Orario, Northwest Main Street, the Pantheon Hall.
This was the Guild headquarters, a vestibule furnished with a colossal bulletin board.
Because the bulletin board erected in a corner of this hall frequently featured crucial public disclosures—such as real-time exploration progress in the Dungeon, details regarding anomalous incidents across various floors, proclamations of vanquished Floor Masters, adventurer quests issued by the Guild, and rank-up reports for members of diverse Familias—it was routinely packed with adventurers of every description.
Particularly after the Denatus held once every three months, the aliases of every adventurer confirmed for a level-up would be unveiled here to the public. Consequently, the spectacle of a sprawling crowd jostling before the bulletin board was a common sight.
Today, however, an entirely different scene unfolded before the board.
It wasn't that the fervor had diminished; quite the contrary, the press of people before the board today remained immense, far exceeding the turnout typically seen after a tri-monthly Denatus.
Yet within this hall packed with throngs of adventurers, the expressions worn by the crowd at this moment were entirely uniform: utter consternation.
Even the figures of curious ordinary citizens or merchants could be spotted drifting through the crowd, their countenances similarly frozen in shock, astonishment, and sheer disbelief.
A commotion rapidly swept through the entire hall.
"This is a joke, right?"
"How could something like this happen?"
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Or did the Guild make a clerical error?"
"Impossible..."
Whether they were fully armored Beastman warriors, Pallums bearing colossal rucksacks, beautiful and striking Elves gripping staves, Dwarves lugging heavy weaponry, scantily clad Amazons, or even the somewhat nondescript Humans scattered through the crowd, everyone at this moment was plunged into uncontrollable agitation and a swelling uproar.
To confirm the information before them, some strained their eyes wide open while others rubbed their eyelids before looking again. In the end, through repeated confirmation, they were forced to admit that their eyes had not deceived them.
Looking closely, fastened to that massive bulletin board crafted from soft cork wood were numerous sheets of parchment recording a wide variety of notices.
Yet dead center among these myriad parchments hung a level-up report complete with a portrait.
The eyes of the crowd were naturally drawn to this centrally positioned parchment at the very first instance. But when the details written upon it were confirmed, the people's first impulse was to question their own vision and wonder if a Guild clerk had bungled the transcription.
It couldn't be helped; the intelligence recorded upon it was simply too fantastical to comprehend.
Name: Leon Eligos.
Affiliation: Loki Familia.
Race: Human.
Age: 16.
It is hereby confirmed that this individual officially joined the Loki Familia one month ago, receiving the Grace and registering as an adventurer with the Guild. In a span of less than a single month, his level has successfully sublimated. Current rank: Lv.2.
The contents of the parchment were exceedingly brief, yet within this succinct text lay a wealth of information that made the scalps of countless individuals in the Lower World go numb.
Officially joined a Familia, received the Grace, and registered as an adventurer with the Guild just one month ago?
And then, in a span of less than a month, successfully sublimated his level to become a Lv.2?
How could this not cause consternation? How could this not strike them with utter shock?
"You must have written this wrong, right?"
"How dare you casually write something so absurd?"
"Are you treating us like fools?"
Many individuals even swarmed the service counters to vent their displeasure loudly at the Guild clerks, leaving the staff completely helpless.
Faced with this, the clerks could only repeat the same words to the crowd over and over again.
"The information recorded on the bulletin board has been fully verified. Everything is factual."
Yes, everything was factual.
Though many Guild clerks found it impossible to imagine this as reality when they first saw the record—prompting many to seek confirmation from the superiors above them—the leaders had simply echoed the same words with identical expressions of helplessness, telling them repeatedly that it was all true.
Even if they themselves were bewildered and profoundly shaken, someone truly had used less than a month to rise to Lv.2.
"We dispatched personnel to the Loki Familia early on to conduct verifications and inquiries. This is the definitive conclusion."
The time of Leon's reception of the Grace and the date of his registration as an adventurer within the Guild were both fully traceable.
Unless the Loki Familia and the Adventurer Guild had conspired to manufacture this preposterous hoax, this was a verified, indisputable reality—a miracle beyond question.
