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

"...."

The three goddesses in the Hestia Familia were left speechless.

They hadn't known much about the Black Dragon to begin with, but they never imagined that such a shocking truth lay behind it, along with Behemoth and Leviathan.

"If we can't overcome them, the world will reset... Is that really true!?"

Even Loki, who usually played the fool, was stunned.

This wasn't just some idle joke.

If the Black Dragon couldn't be defeated, even the gods would be doomed.

And if that was true, then all of Orario might plunge into chaos.

"What do you think?"

Hestia took a deep breath. She could feel the weight of pressure settle heavily on her shoulders.

This clearly wasn't just for fun.

Just the fact that the Black Dragon possessed intelligence was shocking enough. But now she'd learned there was an even more terrifying truth hidden behind it all.

"This doesn't seem like some last-minute development... It's obvious this was set in stone long ago."

"And we, as gods, didn't know a thing about it."

Reminded by Hestia, Loki finally grasped the real issue.

"Right... We didn't know a single thing!?"

As gods, they should have known—but somehow, they hadn't.

She had always been dismissive about the Black Dragon, Behemoth, and Leviathan. Sure, she warned her children that the Three Great Quests were something every adventurer would have to face someday—but there was never any urgency to it.

Who would have guessed such a massive secret was hidden behind the quest to defeat the Black Dragon?

Hephaestus watched the conversation unfold and fell into thought.

"None of us knew anything. No one told us this. That must mean the other gods are just as clueless."

"But... Ouranos might know the truth."

The other gods might have remained in the dark because they were born later—but the older gods, the ones born in the early ages, might be different.

Like those ancient deities assigned across different pantheons in Tenkai.

Or those who had emerged around the same time as Ouranos.

"Ouranos was the first god to propose descending to Genkai. He also suggested sealing the gods' powers."

"He said it was to make life more entertaining for the gods... but was that really the whole reason?"

Loki had never seriously questioned it before, but now that Hephaestus had brought it up, she couldn't ignore the thought.

Hephaestus lowered her voice.

"Maybe it wasn't about giving the gods an exciting new experience. Maybe... it's because some special existence forbade it."

'The world.'

Loki instantly understood—and deep inside, she realized it might actually be true.

The reason gods couldn't use their full power in Genkai wasn't to keep things interesting.

It was because the world wouldn't allow it.

"So we've been messing around in Tenkai for hundreds of millions of years... for this?"

Loki's expression darkened.

She, the trickster goddess herself, felt like she'd been played—and hard.

For a moment, she nearly cursed out loud.

...But in the end, she didn't dare.

After all, the "World" was the mother of all gods. If she dared to speak like that, she'd probably be punished—or worse, get a personal lesson from "Mother World."

Hestia glanced at the clearly agitated Loki, sighed, and muttered with exasperation,

"Got a plan?"

"Do you, Loki, dare even have one?"

"...."

That completely shattered Loki's composure.

Of course she didn't have a plan. Even if she knew she was being played, all she could do was swallow her anger. What else could she do?

Could she fight back?

Loki suspected that if she said even a word more, "Mama" might just chuck her back to Tenkai on the spot.

"Alright, both of you, enough."

Hephaestus stepped in to stop the bickering. She was still listening, and Bell was still talking.

Hestia and Loki both forced themselves to calm down and turned their attention back to the screen.

…

"I see now..."

If this was truly all for the sake of "evolution," then it wasn't hard to imagine why the world had set things in motion this way.

In fact, the signs had been there all along.

Those figures he saw when he awakened his magic through the Spell Tome were probably versions of himself from parallel worlds—each one representing a different ending.

And none of those endings looked promising...

Which meant this time, it was his turn.

Bell wasn't particularly angry about being used.

If anything, thinking about it that way helped explain the reason behind his reincarnation.

Given his rebirth in this life, Bell had always known there was a price to be paid. It was like fate had already stamped a tag on his soul.

When you gain something, you must give something in return—and the trial before him was the cost he'd been assigned.

"I've really uncovered a massive headache."

Bell sighed, rubbing at his forehead.

Knowing too much was never a good thing. More often than not, people died early because they knew too much. Still, maybe the only reason he figured all this out was because he'd sensed something wrong from the start. Or maybe it was his years of experience with two-dimensional worlds that let him recognize the pattern early.

Either way, now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

At this moment, Bell's heart finally settled.

"Black Dragon, would you allow me to retreat... for now?"

"I know it's hard to admit, but I'm not your match yet. I doubt I can get past you right now."

The fighting spirit in the Black Dragon's vertical pupils receded slightly.

Only now did it realize the opponent standing before it hadn't yet reached the level required to challenge it. It would still take time before their true clash could begin.

With a deep exhale, the Black Dragon released a stream of hot air through its nostrils.

"And why do you think I'd let you walk away?"

As it spoke, its aura exploded, flooding the white space in waves of black and crimson energy.

Yet Bell didn't flinch in the slightest. Instead, blue-white lightning surged across his body, completely shielding him from the creeping black-red haze.

That display only made the Black Dragon's smile grow.

"Heh... So that's how it is. No wonder it's you. No wonder."

Then the Black Dragon withdrew its aura. The color drained from the space, returning it to white as the pressure vanished.

"Very well. I'll let you go—just this once."

"But the next time we meet, one of us will fall."

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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