The Stirring of Orario

Orario, Northwest Main Street, Pantheon Hall.

This is the guild headquarters, in the lobby with a huge notice board.

Because the notice board standing in a corner of this hall often displays important public information, such as the real-time progress of the Dungeon, details of abnormal situations occurring on each floor, the floor master's announcement of the raid, adventurer requests issued by the guild, and the level-up reports of members of various clans, this place is often crowded with all kinds of adventurers.

Especially after the triennial Denatus, the titles of all the adventurers who have been confirmed to have leveled up are announced here and become widely known. As a result, the notice board is often crowded with people, a common sight here.

However, a different scene unfolded in front of the notice board today.

It's not that it's not lively anymore; on the contrary, the notice board was still packed with people today, and the crowd seemed even larger than after the triennial Denatus.

However, in this hall crowded with adventurers, everyone's faces were filled with astonishment.

Among the crowd, you could even spot some ordinary citizens or businessmen who were just curious, but they too wore expressions of astonishment, shock, and disbelief.

A commotion quickly spread throughout the hall.

"----Is this a lie?"

"How could such a thing possibly happen?"

Am I seeing things? Or is there a mistake in the guild's records?

"Impossible----"

Whether it was fully armed orc warriors, or Prum carrying huge backpacks, or beautiful elves wielding magic wands, or dwarves with heavy weapons, or Amazons dressed in revealing clothes, or even some inconspicuous humans in the crowd, all were caught up in an uncontrollable wavering and a growing uproar at this moment.

To confirm what they were seeing, they either widened their eyes or wiped their eyes before looking again, but after repeated checks, they had to admit that they hadn't misread it.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the huge cork signboard was covered with numerous parchment scrolls containing all sorts of information.

However, in the very center of all these parchments, there was an upgrade report with an accompanying portrait.

Naturally, all eyes would be drawn to the parchment standing in the very center at first glance. However, when the contents were confirmed, people's first doubts were about their own eyes and whether the guild staff had made a mistake in writing it down.

There was no way around it; the information recorded above was simply too bizarre.

Name: Leo Eligos.

Belongs to: The Loki Familia.

Race: Human.

Age: 16.

It has been confirmed that this human officially Loki Familia a month ago, received their Falna, and registered as an adventurer with the guild. In less than a month, they successfully leveled up and are currently at Lv.2.

The contents on the parchment were so brief, yet they contained a wealth of information that sent chills down the spines of countless people in the Lower World.

I officially joined the clan a month ago, received its Falna, and registered as an adventurer in the guild.

Then, in less than a month, he successfully leveled up to Lv.2?

How could this not be astonishing? How could this not be shocking?

"You must have written it wrong, right?"

"You guys dare to write such outrageous things?"

"Are they treating us like idiots?"

Many people even went to the counter to loudly vent their dissatisfaction to the guild staff, leaving the staff quite helpless.

In response, they could only tell everyone again and again.

"All information recorded on the notice board has been verified and is entirely true."

Yes, it's all true.

Although many guild members found it hard to believe when they saw the record, and many even confirmed it with their superiors, the leaders, just like them now, repeatedly told them with helpless expressions that it was all true.

Even though they were also surprised and shocked, some people really did reach Lv.2 in less than a month.

"We sent people to the Loki Familia a long time ago to confirm and investigate, and this is the final result."

The exact time when Leo received the Falna, and the exact time he registered as an adventurer in the guild, are all traceable.

Unless the Loki Familia and the Adventurers' Guild conspired to stage this absurd hoax, this is an undeniable fact and an unquestionable miracle.

This caused a sensation among everyone who didn't want to believe it.

Countless people began to leave the guild in a hurry, spreading the word and announcing the news throughout the city, making the whole of Orario lively.

One by one, clans began to receive the news, and merchants began to spread it to every corner of the city, and even beyond, causing the matter to spread at an astonishing speed.

"Is this fake?"

"How could anyone possibly do such a thing?"

"Leveled up in less than a month? Can Blessing of the Gods bestowed by the gods really grow like this?"

"Is the guild just messing with us?"

Countless members of the clan held newspapers with the report in their hands, discussing the matter with great emotion. Most of them initially disbelieved it, thinking it was a rumor and that the guild had made a mistake.

Especially those adventurers who, like the Loki Familia, were exploration-oriented, were all questioning the veracity of this story.

As adventurers, no one knows better than them how difficult leveling up is.

The requirement to accomplish a great feat or a remarkable achievement to qualify for a promotion means that such opportunities are destined to be miracles that only a select few can achieve.

Therefore, among the many adventurers in Orario, more than half are only at level 1. Less than half have the opportunity to Level Ascension and become level 2 adventurers. This ratio clearly illustrates how difficult it is to achieve this.

This is the result of time accumulation; many adventurers who successfully Level Ascension have spent several years on it.

It took decades, even decades, of risking one's life to finally accomplish this.

Even for the [Sword Princess] who holds the world record for the fastest leveling up, the time required to reach Lv.2 is measured in years.

In other words, before this, no one had ever been able to successfully Level Ascension in less than a year.

Less than a month?

This probably doesn't even meet the most basic requirement for upgrading—"achieving a D-level in one fundamental ability"—right?

Given this premise, how can one still embark on adventures and achieve great feats?

Let alone a month, completing it in a year would be a miracle that would shock the world.

