The news of Leon's level up was like a large stone cast into a long-dormant body of water. Though the splash itself was not yet massive, the resulting ripples were spreading wider and wider.
At the moment, this piece of news was still confined to the members within the Loki Familia, but it would not be long before it shook all of Orario, and indeed, the entire Lower World.
Ais climbing to Level 2 in a single year had been enough to cause a sensation throughout the world; Leon had done it in less than a month, so he naturally could as well.
Regardless, Loki was already prepared to head to the Guild today to register the achievement. She was certain that the news of Leon reaching Level 2 in less than a month would turn the entire Guild upside down within the day, and then it would simply be a matter of waiting for the Guild to officially broadcast it.
Of course, none of that mattered to Leon right now.
Even though he had reached Level 2, he remained exactly as before, fully intent on diligently conquering the Dungeon.
Consequently, after parting ways with Ais, he went straight back to his room to gather his equipment. Once Line came out, they left the headquarters together, leaving the observing Familia members staring at one another in collective bewilderment.
"He just leveled up yesterday, does he not even plan to rest today?"
"Isn't that a bit too diligent?"
"With him acting like this, I feel embarrassed to even try anything against him."
"To have that kind of talent and still work so hard, he's practically like a second Miss Ais..."
The various members of the Familia discussed the matter privately, to the point where even a few who had originally harbored some resentment toward Leon began to feel a sense of admiration.
Among them was Lefiya. Watching the silhouettes of Leon and Line leaving side by side, her gaze became exceptionally complicated.
"Oh my, with the newcomer working so hard, I'm too ashamed to keep idling around at home."
Even Tiona let out a sigh, causing Tione, who stood beside her, to curl her lip.
But truth be told, seeing Leon level up in less than a month and then immediately dive back into the Dungeon without showing a shred of pride or arrogance did indeed strike a chord with the now-calmed members of the Loki Familia.
Thus, before long, figures began emerging one after another from the gates of the Twilight Manor. Some were fully armored, others walked in pairs, all departing the headquarters.
Their destinations were entirely identical, heading toward the Babel Tower, or rather, toward the Dungeon.
Tiona and Tione also left the headquarters without a word, quietly making their way to the Dungeon.
Lefiya, meanwhile, suddenly walked into the Familia headquarters' library, flipping through various magic-related books and beginning to study with immense focus.
As for Ais, she chose the unusual path of not heading to the Dungeon, opting instead to hide in her room.
"Face yourself, and pursue the things hidden deep within your heart..."
The gold-haired, gold-eyed girl silently repeated those words in her mind. Lying on her bed, she stared blankly at the ceiling, remaining lost in thought for a very long time.
Loki and the others naturally noticed this state of affairs.
"As expected, every single one of them has been stimulated."
"How could they not be? The newcomer is growing at such a terrifying pace. If they don't work hard, they'll be overtaken in no time."
"It's been a while since we've felt this kind of tension. Even Tiona and Tione are feeling the pressure, aren't they?"
In the office, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth looked at one another and smiled, conversing as though they had long anticipated this exact outcome.
Loki, also rarely present so early in the morning, sat upon the office desk, giggling away.
"As long as that brat's growth rate doesn't slow down, it shouldn't take long for him to catch up to those girls, right?" Loki teased the first three children she had taken in, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Maybe even the three of you will be overtaken by that kid."
At those words, the three leaders of the Familia all let out bitter smiles.
"For that brat to catch up to us, he still has a long way to go," Gareth snorted softly.
"He is only Level 2 right now. It is far too early to speak of such things." Riveria did not seem to mind the notion, maintaining her elegant and composed demeanor.
"If he really can catch up, I would actually be able to breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, having another Level 6 in the Familia would lighten our burden considerably." Finn smiled with absolute tranquility, completely unbothered.
"You three are certainly taking it easy," Loki said, finding it a bit dull since they didn't take the bait. "Be careful not to lose your veteran status, or that'll be a real riot."
