A Future Set in Stone

In the Twilight Manor, in the tower directly north, in Finn's office.

At this moment, Loki and the three leaders of his clan gathered together, engaged in a heated discussion that no one else was watching.

"Seriously! You have no idea how shocked we were at the time!"

"SS! And SSS and stuff like that—I never expected there would be such ability stages!"

"This is something that completely surpasses the miracles we (the gods) bestowed upon our children (those of the Lower World)! It is the unknown that transcends the limits of theory!"

Loki was completely engrossed in a state of excitement and frenzy. He was no longer just dancing around; he was screaming and convulsing like someone having an epileptic seizure, while shaking Finn, who was sitting behind the desk, so hard that Finn was almost dizzy.

"We've never seen anything like this before! Such outrageous ability values!"

Can you understand how we feel right now?

"We're completely baffled now. Is it because there's a realm hidden within Blessing of the Gods that we haven't yet explored, or is that brat just that special, so special that even the miracles we bring can be broken through?"

Loki's maniacal voice echoed throughout the office, causing the three clan leaders to exchange bewildered glances, ultimately falling into shock.

They had never even heard of SS and SSS levels—basic ability levels—let alone seen them.

Whether it's basic abilities or developmental abilities, their limit is S. This is a conclusion drawn from the experience of countless people over thousands of years, and it is the ability value barrier, the limit of ability value, witnessed by the gods of countless adventurers.

Instead, Loki is now telling them that someone has surpassed this theoretical limit, developing two more stages beyond the highest level of ability (S)?

If these words were to get out, not only would the people of the Lower World think Loki had gone mad, but most of the gods would also believe it.

After all, Loki is usually a bit neurotic and eccentric, so it's really hard to say how credible her words are.

If they hadn't spent decades with Loki and knew that the Chief God wouldn't speak carelessly about such matters, they would have thought Loki had lost her mind, or that she was actually drunk and acting out.

Loki's current state is even more chaotic than when she's drunk, which tells Finn and the others that she's not drunk, but is genuinely in a state of indescribable excitement.

There was no way around it; that was a realm never before discovered by the gods, a true "unknown."

Why would gods go to such lengths to Lower World to the mortal realm, even at the cost of relinquishing their divine powers to live as ordinary people, all to leave the carefree Heaven and experience hardship in the Lower World?

It's because they were so incredibly bored over the long years.

They are omniscient and omnipotent, knowing all the secrets of the world and capable of doing the impossible. As a result, they cannot get any excitement over the long years, and their lives are extremely dull and lack entertainment.

To alleviate the deadly boredom and the unbearable tedium, they rushed to Lower World to the mortal realm, even at the cost of bestowing divine power upon themselves.

What they desire most is entertainment and excitement, and what they crave most are the unknown things they don't know.

The "unknown" is the greatest pursuit for the gods.

Now, Loki is showing the most essential aspect of a god who pursues the unknown, the most excited, thrilled, and frenzied state when he sees things he doesn't understand.

Seeing Loki like this, Finn and the others simply couldn't accept her words as a lie.

"SS and SSS--" Riveria said with a complicated expression, "Does something really exist that can break through the theoretical limits of ability values?"

"----Since Loki has become like this, it's probably true, right?" Gareth was speechless for a long time before finally sighing and saying, "That kid really is a man of few words, but when he speaks, he's astounding."

For the year prior, Leo had acted like an ordinary human boy, with nothing special about him. Even his progress in practicing swordsmanship with Ais was not particularly fast. He was extremely mediocre, making him seem so out of place in the Loki Familia, which was full of geniuses.

Little did anyone expect that a year of mediocre performance would be nothing but an illusion.

His mediocrity is merely superficial; beneath his seemingly mediocre performance lies an astonishing potential.

We all misjudged it.

Gareth made a self-deprecating remark, which made everyone chuckle wryly.

"Alright, Loki, stop shaking me. You're making it impossible for me to think." Finn helplessly held down the agitated Loki and said, "I know you're excited, and we're excited too. After all, someone who can drive even you (a god) crazy is now among our kin."

"We underestimated Leo. We didn't expect that his extraordinary growth rate was just the beginning. His truly special qualities are still slowly being revealed to us."

"We really need to thank Ais. If she hadn't brought Leo back a year ago, such a special talent might have belonged to someone else."

Finn's words calmed everyone down, but also made them all burst into laughter.

"That girl probably never expected it, did she? The man she randomly picked up in the Dungeon would be so special!" Gareth laughed heartily, saying, "We really have to thank her for bringing back such an extraordinary person for our clan."

"Perhaps this is some kind of fate?" Riveria pursed her lips and said, "After all, Ais is also a very special person."

Upon hearing this, everyone's smiles faded, and they fell silent once more.

However, this silence lasted only a short time before it was broken by an excited Loki.

"Whatever happens, happens, as long as the child is on our side now." Loki chuckled mischievously, still unable to hide his excitement, and shouted, "So what if that Lovesick Goddess has eyes that can see through the souls of those in the Lower World? She's still not as lucky as us!"

"Even without that kind of thing, we still have such an outstanding child. That's just fate!"

"So what if he's the only Lv.7 in the city? Is he as special as my Leo?"

Loki rubbed his hands together, looking like he couldn't wait to fight his rival on the spot, and kept grinning foolishly.

"Once Leo grows up, let's see if that Lovesick Goddess can still show off her bunch of simps!"

