With Finn and the others leading the charge, as long as they moved fast and spread out enough, the situation wasn't much of a problem. Their strength was undeniable, and soon the three of them were positioned just one wall away, easily dealing with the group of Silver Knights.
"These guys have tough armor, but we can take it back for the familia members. Even though it's damaged, it can be repaired. The most important thing is those bows. With these, our familia's strength will increase significantly!"
Finn said, smiling as he looked at the large pile of bows and arrows in front of him. The power of the Dragon-Hunting Bows had been proven earlier, and those who followed the path of strength would definitely be able to put them to use.
However, these bows were enormous and required incredible strength to draw. Ordinary people couldn't handle them, so only those with significant strength development could make use of them. But as Finn thought about it, there weren't many people who specialized in that right now.
He began to consider the possibility of recruiting more newcomers when they returned home, specifically seeking those who could handle these bows and create a specialized Dragon-Hunting Bow unit. Just the thought of it was enough to stir a sense of excitement within him.
Finn also wondered if these weapons might be useful in the future against the Black Dragon, a constant looming threat that everyone in Orario was aware of. The presence of the Black Dragon had always been a massive risk for their world.
Although the creature hadn't attacked them recently, what if it decided to take a trip back to Orario? When the Black Dragon had previously left its mark, it had decimated both the Zeus and Hera Familias, even killing Level 9 adventurers. They definitely didn't want to relive that nightmare.
So, preparations against the Black Dragon had been ongoing. Back then, they were far too weak to even consider such matters, but now that their strength had grown, it was time to focus on this real danger.
To stand a chance against the Black Dragon, they needed to at least reach the level of the Zeus and Hera Familias, who once boasted Level 9 adventurers and many Level 8s. In comparison, Orario's strongest adventurers at the time had barely reached Level 7, and Finn's group had only just reached Level 6.
The gap was huge. The Zeus and Hera familias had once been so powerful that it seemed impossible to catch up. But now, they were getting close to reaching Level 8 themselves, and closing that gap was only a matter of time.
The Black Dragon shouldn't be too much of a problem when that time comes.
"Let's go. We need to clear out all the Silver Knights in this city, gather up their equipment and souls. And don't forget to collect any Dragon-Hunting Arrows they fired. Those are limited, after all. "
"Even though the blacksmiths might be able to forge them, the chances of replicating them exactly are slim. So, conserve what we've got!"
With that, Finn organized the group into smaller teams to hunt down the remaining Silver Knights throughout the city. It wasn't too difficult, aside from the ones at the main gates who were particularly annoying. The rest of the knights were scattered and isolated.
The Loki Familia quickly took care of the Silver Knights, and over the next two weeks, they completely wiped them out and collected a staggering amount of equipment.
"If we take all this back home, it'll be enough to expand the familia several times over. We'll be armed to the teeth!"
Everyone was thrilled as they looked at the sheer amount of equipment they had gathered. Although they had encountered Silver Knights before, there had never been this many. The scale of this operation had resulted in a treasure trove of powerful gear, and it was all of excellent quality.
The older Lothric Knight armor was much better, but it was too restrictive. Most of the group didn't like such closed-off armor as it hindered their combat abilities. However, for those who weren't very agile, it could still be useful.
Those who weren't skilled in speed naturally focused on strength and defense. But for Gareth, this was frustrating. Even Finn felt a pang of regret in his heart. There was no way around it though, as their race traits made it so that these things just weren't suitable for them.
With the materials mostly collected, Finn and his group returned to the Firelink Shrine. They needed to strengthen themselves for the next wave of challenges.
However, upon arriving at the shrine, they were greeted with the sight of a large group of people lying on the ground.
"These people... they're from the Freya Familia. It's been so long since we've seen them, I almost forgot about them. What happened? How did they lose so many people all at once?"
Finn and the others were shocked to see the members of Freya Familia in such a state, lifeless bodies scattered across the ground.
"They were attacked by monsters with curse-inflicting properties. Their own strength wasn't enough, so they were all killed by the curse!"
Soon, the Firekeeper explained as she arrived on the scene, filling them in on the tragic events.
Upon hearing this, everyone was speechless. It seemed like the Freya Familia had made a reckless decision. The world they were in was incredibly dangerous, and curses, in particular, were a major problem.
Once the curse stacked enough, it could kill instantly, especially if the victim was weak.
This is why Finn and the others had been so cautious since arriving in this world. They knew that even they couldn't guarantee their survival here, let alone the weaker members of their familia.
That's why they only brought the strongest members and focused on constant training.
Now, seeing the fate of Freya Familia confirmed that their caution was the right choice.
The Freya Familia, of course, knew about these dangers but didn't take them seriously. Unlike the Loki Familia, who were extremely cautious, Freya Familia had brought a lot of new recruits to train. Unfortunately, they ran into monsters that had curse-inflicting abilities.
For a high-level adventurer, say level 4 or 5, this wouldn't have been a problem unless they had been attacked dozens of times by cursed monsters. But for rookies at levels 1 or 2, it was a completely different story. A curse or two could spell the end for them.
Those lying dead on the ground were mostly rookie adventurers who couldn't withstand the curse. While the Freya Familia hadn't suffered a catastrophic loss, they did lose a lot of fresh recruits.
Although they still had plenty of top-tier strength, that wasn't the main issue. A familia couldn't rely only on a few powerful individuals, and it needed new blood to continue growing stronger. Only with constant renewal and the strengthening of its members could a familia truly thrive.
But now, with their fresh recruits nearly wiped out, the upper echelon of Freya Familia was on the verge of an outburst.