With this, everyone who had been reluctant to believe the news erupted into a frenzy.
Countless people began hurriedly streaming out of the Guild, spreading, announcing, and broadcasting the news throughout the city, throwing all of Orario into a state of vibrant excitement.
"This has to be fake, right?"
"How could anyone possibly achieve such a feat?"
"Leveling up in less than a month? Can the Divine Grace bestowed by the gods truly grow at such a pace?"
"The Guild must be playing a prank on us."
Members of numerous Familias held broadsheets bearing this report, discussing the matter with intense agitation. The initial reaction for the vast majority was sheer disbelief, dismissing it as a rumor or an error on the Guild's part.
Particularly those adventurers belonging to exploration-type Familias like the Loki Familia were, to a man, questioning the authenticity of this matter.
As adventurers, no one understood better than they just how difficult a level-up truly was.
One had to accomplish a grand feat, achieving a monumental deed, just to earn the opportunity for a level-up. This destined it to be a miracle achieved only by a select few.
Consequently, while there were vast numbers of adventurers within Orario, more than half of the total population remained trapped at Lv.1. Those who had the opportunity to sublimate their level and become upper-class adventurers at Lv.2 constituted less than half. This proportion clearly demonstrated how arduous the task was.
Furthermore, this was the accumulation of time; many adventurers who successfully sublimated their level basically spent years, over a decade, or even several decades adventuring before finally accomplishing it.
Even the famous Sword Princess, who held the record for the world's fastest level-up, required a timespan measured in years to reach Lv.2.
In other words, prior to this, no one had ever succeeded in sublimating their level in less than a year.
Less than a month?
In that timeframe, one likely couldn't even fulfill the most fundamental prerequisite for a level-up—bringing a single basic ability to Rank D.
Under such conditions, they still had to experience danger and forge a grand feat?
Forget a month; a year would be considered a miracle sufficient to shake the entire world.
This was precisely why Ais had achieved such sweeping fame back then, sending waves of shock throughout the entire Lower World.
Yet now, someone was telling them that this historical record, which had once astounded the Lower World, had actually been shattered?
And shattered in such an absurd fashion?
How were they supposed to believe it?
"This is absolutely a lie!"
"They must have falsified the timeline!"
"Either way, I don't believe it!"
Many people shouted such declarations.
However...
"This is the Loki Familia we're talking about."
"People from the Loki Familia have absolutely no need to advance their standing through falsified reports, do they?"
"If it were anyone else, there might be a chance they'd fake the dates to expand their personal or Familia reputation, but the Loki Familia simply doesn't need to do that, right?"
"I don't think Loki would exaggerate to such a ridiculous degree either; she isn't stupid."
"It's also highly unlikely that the Guild would conspire with Loki to fabricate such a massive lie, right?"
"Could it be... that this is all true?"
After a segment of the crowd analyzed the situation calmly, their expressions gradually shifted to an unsettling mix of astonishment and doubt.
Among them were the gods themselves.
"This... is highly unlikely to be a lie."
"Little Loki wouldn't tell a lie that could be exposed this easily."
"The key point is that there's simply no reason for it, right?"
"Exactly. This is that Loki we're talking about. While she's usually reckless, noisy, improper, fierce, and flat, there's no way she would concoct this kind of lie."
"Hey, did you slip some bizarre descriptions into what you just said?"
The gods dove into fierce debates the moment they received the news, eventually arriving at a unified consensus.
That was, this matter was highly likely to be real.
Other people might have a reason to spin such an outrageous yarn, but as one of the ultimate powers in the city, the Loki Familia had absolutely no need to lie about such things.
Their reputation had long passed the point where it required this sort of thing to be maintained or expanded. Even if they wanted to build up a specific individual, they wouldn't employ a method that could potentially ruin the entire Familia's prestige; that would only cause them to lose more than they gained.
Moreover, the Guild had no reason to collude with the Loki Familia in such an affair.
Synthesizing these points, although the matter was absurd, since it originated from the Loki Familia, it was highly probable to be the truth.
The gods unanimously held this view and erupted into an exceptionally excited uproar.
