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Chapter 111: Secret Exposed
Hearing Hermes's words, Aiden paused in his attempt to stand up. He slowly sat back down, picked up the fruit wine on the table, and downed it in one gulp. The freezing liquid slid down his throat, yet it failed to quell the surging waves within his heart.
He certainly knew what had happened during the Great Feud, but that was merely from reading books in his past life. So much time had passed that his memories had blurred, and he had forgotten most of the finer details. Hearing it from the mouth of someone who had personally experienced it—especially the parts concerning Alfia—would undoubtedly be a completely different experience. That was a temptation he simply could not refuse.
Seeing Aiden sit back down, the smile on Hermes's face grew even brighter. He snapped his fingers like a child who had just gotten his way. "I knew you'd be interested."
Aiden set down his glass. His blue eyes stared directly at the god, his voice completely devoid of warmth. "Name your condition."
"Condition?" Hermes blinked in feigned surprise before chuckling softly. "Don't sound so stiff, little Aiden. My condition is very simple... I just find you fascinating, and I'd like to be your friend."
"Friend?" Aiden scoffed, making no attempt to hide his skepticism.
"That's right, a friend." Hermes steepled his fingers on the table and leaned forward, his tone turning a fraction more sincere. "Or, if you prefer, we can call it a partnership. You satisfy my curiosity, and in return, I provide you with information and conveniences that others could never hope to match. You see? A fair trade, isn't it?"
Aiden remained silent. He knew that the moment he got involved with the God of Trickery sitting in front of him, he would essentially be stepping into a swirling vortex of trouble. However, since he was already being targeted, shaking off a clingy nuisance like him would be incredibly difficult. Rather than being passively probed for secrets, it was better to take the initiative, toss out some information, and seize control of the narrative.
"Here's to a fruitful partnership," Aiden finally spoke. "You guessed correctly. The Dungeon's changes are indeed because of me."
He chose to admit it. Aiden figured Freya already knew this piece of intelligence anyway, and the Guild's pervasive information network had likely locked onto him by now as well. He wouldn't underestimate Hermes's global intelligence capabilities either; hiding it was pointless.
More importantly, the changes he brought were ultimately beneficial. Whether it was the Guild or this thrill-seeking Hermes, neither would use it against him. Even Freya was the same. She had lost to the Hera Familia and had been confined to Orario to cultivate heroes according to their agreement. Aside from honoring that defeat, she herself yearned for the birth of a true hero. Otherwise, with Freya's personality, how could she have ever stayed so obediently in the Labyrinth City?
They all deeply loved the lower world and desperately desired a hero to rise and face the ultimate threat looming over the world—the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Freya was like this, and so was Hermes. From this perspective, the potential he displayed was a good thing for them.
Hearing Aiden admit it so readily, even Asfi, who stood behind Hermes, revealed a look of utter astonishment. Her intelligent blue eyes stared at him through her glasses in sheer disbelief. It really was him?
After returning to Orario, she had ventured into the Dungeon to explore. The unheard-of new monsters, the unfathomable Domain Instances, and even the Artifacts that directly boosted one's abilities had left her deeply shaken. And the source of all these miracles was actually the seemingly ordinary Level 2 adventurer sitting right in front of her.
"Excellent!" Hermes clapped his hands in delight, clearly satisfied with Aiden's honesty. "It's a rare skill, isn't it?"
"That's right, it's a skill," Aiden nodded, offering no further explanation.
"Ah... this is the true miracle of the lower world." Hermes stood up excitedly and opened his arms wide, as if trying to embrace this world brimming with the unknown. "The chemical reaction produced when Falna melds with humanity—the birth of an absolutely unique miracle! No matter how many times it happens, it always leaves us gods utterly intoxicated."
A fanatical light flickered in his eyes. It was exactly this boundless, unpredictable nature of the lower world that served as one of the greatest draws for the gods to descend in the first place. Hermes stared at Aiden with a burning gaze, his curiosity almost materializing into tangible flames.
He leaned forward once again, lowering his voice. "You've leveled up to Level 2. But according to my sources, before you met Focalors, you had never received a Falna. No, it would be more accurate to say that you couldn't receive a Falna. Yet, Focalors is a new goddess who only descended to the lower world a little over two months ago."
Aiden's expression didn't shift in the slightest at Hermes's words, but turbulent waves crashed within his mind. Here it comes.
Ever since Hermes had used that laughably clumsy extortion tactic on the street and mentioned knowing him as a child, Aiden had anticipated this day would come. The true timeline of when he received his Falna—this secret was bound to be exposed sooner or later. After all, besides Hermes, Artemis, who was far away in the outside world, also knew about his condition.
It was just that the Artemis Familia rarely visited Orario, so Aiden had always assumed he had plenty of time to build up his strength and grow powerful enough to weather any impending storm. But he never expected Hermes, who spent years traveling the world, to suddenly return. He especially didn't expect that this God of Trickery had actually sought out Alfia back in the day, and had thus remembered the child who was completely immune to receiving a god's grace.
Hearing her patron deity's words, a flash of pure horror shot through the blue eyes behind Asfi's glasses. She instantly realized the implications, connecting all the disparate clues in her mind.
The Goddess Focalors only descended two months ago... Aiden was previously incapable of accepting any god's Falna... That means, after joining the Focalors Familia and coming to Orario... in less than a month, he went from an ordinary human to a Level 2 adventurer?!
That conclusion made Asfi's heart skip a beat. She stared at Aiden, completely overwhelmed by disbelief and shock. It was common knowledge that the record for the fastest level-up in the city's history belonged to the Loki Familia's "Sword Princess," Ais Wallenstein—and even she had taken a full year to accomplish it.
That record had shaken all of Orario and was hailed as an unbreakable myth. But if Aiden's achievement of leveling up in under a month was made public, what kind of terrifying storm would it unleash? The entirety of Orario—no, the entire world—would go completely insane.
"Relax." Hermes watched the reactions of both Aiden and Asfi, the grin on his face reaching its absolute peak. "I know you want to hide this, that you don't want to draw too much attention to yourself. So... I'm not going to help you keep it a secret."
He happily delivered the punchline, making Asfi nearly stumble on her feet. She had genuinely thought her patron was having a rare moment of kindness and was going to offer to cover it up, but... as expected, he was still the same Hermes who desperately wanted to watch the world burn for his own amusement.
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