Judging from Loki's expression, she couldn't wait to take Leo out and show him off.

Finn promptly offered a reminder regarding this.

"You should already know, right, Loki?" Finn said quite seriously, "The fact that Leo can break through his power limits must never be told to anyone!"

"Yes," Riveria agreed, "This is something even the gods couldn't foresee. Once word gets out, even our clan will likely find it difficult to suppress the interest of many."

"Under normal circumstances, others wouldn't dare offend our clan, but this time is different, isn't it?" Gareth said with a deep frown. "Leo's existence is like a boulder to the stagnant Lower World. Once exposed, it will definitely cause a huge ripple."

At that time, it is completely unpredictable what crazy things those gods who pursue and yearn for the unknown will do.

Just as Loki once said, there will always be some fools (gods) who can't resist attacking Leo, even if they can't do it openly, they can still resort to underhanded tactics.

Even if the Loki Familia isn't afraid, they'll still inevitably encounter some trouble.

"It's best if the fact that Leo can break through his ability limits is known only to the few of us present."

Finn calmly offered his advice.

"Not to mention outsiders, even our own people, if it can be kept secret, it's best to keep it a secret as well."

This is undoubtedly another family secret, and the biggest and most important family secret to date.

If exposed, the Loki Familia could very well become the target of all major factions (familias) in Orario and even the world.

"If we could, we'd even keep Leo's growth rate a secret," Finn said, but then sighed, "Unfortunately, Leo has now reached Level 2, so even if we wanted to hide it, we probably couldn't anymore."

Riveria and Gareth both nodded.

In Orario, regardless of which clan a member belongs to, once they level up, they are obligated to report their level information to their guild.

This is to assess the strength of each faction (family) so that corresponding taxes can be levied.

The guild then categorized each clan in Orario into different levels based on their strength or size. The higher the clan's level, the more taxes they had to pay to the guild. The guild also assigned corresponding mission targets based on the clan's level in order to maintain the stability of the city.

For example, the Loki Familia and Freya Familia, known as the two kings of Orario, have the highest faction rank of S, and the taxes they have to pay to the guild are staggering.

Previously, Leo hadn't leveled up yet and was only Lv.1, so there was no need to hide his level information. But now that he has leveled up, the Loki Familia has to re-report to the guild that he has become Lv.2.

Once the guild learns of this, it will immediately release this information to the public.

Guilds also have an obligation to publicly announce the levels of well-known adventurers. Once an adventurer levels up, their name and basic information will appear on the guild headquarters bulletin board and become known to the world.

In this way, Leo's astonishing record of reaching Lv.2 in less than a month will become known to the whole world.

"----Couldn't you just lie a little?"

Loki's excitement turned to bewilderment after Finn and the others' words dampened his enthusiasm.

Misreporting one's level is not uncommon.

In order to pay as little money as possible to the guild, some clans will conceal the levels of some of their members who have already leveled up.

Loki knew of several clans that did this, some to pay less money, some to hide their strength, and others for some shady purpose.

Now, Loki had the same idea.

There's no way around it; reaching Lv.2 in less than a month is truly astonishing.

It's worth noting that the previous record was set by Ais, and it took her a whole year to level up.

Leo not only broke the record, but also far surpassed it.

The fact that it was upgraded in less than a month is a record that is unlikely to be broken in the future, let alone in the past.

Loki didn't want to stop his child from becoming famous; he just wanted to keep it as scandalous as possible.

It would be best to wait a year or two before reporting this matter, so as not to cause too much of a stir.

Unfortunately, this is impossible.

"Others are one thing, but we're the strongest exploration-type Familia in the city," Finn said with a wry smile. "Famias need to go on expeditions and meet the targets set by the guild. And with Leo's growth rate, he'll eventually become one of the most important combat forces on those expeditions. How can we hide it then?"

"Others can hide it because they have the means to. But we're someone the whole city, even the world, is watching. Countless people are watching us conquer the Dungeon. With so many eyes on us, how can we possibly keep it a secret forever?"

"If that really happens, we who lied about our levels will definitely be severely fined by the guild, and in serious cases, we might even be forced to undertake mandatory missions."

Mandatory task.

This is an absolute order issued by the guild to all Familias belonging to Orario.

Sometimes it's to deal with abnormal situations in the Dungeon, sometimes it's to hunt down extremely powerful monsters, and sometimes it's to deal with emergencies coming from outside the city. In short, it's an order issued by the management of Orario and the Dungeon to solve major problems.

Once such a task is issued, no family member can refuse; they must carry it out to the fullest extent. It is something that almost no family member wants to encounter.

The Loki Familia has carried out mandatory missions before; after all, they are one of the strongest Familias in the city. Over the years, Orario must have encountered many emergencies that required their intervention.

However, these situations are generally very dangerous, and even the Loki Familia would not be willing to risk casualties unless there is no other choice.

If this could achieve the goal, that would be fine. The problem is that knowing it's impossible, yet still taking the risk to do it, then it's not worth the effort.

Therefore----

"We must keep the information that Leo's stats have exceeded their limits a secret, but it would be best if we reported his upgrade truthfully."

Finn said this helplessly, causing Loki's shoulders to slump.

Riveria and Gareth exchanged a glance.

"The city is going to be bustling now."

The same thought popped into their minds.

That is already a predetermined future.