"Someone can actually level up in less than a month!"
"And it's a Human!"
"Only sixteen years old!"
The deities went entirely wild. Some clamored loudly, laughing and causing a ruckus within their own Familias, while others simply ran straight over to Twilight Manor. Swept up in their heightened emotions, they openly began probing for intelligence on Leon and even attempting to scout him.
Without exception, every member of the Loki Familia moving in and out of Twilight Manor today found themselves cornered by some god or an agent sent by another Familia, giving them quite a fright.
"All of you get the hell away from here!"
Having received the news, Loki sprinted directly out of her divine chambers. With a dark countenance, she kicked away countless gods who lacked any self-awareness, causing numerous agonizing shrieks to ring out before Twilight Manor today.
In response to this state of affairs, Finn and the other executives issued several directives to the Familia members.
"If they are here to scout him, or if they are people sent by other Familias, drive them back with force. If they are gods, go call Loki and let her handle them."
"If they are here to pry into Leon's information, some inconsequential details can be leaked, but absolutely nothing else is permitted to leave this manor."
"I want that child so badly!"
"Tell Leon that if he wants to go outside anytime soon, he'd better be extra careful to avoid being abducted by that group of persistent gods."
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth issued their instructions one after another, keeping the Familia members thoroughly occupied.
"Ah, as expected, it turned into this."
"We knew the moment this matter was exposed, all of Orario would be sent into an uproar."
Tiona and Tione lamented successively, a sentiment shared by the rest of the Familia members.
"A bunch of bastards with nothing better to do."
Bete the werewolf appeared thoroughly disdainful, yet according to the reports of the Familia members, he had recently begun entering and exiting the Dungeon with high frequency. The time he spent at the headquarters grew scarcer, making him even more elusive than before.
Lefiya said nothing at all, merely observing this lively spectacle with a complex expression.
Ais, meanwhile, acted as though she had seen nothing, practicing her swordsmanship within the courtyard. Yet any attentive observer would undoubtedly discover that the look in her eyes had become entirely different from before.
The news of Leon using less than a month to reach Lv.2 spread from one person to ten, ten to a hundred, and a hundred to thousands upon thousands, circulating through every corner of Orario in a single day.
By the arrival of nighttime, there were already existences like troubadours singing praises of Leon's name upon the main streets, glorifying his grand achievements and gradually introducing his deeds to many who knew little of him.
By the time everyone woke up the following day, some basic information regarding Leon had already been acquired by well-informed figures like the major Familias and prominent merchants.
For instance, although he had officially joined the Loki Familia only a month ago, he had already been brought into the stronghold of Twilight Manor as early as a year ago, serving as an apprentice member responsible for logistics support within the Familia.
For another instance, the reason he joined the Loki Familia was none other than the Sword Princess discovering him while he was facing danger within the Dungeon, bringing him back home and personally bringing about this result.
Over the span of that year, though this record-breaker had been completely obscure, his presence and familiarity within the Loki Familia were by no means small.
The reason was very simple: that blonde female swordfighter, hailed as the Doll Princess and known as the War Princess, had seemingly always favored him with special regard, and their relationship appeared to be far from ordinary.
The moment this piece of gossip emerged, it instantly caused the name "Leon Eligos" to circulate even faster.
"To think he's actually that Sword Princess's rumored boyfriend?"
"Impressive. He certainly has methods."
"How did Loki not beat this wild man to death for daring to flirt with her precious darling?"
"Even the Sword Princess looks at him with high regard? I'm getting more and more curious about him!"
For a time, whether they were gods or people of the Lower World, everyone was discussing this intriguing figure.
And regarding all of this, although Leon remained unaware, he had long since prepared himself.
Without even needing explicit reminders from Finn and the others, Leon exercised extreme caution and maintained a low profile whenever he entered or exited the Familia grounds during this period. To this end, he had even begun donning a hooded trench coat, leaving early and returning late to avoid the bustling crowds as much as possible, leaving even tasks like processing battle spoils entirely to Line.
The matter that concerned him most right now was not his sudden rise to fame, but his own growth, and—a brand-new weapon.
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