Riezel Brynhart
Affiliation: Loki Familia
Race: Human
Age: 17
Profession: Adventurer
Current Floor: 51st Floor
Notable Achievement: Riezel, an adventurer affiliated with the Loki Familia, embarked on a deep floor expedition with his familiar and actively participated in numerous floor boss battles spanning over a month and a half. Eventually, he officially leveled up to Level 5.
...
When this announcement was posted on the bulletin board in the first-floor lobby of the Guild main building, everyone who saw it had their eyes opened wide.
They gathered in front of the bulletin board, double-checking the information and even questioning the Guild staff at the counter.
The result was always the same.
The information was accurate, without a doubt.
As a result, the Guild exploded.
"Is this a joke or something?"
"Getting to Level 5 in, what, a month and a half? Are you freaking kidding me?"
"Trickster Swordsman has become a first-class adventurer, huh?"
"He was just a normal dude who got blessed three months ago, wasn't he? This is fucking bullshit, man!"
People were clamoring.
People were arguing.
People were in disbelief.
People were jealous.
Riezel reaching Level 5 and becoming a first-class adventurer caused a stir much greater than any of his previous deeds. Unfortunately, this time, the severity of the situation was completely different from before.
In the past, whether reaching Level 2, Level 3, or even Level 4, although shocking and impressive, Riezel had only become a second-class adventurer and a third-class adventurer.
In Orario, there were still quite a few adventurers in these classes.
Therefore, even though he rapidly rose with a speed that amazed and sparked envy and jealousy, he only became one among the many high-class adventurers.
In the eyes of many, while Riezel was undoubtedly worth attention, what difference did it make if he reached Level 4? Adventurers at this level were not rare, and they didn't pose a threat to others or their familia.
Therefore, various gods might have been interested in this rapidly rising rookie, adventurers would discuss his feats as a topic more than once, but the appearance of a Level 4 adventurer was, for many, just a not-so-significant and rare event.
In Orario, people reached Level 4 every now and then; it was nothing extraordinary.
Riezel was just one of them, albeit with a significantly faster level-up speed, considered talented and full of potential.
However, this time was different.
"Dude, we're talking Level 5 here! They're top adventurers in Orario, boasting powerful strength that only a few well-known big familias can have!
"All in just a month and a half, huh? If it's true, that's wild, y'know?"
"What a damn joke!"
Becoming a Level 5 first-class adventurer was not just like becoming an adventurer at any other level. Being at this level not only made anyone one of the top experts in Orario but also put one at the level of leading figures in top familias, even among those well-known and influential familias.
Take Hephaestus Familia for example.
It was famous in Orario alongside Loki Familia and Freya Familia as the best blacksmith familia of Orario. Tsubaki, the captain of this familia with the alias 'Cyclops', held the status of Level 5 first-class adventurer.
Meanwhile, the majority of top familias in Orario, trailing just behind Loki Familia and Freya Familia in both fame and strength, also followed the same pattern. Without exception, the higher-ups of these familias, holding the position of captain, were also Level 5 first-class adventurers.
It could be said that the reason these familias held a powerful position in Orario was because they had Level 5 first-class adventurers.
As for Level 6 and above, besides Loki Familia and Freya Familia, no other familia in Orario had adventurers at this level.
This was why Loki Familia and Freya Familia were considered Orario's strongest familias because only they possessed Level 6 adventurers. Apart from these two familias, all the other top familias in Orario, without exception, had their highest combat power limited to Level 5.
At this moment, Riezel managed to become such a high-level presence in just a short month and a half, even though he was just an ordinary person without a blessing three months ago.
The commotion caused by this was beyond anything in the past.
Thanks to this, news of Riezel's rapid level-up spread to the higher-ups of various familias and gods at an astonishing speed.
Soon enough, these familia higher-ups and gods were obviously blown away by the news.
===
"Lady Freya."
In the suite at the top of Babel, Ottar once again visited, reporting to the Goddess of Beauty, who stood by the large French windows.
"Riezel Brynhart has become Level 5."
Upon hearing that information, Freya, dressed in a black sheer evening dress, halted her actions of swaying the wine glass in front of the French windows.
"...He has become a first-class adventurer already?" Freya spoke in a hushed tone.
"Yes." Ottar solemnly said. "It seems Goddess Loki went to the Guild early in the morning to report the matter. After confirmation from the Guild, the news has already been announced."
"Loki, huh..." Freya swayed the wine glass and chuckled lightly. "She seems eager to show off in front of us."
"Allen already knows about this." Ottar continued, seemingly unaffected by her teasing. "He's not in a good mood and raging in the wilderness, venting his frustration."
"Fufu, let him be..." Freya shook her head with a chuckle. "That child has always been one to hold a grudge. Last time, he did some hateful things on my orders and ended up getting hurt. Now, the one he fought with has leveled up to Level 5, so it's only natural he's in a bad mood."
"What about Riezel Brynhart?" Ottar asked with his head down. "Loki Familia gained an executive-level combat power. For us, it's not something to be happy about."
After all, Freya Familia and Loki Familia were rivals. Suddenly having an additional first-class adventurer in Loki Familia was not advantageous for Freya Familia.
Freya, not indifferent to the situation, pointed her slender and fair fingers at her chin before turning to Ottar.
"What do you think?" Freya asked Ottar. "About Riezel Brynhart."
Without much hesitation, Ottar gave his answer.
"If you see him as a threat, I am willing to make a move."
Implying that if she gave the order, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate this threat.
"That won't do..." Freya sighed with a smile. "Just look at Loki's behavior. That boy is her treasure now. If we casually harm him, our familia might end up in a full-scale war."
Such a situation would be avoided deliberately by both sides and even the Guild, as the city manager, would not allow it.
In principle, the Guild strictly prohibited big familia from engaging in conflicts within Orario because each big familia played a significant role in the city. Business-type familia naturally contributed to the city's economic development, and exploration-type familia provided the strength needed for the Guild's various tasks, especially dungeon-related tasks.
Furthermore, Loki Familia and Freya Familia, being the strongest, were the mainstays in dungeon exploration and city defense.
Therefore, as the city manager, the Guild wouldn't silently watch these two big familias clash without intervening.
"Starting a war, that shouldn't happen." Freya looked at Ottar, her expression unchanged. "Anyway, I'm asking you like this is not from our familia's perspective but more like wanting to hear your personal opinion."
Hearing that, Ottar raised his head.
"Personal opinion?"
"Yes..." Freya's lips curled up. "Don't need to consider my thoughts. For you, Ottar, how is Riezel Brynhart as a person?"
At her question, Ottar fell into silence.
Freya, unfazed, just smiled at him and waited.
After a while, Ottar spoke.
"I'm looking forward to it."
His face remained firm and calm, but in his eyes, there was a newfound fighting intent that hadn't been there before.
"If he can truly continue to grow, perhaps one day, he could replace Finn as my opponent."
How high this evaluation was, anyone hearing Ottar's words would understand.
No choice.
"Can't believe Orario's only Level 7 would make such an evaluation." Freya's smile on her face deepened.
"He's worthy of it."
The man regarded as the city's ultimate weapon admitted.
"Well, let's not worry about him for now." Freya took a sip of wine. "I also want to see if he can catch up to you."
She was curious about Riezel—very, very curious.
A soul as peculiar as his, she had never seen in her entire life.
She was eager to know what lay deep within his soul.
This curiosity and thirst to explore made her feel both refreshed and amazed.
In the past, with her Discerning Eye, she always gathered souls with extraordinary radiance, being infatuated with heroes possessing such souls. But this kind of feeling, not infatuation, not admiration, but purely curiosity, an itching desire to explore the unknown, something she had never experienced before.
Freya's attitude toward Riezel was currently in a state of curiosity and observation.