While Sol pondered different skill combinations and whether they'd be worth it, Orla made her way to the dining table and sat beside Nocren.
Without even looking at him directly, she said, "After the Rite of Ascension is over, you should spend some time in the mountains and sharpen your skills."
"I—yes, Sister…"
Nocren couldn't deny it. He had been getting sloppy, and he knew he could have done better. For someone of his level and skill, he should've been able to find a target at least fifteen levels above his own.
Seeing that her brother agreed, Orla let the matter rest. "Let's just hope Father doesn't notice what you brought… or you might get tossed out of the city tonight."
"He wouldn't kick me out right before the Rite of Ascension… right?"
At first, Nocren didn't think their father would go that far, especially not on such an important occasion. But then he remembered who they were talking about.
Retnak placed a hand on Nocren's shoulder and gave him a solemn look. "Brother… I think you're screwed."
"Dammit!" Nocren cursed as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "There's still twenty minutes left! I'll find something before then!"
Without hesitation, he jumped to his feet and rushed toward the door. As he reached it, Mazon called out:
"I saw a pack of Ironbeaks around Waleslope! The leader of the flock should be at least level 90!"
Though Nocren's predicament was amusing, Mazon still decided to help him out. Despite their teasing and constant competition, they were still family, and Mazon knew Nocren would've done the same for him if the roles were reversed.
"Thanks, Brother! I owe you one!"
Nocren shouted as he bolted out the doors, hoping to return in time.
With one less orc in the room, the rest returned to chatting among themselves, though they made sure to include Sol and his companions in the conversation.
Sol was happy to join in and chatted with the orcs on various topics. The others, however, remained mostly quiet. Amber was naturally reserved, so her silence wasn't unusual. Thorwyn mostly nodded or shook his head, as only Sol and Amber could understand his wolf-like language. Reena, meanwhile, stayed quiet because she wasn't sure of Sol's relationship with the Frostaxe Clan. She had no idea if they would side with her if she revealed that she was being held here against her will.
At one point, Orla turned to Sol and asked, "Savior, I heard you faced a powerful monster alone in the Azrem Dwarves' ancient city. How strong was it?"
"Ah, the Bliss Spider…" Sol nodded, clearly remembering the encounter. "It was strong. Absurdly so. Much stronger than a normal A-Ranker, and that was after being weakened from starvation over countless years."
The room quieted as he began recounting the battle. He skipped certain details, like how he had slightly evened the odds by suppressing the creature's skills, but kept the majority of the story truthful. The Chieftain's children had clearly heard some version of the tale from the orcs who had witnessed the fight and were familiar with the various skills Sol had used to keep the Bliss Spider distracted so there was no point in concealing them.
Still, Sol's story emphasized the creature's overwhelming strength. How it could leap form the floor all the way to the roof of the underground city in an instant and its sharp legs which cut through everything like butter and most importantly, its terrifying abilities that could distort the senses and make other experience various forms of bliss.
"Honestly, even now that I'm an A-Ranker, I'm not sure I could beat it. Definitely not if it were at full strength."
Sol was being humble. Since that fight, Sol had grown significantly stronger. He had no law techniques before fighting it and now had an equal number of law techniques as the Bliss Spider. With [Lesser Channel Control], he could eliminate one of its techniques, and with [Harmonious Fusion] or [Draconification] paired with [Swift End], he likely could win.
The problem was, [Harmonious Fusion] required a strong fusion partner like Thorwyn, and [Draconification] carried the huge risk of being overwhelmed by the sin of pride again.
As for fighting the Bliss Spider at its peak, Sol was sure he still couldn't stand a chance.
'The Bliss Spider in its prime was probably as strong as that Primogen vampire I saw…'
He couldn't help but compare the two. They were the strongest beings he'd ever encountered, not counting a literal god like Orna. While Sol hadn't fought Absalom directly, but he'd spoken to him briefly, just before the vampire vanished, leaving behind the wreckage of several defeated A-Rankers and the disappearance of every imprisoned vampire in the time it took him to get from the outer palace walls to the prison. A feat he still found ludicrous today.
'Did that really happen?' Reena who was listening in on his story didn't believe him. How was it possible for a B-Ranker to survive what he described? But when she glanced at all the orcs to gauge their reactions they all appeared convinced of the events, as if he confirmed what they had already heard.
"Incredible!" Orla exclaimed when he finished. Her eyes sparkled with awe from his tale. "You're truly as brave as they say! Very few B-Rankers can say they fought an A-Ranker and lived, and you've done it twice!"
Before the Bliss Spider, Sol had also survived being hunted by Kirgar, who had chased him and his former squad through the Orna Mountains.
Sol smiled, but he didn't quite agree. "Thank you, but like I said, the Bliss Spider was severely weakened. And I only survived Kirgar's pursuit because my squad and I worked together to escape."
"That may be true." Orla replied, "But that just means you're not only brave, but also a capable leader. Thats not a talent many have and its not easy to teach. You should be more proud of your capabilities!"
Sol thanked her for the compliment, though it was a little embarrassing to be praised for surviving rather than winning. Wanting to steer the conversation away from himself, he turned to the orcs and asked something that had been on his mind:
"By the way… what is the Rite of Ascension?"