Hearing this, Finn and the other two exchanged looks and smiled bitterly once more.
Precisely because they were veterans who could look at things more open-mindedly than the youth, they were able to maintain such a steady appearance.
To say they felt no pressure at all would certainly be a lie. After all, the three of them had been stagnant at Level 6 for many years, yet they had consistently failed to find the opportunity to take that final step.
When it came to basic abilities, whether it was Finn, Riveria, or Gareth, they had already trained their stats to the absolute limit. Even after experiencing numerous expeditions and slaying countless monsters, they still hadn't accumulated enough of a grand feat to cause a level sublimation.
Now, every time they returned from an expedition, even if their status was updated, their basic abilities wouldn't increase by much. At most, a certain stat might gain one or two points of proficiency, and sometimes not even that, resulting in absolutely no change.
In the beginning, they had also experienced moments of anxiety, but over time, they had grown accustomed to it, calming their hearts and no longer rushing.
Watching the young people in the Familia strive to catch up—especially Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya, who grew at an almost staggering speed until they were either Level 5 first-class adventurers or promising successors—Finn and the other two felt far more gratified and happy than anything else.
Therefore, seeing an unprecedentedly special existence like Leon gradually rise to prominence, the three veterans could view it with a calm mind, unlike the others who were so deeply affected.
It had to be said that this mindset alone was something the blessed geniuses of the Familia could not yet match.
Veterans were veterans for a reason; they were not so easily overtaken. Loki was merely teasing them for her own amusement, but in truth, her confidence in Finn and the other two was greater than in anyone else.
There was no helping it. These three were the very first family members she had encountered after descending to the Lower World, the literal founding members of the Familia.
In the very beginning, the entire Loki Familia consisted of only the four of them. They started from outside Orario and came to the center of the world, rising from the absolute bottom where they could barely establish a foothold, continuously challenging the vastly more powerful Familias above them. They went through adventure after adventure, crisis after crisis, and even agonizing sacrifices, before finally reaching the heights they occupied today.
One could say that the rise of this Familia from obscurity to being hailed as one of the strongest in the city today was entirely inseparable from the efforts of the four individuals present.
The four of them were the bedrock of this Familia, the central pillars that could absolutely never fall.
For some reason, the four of them simultaneously recalled the various events of the past.
"I am feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days."
"Indeed. Back then, there were only the four of us in this Familia."
"Sometimes I truly envy those youngsters; they have never experienced the hardships of our era."
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth voiced their thoughts one after another.
Loki, however, remained silent. She pulled out a bottle of alcohol from somewhere, swirling it before taking a deep swig.
She remembered the trials this Familia had endured along the way, as well as the children who had long since sacrificed their lives.
One had to understand that back when they made their vows, Orario was nowhere near as peaceful as it was today.
In those days, an adventurer's enemies were not just the monsters within the Dungeon, but also each other.
At that time, Orario was in an era of upheaval, even an era of darkness, filled with conflict and slaughter everywhere.
The first hardships they faced were two heavily suffocating mountains—the two great Familias that reigned supreme over all of Orario and the entire Lower World, pressing down so hard that both gods and mortals could scarcely breathe.
They stood at the absolute pinnacle, looking down upon everyone. In order to climb upward, the Loki Familia could only continuously challenge those two immovable mountains, getting injured time and time again, and being crushed time and time again. Yet they could only heal their wounds and continue the challenge, otherwise they would have to leave in disgrace and content themselves with mediocrity.
That was something Loki, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth could never accept. Thus, even when battered and bruised, they still pushed forward to challenge and shake those two mountains.
Later, those two mountains sacrificed themselves for the shared grand desire of the Lower World, and the Loki Familia, alongside the Freya Familia, finally seized the opportunity to rise aggressively, claiming the summit of Orario. Yet, because of the disappearance of those two mountains, many pests that had once been suppressed and dared not show their heads began to crawl out from the underground one after another. Grinning from the shadows, they lunged forth to cause chaos and commit evil everywhere, resulting in the deaths of countless innocent people.