That's why Ais became so famous back then, causing a sensation throughout the Lower World.

Now, someone is telling them that this historic record, which once caused a sensation in the Lower World, has actually been broken?

And it's broken so badly?

How can anyone believe that?

"This is absolutely a scam!"

"They must have lied about the time, right?"

"I don't believe it anyway!"

Many people have said this.

But----

"That's Loki Familia."

"The Loki Familia doesn't need to lie to get ahead, does it?"

"Others might actually try to enhance their or their clan's reputation by lying, but the Loki Familia —they don't need to, do they?"

"I don't think Loki would exaggerate something so outrageous; she's not stupid."

"It's unlikely that the guild would conspire with Loki to create such a massive lie, is it?"

"Could this all be true?"

After calmly analyzing the situation, some people gradually became suspicious and uncertain.

This included the gods.

"This... is unlikely to be a lie."

"Loki wouldn't tell a lie that's so easily exposed."

"The key issue is that it's unnecessary, isn't it?"

"That's right, this is Loki. Although she's usually a bit reckless, noisy, unserious, fierce, and even-tempered, I just don't think she would lie like this."

"Hey, did you slip something weird into what you just said?"

The gods immediately engaged in heated discussions upon receiving the news, and eventually reached a consensus.

That means it's probably true.

Others might have a reason to tell such a colossal lie, but as the strongest force in the city, the Loki Familia has no reason to lie about something like this.

Their reputation no longer needs to be maintained or expanded through such means. Even if they wanted to promote someone, they wouldn't do it in a way that would ruin the reputation of the entire clan; that would only be a loss for them.

Moreover, the guild has no reason to collude with the Loki Familia in such matters.

In conclusion, although this story is outrageous, since it originated from Loki Familia, it is highly likely to be true.

The gods all agreed and erupted in excited commotion.

"Wow, some people really do manage to upgrade in less than a month!"

"Still a human!"

"Only sixteen years old!"

The gods have all gone mad. Some are making a huge fuss, laughing and joking in their own clans, while others have come directly to the Twilight Manor. In their emotional frenzy, they have started openly inquiring about Leo's information and trying to poach him.

Without exception, every member of the Loki Familia who entered and exited the Twilight Manor was stopped today by a deity or someone sent by a Familia, which startled them all.

"Get the hell out of here, you all!!!"

Upon receiving the news, Loki rushed out of the Divine Room, his face dark as he kicked countless ignorant gods away, causing countless screams to echo in front of the Twilight Manor that day.

In response to this situation, Finn and the others issued some instructions to the group members on how to deal with it.

"If they're here to poach our members, sent by another clan, then fight them off. If they're gods, then call Loki and let Loki deal with them."

"If they're here to gather information about Leo, they can leak some trivial details, but nothing else is allowed."

"I want that child so badly!!!"

"Tell Leo that if he's planning to go out anytime soon, he'd better be careful not to get tricked by those troublesome gods."

Finn, Riveria, Gareth then issued instructions one by one, getting the members of the Familia busy.

"Ah, so it turned out like this."

"I knew that if this were exposed, the whole of Orario would be in an uproar."

Tiona and Tione sighed with emotion, as did the other members of the clan.

"A bunch of idle bastards."

Bete Loga the werewolf seemed disdainful, but according to his fellow members, he had recently started frequently entering and Dungeon, spending less and less time at the main camp, and becoming even more elusive than before.

Lefiya Viridis said nothing, watching the lively scene with a complicated expression.

Ais, however, seemed oblivious to everything, continuing her sword practice in the courtyard. But anyone with a discerning eye would have noticed that her gaze had changed.

The news that Leo had reached Lv.2 in less than a month spread like wildfire, reaching thousands and millions of people, and in just one day, it had spread throughout Orario.

By nightfall, bards and similar figures were already singing Leo's name and praising his great deeds in the streets, gradually introducing many people who knew little about Leo to his story.

By the time Leo woke up the next day, some basic information about him had already been obtained by well-informed figures such as various clans and merchants.

For example, although he only officially joined the Loki Familia a month ago, he had already been brought to the Loki Familia's headquarters a year ago as a trainee member, responsible for logistics within the family.

For example, the reason he Loki Familia was not for any other reason than that [Sword Princess] found him in danger in the Dungeon, took him home, and personally facilitated this outcome.

In just one year, this person who broke the record for the fastest level-up was virtually unknown, but within the Loki Familia, his presence and fame were considerable.

The reason is simple: the blonde swordswoman, known as the Doll Princess and called the [Sword Princess], seems to have always favored him, and their relationship seems to be quite unusual.

This gossip story made the name "Leo Eligos" spread even faster.

"Is it that [Sword Princess]'s rumored boyfriend?"

"Wow, that's some skill."

Why didn't Loki kill this wild man who dared to flirt with her sweetheart?

"Even that [Sword Princess] is looking at him with new respect? I'm getting more and more curious about him!"

For a time, gods and Lower World alike were discussing this intriguing figure.

Although Leo was unaware of all this, he had been prepared for it.

Even without Finn and the others reminding him, Leo has been extra careful and discreet when entering and leaving the Familia lately. He has even started wearing a hooded trench coat, leaving early and returning late every day to avoid crowds as much as possible, and has even left tasks such as handling the spoils of war to Lefiya.

His biggest concern right now isn't his rising fame, but his personal growth and—his brand-new weapon.