When Loki heard the name "Ron"—a name she would never forget—mentioned by Finn, the captain of her own familia, her mood instantly became complicated.
It was all because of that guy…
Well, not exactly a trap set by Hephaestus—more like a misjudgment on her part. And now she was stuck with a debt of 25 million Valis, trying to settle the account herself.
Which left her with no choice but to negotiate with Riveria.
Compared to that, though, she was even more curious why Finn would know about this guy!
It had already been some time since Ron broke the world record.
Orario didn't have that many idle people who would keep talking about him all day long. Besides, Finn had just returned to the familia residence after finishing an expedition.
Yet the first thing he did was ask about Ron.
Could it be that he learned about the commotion this kid caused through some other channel?
Thinking this, Loki slightly frowned but didn't deny it: "I know him. An adventurer from the Hestia Familia… Finn, where did you hear about him?"
"..."
'Hestia Familia.'
Not entirely unfamiliar—though whenever he heard that name before, it was usually Loki complaining.
So…
How could such an obscure, ordinary familia possibly have an adventurer like Ron—someone with that level of strength, and even several members capable of using magic?
Setting aside external factors.
Based solely on Ron's performance in the Dungeon, facing the ancient dragon Lansseax, Finn had already formed a clear judgment of the young adventurer's strength.
Comparable to most Level 4 adventurers!
At the same level, even if it were him facing that mutated Floor Boss, he wasn't confident he could defeat it as cleanly and decisively as Ron had.
That was the truth.
Endless combat methods, extremely seasoned battle experience!
Even now, he still found it unbelievable—
Disemboweling himself before battle, absorbing the dragon's flames, dying and reviving… if not for the fact that Ron could communicate normally, he might have thought he was dealing with a monster!
What's more, the "abnormal situation" in the Dungeon was very likely connected to him.
Finn simply couldn't believe that someone like this would remain unknown in Orario—especially when, until recently, he hadn't even heard his name, let alone a title.
Facing Loki's question, he glanced at Riveria, then finally nodded: "On our way back to Orario today after the expedition, we ran into Ron on the 12th Floor. He's also Lefiya's friend."
"At the time…"
"We encountered a Dungeon abnormality in that area, and then we saw Ron. He was in the middle of defeating the Floor Boss that appeared there."
"That really is quite a coincidence."
'Abnormal situation.'
Hearing those words again, Loki's tightly knit brows didn't relax. Still, she didn't jump to the conclusion that Ron was the source.
Her mood was inevitably complicated…
The time left for Orario to complete the final commission—the subjugation of the Black Dragon—was running out.
And lately, even the Dungeon itself had been filled with frequent anomalies.
It was hard to see any of it as a good sign.
Loki lightly shook her head. Thinking about the matter of the Great Sacred Tree branch, she spoke casually: "So…"
"That means he was the one who killed the mutated infant dragon Floor Boss on the 12th Floor?"
"..."
The blond boy nodded, but when he recalled the massive size of the ancient dragon Lansseax and its nominal Level 4 strength, he shook his head again.
That thing—
Even a standard Level 3 adventurer party would have absolutely no chance against it!
He forced a slight smile: "More or less. He's an extremely seasoned adventurer. His methods are quite unexpected… so I wanted to ask you, Lady Loki."
"It's normal you didn't hear about him during your expedition."
However, just as she was about to give a simple explanation, Loki suddenly thought about it—
A talent like that… and it was Hestia, of all people, who had recruited him through sheer dumb luck.
Her teeth started to ache.
Even her tone turned a bit resentful: "In the month you were away, Ron… forget Orario—even the whole world—he's made quite a name for himself."
"He broke Ais's world record."
"He shortened the fastest time to reach Level 2 to just sixteen days. And his overall stats… are even more outrageous than Ais's back then."
As she said this, the expressions on Finn and Riveria's faces shifted—from seriousness, to confusion—then slowly into sheer disbelief.
It was indeed shocking for the familia members.
But Loki wasn't happy at all—because that talent wasn't hers!
"Mm…"
"And then there's the War Game with the Apollo Familia."
"It happened a few days ago. Apollo probably saw Ron's potential and initiated a War Game against the Hestia Familia."
"And the result was…"
"The Apollo Familia—with one Level 3 adventurer and over ten Level 2s—was completely swept by Ron."
"At the time, the Hestia Familia only had two members, plus hired reinforcements."
Which was also how that massive debt came to be.
Of course, Loki would never mention that part in front of Finn. If he knew the truth, he'd probably be sent straight back to the heavens.
"..."
The living room of the familia residence fell silent.
In the Loki Familia, wiping out Apollo wouldn't be difficult—Tiona and her sister could do it easily.
But this situation wasn't comparable at all.
'Breaking a world record, reducing it to sixteen days.'
What kind of absurd talent did it take to achieve that?
More importantly, Apollo had launched the War Game precisely because of Ron's potential.
The time gap between those events couldn't have been long.
And yet…
Ron relied solely on his own strength, ignored the disparity in numbers, and didn't even struggle—he outright crushed the Apollo Familia!
"..."
Even for Riveria, a long-lived elf, this kind of miracle was something she had never witnessed before.
And yet, it had happened right in front of her.
A monster!!
The only comparable example she could think of was Alfia, who possessed the highest level of talent.
But the miracle created by "Silence" came from being raised by the goddess Hera with abundant resources.
Did Ron have access to anything like that?
Absolutely not.
If that were all, Riveria might have simply thought Orario had gained a highly talented adventurer.
But combined with their encounter in the Dungeon—
That savage, life-on-the-edge fighting style…
No—
That boy who fought as if walking a blade's edge.
The conclusion she and Finn had reached after discussion was clear: He is absolutely at Level 4 strength.
And now you're telling me—
The adventurer who single-handedly slaughtered the ancient dragon Lansseax had only just recently reached Level 2?
How the hell does that make any sense?!
Riveria fell silent.
She didn't even know how to describe her feelings.
She could only cast a complicated glance toward Finn—fortunately, he wore the same "what the hell did I just hear" expression.
Completely unaware of their reaction, Loki lounged on the sofa, lazily stretching as she looked toward her friend's daughter, Eina Tulle, sitting not far away. She smacked her lips: "Mm…"
"Eina, is there anything you want to add about Ron?"
"..."
Hearing Finn and Riveria talk about the adventurer she was responsible for made Eina genuinely happy.
But when Loki asked her directly,
The half-elf girl hesitated.
Mainly because—
At this point, in the Adventurers' Guild, this kind of information wasn't exactly a secret anymore.
After thinking it over, Eina nodded lightly and corrected Loki's earlier statement: "Mm…"
"Actually, when Lady Hestia submitted the familia's updated adventurer roster today, she also updated the levels of the current members."
"Mr. Ron…"
"He has already advanced to Level 3."
"???"
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