That period could well be called the Dark Age of Orario. As the kings who had already claimed the summit of the city, the Loki Familia not only had a duty to face it, but also had plenty of reasons to be targeted.
Consequently, more people became bloodied, and more people were sacrificed.
They lost numerous comrades and paid a heavy price in blood before finally arriving at the point they stood today.
Now, Orario as a whole had restored its peace, but who knew how long this peace could be maintained?
The Loki Familia and the Freya Familia were known as the twin kings of Orario, but whether it was Loki or that other goddess, both knew very well that they were still far from matching the two mountains that had once ruled the city.
The highest-level members of the current Loki Familia were Finn and the other two, numbering three Level 6s. The highest-level member of the Freya Familia was a Level 7, and there was only one.
A Level 7 was currently the strongest within Orario, and there was only that single individual.
Even if one counted outside of Orario, the highest level remained Level 7, with only two individuals in existence.
Yet within the two mountains that had once ruled Orario, one possessed a Level 8, and the other possessed a Level 9.
Even they had fallen. How long could a so-called strongest Familia like the Loki Familia, which didn't even possess a single Level 7, actually hold out?
Loki had immense confidence in Finn's trio, that much was true, but even she could not be certain that Finn and the others would eventually catch up to those two mountains.
Ais did have hope, but the darkness hidden deep within that child's heart was too dense. No one knew when it might harm her or even lead to her death, which left Loki and the others deeply worried.
Now, within Leon, Loki saw the genuine possibility of catching up to those existences that had already passed away.
"Grow up as quickly as possible, brat..."
Loki murmured to herself while drinking, gazing out the window as if she could see the silhouette currently walking toward the white tower.
"While there is still time and opportunity, grow as fast as you possibly can."
Only by doing so could he become the hope of this Familia, and perhaps, the hope of the entire Lower World.
In front of the Babel Tower, at the central plaza.
When Leon arrived here alongside Line, completely accustomed to the route, Line, who had been excitedly discussing his level up all along the way, finally asked a question.
"Are we still going to the 12th floor today, Mr. Leon?"
Line looked at Leon walking ahead of her, an admiration she herself hadn't fully noticed surfacing in her eyes.
She really hadn't expected that her teammate, with whom she had been spending every day for the past half month, would quietly pull off such a massive achievement.
Less than a month to rise from Level 1 to Level 2 was truly inconceivable to Line, who was still only Level 2 herself.
She hadn't been willing to believe it at first, but with ironclad proof before her, Line could only accept reality while wildly cheering for Leon in her mind.
"Let's go to the 12th floor first," Leon said without looking back, unaware of the admiring gaze of the girl behind him. "I want to confirm my strength after the level up before considering anything else."
"Alright." Line nodded obediently and smiled. "With Mr. Leon's current strength, dealing with the monsters on the 12th floor will absolutely be a walk in the park."
Forget about now after the level up; even before leveling up, Leon had been able to navigate the 12th floor smoothly. Conquering the 12th floor was no obstacle for Leon, just as it hadn't been before.
Leon smiled and was about to reply to Line when he suddenly felt a sensation of being watched.
His footsteps paused slightly, and he raised his head to glance toward the upper levels of the Babel Tower.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Leon stop, Line voiced her confusion.
"It's nothing," Leon said after a brief silence, then calmly stated, "Let's go."
The two stepped into the Babel Tower and entered the Dungeon.
High up in the Babel Tower, within a luxurious room, a beautiful and curvaceous silhouette stood, looking down at the central plaza through a massive floor-to-ceiling window.
"How exceptionally sharp."
The owner of the silhouette smiled before the window, radiating an infinite charm that was both captivating and suffocating.
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