Noah squeezed the paper tightly and nodded silently.
Again, unique magic and rare skills are highly related to personal qualities, past experiences, and one's understanding.
Elegy of Light... so this is the name of my magic?
Just as described in the chant, Noah's magic devoured everything. It was even more like a Demon King's magic than the Demon King's own, an extraordinary power that could devour matter, magic, and even enemy attacks, transforming them into Noah's own.
Of course, there is no absolute invincibility in the world. Just as water can extinguish fire, if the fire is big enough, the water will evaporate. Any conclusion that ignores scale is meaningless.
Activating this magic not only caused great damage to his body but also placed a considerable burden on his mind.
Murderous intent, pain, sadness, despair... all these emotions would flood his inner world. Sometimes Noah wondered if he was the Demon King. After all, if he used this magic a few more times without dying, he would probably turn into an incarnation of darkness a hundred times more terrifying than the Demon King.
"Well, I don't care about the other things, but now we're family, and I'm your goddess, so I'm asking you..."
Walking to the bed, Loki slapped Noah on the head.
"...you are absolutely not allowed to use that magic casually!"
The moment she saw that magic, Loki remembered the skill of her own problem child: Avenger. That skill, activated by hatred, was probably the strongest offensive skill in the entire history of the lower world.
She originally thought Ais was invincible, but who knew there was someone even crazier than her?
Whose goddess's kid is this? I... oh, he's mine now. Nothing to be done, I'll have to take care of him. How did I end up with two of these terrifying skills at once?
Don't be fooled by the boy's mature and reliable appearance.
Judging from his magic and skills, he's definitely a problem child, just like Ais. Oh, and an older problem child! But forget it, I'll just leave it all to Riveria. She's the best at taking care of problem children anyway.
The warmth coming from above his head made Noah slightly stunned and a little dazed.
Family, huh?
"Don't worry. I haven't found any reason to use that magic..."
The Hero Noah is dead. Now he is the adventurer Noah.
Seeing Noah regain his spirits, Loki couldn't help but smile and waved. "Now that you're all set, you can go. Go find Riveria and have her arrange your next steps. Also, have her inform the cafeteria that we're holding a welcome party tonight! Hehehe, this way I can have a good drink!"
After getting his sword back, Noah was about to walk out of the bedroom when he suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Speaking of which, Loki, does the Familia's cafeteria have a dedicated chef?"
"What, like Hephaestus? We don't have that kind of money to waste. The members all take turns cooking."
"In that case, can I be in charge of dinner tonight?"
Loki poured herself another glass of wine, drank it in gulps, then raised her already drunken face and looked at Noah in confusion. "Huh?"
"I'm fairly confident in my cooking skills!"
...
Surrounded by tall city walls, Orario always sees night earlier than the outside world. When the sky was still dyed red by the setting sun, magic stone lights had already lit up in various places in the city. In this unsafe era, ordinary residents rushed back home as soon as possible, and only adventurers were still wandering in and out of taverns.
Based on Loki's principle of "everyone must eat breakfast and dinner together," all members returned to the Twilight Manor, except for those who were on Guild missions or patrol. It didn't matter if they had been doing business with other Familias, exploring the Dungeon, or visiting the Guild.
The Twilight Manor is composed of seven spires surrounding a central tower, connected by stone skywalks. Due to the goddess's... particular hobbies, the Loki Familia had more women than men, so the seven towers were divided: three for men and four for women.
Public facilities like the library and dining hall weren't centralized but were scattered throughout the towers, giving it a chaotic layout.
People were talking about their day, discussing plans for the next, or complaining about troubles they'd encountered... all kinds of conversations could be heard everywhere.
Amidst the noise that rang out throughout the Twilight Manor, shouts of surprise were heard from an office high up in the North Tower.
"What is this magic? And these skills!"
A huge, bearded face was almost pressed against the table, his huge, bell-like eyes staring at the paper. Although he wasn't a deputy captain, he was a dwarf who cared for the children and was respected by the Familia members.
Gareth Landrock, a Level 5 adventurer, looked at his goddess. "Hey, Loki, are you sure this is right?"
On the sofa, Loki crossed her legs, glanced at Gareth sideways, and snorted as an answer.
So Gareth scratched his head and had to look at the short, blond Pallum next to him. "Finn? What do you think?"
Finn, who was nearly forty years old but still maintained a youthful appearance due to being a Pallum and his high level, came to his senses.
Generally speaking, an adventurer's status, including basic abilities, magic, and skills, are secrets known only to the Familia's god and the adventurer themselves. After all, Orario is not a utopia.
Not only is Evilus lurking everywhere, but it is also common to be attacked by hostile Familias in the Dungeon. Once a status is leaked, adventurers are likely to suffer targeted attacks, greatly increasing their risk of death. Therefore, adventurers generally only reveal their level to the Guild, and in some less combat focused Familias, they might not even tell their captain.
However, the Loki Familia is an exploration Familia that often goes on expeditions to the deep floors. Finn and the other executives need, or rather, have an obligation, to understand the situation of each member.
Therefore, after obtaining Noah's consent, Loki had shown the status sheet to all three of them.
However, even Finn had never encountered such skills and magic before. After taking another look at the paper, the captain of the Loki Familia sat on the large chair, which was completely out of proportion to his small stature, and nodded slowly. "I'm also quite surprised, honestly. It reminds me of those monsters from seven years ago..."
The monsters Finn was talking about weren't the ones in the Dungeon. They were abnormal existences that, although in human form, were even more monstrous than monsters.
"Could this kid be a descendant of the ancient heroes? No, he might even be stronger than them!"
Hearing Gareth mention "ancient heroes," Finn's gaze turned to the wall across the room. A tapestry hung above the white stone fireplace. The pattern, woven from gold and silver threads, depicted an armored woman surrounded by various weapons.
She was Fianna, the fictional goddess worshiped by the Pallums. If the prologue of the Heroic Age was opened by the "clown" Argonaut, then the main theme throughout that age was the "Knights of Fianna," composed of Pallums.
That was the first and last glory of the Pallum race. Even after the Pallums declined during the Age of Gods, the Knights of Fianna were abstracted into the concept of the Goddess Fianna and were worshiped by them all.
For Finn, who has always taken it as his mission to revive the ancient glory of the Pallum race, it was impossible for him to remain indifferent after seeing a being suspected to be the "descendant of an ancient hero" appear before him.
"Well, it's clear from our expeditions that the Familia is lacking a strong vanguard core. I originally wanted to wait for Ais to grow up, but now it seems this has solved our urgent need. As long as he grows up..."
"Gareth, it's a bit too early to say that now. Even the most promising adventurer is still weak at Level 1. If there is no one to educate and protect him..."
The Pallum captain and the dwarf warrior looked at each other, and suddenly a smile appeared on the corners of their mouths. Their eyes focused simultaneously on a certain high elf who had been silent in the room.
After hearing the words "educate and protect," Riveria, who had been thinking about something, subconsciously became alert and met their gazes. "Wait... is it me again?"
Finn shrugged, spread his hands, and showed a frivolous smile that he would never show in front of the other Familia members. "It can't be helped. After all, you already have experience raising children... ahem, educating new people, don't you?"
The dwarf next to him also had a funny smile on his face, revealing a few large teeth. "Yes, yes. This is a rookie with great potential. Riveria, haven't you always been worried about the elven mages not being protected on the front lines? If this kid grows up, there will be absolutely no problem!"
If we only look at levels, there seems to be a big gap between the Loki Familia, which has only three Level 5 members, and the Freya Familia, which has one Level 6, three Level 5s, and four Level 4s. However, the two are still called the two major powers by the outside world.
The reason for this is magic. In addition to Riveria, the "Nine Hells" and strongest mage in Orario, the Loki Familia also has a magic corps composed of elven mages.
In Orario, magic is one of the only means believed to be able to transcend levels and defeat first-class adventurers. Many adventurers believed that if the two Familias went to war, and if Ottar and his companions were unable to kill Riveria before her bombardment magic was ready, then only the top executives in the Freya Familia would survive.
Therefore, the two Familias are ranked side-by-side not because they are equal in level, but because both sides have the ability to destroy the other.
But, Riveria thought, who wants to perish with them?
Whenever Riveria heard people praising her ability to take the Freya Familia down with her, she was not happy at all. However, it is an indisputable fact that the Loki Familia did not have as many powerful vanguards as the Freya Familia.
After all, Finn had to command from the center, while Gareth had more than enough defense but not enough speed to provide comprehensive support. During expeditions, there had been many times when monsters broke through the front-line defenses, causing casualties among the mage corps.
So... she was really happy to have a powerful swordsman like Noah join the Familia.
Just the thought of having to take care of another child, a grown-up one who looked mature but might actually be as troublesome as Ais, made Riveria feel a sharp pain in her temples.
"Fine... I understand."
After some hesitation, Riveria recalled the young elves who respected her, and she finally nodded and accepted the task. However, although she was his guide, Noah was not a seven or eight-year-old child. He only needed to be taught the basic common sense of an adventurer.
And judging from their previous meetings, Noah seemed to be a very mature and steady young man. She probably wouldn't need to spend too much time on him... right?
After looking at the magic and skills written on the paper, Riveria could only reluctantly comfort herself. From the perspective of combat power, Riveria had no doubt that the boy would soon surpass her.
But from the perspective of whether he would be an easy subordinate, Riveria had a very bad premonition. An older problem child is more difficult to deal with than a simple, fixated little girl.
Looking at the high elf who was secretly distressed, Finn and Gareth looked at each other, and a mischievous smile appeared in their eyes. The perceptive Riveria immediately noticed the smiles in her companions eyes. She woke up from her distress and couldn't help but sneer internally.
Laughing? You'd better laugh while you can. It's hard to say if you'll be able to laugh so happily in the future. That boy will definitely be the center of a storm that sweeps across Orario. None of us in the Loki Familia will be able to escape it!
"There's one more thing I haven't told you. When I met him at noon, Noah was fighting Evilus. Do you know who it was?"