Zephyr
Level 2
Strength: H135 → E486
Endurance: H150 → E422
Dexterity: H122 → F399
Agility: H117 → E440
Magic: H120 → F391
"?"
Loki's hands, gripping the parchment tightly, froze in mid-air, and the smile that had been on her face froze.
At first, she even thought she had misread it. But when she cast her gaze back onto the parchment, scanning item by item from Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, down to the final Magic, the numbers remained the same.
How much time had passed since the last update?
Zephyr had only just recently ranked up!
Logically speaking, when a normal Adventurer reaches a new level, even if there is a brief period where the overall rate of growth improves, they still need to go through continuous combat accumulation to slowly build up their base stats.
But look at Zephyr —his Strength went straight to E486. Endurance and Agility also stepped into the E-rank, and Dexterity and Magic were nearing the E-rank threshold.
This wasn't just ordinary growth speed, it was rubbing the vast majority of Adventurers in Orario into the ground.
"If things continue to develop at this rate, I estimate it won't be long before you rank up again, right?"
After saying this, Loki felt it was somewhat absurd herself.
The Loki Familia was not lacking in geniuses. Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Bete—each one was enough to make other gods grit their teeth in envy.
However, an existence like Zephyr that completely shattered her understanding was something Loki had never seen before, especially the way he grew.
Other Adventurers needed to fight desperately, gambling their lives on the edge of life and death in the Dungeon to accumulate feats and increase their stats.
Although Zephyr also fought, after he finished fighting, the problems he needed to consider were the cooking methods. The more she thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed.
She continued to browse the rest of the parchment, and after confirming that no new changes had appeared in the Magic and Skills section, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally... something normal.
Loki couldn't find the right words for a moment, but when she thought of Ais, she finally thought of the appropriate description.
Seed of a Hero.
Ais undoubtedly possessed such aptitude.
As for Zephyr...
He possessed a future that even gods couldn't help but look forward to.
Who could have imagined it?
In her Familia, two children with the potential of heroes would appear at the same time, though their styles were vastly different.
The former walked the path of sword and wind, while the latter was tirelessly seeking gourmet food in the Dungeon.
Zephyr put on his shirt and reached out to take the parchment Loki handed over. He looked down at the changes in his stats, giving a satisfied nod.
Following the current growth rate, it shouldn't take too long to rank up to Level 3, at most just half a month.
If the Familia's expeditionary force returned to Orario early, and the exploration team's composition was more complete in the future, efficiency could continue to improve.
Perhaps the estimated rank up time could be shortened even further.
Loki looked at Zephyr's overly calm face, and she began to doubt whether she had given him the wrong imprinted parchment.
She frowned and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Because it was within expectations, so that's that?" Zephyr raised his head, not hiding his inner thoughts from Loki.
Noticing Loki's off expression, he asked, "Um... do I need to act particularly surprised now? Would that make you happy?"
"Do as you please." Loki twitched her lips.
She had the feeling that Zephyr was showing off.
However, she quickly adjusted her mood. After all, the better the talent Zephyr possessed, the more support the Familia would receive in the future.
It was a good thing she had recruited him into the Familia early. If other gods had picked him up, she didn't even dare to imagine how miserable she would be.
Especially Freya. If she discovered the special nature of Zephyr, things would become very troublesome later.
"Phew..." Loki shook her head.
She looked at Zephyr, who was adjusting his collar in front of her. The matter of the stats was over, what followed was what she had originally wanted to ask.
"Zephyr."
"Hmm?"
"Did you have a falling out with Lili?"
"Huh?"
A falling out? Who? Him and Lili?
He carefully recalled what had happened today. Lili had even used him as a body pillow, and the Dungeon exploration had been quite normal. When returning to Orario, he had even taken the initiative to help her carry the backpack.
How did it look like they had a falling out?
"Loki-sama, why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Just a feeling."
After a moment of hesitation, Loki revealed her thoughts.
Before setting out for exploration, there was a somewhat subtle atmosphere in the team, and Lili looked like she had something on her mind.
Furthermore, at noon today, Zephyr had returned carrying the huge backpack himself, while Lili walked beside him empty-handed.
In the end, she spread her hands. "That's about it. I just felt... could it be that your team had a conflict? I wanted to mediate."
Zephyr said, "Loki-sama... maybe it's just because there were a lot of things in the backpack? Equipment, kitchenware, and monster meat—making Lili carry all that back, I felt it was quite hard for her."
"Besides, returning to the surface isn't as dangerous, so I just carried it back. Makes sense, right?"
After learning the truth, Loki had a lot to say stuck in her throat, with absolutely nowhere to vent.
As a goddess, she could naturally tell that Zephyr was not lying. Precisely because of this, the complex contradictions she had imagined earlier were just a waste of time.
She shook her head. "You really are gentle with Lili, aren't you?"
"I guess so."
Given Lili's stature, making her carry a large amount of equipment, kitchenware, and ingredients all the way back to Orario felt like exploiting child labor.
Of course, this sentence absolutely could not be heard by Lili. He felt that lately, she seemed particularly sensitive about her petite stature.
Loki quickly caught more important content from Zephyr's previous answer. After sitting up straight, she couldn't help but rub her hands together like a fly.
Her eyes were filled with anticipation as she asked, "Wait. So what delicious food did you bring back this time?"
"It should be giant frog meat. It's a Gourmet Creature I encountered while exploring the Dungeon today. I've tested it, it's non-toxic, and it tastes pretty good." Zephyr answered.
"Giant frog meat?" Loki blinked.
"How big?"
"About four meters or so."
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Loki had no intention of going to have a heart-to-heart with Lili alone.
She lay lazily on the sofa and asked casually, "So what are you planning to do this afternoon?"
"Going to the Hostess of Fertility to see if I can sell some ingredients."
Orario doesn't have refrigerators. Meat cannot be preserved for a long time, and with so much Soldier Frog meat brought back, they would definitely not be able to finish it all. Rather than letting it spoil, it would be better to sell it to the restaurant in exchange for some valis.
Moreover, exploring the Dungeon requires weapons and armor, and the kitchenware he wanted also needed to be custom-made. All of this costs money.
Loki being willing to help is one thing. But he couldn't just take it for granted and treat the Familia as an ATM. Otherwise, the other members would definitely have objections.
"I brought back quite a lot of meat this time. It would be a waste if we can't finish it and selling it off at least earns some money. I wanted to ask for your opinion."
Selling Gourmet Creatures was actually Zephyr's freedom. Even if the special qualities he possessed were discovered by others, Loki had the confidence to protect him.
However, she was still a bit puzzled and asked, "Are you that short on money?"
"Yes."
"..."
How could he not hesitate at all?
Loki thought of her treasury that had long been drained dry, and the Familia's assets were money that the other children had earned by risking their lives in the Dungeon. She could use a little occasionally, but if she made large withdrawals, she didn't even dare to imagine how Finn and Riveria would treat her when they returned.
Zephyr said, "Loki-sama, I want to customize some kitchenware to make cooking easier. I can't just keep using the Familia's assets to satisfy my own ideas. I have to consider the feelings of the other members."
Although she had guessed it early on, when she actually heard the answer from Zephyr, Loki still felt quite gratified.
She waved her hand and said in a relaxed tone, "Just go ahead with your idea. If you encounter any trouble you can't solve, come back and see me. The Familia will always be your backing."