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"How unbelievable."
Even after Ryoji had left, Finn was still staring at the office door he had closed behind him, sighing in amazement.
"I feel like a whole era has passed, too." Gareth sat on a low stool and nodded upon hearing that.
"When little Ais became Level 6, Old Man already felt a sense of urgency back then. But compared to now, that urgency wasn't nearly as intense."
After all, it had still taken Ais nearly three years to go from Level 5 to Level 6.
But Ryoji had gone from Level 1 to Level 5 in less than three months.
What could an ordinary person even accomplish in three months?
Forget leveling up; even fully polishing one's combat techniques would probably be impossible. Yet he had broken through one limit after another with the overwhelming momentum of a soaring dragon.
If word of this spread, who knew how many people's jaws would hit the floor.
"Indeed. At his rate of growth, it probably won't be long before his Level surpasses ours as well."
Finn nodded, then shook his head again, his gaze distant.
"But I think his actual combat strength has already genuinely reached our tier."
"You serious, Finn?" Gareth revealed a startled expression.
"Didn't you see his fight with Bete this morning?"
"It's embarrassing to admit, but I drank quite a bit last night." Gareth scratched his head.
Quite a few people had gotten drunk from sheer excitement the previous night.
"I only heard that he fought Bete, but doesn't know the outcome."
Since the match had stopped midway due to its bizarre turn of events, most people had no idea how it ended.
"To put it simply, Bete was completely outmatched." Finn continued, "He lost in the very field he was most proud of, speed. Throughout the entire fight, he couldn't even force Ryoji to take a single step back. And just for reference, Bete was going all out."
"He actually reached that level?"
Both Gareth and Riveria couldn't help but feel shocked.
Bete possessed the fastest speed in the Loki Familia. Even Finn couldn't deny that. After all, Finn wasn't a speed-oriented fighter, and his Agility stat during each level-up had only been around Rank B. That simply couldn't compare to Bete, who reached Rank S every time and also had dual Skill enhancements.
"So the title of fastest has changed hands, huh…" Gareth muttered quietly.
"And if going all out still couldn't make him budge even one step… then it seems his defense really can rival mine."
"So his strength has truly reached your level?"
Riveria's eyes filled with admiration.
For some reason, she felt a little proud, almost like the comforting satisfaction of watching a child grow into adulthood, even though they had only known each other for a little over two months.
"Hearing all this makes me restless. Maybe I should rush into the Dungeon and grind levels too?"
"Haha, nice try, Gareth. You think you can dump this mountain of paperwork on Riveria and me while you sneak off to slack around?" Finn burst into laughter, immediately crushing Gareth's hopes.
Although this junior member's growth was abnormal in many ways, Finn only felt more pride the stronger the Familia became. Feelings like jealousy simply didn't exist within him.
No matter what, this was undoubtedly an excellent thing for the entire Loki Familia.
However,
A far more absurd thought suddenly flashed through Finn's mind.
'Was Ryoji's strength truly only enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them?'
During his fight with Bete, Ryoji hadn't displayed any swordsmanship at all.
The strength of his swordsmanship could be said to surpass all of Orario. This was something recognized by the entire Loki Familia. He could even effortlessly defeat stronger opponents purely through his supreme sword skills. Many times, even Ais sought guidance from him.
And more importantly, his demeanor during that battle had simply been too relaxed.
It left Finn unable to stop wondering just how much strength Ryoji had actually used.
And naturally, it also made him look forward to seeing just how powerful Ryoji would be if he ever fought seriously with everything he had.
"Misha, long time no see."
Hearing the familiar voice, Misha immediately looked up in surprise.
Ah!
The beautiful boy had become even more handsome!
Looking at the young man standing before the reception window, Misha felt as though the entire world had lost its color, leaving only the ultimate beauty before her eyes.
The moment he pulled back his hood, the Guild Headquarters lobby fell into an eerie silence, countless gazes turning toward him in fascination.
"I'm here to update my adventurer report." Ignoring the stares around him, Ryoji spoke to Misha.
"O-Oh, right away!" Misha snapped back to her senses and hurriedly pulled out a form from beneath the counter.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you around for about half a month."
"Yeah, I've been focusing on training." Ryoji answered vaguely before handing over the completed form.
Then, to his satisfaction, he heard a scream.
"Level 5?! You've got to be kidding me?!"
"What?!"
"What is Misha talking about? I can't understand a thing!"
"Isn't that the rookie from the Loki Familia? The one who joined less than three months ago? The one who fought in the arena before?"
"Level 5… why does the world suddenly feel so unfamiliar?"
An uproar instantly spread throughout the Guild Hall.
Ryoji felt thoroughly satisfied after successfully showing off a little, then coolly walked out of the Guild Headquarters.
Only after a while did Misha finally recover her senses, hurriedly submitting the report to her supervisor.
The supervisor was so shocked that they immediately sent someone to verify the information with the Loki Familia. After receiving confirmation, the entire person was left dumbfounded.
An hour later, a massive portrait was hung at the very top of the bulletin board.
It read:
"...Ryoji, affiliated with the Loki Familia, Level 5, no title, achieved in less than three months."
That was all it said.
Very quickly, as adventurers moved around the city, the news gradually spread throughout all of Orario.
Less than three months.
Reached Level 5!
The Gods' Banquet, which was only held once every three months, hadn't even taken place yet. He hadn't even received a single title before!
The entire city was thrown into an uproar.
This completely shattered the limits of people's imagination, breaking countless records. It could only be described as a miracle!
After leaving the Guild Headquarters, Ryoji entered the Tower of Babel and purchased a set of light armor worth nearly ten million valis from an equipment shop. It included everything, breastplate, armguards, kneeguards, boots, and more.
After all, they were about to go on an expedition. Unlike last time, when he could only stay in camp, this time he would most likely be entering unexplored territory. The danger level would definitely not be low, so he needed to prepare thoroughly. Considering his magic power, a lightweight armor set was essential.
Then there were potions.
Most of the potions he had purchased previously had been left behind in the Rakudai World, and he hadn't brought many over this time, so he needed to restock.
Incidentally, all this money had come from Tiona. Before leaving last time, he had given her nearly a hundred million valis, so she very generously handed him another fifty million in return.
"Airmid, give me a few bottles of Elixir!"
Ryoji stepped into the Dian Cecht Familia's building and spotted the Saint of Healing busy behind the counter.
"There are only two left."
The doll-like girl raised her head, her silver hair swaying gently.
"So few?"
"Your Familia captain already sent people to buy most of them."
So that's how it was.
There were very few potion-makers in Orario capable of producing Elixirs, and every bottle was highly sought after. For the sake of the expedition's safety, Finn had already sent people ahead to purchase the stock here.
The girl handed the two newly made Elixirs to Ryoji while silently sizing him up from head to toe.
It had only been a few days, but how had this guy become even more handsome again?
"You're really this calm right now?"
"It's just an expedition. Panicking won't help."
"Then what about the Gods' Banquet?"
"The Gods' Banquet? What's that supposed to be?"
Ryoji asked in complete confusion.
(End of Chapter)