Compared to the playful atmosphere at the Hestia Familia's home, once Ganesha announced the conclusion of the Soma Familia's destruction, Orario returned to its usual calm.
The "god wine that controls the mind" inevitably became the main topic of discussion for adventurers after their dungeon runs—
and of course, not about the one who wiped out the Soma Familia.
Rather—everyone wanted to know how good the god wine tasted!
This was exactly what the Ganesha Familia wanted to see: ordinary adventurers learning the truth without the city falling into panic.
For other familias—
especially the strongest ones—the truth about the Soma massacre and Liang Yue's feat of breaking the world record for the fastest level-up to Lv.2…
That wasn't really a secret.
At the Twilight Manor, the headquarters of the Loki Familia in Orario's bustling eighth district, Loki already knew the truth through Ganesha.
Lounging back against a soft sofa with empty bottles before her, Loki—her bright red hair tied in a high ponytail and her figure exuding a boyish air—was not in a good mood.
She could already imagine what it would be like when Hestia, who had only just managed to restore her reputation at the next divine assembly, would rub this in her face.
The person who broke Ais Wallenstein's record for the fastest level-up—
had actually appeared in the barely-resourced, newly-founded Hestia Familia.
That meant this child had relied purely on their own talent!
"Just how terrifying does one's potential have to be to pull this off?"
Slightly tipsy, Loki couldn't help feeling intense curiosity about Liang Yue.
Ganesha hadn't revealed much detail, and when pressed further,
he simply used Ouranos as a shield—refusing to disclose more—
but still stated that Liang Yue's miracle was enough to drive every god mad!
With no other leads, Loki could only piece things together from the timeline.
Hestia had come down to the lower world about half a year ago and started her familia…
likely only three months ago?
And during that time, this new adventurer—who had broken little Ais's record—had gone from nothing to Lv.2, and even single-handedly wiped out the Soma Familia.
If even Ouranos didn't pursue the aftermath, then in other aspects Liang Yue was definitely no lightweight.
Most likely, at the time of his level-up, his average ability scores already exceeded those of most adventurers.
The weight of that accomplishment was obvious.
What made Loki feel truly bitter was: why did Hestia get so lucky?
Her very first child turned out to be a genius with unmatched talent?
And to make it worse—she couldn't even buy the Soma wine's defective batches!
Just as Loki was about to lift her mood with more drinking,
the hall doors opened, and in walked Riveria, with her long green hair draped over her shoulders and slender pointed ears marking her as an elf.
Following behind her, now in casual clothes, was the golden-haired, straight-locked Ais Wallenstein, heading toward Loki.
"Loki-sama, your ration for today is already finished."
Glancing at the empty bottles, Riveria ignored Loki's pleading look and stashed away the remaining unopened bottle.
Then she got straight to the point:
"And—why exactly did you want to see Ais?"
When it came to serious matters, Loki shed some of her usual playful demeanor and squinted at Ais.
She put her hands on her knees and explained:
"Little Ais, your world record for the fastest level-up to Lv.2 has been broken by a rookie from the Hestia Familia."
"Oh."
Loki had expected at least some visible reaction—so she could, as a god, comfort her child properly.
But no matter how she searched Ais's face, she found no trace of emotion,
so she added:
"That kid's name is Liang Yue. He moved the record forward by three whole months. I didn't get the details."
"Hm?"
Upon hearing Liang Yue's name again, Ais's frosty lashes trembled slightly,
and for once there was a rare flicker of emotion in her calm eyes.
Move the fastest level-up record forward by three months?
She recalled an encounter not long ago, after the familia's expedition,
when she had returned to the surface and run into a fleeing Minotaur—
and a rookie adventurer who also used swordsmanship.
He had even dodged Loki's sudden attack.
Faced with Riveria's curious gaze, Ais chose not to hide it.
"I know him."
"The swordsmanship he uses—I've never seen before. Very interesting. If it's Liang Yue, I guess I'm not really surprised he broke the record."
Uncertain how to express her feelings, the girl tilted her head slightly,
her calm gaze toward Riveria now clouded with a touch of confusion.
"Or rather… it makes sense?"
She had always believed that Liang Yue's name would someday be known by all adventurers in Orario.
Just… she hadn't expected it to be in this way.
The Battle Wastelands.
After finishing his daily training baptism and dragging his tired body back, Bell was stopped on the way by his captain, Ottar.
With a stern face, Ottar told him to go see Lady Freya.
Of course, Bell did not refuse—he deeply respected the goddess who had recruited him into the familia and given him so much care.
He was just puzzled about why she wanted to see him.
She had just updated his status the day before yesterday—was there something else?
Arriving at the door to Freya's bedroom, Bell knocked softly.
After hearing permission, he entered—
and his eyes fell upon a beauty that could put the very concept of "beauty" to shame.
Faced with Freya's gaze, Bell lowered his head slightly, blushing, but didn't forget to ask:
"Lady Freya, may I ask why you called me…"
"Nothing in particular."
"I just discovered something interesting and wanted to share it with you."
Sitting with poised grace on the sofa, Freya smiled warmly.
Discovering a soul as pure as Bell's—one that longed to catch up to other adventurers—
she couldn't help feeling a strange emotion.
And upon learning that Liang Yue was also a rookie adventurer, that feeling only grew.
She had deliberately kept information from Bell to preserve his idealized admiration,
but after trading with Ouranos for Liang Yue's details,
she too was struck by shock she could not suppress.
At the moment of level-up, his stats had reached a limit no adventurer had ever achieved.
As for speed—
from registering as an adventurer to leveling up had taken him only ten days.
It was a miracle surpassing even the great heroes of ancient times!
Even with Bell's daily harsh training in the Battle Wastelands,
he had only seen large gains in his ability values—nothing on that level.
Freya wondered—if she told Bell this, would his "Heroic Admiration" skill activate at full force?
"The record the Sword Princess set a few years ago was broken today by a rookie adventurer," she told him.
"From registration to leveling up—it only took him ten days."
Seeing Bell's confused expression, she casually added:
"I think he's from the Hestia Familia. His name was… Liang Yue, I believe."
"!!"
Bell's youthful face froze as the words sank in.
Part of his motivation for enduring this daily training was because of Liang Yue—
he longed to be as strong as him.
And now—this brief statement from Freya was loaded with information:
The adventurer who had broken the Sword Princess's record—
who had cut the fastest Lv.2 time down to ten days—
was also a rookie named Liang Yue!
The boy's red eyes widened in shock as he remembered that dangerous moment back then.
"So… when we were facing that swarm of Killer Ants—
the Liang Yue-senpai who saved me…
he had only been an adventurer one day longer than me—
and yet he broke Orario's fastest level-up record?"
The one who answered was Freya, her interest in Liang Yue rekindled.
Her smile revealed nothing of her true thoughts.
"Not just Orario's miracle," she corrected.
"To be precise—it's a feat that shakes the whole world!"