"The banquet is starting!" Hestia's voice bood through the library, her excitent infectious.
"Ohhhh!"
The gathered friends shouted in unison, the sound of their cheers echoing deep into the Orario night.
While Hestia and the others celebrated, the rest of the city's power structure was being fundantally rewritten. The rewards of the expedition were so vast they had effectively restored and even surpassed the "Golden Age" of the Zeus and Hera Familias.
In the Hephaestus Familia.
Tsubaki successfully reached Lv. 7. Welf Crozzo, though still at Lv. 2, saw his stats explode into the high S-ranks, his "Crozzo Blood" resonating with the fires of the deep floors.
In the Astraea and Kali Familias.
The girls who had followed Leon saw the most dramatic shifts.
Ryuu reached Lv. 8, while Alise and Kaguya both hit Lv. 7.
From the Kali side, Argana and Bache both climbed to Lv. 7, accompanied by a new wave of Lv. 5 familia mbers.
In the Freya Familia.
Ottar solidified his position as the "King" at Lv. 8. Allen, Hedin, and Hogni all stood at the pinnacle of Lv. 7, with the Gulliver brothers and others forming a solid Lv. 6 frontline.
However, even these legendary leaps were overshadowed by the Loki Familia's results.
Among the executives, Finn, Gareth, Riveria, Tione, Tiona, and Bete all reached Lv. 8.
Alicia and Aki reached Lv. 7, while Lefiya, now a powerhouse in her own right, hit Lv. 5.
But the crown jewel of the expedition was Ais. Because she had single-handedly stood against the Corrupted Spirit and survived a Level 10 onslaught, her Falna had perford a "Miracle." Much like Ryuu before her, she perford a double rank-up, from Lv. 7 to Lv. 9.
When she unfurled her wings back at the Twilight Manor, she did not reveal the two wings of a fledgling. She stood as an Eight-Winged Angel that could now stand toe-to-toe with the legends of old.
Orario had changed. Now, even without Leon, their combat power had recovered and was even greater than before.
—
The following morning, the various Familia captains involved in the expedition marched to the Guild to submit their official upgrade data.
By the third day, the results were posted on the central bulletin board, and the ripples of shock that followed turned into a tidal wave that paralyzed the city. Orario had never seen anything like it.
The news was a sensation that bordered on a riot. Countless adventurers stared at the lists with eyes filled with such intense envy it bordered on madness.
While the first expedition with the Loki Familia had raised eyebrows, many had dismissed it as a fluke or a "hidden floor" discovery.
But now, with the Freya, Kali, Hephaestus, Hestia, and Artemis Familias all returning with legendary gains, the truth was undeniable: an expedition with Leon didn't just an survival—it ant a guaranteed, high-speed evolution.
The most terrifying revelation was the raw power concentrated at the top.
The Loki Familia had produced several Level 8s simultaneously, a feat that should have taken decades of grueling labor.
But it was Ais who truly broke the collective psyche of the city. Her jump from Level 7 to Level 9 was far more staggering than Ryuu's previous double-leap. Ryuu had moved through the lower levels (4 to 6), but Ais had crossed levels at the upper tier.
Even the Ganesha Familia, the eternal guardians of Orario's order, found their resolve crumbling.
They had once been the third pillar of the city, boasting the highest number of Level 5 adventurers—eleven in total. But as they looked at the board, they realized they had been left in the dust.
Every other major faction now possessed Level 7s or 8s. If they continued to "maintain order" while others got stronger, they would soon lose the strength required to enforce that very order.
On the third day, Shakti arrived at Leon's library, her expression a mix of urgency and helplessness. She found only Hestia, who was tending to the shelves.
"Where is Leon?" Shakti asked, sighing as she realized her target was missing.
"Hers spiraled in here and called him away." Hestia replied with a slightly lonely smile.
She had hoped to spend more ti with Leon after the month-long absence, but Hers had been insistent.
"He said they needed to head to the End of the World to investigate the two Black Dragons. After the thousand-year pact was ntioned, Leon couldn't exactly say no."
"Is that so?" Shakti muttered. "I suppose that takes precedence."
"Is there sothing you need? I can contact Leon right now through Ellie." Hestia offered, gesturing to the glowing fairy nestled in her hair.
Shakti didn't hesitate. "I want to discuss whether the Ganesha Familia can join the next expedition. We cannot afford to be left behind any longer."
Hestia closed her eyes, communicating silently with Ellie.
A mont later, she looked back at Shakti and nodded. "Leon says he has no objection. You can coordinate the details with Finn."
"Phew... thank you, Hestia." Shakti breathed a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across her stern face before she hurried off to the Twilight Manor to begin the logistics.
—
anwhile, far beyond the walls of Orario, a streak of white light tore through the clouds.
Leon sat cross-legged, his arms crossed over his chest as he maintained a flight spell.
Beside him, Hers and Asfi braced themselves against the high-altitude winds.
Hers, usually the life of any party, looked uncharacteristically somber. His eyes were fixed on the distant, jagged horizon where the world seemingly ended.
Hers began, his voice heavy with worry, "Leon, why would the Dungeon create a new Dragon now? And why would it fly straight to its predecessor? If they join forces, the Millennium Covenant might end. I don't want to see the gods lose their place in this world."
Leon replied, his voice steady, "I don't know the Dungeon's mind but we'll find out soon enough. Whatever the new Black Dragon is planning, it sought out the old one for a reason."
Leon remained inwardly confident. Now at Level 9, he occupied the space between mortal and divine. He was at the absolute limit of what the lower world could contain.
One more step, and he would ignite the Divine Fire within himself. At that point, he wouldn't just be an adventurer, he would be the King of Gods, a being beyond the reach of any monster the Dungeon could spawn.
Hers murmured, clutching his hat as the temperature began to drop, "The closer we get, the more uneasy I feel. It's as if the air itself is being drained of hope."
Leon didn't respond.
Everything lay waiting at the End of the World.
User Comments
0 comments from readers