Inside Finn's office in the northern tower of Twilight Manor.
At this moment, Loki and the three executives of the Familia were gathered together, engaged in a highly heated, private discussion.
"Really! You guys have absolutely no idea how utterly shell-shocked I was at the time!"
"SS! and SSS! I never even dreamed that such stat ranks could actually exist!"
"This is a miracle that completely transcends what we Gods bestow upon our children in the lower world! It's an unknown that shatters all theoretical limits!"
Loki was completely caught up in a state of wild fanaticism. She wasn't just gesticulating wildly anymore; she was shouting and flailing her limbs as if having a seizure, all while shaking Finn, who was sitting behind his desk, so violently that he was on the verge of vertigo.
"I have never seen such a possibility in my life! These stats are just absurd!"
"Can you guys understand how I feel right now?"
"I can't even figure it out anymore. Is it because there are hidden domains within the Falna that we haven't touched yet, or is that brat just so uniquely bizarre that he can break through even the miracles we bring down?"
Loki's near-manic voice echoed endlessly throughout the office, causing the three Familia executives to exchange glances before ultimately sinking into shock themselves.
SS and SSS—they had never seen such a thing before, let alone heard of it.
Whether it was Basic Abilities or Development Abilities, the absolute limit was S. This was an empirical truth established by countless individuals over a millennium, a bottleneck and maximum limit witnessed by the Gods across innumerable adventurers.
Yet, Loki was now telling them that someone had shattered that theoretical limit, developing two entirely new ranks above the highest known tier.
If this news got out, let alone the inhabitants of the lower world, even most of the Gods would probably think Loki had lost her mind.
After all, Loki was usually eccentric and erratic to begin with. Just how much credibility her words carried was always highly debatable.
Had they not lived with Loki for decades and known perfectly well that their primary Goddess would never fabricate something like this, they surely would have assumed she had succumbed to a severe delusion or was currently throwing a drunken tantrum.
But Loki's current state was even more crazed than when she was rowdy from alcohol, which only proved to Finn and the others that she was perfectly sober, yet caught in an indescribable frenzy.
It couldn't be helped; that was a domain completely undiscovered by the Gods, a true "unknown."
Why did the Gods go to such lengths to descend to the lower world, going so far as to seal their divine powers and live as ordinary mortals, leaving behind the carefree heavens just to experience the hardships below?
It was because they had grown terribly bored over the course of their endless lifespan.
Omniscient and omnipotent, they knew every secret of the world and could achieve every impossible feat, leaving them without a single shred of stimulation for a long time. Their lives were utterly tedious and profoundly lacking in entertainment.
To dispel this fatal boredom and unbearable monotony, they had scrambled to descend to the lower world, willing to seal their divine powers without regret.
Being who they were, what they desired most was entertainment and stimulation; what they craved most was the unknown that they did not comprehend.
An "unknown" was the ultimate pursuit for the Gods.
Right now, what Loki displayed was the most primal facet of a deity pursuing the unknown—the most excited, ecstatic, and frantic state upon encountering something incomprehensible.
Looking at Loki in this state, Finn and the others found it impossible to take her words for a lie.
"SS and SSS—" Riveria spoke with a complex expression. "Does something capable of breaking the theoretical limits of stats truly exist?"
"—Since Loki has turned into this state, it is most likely true, isn't it?" Gareth remained speechless for a long time before finally letting out a sigh. "That kid really is a silent volcano that erupts out of nowhere."
For the past year, Leon had always behaved like a perfectly ordinary human youth, showing nothing special whatsoever. Even his progress when practicing swordsmanship with Ais couldn't be considered fast. He was mediocre to the extreme, making him seem entirely out of place within the Loki Familia, which was teeming with prodigies.
Who could have guessed that a year of mediocre performance was completely an illusion?
His mediocrity was merely skin-deep; beneath that seemingly ordinary exterior lay such a terrifying potential.
"We all misjudged him."
Gareth made a self-deprecating remark, prompting everyone to flash wry smiles one after another.
"Alright, Loki, stop shaking me. You're shaking me so much I can't even think straight." Finn helplessly held down the excited Loki and said, "I know you're thrilled right now, and we are too. After all, an existence capable of making a deity go wild is currently right here in our Familia."
"We still underestimated Leon. To think that abnormal growth speed was only the beginning; his true uniqueness is only just starting to show itself to us."
"We really need to give proper thanks to Ais. If she hadn't brought Leon back a year ago, such a unique talent might have belonged to someone else."
Finn's words allowed everyone to calm down while simultaneously bringing smiles to their faces.
"That girl probably didn't see it coming either, did she? That the man she randomly picked up in the Dungeon would be so extraordinary!" Gareth laughed heartily and said, "We truly have to thank her for bringing such a formidable figure back to our Familia."
"Perhaps this is also a twist of fate," Riveria said, pursing her lips. "After all, Ais herself is also a very unique existence."
Hearing this, the smiles faded from everyone's faces as they lapsed back into silence.
However, this silence lasted for only a brief moment before being shattered by an exuberant Loki.
"Whatever the case may be, as long as that kid is on our side now, that's all that matters." Loki let out a sly chuckle, still unable to contain her excitement as she shouted, "So what if that so-called 'Goddess of Beauty has eyes that can see through the souls of mortals? Her luck still isn't as good as mine!"
"Even without those eyes, I can still get such an outstanding child. It's just destiny!"
"So what if she has the only Level 7 in the city? Can he possibly be as unique as my Leon?"
Loki rubbed her hands together, looking eager to pick a fight with her rival right then and there as she giggled continuously.
"Just wait until Leon grows up. Let's see if that so-called 'Goddess of Beauty can still show off her pack of simps!"
Judging by Loki's demeanor, she could barely restrain herself from dragging Leon out to flaunt him to the world.
