"She leveled up from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2 in just one year!"
"Incredible!"
"And she's only seven years old!"
"Just as you'd expect from the Loki Familia—they're all monsters!"
As soon as the Guild's announcement dropped, Ais's achievement spread like wildfire through the city.
Even the Gods were casting surprised glances her way.
If an ordinary Adventurer leveled up, it would bring a small measure of pride to their Patron God.
But Ais had completely shattered the record for the fastest ascent from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2!
Moreover, the Loki Familia had deliberately publicized this achievement to show off.
Knowing the squinty-eyed Goddess Loki, such blatant boasting was entirely on brand.
This served as a clear message to everyone: the Loki Familia held Ais in the highest regard!
"Hey, the report also says there are no ghosts down in the Dungeon. Monsters dying suddenly isn't supernatural."
"Really? I locked eyes with an Imp once, and after two steps, its head just popped clean off its neck. It terrified me!"
"Hahaha, what a coward!"
"Quiet! If you had seen that bizarre sight, you would have been in worse shape than me."
"But this means..."
"It's someone's doing."
The Guild presented its investigation results, and the fact that the Loki Familia had overseen it lent the report undeniable authority.
The Adventurers had already guessed as much anyway.
Since the Guild declared there was no danger, it had to be the effect of some special ability or magical item.
In other words, there were no ghosts, the monsters' sudden deaths were the work of an Adventurer.
But who it was, and which Familia they belonged to, remained a mystery.
Even the Guild couldn't publicly disclose an Adventurer's personal information without good cause.
If it weren't for the overwhelming demand for an investigation, the Dungeon ghost would have remained a mere urban legend.
For the Guild, knowing that this wasn't a new Dungeon anomaly or a secret weapon experiment by the Evilus was enough.
Currently, nearly all explored areas of the Dungeon had been mapped out by the Guild in collaboration with Adventurers, and any anomalies were thoroughly documented.
Rayleigh had initially speculated this whole situation started because they thought his actions were an Irregularity.
To investigate whether the Dungeon had undergone some unknown mutation, Riveria—who happened to be looking after Ais in the Upper Floors—was handed the mission.
As he pondered the details he learned at the Guild yesterday and combined them with the rumors floating around, Rayleigh pieced together the full picture.
He glanced briefly at the notice board, but once he confirmed the Guild kept its promise to hide his identity, he stopped reading.
The butterfly effect was in full swing.
Because of the unintentional commotion he caused, Riveria had tracked him down with Ais, which led to a confrontation with an Evil God and his assassins.
Fortunately, the Evil God himself seemed more interested in Ais and paid little attention to Rayleigh.
However, one of the Evilus definitely harbored a serious grudge against him now.
At this moment, Rayleigh found himself quite grateful for his anonymity.
His Familia and name remained entirely unknown to his enemies.
Had his identity been exposed by the Guild, Rayleigh knew he would be forced to dodge the City Patrol's relentless searches for the foreseeable future, ruining any chance he had to lay low.
"This world really is chaotic," Rayleigh sighed.
This era was undoubtedly Orario's darkest period.
Compared to the Labyrinth City during Bell Cranel's time, the Orario of today resembled an active battlefield.
His Advisor spotted him and waved him over.
"The Captain of the Ganesha Familia wants to meet with you. I heard she visited your Familia twice looking for you, but you were out."
"The Ganesha Familia?"
'The Captain, huh? Is Shakti already the Captain at this point?'
"I understand. Thank you."
Rayleigh offered a polite smile that sent the adorable Advisor's heart racing, causing her to exclaim, "That's unfair!"
...
After accepting the invitation letter prepared by the Ganesha Familia, Rayleigh resolved to meet with their Captain.
Forty minutes later.
Arriving at the Ganesha Familia's Base, Rayleigh's expression grew complicated.
After presenting the invitation, the gatekeeper granted him entry.
But this entrance...
Did Ganesha design this on purpose?
Why would he place the front gate to his base directly between the legs of his own statue?!
What kind of bizarre aesthetic sense was this?
Did the Familia members not feel humiliated crawling through their Patron God's crotch every time they entered or left?
Rayleigh clenched his fists, his face darkening.
'This is really embarassing!'
Fortunately, two beautiful figures emerged from within at that moment—one tall and skinny, the other petite and graceful.
It was the Varma Sisters.
'Phew.'
Seeing them approach, Rayleigh let out a sigh of relief.
