight losses—over two million Valis gone—perked up, sensing a chance to flip her fortunes.
Roy's reckless challenge was her opening to humble Hestia.
"Shorty, keep betting!" Loki goaded, her eyes glinting.
Hestia, unfazed, matched Loki at the advanced betting counter, both wagering heavily—Hestia on Roy, Loki against.
Roy's first advanced match began against an LV2 beastman.
Half a minute later, the beastman, wide-eyed in disbelief, was carted off the ring by staff.
"Oooo!" The crowd roared, electrified by the upset.
Cross-level victories were rare, and Roy's ferocity captivated them.
Roy's matches rolled on swiftly, drawing bigger crowds.
He dispatched LV3 and LV4 opponents with equal ease, each defeat fueling the audience's frenzy.
Some adventurers, however, sensed something off.
"Hestia, you rigging this?" Loki accused, her face darkening.
She could buy a one-level gap, but Roy crushing LV3 and LV4 foes was absurd.
No LV1 in Orario, not even her Familia, could pull that off.
"Loki, you dense? If I cheated, I'd be banished from the lower world," Hestia scoffed, rolling her eyes.
Cheating—using divine power/arcanum or blood to boost an adventurer—was a known tactic some gods had tried.
But it violated the gods' oath, triggering forced repatriation to Heaven.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter