Famous Throughout Orario

"What! Someone defeated a Floor Boss and triggered a Dungeon riot!"

The adventurer stared in disbelief at the middle-aged adventurer named Made. In Orario, even the top-tier Familias organized Expedition Teams whenever they went to defeat a Floor Boss. It wasn't because they lacked high-level adventurers capable of taking one down. The problem was that when a Floor Boss went berserk, it triggered a Dungeon riot. Not only did the Floor Boss grow much stronger, but endless monsters would also converge around it, drawn by its rampage.

At that point, even top adventurers could be overwhelmed by the endless assault and find themselves in danger. That was why whenever the top-tier Familias in Orario set out to defeat a Floor Boss or go on an expedition, they spent months organizing an Expedition Team.

"Yeah. That lord triggered a Dungeon riot when he defeated the Floor Boss. At the time, we thought one of the top-tier Familias was taking it on, but when we arrived, that lord was the only one fighting the Floor Boss.

"We weren't injured because he failed to defeat it. That lord killed the 17th Floor's Floor Boss, Goliath, in a single blow. After Goliath died, the rampaging monsters tried to escape the 17th Floor. We happened to be near the passage leading out of the 17th Floor, and that's how we got hurt!

"We only survived because that lord rushed to save us when he saw the monsters rampaging, then brought down the passage."

As they listened to Made, the Adventurer Guild fell silent. What had they just heard?

One person had taken on a Floor Boss and not only succeeded, but also made the fearless monsters of the Dungeon flee. Before they could escape, he had rescued most of the adventurers watching nearby and brought down the passage, too.

A powerful, mysterious, and kind figure took shape in everyone's minds. For the first time, they learned that Orario had an adventurer this powerful—someone who had risked his own safety to save other adventurers when they were in danger.

"Made, do you know that adventurer lord's name?"

One adventurer suddenly asked. The others turned to look at Made, too. They were curious about this mysterious and powerful adventurer. Which of the famous top adventurers in Orario was he?

"I don't know. It was my first time seeing him, too."

Made, the middle-aged adventurer, shook his head. He had no idea who that lord was. The adventurers known throughout Orario had never included anyone like him.

"You don't know?"

"No, but I remember what he looked like. Black hair, black eyes, and a silver-white basin-shaped thing on his head. Oh, and that lord used two black short swords."

"Black hair, black eyes, and a silver-white basin-shaped thing on his head."

Some adventurers in the guild thought they had seen someone like that before, but he didn't quite match the person they remembered.

"Made, was the person you're talking about someone who kept laughing while he fought? And was there something bloodthirsty and manic about his laughter?"

An adventurer spoke up. He'd encountered someone similar on the fifth floor of the Dungeon yesterday, but wasn't sure. Made had said that lord had defeated a Floor Boss alone today, after all.

Made carefully recalled Lu Qiming's battle against the Floor Boss, then nodded.

"That lord really was laughing the whole time he fought. His laughter was just like you said. Do you know him?"

The adventurer rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"How could I know that lord? I only saw him from a distance on the fifth floor of the Dungeon yesterday. But that lord seemed to know Miss Eina quite well."

"Miss Eina?"

All the adventurers turned to look at Eina. Ever since Made had described the appearance of the lord who'd defeated a Floor Boss alone, she'd been standing there in a daze.

Hearing someone call her name, Eina finally snapped out of it. She saw all the adventurers staring at her and smiled faintly.

"I don't know if the person you mean is Lu Qiming, but he does have black hair and black eyes. As for the thing on his head, that's a stainless steel basin he brought from his hometown. He only bought his weapons this morning."

After hearing Eina's words, everyone was certain that the person she meant was the powerful lord who'd defeated a Floor Boss alone. After all, black hair and black eyes were rare in Orario, and the distinctive weapons and silver-white object on his head matched Made's description.

"So that lord's name is Lu Qiming. I wonder which top-tier Familia he belongs to!"

The adventurers began to discuss it among themselves. Some said Lu Qiming was a secret trump card of the Loki Familia; others said he belonged to the Freya Familia. Some even claimed he was with the Apollo Familia.

As the speculation went on, some adventurers grew so determined to prove their guesses right that they started cursing at anyone who disagreed with them. Before long, they were reaching for their weapons, ready to fight.

"Ah! That hurts, you idiot! You stepped on my wound!"

"Who was it? Who dared to sneak up on my little brother?"

"Enough! Stop arguing!"

Seeing the situation get more and more out of hand, Eina shouted and put an end to the farce.

The bickering adventurers stopped and looked at Eina. For one thing, this was the Adventurer Guild, where they needed to earn their living. For another, the lord they were arguing about was quite familiar with Eina.

"Qiming hasn't joined a Familia yet, so there's no need to argue!"

After saying that, Eina immediately sent the adventurers crowding around away. They were getting in the way of the doctors and potion-makers trying to treat the injured.

The adventurers Eina sent away didn't mind. What mattered most to them now was what she'd just said: Lu Qiming hadn't joined a Familia yet! That meant he'd become this powerful without a Falna. Wouldn't he grow even stronger once he received one?

At the thought, a gleam appeared in every adventurer's eyes. If they could get their own god to bring this lord into their Familia, wouldn't their Familia have a chance to become one of the top Familias in Orario—or even the strongest?

Imagining their Familia becoming one of the top ones, the adventurers turned and hurried out of the Adventurer Guild, rushing toward their Familia's home.

Some of the adventurers who hadn't figured out what was going on stared at the others as they left, baffled. One of them grabbed a friend from his Familia.

"Lisa, where are you going?"

"Nowhere. I just remembered that I'm on my period. I need to hurry back."

Lisa looked at her useless teammate, speechless, and had to make up an excuse. Everyone there now knew that Lord Lu Qiming hadn't joined a Familia yet, but only a few had realized they could recruit him into their own.

If she said it outright, the odds of her own god getting the chance to bring that lord into their Familia would drop considerably.