Ardi noticed him immediately.
"Rayleigh!"
Hearing her sister's call, Shakti lifted her gaze and fixed her eyes on the figure standing at the entrance.
'So this is him.'
'What a handsome young man.'
'You would never guess he was a Blacksmith just looking at his face.'
"It's been a while, Ardi," Rayleigh greeted her with a smile.
"You weren't kidding! Have you been incredibly busy lately? My sister and I came looking for you, but you were never at your Familia base."
"Yes, I've been training in the Dungeon recently. I got a bit carried away."
Thanks to that effort, all of his stats had already surpassed D-Rank.
This morning, when Hephaestus updated his status, she was astonished.
All his Excellia had suddenly surged.
'That must be because of the incident yesterday.'
Unfortunately, none of his attributes had reached C-Rank yet, and Hephaestus hadn't mentioned anything about him being ready to level up.
'I guess my Great Feat wasn't enough.'
But that was alright.
His Vessel was far from its limit and still needed refinement.
Shakti stepped forward. "Hello, Rayleigh. I'm Ardi's older sister, Shakti Varma."
"Nice to meet you, Shakti-san."
"We were actually just heading out for dinner. Would you like to join us?"
"I'd be delighted."
The three of them left the Ganesha Base and soon arrived at a tavern.
Rayleigh stared at the tavern's signboard, opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
'They said dinner...'
'I didn't expect it would be here.'
Hostess of Fertility
This place held a special significance in Orario.
Following the Varma sisters inside, Rayleigh noticed many staff members, but none of the "familiar faces" he had been expecting.
"Welcome!"
Thump.
A menu roughly the size of a dictionary landed heavily in front of Rayleigh.
He glanced at the burly proprietress and wisely kept quiet.
Because the massive woman towering before him... was a Level 6 Adventurer!
...
This was Rayleigh's first time dining at a tavern in Orario.
He had heard the Hostess of Fertility was renowned for its exquisite cuisine and lively atmosphere.
However, what truly caught his attention was the sheer number of adorable waitresses.
"Here are your drinks, nya~"
A charming Catgirl set down Rayleigh's seafood rice bowl, offering him a sweet smile as she served.
Rayleigh stared at her, momentarily taken aback.
Though this easily distracted Catgirl waitress differed slightly from his mental image, considering the timeline, she was indeed still a teenager.
Time's impact on the people of this world seemed surprisingly minimal.
Shakti, though approaching thirty, still looked no older than her early twenties, resting at the absolute peak of her beauty and physical prime.
Anya Fromel.
Once a prodigious Adventurer affiliated with the Freya Familia, she had stepped away from the front lines after Mia's retirement and the opening of the tavern, now working here as a waitress.
Her elder brother was Allen Fromel, the Vice-Captain of the Freya Familia, known as the Vana Freya.
By the way, that burly woman from earlier was Mia Grand, a 1.8-meter-tall Dwarf, the former Captain of the Freya Familia, and a Level 6 Adventurer who still ranked among the city's top fighters.
As for the Goddess herself... she didn't seem to be here yet.
"Thank you, Anya."
"Nya nya?"
Anya blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
After a full five seconds of contemplation, she finally realized "Anya" was referring to her.
"Nya, Anya is Anya. Even though she's a Catgirl, she's still... Ah, what was Anya about to say?"
The Catgirl's mind short-circuited.
She wandered back into the kitchen, where moments later, the sound of shattering dishes and Mia's roaring voice erupted.
'How terrifying.'
Just imagining an enraged Level 6 Dwarf behind that wall felt like standing next to a tiger's cage.
However, the other diners seemed entirely accustomed to such outbursts, continuing to eat and drink as if nothing were amiss.
Even Shakti and Ardi remained completely unfazed.
"Today's on me," Shakti declared generously. "Order whatever you like."
Rayleigh wanted to thank her, but then he remembered he had just earned fifty million Valis from her younger sister.
He simply nodded with a faint smile.
"By the way, Rayleigh, Nejibana and I have been getting along wonderfully lately. I'm becoming much more skilled with my Shikai, too."
"That shows you and Nejibana have excellent compatibility," Rayleigh replied, genuinely pleased.
"Communicating with your Zanpakuto is a unique form of training for the wielder. I call it 'Jinzen'."
"Remember what I told you? Only by gaining your Zanpakuto's approval can you unlock its true power."
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Bonus Chapter for every 100 power stones!