To this, Finn offered a timely reminder.
"You should know this without me having to tell you, right, Loki?" Finn said with a serious tone. "The fact that Leon can break through the stat limits must absolutely never be leaked to the outside!"
"Indeed," Riveria agreed. "This is an unknown that even the Gods failed to foresee. Once it gets out, I'm afraid even our Familia wouldn't be able to suppress the forces interested in it."
"Under normal circumstances, others wouldn't dare offend our Familia, but it will be different this time, won't it?" Gareth said with a heavy frown. "Leon's existence is like a massive boulder thrown into the stagnant water of the lower world. Once exposed, it will certainly cause immense ripples."
When that time came, it was entirely unpredictable what kind of mad actions those Gods who chased and craved the unknown would commit.
Just as Loki had mentioned in the past, there would always be some reckless fools among the deities who wouldn't be able to resist making a move on Leon. Even if they couldn't do it openly, they would resort to underhanded methods.
When that happened, even if the Loki Familia wasn't afraid, they would inevitably run into a great deal of trouble.
"The information regarding Leon's ability to break through stat limits should ideally be restricted only to those of us present in this room."
Finn calmly delivered his counsel.
"Let alone outsiders, even when it comes to our own people, if we can keep it a secret, it's best to do so."
This was undoubtedly another piece of classified information, and by far the largest and highest-level secret the Familia had ever held.
If it were to be exposed, the Loki Familia could very well become the target of every major faction and Familia in Orario, and perhaps even the entire world.
"If possible, we should even conceal Leon's growth rate," Finn said, before sighing. "Unfortunately, now that Leon has reached Level 2, even if we wanted to hide it, we most likely won't be able to."
Riveria and Gareth nodded in unison.
In Orario, regardless of which Familia one belonged to, once an adventurer leveled up, they were obligated to report their level information to the Guild.
This was to evaluate the strength of each faction for the purpose of levying corresponding taxes.
The Guild classified every Familia in Orario into ranks based on their strength or scale. The higher a faction's rank, the more taxes they had to pay to the Guild. The Guild would also issue mandatory quest quotas based on the faction's rank to maintain the city's stability.
For instance, the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia, renowned as the twin kings of Orario, held the highest rank of S, meaning the taxes they had to pay to the Guild were staggering.
Previously, Leon hadn't leveled up and was merely Level 1, so there was naturally no need to conceal his level information. But now that he had leveled up, the Loki Familia had to submit a new declaration to the Guild, reporting his advancement to Level 2.
And once the Guild learned of this, they would immediately make the information public.
The Guild also had an obligation to announce the levels of well-known adventurers to the public. No matter who the adventurer was, once they leveled up, their name and basic information would appear on the bulletin board at the Guild headquarters for all the world to see.
Consequently, Leon's absurd record of reaching Level 2 in less than a month would become known worldwide.
"—Can't we just misreport it?"
Loki felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her by Finn and the others, and her excited expression turned disgruntled.
Falsifying levels was by no means a rare occurrence.
Some Familias would conceal the levels of certain members who had advanced just to pay as little money to the Guild as possible.
Loki herself knew of several Familias that operated this way. However, while some did it to save on taxes, others did it to hide their strength, and still others did it for some nefarious purposes.
Now, Loki was entertaining the exact same thought.
It couldn't be helped; reaching Level 2 in less than a month was simply too shocking.
One had to look back at the previous record, which had been set by Ais, and even she had taken a full year to level up.
Leon had not only shattered that record, but he had also surpassed it by an astronomical margin.
With a record of leveling up in under a month, it was highly unlikely that anyone would ever break it in the future, let alone the past.
Loki wasn't trying to stop her child from becoming famous; she simply wanted to avoid being quite so earth-shattering.
It would be best to wait a year or half a year before reporting this matter, so it wouldn't cause too massive a stir.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
"It might work for others, but we are the strongest exploration-type Familia in the city," Finn said with a bitter smile. "The Familia needs to go on expeditions and fulfill the quotas issued by the Guild. With Leon's growth rate, he will sooner or later become one of the most critical combat assets during expeditions. How could we possibly hide it then?"
"Others can hide it because they have the luxury to do so. As an existence that the entire city—and even the entire world—is watching, countless eyes are fixed on us as we conquer the Dungeon. With so many pairs of eyes watching, how could we possibly keep it hidden forever?"
"If we truly did that, we would definitely be heavily fined by the Guild for falsifying levels, and in severe cases, we might even be hit with a Forced Quest."
A Forced Quest.
This was an absolute command issued by the Guild targeting all Familias stationed in Orario.
Sometimes it was to handle abnormal situations arising within the Dungeon, sometimes it was to subjugate highly hazardous and powerful monsters, and other times it was to deal with emergency situations advancing from outside the city. In short, it was a directive issued by the management agency of Orario and the Dungeon to resolve critical problems.
Once such a quest was issued, no Familia could refuse it; it had to be executed to completion. It was an event that almost all Familias dreaded encountering.
The Loki Familia was no stranger to executing Forced Quests. Being one of the strongest Familias in the city, Orario had certainly encountered many emergencies over the years that required them to step forward and resolve.
But these situations were generally highly perilous. Unless there was absolutely no choice, even the Loki Familia was unwilling to risk losing members to handle them.
If they could achieve their goals this way, it might be acceptable, but knowing that a task was unfeasible yet still taking the risk to perform it would be somewhat counterproductive.
Therefore—
"The information that Leon's stats can break through the limits must be kept secret, but as for the news of his level up, we had better report it honestly."
Finn spoke helplessly, causing Loki's shoulders to slump.
Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance.
"The city is about to get lively."
The exact same thought surfaced in both of their minds.
That was already an established future.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi