Before long, the members of the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia had been assembled.
Genichi stood at the front of the group, his gaze sweeping across these top-tier adventurers of Orario.
On the Loki Familia's side were Ais Wallenstein, Riveria Ljos Alf, Bete Loga, Gareth Landrock, and Finn Deimne.
On the Freya Familia's side, Ottar stood at the front. That mighty Level 7 warrior was widely acknowledged as the strongest adventurer in Orario.
Behind him were Hegni, Allen, and a number of other elites above Level 5.
The elites of both Familias had gathered in one place. Even in Orario's history, formations like this were rare.
Genichi stood before them, expression calm, without the slightest hint of nervousness or fear.
Everyone had already been informed before arriving what this mission was about.
"What you're going to face is the corrupted spirit, on the sixtieth floor of the Dungeon."
Genichi spoke in a voice that was not loud, but every word reached everyone clearly.
"And I've only ever been as far as the forty-third floor. Which means I can send you to the forty-third floor. After that, you'll have to make your own way to the sixtieth, and then kill the corrupted spirit yourselves."
Hearing that, no one said anything.
They had known from the start just how difficult this mission would be.
The corrupted spirit was the stuff of legend, a fallen form of the spirit race whose strength far surpassed that of an ordinary floor boss.
Even with an elite force like this, no one dared claim victory was guaranteed.
But one person's gaze remained fixed on Genichi.
Ais Wallenstein.
The blonde girl known as the Sword Princess stared at him with clear lake-colored eyes, her expression full of curiosity and confusion.
"How did you do it? How did you reach Level 6 in such a short time?"
She asked it softly, but the question drew every eye in the room toward Genichi.
Yes. How had he done it?
Everyone present was among Orario's strongest, and no one understood better than they did how many years it had taken to reach their current levels.
How long had it taken Ais to go from Level 1 to Level 5? Five years? Six? She was hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius, and even her growth speed had been considered shocking.
How many years had it taken Ottar to rise from Level 1 to Level 7? Over ten? He was Orario's strongest adventurer, Freya's pride.
And this boy before them had only been in Orario for two months.
Two months ago, he had been nothing more than a wandering nobody who had never even stepped into the Adventurers' Guild.
Two months later, he was Level 6.
What kind of concept was that?
Ten times faster than Ais?
Twenty times faster than Ottar?
This was beyond genius.
It was monstrous.
Genichi met Ais's gaze, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"It's simple."
The moment he said those three words, everyone straightened and listened.
Simple?
All right, then. Let's hear just how simple it is.
Genichi started counting on his fingers.
"At Level 1, you spend seven days maxing out your status, then go into the Dungeon and kill an enhanced infant dragon. That gets you to Level 2."
He paused and looked at Ais.
"Did you max out your Level 1 status in seven days?"
Ais blinked and shook her head.
She was a genius, yes, but maxing out Level 1 in seven days?
That kind of speed had never even occurred to her.
Genichi went on.
"Then at Level 2, you take twelve days to max out your status, and after that, you survive against a Level 4 adventurer trying to kill you. That gets you to Level 3."
"Twelve days?"
Bete could not help speaking up. "What kind of joke is that? Max out Level 2 in twelve days? You think status points go up just by drinking water?"
Genichi glanced at him and did not bother arguing. He just kept going.
"After that, you spend another twenty-one days maxing out Level 3, then challenge Goliath and a mutated Goliath. That gets you to Level 4."
"A mutated Goliath?"
Riveria frowned. "You mean the Black Goliath? That's a special monster born only when a god releases divine power. How did you even pull that off?"
Genichi said evenly, "I had Demeter release divine power in the Dungeon and lure it out."
Everyone sucked in a breath.
Have a god release divine power in the Dungeon?
That was exactly the sort of thing that would provoke the Dungeon's wrath.
This brat was completely insane.
Genichi ignored their shock and continued.
"Then you spend twenty days maxing out Level 4, then go challenge Udaeus on the thirty-seventh floor. As long as you don't die, you get the feat necessary to reach Level 5."
"Udaeus?"
Gareth's eyes widened. "That's the floor boss of the thirty-seventh floor. You challenged it at Level 4?"
Genichi nodded. "Didn't win the first time. Nearly died. But as long as you survive, it counts as a feat."
Without elaborating, he continued.
"Then you take seven days to max out Level 5, go challenge Udaeus again, and as long as you kill it, you reach Level 6."
After finishing, he clapped his hands lightly and looked at the group.
"See? Simple, right?"
The entire room fell into dead silence.
Everyone was staring at him like he was some kind of monster.
Simple?
Did he have a completely broken understanding of that word?
Seven days to max out Level 1.
Twelve days to max out Level 2.
Twenty-one days to max out Level 3.
Twenty days to max out Level 4.
Seven days to max out Level 5.
Did he think this was like eating and drinking?
Status points had to be accumulated little by little through battle. It was not something you could just decide to max out whenever you felt like it.
And on top of that, he had to challenge floor bosses, survive the killing intent of a stronger adventurer, kill a mutated Goliath, and challenge Udaeus.
And this was what he called simple?
If that was simple, then what had all their years of effort even been?
Bete opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then realized he had nothing.
Riveria pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling like her understanding of the world had just taken a direct hit.
Gareth simply fell silent, his rugged face full of complicated emotion.
Ais, meanwhile, looked at Genichi even more intently now, some kind of light flickering in her eyes.
No one knew what she was thinking.
At last, Ottar spoke, his voice low and heavy.
"Are you making fun of us?"
Genichi looked at him seriously.
"I never joke."
Ottar fell silent.
As Orario's strongest adventurer, he understood better than anyone how difficult leveling up truly was.
Every step required immense effort and sweat. Every step meant struggling on the edge of life and death.
And yet this boy had walked in two months the road that took others ten or even twenty years.
That could no longer be explained by hard work alone.
It was talent. Opportunity. And above all, monstrosity.
Looking at their stunned faces, the smile at Genichi's lips deepened.
He enjoyed this feeling.
When he had first arrived in Orario, these people had all stood high above him.
The Loki Familia had rejected him. The Freya Familia had not even cared enough to spare him a glance.
And now he stood before them, recounting his own experience in an offhand tone, leaving every one of them speechless.
It felt damn good.
The group remained silent.
What Genichi had described was not something just anyone could accept.
Surviving under the killing intent of a Level 4 meant facing an enemy who could kill you at any moment, staying on edge every second, and struggling beneath the shadow of death.
Challenging a floor boss meant facing a monster far beyond your level and gambling your life for the tiniest chance of survival.
Releasing divine power in the Dungeon meant enduring the Dungeon's wrath and facing endless monster attacks.
These were not things just anyone could do.
Genichi let the smugness fade and said flatly, "So don't ask me how I did it. If you have to ask, the answer is this: I risked my life, and I made miracles happen."
(End of Chapter)
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