Tione had been engaged in brutal combat since childhood. Her ability scores were pushed near their limits before she leveled up, and combined with her refined techniques, her strength was not to be underestimated. Had Roy still been Level 3, he could have defeated her, but not in a single move. It took the combination of Level 4 attributes and his "Instinct" skill to achieve such utter dominance.
Between revealing his "Instinct" skill or his level, Roy chose to expose his level. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway.
The resulting shockwave was terrifying. The gods and adventurers in the arena leaped up as if their seats were on fire, staring at Roy with breathless disbelief.
"Sss!"
The gods sucked in a sharp breath, their pupils shaking. In hindsight, they should have expected this. Slating a Level 6 Mutated Floor Boss was an astounding feat—the "Excelling Narrative" (Excelia) earned from such a deed was enough to push a Level 5 to Level 6! There was no reason Roy couldn't reach Level 4.
But seeing it actually happen was still profoundly jarring. Roy had arrived in Orario and received a Blessing less than a year ago. From Level 1 to Level 4—a triple jump!
"A miracle... a miracle of the Lower World!"
The gods stared at Roy with greedy, longing eyes, as if looking at a priceless treasure they wished to snatch for themselves.
"Roy, darling! Tell me the secret to your fast leveling, and I'll give you a hundred million Valis!" "Get lost! Does Roy look like he lacks money? Roy, dear, would you like to study the biological differences between the sexes with me tonight?"
Upon learning Roy had reached Level 4, the gods turned into hungry wolves. They charged down from the stands, surrounding him with excitement and literally drooling. Some goddesses were even ready to sacrifice their dignity just to claim the "first blood" of this Child of Miracles.
Through the gaps in the crowd, Tione could see Roy conversing easily with the gods. He looked gallant and powerful, possessing the aura of a world-dominating hegemon. He was like the moon surrounded by stars.
Unlike the superficial fawning she had received earlier, this boy made the gods go truly mad. Tione's eyes trembled, her face flushed, and her heart raced. It was a feeling she had never known—she had been well and truly conquered.
The members of the Loki Familia wanted to congratulate Roy, but they were blocked by the wall of deities. Roy's popularity among the gods was simply too immense.
"Congratulations, Sprout of Justice," Finn murmured from afar, offering a silent tribute while the fire of ambition burned in his eyes. Behind him, the other Loki members felt the same. Riveria wore a proud smile; after all, he was her "royal junior."
"What a terrifying youth," Gareth remarked. Roy's potential surpassed even Ais'. The werewolf Bete, meanwhile, simply slipped away toward the Dungeon.
"Waaaah! I'm done! I'm quitting!" Loki's mental state finally collapsed. She fled the arena in tears. The more outstanding Roy became, the more she regretted her past decisions. An SSR-tier card had slipped right through her fingers.
The story of how Loki missed out on Roy was common knowledge by now. At every banquet, the other gods would ruthlessly mock her for it. Roy had visited many Familias, but because the Loki Familia was the strongest and most famous, they bore the brunt of the ridicule.
Finn left one member behind to convey their congratulations before leading the rest away. Between Roy's terrifying growth speed and the Astraea Familia gaining two high-potential newcomers, they felt a sudden, sharp sense of urgency.
The waves behind drive the waves ahead. The Zeus and Hera Familias were the "old waves" that the Loki and Freya Familias had surpassed. Now, they didn't want to become the "old waves" crushed by Roy and the Astraea Familia. Their new goal was set: a new Dungeon expedition!
On the other side, while Tione had been taken down by Roy in one move, Tiona's match against the Level 5 Ryu was even more one-sided. Sensing the battle-hungry gaze of a certain blonde swordswoman and the relentless pestering of the gods, Roy quickly led Ryu, Tione, and Tiona away.
They vanished from the arena, leaving the power-sealed gods to wail in disappointment.
Back at the Starry Court, Goddess Astraea, Daphne, and Cassandra soon returned. With such a massive commotion, they had naturally gone to watch the show. Because the stands were so crowded, Roy and Ryu hadn't noticed them.
"Mr. Roy, that was incredible!" Daphne and Cassandra surrounded him with eyes full of worship. They had seen it all: the victory over the legendary Finn in the marble game and the one-hit defeat of Tione.
Roy smiled and comforted the two overexcited girls. Since they knew the whole story, it saved him the trouble of explaining. He turned to the goddess. "Lady Astraea, what do you think?"
Astraea wore her signature gentle smile, her deep blue eyes resting on the Amazon twins. Tione looked nervous; after that fight, she was mentally and physically devoted to Roy and feared the goddess might reject them. Tiona, however, just grinned heartlessly, her innocent smile naturally winning people over.
"It's fine," Astraea laughed. "After all, they are the children you chose."
"Yay!" Daphne and Cassandra hugged each other, cheering for the newcomers. Tione breathed a sigh of relief. However, her gaze flickered between Roy and Astraea. Her sharp instincts told her something was off. What does "the children you chose" mean? The intimacy between them and the way they spoke suggested a relationship far beyond the norm.
Then Tione noticed something else: Astraea, Ryu, Daphne, and Cassandra all had their eyes fixed on Roy. She began to realize that she might have quite a bit of competition...
Astraea led Tione and Tiona into her room for the conversion. Adventurers might have personality flaws, but they never lacked decisiveness—hesitating for even a second against a monster meant death. After leaving Telskyura, the sisters had stayed with neutral gods, earning money for them in exchange for status updates. Most Familias had this business-like relationship; family-style Familias like Loki's or Astraea's were rare.
To avoid being harassed by predatory gods, the twins switched Familias periodically. Before coming to Orario, their previous patron had already prepared the paperwork. The process was seamless.
Tiona Hiryute and Tione Hiryute officially joined the Astraea Familia!
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Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (405 Chapter – Ongoing)
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